Searching for Yarn in All the Right Places

I’ve been traveling for years and knitting for years. In the past few years, the two have come together more, and searching out interesting local yarn stores has become a part of every trip, and even my once-reluctant husband has come to look forward to them.

I don’t go to every yarn store in each city we travel to because that would fill too much of our trip—and  also I just don’t need that much yarn!

Checking out yarn stores came about in part because there are so many different yarns in different places. I use Google to search for yarn stores, looking at ratings and reviews. I look to see what kinds of yarns are carried in each store, and then I decide where to go.

What I’m looking for in yarn stores, generally, is local yarns, from fibers that are produced there, and dyed by local people. In most places, that’s been most often from sheep or goats, but in Chile we saw a lot of alpaca yarn, and at several different price ranges. I’ve always thought there isn’t any point traveling to Europe or South America to buy yarn I could get at what we knitters call an LYS (Local Yarn Store).

I also like to find connections between knitting and local history, culture and economy. In some places, knitting is mostly a hobby or craft; in other places many people knit to make basic family clothing. That has a big effect on what yarns are in the stores and who the customers are.

For instance, in Chile, I saw mostly cheaper synthetic yarns, which probably means a lot of people knitting basic clothes for families rather than a craft or hobby. Or, it means that knitters don’t have a lot of disposable income with which to buy yarn. Knitting isn’t a cheap hobby—good yarns cost money.

And some costs a LOT of money. My husband spotted this skein at a store in Sitka, Alaska. Musk ox wool comes from the animal’s undercoat, and it’s collected as the animal sheds; no shearing.

Knitting helps me connect with people I meet by sharing patterns and yarns. I run into knitters in airports, trains and museums. Knitters aren’t shy—we often offer compliments or ask questions about each other’s projects, sweaters, hats, etc.

At Mexico City’s Museo de Bellas Artas, a coat-check worker saw me knitting and brought hers out to show and compare

Some of my best yarn traveler experiences have been at stores in Europe where I’ve seen lots of local yarns and had really friendly talks with really friendly folks.

A  couple of years ago, in Strasbourg, my husband noticed a sign for a local Stitch and Bitch knitting circle; we ended up spending the evening in a tavern garden knitting with women from several different countries, since Strasbourg is one of the EU’s capitals. Most of the other knitters spoke English. They recommended a yarn store in Paris, and we checked it out when we got there.

Yarn stores often like to decorate with yarn; we’ve enjoyed some of the yarn-covered objects, as well as cute store names like Ewe Knit in Toronto. The rainbow over the store window in Bolzano is yarn, not paint!

There are often differences between stores, even in the same city. Some stores carry only inexpensive synthetics or blends that could be in any city, so they are usually not what I’m shopping for when I’m traveling. The yarn I buy in each country is my real souvenir…along with earrings.

As much as we may come from different countries, most of the knitters I’ve met in my travels have been just like most of the knitters I know at home—hobbyists who may be knitting for anyone—themselves, family, friends or charities.

And knitters have a sense of humor…