As a crocheter, finding quality supplies and materials for your projects is essential. Joann Fabrics, one of the largest fabric and craft retailers in the United States, has been a long time go-to destination for yarn, crochet hooks, patterns and other crochet essentials. Unfortunately, as you may have heard, Joann Fabrics has announced they are closing all of their stores. It was first announced that they were going to be closing several stores, but they released further statement, that they will be closing all stores. This leaves the burning question: Now what do we do for our crafting essentials?
In this post, we will explore other options for people to obtain yarn and supplies. Don’t worry, there are lots of good options!
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Local Craft Stores: Support Your Community
One of the best ways to continue your crochet journey while supporting local businesses is to explore your community’s craft stores. Independent fabric and yarn shops, often family-owned, provide a more personalized shopping experience and may carry a curated selection of yarns, tools, and patterns. Many of these shops pride themselves on offering high-quality products and providing expert advice.
Check out the following:
- Independent Yarn Shops: Many places have local yarn stores that carry specialty yarns, knitting and crochet supplies. You may find a wider range of fibers, including luxurious hand dyed yarns to eco friendly options, which Joann may not have offered.
- Fabric Stores: Smaller fabric shops sometimes carry yarn and crochet tools. These businesses may offer competitive prices while providing specialized items.
To find local craft shops, you can search online for things like “yarn shops near me” or “craft stores near me”.
Online Yarn Retailers
Online retailers offer convince, often with a broader selection of yarn brands, tools and other essentials than you might find in physical stores. This can be a really great option because you get the shopping experience from the comfort of your own home. One draw back is that you cannot physically see the product prior to purchasing. If purchasing online, my recommendation is to read reviews to ensure you are buying from a reputable source and that are getting good quality products. There is nothing worse than excitedly anticipating your upcoming yarn arrival just to realize the quality does not live up to your expectations! Also, when looking at yarn online, I have learned to pay attention to how much yarn is being sold for the price. I have had yarn catch my eye before because it appeared to be a good price, but when I saw the amount they were selling, the yarn was actually over priced.
A few popular online retailers include:
- Amazon: Of course this is the big one that pretty much everyone knows. Amazon can be a great option due to a vast selection for anything you could need on your crochet journey and if you need anything else, like maybe a good book or dog food, you can get all your needs taken care of in one stop. A downfall with Amazon is that you don’t always know where your yarn and crochet supplies are coming from. If purchasing from Amazon, I definitely recommend reading the reviews to make sure you are getting what you want so you aren’t disappointed. Unfortunately, I recently saw on a crochet group, a person who was rather disappointed because the yarn she got from Amazon had black stuff all over it that looked something like grease.
- LoveCrafts: This is a popular online store that is a favorite among crocheters. LoveCrafts carries an extensive collection of yarns including popular brands like Lion brand, Red Heart and Bernat. They also offer crochet hooks, patterns, kits and notions which is nice because it makes this a one stop shop for all your crochet needs.
- Yarn.com (WEBS): WEBS is a very large online retailer in the U.S. with yarn and both knitting and crochet supplies. They have a large selection of yarns from high-end to more affordable brands. They also have supplies like hooks, patterns and accessories.
- Knit Picks: Although Knit Picks is geared more towards knitters, they do have a good selection of yarn for crochet projects and there are some crochet gems on there such as crochet hooks and stitch markers.
- Hobbi: In crochet groups that I follow, I have been hearing a lot about Hobbii from many people. I have heard of Hobbii as a very highly recommended place to get yarn with great selection, speedy delivery and affordable options. The yarn quality is great and people are saying that after buying from Hobbii, they won’t go anywhere else to buy yarn again. Hobbii keeps coming up in the groups I follow from multiple different people having great things to say about them.
Chain Stores
- Walmart: They sell yarn and supplies. Walmart does not have the largest selection and often times, I find they are out of stock on colors of yarn. It is definitely an option to look into if you’re interested, however they are not my personal preferred location to shop due to limited selection, out of stock items and also, I can usually get yarn for cheaper at other locations with coupons or sales.
- Target: You can buy yarn and crochet supplies online. Some locations carry yarn and supplies in store but local to me, Target does not have in store yarn or supplies such as crochet hooks.
- Michaels: Near me, Michaels is a good option. They have good selection, offer sales, discounts and coupons. However, in crochet groups that I am part of, I hear some locations don’t have as good of a selection. It might be a good place to look into if you are interested.
- Hobby Lobby: They have good selection, and also offer sales, discounts and coupons. They have some really great exclusive yarns as well. However, there has been some controversy surrounding Hobby Lobby because they are not supportive of the LGBTQ community.
Final Thoughts
There are many places to buy yarn and crochet project essentials. First determine if you want to support your local community, buy online or go with a chain store. Some considerations are noted below:
Local community: If you want to support your local community, this can be a great option to get unique items and support small businesses. They normally pride themselves on exceptional quality.
Online Retail: This is a very convenient option. There are some fantastic options to get great quality products quickly with a vast array of options. Just read the comments before you buy and also make sure you are buying from a reputable source. Another tip is to pay attention to the amount of yarn being sold for the price to make sure that it isn’t overpriced.
Chain Stores: There are a few options mentioned above that could be good options for you. Take a look and see if any of these are a good fit for you. Sometimes, with these larger chain stores, you need to physically go into the store to see for yourself what is there to determine your preference. For example, as mentioned above, my local Michaels has a good selection. However, I have heard from other crafters that their local Michaels did not have good selections. Another example is Target. Near me, they do not carry yarn or supplies such as crochet hooks, but some Target locations do carry them.
Good luck in your crochet journey and happy crocheting!
Here are a few articles you might be interested in:
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How to read a crochet pattern
Common crochet mistakes and easy solutions for them
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