Knit & Caboodle

I am very sad that this place is closing. This place is in the perfect location on Main Street in St. Charles. The employee was very helpful in helping me choose some yarn for a pullover. I liked the color wall of worsted wool yarn. It was a beautiful palette. They have yarn that none of the yarn shops that I have visited in the St. Louis area carried. When you first walk in, there’s a table where you can sit and knit or crochet. Very open and airy.

Was in search of places that sold yarn, specifically Cascade Yarns 100% Baby Alpaca Chunky and was pleasantly surprised to discover a knitting place on Main Street, so close to my home! On a warmer day, I could walk to this shop and not have to worry about busy Main Street and trying to find a parking spot, although to be honest, I’d rather try to find parking on or around Main vs. a place like the CWE any day of the week… ;)
Made my first pilgrimage here last Sunday in search of said yarn. I figured I’d just go and poke around. The building itself is too freakin’ adorable. Quaint little cottage-​looking place, fits in perfectly with the old town feel of historic St. Charles. Totally dig on it. Walked right up to the front door and saw they had a knitting class or something like that going on. Felt a wee bit awkward walking in with all the folks knitting right there in front but I felt better when an employee asked if she could help me find anything in particular.
I started off explaining the type of yarn I wanted and the specifics and she led me to that section of the shop. It’s a very small shop, btw, but still manages to have lots of great yarn and useful knitting accessories like patterns and needles. They’ve also got examples of things you can knit hanging up everywhere with a card attached to each thing explaining what type of yarn was used, pattern, etc. Definitely want to try making a scarf using a specific type of rainbow yarn and free pattern by the manufacturer now after seeing one hanging in their shop… it was just gorgeous!
The sales lady was super nice and patient with me as I am pretty much a n00b when it comes to knitting and have barely any idea what I’m talking about, lol. She even suggested some good patterns for beginners who are nuts and want to knit intense shit like sweaters right off the bat!
I ended up spending like $ 100+ in yarn alone. Holy hell. How does that even happen? Turns out baby alpaca yarn ain’t cheap. I think their price was around $ 13.95 per skein which is actually pretty much on par with the now defunct Paste Crafts which is now The Island in Soulard (at the time of this review, anyway) …I think their price was around $ 12.95. Amazon pretty much has the same or similar prices, so the only reason to buy from the interwebz vs. this shop would be to avoid sales tax. Although I might still pay shipping online depending on where I get it from. Either way, I’d rather support this cute little local shop! They also have knitting classes and I wish I had discovered them before November/​December because they’re doing sweaters both months. I am sure I could always bring in my project if I get stuck, since they mentioned they can help you out in a pinch, plus they offer a free-​for-​all type of class where you can bring in whatever you’re working on at the moment and they help out. The only catch with the classes is that you must purchase your yarn from them for the class if you are starting out a new project, but the class prices aren’t very steep so that’s probably why.
Their classes are listed on their website. I highly suggest checking it out if you’re new to knitting or want to push the envelope. Also I suggest joining a site like Ravelry or checking out Youtube vids if you want to learn more knitting stuff and this place isn’t open.
The only downside that I could find was really just the fact that they won’t be carrying Cascade brand yarns anymore… and out of the two other products I wanted to buy, they weren’t planning to restock those specific items. However, the owner (who was really nice btw) did say she planned to order similar items just from different brands. Maybe it’s to help keep the costs low for customers? At any rate, I just hope they find a comparable brand to Cascade Yarns which also manufactures 100% baby alpaca yarn because I am addicted to that shit.
They offer a point-​card which is a plus!
Also you can learn how to spin wool into yarn here. There was actually a dude in the shop when I stopped by who had a cute little spinning wheel there and he was spinning yarn. I was like HOLY CRAP. That is so killer. I didn’t even realize people still did that (by hand anyway!) Very cool!
Everyone here seemed to be having a great time, and there’s something to be said for that. I plan to return and take classes and buy more yarn!
Did I mention knitting is like crack? BE CAREFUL. Just say no to yarn huffing! @___@;

Fantastic yarn/​fiber shop for knitters, crocheters, and spinners! The owner and other ladies who work there are wonderful — helpful, patient (trust me, I know :)), knowledgeable, and friendly — and the selection of yarn is wonderful. Great classes and knit– and crochet-​a-​longs, and you can drop in a work on a project and/​or get help any time you need it. The instructors are fabulous, and the other patrons who attend the knit/​crochet-​a-​longs are friendly as well. Great atmosphere, people, products, and prices — Knit and Caboodle is a wonderful place — check it out!

Wonderful Local Yarn Store. If you are looking for some special yarn, try Knit and Caboodle. They offer classes and times during the week when you can just go there and knit.
Super friendly and helpful employees will help you if you get stuck on a project.