Quilt Gallery

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

My Local Yarn Shop: Hill Country Weavers

Austin has a reputation as a cool, trendsetting town. Think South by Southwest, Austin City Limits, barbecue, paddle boarding, Whole Foods, among many others. It certainly lives up to that reputation with respect to fiber. After all, the first two QuiltCons, quilt shows hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild, were held here, and Austin was an early outpost of yarn bombing. It is also home to Hill Country Weavers, a weaving and yarn shop that began long before knitting became a thing. Ever since receiving a HCW gift certificate as a birthday present over a decade ago, it has been my go-to shop for yarn and knitting supplies. I am happy to report that Hill Country Weavers is not only thriving, but has just moved into a new and brighter space and is better than ever.

They have a big room for classes, and lots of smaller spaces for customers to get comfortable. This table is great for sharing with friends or to spread out a new project.


On cold days, you can curl up by the fire with your knitting.


Hill Country Weavers specializes in artisan yarns so you'll find a wide selection of made in the USA yarns, specialty fiber yarns, and hand-painted and hand-dyed yarns, along with the many more familiar brands such as Rowan, Cascade, Manos del Uruguay, and Noro, to name only a few. It is truly a feast for the eyes and the fingers.


Making a choice from all the options is a challenge!


Here is my daughter Eva, my best yarn buddy, with her choices. Note her beautiful sweater, which she finished in two weeks while at home on her Christmas break from college.


Once you've made your purchase, the nice folks will wind the skeins into balls for you.


And here are my choices. I am going to swatch these in fair isle patterns to see which I like best before purchasing enough to make a sweater.


Happy, but tired and thirsty after examining so many yarns, we walked next door for a little refreshment. We went for coffee rather than beer.


And enjoyed it while sitting outside under the big oak trees.


Then it was off to the barn to see Eva's horse, who was recovering from surgery. January in Texas is perfect sweater weather.


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