Where to Buy Yarn in Western Idaho
I just started getting into knitting podcasts, and let me tell y’all something. These fiber people in the Midwest and Canada are spoiled AF. They don’t just have ONE local yarn store. They have enough to make yarn crawls--some kind of fiber-themed scavenger hunt across MULTIPLE local yarn shops, with sales and prizes and all kinds of good stuff.
Let me paint you a picture of Boise and western Idaho for a pretty little minute.
Specialty/Local Yarn Shops (LYS)
If you want a specialty yarn shop here, there’s The Twisted Ewe on Chinden Boulevard. The first time I visited them was when they were still off of State and 17th. They have a range of stuff at different price points. I need to educate myself more about various kinds of fibers so I can appreciate what I’m looking at better. Their staff has always been super nice and friendly, and I go to their knit nights every Tuesday. It’s one of the only well-attended knit night around Boise I’ve been able to find so far.
That’s it. The list for Boise is done.
I just found out about another place in downtown Nampa called Puffy Mondaes that is more of a general craft store. It’s by the library, I think in the same retail space as that EPIC used bookstore that I don’t think is on that street anymore. Mondaes has fiber for spinning (and I’m told by people who would know that they’re THE place for all that stuff), as well as yarns. To what extent they have natural handmade fibers versus acrylics and synthetics, I’m not sure. I haven’t been there yet, but I’m going to check it out at some point. There hasn’t been a yarn store yet that I didn’t eventually meander my way into. I just need to decide on a day and time to drive to Nampa where I’m not gonna end up knitting in my car on the highway.
Box/Chain Stores
Joann: in Boise, Meridian, and Caldwell. And if you want tax free shopping, make the drive over to Ontario, Oregon. They have a store there too (not large, so check your expectations at the car). They price match and accept competitor coupons.
Michaels: in Boise, Meridian, and Nampa. They price match and accept all competitor coupons. Of all the box stores, I think they provide the best variety of colors and fiber types. And they have enough of their own really good coupons, you usually don’t have to go digging for someone else’s.
NOTE: Stores that take ALL competitor coupons... it doesn’t even have to be for a craft store in your city. Don’t have AC Moore? Michaels does not care. Use that coupon. Ain’t nobody got time to be throwing away money.
Hobby Lobby: in Meridian off of Eagle Road. They price match, but will NOT accept competitor coupons. And this place is an ANT HILL. If you go there on a Saturday during peak Weekend Warrior time, you will not find parking.
Craft Warehouse: in Meridian, also off of Eagle Road. They’re a regional chain in the Pacific Northwest that is family-owned, so be sure to stop in if that’s how you prefer to spend your money. I can’t find any information about accepting competitor coupons or price matching. Their coupons can be a little fiddly to nail down because in addition to coupons that often only apply to single sale days, they also have coupons that are specific only to certain stores. And I’m told it’s worth it to figure out because they have really good bridge yarns between economy synthetics and luxury fibers. I’ve only been there once, but I’ll be sure to go again and report back.
Fred Meyer: (Multiple. Mostly has Red Heart and other budget acrylic yarns. But if that’s what you’re looking for and Fred Meyer is closer, spend another dollar or two not to shop at Walmart.)
Walmart: Google it, y’all. There’s practically one on every corner.
Thrift Shops/Secondhand
Boise and the surrounding areas have an AMAZING thrift store scene. You couldn’t hit all of them even if you wanted to. Believe me, when we first moved here we tried. I can’t be done. Plan your trip and break up the areas into different sections. My husband and I have a rotation at this point, and I’ve scored some pretty great yarns, patterns, books, needles, hooks (really, you name it) in every place.
Goodwill (multiple)
St. Vincent de Paul (multiple)
Salvation Army (State Street)
Idaho Youth Ranch (SO, SO MANY. Be careful trusting Google with this one though because they just had to close a BUNCH of their stores. The store on State Street by Goodwill and the store on Chinden have both closed.)
Savers (Multiple)
Deseret Industries (Multiple)
Vets for Success (Fairview. Vets for Success is awesome. I call it the Room of Requirement. They always seem to have what I need when I need it. And it’s one of the only places I’ve ever seen the fine crochet thread.)
Assistance League of Boise (Glenwood. Has funky hours.)
Restyle Animal Rescue Thrift Store (Vista. In a weird area and kind of isolated.)
New Again Thrift Store (Franklin, over by the Boise Mall.)
I know there are others I’m either not remembering, or there will be others before long. Check often, and be sure to thrift any yarns you don’t want and can’t swap or sell. Be the reason someone else has a lucky day!
CLOSED
Hancock Fabrics: I miss this store. My husband would always go and look at sewing patterns and fabrics, and I would look at yarns. They did a good job of carrying affordable acrylics and synthetics that other stores didn’t have. They also had good coupons and sales. It was one of the few craft stores my husband I could go to together without having to be on the opposite sides of the store from each other. It’s owned by Michaels now as an online only offering, but it’s not the same.
Knit Wits: Was a specialty yarn shop on Fairview that I only visited once, and I have an entire rant about that experience that I’ll share at another time. Suffice it to say, the store had almost no inventory, and what it did have was between $50 and $70 a skein. I turned on my heel and practically ran out of the store because I knew if I broke or ruined anything, it would cost me more than my life was worth to buy/replace it. I never went back, and they’re closed now. Their Yelp reviews are still live for some reason, and they’re a pretty good lesson in what NOT to do if you ever want to open a yarn shop.
Ewe and Brew: Was a yarn shop in Meridian that sounds like it had a cafe/sit-and-knit element to it, but it closed down last year. Their website has lists of some local(ish) indie dyers that made up their fiber supply, which I’ll be sure to comb through and link here. I never even knew it existed, which is a shame. I would have stopped in and checked it out had I known they were there!
