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Original poster

Do you prefer to buy yarn in a shop or online?

25 replies

NannyR · 26/04/2015 09:58

I received an email this week telling me that one of my favourite yarn shops ever is closing and becoming an online only business (texere in Bradford Sad)

Apparently most of their business is online rather than in the shop these days. It got me thinking though, although I regularly buy crochet hooks, needles, patterns etc on line, I never buy the actual yarn.
I think that you can't accurately judge the colour, texture and feel of the yarn from a photo, I like to have a few balls of yarn in my hand to see which colours go well together.
Also, quite often when I go to this shop in particular, I know I want to make something but I don't have any project in mind and wandering around the shop gives me ideas and inspiration.

Does anyone else feel the same?

OP posts:
CaTsMaMmA · 26/04/2015 10:04

i have bought acrylic.....DK Stylecraft, Woolcraft Fashion..online, you KNOW what you are getting

except for the odd colour debacle

But otherwise I like to feel the stuff, I just drove all the way into town for 3 balls of cotton cos I NEEDED to feel them first.

TheMissingSheep · 26/04/2015 13:24

I don't have a local yarn shop, so have no choice but to buy most of my yarn online. In terms of judging colour, I find Ravelry really useful - can get a much better feel for it by looking at multiple project photos rather than just the one photo on the shopping site. I also like that I can see how the yarn "knits up", which I can't do when buying face-to-face. But I agree you can't get the texture and feel of the yarn when buying online - there have been a few times when I've been disappointed by the arrival of beautiful yarn which is actually quite coarse.

goshhhhhh · 26/04/2015 13:26

Only buy online for yarn I already have. Might think about it if I could work out the feel.

holmessweetholmes · 26/04/2015 13:40

Definitely in a shop, unless it was a yarn I'd used before and was unavailable in the local shop. I'm lucky though that the two places I've lived in since I learnt to knit have brilliant yarn shops.

lurkerspeaks · 26/04/2015 19:41

I buy yarn online to get the quantity I need for lots of projects but usually only after I've had a squidge in a shop.

I do buy from my LYS but am currently knitting my stash!

MiaowTheCat · 26/04/2015 20:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AnythingNotEverything · 26/04/2015 20:41

OP have you visited Baa Ram Ewe in Chapel Allerton in Leeds? I've heard good things about them.

poppyinstitches · 27/04/2015 07:27

I love to see and feel what am buying, but understand the ease of on line purchasing.

tribpot · 27/04/2015 07:31

Mostly online - by necessity really as what I want to buy doesn't tend to be stocked anywhere locally. Would much prefer to be able to go and see and squish before buying but not practical.

StillaChocoholic · 27/04/2015 07:42

I mostly buy online. I don't drive so it can be a bit of a trek to get to my local yarn shop and they aren't particularly friendly there, so online works best for me at the moment.

SecretSpy · 27/04/2015 07:44

I use my lys a bit, if I just want a ball or two or a set of cheap dpns and postage isn't cost effective. But mine is an acrylic emporium and I don't buy much acrylic.

CrystalQueen · 27/04/2015 07:48

Oh no, I was hoping to finally get a trip to Texere this summer (not exactly a LYS for me, in Scotland). I much prefer buying in a shop, part of the enjoyment of buying is having a good rummage and squeeze.

lagartaroja · 27/04/2015 08:11

I buy yarn online as I almost exclusively use DROPS and the lovely local shop don't stock it (I have made requests and suggested I'd spend inordinate amounts of cash there if they did).

I used to use texere actually until I discovered DROPS.

Theas18 · 27/04/2015 11:01

Noo not texere!

Buy on line mostly because - well price! Wool warehouse in leamington are good and cheap.

hillbilly · 27/04/2015 11:11

I got myself in a right pickle recently buying yarn online as I was trying to match colours to something I already have. Anyway, 3 deliveries later, £250 worth of yarn, I have now had to return most of it which did not match. Wool warehouse were most helpful and refunded the money without question. Would def have preferred to buy from a shop though!

CustardOmlet · 27/04/2015 21:56

I have never bought on line, however I have just got a lovely pattern book but the yarns it recommends are discontinued. Are there any websites that will tell you a best match? I normally buy what I can afford but I'm knitting to order and other people are paying!

PurpleDaisies · 27/04/2015 22:00

Definitely in a shop unless want a specific brand for a specific project. Really helps with choosing colours and love to stroke them first. Hardly any yarn shops left in my town so I feel like I'm doing a service to the community by helping keep them in business.

lavendersun · 28/04/2015 07:33

I only knit one thing a year - usually during my spring/summer camping trips, I bought from Black Sheep Wools for my current project (Rippling rib vest on Ravelry) - just a Rowan grey tweedy yarn - single yarn type only.

I do weave though and sometimes pop into JL to put different yarns together to see what they would look like used for warp and weft.

I would prefer to buy in a shop but my local shop only sells cheap ish yarns. Most of it is synthetic or a blend and I only like natural fibres.

I have got some bargains on e-bay though - Aileen's Wool Shop - lots of reduced Noro, Rowan and Debbie Bliss.

MiaowTheCat · 29/04/2015 07:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lavendersun · 29/04/2015 18:51

It is great to keep these little shops going Miaow. Ours is rubbish for wool, but really great for haberdashery so I go there for anything I can tbh. Lovely people who deserve to make a good living. I just don't like their wool.

SecretSpy · 01/05/2015 15:47

CustardOmlet - try yarnsub.com/ and www.yarndex.com/ for ideas on substituting yarns.

ouryve · 01/05/2015 15:53

I've bought most of mine online, incuding from Texere! Most experiences have been positive, apart form the time I ordered from Angel Yarns, as a naive newby to knitting. Didn't do that again. And the time I subscribed to the Knit magazine sock club. I couldn't have made that mistake again, even if I'd wanted to, as they went into administration before the club was finished. (I have had good experiences with other clubs, though)

I always check out Ravelry before I buy, for lots of pictures and notes on using the yarn and so on.

ouryve · 01/05/2015 15:57

lagarta I think a few shops who have heard of drops are reluctant to stock them after some bad experiences with the conditions they put on selling their yarn.

MrsTrelis · 01/05/2015 18:25

I'm in bradford too OP. I don't really buy online unless I need something specific that I can't find locally (Christmassy sock yarn, Bergere Angel recently). Can I recommend Three Bags Full in Halifax? They used to be in the Piece Hall, but have moved to the Old Bank. I also truly love Coldspring Mills in cottingly, as they have a nice cafe so you can sit & knit/crochet with a coffee after buying all the lovely lovely squishys Grin

Original poster
NannyR · 03/05/2015 19:17

Thanks for the recommendation of coldspring mills. I went for a nosy round this afternoon, a really good selection of yarns.
Its not that far from where I live and I never even knew it was there!

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