Where do you shop?
May 18th, 2008
I’ve had a few discussions lately (online and in person) about the merits and drawbacks of yarn shopping at your local yarn store versus buying from WEBS or KnitPicks or eBay or a brick-and-mortar store with an internet presence. I wrote a post about this on Ravelry, and I thought I should bring up the subject over here.
I buy my yarn from three places: the LYS I love; the LYS I used to hate but can now almost tolerate; and the internet.
The LYS I love is smallish and has a limited selection of yarn, but it’s all excellent. The least expensive yarn there is the Lamb’s Pride, the most expensive is–well, who knows, I don’t allow myself to look at it. However–the service is terrific, they know me by name, they know what I’m working on, I’ve taken classes from them, I’ve stumbled into book launches for crochet and spinning and was taught both for free, and I’ve gone over on Wednesday evenings to knit with the gang till 10 p.m. or even longer. When I buy yarn from them, I don’t look at the price, because frankly anything I pay is a bargain considering what I get.
The LYS I tolerate is large and has many yarns that can’t be found at the small LYS–or, in some cases, anywhere–but even if you know the layout like the back of your hand, finding the yarn of your choice can be an ordeal. The service has become more pleasant in recent years but I would never go to this store to ask for help. When I’ve asked about specific yarns, I’ve either been pointed toward yarn stores out of town, or to the internet–not necessarily the best business practice. Still, if I’m looking for yarns that aren’t stocked elsewhere or need that touch-and-feel experience, I’ll go to them. Their prices are no better and no worse than any other LYS, and they sometimes have significant sales that I almost always miss. 
The internet is the internet. I have had some great experiences shopping, I have had some bad experiences. I’ve ordered yarn from online-only stores that I couldn’t find anywhere in town, and I’ve ordered from brick-and-mortar yarn stores from the U.S. and overseas. I’ve also ordered yarn off eBay and lived to tell the tale. Here’s what I’ve found: you can have good quality, good speed or good price–pick two. (This is even more of a problem if you’re a Canadian ordering from the U.S.–I’ve gotten packages from Hong Kong faster and cheaper.)
You can get lovely personal service, wonderful help, lessons and workshops and even knitalongs on the internet, but an LYS is a whole other experience. I think of the internet overall as my yarn store of last resort, and it shows. In the last two years, I think I’ve made four yarn purchases online, compared to the dozens and dozens of other purchases I’ve made online, and the many I’ve made in LYSes in person. If just want to buy yarn, that’s cool, there are lots of ways to buy yarn. But when I buy from the LYS I love, I know I’m getting more than just yarn, and to me it’s worth it.
That said, where do you do your yarn shopping–and why? Do you have an LYS nearby, or are you stuck with Walmart, or maybe nothing at all? (And if you shear/spin/dye your own yarn, I’d like to know that too!)
37 Comments Add your own
1. Lolee | May 18th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Hi,
I buy my yarn from LYSs and online stores. I choose to visit a brick and mortar store if I need a quick fix, advice or just to be around fibre people.
When I buy online I want yarn and nothing else. I usually buy yarn online that I’m already familiar with and that I’m not in a hurry to get.
Most of the LYSs in Toronto are close enough for me to visit during my lunch hour or after work.
2. Kimberly | May 18th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I shop at 2 LYS, and on line (oh, just like you!) My experience is very much the same as yours. I am very happy at one LYS, and the second I used to teach there and I don’t anymore because it has become, I don’t know, a place where I don’t feel very creative. I feel like I have to help every person that walks in the door, even if I am just there to shop. The second LYS, I love, love, love to be there, I feel so creative, and the owner and I have great ideas together - very zen, very creative. I have made 3 yarn purchases on line and I have regretted two of them. Nothing beats going into the LYS.
Love to read your blog, by the way….
3. angelina | May 18th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I find myself doing a lot of online ‘window shopping’, but most actual yarn purchases are made at my LYS, or at fiber festivals/ fiber booths at other festivals…. Mostly cuz I like supporting my local businesses or individual artists, but also because if my budget is one or two skeins of sock yarn, I want them NOW; I am planning to buy a sweater’s worth of yarn soon (yeah, just as summer comes…) and I might buy from WEBS…price and all….
4. Sam | May 18th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Most yarn shopping has been at my LYS, because when I most want yarn, what I’m actually subconsciously looking for is some knitting companionship, not just a new skein of sock yarn. As a poor college student that still spends money on yarn, I have an understanding with my LYS owner that as much I want yarn I, by necessity, must abstain from purchases or get it cheaper from somewhere else. Actually, I have two LYSs, one in the town where I attend school and one where I live. It feels almost like I’m cheating on either store.. Eh. Just a little odd, but lots of good yarn either way.
5. KT | May 18th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
I’m all about my LYS, growing up, the nearest yarn store was three bus rides away and full of snotty women and impractical, overpriced yarns. Upon moving to Michigan, i found that my High School was situated right next to a fantastic yarn store. I sometimes cut out of art or study hall for a few minutes to pick up a skein of sock yarn :-). I’ve since started working there, but even without the employee discount, i would totally shop there, and, so far as I can tell, most of our customers prefer us over the internet for the same reasons you love your place.
6. ron huber | May 19th, 2008 at 7:44 am
I, too, have had the same experiences as you. However, Briggs and Little in New Brunswick and Jamieson and Smith in the Shetland Islands in Scotland are wonderful to deal with for long distance buying. I had a funny experience at a LYS while visiting Canada - I asked three different ladies about three different things that I wanted and and the last of each of them had just been sold that morning. Must have been my clone shopping early.
7. Lisa | May 19th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I shop at a small but well stocked LYS that is dangerously within walking distance. When my LYS doesn’t have what I’m looking for, which is rare, I wait until we visit my parents in Portland, OR where there are several LYSs that I love to visit. I used to shop the Internet more, but I’m trying to finish my WIPs before shopping for new projects.
I do the same as angelina above, I window shop for yarn and ideas on the Internet a lot more than actual shopping.
8. Karen | May 19th, 2008 at 9:29 am
With the many LYS here in NYC, there is only one I go to over and over again because its customer service is superior to all others in the city
I also shop online, 99 % from one shop that I very much adore and love and the other 1% is scattered from a few others and eBay
9. Meanbean | May 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I shop mostly at one LYS and I do a lot of window shopping online. Every so often I buy from an online source, but so far 99% of the time it’s an Etsy seller and I have had some contact with them prior. Service is one of the topmost concerns for me, as well as supporting local artists, etc. So, the LYS I shop at does both, a majority of thier products, yarn as well as accessories, are locally produced and makes me feel wonderful to support them.
10. Brenda | May 19th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
David,
See my posting of May 6 - Yarn Shop Service ‘101′. I worked in a LYS for several years, and as I say at the end of my posting, if you offer good service and good selection, you can go places. SInce 99% of all customers that come into a LYS are in a good mood - after all they are there to feed a glorious habit - it is not difficult to provide good service. I am always surprised when it doesn’t happen.
11. Anne | May 19th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Since I live just across the lake from you, in a rural area of central New York, I shop mostly through mail-order catalogs or online out of necessity. We had a LYS, (30 min. drive away), where I enjoyed shopping, but the selection was fairly limited, and it recently closed. I really miss being able to feel the yarns and see the true colors, so I often order sample cards. I recently had a glorious experience with yarn ordered online from Marr Haven farm. I made my husband a skiing sweater to replace the one I made him 35 years ago. The yarn still has some of the lanolin in it, so it’s good for our lake-effect winters. http://www.marrhaven.com
12. marjorie | May 19th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Within reasonable driving distance of my house (ie. within half an hour) are three lovely yarn shops. Two are small and one is huge. I get lots of attention at both the small ones but not at the big one, even though the selection is fantastic. But that’s okay. Lately, though, I’ve been buying yarn on-line from a fairly local internet store. I mostly make socks and sock yarn is just too expensive for me in the stores. I can save money by ordering it online. My order is usually in my hands in three days.
13. Barbara Hopkins | May 19th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Everywhere. Mostly 2 LYS (one of which is Threadbear, the other Heritage Spinning and Weaving), a little internet (Loopy Ewe, Webs) and I dye my own….one day maybe for more than just myself friends and a little Etsy…
14. Kristina | May 20th, 2008 at 2:03 am
Always at my LYS. It is rumored to be one of the biggest in the Midwest U.S. On top of them having everything you can imagine (and some things you can’t), the customer service is above and beyond any store of any kind I’ve ever been in. There is always coffee and snacks and people tend to make an afternoon or a day out of their shopping trip. When I was living in the dorms, this place felt more like home than my own room and at times it still does. I try to support local in all ways, at this is no different.
15. Larry | May 20th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I only buy yarn from real, live yarn shops, not all are local. I buy wherever I am. I have too much yarn.
I used to buy from catalogs but didn’t like the wait, and sometimes the shipping was excessive.
I sometimes buy yarn where I work because of the employee discount but the shop doesn’t carry much in the way of unusual stuff so I get those from other fairly local shops. I have too much yarn.
16. Jamie | May 20th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I live in a smaller town with only one LYS. It is hit and miss with service. The one attempt I made to ask for help on my first sweater ended in the store owner berating me for knitting part of the sweater wrong. Needless to say I only shop there when I know what I want and don’t need to ask for help.
There are 2 Wal-marts and 3 craft/fabric stores (JoAnn’s/Roberts/Michael’s) but the selection is very limited.
I have bought online once, but was somewhat disappointed with the color of yarn when it arrived. Good thing it’s for a baby blanket and the recipient won’t know the difference.
17. Judy | May 20th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I used to shop at a small LYS in the west end of TO when I lived out there, loved it - the friendly, helpful staff, the useful classes. Now that I’m downtown, I’m shopping at the Big Yarn Store, and have always found the staff to be helpful - and I’ve been shopping there for at least 20 years. I’ve found that it helps to ask for help when the store is not super busy.
And when I’m travelling, I’ve found that LYS have some sort of super strong magnet that I am unable to resist, which has resulted in a box of wool from both coasts waiting for just the right project(s).
18. Kasey | May 21st, 2008 at 12:04 am
I’m in a severe minority, it seems, but because I (a) am a poor student and (b) tend toward the low-maintenance-but-soft fibers, I go mostly to the local craft stores (AC Moore, Michaels, Joanns, that genre). I’ll occasionally shop online or at my LYS, but that’s for bigger, more expensive projects, or projects I’m giving as gifts. I like my cotton-blend sweaters that I can make for under $30 - it means I can frog a dozen times, then ultimately set the project aside and not finish it without feeling guilty.
If I’m out somewhere and see an LYS, I’ll stop in and buy something - this weekend in San Francisco I did just that - but in my own town, not so much.
19. Kim | May 21st, 2008 at 5:45 am
Hi, David!
Hope you are well.
I pretty much do all my shopping online. My anxiety limits my travels, but with the internet, I can go anywhere…and this can be dangerous. LOL!
20. Alissia | May 21st, 2008 at 5:09 pm
My husband and I don’t have a car and with a nearly-7-month old in tow (plus her INSANE amount of gear) public transportation is hard so I’ve been buying online a lot more. It’s nice because I feel more self-reliant (which may sound strange), but the drawback is not being able to actually see and touch what I’m getting so things can be a bit of a surprise once the package actually arrives. Before that I would go to Michael’s or JoAnn’s but their yarns don’t ever really get me and seem like they cost more than they should for what I’m getting. Maybe it’s just me. They’re also awfully stocked when it comes to needles and other equipment in my area. As far as a LYS goes, I like to go to Artfibers in San Francisco when I can bear about 45 min or more of public transport one way. I hear there’s something closer in Oakland but it’s hard to get to. I really want an LYS though so I can be more involved in the knitting community in my area.
21. lisa | May 21st, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Weeeeelllll….. since my pal that owned the closest LYS closed up shop and gave me a huge bag and sold me several others at rock-bottom prices (I worked there for a couple years and kept her from going totally insane)… well, I try not to buy any yarn! But I have to confess that I’ve bought recently from a small local mill that also comes to fairs and such (Friends Folly Farms in Monmouth Maine). Mostly I’m trying to knit from the excessive stash… On June 7/8 is Fiber Frolic… so who knows what will happen! I have recently bought needles from Halcyon Yarn in Bath. And if I ever have a reason to visit Ellen at Purl Diva in Brunswick, I try to buy at least something from her, just to support her (even if it is only a skein or two).
22. beatknit | May 22nd, 2008 at 6:48 am
I wish I could shop at a LYS. Because of both where I live and the fact that no matter how hard I try I cannot convince either my friends or my family to take up knitting, I am a lone wolf knitter. The closest LYS is over an hour away and I rarely get a chance to get over there so I have to do internet. I do stick with yarns I know though, I don’t like surprises.
23. Kristina | May 22nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I love my LYS - Knit This Purl That - in Pleasanton, CA The owner carries a wonderful assortment of yarn so I can ususally find what I am looking for there. The atmosphere there and the benefits of having such a wonderful LYS are so great that I do spend a lot of my yarn/accessories money there rather than trying to find it cheaper elsewhere so I can be sure she’ll always be there! Sometimes, however, I have a need for a yarn she doesn’t carry - none of my LYS’s do, so I turn to the internet. Sometimes I can’t pass up a huge internet sale, either…but mostly I support my awesome LYS because I simply love being there!
24. angie | May 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I get my yarn from various places. Sometimes Michael’s or AC Moore. There are also a handful of LYS that carry (ahem) nicer yarns and I’ve also shopped online. It really depends on what I’m working on, who it’s for and how quickly I need the yarn.
25. Linda | May 22nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I currently buy from my LYS, fiber festivals (Maryland sheep and wool and sometimes Rhinebeck) and some on line - mostly sock yarn on line. I like lace and semi solid sock yarns, neither one of which my LYS has much of. But if they sell what I want, I will buy from them so I can support the store.
I used to buy mostly from the internet (amazingly I haven’t been burned) but I am always looking for different things now and I like to feel before I buy, so price isn’t as important to me.
26. Ellen | May 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Hi David,
I think it’s great that you knit, and I’m sorry you have to put up with morons who can’t accept a man knitting. I’m 54, divorced with 2 older kids, and I have been knitting since I was a kid, but the funny thing is I can’t remember who taught me. My friend Linda taught me how to crochet in college. For many years I didn’t knit. It’s like I forgot about it. Then after I started a baby bunting for my first child, who’s now 20, (and of course I didn’t finish it but I rationalize that I’ll finish it for my grandkids someday) I became obsessed with knitting again. I love the whole karma of knitting. I have a mini library of books, and usually have about 6 projects going. I have way too much yarn in my house like most knitters. I think I’m ADD, because I often get bored with a project and jump to another, but usually I do finish them eventually, especially if the yarn was expensive and I’ve put too much work into it to just forget about it. I buy yarn at my friend’s yarn store, and I love the beautiful colors and textures of different yarns. I really have to see and feel the yarn, that’s why I haven’t bought anything really online. I take a weekly get together class there at the store, and I also meet with about 10 other women at a coffee shop to knit one evening a week. It’s my therapy, and I’ve made wonderful friends through knitting. I am continually amazed at what you can do with just 2 sticks (although I prefer Addi Turbo circulars) and a ball of yarn. I think it’s one of the most incredible things that humans can do. I know it’s not physics, but the designs, colors, patterns, etc. are endless. I taught my daughter how to knit, and she has become as obsessed as I am. It’s wonderful to have this connection with her. Anyway, I just wanted to write and tell you I enjoy your blog, and you probably have millions of other knitting buddies out there. Take care.
27. AnneB | May 23rd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I shop at 3 LYSs and fibre festivals. I realize I spend the most money on yarn at the LYS an hours drive from my house. Somehow I go into a buying frenzy as soon as I go in there. The sock yarn selection is spectacular. It has become a destination and stop everytime I am going up Island. The closest LYS has just moved and I think its going to start to be a real favourite. The fibre festivals are wonderful for spinning and knitting materials. We have one local fibre festival every year and another every other year a short ferry ride away. I have several “free” fleeces at home which I have been cleaning, picking, carding and spinning. There is a lot of knitting in a whole fleece. I say “free” because one or two have not been worth the price. One or two have been wonderful. Perhaps free fleeces don’t could as shooping but my Scottish Granny would be proud because they do cut down on the cost of knitting. I have not ventured into internet shopping, yet.
28. Ted | May 24th, 2008 at 6:27 am
I’ve shopped at both of your yarn stores, and had service that was so-so from your preferred neighbourhood store and excellent service from the-one-that’s-gotten-better-in-recent-years, and that was before it got better. And I’ve had pretty good service from your preferred neighbourhood store and dreadful service from the other. Since I am not local, I don’t have the benefit of being a regular at your preferred shop.
I am pleased to say that I have a very good little store here in town that I like to buy from when I’m shopping for what it has in inventory. I’ve had superb mailorder service from Schoolhouse Press, and also very good service from KnitPicks.
Fleece of various breeds from Canadian shepherds is nearly impossible to find unless you know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who’ll sell to you. It bothers me that I can buy, say, a cormo or merino fleece from the USA with much greater ease than from here in Canada. I’m sure there are breeders here in Canada who have them, but I can’t find them easily.
29. vtknitboy | May 24th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
hi david! just stumbled on your blog (funny, i was goggling “gay knitters” to see if MY blog appeared!) vtknitboy.blogspot.com ) anywho, i live in vermont, and buy occasionally from one LYS that i like, and sometimes from one closer that is okay. i buy a lot online, but i’m trying to balance that with buying closer/local, and from artisans and fellow rav’ers.
i have been spinning for over 16 years now, so i have lots of my own stuff. i’m adding your blog to my “must read” list!
hugs! chris (vtknitboy)
30. david_demchuk | May 24th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Oh Ted, I’m sure you received excellent service that one time at the LYS-that-must-not-be-named because you’re much more pleasant and charming than I am. (You’d think I’d have worked on that during my decade-long-boycott, but sadly I seem to be worse than ever!)
The Canadian fleece issue you raise is one that I’d never thought of–but you’re right, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen local fleece for sale in any of our yarn stores. That said, this link may provide a clue: http://www.silmarilfarm.ca/?p=events - it’s for a fleece and fibre festival hosted by Silmaril Farms in Grimsby next weekend. Maybe we should be looking at fairs and farmers’ markets as well as events like these?
31. Alice | May 26th, 2008 at 8:01 am
Hi David,
I am shopping in 3 LYS and a lot of window shopping on the internet.
One LYS is within 30 minutes walking distance from my office but the shop itself and the selection of yarn haven’t been updated since the 80s I guess, tons of acrylics and models with 80s make-up.
Another LYS is the 21st century kind. I love it, I know the people but they are selling quite fancy yarn.
The third one is a yarn warehouse. They have tons of non-fancy yarn. I go there when I just want to make a dishcloth, a cushion or something else that doesn’t really matter that much.
I do quite a lot of window-shopping on internet for inspiration, following the market trend and time-killing…hey, what else were you going to do if your job is a PA?
PS. I love love love your writing, I am a recovered depression patient. Your article about nervous breakdown touched my heart.
32. stch | May 27th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I’ve not had the experience of purchasing yarn from a service on the internet, and will likely not utilize that source. I do, however, purchase supplies from various LYS’s. We’re fortunate in that there are quite a number of shoppes with the metro area. Each that i’ve visited I’ve had delightful experiences. A couple have even gone well above and beyond the usual customer service in making exceptional efforts to acquire yarns that I’d been seeking, even if it is one that they do not carry on a regular basis. Being employed by one of those “brick-and-mortor stores” I do tend to pick up a supply of acrylic and blend yarns from time to time.
33. Mark | May 31st, 2008 at 4:52 pm
LYS, hands down!
34. Laura Sue | June 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
There are at least 4 LYS’s in my smallish town. I don’t like to shop at any of them. Hmm. Must be me. I shop on the internet and have had nothing but success. Elann, Knitpicks, Webs, and my beloved colourmart. I know it is more politically correct to support one’s local LYS, but I can’t spend that much at one time. I’ll buy supplies and sock yarns, but a sweater’s worth? I can’t fork out that much when I can get it for 1/2 that online (or less). I also can’t get into the good old girls atmosphere. I just don’t want to join in. I’m getting crankier as I get older, it seems.
35. Kay | June 6th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I buy from the LYS, down the street from my work, and online. With the gas prices, I can’t afford the yarn once I have traveled across town!! I love ebay, you listen to your inner voice to steer you straight!!!
36. Alison P | June 7th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I have two LYS’s and an online shop(I know the owner) that I get most of my yarn from.I really like the relationship one has with a proprietor that takes the time to know you a bit. I do get less expensive wool or wool blend yarns at a local Walmart when the project requires though.
37. Camille | June 19th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I shop at the closest LYSs for my special projects. My first sweater will come from their products.
Otherwise my knitting group members have lightened their stashes at great rates or we place a group order.
Garage sales are great bargains.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed