Six things I really love about my local yarn shop

I am lucky enough to live in a little market town in Devon that has a thriving craft scene (is the word 'scene' appropriate for craft? I was thinking like music but it sounds odd somehow, like people are wandering about rapping over their knitting.) We have quite a few fab shops for patchworking, sewing, knitting/crochet, furniture upcycling (the list goes on!) as well as a covered market where local people sell their own crafty bit and bobs. It has been my plan ever since I moved down and found this oasis of handmadeness to join in and start selling some of my makes. It could have potentially been anticipated that working lots of overtime and doing up a very eighties house would have slowed those plans somewhat, and I've not actually managed to get my finger out and do it yet, but soon I will! I think the main problem is perhaps that I'm just  bit greedy and want everything I make... So eight months ago a little yarn shop opened right near to my house called Yarns of Tavistock (it's on my way home, and when I saw it for the first time I nearly hyperventilated. NEW WOOL SHOP!!!!) I went straight inside to have a mosey as it was the opening day and would be rude not to! Also, they had free biscuits. Now it's part of my route into town to go and have a little drool through the window. So I thought it would be nice to share what I love about it - but also about local yarn shops in general. I don't want to sound like an annoying right-on guardian reader (which I may or may not be) but living somewhere which has so many independent shops has been a total revelation. It's great. I mean the people here ran McDonalds out of town. That shows some serious willpower as well as loyalty to the independent shop cause.

So to business:

Brilliant Things About Independent Yarn Shops

1. Lush local yarns

It may surprise you how many wool producers there are local to you. I know living on the doorstep of sheep-farming Dartmoor probably helps the local wool supply somewhat, but even when I lived in Southampton (somewhat less of a rural idyll) the local yarn-eries still had a couple of lovely local yarns. There is something wonderful about giving a yarny present to someone and being able to tell them 'oh yes, I made it myself. Out of local wool'. You feel like something out of a Thomas Hardy novel. And just look how pretty it is! This one is by Tavistock Tastes and Textures (their folksy shop is here) They do hand dyed locally spun Jacob's wool. My mother-in-law made about 3 hats out of 2 of these balls and oh my gosh they are so warm and soft. And the lady who makes all the wool is lovely.

2. They have courses and workshops (where real people actually teach you things!)

Fleece ready for the spinning workshop. Just look at that colour! I want to put my face in it.

Because some Unnamed Internet Companies who it may be suspected perhaps Do Not Pay As Much Tax As They Strictly Should also have fewer overheads due to not having to run an actual shop, internet prices tend to be a bit cheaper. Which means that shops have had to cut their margins somewhat and are selling less wool into the bargain. Double bad news. However, the silver lining is that most local yarn shops have diversified and  now run workshops. Yay for workshops! Learning new crafts, taking home something you've made yourself, meeting like minded people, making cool stuff. Such a good idea. And no trawling Youtube for videos to try and make sense of weird stitches! Yarns of Tavistock do absolutely loads of stuff - drop spinning, spinning wheel spinning, wet felting, needle felting, sock knitting, crochet squares/flowers/cardigans, beginner's crochet, soft toy making, paper making silk fusion.. and that's just June. I feel exhausted just thinking about it. But in a good way.

3. Local crafters sell their makes there

Just seen Jeremy Clarkson naked.

My local shop has a big old wall of shelves where local crafters can display their makes to sell. Sue (the lady who owns the shop) changes them every month so it's nice to go and have a little mosey and see what's new - brilliant for birthday presents and a bit of inspiration, and so lovely seeing talented people have a space to display and sell their bits. Nice being able to support two local crafters at once too. One day I will sell something there!

cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!

Toadstool are so underrated! I could make a ladybird to sit on them. Or a fairy!

4. You can actually touch and feel and sqidge the yarn before you buy it. And it's presented in baskets.

YARN IN BASKETS!! Best. Thing. Ever.

There is something about wool in baskets. It is just the perfect centre of the yarn/basketry Venn diagram. It makes me want to put on a long skirt and carry the yarn through buttercup sprinkled fields to market. Sigh. Perhaps that's just me, but you have to admit it is super pretty. I have a basket in my living room for just this purpose, like yarn Feng Shui. I really do think that being able to see wool in real life is so much better than on a screen. It just looks and feels different so much of the time. Also, if you're lucky there might be examples of the yarn knitted/crocheted up so you can see it as it would be in your project. I have a really hard time imagining what wool will look like made up, especially if it's variegated, so I find this really useful.

5. If you buy wool there you're supporting someone who really loves craft to sell you craft things.

(Another picture of yarn in a basket just because)

No faceless warehouses. No websites trying to get you to click through to buy stuff you don't need. No sitting looking at a screen for ages. No postage charges. Instead, have a good old natter with the owner, get some advice on the best yarn for your project and some tips on that bit of the pattern you're stuck on. My local yarn shop lady Sue is amazing. She's only been crocheting/knitting for a year or so and she is AMAZING. Like, professional standard. She's already adapting knitting patterns to crochet, making socks, running workshops. I've been crocheting 8 years longer than her and she is SO GOOD. She teaches me something every time I see her. I bow down to her greatness. Where I dip my toe into a bit of blogging, and consider trying to sell a couple of bits but never really get round to doing it she just jumps into running a crafty shop with a cheery get-on-with-it attitude. I take my hat off to her.

6. The local knit-and-natter or yak-and-yarn happens there. And there's tea!

Socializing with crafty people is just the best. And it's a designated time for you to do your craft. And you can pick up bits you need while you do it. And there's tea. Getting into the whole crafting community. What's not to like? Yarns of Tavistock have theirs as a drop-in type arrangement over two and a half hours which is great when you have a baby who is generally whingey/sleeping/breastfeeding/vomiting whenever you're trying to leave the house to do anything. She can't stop me for that long! mwahahahaha!

I think when talking about crochet or knitting or yarn crafts in general we're all good at chatting about lovely yarns, or great patterns or inspiration but shy away from talking about where we get our yarn. I'm not sure why, because I love going to get yarn and I see a lot of other crafters who also obviously enjoy the whole finding-yarn process. Well, I'm coming out and proud and saying: if you try to buy local food or fairtrade clothes or support local causes, go and support your local independent yarn shop. So in conclusion I love my local yarn shop and so should you! They really are brilliant little places and deserve as much support as you can give them.

I want all of them please.

Yarns of Tavistock facebook page