Three Kittens in Minnesota

I have done business with the following place online for several years and have been pleased. Mostly I have used them for Norwegian patterns and yarns (Dale). I don't know what they have as far as an actual store. I know they also carry Brown Sheep and several other lines.

Allegro Yarns 3535 Pierce St. NE Minneapolis, MN

55418 U.S.A

I haven't been to Three Kittens for years but think it is worth a visit. I don't have a vehicle so am most familiar with shops that are accessible by bus. The ones I can recommend are The Yarnery and Borealis Yarns in St. Paul and Depth of Field in Minneapolis. I've heard that Sheep Yarn Shop in White Bear Lake is a good one. If you're interested in all kinds of Scandinavian shopping including yarn, needlework and food, put Ingebretsen's in Minneapolis on your list.

Former Wisconsinite, former Illinoisan waving hand that there 'was' one heck of a LYS in St. Cloud, featuring handspun Alpaca (grown on their own farm) too... IF that's relevant... Noreen

Hi Barbie,

I live in the Twin Cities area, and I haven't been to Three Kittens, but if you're anywhere on the northwest side, I'd highly recommend a stop to Amazing Threads on Weaver Lake Road (Highway 30) in Maple Grove. I've also been to Sheepy Yarn Shop in White Bear Lake, but Amazing Threads is MUCH larger.

(don't forget the hyphen in there, because there is an amazingthreads.com somewhere out east)

Karen in MN

Noreen, do you remember the name of it?

Karen

Gosh, I *wish* I did! Sorry :( Noreen

Ingebretsen's

Here's the Wool Works list of yarn shops in Minnesota:

from Interweave Press: neither list is complete.

Is there especially anything unique about amazing threads or is it a usual one with lots of cross stitch? I lean more to the fiber arts and yarn/needlepoint. It is hard for me to break away from the family there so it must be worth the trip ! I heard the Sheepy Yarn shop was a tad crabby. Is that true? White bear is much closer than Maple Grove--- Stillwater is way out there ya know ! barbie

Jan; is Three Kittens large? Use your memory please. I will check out the others right now online you mentioned. Thanks so very much !!!! barbie

I tried to visit Ingelbretsens last time. My hubby foolishly brought his parents, non Scandinavian descent,with and they stood at the door with their arms crossed waiting for me to finish so did not buy anything. Unfun. ; might go down alone this year.barbie

They don't carry any cross-stitch or needlepoint supplies, they are geared towards knitting and crocheting, and carry yarns, needles and accessories, books, patterns and buttons (including hand-made originals), and the variety of their stock and size of the place is huge compared to other LYS I have been in. I am on the far northwest side of the metro area, it's very rare that I get anywhere near the St Paul area, and they were the first yarn shop in this area. I didn't even knit when I first when in there -- I saw a sample (they have display samples EVERYWHERE, most of which have been made by the staff or customers), asked how hard it was, someone sold me a skein of bulky yarn and a set of big needles, I made a scarf, and life and my storage closets haven't been the same since. :)

What I like about them is the amount and variety of the yarns they carry, the fact that they have so many samples for inspiration and for displaying the yarns, and mostly the staff, most of whom have been there since they first opened almost three years ago and all of whom are avid knitters and/or crocheters, and know the yarns and fibers well, and truly love working with customers. I have been to Sheepy's once (it's very far from me) and while I can't say they were crabby, they were definitely aloof. I knew what I was looking for when I went in, I didn't need help, so that was okay. (In comparison, I went into one LYS down around St Louis Park / Minnetonka, who shall remain nameless, and they were downright rude to me).

It's definitely a hike from Stillwater though! I used to pass the 694 exit to Stillwater on the way to work, and I'd guess that once you get to 694 from Stillwater, it's still another 25 miles or so to the shop; and if you hit it during the afternoon rush hour, traffic along that stretch of 694 can be a nightmare.

I have not been to Depth of Field or Three Kittens, they're not near where I live or have worked, so I can't comment on them personally, but have heard other people say very good things about them as well.

Hope that helps! Feel free to email me offline at khermann at iphouse dot com if you need any other info .

K

Barbie, I vaguely remember Three Kittens as large, but not huge, and rather cramped. It seems to me they had other needlecraft supplies, too. It's disappointing to hear the staff at Sheepy Yarn is rude. I have found the staff at the Yarnery, Borealis and Depth of Field to be friendly. You may not find much on line about Borealis as it is relatively new. Of the 3, I think the Yarnery is your best choice because it is on Grand Avenue which is known for it's many shops and eating places. But leave the in-laws at home. ;-)

Thank you all; leaving today. Will report on the Three Kittens and the White bear shops for sure and any else I manage to get to while there. barbie

I did it. I visited the Three Kittens. It was fabulous. The area looks a little sad where it is located but once in it is knitter heaven! All of the yarns are organized by gauge ! I have never seen a shop do that . You can stand all day with your pattern and know what there is to choose from. I was looking for near 5/" so had two full rows to choose from there. I have added two posts, one for the Jo Sharp yarn I got and one for the Euroflax I got so go to those and share if you have knit with those yarns please. I had a sensational time there and because of the organization of the place with gauge, was done with my two vests quicker and able to get on with the other browsing. I don't think the price was great compared with online shops as I checked that when i got home but I did get to touch and feel these which I can't do online . I hate not feeling the hand of what I am buying. Both of these were purchased on texture and visuals. I have not worked with either brand before. I highly recommend this shop and they were sweet as punch. Very helpful. They kept checking on customers EVEN while one was teaching a gal at the table. I have never ever seen so much yarn in one place before! They may be understating it when they say they have over 1000 . What a treat and it was the highlight of the entire trip. I will go back there every time now when we go to the yearly MIL house . What a treat. I was there 2 1/2 hours and keep in mind this is one room basically.... They had things I have never seen ever !!! I will not go into detail but skip the White Bear lake shop. I was sorely disappointed. Barbie in Williamsburg

Thanks for the excellent report, Barbie. Now, I will just have to find a way to get to Three Kittens. Other shops around here also display their yarns by the basic gauge classifications such as bulky, knitting worsted, DK, etc.

I was a kid when I was there last and I was not in knitting shops. That is the way to organize them for sure ! Mine here does not do it that way. It makes so much sense!

Jan, out of curiosity, are you in the Twin Cities area, or are you outstate? If in the Cities, are you St. Paul, or Minneapolis? I had never been to a LYS until I moved up here and until one opened on the northwest side (I didn't even know what a LYS was until then!). When I got into it, it seemed like in the Cities, most of the LYS were on the St Paul side rather than the Minneapolis side; and on the Minneapolis side, they all seemed nearer to the city (which terrified me when I first moved here). If that little place hadn't opened up around here, I probably never would have started knitting! (oh, the savings I'd have, and the room in the closets. :) And of course, now there are THREE of them nearby me, although two of them are only months old.

Karen in MN

Karen, I'm in downtown St. Paul. Three Kittens isn't all that far away from me but I don't have a car and it's not accessible by bus. It's easiest for me to get to the shops in St. Paul but I can get to some in Minneapolis if I want to take the time. If you ever want to venture into the city, let me know and we could try to get together. What are the 3 shops near you? It will be interesting to see how long the newer shops last. Although I wish it weren't true, I don't think the current high interest in knitting and crocheting will not last indefinitely.