New knitter, where does everyone buy their wool.

[rantinghousewife]

Have just taken up knitting and crocheting properly, where is the best place to order wool from? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Actually dressmaking fabric suggestions would be handy too, if that's poss. Would be really grateful.

[Pruni]

Message withdrawn

[rantinghousewife]

Thank you, had a good look round on the net and am a bit blinded by choice. Glad you mentioned PeacheyEthKnits cos I thought about buying from them, sooo won't be now tho'

[Fillyjonk]

texere

and food dye

ner

[Marina]

Kangaroo for branded yarns and Texere for budget stuff on huge cardboard spools (which your dcs can then convert into Viking horns).
Both are excellent
I sometimes go in to John Lewis on Oxford St to tut at the way they keep moving haberdashery around.

[rantinghousewife]

Lol. Ta.

[rantinghousewife]

Off to have a look, thank you ladies.

[ceolas]

JL in real life but have used both Angel Yarns and Mavis Crafts online.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I have had bargains from a sort of John Lewis weirdo antiquated department store in Reading, Christmas before last. They were doinig a clear out, and I got lots and lots and lots of 4ply Jaeger merino at £1.50 a ball (half price).

[Marina]

So now we know the truth of the giant and gorgeous 4-ply baby rug. It was all from Heelas and you never told anyone else about this clearout

[NotQuiteCockney]

Is Heelas the name of the store?

I was staying at a friend's place in Reading, I'm sure I mentioned the clear out when I got back on MN, but I don't think there are any MNers in Reading are there?

I wasn't comfortable MNing from my friend's place, because I wasn't entirely sure I wanted her to work out who I was. Not that I've ever posted anything bad about her or anything, just general twitchiness.

[Marina]

I think it's Heelas. I have to confess to never having been to the Jewel of Berkshire.
Didn't it come BOTTOM of the list of good places to raise a family? I thought they had it confused with Slough.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I don't mind Reading. My friend seems to like it fine.

I think I bought 50-something balls of that 4ply. I am still knitting mostly that, and it's been over a year.

[Fillyjonk]

oooh well soon I shall be buying my yarns from get knitted

actually its mainly texere and cucumber path

ACTUALLY its mainly whatever gets handed onto me

[NotQuiteCockney]

I do sometimes get some at Romni Wools, in Toronto.

[Fillyjonk]

oooh nqc

now would you mind showing us a picture of romni wools?

is it very large?

please tell

[NotQuiteCockney]

Do you really want the picture again? It always makes tamum .

[Fillyjonk]

am immune

i have getknitted

[NotQuiteCockney]

Is get knitted a new shop? Where?

[Fillyjonk]

an imposter in our midst

[NotQuiteCockney]

Seriously, I've found the site, it looks nice enough, what makes it different from all the others? I've obviously missed a lot of conversation on this, but my stash is slightly huge and scary, and I'm just trying to knit my way through it these days.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, and how the bloody hell do you find anything on the Texere site? It seems to have everything, I think? But you just end up with 72 pages of wool. I was trying to find another wool/cotton blend in 4ply for someone having a problem, and just couldn't get anywhere.

[Marina]

The Texere site construction is nul to say the least but it is worth gritting your teeth as the people (especially Our Christine) behind Texere are wonderful - real wool/weaving/knitting/felting experts.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Can you phone texere?

I must admit, I haven't tried kangaroo since they redid their page, but their old website would drive me mad. Anyway, I was mostly buying needles from them, and didn't care about whether they were bamboo/addi turbo/whatever, but wanted particular sizes and lengths now, so phoning was much easier ...

[Marina]

You can phone Texere, you may well get Christine if you do.

you are far more observant about these things than me NQC but I ordered from Kangaroo recently and it seemed easier to use than the last time.

For a totally hair-shedding experience I recommend Readicut (purely for bargain cotton dk, it is a bit of a fluff-fest on there). Their website appears to have been written by conspiracy theorists its secure bit is so weird.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I am ok for cotton dk, bought a bunch of very nice Debbie Bliss 'pure cotton'. I'm not sure what that means about the other Debbie Bliss cotton yarns out there.

Honestly, my stash is scary atm. I have:

• probably still about 20 balls of the albatross yarn
• lots and lots of synthetics I bought cheap and thought better of.
• quite a few nice balls of merino dk in various colours, including variagated
• lots of green hemp
• lots of linen/cotton in black, slubby (ebay)
• some really nice bronze alpaca/wool blend that DH bought me as an anniversary gift, going for bronze or copper or whatever and wool, to meet both criteria for a 7-year-anniversary yarn
• some shiny synthetic I'm meant to be knitting a beret in
• some lovely multicoloured silk that tamum sent me
• probably lots more I've forgotten