Ursula Fischer: Needle Arts
1717 Kalakaua Avenue, 2nd floor [mapquest]
(808) 949-8900
Hours: variable mornings, look for the rainbow afghan or call before heading over
Proprietor: Ursula
In a small building, set a bit back from the road, near the Convention
Center. Hours vary; generally morning to early afternoon. If the
rainbow afghan is out on the balcony, she’s in. The shop is small,
with the yarn stock organized into drawers, a couple of walk-in closet
sized spaces for basic yarns, and the needles and notions on a big
display rack by the door. There’s a work table in the middle for
customers and students to work – in addition to selling yarn and
needlework tools, Ursula offers instruction in knitting, crocheting,
embroidery, and needlepoint. I didn’t copy down the list of rates; I
will say that I think her rates are very reasonable. She suggests
stopping by on Saturday and Sunday mornings “when the young people are
here.”
The yarn selection encompasses a range of high-end novelty, ribbon,
and standards. There is a stack of sock yarn in solid and
self-patterning colors by the needle rack, acrylics like Patons
Canadiana and Cascade Cherub, wools including Reynolds Lopi, and
natural fibers like mercerized cotton and bamboo.
Ursula loves wood needles and has a nice selection of high quality
straights and dpns, ranging from fine gauge to chair leg. She also
carries metal needles (aluminum, steel, Addi Turbos), and I found all
the needle prices to be very reasonable.
Ursula has a strong personality and is very knowledgeable and
skilled; an excellent resource who has kept the shop going for almost
30 years. Ursula is the one who put a skein of Cascade Cherub
Collection 4-ply in my hand and enlightened me on good acrylic vs. bad
acrylic (Cherub Collection is a nylon/acrylic blend, very soft, and I
really like working with it).
Parking: the building has a *very* small parking lot; you could also pay for parking at the Convention Center or park at Ala Moana shopping center
and walk over, then go back to Ala Moana and have lunch or go shopping.
Bus lines, especially out of Waikiki, stop nearby on both Kalakaua Ave.
and Kapiolani Blvd. (TheBus, 848-5555)
Nearby: Fabric Mart is located
on Kalakaua Avenue, a few blocks away (in the direction of the
mountains). Fabric Mart has a wide selection of fabrics, loads of
tropical/aloha print fabrics, basic notions and sewing supplies.
Remnant shelves are located upstairs. If you walk down Kalakaua to
Kapiolani Blvd, Waikiki will be to your left, and 20 – 30 minutes of
walking will take you into the center of Waikiki. The building on the
corner houses a coffeeshop and salon; the Hakubundo
Japanese bookstore (947-5503) is a little further down Kapiolani (going
away from Waikiki), and has a selection of Japanese craft books,
including a few crochet and knit pattern books. Their website has a
typo in the street address: it’s in the Pan Am building, as in the
defunct airline. If you continue down Kalakaua, going towards the
ocean, Ala Moana shopping center will be on your right, with a variety of places to shop and eat.
Random trivia: I managed to walk right past this shop several times without my yarn radar pinging. I must be broken.
All the reviews in one post:November 09, 2005 blog post (updated periodically)
Free PDF download
listing shops with location, hours, and contact info.
