The first thing that hits you when you enter Wildfiber is the smell: It's soft and almost tactile as it emanates from loops of yarn made from cashmere, wool and alpaca.  Located in a 2,000-square-foot former laundry building with high ceilings and boundless serenity, the shop boasts shelf after shelf of yarn in more colors than there are cones in the eye to perceive them. With courses on knitting and crocheting for all ages — and an abiding sense of patience for those who would pursue something slightly more complicated than a scarf — Wildfiber feels less like a shopping excursion and more like the comfort of coming home. 1453 14th St., Ste. E, Santa Monica, 90404. (310) 458-2748, wildfiber.com. —David Cotner

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