Yarn Store Reviews & Anti-Procrastination Day
We came back early from our weekend away since there were a few of us not feeling well. So I’m treating the rest of the day as “Anti-Procrastination” day. Here’s what I’ve accomplished.
It’s been just over 6 months now since I learned to knit and I’ve got a ton of bookmarks in my internet browser. So I spent half an hour cleaning those up into descriptive folders. Hmmm, much nicer.
I’ve got a good start on my Sockapaltwoza socks. I’m approaching the heel of the first sock. I’m loving the yarn. I may need to buy some more sometime for a sweater for myself or a baby. Lots of nice colors and it’s very soft.
And I took a nap. With all of the Harry Potter reading and new business name obsessing I’ve been doing, sleep fell down on the priority list. I guess that may be how I got sick in the first place.
I finished my book club book for this month, Persepolis, a graphic novel. I liked it so much I need to get Persepolis 2 from the library.
And now the big procrastination…the yarn store reviews from my vacation. I’m afraid my memory is not that good, and this may be closer to a list of the stores I went to. Oh well, that will teach me not to procrastinate. Well, probably not.
Idea Studio—This was not one of my planned yarn store stops. But my sister-in-law Lisa mentioned it since it was so close to her house. It’s new as of last year. I was on a mission for Rowan Calmer yarn and nice wood needles for the Dino Sweater. It was just a quick stop since Bill had three kids in the car. We were on our way to Kiddieland. No luck in finding what I was looking for. But the salesperson did ask me if I needed any help and was pleasant.
Mosaic Yarn Studio—This store was a half hour north of Lisa’s house. I read about it on the Knittyboard. The staff was very helpful with showing me how to read my gauge of my Blaze swatch. Then I was able to get the needles I needed for it. I almost left with some Koigu yarn too for my sock pal, but she doesn’t want 100% wool yarn. Now I wish I had gotten some for myself since they had so many colors.
The Bead Alley—This is a bead/yarn combo store in Stillwater, MN (my birthplace). Actually they just recently started to carry yarn and the owner seemed overwhelmed with all of the choices of yarn out there and wasn’t sure what to carry next. But their yarn inventory is expanding so I’ll be interested to see what it looks like next time I visit. I left with nothing, but as a former beader and new knitter, I was excited about this combination store.
The Yarnery—This was one of my favorite yarn stores on the trip. I’ve been to this St. Paul store a few other times, but long before I even learned to knit. I found my Calmer yarn here. And they had some good ideas about what contrasting color I should choose for my NBaT. One of the staff showed me a nice way to splice wool yarn together when starting a new skein. And she also gave me a bunch of free small yarn bras which she gets from a florist. And there was plenty of space to sit and knit while I waited for my ride, never feeling like I didn’t belong there. An interesting side note, I heard the staff talking about Meryl Streep being in the store the day before and how she’s a big knitter. She was in town for the filming of Prairie Home Companion.
Amazing Threads—Up in Maple Grove, this was a tricky store to find, but well worth it. The staff were generally excited to be there. The store had a really good vibe and really good yarn. An employee spent a lot of time with me helping me figure out what yarn and pattern to use for my Sockapaltwoza socks. (Of course now I’m using something different, but that’s just because I don’t feel like knitting such small stitches right now.) She also mentioned that the Twin Cities now has 25 yarn stores. Hmm, maybe that’s a reason to move back.
Crafty Planet—This would be by far the coolest store I went to on the trip. Not so much a yarn store, though they do have some yarn, but a hip craft store. I got a skein of bamboo yarn (which I’ve been wanting to try out) for a lace hat for Ella. I also got her an interesting book with a chapter called “Spy Supplies and Mad Scientist Materials” which I knew she would like. But I had to come back to the store. I couldn’t stop thinking about the faux vintage print fabrics. They would look great as a lining for a felted knit bag. So I got these. The first is to go with the yarn I already had for a purse I’m making for a friend. And the Dysfunctional Family fabric I plan to use in a knitting project bag for myself.
Depth of Field—Ah, and now the most disappointing store. I had been warned about their service and their reputation seemed to be correct. There were five employees sitting around a table in the middle of the store. And all of the times I was going up and down the aisles with Ella saying things like “I’m just trying to find this sock yarn,” not once did any of them ask me if I wanted any help. But the store does have a lot of great yarn and I did leave with several things that I found all on my own. But with so many stores in the Twin Cities, next time I’ll try out a new store before going back here.
Hand Held—Finally we arrived in Arkansas and I got to go back to the store where I bought my first pair of needles and skeins of yarn. They did carry Calmer, but not the color in the extra skein I was looking for. They did spend a lot of time with me trying to teach me how to do a provisional cast on. Unfortunately by this point, I had already bought so much at other places I didn’t buy anything here. But next time I will.
Loops—We were passing through Tulsa on our way to visit a friend in Bartlesville (my husband’s birthplace) and knew about this store in advance. After lunch I stopped by quickly and I found the skein of Calmer I was looking for. I had no time to look around. But I can’t wait to go back. It looked lovely.
Colorful Stitches—I went here with two other knitters the day after I got back from our trip. I bought some yarn on sale for a neck gaiter for my sister-in-law and I bought some purple Calmer for a second NBaT, this time a tank. They had a lot of Calmer colors, but it was the most expensive I’ve found. Lennox is such a cute place with lots of shopping; I’d come back here again.
Well that brings me up to date on some of my procrastinations. Now if only I could wake up in the morning and have all of the scrapbooks from the past four years finished.
