Let’s talk about yarn today.  It has been frustrating recently to find exactly what I’m looking for.  Long ago, I used to be able to walk into Wal-Mart and find what I needed.  Wal-Mart has done away with their yarn section in most locations.  Wal-Mart carried a large selection of Red Heart yarn.  That was good then, but now I like to try to use natural fibers.  I’m not totally against using acrylic, but I like to try to keep it natural when there is an alternative out there.

I live in a place that has a small Jo-Ann craft.  It is better to shop there for fabric which I do quite often.  They have a really small yarn section.  It is limited to mostly specialty yarns.  They also have a few huge skeins of baby yarn like the Pound of Love.  So, I rarely buy yarn at Jo-Ann.

Michael’s has a better selection than Jo-Ann.  I can usually find what I’m looking for here.  They carry several brands.  There is a selection of natural fibers.  It isn’t as large as I would like, but cottons, wools, and like one or two skeins of bamboo are available.  Michael’s was my only alternative until a couple of months ago. 

Then, A.C. Moore opened.  I’ve put off going in because I just figured it would hold the same crafts that Michael’s does.  Yesterday, I decided to journey into the unknown for the first time.  They have a huge yarn selection.  There were all types of natural yarns.  Bamboo and hemp blends.  All types of wool.  I was in yarn heaven.  It has been a long time since I saw so much yarn in one place.  There were all sorts of beautiful colors and styles.  It was mind boggling.  They didn’t have everything that I needed, but it sure was close.  I spend 30 minutes in there and still didn’t see and touch everything.  I see another trip in my future.

I’ve also just located a specialty yarn shop in our downtown area.  I think in the next week I’ll make a trip there to see what they have.  I’m trying to locate some good sock yarn in a fun print.  I would rather buy it in town than have to pay for shipping.  I’m actually going to try to knit some socks…we’ll see if that happens or not

I haven’t really purchased much yarn from the Internet.  The only place I’ve really ordered on-line is Herrschner’s.  If you have a favorite on-line yarn shop, I would love to hear what it is…leave me a comment and let me know.

Also, as far as the shops above that I’ve talked about, I can only tell you my experience in my town.  I know there are larger, better Jo-Ann stores elsewhere.  It just isn’t here.  A.C. Moore may be the stinky yarn shop in your town.  You’ll have to do your own investigating.  I just hope my research helps you decide where to visit first.