At a time of year when all the big organizations are pushing their sales and deals, I want to write a post in support of small businesses, in particular, your independent yarn stores!

Our local yarn stores provide character and warmth that the giant retailers can not. They are often a space for the craft community to meet, with knowledgeable staff who are eager to share their expertise, offer advice, and make connections on a personal level.

Independent yarn stores curate a unique collection of yarn, sourcing both locally spun and/or hand-dyed yarn as well as other yarns from all over the world. By supporting these businesses, we are helping sustain independent businesses and entrepreneurs who are as passionate about yarn as we are!

If you’re still looking for gifts for your fibre friends, please consider shopping at independent stores; many of them have online shopping options too!

If you are unable to support financially, there are other free ways you can show your support, including:

Following any social media accounts
Like, sharing and saving social media posts from your local yarn store
Recommending them to friends
Attend any events they hold, for example, knit nights

This summer I was lucky enough to travel across Canada in my camper van. My goal was to visit at least one yarn store in each province, which I almost reached (sorry, Manitoba and New Brunswick!). It was brilliant, and all the yarn stores I visited brought that same sense of community, passion, and expertise that you would hope for. I love to visit them and squish the yarn from local yarn dyers that I might not get to see otherwise.

Below, I have listed all the yarn stores I visited in Canada this summer. There are hundreds more, some I hope to get to one day. This year, Digits and Threads created a free digital guide to all the yarn stores in Canada! You can find it here: https://www.digitsandthreads.ca/canadian-travel-guide-yarn-stores/.

To see video highlights of the Canadian yarn stores I visited, follow me on Instagram and visit my Canada LYS highlights, where I have saved all the reels I created.

If you live in or have visited any of the above Provinces, let me know your favourite yarn store in the comments below. Where should I visit next?

Looking for more tips about planning your trips to include yarn stores, as well as small project ideas and packing trips? Visit my previous post.

*Snapshots from three of the yarn stores I visited. Left to right: Wet Coast Wools, STASH Lounge, Yarn over Fibre Crafting and Co.*

Vancouver, British Columbia

I have been living in Vancouver for almost five years, so I have had the opportunity to visit many of the yarn stores in the area. My go-to one (due to the area I was living in) is Wet Coast Wools. They always seem to have what I need and are really helpful in getting you what you need.

While in Powell River, at the start of our road trip, I visited Great Balls of Wool. It is a very friendly store with a mission to ethically source the wool and yarn they stock.

2. Calgary, Alberta

STASH Lounge! STASH Lounge has been on my list for a long time. I’m a big Grocery Girls fan and have heard them mention it a few times, as well as seen other makers I follow on Instagram post about it. It was just as good as I had hoped. There was so much variety of yarn available that I might have gotten carried away and bought more than my “1 skein per store” allowance I was trying to keep!

3. Regina, Saskatchewan

At the point we were in Saskatchewan, I really needed to get a new set of 2.25 circular needles, as I realised I hadn’t packed my other ones. Yarn Over Fibre and Crafting Co. really helped me out! They had exactly what I needed (and more!)

*A selection of the goodies I collected on my road trip in Canada*

4. Toronto, Ontario

Toronto has multiple yarn stores, I only got the chance to visit one, Yarns Untangled, in the Kensington Market area. It’s a beautiful store, packed full of yarn, both local and independent dyers, as well as more commercially available yarn.

5. Montreal, Quebec

Montreal was another city with a few yarn store options. I opted to visit Boutique de Tricot Les Laines Biscotte Montreal. They hand-dye a lot of their own yarn, and I walked away with some Christmas-themed sock yarn1

6. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

I loved Prince Edward Island, it ended up being one of my favourite places to visit. While we were walking around Charlottetown one day, we happened to walk past Northern Watters Knitwear and Tartan shop. I was drawn in by all the handmade knits on display in the window; my partner James was drawn in by the selection of British snacks he could see through the door! The shop is full of handmade sweaters, hats, mittens and socks. I walked away with a yarn kit for thrummed mittens!

7. Halifax, Nova Scotia

In Halifax, I had almost finished knitting the body of the DRK Everyday sweater when the worst thing happened…I ran out of yarn! Luckily The Loop store in Halifax has some yarn of a similar weight, in a lovely contrasting colour, that I could use for the hem of the body and the sleeves.

That’s it! Let me know where I should visit next time I’m on my travels!

The gift of local: Supporting the independent yarn stores in Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia