LYS - San Francisco?

Hi folks,

I will be in the fortunate position of travelling to California soon and
wondered if anyone can recommend local yarn stores in San Francisco or
the surrounding area? I do love a good yarn store with lots of patterns
etc! There is quite a dearth of them where I live, though Liberty have
just expanded their yarn section and it is looking very good now. I
haven't had time to explore it, I just stumbled upon it when I went in
for some buttons for my latest creation, LOL.

nickie

Hey, folks, PLEASE post these to the NG -- I live around here, too, and
would love to know where to go to fondle REAL yarn instead of the el
cheapie stuff they have at the big-box hobby-type stores.

nickie{D} wrote:
Hi folks,

I will be in the fortunate position of travelling to California soon and
wondered if anyone can recommend local yarn stores in San Francisco or
the surrounding area? I do love a good yarn store with lots of patterns

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

"nickie{D}" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

I will be in the fortunate position of travelling to California soon and
wondered if anyone can recommend local yarn stores in San Francisco or the
surrounding area? I do love a good yarn store with lots of patterns etc!
There is quite a dearth of them where I live, though Liberty have just
expanded their yarn section and it is looking very good now. I haven't
had time to explore it, I just stumbled upon it when I went in for some
buttons for my latest creation, LOL.

nickie

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. http://www.carolinahomespun.com/

So, 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 www.halcyonyarn.com.
Also worth a visit.

Aaron


"nickie{D}" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

I will be in the fortunate position of travelling to California soon and
wondered if anyone can recommend local yarn stores in San Francisco or the
surrounding area? I do love a good yarn store with lots of patterns etc!
There is quite a dearth of them where I live, though Liberty have just
expanded their yarn section and it is looking very good now. I haven't
had time to explore it, I just stumbled upon it when I went in for some
buttons for my latest creation, LOL.

nickie

Aaron Lewis wrote:

So, 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.

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

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
Aaron Lewis wrote:

So, 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.


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.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

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 (www.iriss.co.uk), (fast, and they take
credit cards on-line); more colors at
http://www.dickie.co.uk/pure_new_wools.htm,

Better prices at http://www.guernseywool.co.uk/index.html, 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



"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" wrote in
message ...
Aaron Lewis wrote:

So, 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.


*chuckle* When I was web-hopping, I found a Big Lots! type of yarn
store, or a fabric.com type of yarn store, www.smileyyarns.com, 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.


"Olwyn Mary" wrote in message
.. .
Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
Aaron Lewis wrote:

So, 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.


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.


--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Dharma is in San Rafael.

Arlene



Aaron Lewis wrote:
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. http://www.carolinahomespun.com/

So, 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 www.halcyonyarn.com.
Also worth a visit.

Aaron


"nickie{D}" wrote in message
...
Hi folks,

I will be in the fortunate position of travelling to California soon and
wondered if anyone can recommend local yarn stores in San Francisco or the
surrounding area? I do love a good yarn store with lots of patterns etc!
There is quite a dearth of them where I live, though Liberty have just
expanded their yarn section and it is looking very good now. I haven't
had time to explore it, I just stumbled upon it when I went in for some
buttons for my latest creation, LOL.

nickie