The Brooklyn Papers / Gregory Cross

The 'magick' circle: (From left to right) Marcela Muleris, Dani Demars, Michelle Olveira and Anita Jacobs knit and chat in Prophet's Wednesday knitting circle at Alchemy.

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A brown building with a tiny white awning sits at 271 Third Ave. at President Street in Gowanus. The door is closed and white-painted wrought iron covers the shaded windows. But behind this unassuming facade, which once housed a funeral home, something is brewing - and it ain’t beer.

To any outsider what goes on inside is known as knitting, but at Alchemy Fiber Arts Studio, they prefer to call it "Hand Spun Magick," and the store’s owner is "magickal" in every sense of the word.

Wearing a long, deep-purple, crushed velvet cardigan, a black skirt and embroidered gold-and-black "fantasy spinning shoes," Alchemy’s single-named owner, Prophet, 42, spent a recent weekday afternoon spinning thick, studio-dyed fibers on a 3-foot high wooden spinning wheel into tight bundles of yarn while 106.7 Lite FM played softly in the background.

Although she is able to spin yarn in anything from high heels to sneakers, she prefers her special shoes.

"They bring me to that old, fabled knitting place," said Prophet, showing off her elfinshoes as she pedaled rhythmically, spinning a mix of llama wool and copper thread.

While she works, knitters occasionally stop in to purchase materials or say hello. During regular hours, anyone is able to sit in the studio and knit, free of charge, surrounded by Alchemy’s spiritual energy. Tea or coffee is always available, along with the light chiming of music ranging from new age to pop to classics and the priceless advice of a knitting master.

"Prophet is a creative genius," said Ramit Kreitner, of Boerum Hill. "She can write you patterns on the spot, and she’s excellent in math."

Everyone who enters Alchemy agrees with Kreitner.

"Whatever ideas you have, she can create them for you," said Kirsten Endacott, of Park Slope. "You visualize and she sets your ideas down."

One look around the studio and Prophet’s genius is apparent. Not only does a black, knitted-rubber and chenille bathing suit decorate a mannequin in the back, as do knitted evening gowns in chenille, cashmere or silk, with straps or racer backs, lace-patterned trims or mermaid tails. Every nook and cranny either hides or displays one of her fantastic creations.

Prophet says has been knitting since she was a little girl, inspired by her grandmother, who knitted for Chanel, and learned from a neighbor. Although she was working in public relations, Prophet had an epiphany while knitting a sweater for her daughter. She decided she was going to open a knitting store. She visited five stores in Park Slope, and eventually opened the Knitting Salon on Fifth Avenue.

"My husband asked, ’Do you even know how to run a knitting store?’ and I said, ’Ask me in a year,’" recalled Prophet. That was three years ago.

She spent more than two years on Fifth Avenue, but was forced to leave after her rent was tripled. From there she opened a small studio on Windsor Place for a couple of months, but in the end, settled on Third Avenue, where she opened last February. Through it all, Prophet’s knitters have followed her skein wherever it led.

"I’m moving to Cranford, N.J., next month," said Janine Sullivan, of Marine Park, "and I’m still going to come because this is a very important part of my week, creatively."

Sullivan, who has been knitting with Prophet for two years, is working on a vest for her husband. Although the project should take her one month to finish, Sullivan predicts it will take a couple of months due to her other commitments.

"I really only knit here," said Sullivan, "and although I don’t need any direct help tonight, I always learn something from my interactions with others here."

On Wednesdays, Prophet hosts her weekly knitting circle, where Alchemy’s regulars, including Kreitner, Endacott and Sullivan, knit everything from sweaters and shawls to bags and stuffed animals. The group of nearly 20 knitters, made up of men and women, beginners to advanced, chat about their personal lives as well as their knitting concerns. They even order sushi together.

"It’s good for after working all day," said Marcela Muleris, of Bay Ridge. "It’s like the bar without the alcohol."

Alchemy, named for the medieval philosophy that sought to turn base metals into gold, breathes tranquility with its warm, red walls and dim lighting. The walls are lined with books on religion, meditation and tarot reading, magazines on knitting and bottles of incense and oils. Cubbies and baskets of billowy fibers and colorfully dyed yarns wait to be purchased and be transformed with "magick." A mirror lined with candles against the back wall lights the area like a fireplace. In front of it, there is a basket with a note: "Place the names of those needing healing."

"I come for the prayer," said Bobby Benson, of Park Slope. Prophet is a practicing Kabalist, and while there is no actual prayer time during the knitting circle, Alchemy does provide a relaxing and peaceful experience.

Although Benson does not knit, he is very much a part of the studio. He can often be found winding balls of yarn, making tea or mingling with the knitters lounging on cozy chairs and couches throughout the studio.

"My thing isn’t about the store," said Prophet. "It’s about the atmosphere, the presence and the clients. It’s a place to create beautiful things."

And beautiful things are indeed happening at Alchemy.

Prophet knits everything from dolls to black stockings (to be worn with garter belts). Currently she is working on two projects: a full-length, T-strap, black, open-weave gown out of hand-spun yarn to be worn over a slip, for herself; and a first-day-of-school sweater for her daughter, a hooded red pullover with a giant gold star and a kangaroo pocket. Somehow Prophet finds time to knit a new fall sweater every year for everyone in her family.

Not only does she knit, she also crochets, dyes fibers and spins them into yarn. She even makes needles out of teak, walnut, birch and occasionally, ebony, all available for purchase at the studio. In October, Prophet will be self-publishing her first book: "The Domi-Knit-Trix."

Outside of the studio, she is readily available to help her students with any knitting crises that may occur without her "magickal" presence; she takes emergency knitting calls on her cell phone until 11 pm. Last Christmas, Prophet coached Endacott through a crisis over the phone only hours before it was time to exchange gifts.

"Here, it’s more than just knitting," said Prophet. "It’s like hand-spun magick, and I feel like I’ve spun my whole life into gold."

Alchemy, located at 271 Third Ave. at President Street in Gowanus, is open from 3:30 pm to 7 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and from noon to 5 pm on Sundays. Weekly Wednesday knitting circles run from 7 pm to 10 pm and cost $12 per session to be purchased in sets of four. Yarns range in price from $10-$75. Private lessons available for $35. Discover Card, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Gift certificates are also available. For more information, call (718) 722-7399 or (917) 755-0950, or visit www.the72.com.

©2004 Community Newspaper Group