To all you knitters out there: what and where is your favorite yarn shop in London? I love to knit and I love unique and colorful yarns. It would be great if the yarn is produced in the UK, but that is not a requirement. I am looking forward to your advice. Thanks so much.
I guess I'd say that my favorite would be Loop in 15 Camden Passage, Islington, London https://loopknitting.com/en-us
And then there is Wild and Woolly 116 Lower Clapton Road, London https://www.wildandwoollyshop.co.uk/shop/yarn/
Both have a wide selection of British wool. No criticism of Wild and Woolly, but it is a small store.
I love MacCulloch & Wallis, on Poland Street, near Liberty London. https://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/
I’m usually there for fabrics and trimmings, but they have mountains of beautiful knitting wools. Just gorgeous!
I will second MacCulloch and Wallis! Went there a few years ago and picked up a few skeins of two different yarns. One I turned into a hat and fingerless gloves the other became a much loved chunky scarf.
Definately Loop then M&C. Also check if your trip over laps with the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ali Pali
Last year I ventured into 2 knitting shops and was utterly captivated by Loop--bonus points for a small antiques/collectibles show going on across from it on a Sunday. I probably spent a solid hour in there and ended up with a fun scarf kit and some other hand-dyed yarn as a gift for a knitter friend. They have yarn from the UK but the hand-dyed brand that had me the most giddy was La Bien Aimee, from Paris, and also another French brand, Vilaines.
I also visited a very tiny shop in the Pimlico area called Beautiful Knitters on Moreton St--this was planned to coincide with a visit to the Tate Britain and was a short walk from the Pimlico tube station. For a small space there was a lot to choose from--I always focus on sock yarn when traveling as one or two skeins are easy to tuck into a suitcase. Nice selection of quality notions and tools--I bought some teeny tiny scissors in a leather case and a set of buttons with birds on them for some yet-to-be knitted sweater.
If I could only visit one, it would be Loop. And now I have added MacCulloch & Wallis to my must-visit list as I love that area--never miss a chance to shop at Liberty--they also have a varied craft department.
We visited Beautiful Knitters, too, last October. It is small, but very well stocked and the employees are lovely. We enjoyed meandering around Pimlico as well as we had never been in that area of London. Easy to get to. My daughter is the bigger knitter of the two of us and found some great kits and yarns. We could have spent our entire souvenir budget there!
Edited to say we are hoping to get to Loop next time, Christa. Sounds wonderful. And MacCulloch & Wallis! So many choices!
Camden Passage, where Loop is, is a nice little street in general. If you like browsing collectibles and antiques, there's several shops there.
Lower Clapton Road, where Wild and Woolly is, is just a few minutes from my flat. I mentioned their window display in another thread. Here's a collection of their displays from 2024 in one handy page.
https://www.wildandwoollyshop.co.uk/knitting-stories/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-woolshop-window/
Thank you all for your wonderful responses to my knitting shops question. I will do my best to visit every one of these shops during our visit in early December! My yarn stash thanks you as well!