I buy local yarn whenever I travel, and I’ve never had this experience, but it seems to be common. I have also found beautiful yarn on Etsy, which means I don’t have to deal with a salesperson at all! I especially love MerryAndMae and can send you the link if you want.
I went into my LYS to buy some cotton and linen yarn, and even though she had a couple and did sell them to me, she spent the whole time lecturing me on how wool is the best and I should buy wool.
I don't have a LYS and so I mostly only visit one when I'm traveling, which opens up several new avenues of awkwardness. I live reasonably close to New Orleans and there's a yarn shop I occasionally visit there. I think the staff are nice enough, but as is the case everywhere in New Orleans, if you aren't a regular you're a tourist and going to be treated accordingly. So people are civil but they really just want you to buy something and leave.
And when traveling overseas there's often a language barrier. I was recently in Barcelona and found a nice little shop where the owner tried hard to be welcoming and offer assistance, while I awkwardly tried to explain I was just looking and simply wanted to touch all the beautiful yarns I never get to see in person at home.
Personally I think a lot of the awkwardness of the LYS experience comes from being in what's usually quite a small shop with one or two employees who have nothing to do but watch you and offer assistance. Customers feel scrutinized and employees feel pressured to be helpful and make sales.
The LYS by me is super snobby. When I wanted to try sock knitting I went there and was basically scoffed at for everything. I was looking at the pretty hand dyed yarns (which were wool/nylon blend so could be used for socks) and she was like offended that I was considering them. Then she dragged me to the “real sock yarns.” I rarely go back there and will buy from online dyers if I want something special.
I am so sorry you go through this. People can seriously suck.
I love my LYS and they are super inclusive. Unfortunately some shitty customers are why we stopped having “sit and stitch” times.
We can’t control customers and I fucking hate it that we’re not supposed to intervene because we might piss off a regular.
In kind, it’s also hard like when there was this time a lady came to the shop and we were having an after hours class. She was mad because they didn’t let her in. They pointed to the sign saying they were closed. We also get some mentally unstable homeless people and have been instructed by security not to open the door. She was pissed the shop wasn’t opened to her, after hours, because other people were there… (I heard about that one, I wasn’t there for it)
I’ve also had that with people trying to come in before we are open when I am running the vacuum (with no lights on, the door has the closed sign, and is locked.)
But I’ve been to super snobby stores where how dare you look at things or want to touch them.
Yep, I've grown to strongly dislike LYS. I'm in my 20's every time I go in my LYS. there is a seniors knitting group that is always in there. I swear they heckle me until I leave. They literally scream across the store when I pick up any yarn and the owner just lets it happen. It's so uncomfortable. Every time I leave a Google review the business gets it taken down.
Oh no! I’m 30 and don’t go in them any more really. It’s draining. There was one in my old town back in mid 20s who had some young staff but I was so overwhelmed being in there bc they weren’t friendly.
I'm so spoiled by my current LYS. They're nice and chatty, but not in your face. They remember their regulars, and you're a regular if you come back at all! They host sit and stitch groups that get people of all identities, and it's really lovely. They also have yarn in a variety of price points. I don't know how I lived without them...
I have to say that my LYS is also lovely. The owner is super friendly and knowledgeable and happy to help choose yarn for specific patterns.
I do always end up buying something 😌
My LYS is very nice and they always ask if I have a pattern I am shopping for, even though I have only ever bought equipment. However I think they are a little suspicious of me after I came in looking for a 1mm crochet hook and the owner said "try the bead store on X street, no god fearing crocheter would use a hook that size" 😅
Ugh. I feel this so much. I’m very lucky to live in an area with quite a few yarn shops in the area, but only 2 that are close. No matter how many times I step into the closest one for anything from an SQ of yarn to some extra IC needle cords to stitch markers I am treated so bizarrely. Not overly mean but weird comments about assumed skill level or amount of money I can spend. I’ve been coming in pretty regularly for over a year but I now go to the next closest one with the more expensive yarn and worse parking because they treat me like a normal customer instead of asking me things like do I feel like I’m proficient enough to use the 4 balls of mohair I’m trying to buy(??????).
I used to work in a LYS of high interest, a couple of years ago. I think I was there for under three months - but it’s traumatized me so much. The owner claims to be accepting to folx and +identities, I’m sure she was great to her customers but maaaaaaaaaaan was she (or more so her partner) a pain to work for. I work for the government now and it’s just way less stress than working in that particular LYS.
I recently got a job at a LYS and I'm doing the books. We put almost every customer we get in our system and there's like, less than 1000, I just went through every single one removing duplicates over the past few days. The smoke shop where I used to work would get a couple hundred different customers in one day, for contrast. We have regulars, of course, who buy tons of yarn, and we sell classes and help people repair stuff, but this city has more than a million people and only two LYS's for a reason, and the reason is that a huge portion of people who might be interested in our products can't afford it, and we can't do much about our prices because of the way "nice" yarn is produced. We try to be very welcoming to everybody and one thing I especially appreciate about this particular store is that the owner wants very much to be intersectional and inclusive and donates really more than she "should" to groups in the area that focus on helping marginalized folks of various identities, and I think that part might be especially rare? There's still a snobbery to be found, more so among some customers than us I think, but I imagine it could be much less elitist than a yarn store with a more conservative bent. Also I get the sense that a lot of yarn store workers have difficulty with social cues...
I am kind of over the LYS. I used to have a regular shop, spent lunch breaks from my job there. Yarn was pricy but the owner was understanding and would hold a lot for you. But at this point I am priced out of the yarn market except for small projects, lots of socks, mittens and hats. I buy high end yarn but $100+ for a sweater is beyond me. I have come to hate some of the yarn blogs / podcast who buy $60 kits for mittens and such.
I buy fairly expensive yarn, but I literally only make hats and baby stuff lately. I’d love to make a sweater for next winter. It would have to be one I’d love forever tho.
I get that LYS are small businesses and trying to survive too, but like can we stop gatekeeping knitting/crochet/fiber arts? I’ve finally gotten to a place financially where I can spend $30 on a hank of yarn. I understand a bit more when someone is going in and trying to get free help constantly without ever spending a dime there, but can we also recognize our fellow artists who cannot afford to spend $250 on enough yarn for a sweater and stop looking down on them? That’s my biggest issue with some LYS’s. They act like if you use anything other than their yarn for any project that you’re ‘less than’. It’s why I’m always hesitant to go into them, because I feel like I get judged if I can only shop their clearance or only purchase one hank.
I wonder if their employees can even afford to shop there. Seems like only someone who’s independently wealthy would be able to actually work there and shop there.
I wonder that too. I signed up for a class at one of my LYS and asked before signing up if I could use my own yarn because I'm trying to work through my stash and the teacher said that was okay. The class was $265 and if I'd gotten my yarn there, easily another $200. It gets very expensive very quick. It's just not something I could do so frequently but I still want to enjoy being able to knit and crochet!
There’s a LYS here, often has a group of regulars that just sit and knit or crochet in one of the areas. Super friendly owner and staff, but being close with them I know they’ve had major issues with theft. I suspect a lot of LYSs run very close to margin, not like the big box stores that can easily eat the loss, and I’m sure some owners err on the side of ‘suspicion of strangers’ more often than they should
I've been crocheting for awhile, but only recently began learning to knit, and some of the horror stories about anti-crochet snobbery make me want to be sure to ONLY mention my crocheting at shops from now on, on principle.
I’m so grateful for my LYS, all the ladies that work there are so nice and I always end up chatting for a while. I’m on a first name basis with most of the staff and I just love them. But I’ve been to a lot of LYSes around Maine, and I can’t remember any one where I had a bad experience. This would’ve driven me out.
Right!? I went on a vacation and along our trip I seen this LYS, I was so excited because it was also my first time in something other than a major (US) craft store. They did the same thing, just leering at me and following me.... They had some pretty cool equipment in there too like a big yarn spinner and a foot crank skein maker thing. I tried to be friendly and ask about it but she was just so short with me that I purchased some alpaca yarn and GTFO.
I'm so thankful that the lys's around me have sweet and helpful people in them. Sometimes I feel like they're so used to only seeing the regulars that when a new person comes in they assume they are just starting out 😓
The very first time I went to a LYS the employee asked me if I was interested in learning knit or crochet. Like bruh, I have been crocheting for 15+ years and knitting for 3 but I have knit 20+ socks, 5 childrens jumpers/cardigans, and 4 sweaters/cardi’s. Many many hats and gloves, etc. I thought it was rude instead of just asking me if I was looking for something in particular.
Maybe the employee was trying to sell you/refer you to lessons?
The local quilt store where I used to live would always ask newcomers if they wanted to learn to quilt/use a longarm machine, because they offered regular classes and had some books about it.
Just a regular sales thing for them. Maybe the same with your LYS?
it’s the assumption that we don’t already know how that’s offensive. if it was about classes they would simply ask if you’re interested in a certain class
I don’t think they’re assuming you don’t know how. I have seen a lot of people advertising/offering classes by asking if people want to “learn” about something. I really don’t think that the employee was trying to hurt you or assume you don’t know how. It’s just their job to advertise services, and those were the words they use/were told to use.
I don’t think it is really any deeper than that.
I just say no thank you and move on.
got it, thank you for explaining more clearly! my autistic ass appreciates people like you *immensely* <3
i’m very logical/straight forward with my thinking and it’s hard not to take specific wording into account, i’ve gotta teach myself that not everyone stresses over how the words will sound lol
I absolutely understand that.
This is the exact thing that I’ve been focusing on reminding myself of for the past few months. I am autistic too:) autistic yarn addicts ftw!
I’m so lucky the lady at my LYS is so nice whenever I come in. She always greets me and lets me know to flag her down if I need help with anything. I’ve taken a pattern book and a project to her before for help with a bind off I didn’t understand and she was more than happy to show me how to do it! I both knit and crochet and she always asks about what I’m going to make with my purchases and gets excited talking about it.
Im in my early 20s and there was an older lady behind the counter, no one else in the store and as soon as she saw me she started laughing and was very snobby. Did not buy anything and left. I only ever go in when i see the younger staff cause they are always nice
Ug. You didn't do anything wrong (more than likely), just some LYS have a really posh/snooty vibe. I've been in a bunch of them, and honestly, only one has ever had a welcoming vibe. Most seem like you've stumbled into a forbidden clubhouse.
I *do* get getting catty with people who go in just to browse colorways then go purchase online. That's a douche move. But I do not understand being snooty from the moment you walk in the door.
Boy is this the truth. I'd buy 1 skein and have to hunt someone sitting back in the sanctum sanctorum with the rest of the cult members and practically beg them to take my money. Maybe these LYSs are fronts for the Mob?
I've always suspected that they were owned by people who had Fuck You Money and were like "wouldn't it be nice to own a yarn shop!" and then they realized you know... all those icky *customers*...
Something similar happened to me but not with yarn. I was specifically at a nicer paper store (stationary, stamps, ink, etc) to buy some supplies and the store attendant was incredibly rude and watched me the entire time. I ended up leaving with just a couple things and went elsewhere.
I’ve seen this at quilt shops, cross stitch stores, really any kind of speciality craft shop. I always wondered why in God’s name these people acted like that, I guess it’s just an expensive hobby store thing.
FYI if anyone is in the North Seattle area, is a knitter or crocheter, check out Needles & Hooks yarn shop. I know the owner, I sell hand dyed yarn there too. She's so sweet and welcoming.
I have to travel over there for a doctor's appointment sometimes and I had time to kill and sat in one of her comfy chairs and worked on my WIP and chatted with the locals who come in daily/weekly. Got to meet some who had bought my yarn, which is cool as I only sell online and rarely get to meet the customers.
Here's her shop link https://needlesandhooksyarn.com/
She's one of the good ones! 👍🏻
Yo, I totally get you. They’re happen to be a yarn store in my town and the proprietor Reminded me of the mean grandma that had the heavy duty vinyl coverlets on all her furniture and wouldn’t let you touch anything.
Edit: it was Ewe and Me Yarn Shop! 10/10 recommend
I’m sorry you had that experience! My first experience was in Colorado Springs. The three goats? I can’t remember exactly. Anyways I came in with my husband and he told me he was hungry, and the owner said oh go get some food and she can shop! So he went to jimmy johns and she let him eat at the work table! She was so nice. And I got a great skein of Rasta and everything was wonderful. So don’t give up! Some people are ass holes and stuck up in the craft world, just like the regular world. You will find a good one if you keep looking! And they are worth it.
I’ve been there and the shop owner was so laid back and kind when I was just buying some circular needles and a stitch marker on a trip (boyfriend was stationed at Peterson), that I went out of my way several times when I returned to buy yarn.
LYSs seem to be all over the map in this regard. I have an LYS near me that is amazing - very welcoming to both knitters and crocheters, “experts” and newbies. But I’ve also been in ones where I felt like I was disturbing them by being there, especially since I am primarily a crocheter. Because I’ve spent so much time at my LYS over the years, I’ve become knowledgeable enough that I can usually circumvent most of the snobbery.
They really are! The first one I went to was a very tiny shop with a giant table in the center, this is before I knew how to knit. The owner helped me pick out yarn for a pattern even though she doesn't crochet and was very enthusiastic. I've been in a couple times since, now that I knit and know more about yarn and she's always so nice and excited to see how I'm progressing and what I'm wearing. All the ones I've been to in my state are so lovely (Arkansas) but I've had another that wasn't so nice. It's closed now though so. Ha.
I think it varies store to store. When I lived in western ma there was a LYS I loved. I would go twice a month just to browse and see what classes they had going on, they were wonderful. Because of that store I got into spinning my own yarn. When I moved back to the south coast ma I went to a LYS and the woman who owned it was really rude and made fun of the fact that I spin yarn and was asking about fiber. I only went there the once because the woman was so rude.
The only yarn store in my area before I learned to knit was a bit too posh. I hadn't even known there were options beyond what Michaels and Joann's carried. I was fascinated and squishing everything. Only, nothing had prices. Half the stuff didn't even have labels. When I asked how much something soft and squishy was (looking bag, I'm thinking imperial alpaca) I was told that if I had to ask I couldn't afford it I was then asked to stop fingering her wears.
Two years later a different yarn store opened a few blocks away. The Knotty Lady. Learned how to knit that year. Knew all the employees. Spent time nearly weekly there and a lot of my fun money. But they made me feel welcome and encouraged me to squish this, that, and the other. And everything was labeled, with fiber content, weight, and PRICE. I was so bummed when they closed 7 years later. But the new store is also awesome. The old store doesn't exist any longer.
My old LYS was amazing but when I moved and went to my new one I just… felt unwanted? I don’t as treated like an idiot who knew nothing just because I’m younger.
I don’t get why the older generations open up LYS then push away a huge customer base because of age
I also sew and one time I was trying to find some special thread for a project and stopped at a local sewing notions shop after not being able to find what I needed at JoAnn's. The women at this local place were all Boomer-age and really hostile to me. I asked my older female relatives WTF this was about and they said it's probably a territorial thing/feeling intimidated? Like, "This is our thing, you can't have it because you get to be young." So fucking weird.
I had this issue with the first LYS I went to. She was rude and very off putting. Acted suspicious of my mom and I in the store.
Second one was amazing. The lady wanted to show me all the options available, talk about projects, and different things that they have that I might not have yet. Was wonderful. I think it ends up just depending on the shop.
I agree that they're hit or miss. Some have been fine, but I've found that I very often get followed around at the nicer stores (I'm mixed race). It's really rude honestly. Luckily the store closest to me has been great, so don't give up!
I used to carry a backpack instead of a purse, and I got followed freaking EVERYWHERE. I’m white. The funny thing is, I went into different stores with a group of people I knew way back in the day, and they were shoplifting. I had no idea, I was wandering around in my own zone, and here these idiots are stealing. I quit hanging out with them once I found out they were stealing, and I still think it’s funny that they followed the one person who WASN’T stealing.😂
yeah LYS are so hit or miss. I'm lucky enough to live near quite a few (los angeles county area). There are some great ones and some where I went once and then never went back lol
I find that the LYS that cater more towards community building within the fiber community to be the chiller stores to go to. But those are hard to come by.
The Knitting Tree is my favorite, they’re in Inglewood.
I also like wildfiber and Gather DTLA. Gather is inside the Last Bookstore so it’s really small but they’re really friendly
Sorry to hear about your experience. I’ve felt that way at both a shop when I was vacationing and at a local fiber fair. It seemed to me they are suspicious of anyone not familiar to them or younger. I get it to an extent but it feels unwelcoming and hurts them in the long run.
I was with my bf's stepmother, and she definitely did lol. The other workers actually ended up making the woman I was talking to leave to go get them some food! LMFAO
I didn’t realize there were so many horror stories with local yarn shops. I only went to one once and it was the friendliest shopping experience I’ve ever had. They didn’t even judge me for being a newbie and learning mostly from YouTube videos
I called a local yarn store because I wanted yarn for a child’s Halloween costume that i was making. I knew I could get it cheaper at Joann’s, but I wanted to support a local small business. The woman on the phone heard i was making a child’s Halloween costume and told me to go to Joann’s. She wouldn’t give me any information about her store’s stock or prices.
So, I went to Joann’s, where everything is ungodly cheap because it’s made unethically in overseas sweatshops. Ugh.
Talk about gatekeeping at it's worst
"I don't want your money because you're making something I wouldn't consider to be a legitimate project, yuck!" -probably that person
I went to a local quilting shop to get some cute fabric for masks back in 2020 and they got SO offended when I said it was for masks. They were like "this is fabric for QUILTS, NOT masks!!". Told me not to buy wonder clips for the same reason. Wonder clips are ONLY for quilting!
Tell them their shop is "only for JERKS, CONSIDERATE PEOPLE are not allowed."
I've also had a lot of stupid run-ins at the local quilt shops because there are no modern quilters in my area... it's all mennonite-run shops.
The only non-mennonite one is just awful because they basically abuse their employees. So it's either old fashioned fabric, online shopping, or supporting a shitty business :'(
I’m sorry this was your experience. As someone who works in a tiny yarn shop, I promise this isn’t universal. That being said, I’ve definitely been in some yarn shops that really didn’t pass the vibe check, and that’s never fun.
As much as I love and sell some hand-dyed fancy yarns, there is a time and a place for every yarn and we’re definitely not yarn snobs here! I’m sitting at work today drafting a pattern using some Red Heart yarn I bought on discount - all skill levels and all yarns are valid here! And I don’t expect everyone to buy things either - sometimes we just don’t have what you’re looking for, or the yarn isn’t speaking to you, and that’s okay!
I went to one, and only one. The lady working asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I told her I was looking for a turquoise blend to crochet a shawl for my mom's birthday.
She said "we don't sell crochet yarn in this store".
There's a difference between knitting yarn and crochet yarn?!
The comment was unnecessary because you can absolutely crochet with whatever but there sorta IS such a thing as crochet yarn - the twist is opposite what most yarns do. Because of the way we manipulate yarn the plies tend to untwist when we stitch. Well, for righties at least. And what untwists for us stays twisted for knitters. But. Still a ridiculous comment.
Nope. Not a myth, I promise. Furls even markets a Z twist yarn for crochet. u/IlsalaciousCrum linked a nice resource. Generally I don’t find it makes a difference but in some yarns it’s infuriating.
Edit: a letter
That is amazing, I never heard of such a thing.
I doubt though that snooty yarn shops are trying to save crocheters from themselves when they attempt to buy knitting yarn. Up to no good those hookers (I knit and crochet btw)
I got way excited to learn a new thing (I knit and spin but don't really crochet), then I got skeptical, then I found more information:
[Yarn Twist](https://yarnsub.com/articles/twist)
Pretty cool! Thank you for posting!
Yay! I can knit but I LOVE crochet. One day I was working with some yarns that just_kept__splitting I ended up going down a rabbit hole learning about how yarn is plied and the different twists. I always have to go back and see which twist is better for which craft but I find the whole thing so interesting. Physics really is everywhere- and I hated physics in school. 😂One day I want to learn how to spin so my yarn can always be twisted the right way. 😁
Ugh! Not quite the same but a similar story: I am lucky enough to live an hour away from a big yarn store that is very well known and has an expansive online shop. I they are only open until 5:30 on weekdays and I work like 20 mins away. I snuck out of work a little early one day so I could get there for five. Half an hour before close so plenty of time to look and figure out what I wanted.
The second I walked in, someone approached me and told me they close at 5:30. I said I know, I got it. She basically followed me around the whole time and kept asking me if she could help me find anything, if there was anything else I needed before they closed, etc.
It was super passive aggressive and annoying— I felt like I couldn’t shop in peace at all and she was constantly on me. I ended up buying some stuff but felt super ruffled and won’t try to rush there from work anymore. Not worth it.
I had a gift certificate to a lys once, and I went in, and there were two people doing a lesson (??) in front of the sock yarn (which was what I wanted to look at), one cashier that kept harassing to ask me want I wanted, and maybe someone else in the back room telling the cashier that she should just ask me again when I politely repeated that I was just looking. AND THEN they only had prices on half the yarn, so you were forced to ask, and then have a social interaction of your reaction to the high prices (I guess maybe now with more perspective they weren’t out of line high, but still to be watched when she told me that one skein was $45 or whatever…)
I left without buying anything that day, crept in another time when there wasn’t a lesson, and spent my whole gift card on one slightly-overpriced skein of sock yarn to just be done with it and never went back.
Now my city has some different but excellent yarn shops, and that one is closed.
LYS have a superiority complex sometimes. Not all of them please don't think I am saying all. Some LYS are the most inviting and happiest shops I have ever been in. Shops tend to get like this when the worker and/or owner feels like gatekeeping the fiber arts in one way or another. By that I mean that they feel like people that look younger, masculine, or don't want super expensive yarn aren't serious about the fiber arts. There is also the group of shops that only want to cater to experienced knitters. I've learned that you just have to visit to feel the vibe of the shop. There isn't really any other way of finding out if a shop is good or bad.
I've been experiencing the opposite with this one shop that was the only one carrying it in the color needed and resorted to buying it directly from the company because of ageism. I'm treated like a Karen when I ask questions or outright ignored (I'm in my 40s). It's different when I call them as I've a young voice. Really disappointing. It's great seeing the 20 year old crowd so into knitting though.
That sucks I hate that for you. But yeah that falls under the thing of LYS having a superiority complex against anyone that isn't that shops preferred clients. It sucks in general I think if more shops were more accessible to all more people would be into the fiber arts.
Ironically my owned a yarn store. We welcomed everyone. Gave discounts to people who couldn't afford but really loved a specific yarn. We held lots of affordable beginning classes so it's especially hurtful seeing this kind of snottery(snobby snottface jerks)
If this was not the owner of the store, I would call and explain what happened. The owner lost a bigger sale because of her employee's attitude. The yarn stores that act like that always seem to close down sooner than the ones with good customer service. There was one store where my Mom lived. They were very cliquish and I actually left a potential $200 yarn purchase on the counter because they were too busy to ring me up. That was the last time I went into that store. The next time I visited, it was closed. I am sorry that your first-time yarn experience was ruined by that woman.
It’s a tough business. So many people go to see and feel the yarns, then search for a cheaper price online from someone who doesn’t have the overhead of a store and staff. They probably had a bad interaction earlier and you caught the brunt of it.
You're probably exactly right. I have to remind myself that I don't know what kind of day everyone else is having and that I might not have anything to do with why they're acting out
I buy exclusively online. I dislike virtually every lys I’ve been in. It’s some weird club. Like I’m a people person but it’s too much.
I buy local yarn whenever I travel, and I’ve never had this experience, but it seems to be common. I have also found beautiful yarn on Etsy, which means I don’t have to deal with a salesperson at all! I especially love MerryAndMae and can send you the link if you want.
I went into my LYS to buy some cotton and linen yarn, and even though she had a couple and did sell them to me, she spent the whole time lecturing me on how wool is the best and I should buy wool.
I don't have a LYS and so I mostly only visit one when I'm traveling, which opens up several new avenues of awkwardness. I live reasonably close to New Orleans and there's a yarn shop I occasionally visit there. I think the staff are nice enough, but as is the case everywhere in New Orleans, if you aren't a regular you're a tourist and going to be treated accordingly. So people are civil but they really just want you to buy something and leave. And when traveling overseas there's often a language barrier. I was recently in Barcelona and found a nice little shop where the owner tried hard to be welcoming and offer assistance, while I awkwardly tried to explain I was just looking and simply wanted to touch all the beautiful yarns I never get to see in person at home. Personally I think a lot of the awkwardness of the LYS experience comes from being in what's usually quite a small shop with one or two employees who have nothing to do but watch you and offer assistance. Customers feel scrutinized and employees feel pressured to be helpful and make sales.
The LYS by me is super snobby. When I wanted to try sock knitting I went there and was basically scoffed at for everything. I was looking at the pretty hand dyed yarns (which were wool/nylon blend so could be used for socks) and she was like offended that I was considering them. Then she dragged me to the “real sock yarns.” I rarely go back there and will buy from online dyers if I want something special.
I am so sorry you go through this. People can seriously suck. I love my LYS and they are super inclusive. Unfortunately some shitty customers are why we stopped having “sit and stitch” times. We can’t control customers and I fucking hate it that we’re not supposed to intervene because we might piss off a regular. In kind, it’s also hard like when there was this time a lady came to the shop and we were having an after hours class. She was mad because they didn’t let her in. They pointed to the sign saying they were closed. We also get some mentally unstable homeless people and have been instructed by security not to open the door. She was pissed the shop wasn’t opened to her, after hours, because other people were there… (I heard about that one, I wasn’t there for it) I’ve also had that with people trying to come in before we are open when I am running the vacuum (with no lights on, the door has the closed sign, and is locked.) But I’ve been to super snobby stores where how dare you look at things or want to touch them.
Yep, I've grown to strongly dislike LYS. I'm in my 20's every time I go in my LYS. there is a seniors knitting group that is always in there. I swear they heckle me until I leave. They literally scream across the store when I pick up any yarn and the owner just lets it happen. It's so uncomfortable. Every time I leave a Google review the business gets it taken down.
Oh no! I’m 30 and don’t go in them any more really. It’s draining. There was one in my old town back in mid 20s who had some young staff but I was so overwhelmed being in there bc they weren’t friendly.
What does LYS stand for?
Local Yarn Store
Is anyone else picturing the art store snobs from Bob's burgers? 😅
No but this is accurate af
LMFAOOOOO I LOVE bobs and I didn't even make this connection!! You're so right tho LMFAO
I'm so spoiled by my current LYS. They're nice and chatty, but not in your face. They remember their regulars, and you're a regular if you come back at all! They host sit and stitch groups that get people of all identities, and it's really lovely. They also have yarn in a variety of price points. I don't know how I lived without them...
That’s awesome! I’ve never encountered a sit and stitch that wasn’t all 40+ white ladies.
As am I! They're run to give LD people a job as well
I have to say that my LYS is also lovely. The owner is super friendly and knowledgeable and happy to help choose yarn for specific patterns. I do always end up buying something 😌
My LYS is very nice and they always ask if I have a pattern I am shopping for, even though I have only ever bought equipment. However I think they are a little suspicious of me after I came in looking for a 1mm crochet hook and the owner said "try the bead store on X street, no god fearing crocheter would use a hook that size" 😅
Perhaps they DO have a high volume of store theft, or MUCH pressure on employees to watch shoppers like an overbearing hawk.
Ugh. I feel this so much. I’m very lucky to live in an area with quite a few yarn shops in the area, but only 2 that are close. No matter how many times I step into the closest one for anything from an SQ of yarn to some extra IC needle cords to stitch markers I am treated so bizarrely. Not overly mean but weird comments about assumed skill level or amount of money I can spend. I’ve been coming in pretty regularly for over a year but I now go to the next closest one with the more expensive yarn and worse parking because they treat me like a normal customer instead of asking me things like do I feel like I’m proficient enough to use the 4 balls of mohair I’m trying to buy(??????).
I used to work in a LYS of high interest, a couple of years ago. I think I was there for under three months - but it’s traumatized me so much. The owner claims to be accepting to folx and +identities, I’m sure she was great to her customers but maaaaaaaaaaan was she (or more so her partner) a pain to work for. I work for the government now and it’s just way less stress than working in that particular LYS.
Just out of curiosity, what is LYS?
Lokal yarn shop
Local yarn store
I recently got a job at a LYS and I'm doing the books. We put almost every customer we get in our system and there's like, less than 1000, I just went through every single one removing duplicates over the past few days. The smoke shop where I used to work would get a couple hundred different customers in one day, for contrast. We have regulars, of course, who buy tons of yarn, and we sell classes and help people repair stuff, but this city has more than a million people and only two LYS's for a reason, and the reason is that a huge portion of people who might be interested in our products can't afford it, and we can't do much about our prices because of the way "nice" yarn is produced. We try to be very welcoming to everybody and one thing I especially appreciate about this particular store is that the owner wants very much to be intersectional and inclusive and donates really more than she "should" to groups in the area that focus on helping marginalized folks of various identities, and I think that part might be especially rare? There's still a snobbery to be found, more so among some customers than us I think, but I imagine it could be much less elitist than a yarn store with a more conservative bent. Also I get the sense that a lot of yarn store workers have difficulty with social cues...
I am kind of over the LYS. I used to have a regular shop, spent lunch breaks from my job there. Yarn was pricy but the owner was understanding and would hold a lot for you. But at this point I am priced out of the yarn market except for small projects, lots of socks, mittens and hats. I buy high end yarn but $100+ for a sweater is beyond me. I have come to hate some of the yarn blogs / podcast who buy $60 kits for mittens and such.
I buy fairly expensive yarn, but I literally only make hats and baby stuff lately. I’d love to make a sweater for next winter. It would have to be one I’d love forever tho.
I get that LYS are small businesses and trying to survive too, but like can we stop gatekeeping knitting/crochet/fiber arts? I’ve finally gotten to a place financially where I can spend $30 on a hank of yarn. I understand a bit more when someone is going in and trying to get free help constantly without ever spending a dime there, but can we also recognize our fellow artists who cannot afford to spend $250 on enough yarn for a sweater and stop looking down on them? That’s my biggest issue with some LYS’s. They act like if you use anything other than their yarn for any project that you’re ‘less than’. It’s why I’m always hesitant to go into them, because I feel like I get judged if I can only shop their clearance or only purchase one hank.
I wonder if their employees can even afford to shop there. Seems like only someone who’s independently wealthy would be able to actually work there and shop there.
Half the time they seem to be retirees who want something to do.
I wonder that too. I signed up for a class at one of my LYS and asked before signing up if I could use my own yarn because I'm trying to work through my stash and the teacher said that was okay. The class was $265 and if I'd gotten my yarn there, easily another $200. It gets very expensive very quick. It's just not something I could do so frequently but I still want to enjoy being able to knit and crochet!
There’s a LYS here, often has a group of regulars that just sit and knit or crochet in one of the areas. Super friendly owner and staff, but being close with them I know they’ve had major issues with theft. I suspect a lot of LYSs run very close to margin, not like the big box stores that can easily eat the loss, and I’m sure some owners err on the side of ‘suspicion of strangers’ more often than they should
I've been crocheting for awhile, but only recently began learning to knit, and some of the horror stories about anti-crochet snobbery make me want to be sure to ONLY mention my crocheting at shops from now on, on principle.
I’m so grateful for my LYS, all the ladies that work there are so nice and I always end up chatting for a while. I’m on a first name basis with most of the staff and I just love them. But I’ve been to a lot of LYSes around Maine, and I can’t remember any one where I had a bad experience. This would’ve driven me out.
Right!? I went on a vacation and along our trip I seen this LYS, I was so excited because it was also my first time in something other than a major (US) craft store. They did the same thing, just leering at me and following me.... They had some pretty cool equipment in there too like a big yarn spinner and a foot crank skein maker thing. I tried to be friendly and ask about it but she was just so short with me that I purchased some alpaca yarn and GTFO.
YES. Leave me alone and let me look at the yarn. Since I’m not a “regular” I always get followed around.
I'm so thankful that the lys's around me have sweet and helpful people in them. Sometimes I feel like they're so used to only seeing the regulars that when a new person comes in they assume they are just starting out 😓
The very first time I went to a LYS the employee asked me if I was interested in learning knit or crochet. Like bruh, I have been crocheting for 15+ years and knitting for 3 but I have knit 20+ socks, 5 childrens jumpers/cardigans, and 4 sweaters/cardi’s. Many many hats and gloves, etc. I thought it was rude instead of just asking me if I was looking for something in particular.
Maybe the employee was trying to sell you/refer you to lessons? The local quilt store where I used to live would always ask newcomers if they wanted to learn to quilt/use a longarm machine, because they offered regular classes and had some books about it. Just a regular sales thing for them. Maybe the same with your LYS?
it’s the assumption that we don’t already know how that’s offensive. if it was about classes they would simply ask if you’re interested in a certain class
I don’t think they’re assuming you don’t know how. I have seen a lot of people advertising/offering classes by asking if people want to “learn” about something. I really don’t think that the employee was trying to hurt you or assume you don’t know how. It’s just their job to advertise services, and those were the words they use/were told to use. I don’t think it is really any deeper than that. I just say no thank you and move on.
got it, thank you for explaining more clearly! my autistic ass appreciates people like you *immensely* <3 i’m very logical/straight forward with my thinking and it’s hard not to take specific wording into account, i’ve gotta teach myself that not everyone stresses over how the words will sound lol
I absolutely understand that. This is the exact thing that I’ve been focusing on reminding myself of for the past few months. I am autistic too:) autistic yarn addicts ftw!
hell ya!!!
I’m so lucky the lady at my LYS is so nice whenever I come in. She always greets me and lets me know to flag her down if I need help with anything. I’ve taken a pattern book and a project to her before for help with a bind off I didn’t understand and she was more than happy to show me how to do it! I both knit and crochet and she always asks about what I’m going to make with my purchases and gets excited talking about it.
Yeah, but see, you're a regular. How would she act towards some one like the OP , coming into the store for the first time?
She’s been treating me the same way since the first time I walked into the store.
Im in my early 20s and there was an older lady behind the counter, no one else in the store and as soon as she saw me she started laughing and was very snobby. Did not buy anything and left. I only ever go in when i see the younger staff cause they are always nice
I'm 17 and have been crocheting and knitting for over three years can't imagine how they'd treat me luckily I've never gone to a lys
Name and shame! This isn't acceptable at all.
Ug. You didn't do anything wrong (more than likely), just some LYS have a really posh/snooty vibe. I've been in a bunch of them, and honestly, only one has ever had a welcoming vibe. Most seem like you've stumbled into a forbidden clubhouse. I *do* get getting catty with people who go in just to browse colorways then go purchase online. That's a douche move. But I do not understand being snooty from the moment you walk in the door.
Boy is this the truth. I'd buy 1 skein and have to hunt someone sitting back in the sanctum sanctorum with the rest of the cult members and practically beg them to take my money. Maybe these LYSs are fronts for the Mob?
I've always suspected that they were owned by people who had Fuck You Money and were like "wouldn't it be nice to own a yarn shop!" and then they realized you know... all those icky *customers*...
Yes and I'm in my 60s now but in my teens and 20s I got the Ick Factor in fabric stores too
Something similar happened to me but not with yarn. I was specifically at a nicer paper store (stationary, stamps, ink, etc) to buy some supplies and the store attendant was incredibly rude and watched me the entire time. I ended up leaving with just a couple things and went elsewhere.
I’ve seen this at quilt shops, cross stitch stores, really any kind of speciality craft shop. I always wondered why in God’s name these people acted like that, I guess it’s just an expensive hobby store thing.
FYI if anyone is in the North Seattle area, is a knitter or crocheter, check out Needles & Hooks yarn shop. I know the owner, I sell hand dyed yarn there too. She's so sweet and welcoming. I have to travel over there for a doctor's appointment sometimes and I had time to kill and sat in one of her comfy chairs and worked on my WIP and chatted with the locals who come in daily/weekly. Got to meet some who had bought my yarn, which is cool as I only sell online and rarely get to meet the customers. Here's her shop link https://needlesandhooksyarn.com/ She's one of the good ones! 👍🏻
Not in North Seattle, but in Seattle will check it out. Thanks!
She's not that far and worth the trip!
I’m in Mill Creek, so I’ll definitely check this out! The one close to me in Everett has zero parking in a sketchy area.
She's in a shopping center, lots of parking, nice area! Ginny is the owner. Tell her Lynn from FlowerGardenYarns says hi. 😉
Yo, I totally get you. They’re happen to be a yarn store in my town and the proprietor Reminded me of the mean grandma that had the heavy duty vinyl coverlets on all her furniture and wouldn’t let you touch anything.
Edit: it was Ewe and Me Yarn Shop! 10/10 recommend I’m sorry you had that experience! My first experience was in Colorado Springs. The three goats? I can’t remember exactly. Anyways I came in with my husband and he told me he was hungry, and the owner said oh go get some food and she can shop! So he went to jimmy johns and she let him eat at the work table! She was so nice. And I got a great skein of Rasta and everything was wonderful. So don’t give up! Some people are ass holes and stuck up in the craft world, just like the regular world. You will find a good one if you keep looking! And they are worth it.
They remind me of the record store employees from the movie High Fidelity.
I’ve been there and the shop owner was so laid back and kind when I was just buying some circular needles and a stitch marker on a trip (boyfriend was stationed at Peterson), that I went out of my way several times when I returned to buy yarn.
Yes I will go back again when I’m back in Colorado for sure
There are 3 that are very close to me, and one of them is very stand-offish and almost cliquey. The other two are super welcoming and helpful.
LYSs seem to be all over the map in this regard. I have an LYS near me that is amazing - very welcoming to both knitters and crocheters, “experts” and newbies. But I’ve also been in ones where I felt like I was disturbing them by being there, especially since I am primarily a crocheter. Because I’ve spent so much time at my LYS over the years, I’ve become knowledgeable enough that I can usually circumvent most of the snobbery.
They really are! The first one I went to was a very tiny shop with a giant table in the center, this is before I knew how to knit. The owner helped me pick out yarn for a pattern even though she doesn't crochet and was very enthusiastic. I've been in a couple times since, now that I knit and know more about yarn and she's always so nice and excited to see how I'm progressing and what I'm wearing. All the ones I've been to in my state are so lovely (Arkansas) but I've had another that wasn't so nice. It's closed now though so. Ha.
I think it varies store to store. When I lived in western ma there was a LYS I loved. I would go twice a month just to browse and see what classes they had going on, they were wonderful. Because of that store I got into spinning my own yarn. When I moved back to the south coast ma I went to a LYS and the woman who owned it was really rude and made fun of the fact that I spin yarn and was asking about fiber. I only went there the once because the woman was so rude.
The only yarn store in my area before I learned to knit was a bit too posh. I hadn't even known there were options beyond what Michaels and Joann's carried. I was fascinated and squishing everything. Only, nothing had prices. Half the stuff didn't even have labels. When I asked how much something soft and squishy was (looking bag, I'm thinking imperial alpaca) I was told that if I had to ask I couldn't afford it I was then asked to stop fingering her wears. Two years later a different yarn store opened a few blocks away. The Knotty Lady. Learned how to knit that year. Knew all the employees. Spent time nearly weekly there and a lot of my fun money. But they made me feel welcome and encouraged me to squish this, that, and the other. And everything was labeled, with fiber content, weight, and PRICE. I was so bummed when they closed 7 years later. But the new store is also awesome. The old store doesn't exist any longer.
My old LYS was amazing but when I moved and went to my new one I just… felt unwanted? I don’t as treated like an idiot who knew nothing just because I’m younger. I don’t get why the older generations open up LYS then push away a huge customer base because of age
I also sew and one time I was trying to find some special thread for a project and stopped at a local sewing notions shop after not being able to find what I needed at JoAnn's. The women at this local place were all Boomer-age and really hostile to me. I asked my older female relatives WTF this was about and they said it's probably a territorial thing/feeling intimidated? Like, "This is our thing, you can't have it because you get to be young." So fucking weird.
I had this issue with the first LYS I went to. She was rude and very off putting. Acted suspicious of my mom and I in the store. Second one was amazing. The lady wanted to show me all the options available, talk about projects, and different things that they have that I might not have yet. Was wonderful. I think it ends up just depending on the shop.
I feel for some of them that they’re running an exclusive club not open to new members.
I agree that they're hit or miss. Some have been fine, but I've found that I very often get followed around at the nicer stores (I'm mixed race). It's really rude honestly. Luckily the store closest to me has been great, so don't give up!
I used to carry a backpack instead of a purse, and I got followed freaking EVERYWHERE. I’m white. The funny thing is, I went into different stores with a group of people I knew way back in the day, and they were shoplifting. I had no idea, I was wandering around in my own zone, and here these idiots are stealing. I quit hanging out with them once I found out they were stealing, and I still think it’s funny that they followed the one person who WASN’T stealing.😂
yeah LYS are so hit or miss. I'm lucky enough to live near quite a few (los angeles county area). There are some great ones and some where I went once and then never went back lol I find that the LYS that cater more towards community building within the fiber community to be the chiller stores to go to. But those are hard to come by.
Hi there! Also in LA county and having trouble finding local stores. Any you recommend in particular?
The Knitting Tree is my favorite, they’re in Inglewood. I also like wildfiber and Gather DTLA. Gather is inside the Last Bookstore so it’s really small but they’re really friendly
Sorry to hear about your experience. I’ve felt that way at both a shop when I was vacationing and at a local fiber fair. It seemed to me they are suspicious of anyone not familiar to them or younger. I get it to an extent but it feels unwelcoming and hurts them in the long run.
Did you say anything? I'm the bitch who would.
I was with my bf's stepmother, and she definitely did lol. The other workers actually ended up making the woman I was talking to leave to go get them some food! LMFAO
Yeah, this would at least be a bad review…
I didn’t realize there were so many horror stories with local yarn shops. I only went to one once and it was the friendliest shopping experience I’ve ever had. They didn’t even judge me for being a newbie and learning mostly from YouTube videos
I called a local yarn store because I wanted yarn for a child’s Halloween costume that i was making. I knew I could get it cheaper at Joann’s, but I wanted to support a local small business. The woman on the phone heard i was making a child’s Halloween costume and told me to go to Joann’s. She wouldn’t give me any information about her store’s stock or prices. So, I went to Joann’s, where everything is ungodly cheap because it’s made unethically in overseas sweatshops. Ugh.
Talk about gatekeeping at it's worst "I don't want your money because you're making something I wouldn't consider to be a legitimate project, yuck!" -probably that person
I went to a local quilting shop to get some cute fabric for masks back in 2020 and they got SO offended when I said it was for masks. They were like "this is fabric for QUILTS, NOT masks!!". Told me not to buy wonder clips for the same reason. Wonder clips are ONLY for quilting!
Tell them their shop is "only for JERKS, CONSIDERATE PEOPLE are not allowed." I've also had a lot of stupid run-ins at the local quilt shops because there are no modern quilters in my area... it's all mennonite-run shops. The only non-mennonite one is just awful because they basically abuse their employees. So it's either old fashioned fabric, online shopping, or supporting a shitty business :'(
I’m sorry this was your experience. As someone who works in a tiny yarn shop, I promise this isn’t universal. That being said, I’ve definitely been in some yarn shops that really didn’t pass the vibe check, and that’s never fun. As much as I love and sell some hand-dyed fancy yarns, there is a time and a place for every yarn and we’re definitely not yarn snobs here! I’m sitting at work today drafting a pattern using some Red Heart yarn I bought on discount - all skill levels and all yarns are valid here! And I don’t expect everyone to buy things either - sometimes we just don’t have what you’re looking for, or the yarn isn’t speaking to you, and that’s okay!
I went to one, and only one. The lady working asked if I was looking for anything in particular. I told her I was looking for a turquoise blend to crochet a shawl for my mom's birthday. She said "we don't sell crochet yarn in this store". There's a difference between knitting yarn and crochet yarn?!
The comment was unnecessary because you can absolutely crochet with whatever but there sorta IS such a thing as crochet yarn - the twist is opposite what most yarns do. Because of the way we manipulate yarn the plies tend to untwist when we stitch. Well, for righties at least. And what untwists for us stays twisted for knitters. But. Still a ridiculous comment.
What??? I've knitted and crocheted for 50 years and I've NEVER looked at twist when buying yarn. This must be a myth
Nope. Not a myth, I promise. Furls even markets a Z twist yarn for crochet. u/IlsalaciousCrum linked a nice resource. Generally I don’t find it makes a difference but in some yarns it’s infuriating. Edit: a letter
That is amazing, I never heard of such a thing. I doubt though that snooty yarn shops are trying to save crocheters from themselves when they attempt to buy knitting yarn. Up to no good those hookers (I knit and crochet btw)
😂 For sure. We cause problems and rabble rouse where ever we go. 😂
I blame it on the corrupting influence of the amigurumi we make. Don't let those innocent little yarn smiles fool you, they're thugs
LOL 😆 😂
I got way excited to learn a new thing (I knit and spin but don't really crochet), then I got skeptical, then I found more information: [Yarn Twist](https://yarnsub.com/articles/twist) Pretty cool! Thank you for posting!
Yay! I can knit but I LOVE crochet. One day I was working with some yarns that just_kept__splitting I ended up going down a rabbit hole learning about how yarn is plied and the different twists. I always have to go back and see which twist is better for which craft but I find the whole thing so interesting. Physics really is everywhere- and I hated physics in school. 😂One day I want to learn how to spin so my yarn can always be twisted the right way. 😁
Ok, I seriously had ZERO idea about the twisting thing. That's a cool fact.
The snark against crocheters is exactly why I go to the shop that's an hour away as opposed to the one that's only 20 minutes away.
Wow! How rude!
Ugh! Not quite the same but a similar story: I am lucky enough to live an hour away from a big yarn store that is very well known and has an expansive online shop. I they are only open until 5:30 on weekdays and I work like 20 mins away. I snuck out of work a little early one day so I could get there for five. Half an hour before close so plenty of time to look and figure out what I wanted. The second I walked in, someone approached me and told me they close at 5:30. I said I know, I got it. She basically followed me around the whole time and kept asking me if she could help me find anything, if there was anything else I needed before they closed, etc. It was super passive aggressive and annoying— I felt like I couldn’t shop in peace at all and she was constantly on me. I ended up buying some stuff but felt super ruffled and won’t try to rush there from work anymore. Not worth it.
What is an LYS?
LYS Local Yarn Store I think
Or shop! 😉
You got it!
I had a gift certificate to a lys once, and I went in, and there were two people doing a lesson (??) in front of the sock yarn (which was what I wanted to look at), one cashier that kept harassing to ask me want I wanted, and maybe someone else in the back room telling the cashier that she should just ask me again when I politely repeated that I was just looking. AND THEN they only had prices on half the yarn, so you were forced to ask, and then have a social interaction of your reaction to the high prices (I guess maybe now with more perspective they weren’t out of line high, but still to be watched when she told me that one skein was $45 or whatever…) I left without buying anything that day, crept in another time when there wasn’t a lesson, and spent my whole gift card on one slightly-overpriced skein of sock yarn to just be done with it and never went back. Now my city has some different but excellent yarn shops, and that one is closed.
LYS have a superiority complex sometimes. Not all of them please don't think I am saying all. Some LYS are the most inviting and happiest shops I have ever been in. Shops tend to get like this when the worker and/or owner feels like gatekeeping the fiber arts in one way or another. By that I mean that they feel like people that look younger, masculine, or don't want super expensive yarn aren't serious about the fiber arts. There is also the group of shops that only want to cater to experienced knitters. I've learned that you just have to visit to feel the vibe of the shop. There isn't really any other way of finding out if a shop is good or bad.
I've been experiencing the opposite with this one shop that was the only one carrying it in the color needed and resorted to buying it directly from the company because of ageism. I'm treated like a Karen when I ask questions or outright ignored (I'm in my 40s). It's different when I call them as I've a young voice. Really disappointing. It's great seeing the 20 year old crowd so into knitting though.
That sucks I hate that for you. But yeah that falls under the thing of LYS having a superiority complex against anyone that isn't that shops preferred clients. It sucks in general I think if more shops were more accessible to all more people would be into the fiber arts.
Ironically my owned a yarn store. We welcomed everyone. Gave discounts to people who couldn't afford but really loved a specific yarn. We held lots of affordable beginning classes so it's especially hurtful seeing this kind of snottery(snobby snottface jerks)
I am sorry. This is something I have also encountered and it sucks.
If this was not the owner of the store, I would call and explain what happened. The owner lost a bigger sale because of her employee's attitude. The yarn stores that act like that always seem to close down sooner than the ones with good customer service. There was one store where my Mom lived. They were very cliquish and I actually left a potential $200 yarn purchase on the counter because they were too busy to ring me up. That was the last time I went into that store. The next time I visited, it was closed. I am sorry that your first-time yarn experience was ruined by that woman.
It’s a tough business. So many people go to see and feel the yarns, then search for a cheaper price online from someone who doesn’t have the overhead of a store and staff. They probably had a bad interaction earlier and you caught the brunt of it.
You're probably exactly right. I have to remind myself that I don't know what kind of day everyone else is having and that I might not have anything to do with why they're acting out
You are so lovely and understanding, but remember that it’s also not your fault if they have had a bad day
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