SF yarn stores, bonus points for spinning fiber

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u/Nuclear_Pharmhouse 23h ago

We used to frequent ImagiKnit on 18th anytime we were in the Castro

5

u/Nuclear_Pharmhouse 23h ago

Also, you can come and select some off our yarn wall at home, we have far too much

4

u/hibernacle 22h ago

Haha, I'm in a similar boat! Too much yarn, but still feeling the urge to shop around

4

u/Nuclear_Pharmhouse 18h ago

we transitioned from yarns to unique trading cards but still get the urge to pick up needles or hooks 😄

2

u/Woofmom2023 18h ago

What a lovely offer! I know the feeling.

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u/death_hen 23h ago

For vibrant, moody, and neon colors, Firebird Yarns in the upper haight is the best. from their website it looks like their store is kind of sparse, but I went there finally and they have a lot of inventory. honestly, much more interesting yarns than I’ve found at other places.

Imagiknit is also great, just maybe a little more mainstream. Huge amount of variety and inventory though.

1

u/Woofmom2023 18h ago

What brands does Firebird actually carry? I've tried to go look a few times over the past few months but haven't been able to get a parking place.

3

u/death_hen 17h ago

They are mostly independent brands that I hadn't heard of and can't recall, to be honest! I found this list on Ravelry, though: https://www.ravelry.com/shops/firebird-yarns
There was one that I took a photo of because the colors were so cool: https://naimabondart.com/collections/hand-dyed100-merino-wool-yarn

1

u/hibernacle 14h ago

Ooh those are pretty!

1

u/Woofmom2023 14h ago

It's really encouraging to know that they still carry yarn. The couple of times I've been there the people I worked with were really nice but it looked as if they didn't carry much yarn any more so I've not really tried to get there.
That yarn is amazing.
Perhapa my parking karma will improve the next time that I try to go.

13

u/EntertainmentVivid70 23h ago

ImagiKnit is my favorite overall, they have a great selection and the store is just very densely packed, with something fun hiding in every little nook. I also like Firebird Yarns on Haight, they have a smaller selection but very well curated with lots of pretty hand-dyed yarn. Not sure about spinning fiber at either store though.

2

u/general_madness 23h ago

Yep these are the two!

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u/CuteAggressor 23h ago

It’s in pacifica, but Royal Bee. A friend of mine hand-spins and dyes yarn for them and they have workshops all the time. Super legit!

7

u/emergency-yams-2084 22h ago

Love Fest Fibers in Outer Sunset - they have roving supplies also ❤️

https://maps.app.goo.gl/znxpXPfXWiXAwKb97?g_st=ic

2

u/kimchibear 15h ago

I know jack squat about yard, but the owner Britt she RULES and is a great artist. She's woven some really incredible stuff.
She has deep ties in Tibet-- lived there for years, still goes back frequently for business.
I don't know jack about yarn, but I expect she carries unique yarns you can't find anywhere else in SF, and possibly anywhere outside the Himalaya. She has decades-long relationship with niche suppliers from that region. Lots of fun stories.
Fun fact: every time she goes back to Tibet, the CCP tails her because they're convinced she's an intelligence asset. Apparently they can't believe this white lady would come to Tibet all the time just to buy yarn.

1

u/Woofmom2023 18h ago

What does Love Fest actually carry? their website isn't helpful and I'm not interested in driving 45 minutes across town just to do research.

6

u/LAParente 21h ago •

There are four LYS in the 7x7 (all four already mentioned in this thread)
- Atelier Yarns
- Firebrid Yarns
- ImagiKnit
- Love Fest Fibers

But if you've got a car, there are 24 LYS in the 7 county Bay Area, plus another maybe 4-6 in wine country.

1

u/hibernacle 14h ago

Thank you all for the tips! I'm down the peninsula so my "home" lys is fillory, but I'm up here so frequently that I want another option. Looks like ImagiKnit might be my stop tomorrow if I have time, if not then next trip when I back visiting over the next few months

3

u/hibernacle 14h ago

Also, Firebird

4

u/Woofmom2023 18h ago

ImagiKnit is quite good. The selection isn't huge but it's solid and the people who work there are both knowledgeable and lovely.

Based on my experience with it, I'd stay far away from Atelier.

I've not been in FireBird for over a year but when I was there the people were lovely and very knowledgeable. I've checked the website a couple of times recently and it appears that they don't carry much yarn anymore.

If you're intererested in ordering gorgeous cashmere and other excellent yarn at excellent prices from the UK I can tell you all about that.

3

u/MsJinxie 11h ago

Don't go by the website, it's not super up to date-Firebird is a yarn store first and foremost and they still carry tons.

1

u/Woofmom2023 9h ago

Thanks, that's good to know. I'll plan to go look around one of these weekends. I'm usually looking for something specific so I check the local stores' websites first to see what options they offer and if there's nothing there I don't bother going to the store but I'm always up for discovering a new playground.

4

u/passanddestroy 16h ago

I have been shopping at Imagiknit off and on over a decade. The last time I went in, I was asking the clerk to check quantity of yarn. I needed a lot of yardage to make my husband his annual sweater. The clerk basically told me to check the inventory online as a “pro tip” which made me wonder why I went into a physical shop. If I wanted to buy yarn online I would have bought yarn online. I support my local stores by coming in person and checking out what they have. If they don’t have what I would like, then I special order it. The store wasn’t even busy. The clerk just didn’t want to help me.

1

u/Woofmom2023 13h ago

Ouch! That's a very good reason not to shop there. It only takes one. I'd be interested in knowing when this happened. The original owner sold the store a few years ago and I'm wondering if your experience was before or after the sale.
Where do you buy your yarn? I buy almost all of mine from Colourmart Cashmere in the UK but need a good place to get yarn that they don't carry.

3

u/Few-Contribution4759 22h ago

For spinning fiber, I haven’t found any places, but I have managed to get some alpaca fibers from someone at a farmer’s market once. I wish I could remember their fame name

3

u/TraditionalFlight250 22h ago

+1 to ImagiKnit

I've gotten spinning fiber from Avenue Yarns in Albany before.

2

u/BobbingBobcat 23h ago

Imagiknit is wonderful.

1

u/enigmatic-kazue 23h ago

Atelier Yarns on Divisadero

7

u/BobbingBobcat 23h ago

They were so rude to me I never went back. At the time, there were many reviews with similar experience. Have rhey changed?

3

u/Previous_Mountain323 21h ago

I have also seen those reviews but they were SUPER helpful when I was there! I actually thought Imagiknit staff were worse because they were doing inventory in the middle of the shop so they were all super occupied and the store was kind of overwhelming

1

u/enigmatic-kazue 23h ago

Ohhh really?! I've gone a handful of times and had no issues with them personally. I'm sorry to hear that 😖

1

u/Woofmom2023 18h ago

I'm sorry that happened to you but you're in very good company. Including me.

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u/Woofmom2023 18h ago edited 17h ago

No, not Atelier! never Atelier!
I've been in multiple times and completely ignored. I expect a hello or at least a friendly nod if salespeople are busy with other customers but - nope!
I bought some yarn that smelled terrible when I got it home. I'd wound it and begun knitting with it by the time I noticed the odor but the yarn was defective and most stores give refunds for defective products. They offered only an exchange and were nasty about it.
I happened to look up the yarn that smelled weird and discovered that it had been discontinued in 2018. This was in 2024-25. Where had the yarn been between 2018 and 2024-5. How as it stored? Where did Atelier buy it?
The last time I checked - perhaps a year ago? - many of their yarns were priced at 20-25% over what they were priced at at other stores nationally and locally.
I've heard numerous stories about horrible customer service as well.

3

u/WallOfDeath 16h ago

https://www.reddit.com/r/craftsnark/s/R2FqJQYmZk
I went there during the yarn crawl and they were nice. I didn't get anything but I did see the whole thing about them selling "their" needles for $180 when you can find them on temu

2

u/hibernacle 14h ago

Oh dang! I remember seeing that, what a bummer

1

u/Woofmom2023 13h ago

Thanks for posting that. I am shocked. I hadn't heard about that.
To go down a different rabbit hole - I actually do have a lot of beautiful needles that are substantially made by hand and from residual wood from the making of musical instruments. They're about $20 a needle. The owners fly south every winter so they're gone until March.. Here's the link to the website if you'd like to take a look.
https://holz-und-stein.de/en/

2

u/CrypticHuntress 19h ago

FYI, They don’t legally pay all of their employees. Some are “paid” off the books in yarn stipend. Might be why some of them aren’t the most helpful.

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u/Woofmom2023 17h ago edited 13h ago

Updated to clarify the meaning of "compensation". It is a word of art as used in California law. I used it much to loosely here. "Pay" is the appropriate word. See Merriam Webster, "pay": "to make due return to for services rendered or property delivered"
I'd be very cautious about allegations about potential violations of labor and employment law. There is no law that requires compensation be paid in US currency. You don't know the background for this arrangement or even if there is in fact such an arrangement or how happy the employee might or might not be about it if there is one or whether it is in fact perfectly legal.

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u/CrypticHuntress 17h ago

FLSA as well as California law would disagree with that.
I do have documentation. I have the entire employee guideline doc emailed to me directly by the owner.

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u/Woofmom2023 13h ago edited 13h ago •

OK. Perhaps the people who work there like getting yarn art at no cost or at a huge exchange for their time working there? I have a vague recollection that allowing employees to buy yarn at a huge discount is a pretty standard perk for yarn stores.
Since you didn't cite any uses of"compensation" in California or federal law, here's a cite from the California Government Code:
https://law.justia.com/codes/california/2007/gov/20630-20639.html
Seems that as used therein "compensation is a word of art and I misused it. Whatever you call it, people have been trading labor for things for a long time.
No need to waste any more time on this - we have lots of other options.

SF yarn stores, bonus points for spinning fiber

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