Saturday, July 14, 2007

SouthBay LYSs- oh so many!

Those of us living in the Bay Area are so lucky to have many LYS around... Some I frequent a lot, some I've only been to once or twice, but here's my listing. And this is only in the South Bay... there are more in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and on up the peninsula!

368 E Campbell Ave,
Campbell, CA
408-871-9196

As the name indicates, focus on sustainable materials and eco-friendly yarns. Friendly and helpful owner & staff, and they carry one of my new favorites from a mill in Michigan called Shepherd's Wool. Right in the heart of the quaint downtown area in Campbell

Commuknity & the store blog => CLOSED
1345 The Alameda
San Jose
408-293-9333

Commuknity (this is my FAVORITE store name!) is a very spacious store with a wide range of yarns (luxury to medium/affordable). The staff is very pleasant and helpful, comfy sofas, some workshops & classes. Sign up for the their e-newsletter to learn of upcoming sales and events. They also have a ‘frequent buyer’ program and track what you spend toward earning credit.

Knitting Arts => CLOSED
14554 Big Basin Way
Saratoga
408-867-5010

Knitting Arts was a favorite but has shifted to mostly higher end yarn & prices. Great stuff and one of the best staffs - very helpful and there is always someone available (without being pushy). Sign up for their e-newsletter to learn of sale events, and also the schedules for their weekends of free workshops (and regular classes). They recently started having knitalong workshops as well and always have inspiring garments on display. They have a frequent buyer card, too.

Full Thread Ahead & the store blog=> CLOSED
169 Main Street
Los Altos
650 948 9036

FTA is my other favorite even though it's not on my standard 'route.' The owner, Hollis, is warm & welcoming and quite helpful (as are her staff). They don't carry the bigger brands (Rowan/Debbie Bliss, etc) since there is another yarn shop a block away that carries all those. They have a great selection and wide range of prices. The yarn is nicely organized by weight and they also recently began carrying their own brand of yarn. They also have frequent buyer club and track your purchases for you. Sign up for e-newsletter to learn of new yarns, sales and other events.

Purlescence Yarns
586 S Murphy Ave
Sunnyvale
408 735-YARN

I've only been to Purlesence once and the highlight was finding Socks That Rock! Like any good yarn store, there was an area with comfy chairs for knitting, and they also had more roving and spinning supplies than I've seen elsewhere. They also have quite a few classes (see the website).

Yarn Place=> CLOSED (moved to another state, I believe still online store)
123 Fremont Ave.
Sunnyvale
408.739.7888

This is not the place to go for atmosphere or to spend long hours. It's a small retail place with a limited selection. They offer primarily their own line. I found some good lace weight yarn, a bamboo yarn that I love and recycled Sari-silk yarn (which is what I went for in the first place!). They provided a heavy-weight, clear plastic bag with a zipper as their bag - I thought this was a great touch.

The Knitting Room
1195 Branham Ln
San Jose
(408) 264-7229

Bobbins Nest Studio
1171 Homestead Road, Suite 130
Santa Clara, California 95050
408.246.1121

This is the newest shop & I haven't been there yet, but I'm sure with a knitting and quilting stock, it will be a lovely spot.

Uncommon Threads
293 State Street
Los Altos
650-941-1815

Yarndogs
151 E. Main St.
Los Gatos
408.399.1909

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm familiar with most of these places. Someone told me Yarn Dogs has moved and is nearer the high school now. Don't know the details though.