Favorite Places to Buy Yarn
By Rachel Choi – 12 CommentsWhat’s your favorite place to buy yarn? Is it your local yarn shop or hobby store? Do you often go to the big chain stores, such as Joann, Michaels, A.C. Moore, Hobby Lobby or Walmart? Do you order your yarn online? And if so, what’s your favorite websites to purchase from? Perhaps you don’t even purchase yarn since you have plenty? Or you have magical secrets for getting free yarn?
Share your favorites in the comments below and see what others are saying!
I buy most of my yarn at hobby lobby since it is close to my house. I always use the 40% off coupons, which I believe the other stores have too (joanns, michaels and acmoore).
I wish I could say that I buy independent, hand-dyed yarn. However, because of my budget, I cannot afford such yarn. So, I shop (with coupons!) at JoAnn and Michaels. I get a lot of bang for my buck at these stores, and they are not far from me.
I like to do Michael’s (with a coupon or sale only, unless it’s a special project). I also do a weekly shop of my local thrift stores (it’s a cheap date and I’ve found so much crochet and embroidery thread there) but it’s really hit or miss. Also I follow a ton of crochet and knitting blogs or instagram accounts that do give-aways for hand made or name brand yarn, especially when a new line comes out. Hit it big only 1 time with that but I’m still hopeful. My last ‘secret’ is that I have amazon prime – so I type in ‘yarn’ in the search bar, filter by ‘prime only’ and then sort by lowest price. If I’m doing an amazon order anyway, they usually have yarn in the ‘add-on’ section and I price check it against other stores to make sure it’s a good deal. You can’t always choose your favorite color or style so I use that to stock up my stash. You really have to watch the price on amazon though because it can be crazy high. Yard sales, estate sales, and word of mouth co-worker free yarn has also worked for me.
Locally I have bought acrylic Lion Brand yarn from my local A.C.Moore. I purchase Catania Schachenmayr (thin cotton in a full range of colors) through Etsy shops based in Germany (Pullivers or Karolinchines). Now I like using Stylecraft DK, which I get from WoolWarehouse online sometimes using Lucy’s (Attic24) affiliated shop and bundles. I am based in the U.S., and I can only find the Catania and the Stylecraft internationally. Only twice have I purchased independent yarns from my local Looped Yarn Works in Washington, D.C., because it is costly but it is a pleasant place to visit, browse, and get other tools (embroidery scissors, hooks, etc.).
I buy at Hobby Lobby, JoAnns and Michaels locally but also purchase a lot from knitting-warehouse.com, redheart.com and lionbrand.com.
1st Joann, 2nd Michaels (both are close to home and usually well stocked), 3rd ACMoore is farther away. I visit when I’m in the area. I visit Walmart in a pinch. Their yarn area is always a mess.
$ stores in my area do not carry yarn.
P.S When all else fails I order on Amazon.com.
I’m not the same Mary of the comment of April 16 at 12:28. I wouldn’t shop at Hobby Lobby, even if there were one nearby, because of the stand they took on the insurance issue a few years ago. I have several boxes of yarn that I bought at garage sales years ago – a lot of it consists of odds and ends that I use for small projects, granny squares, etc. I sometimes get good deals on a store called Depot for Creative Reuse in Oakland – they a non-profit organization (I think) started by teachers, and they get lots of art and craft stuff by donation. But when I need a particular color or type of yard (which isn’t usually the case) I go to Michaels or Jo Ann’s.
I mostly shop at Hobby Lobby. I’ve gone in only once when I couldn’t find what I wanted. I sure wish there was one close to me.
I have to drive 50 miles to shop for yarn. I shop at Hobby Lobby because they carry I Love This Yarn and I Love This Cotton Yarn. It’s a reasonable price for yarn that looks good. Not top of the line certainly, but something that looks good when worked up.
I forgot to mention that I still miss Woolworth’s after all these years. They had a good selection of basic yarn, mostly Red Heart, at very reasonable prices.
I order almost all of my yarn from Expression Fiber Arts (http://www.expressionfiberarts.com/). It’s gorgeous, fabulous yarn, and such luxurious fiber blends!
When I’m not shopping at EFA, I will occasionally pick up yarn for acrylic projects at Michaels or Walmart.