The following stores are all tried and true… I’ve shopped at them all during my travels.
Barcelona
Persones Llanes (Placa de la Llana 7, Barcelona)
Easily my favourite yarn store in Barcelona (and I think I went to them all!). Very friendly and inviting; cute shop with a nice range of yarns. The store also hosts regular knitting groups and events.
Edinburgh
K1 Yarns (89 West Bow)
Aiming at the higher end of the knitting market, this is a very cute little shop right in the heart of the tourist district. There is an emphasis on small scale luxury yarns and exclusive colourways (perfect for souvenir yarn shopping). They also stock a good range of teas, so sit down with a cuppa and a biscuit and make yourself comfy.
McAree Brothers (19 Howe St)
A great store for all your basic knitting needs – solid selection of yarns including Rowan, plus a massive wall of knitting notions. If you’re outside Edinburgh, they offer great customer service and amazingly fast shipping from their website.
London
All the Fun of the Fair (Unit 2.8 Kingly Court, just off Carnaby St)
All sorts of quirky haberdashery, buttony, and yarny goodness. Great for a rummage. Knitted food is a specialty.
The Button Queen (19 Marylebone Lane, London W1. Nearest tube: Bond St)
If you like vintage buttons, you have to go here. No excuses. Take any projects with you, and find the perfect matching buttons.
Fabrications (Broadway Market, London Fields, E8 4PH. Nearest rail: London Fields.)
Styles itself as more of a “gallery/outlet” than a yarn shop, but has some interesting yarny and crafty bits. Well worth a look if you’re visiting the fantastic Broadway Market on a Saturday.
I Knit London (106 Lower Marsh, Waterloo, SE1 7AB. Nearest tube: Waterloo.)
I Knit is a London knitting destination. Gerard and Craig moved their shop to larger premises to cope with the expanding knitting nights! Great range of UK and imported yarns, and the best range of knitting books in town. It’s the first yarn store I’ve been to that has a licensed bar. Wonderful.
Loop (41 Cross St, Islington, London N1 2BB. Nearest tube: Angel or Highbury & Islington.)
Loop wins the prize for the cutest yarn store in London; it’s not massive but there’s an awful lot to see in there. They have a great range of yarn, needles, and all sorts of doodads, including lots that you won’t find anywhere else in London.
Prick Your Finger (260 Globe Rd, Bethnal Green E2 0JD. Nearest tube: Bethnal Green.)
Less of a traditional yarn shop, and more of a whimsical haberdashery project by arty/crafty types. Stop by if you’re in the area and have a poke about in their natural and recycled yarns, crafty kits, and various bits and bobs.
Socktopus (Studio 9, 132-134 Lots Rd, London SW10 0RJ (entry from Tetcott Rd). Nearest tube: Fulham Broadway.)
As the name suggests, this shop is mostly focused on sock-weight yarns, but also has loads of other goodies. Yarn tends to be more high-end, all absolutely wonderful (great for the best range of Dream in Colour, as well as my favourite Handmaiden). This is where I spend most of my yarn money! Lots of knitting events (involving cupcakes) as well as Diane’s spinning classes. Alice set up the shop initially as an online venture only, but we all loved buying from her so much that she had to open a whole shop.
Melbourne
Buttonmania (Floor 2, Nicholas Building, 35-37 Swanston St, Melbourne 3000).
The best place in Melbs for buttons, stashed away in my favourite-ever building, the Nicholas Building. Keep an eye out for the buttonmania sales, where you just grab a tray, load up on buttons by the handful, and pay by weight. Make sure you take a trip in the staff operated lift up to the 2nd floor – it’s an experience in itself.
Clegs (60 Elizabeth St, Melbourne 3000)
The place to go in central Melbs for your yarn stash. Primarily a haberdashery store, their yarn supplies tend to wax and wane with the seasons. Have recently started stocking Rowan, so yarn is having an ever-increasing presence in the store. They also have great sales, so keep an eye out.
Sunspun (185 Canterbury Road, Canterbury VIC 3126. Nearest train: Canterbury)
Sue stocks the best range of yarn in Melbourne, with comprehensive supplies of Rowan, Jo Sharp, Debbie Bliss et al. If you’re looking for jumper-size quantities in a particular colourway, this is the place to go. However, it’s mostly the Eki Riva Baby Supreme 4ply that keeps calling me back. It’s my dream yarn.
Wool Baa (124 Bridport St, Albert Park)
Very popular LYS in the swish Albert Park, just a quick tram/ light rail ride away. Don’t be put off by the slightly rubbish website – the store is much better!
Paris
Entree Des Fournisseurs (in the courtyard off 8 rue des Francs Bourgeois, 3rd arr)
This is a really lovely yarn store, but with a focus on baby items. Their selection of buttons is second to none, and is definitely worth seeking out.
La Droguerie (9 rue du Jour, 1st arr)
The French yarn institution that must be visited by any knitter who travels to Paris. Stroke the yarns hanging up on the wall in the painters’ array of colours, peruse over the button collection for ages, but also be prepared for the queue to be served.
Sydney
All Buttons Great and Small (419a King St, Newtown, 2042)
Quite possibly my favourite button shop of all time. I can’t go to Sydney without making a trip there. And since it’s in the heart of wonderful Newtown, it’s not a chore at all.
