A Good Yarn No More

It's sad when you lose a local yarn store. Last week A Good Yarn in Brookline closed. It was a small shop with a nice selection of high end yarns. I went by to say good-bye, and got some yarn (of course) on their last day. It isn't like we have a dearth of yarn stores in Boston, but I liked A Good Yarn, and will miss the smiles and encouraging words from the people who worked there.

One of the things I've noticed about various yarn stores is that people either love or hate the folk that work there. I have found, with only one exception, that if I go in there with a big smile, some compliments about the yarn (and I can compliment even Cascade 220, that work horse of the knitting world), and a sense of excitement (and I am always excited to walk into a yarn store), that I'll get along with the owners and workers there. I've discussed various yarn stores with different people, and I often hear things like the owner isn't friendly, or that they didn't offer enough help. Seriously? There are several yarn stores in my area where I can walk in and be greeted effusively, sometimes get hugged, and get as much help as I need and want. I will say, though, when one is a man who knits, walking into a new yarn store will get you lots of questions and funny comments. Like it's so unusual for a guy to knit. Oh. Wait. It is unusual. Whatever. Still, at the Creative Stitch in Hingham, I was given a tour of the owner's personal yarn stash, the first time I ever walked in there. Talk about achieving SABLE!

There are, to be sure, yarn stores where I only go if I have to. There's one where a certain employee is known to be a nasty peice of work, and when discussions of that store come up, someone invariably says her name, "Lois? Oh, yeah. Well, she doesn't work on Wednesdays, so that's a good day to shop there." I'll have to try that tactic, and shop there sometime on a Wednesday, and see if my experience there is better. But other than that, I'm wicked happy with all my local yarn stores, and frequent them as often as I can. Or as often as my budget allows. Besides, I'm knitting from my stash. Stop rolling your eyes. I am knitting from my stash. It's just that my stash keeps getting bigger.