The Knitting Fiend

Coned Yarn
Midwest Discount Yarns
5723 W. Irving Park Rd.,
Chicago.

I wanted some coned yarn to use on my knitting machine; I couldn’t find what I wanted on line, or nearby. So, my friend Mary suggested I visit Midwest Discount Yarns, near her house on the North Side of Chicago. I motored east.

Why have I never been there before?!

Cones on shelves, cones in bins, in big cardboard boxes. Inexpensive, expensive, acrylic, cotton, wool, silk. Whatever. Most of it is mill ends, so it’s the type of yarn you see in garments in stores. And there is a humongo-nourmous variety!

Admittedly there are only one or two of each specific type of yarn, and the yarn display is sort of semi-organized. The huge cardboard boxes in the back room are labeled “Cotton” , “2/24″ , “Wool” etc. But, other than that, you’ll find a range of things in each container. Shelves are organized similarly.

Mary and I dug through boxes. You should have heard our “oohs and aahhs”!

We both loved a teal and white cotton slub cone. “Not for now, I said”. I concentrated and stayed focused on my to current planned project: A raglan cardigan for Jim and variegated yarn suitable for baby things. I found both! I spent $30 and got enough to knit Jim a 100% wool sweater in olive green and to make several baby things. (I’ll take pictures and post them after I swatch.)

Hanks.

My yarn bag was pretty big.

Mary’s was even bigger. She got a variegated acrylic yarn, some skeins of Red Heart, the gorgeous teal cotton slub and something else. I think a wool. I didn’t peak over to see what she spent, but I’m sure it will all go to a good cause.

I took some pictures of the store so you can see 2% of what they have. Oh… did I mention they have hand knitting stuff too? Skeins on shelves, tables, bins and, as you can see, walls.

Let me tell you, I’ll be back.