knitting links

NOTE: I've only reviewed the shops I frequent myself. If you know one I should check out nearby, please give me a heads-up by clicking the email link at bottom of the page.]

San Francisco Bay Area Local Yarn Stores

Artfibers - located in downtown San Francisco, this shop has all their own yarns made to specification. Because you can't find their yarn anywhere, else, they'll let you knit up a swatch right there in the shop before you buy!

Atelier - this cozy shop in central SF has well-selected stock and supportive staff.

Cottage Yarns - this warm and cozy yarn shop has yarn literally piled to the rafters. Great selection of quality yarns and friendly owner.

Imagiknit - this shop in the Castro district of SF has doubled in size over the past year and so has the selection.

Nine Rubies Knitting - this beautiful, well-lit and well-stocked shop in downtown San Mateo opened with little fanfare and became a pillar of their community in a few short months, probably because the owners are so alert to their customers' needs. I love this shop, and its owners, Saloni and Sudha.

Stash - the friendly and helpful owners of this Berkeley shop offer a selection of high quality yarns and a cool spot to hang out.

Urban Knitting Studio - this modern shop has a luxurious selection and warm helpful staff. You're sure to enjoy a visit to the other shops in this revitalized neighborhood, Hayes Valley in SF.

Online Yarn Stores

NOTE to my readers: If you discover an online yarn store with free shipping, including returns, please email me!

Elann - great prices and selection.

KnitPicks - manufacturing their own yarns as well as newly designed interchangeable knitting needle kits and knitter's handbags. I've been excited to partner with this innovator in the knitting world.

KPixie - online yarn shop featuring hard-to-find yarns and creative patterns from independent designers.

Knitting Garden - the widest selection of Aspen colors I've found yet (for your City Coat).

Patternworks - great yarn store, slow-loading web page. Well-organized yarn info in their print catalog.

Ram Wools - lovely yarns and prices, plus original designs. Great print catalog.

Royal Yarns - this online shop has great customer service.

Webs - this online yarn store has it all, including competitive prices and volume discounts. I hear that visiting them is an experience not to be missed if you are in the area (which I am not).

Woodland Woolworks - I remember when this catalog was printed on newsprint, packed with useful yarn info too.

the Wool Connection - A great pattern oriented yarn resource. Like many great knit shops, they understand that good designs sell yarn. Lovely print catalog.

Yarn Barn of Kansas - Another wonderful pattern-oriented yarn resource. Beautiful print catalog.

Other Knitwear Designers

ChicKnits - Bonne Marie Burns is arguably the knit blogger who started it all. Clean, easy-to-knit and of course, chic designs. She insists that you must boss the yarn around, and I'm not one to argue with her.

Jean Frost - this revered designer has a lovely way of shaping and finishing knits (get the Jackets book!). I took a class from her and am wiser for it, unlike the bitches behind me who wouldn't stop contradicting her! Take a tip from me: If you go to a class, open your mind, shut your mouth and learn.

Kate Gilbert - I am jealous of Kate, who lives in France. Her designs are lovely, especially this fine gauge knit pullover on the cover of the Fall 2005 Interweave Knits.

Loop-d-loop - Teva Durham's designs are rich, mouth-wateringly organic and very, very wearable. Her book is truly inspiring.

Nikol Lohr - Nikol has also been busy writing a knitting book this year: Naughty Needles which has sexy style to boot!

Marnie MacLean - If I knit other people's designs, I would choose Marnie's.

Annie Modesitt - this witty instructor and designer knits combined style. If you're going to learn a new technique, why not one that saves effort and helps you finish faster? This corset is really sexy, even Marnie MacLean knit one for herself! Any knitter who's been told they 'knit wrong' should get the Confessions of a Knitting Heretic book, which shows how to make combo knitting work with traditionally written patterns. here. Her new book is Twist and Loop: Dozens of Jewelry Designs to Knit and Crochet with Wire

Other Knit Bloggers

a.hatena.ne - Fan in Japan features an interesting collection of international knitting links.

Brainy Lady - nice work on her skull sweater

Eunny Jang - a stylish knitter and designer who doesn't balk at challenging techniques. I adore her verbose commentary.

Fluffa! - She's always working on something cute, whether it's knitting or sewing; has a great eye for design.

Good Crafternoon - Dottie is one of my favorite people in the world. Scroll down at this link to see the wedding shawls I had knit for her bridesmaids by the world's fastest knitter!

Knitcast - can't stand a moment without knitting content? Download the latest podcast; perfect for those occasions when you can't get a seat on the bus or train.

Knit Porn - I couldn't agree more: Knitting + Sex = Hot

Knitting Curmudgeon - dry, wry wit and honest reflections enrich this blog. The Curmudgeon's not afraid to be nasty, or honest (which are often the same thing).

Mind of Winter - knit blogger with some skimpy free patterns. You know I like skimpy.

Mrs. Pilkington Knits - a sweet blogger with the most beautiful children.

Nona Knits - this blog is loaded with well-photographed knitting technique studies. You would to well to absorb a lesson bent over Nona's knee.

Pinku Rocks - Pinku is blogging from Japan, with style!

Poor Miss Finch - Miss Finch has got a lot of knitting time on her hands, when they're not full of baby.

Pretty by Design - always working on something cute.

Speed Knitter - Miriam Tegels has recently set the world record for fastest knitting! She's also been a great friend and knitting ally while I was writing my book.

Spiders Knit - the members of this New York knitting group are talented and inspiring. Follow the links from this page for a real treat.

Stickigt - Fan in sweden

Still Life with a Knitter - Nifty Misfits Crimson Ghost skull pattern.

Stitch Marker - dig the Meathead hat

Stitchy McYarnpants - this amusing knitting blog has a Museum of Kitschy Stitches that is particularly side-splitting. Please enjoy responsibly. Stitchy has written a rare book: a knitting book that even non-knitters will find entertaining. Get the MOKS book here.

Superneedle - if my life were a comic book, Superneedle and I would battle.

The Wanton Knitter - this site is based in Prague (Praha) Czech Republic. I imagine finding good yarn in Prague is still a challenge, as it was 10 years ago when I was living there.

Ysolda - cute knitter with sexy designs.

Yumlum - I can't figure out who designed this crazy fiber art, and I do believe most of it is crochet, not knit as the header states. That doesn't make it any less technically adept, however, so I include it here all the same. Keep on scrolling or you'll miss the fetish gear near the bottom.

Catty Fashion and Celebrity Sites

You Knit What? - Rest in Peace. This was a hilarious site that forgave nothing, trashing Fun Fur and eyelash yarn disasters and the designers who birthed them at every turn. Now that they've stopped posting, bad designers can relax hoping their designs will only be ridiculed privately.

Gallery of the Absurd - Check out this site; you'll be glad you did! Extremely diverting and hilarious caricatures and comments on the absurdity of celebrity. The artist, "14" illustrates the sordid world of gossip and slander while trying to keep a straight face. (Her words)

Go Fug Yourself - the place for stars caught out on the red carpet looking Fugging Ugly. The sections on individual stars are especially amusing. Just goes to show money can't buy you style. This site must be funnier for the British, since I don't know (or don't care) about a lot of these stars. L'il Kim's missteps are my personal favorites, but Chloe Sevigny of the mile-long legs and best-dressed lists runs a close second.

The Manolo's - this shoe blog is shallow and a little bit absurd. Don't ask me why, but I love it!

Snarkywood - doesn't the name say it all? Clever, clever!

Other Cool Links

Angry Chicken - this crafty gal is making the rest of us look, well, boring and unproductive! Such clever things she makes!

Boing Boing - This site offers a great selection of unusual things, and you know how I like unusual things. Check back daily or you'll miss something!

Craftzine - this new mag features the crafty folks you want to know, plus their projects and how to make them.

The Drama Store - cool art, 'zines, and all sorts of sub pop culture, or pop subculture, or something else entirely.

Frog Flag Blog - I think this blogger is making these astoundingly life-like frog sculptures out of clay, but maybe one of my Japanese readers can explain it to me. Whatever's going on here, it's worth checking out!

Giant Robot - Buy a bunch of stuff here and everyone will be asking where you got it. You'll be the coolest kid on your block, or at your school, or wherever you are. Trust me!

KniTatoo Gallery - Here's a great collection of knitters' tattoos. This man's Born to Knit tattoo only has the URL appearing in the gallery, but I think it's the coolest one there.

Lucky Bunny - cool stuff abounds, including bunny-in-a-gas-mask t-shirts, art so cool and yet cheap enough to paper your walls with it.

Makezine - this technically marvellous site and magazine shows how to tweak and hack everyday stuff to get extraordinary results. DIY for your everything.

Mess and Noise - This Australian music site has some very cool stuff.

the Onion - You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll bookmark it yourself. The best satire on the web (that I know of, you think I'm omniscient?!).