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What’s Your Favorite Place to Buy Yarn and Why?

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What’s Your Favorite Place to Buy Yarn and Why?

- Ilana
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We’d love to hear your comments about where you purchase yarn, what’s your favorite place to shop and why.

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69 Comments

  • My favorite place to buy yarn is Smileys in Queens, NY. There are great sales throughout the year!!

  • My favorite places to buy yarns are at yarn stores that are not local to me. Whenever I travel to another town I try to check out the LYS to see what kind of selections are available. I like the opportunity to try yarns that I’ve never seen before and which are only available to me online. Looking for the yarn store is always a bit of a treasure hunt and another fun way to explore a town.

  • I love to buy yarn at A.C. Moore and Wal-mart. A.C. Moore has pretty good sales at most times and the Wal-mart in my area has there yarn mark down most of the time as well. I have quite a yarn stash and because of these sales, it’s getting bigger. For the most part though-A.C. Moore is my favorite yarn store. I can just move right in and live there. 🙂

  • My most favorite place to buy yarn is my own stash. Most of the time I don’t remember what I actually have in all of the bins and boxes.

    To spend actual cash, it’s an equal split between AC Moore, Michael’s, and Joann.com. There is a LYS just a few blocks away, but I never seem to have time to visit.

  • My favorite place is Ebay. I have purchased fabulous yarns from companies I didn’t know existed. Private sellers offer good choices too. I can check the details of these offerings on Yarndex site and add to my stash. I am a happy knitter.

  • I love to go to Jo-Ann’s, but they moved further away. Our Wal-marts hardly have any yarn anymore. I sometimes go Michaels, and AC Moore also. I wish we had an LYS near my place. I have ordered yarn from Knit Picks, but they are expensive. I used a gift card my thoughtful husband gave me for Mother’s Day.

  • I`m a very very lucky girl. I live in a tiny town in Minnesota and I have 6 lys within 20 miles 2 right in my town. They all speak to one another and none of them carry the same brands, so to name just one I can`t do it, Miss Elise`s carries rowan and tons of sock yarn, Yarn Junkies carries things you can`t find in the big town`s and Debbie Bliss. The others carry diffrent things I don`t find anywere else. I love my tiny little town.
    Debbie

  • AC Moore – coupons and sales, nice selection, not very helpful staff.

    Michaels – coupons and sales, again not very knowledgeable staff.

    Lion Brand Yarn Store in New York City – GREAT selection, GREAT help from staff.

  • I do not have preferences but whenever I go I look for a Michaels/Joann, which are the most popular in this area.

  • My favorite place to buy is at shows where I can meet the vendors, especially the ones that own the animals the yarn is spun from.

  • I love to buy home-spun yarns from ETSY. It feels like you got something a little special.

    If I can’t find the yarn there, I start at Big Lots because they have boxes of suade, cotton, etc. Then I go to Joanns or Michaels – whoever has the best coupon.

    🙂

  • I love specialty shops, and just love to “fondle” the yarns. I can never walk out with just what I went in for. It’s not a bad thing, because I use all the extra yarn for my charity projects (www.crochet4charity.ning.com) When I am home, I shop first at JoAnn’s, then A.C.Moore, and Michaels. They all have nice sales, and a great selection of LBY’s. I use other yarns, but always come back to LB, for the best quality and selection.

  • My favorite place to buy is Stitches & Scones in Westfield, IN. Not only do they have a great selection at very decent prices, everyone there is wonderful. 🙂

  • My favorite place is on the Internet. I have tons of shops bookmarked…that way I can compare prices and buy at the best price. I also wander through thrift shops and occasionally come across a bag of really nice yarns….sometimes still in their original wrappers. And I love the hand dyed yarns you can get on Etsy.

    The “boutique” yarn shops here are very overpriced and I can usually find the same on-line. And last, but not least…there is my precious STASH!!!

  • I have been lucky enough to get a good deal of my yarn at a local Dollar store. They frequently carry discontinued Lion Brand yarns….for $1 a skein.

    I also have taken the truly “green” way of going to various thrift stores and after shifting though sweaters at $5 or so I buy them and dismantle them. That way I can find silk/wool blends at very affordable prices. Sometimes I will buy yarn at Joanne’s or Michael’s but I find it more fun to find the old sweaters and recycle them from the very beginning.

    These techniques let me “play” at various patterns that I feel too scared to invest a lot of money in….never knowing if I will be able to actually make the project and that it will fit the person I’m trying to fit

    karen

  • HobbyLobby has a nice selection followed by Michaels and Joanne’s. One of our LYS has a snotty attitude if you aren’t dropping $200 you aren’t worth there time.

  • West Virginia doesn’t have a lot of yarn shop choices other than the chains and for some of us in rural areas those aren’t even nearby. I love to visit “The Nest” in Bridgeport WV. It’s a lovely little shop located in a small shopping center with a little french cafe and decorating shop. The staff is knowledgeable and encouraging. The yarn selections are just lovely and very reasonably priced. The Nest also offers many classes and acts as a gathering place for local knitters. If you’re ever in that area it’s a treat. Here’s a link to their blog spot with great shop pics.

    http://www.nestmusings.blogspot.com/

  • Since I can’t get out my favorite places are LB Yarns 1st and they are very generous with their patterns and enjoy the newsletter, Herrscheners and they’re very good abt answering queries and quickly, Ebay, deals deals and more deals!
    Happy hooking one and all!

    dhj

  • I currently buy yarn mostly through Walmart, Michaels or Hobby Lobby, but I wish, wish, wish there was a Lion Brand store or something very similar near me. I keep thinking I’m going to open my own yarn store, perhaps I should just do it!

  • I like to buy from A C Moore they are always polite, good sales and they will order what I need.

  • i really like lion brand, sad to see that my local hobby lobby looks like it’s not going to be carrying the brand anymore & i don’t shop joann’s because they are a pretty rude bunch at all the stores around here & their selection stinks.

    i like 3 local stores: the shuttle shop in warsaw, IN and ewe-nique knits in goshen, IN and sarah jane’s yarn shoppe in ft. wayne, IN!

  • My fave place to buy yarn is My Sister’s Knits in Beverly, a little town just west of the city of Chicago. It’s an hour’s drive from where I live but it is SO worth it. The store’s motto is “Come for yarn, leave with a friend” and it’s so true. The owner just couldn’t be nicer and there’s always two very friendly Golden Retrievers waiting at the door to greet you. Not to mention she has the best stash of Malabrigo in a 50 mile radius!

  • My favorite place to buy yarn is Michaels, in Pasadena, CA. It has some low priced yarns for testing some patterns and has some really good variety and always find the best varieties. The best is ordered wool yarn to make time tested patterns for Gifts.

  • Fred Meyer is my favorite store for yarn. I can actually get wool yarn there which I haven’t been able to find in my local quilt shops. Sadly, I haven’t been able to find any private shops that sell only yarns.

  • I buy at Walmart, ebay, Hobby Lobby. I have a large plastic bin full of yarn. I still have to look on ebay and in the store when I am shopping. I just love to buy more yarn.

  • I love A.C. Moore for my yarn because they always carry my favorite Bernat – but Joanns is my second best with Micheals leading last (they just finished stocking their shelves) I have to look for some yarn on the internet though because none of the stores will have a certain type in my brand – Love yarn Love Yarn

  • I buy most of my yarn at Joann’s. A new, large store opened up in my area in November and their yarn section is great! I just wish they would put the Vanna’s Choice on sale more often. 🙂

  • Smiley’s is number one by me because it is the closest. I am looking forward to an “excursion” into the city to visit the Lion Brand store.
    I also love the excitement of buying off of Ebay.

  • I would love to be able to go into store and find what i want, Currently I am forced to settle for what ever I find online. I would love to get my hands on it and see it first hand before I buy. I do try to buy on sale but I will only buy what I like. I try to buy direct from LB or whatever I am buying, as I am not happy that some stores, like Joannes Micheals, pat catans and Walmart have chosen to close up their yarn/craft departments locally! They will then get none of my money online either! there are few speciality shops around ehre that carry only alapaca or some other single material but those are no fun to shop in unless you want to make something out of that product! Those shops to dont’ inspire me to be creative. It is too limiting! Online it is hard to get a feel for what your getting… so my stash often grows as I search for what I want, color or texture is often difficult to judge.

  • I love my local shop, Trumpet Hill
    501 New Karner Rd., Rosewood Plaza, Albany, NY 12205
    518-533-9622
    If traveling, can’t resist Webs in Northampton MA.

  • Queensillybear (#16), what does LYS mean? (just curious).I buy most of my yarn at Michaels. I like the selection Michaels has and I also like that Michaels usually has the the accessories I need to complete my project.

    Zontee says: Hi Viola, “LYS” is short-hand for “local yarn shop” that many yarncrafters use online.

  • I love to support two local shops, but shop mostly online. Last weekend, I bought fantastic organic dyeable yarn at a farmer’s market in Toronto. I guess I just love to buy yarn! (Maybe that is how my stash has grown so very large)

  • My favorite place to buy yarn is my lys in Buffalo mn or Coon Rapids mn

  • My favorite place used to be Wal-Mart, but they have down-sized so much. Now I got to Michaels and Hobby Lobby. I don’t know of a yarn store anywhere close to me.

  • I’m lucky enough to be near WEBS during the school year, but aside from that I really like Michael’s and A.C. Moore. Walmart also has great prices, especially on Vanna’s Choice.

  • We only have 2 places here to buy yarn, Michael’s and Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is cutting down on the crafts department here so soon will only have Michael’s left..

  • Goldsteins 5&10 here in Taunton, MA
    They hace been in business for a gazillion years, run by the same family. It’s an old store, wooden floors amd yarn piled to the ceiling! Literally! Can’t find a yarn or color? Just ask. They will drag out an ancient ladder, climb to the ceiling and find what yu want. They carry mostly Red Heart and still have some of the older colors.
    Thr store also carries anything and everything. You can hardly move down the aisles. Whatever you need it’s in there somewhere.
    My children loved the place and now it’s my DGS favorite haunt.

  • My favorite places to buy yarn are Lambspun in Ft. Collins, Colorado; Knitted Peace in Littleton, Colorado; and Colorful Yarns in Centennial, Colorado. All three have wonderful yarns and friendly personnel.

  • I am a budget shopper. I receive coupons from Joann’s as well as A.C. Moore. I also shop at Wal-Mart. I love bargains, especially when it is in my favor.

  • My favorite place is when we travel to Orlando I visit two LYS’s there. The Black Sheep and Sip and Knit. I too have decided any town that we go too, I must visit the yarn stores. In Gainesville, Micheal’s just expanded their yarn section and now have all the yummy lion brand yarn’s I’ve been lusting over. Joann’s is okay and Hank’s and Yarnwork’s are good but pricey. I think I shop more for the project so I’ll go to the store that has what I need locally, but when travelling I’ll go to the stores like it’s a field trip. Very exciting.

  • I buy all of my yarn at Joann’s. I like their assortment and their prices. I don’t do items with fancy, expensive yarn. I’m a bargain shopper.

  • Most of my yarn shopping is online. I really enjoy Knit Picks, they offer free shipping with a fifty dollar purchase and the yarns and accessories are wonderful. Also, there are free podcasts and answers for any help needed with knitting.

  • I love Purl Soho in Manhattan for the Blue Sky and other more special yarns. They even wind onto cards for you. 🙂

  • Yarn buying is something to be experienced. But due to my move from the Boston area, I am now pretty much limited to the Internet. Joanne-s usually, but they have upped the amount you need to spend for free shipping and their delivery times is 10 days out.
    Michaels next up, so I can touch the yarn and really see the colors.Thats a once a month trip.
    Crafts etc, for free shipping when Vanna White is on sale.

  • My favorite place to buy yarn is the Lion Brand web site because they ALWAYS have what I need, shipping is easy.

  • I do a lot of shopping at Michael’s and A.C. Moore. Great coupons.
    But my favorite place to buy and pet yarn is Cultured Purl in Erie,PA

  • Lately I have been buying most of my yarn at AC Moore, because they have good coupons, but also my local Michael’s is re-doing their yarn department. I haven’t been in the store for a while, so I guess I just might have to check it out this weekend.

  • I just adore all of the truly wonderful yarns at my local yarn store but since I lost my job a couple of months ago I’ve had to seriously cut back on what I spend on my yarn. It happened quite by chance that I discovered that my local Dollar Tree sold yarn- nice, name-brand, yarn. Of course their selections are never the same and its really the luck of the draw when it comes to what’s available but to put it in perspective- the money that would usually get me three or four skeins of yarn at Micheal’s can get me twenty or so at the Dollar Tree.

    Dollar Tree is my yarn source and a true ray of sunshine in these dark economic times.

  • Lion Brand Studio in Manhattan. The yarn selection is fabulous; you can purchase yarn at prices that meet your needs — from inexpensive to expensive; and, most of all, the staff is wonderful. They are knowledgeable about their product, very accommodating, very helpful, and friendly. When you step into LBS, you want to buy everything and just knit, knit, knit.

    Manhattan was in desperate need of a yarn store such as Lion Brand Studio. I had been purchasing most of my yarn online, but there’s nothing like seeing the colors live rather than in a picture and actually touching the product to get the feel of the texture.

    Thank you!

  • I love Hobby Lobby and JoAnn’s. I use the 40% off coupon and just buy what I need to get me to the next coupon. It saves a lot of money and keeps me going back for more. I love it!! I really enjoy the diverse stock each store has and the employees are really nice. If I want a real exotic yarn, I shop at Threadbear Fiber Arts Studio in Lansing, MI because I love the atmosphere and the quality, plus they have two of the cutest most polite dogs that roam the store and greet you every time you shop!!!

  • My favorite place to buy yarn is Smiley’s. They have fabulous internet sales that those of us on a fixed income cannot afford to pass up!! Yes, they stock all brands … get on their mailing list and enjoy!

  • The only place I have available to purchase yarn is on the internet. I live in a very yarn scarce community and it is much easier to find what I want and the amounts I want on the internet. There are several sites I use regularly depending on what I am looking for. One, of course, is the Lion Brand site.

  • I buy most of my yarns at Michaels or Joanne’s because Walmart does not carry the selection that I want and need for my projects. I wish that there were more craft stores in my part of the state. As it is I have to travel an hour to reach these. Thank you for letting me add my comments.

  • Because I knit and crochet for the children’s charity The Binky Patrol I try to use coupons and sales as much as I can. I have found the the very same label yarns at Walmart are thinner then at Michaels and Joannes. The selection at these is always iffy and they never seem able to keep the shelves stocked. Whenever we travel to locations that have a Hobby Lobby I go there for fabric and yarn but they have really limited their inventory in the past few years. Choosing from my stash is chancy if I don’t have exactly the amount of yarn I need because the newer stock is not of the same quality as the older stock of the exact yarn. I’m sure that all the major manufactures are loathe to raise prices at this time so they just cheapen the product.

  • I buy my yarn at Wal-Mart because it is close and usually cheaper. That said, I LOVE to look in the yarn section of any store I go to. Big Lots will have Lion Brand yarn on sale but most of the time it is the fancy ribbon or fuzzy yarns. I am very frugal so I usually only look at Michaels and Hobby Lobby and don’t buy. There is a great LYS very close to my house called “Hank of Yarn” but it is usually closed when I get a chance to go by. They carry all types of yarn (bamboo, sugar cane, etc).

  • Where I buy my yarn depends on what I want to do with it. It also depends on whether I can wait or not. If I want something crochet cotton or acrylic blends, I buy from Joann’s. If it’s wool or wool blends, then I buy from Knit Picks.

    Audrey

  • I BUY MOST OF MY YARN AT A LOCAL CRAFT STORE CALLED BEN FRANKLIN CRAFTS. THEY CARRY A LARGE SELECTION OF LION BRAND YARNS AND OFTEN HAVE GREAT SALES ON DISCONTINUED COLORS. I ALSO MAIL ORDER FROM LION BRAND. SHIPPING IS QUICK AND THE YARN IS ALWAYS AS DESCRIBED. I HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH LION BRAND. OUR LOCAL WAL-MART USED CARRY A NICE SELECTION OF LION BRAND, BUT HAS RECENTLY LIMITED THERE OFFERINGS TO VANA’S CHOICE AND VANA’S BABY.

  • Most of my yarn petting and purchases have been at AC Moores. It is the nearest and I can usually find what I want. If they don’t I turn to my trusty Lion catalog and get on the phone. Our local Walmart superstore cut back crafts and the yarn coices are limited. Last Fall we were in Cape Cod and I went to a wonderful store called Sage and had a ball. Locally there is a store called Mountain Knits but their hours are limited and my work hours limiting, but they had some lovely special yarns. I just love to yarn shop and I do have a stash.

  • I love to shop at Loops of Yarn in Sumter South Carolina. They have a fantastic selection, and very sweet and knowledgeable store owners. Not only do they have a variety of selections, but they have couches and chairs set up in the store, where you can visit, chat, crochet, knit and get lots of help if you have questions.

  • I purchase most of my yarn at two local yarn shops. Though it costs more, the yarn is so beautiful and I feel when knitting for my granddaughter it will get passed down a lot, I have four daughters. I guess I’m spoiled now, but I have used Lionbrand cotton several times and it was very nice

  • L love my LYS which is named London Yarns and Machines. They are also online. The staff are fabulous, knowledgeable and helpful. They understand that sometimes I just want a fiber fix. They carry a nice broad selection of yarns, patterns and books. They make a customer feel comfortable asking a question of any level.

  • I live on a budget!! So I shop the sales. I wait and wait until I see Lionbrand yarns as they are the best yarns to be purchased. I go to JoAnn’s Fabrics or Michael’s.
    Lionbrand has kept many of a little body warm and stylish in my world. Your yarns are colourful, practical, durable and just beautiful. I prefer wool-ease, but love them all.

  • I love to shop at Loops of Yarn in Sumter South Carolina. They have a fantastic selection, and very sweet and knowledgeable store owners. Not only do they have a variety of selections, but they have couches and chairs set up in the store, where you can visit, chat, crochet, knit and get lots of help if you have questions.

  • The Yarn Shop in Columbus, OH!!!!!!

  • I make “stash” blankets, so I am always looking for yarn at rummage sales, 2nd hand stores, or even other people’s stashes, if they have enough to part with!
    Otherwise, Wal-Mart.
    My hubby was at an auction the other night, and came home with 12 packs of unopened Lana Moro yarn. I’d never heard of it before. And it is extremely musty to which I am deathly allergic, so I have to wear a mask while soaking and washing it before I can even use it!
    If anyone has any yarn they would like to clean out, please contact me! Any weight or color!

  • Recycled Lamb in the metro Denver area. They have a mix of yarns for knitting, crocheting, weaving and spinning (roving), so most of my bases are covered. And it’s a kind of laid-back atmosphere.

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