Sunday, September 20, 2009

Chix With Stix

There aren't many yarn shops around here. Not too terrible since I'm happy to buy cheap yarn most times. But it would be nice to have a place to get nicer stuff and supplies that JoAnn and Michaels don't carry.

The closest LYS (local yarn store) is very unwelcoming to new possible customers. The only time I've ever gotten any attention when I came in was when the power on the block the store is in was out and I was quickly told that I can't buy anything. Not greeted. If I wasn't so eager to take a crochet class, I would have left. But I signed up and took the class. The woman teaching it was nice enough but then the next time I went in I was totally ignored despite wandering around and being lost. Neither woman working could spare a moment from chatting with their customers to even say hello. I have no desire to ever go to that store again.

String Theory in Glen Ellyn isn't too far away and it's very close to where the local Stitch n Bitch meets. I went there last week. Got greeted and some help. Their stock is more about the origin of the yarn and honestly I'm not all that concerned about free trade and organic. I want pretty, soft, and not expensive. Nice store, but I don't think I'll have reason to go back often. They do offer a lot of classes with a lot of variety. Just not anything in crochet I'm interested in.

The other almost-local yarn store is Chix With Stix in Forest Park. It's rather close to Dominican so it's a great location for when I have class. Except that my classes this semester are Mondays and three weekends. Chix is closed Mondays and their weekend hours are encompassed by my other class' times. Yesterday my class got out a little early so I high-tailed it down to the store.

Wow! I was greeted as soon as I walked in by a happy, laughing woman. The store is open and bright with shelving that's also open and makes the store stay uncluttered despite all the yarn. And there is a lot. Tons of Noro. There's even a little clearance area that's very nicely kept. There's a table and chairs where two women were working on something, and couch and coffee table for lounging or looking at pattern books. I didn't see any crochet supplies but there were no negative reactions to me saying I crochet. We talked about how ugly some crochet patterns are even though there are some really pretty ones. They also have some supplies for needle felting. Score! I got a pack of needles, some white roving, and a pack of colored roving. I'm so excited!

The only bad thing about this store is that it's not more local to me. But they did have a sign about a Stitch n Bitch that meets on Mondays in a nearby cafe. That should work nicely with my Monday class. I was really happy to see that posted in a LYS. First time I've seen that. I hope I get another chance to visit Chix With Stix

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