When it comes to buying yarn, we'd always prefer to support our local yarn store and give those fluffy fibres a good squish. But we know that not everyone has a local yarn store, and sometimes there are benefits to buying yarn online. With that in mind, we're taking a look at some of the best online yarn stores to help you make the best decisions for where to purchase your yarn.
9 of the best online yarn stores
- Wool Warehouse
- Knitting Network
- Lovecrafts
- Black Sheep Wools
- Laughing Hens
- Etsy
- Hobbycraft
- Hobbii
- John Lewis
Top Tips for buying yarn online.
If you're looking to buy yarn online, here's a few tips to help you save those pennies.
Buy enough yarn for your project!
This might sound incredibly obvious, but when buying yarn from a physical or online store, it's important to buy enough yarn for your intended project. This is not only to avoid frustration if you run out of yarn mid-way through a project, but also because colours can vary between different dye lots, so if you run out of yarn it can be incredibly difficult to source more yarn in that specific matching dye lot. So although you may think 'I can just buy more later if I need it', we think (if you can afford it) it's better to not risk it and get all your yarn at once. And if you've spotted a yarn that you've just gotta have, even though you don't have a project in mind, we'd personally always try and buy two ball rather than just one (if the purse strings will allow of course!)
Look out for discounts
When you shop at your local yarn store your reward is that you're supporting local business, but there's plenty of rewards online too! Even if you're buying from an online yarn store for the first time, it's always worth signing up to their newsletter list before making your purchase - the vast majority will give you a discount for signing up. And once you are signed up, keep an eye out on them as again many will do newsletter exclusive offers (you can normally customise how often your receive emails if it gets annoying) - it's an easy way to keep in the loop about any sales or special offers. Many retailers also have point or loyalty schemes that will will give you rewards for purchases and reviews, which are well worth taking advantage of!
Shop around
We all know that we 'should' shop around, but it can be a bit of a chore sometimes. You might think that there's not going to be any huge differences in the price of yarn - but you'd be surprised, prices can differ quite dramatically from the RRP in yarn, and if you're looking at buying quite a lot then those differences can quickly add up. Certain yarns are only available from specific distributors so you won't always find it cheaper, but it's always worth looking around when it comes to the best place to buy yarn online!
Best place to buy yarn online
It's not just all about the money - delivery, range of yarns, customer service - there's many reasons why you might prefer one online retailer over another. If you're looking for the best place to buy yarn online but want a bit more advice, here's some extra information about our favourite online yarn retailers.
All prices and offers correct at the time of writing - July 2021
Wool Warehouse
Anyone who's been knitting or crocheting for a while will be well aware of Wool Warehouse, as they're an incredibly popular online retailer with a huge range of yarns including many US yarns such as Drops and Red Heart. Although as the name suggests they specialise in yarn, you'll also find haberdashery and needlecraft supplies, fabrics and buttons - pretty much everything you need for all your crafty projects! Despite their success, Wool Warehouse are still independently owned and run by a small team, as well as still having a bricks and mortar store in Leamington Spa.
Knitting Network
Emu Classic DK bundle - The Original - £20.65
If you've never check out Knitting Network before, then you're missing a treat! They have a decent range of yarn brands at very reasonable prices - so reasonable that they even offer a price match guarantee! As well as regular sales and discounts, Knitting Network also have brilliant multi-buy deals and yarn bundles, including the newly-relaunched Emu brand which is available in a combination of fantastic yarn bundles. They also offer same day dispatch and all of their products are sent in plastic-free recyclable packaging!
Lovecrafts
LoveCrafts have exploded in popularity in recent years, largely thanks to their excellent customer service and community ethos. They started out as LoveKnitting, then expanded with LoveCrochet, and eventually evolved into LoveCrafts - Now offering a huge range of craft supplies as well as yarn. As well as being a retailer their website has loads of interesting articles and tutorials for crafters, and their community section has thousands of patterns designed by independent makers (with many of them being free). LoveCrafts is also the home of their own-brand Paintbox yarns, a fabulous range of yarns in a variety of fibres and a bargain price tag.
Black Sheep Wools
West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft - £8.50
Black Sheep Wools is another family owned independent retailer established in 1983 that started life with a bricks and mortar yarn store - which is still running today! Their craft barn store in Cheshire is huge (with them having the impressive claim of being the largest knitting and stitching store in the UK), but also boasts being the first Rowan flagship store in the country... as well as having a tea room too! Online you'll find plenty of choice for your yarny purchases, from brands like Scheepjes and Rowan to Urth and West Yorkshire Spinners.
Laughing Hens
Hedgehog Fibres Merino Dk - £24
Laughing Hens was originally founded by the legendary knitting and crochet designer Nicki Trench and is now run by father and son, John and Peter, based in Cheshire. Laughing Hens specialises in providing beautiful natural and high quality fibres, and stocks some fabulous yarns from a wide range of brands such as Rico Design and Stylecraft to Hedgehog Fibres and Manos Del Uruguay. As well as signing up to their newsletter for an introductory discount, they also have a fab loyalty scheme which currently gives you an extra 10% discount on your 5th order!
Etsy
Namolio Pure Linen yarn - £9.70
Etsy may not be the first place you'd think of to buy yarn, but you'd be surprised at how much is available! Many smaller yarn producers and indie-dyers have their own Etsy stores, so buying off Etsy is a great way to support smaller businesses. It's great for if you know a yarn producer you want to buy from, but can be a bit overwhelming if you're just browsing generally - if you want some inspiration you'll find many producers who have Etsy stores in our list of the best hand-dyed yarns.
Hobbycraft
As well as having huge craft stores in many UK locations, HobbyCraft also have a massive amount of crafty products online! Offering free click and collect and next day delivery, it's easy to get hold of those last-minute craft essentials. They have some big name yarn brands available such as Rowan and DMC, as well as their exclusive Womens Institute yarn.
Hobbii
You may not be familiar with the Danish yarn company Hobbii, but they've got some fantastic yarn at competitive prices. All of the their yarns are designed and developed by themselves and come in a range of fibres and styles, including some amazing yarn cakes. They offer worldwide delivery, and a 100% full satisfaction or money back guarantee!
John Lewis
You may think of John Lewis as being the place to go for fancy homeware products rather than yarn, but they actually have a pretty impressive yarn and haberdashery range. They stock yarns from brands like Rowan, Wool and the Gang, Sirdar and more, plus pattern booklets and magazines too. P.S. You can often find offers and reductions online by using the filters, and if you have a physical John Lewis store near you, you can often find some bargain reduced yarn in their haberdashery sections.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our pic of the best places to buy yarn online. If you're looking for more advice on your yarn purchases, check out our pick of the best crochet thread and lace yarns, the best yarn packs and bundles, or the best stitch markers for knitting and crochet.
