The Wall Has Fallen

Depleted Wall of Koigu, March 5, 2014

The famous Wall of Koigu yarn at Wild Fiber in Santa Monica is severely depleted.  Sad news.  Formerly a laundry, Wild Fiber has been a store serving the arts community for over 20 years.  I remember taking classes in silk painting, Polaroid transfer images and other crafts, including knitting and crochet.  WF has catered to the yarny community exclusively for the past 10 years.  It is closing at the end of March, 2014.  All yarn is 30% off.

I was at WF on my lunch hour today and I managed to find a few choice skeins of speckled Koigu for my stash.

I've had a love/hate relationship with Wild Fiber.  The prices are REALLY high, unless you find something in the sale-room.  Sometimes the staff has been snooty to newbies.  I've never felt an overwhelming urge to stay in the shop longer than I have to unless I'm taking a class.  Over the years though I've met so many wonderful customers at the shop, bought some fabulous yarn and learned new yarny techniques.  WF seemed to have a very strong following in the area.  In spite of my mixed feelings, I'm sorry to see the shop close.  

2014

Wild Fiber is a Shadow of it's Former Yarny Abundance

2014

So many LYS (Local Yarn Shops) have closed in recent years due to the surge in internet yarn buying.  The LYS has always been a place to meet like-minded people, develop friendships and learn new skills.  We must now rely on the internet community of Ravelry and our own neighborhood Stitch 'n Bitch groups.  There are still MANY LYSs in the L.A. area, evidenced by the grand participation in the upcoming L.A. County Yarn Crawl.   It's important to be able to actually go to a physical shop, feel, touch and sniff the yarn.  Even if the internet price of yarn is a bit less, before you click that order button, check out your local yarn shop.  You might find MORE there than just yarn.

The Last Days of Wild Fiber