Update: This yarn store in New Orleans remains an all time favorite.
I love to find local yarn stores when I travel. Years ago I attended a conference in New Orleans and went looking for a knitting supplies shop. I’ve been back to NOLA several times since then, and I’ve visited the Quarter Stitch each time. I have two scarves, a hat and a sweater to show for it. New Orleans is one of my favorites cities to visit, and find a cafe to knit in. So it makes perfect sense that The Quarter Stitch remains one of my most favorite travel knitting finds. The shop is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year. They are a local New Orleans knitting and needlepoint institution.
Looking for a Yarn Store in New Orleans? Shop Right Here!
This past week I had the pleasure of a free afternoon in New Orleans with a friend who shares my fiber addiction. Not the edible kind – the wearable kind. As we wandered through the French Quarter we both had a similar idea. Find the local knitting shop and see what they had in store. In a town like NOLA I had high hopes for something special. After all, New Orleans is nothing if not colorful. It’s a melting pot of cultures, colors, textures and traditions. Much like local cuisine, knitting shops often reflect local flavor.
It didn’t take long to find ourselves in yarnie heaven. A quick google search led us to the sort of shop that is a traveling knitters dream come true.
In fact, the Quarter Stitch is the kind of neighborhood shop that had me entertaining fantasies of packing up and moving. Why oh why can’t I live in a place where there is a store like this just down the street from me? This is a pop in for a ball of yarn and stick around for an hour kind of place. Books could be written about about conversations had here. Clothing collections inspired and launched… There is even a shop dog (Leif Ericksson) who is beloved enough for local photographers to shoot portraits of. I just got him napping on the counter, in an instagram post.
Colorful balls of felted yarn are the knitting shop in New Orleans equivalent of Mardi Gras Beads
There are bowls full of festive felt baubles and baskets of yummy technicolor yarns that invite your creativity to take over. There is also a friendly and helpful atmosphere that you just don’t find in a craft superstore. I found several of my favorite brands in this shop, in colorways I have not seen anywhere else. Noro and Malabrigo. Merinos and Alpacas. Everywhere you look, the finds are a feast for the eyes. Tantalizing to the touch. In a town that’s renowned for satiating your senses, this shop is simply delicious. Like a candy shop.
DIY Souvenirs are the Travel Knitters Gift that Keeps on Giving
My souvenir of the city was a festival technicolor ball of yarn with matching felt beads to adorn the scarf I plan to knit. It will forever be my French Quarter scarf. Yarn is one of my favorite things to buy when I travel. Not only is it a chance to support the local economy (most yarn stores are small biz, mom and pop shops) but it also gives me something to do and a beloved reminder of the trip for years afterwards.
I usually don’t know exactly what I will do with the yarn when I buy it. I pick things out with a vague project in mind and then spend a few hours browsing patterns on Ravelry till I settle on a project. Sometimes I get started right away – I always travel with a pair of round needles. This has come in handy in colder climates when I needed a hat right away!
Of all the yarn stores, in all the towns I’ve visited, The Quarter Stitch in New Orleans is definitely one of my all time favorites.
The Quarter Stitch went the extra mile when they wrapped this purchase up like it was a present from a crafty lover.
I mean… look at this packaging! My yarns were lovingly swaddled in tissue and cellophane with heart-shaped confetti and curled ribbon. They do this for every purchase. Because that is the kind of shop the Quarter Stitch is. The kind that makes you feel unique and special again. I’m so glad I stumbled in. If I’m ever in New Orleans again, I’ll be sure to come back. I might even take up needlepoint after looking around here. The shop is split between two crafts – knitting and needlepoint.
Also good to note: they will wrap your yarn into balls (something you must do with a hank of yarn before you use it) and ship it to you for less than the cost of the local sales taxes if you take it away with you. Choose this option if you aren’t ready to start the project. You will be rewarded with a special package when you get home that feels more like a present and less like a shipped purchase.
You can find the Quarter Stitch at 629 Chartres. They are open daily from 10-6 and their phone number is 504-522-4451
Looking for more ideas about what to do on a quick trip to Nola? Check out Bobo and Chi Chi’s guide to 3 days in New Orleans.
More Places to Buy Yarn and Knitting Supplies in New Orleans
Though I haven’t had the chance to visit each of these additional shops, I will make it a point on future travels. The yarnie culture at Quarter Stitch bodes well for the whole town of NOLA. The following yarn stores are all highly rated and enjoy their own cult followings:
More knitting-related posts on this site:
Colorful Kippot Yarmulke Pattern
Travel Knits: Shopping for Yarn at Snurre in Helsinki
My Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat
Malabrigo Yarn Sweater knit from yarn purchased at the Quarter Stitch Yarn Store in New Orleans
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