• Job: Owner, Knitch, a yarn shop and "community center for knitters"

Photos by KARL W. RITZLER/Special (ENLARGE)

Knitch in Virginia-Highland sells high-end yarn in natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, mohair and cashmere.

(ENLARGE)

Kim Nickels demonstrates her knitting skills at a large table in her shop, where knitters gather to share tips and stories. Knitch serves as a social outlet for them. 'Some people stay all day,' Nickels said.

• What I do: What do actress Karen Allen and Kim Nickels of Virginia-Highland have in common?

No, it's not starring in the latest Indiana Jones adventure. They both own high-end yarn shops. Allen's is in the Berkshires of Massachusetts; Nickels' is in Virginia-Highland.

Knitch opened about two years ago. The name is worthy of a double feature: It plays on the words "knit" and "niche," and it begins with Nickels' initials.

But Nickels, 36, says it's more than a place to buy yarn.

"Some people stay all day," she said. "People hang out here" around the big table in the center of the store's first floor.

"People think of knitting as solitary," she said. "It's a very vibrant, very social act [that] people like to do with wine or coffee."

On specified knit nights, 20 to 40 people show up, and Nickels said they defy the stereotype of grandmotherly knitters. The people clicking knitting needles range from age 7 to, well, grandmothers — and grandfathers, too.

"It's therapeutic and relaxing," she said. "And you make something that's uniquely you."

To supply her knitters, Nickels stocks luxury yarn made from natural fibers, such as cotton, wool, mohair and cashmere.

"They have the best drape and take dye the best. Synthetic fiber doesn't feel good," Nickels said. "It's so tactile, so basic, making something beautiful with basic skills."

• What got me interested in this: About 10 years ago, Nickels was on a ski vacation, but she doesn't like to ski. She went into a yarn store and learned how to knit there.

"I just took to it," she said. "I would knit on conference calls, on airplanes. I'd knit like crazy."

A little more than two years ago, she left her job as a senior executive with a national retailer — and a weekly commute between Atlanta and New York — and started a knitting group.

"Most of the women were looking for a community based around knitting," she said.

Shortly thereafter, she capitalized on her experience in retail and opened the store.

• Best part of my job: "The knitters," she said. "We know each other's names, our kids. People come to knitting for different reasons."

• Most challenging part: "Anticipating what the next thing is going to be," Nickels said. "It's a fashion business."

She said that her customers are looking for new ideas, fibers, equipment and patterns.

"Staying abreast of the industry is a full-time job," she said. "Most people view it as a hobby, rather than an art form or a fashion business. You've got to be up on it."

• What people don't know about my job: "It is so technical and fashion-oriented," she said.

Designing a sweater from scratch to fit a specific person involves knowing how much yarn it's going to take and choosing the right design and materials for the project.

She said another thing that would surprise people is that "knitters are everywhere — people you wouldn't expect."

• What keeps me going: "My job is really fun," Nickels said. "I want to make people happy. I get their feedback, and it's inspirational."

• Preparation needed for this job: "You have to know how to knit quite well," Nickels said.

You also have to love your customers and have a sense of humor and patience.

"You have to be comfortable being a little bit therapist, mathematician, artist and hostess," she added.

Nickels said she has "worked in retail my whole life," including executive jobs with some of the biggest names in the business.

She left a job as a senior vice president with J. Crew to start Knitch. Before that, she was a vice president of operations with Martha Stewart Living and director of e-commerce with Williams-Sonoma/Pottery Barn.

She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Alabama.

- By Karl W. Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.

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