Crocheters tend to have a love/hate relationship with that business entity known as the “Local Yarn Shop,” or LYS for short.

Discussion forums are filled with reports of bad treatment, poor service, and a general disdain for our beloved craft.

I am happy to report that in the area of Wake County, North Carolina, known as “North Raleigh,” crocheters (along with knitters, spinners, and needle felters) have an LYS that they can love.

Situated at 8801 Lead Mine Road, next door to Great Harvest Breads (which also serves excellent coffee), Yarn Tree Studio makes for a delightful afternoon getaway for the world-weary fiber enthusiast.

One of the things I particularly appreciate about this LYS is that the owner carries a complete selection of Clover soft touch crochet hooks, and has staff members who know how to crochet and can answer questions about how a particular yarn might work up if crocheted.

So when I got an email reminding me that there would be Summer Solstice sale and attendant festivities, I made sure I dropped by to check it out.

The atmosphere when I arrived was part yarn store, part carnival. I ran into people I hadn’t seen in awhile and got to meet new people as we waited in line to make our purchases.

The activities included a variety of fiber arts demonstrations, including knitting and crochet techniques, a needle felting workshop, and spinning instructions. There were even rabbits and goats on hand for those curious to know where yarn fibers come from.

I had, however, very specific yarn goals when I went in.

One was to get some Cascade Pacific yarn, an acrylic and superwash merino wool blend that I was interested in trying. I am cold most months of the year, and have been looking for a yarn that will keep me warm without making me itch. Here are the two colors I selected:

My second goal was to find an attractive yarn that could be used to make a grid and form the basis for redeeming a project that has not worked out as I had hoped. My thinking is that just as butter can make almost any food taste better, maybe a super awesome yarn can salvage an otherwise distressed project. For this, I chose a silk and wool blend from Manos:

In addition to serving crocheters as well as knitters, the Yarn Tree Studio is also the working woman’s yarn shop. The studio is open until 7:00 pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and open until 8:00pm on Tuesday and Thursday, with additional hours on Saturday and Sunday.

My hope is that other LYS owners will take the same approach that Yarn Tree Studio has taken and make fiber enthusiasts of all stripes feel welcome.