One of the yarn shops I planned to visit during my trip to Pennsylvania was out of business, so I decided to add another shop to my list. Since I was staying just one train stop away from Swarthmore, I planned a visit to Finely a Knitting Party on my way back to New York.
The shop is conveniently located about a block and a half from the Swarthmore train stop. Finely a Knitting Party feels quite different from the three yarn shops I visited in Philadelphia. You can tell it is the only yarn shop in town, because it doesn’t seem concerned with establishing a particular niche.
The yarn is sparsely arranged on cubby shelves and there is plenty of space to walk around. The selection is dominated by a few brands like Brown Sheep, Classic Elite, Crystal Palace, and Plymouth Yarn. There was a good range of fiber types, but most of the yarn seemed basic and no frills – the kind of yarn that most people would want access to if there was only one yarn shop in town. Anything that was slightly unusual was also pricey. The one skein of yarn I was really drawn to was Mushishi but it was outside of my strict travel budget.
I didn’t see any crochet hooks or other signs that the shop might be crochet-friendly. There was a selection of knitting needles in a few brands behind the counter. The shop has a large table in the center of the store’s main room for classes. The schedule online shows that there are daily classes, and there are pictures posted throughout the store of cheerful students holding up completed projects. This looks like the type of LYS where you can meet new knitting buddies and hang out.
I love handmade soap, so I decided to buy some Sioux City Soap instead of yarn.
but I can’t understand why the brand is called Sioux City, since it is made locally in Pennsylvania?
Since I was on a skin care kick, I also bought this lotion.
As I mentioned, this shop carries a solid selection of basic yarns and looks like it has a lot of fun classes. I’m not sure it is worth a special trip to visit, but if I’m in the area again, I might stop by.