LYS - San Francisco?

I was just in SF last week and stumbled across a store called Artfibers. It is near Union Sq. Here is the website:

It is a small store but has some really nice selections, and a swatch for every one. If I hadn't had my 14 month old daughter with me I would have spent a lot more time there and done some damage on the ole pocketbook.Enjoy your trip!

Laura

I am more into yarn than patterns, so, I will list shops that have YARN!

There is Big Sky Yarns in Lafayette (12 miles east of SF) that has almost a cult following. The owner of Big Sky is a major designer, and gives personal lessons to her regular customers. Article Practique (sp?) on College Ave in Oakland with its bins of "Buffalo Gold" at $98 / 2 oz. AP is not big, but it has special stuff. (So special, that I have never actually bought anything there.) Do not forget Lacis in Berkeley for all your lace making needs and their small museum. If you are dyeing for color, visit Dharma up in Santa Rosa.

In SF proper, there is Imagiknits at 18th and Sanchez - that is near Mission Delores, which is worth a visit.

There is Carolina Homespun on Lisbon Street - I have never been in the shop, but have seen her at shows.

Why do I ever out go outside of the Bay Area to buy any knitting supplies? I guess, I am just not real thrilled by the modern, urban knitting scene, where knitting becomes conspicuous consumption of expensive yarns being knit on expensive needles. A friend has many female clients that have taken up knitting in the last couple of years, and they all have expensive knitting toys. But, she never sees them wearing anything that they have actually knit. Instead, they wear expensive handknit items that they purchase. All those lawyers and accountants do not care if they are paying $25 / ball for sock yarn. In fact, it is better if the yarn is more expensive, because then they can brag about how much they spent on the yarn! (Which is not to say, that the Bay Area does not have a great many, very fine, knowledgeable knitters. It is just that we do also have some fools, and the LYS are doing their best to cash-in.) The best single source of patterns that I know of is Also worth a visit.

Aaron

So where do you recommend kindred spirits to yourself for good places to look for modestly-priced yarn?

Melinda, who lives about 7 miles away from Lafayette, which is actually about 20-25 miles east of San Francisco, not 12 - 12 miles east of Oakland or Berkeley, probably; but not SF -- and will have to check out the Big Sky Yarns store out of curiosity

You gotta know how to look. For the sweater I am currently knitting for MYSELF (yay and yippee)and which I started before Katrina, I went to our local upscale LYS, but turned my nose up at all their overpriced hand-dyed, overdyeds etc., and asked "Don't you have anything plain and solid? This is for an everyday sweater." The owner took me over to the back of the yarn section, held up something, and snootily said "Well, we keep this for felting, if that is what you want."

It was perfect; nice and soft, good color, right amount of twist. I bought all eight skeins in that dyelot, although I am pretty sure I won't actually need all of them but better safe than sorry.

Mind you, I would never even *consider* taking good new wool, going through all the work of knitting it up, then *deliberately* felting it. I felt old, worn sweaters, or ones which I buy very cheaply at the thrift store or the church rummage sale, not good new work. Incidentally, I knit on my good old aluminum or steel knitting needles, many of them bought from estate sales for very little, and they work beautifully.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

My Raven whispers - "Maybe 13 miles by the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer." The highway zig-zags, and the tunnels make it seem even longer.

Big Sky is a scene. Wax your credit cards, and take your knitting. Plan to spend a few hours there. There is a pizza place next door that is very good. Again, you will need your credit cards unless your knitting bag is so stuffed with cash that there is really no room for yarn.

Yarns. Semi-worsted with great colors for outer wear (but, too scratchy for underwear) is at Cottage Craft in St Andrews, N. B. It does have some vm in it, but I love the effect when it is knit on # 1 needles. (Now, I know that it does get softer when it is well washed.)

Gansey yarns; iriss of Penzance

(fast, and they take credit cards on-line); more colors at prices at I have not tried them yet, but that is where my next order for ---- gansey yarn, is going. Oh yes, get out your gansey needles and silicon spray.None of which stops me from buying Lion Brand wool and Patons Classic at Joanne's or Michaels. Last time I was knitting at Big Sky, I was using Patons Classic that I had bought at deep discount (and removed the yarn bands). All of the regulars put down their $14/ ball knitting projects and were OOOing and Aahhing over my little sampler swatch and telling me how wonderful it was, and asking how I did it. Well it was Gladys Thompson's stitch patterns knit on # 3 needles. It is a nice "swatch", but, I bet that there are a dozen knitters in this RCTY that can do better. So, you can see why I am a bit cynical.

What I really want is some true worsted spun Cotswold yarn. Anybody? Aaron

"Mel>

I see. You are not counting odometer miles on a car. That makes sense. Mapquest says it's 19.8 miles from right around the BART station to

201 Mission in the Embarcadero.

Hmm. Are they on the main drag or on some out-of-the-way back road?

*chuckle* When I was web-hopping, I found a Big Lots! type of yarn store, or a fabric.com type of yarn store, which you might like to add to your repertoire of web sites as well.

I am not sure where you live, but I think supposedly some yarn store is in downtown Walnut Creek somewhere, but they don't have a web presence that I can find. That's practically spitting distance from me, but I haven't tried to find it yet, because I don't know if it's going to be a hole in the wall or what.

Thanks.

What's wrong with felting?

What's wrong with felting new work?

Case in point, if I need really warm, "waterproof" mittens, that fit just so, I must knit them new, and felt them. Felted wool mittens and gloves do have some real virtues over most synthetic materials. I like my hand knit gloves better than any store bought that I have seen.

There are a number of ladies in our stitcher's guild that felt. Their work is just as creative and artistic as any of the work by the knitters or quilters. Their felted items are more decorative than functional, but that is OK because sometimes it just takes something pretty to warm the heart..

Aaron.

Dharma is in San Rafael.

Arlene

Aar> I am more into yarn than patterns, so, I will list shops that have YARN! >

Try

- it works better. My nephew (who just finished a 20-foot long, crocheted dragon) buys stuff from SmileyBig Sky is right on Mt Diablo BL - 3604 - you can not miss it. I have not been to Fashion Knit at 1538 Newell in WC.

It is not how many yarns a YS carries, it is whether they have one yarn that I really like. A couple of pounds of the right yarn will keep me busy for hundreds of hours, and it does not take a very big shop to have 8 or 9 balls of yarn in stock.

Aaron

"Mel>> My Raven whispers - "Maybe 13 miles by the Delorme Atlas and Gazetteer."

Maybe I should ask my USAian friends whether they would like me to bring them some yarn from here? :-)

nickie

Ooooooooooooh, sounds wonderful. For those who would like it, here is the link to Big Sky

They don't seem to list their yarns,but you can sign up for a newsletter. I'll bet you'd enjoy Ram Wools up here. (grin) I LOVE their "clearance"aisle, plus they have 2 big sales a year, where all the regular priced yarnis at least 20% off.> None of which stops me from buying Lion Brand wool and Patons Classic at> Joanne's or Michaels. Last time I was knitting at Big Sky, I was using> Patons Classic that I had bought at deep discount (and removed the yarn > bands). I love Patons Class Wool. It's soft, but is also perfect for felting projects and the regular price is not too bad here. $6.99 Cdn.

Shelagh

You could spend a knitting bag full of cash in the pizza shop. Their pizzas are thin and crisp. Their wines are good. Their salads are good. And, they do chocolate deserts. Everything is so good that it is very busy, despite their prices. I mean, it is after all, PIZZA! It is like going out to a trendy restaurant in SF.

And, of course, Dharma is in San Rafael. I have no idea why I wrote Santa Rosa.

Aaron

Isn't the idea to take it stuffed with cash and go home with it full of yarn...?

sue