In my city, local yarn shops are quietly disappearing. We used to have about six of them, plus several department stores selling yarn. Now we’re down to only two yarn shops and two department stores offering (a little, and mostly low quality) yarn. This, I guess, might be why I tend to get overly sentimental about my favourite local yarn shop (LYS). I tend to forget that they are in the business of selling me yarn, not just having friendly discussions about the art of knitting and helping me make the very best decisions for my next knitting project.
I absolutely cherish discussions about wool and knitting. Anyone with whom I can engage in these matters is a true blessing. However, time and time again, I became so wrapped up in these discussions that I lost sight of the commercial context they were taking place in at my LYS. And it ended up with yarn choices that were not the best fit for my intended project.
The more I learn about yarn, the more insight I gain into the tricky art of yarn substitution. Of course, a small yarn shop in a small Swiss city will have a limited selection. Consequently, when they suggest substituting their yarn for the one the designer used (and which they don’tcarry), it often isn’t the optimal choice. No hard feelings there – they’d go out of business in no time if they simply said : “Sorry, we don’t have what you are looking for, visit yarnsub.com and order from an online yarn supplier”. It so happens that my personal interests and their commercial interests don’t always align. It’s just the reality of their business..
I am a conscientious yarn customer, always priotising the best quality yarns I can afford. I’m grateful that I still have a favourite LYS and that they do carry higher quality yarn brands (which definetely isn’t the case at our department stores or some of the wool shops that have since closed down). In Switzerland, knitting is evolving into more of a niche hobby. It might be the case that knitters are increasingly looking for such higher quality yarns. Despite being a conscientious yarn customer, I often experience pangs of guilt, feeling a “moral obligation” to “support” them. This doesn’t make much sense. My budget is tight and I can’t afford to “support” them as I’d like to.
My favourite local yarn shop is in the business of…selling yarn, something I should keep in mind at all times. Maybe I should also find a way to alleviate my recurring guilt trips towards them. Can anyone else relate to this? How do you cope, and what strategies do you employ to reduce guilt-tripping?
My main “infidelities* to my LYS are with other small businesses, other local yarn shops. Mainly one in Hamburg where I get my Norwegian wool (https://www.linksgestrickt.de/), as well as another one in Switzerland (https://strickcafe.ch/). These are the kind of shops that offer premium customer support and where you sometimes get your order with a hand-written thank you note. Local yarn shops are lovely, aren’t they?
A thriving knitting community in Switzerland is what I wish for. I could never have learned so much in the art of knitting if it wasn’t for the very supportive global knitting community. That’s why local yarn shops are so close to my heart : they are part of this knitting community. In a way that Amazon & co will never be.
Unsolicited Knitting Advice 