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Categories: Fabric Stores, Hobby Shops
1655 W Division StDivision (Blue)
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I was visiting Chicago for a few days, and chose the day of torrential downpours to check out yarn shops in the city. I tracked down Nina's first, after a recommendation from Ravelry, saw the door open and headed in.
Not so fast! Turns out, the owner was just in to tidy up the place in preparation for an event the next day, and is never open on Tuesdays. Just had the door open to get some air inside. But, would I like to look around anyway? Sure!
First off, super bonus points for opening the door to a rain-soaked stranger when the store isn't really open. Extra points when I realized she'd just flown back to town the night before and was getting over a case of food poisoning while having to scrub the shop top to bottom in anticipation of a knitting big-wig's arrival. I can't attest to the service on a busy day, but I got nothing but good vibes off this place.
And the merchandise! This is not a bargain-shopper's knit shop. I can see where the "snobby" feeling comes in - the main staples of the selection are luscious and expensive, the yarn comes in small put-ups (too small to finish a project with, ensuring that you'll be back for another skein of that $18 yarn), and when I mentioned to the owner that one of the mainstays of my LYS is Cascade 220 (a value-priced wool workhorse yarn), she cocked her head to the side and said, "oh, that's funny, we barely stock any of that. We start our customers out with Blue Sky right away." There was certainly an attitude of smug superiority in the tone, not only for having beautiful yarn, but also for having a clientèle elite and savvy enough to want the very best. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to oogling the goods.
So, if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket, Nina's will be sure to help you out of that jam. And you'll end up with some really fabulous yarn and needles at the end of it, no doubt about that.
Nina has a great selection of gorgeous yarn but a really bad attitude.
I took the beginners class and really learned a lot from the teachers. All of the employees were wonderful and helpful. However the owner, Nina, was about as snobby as possible. I will never go back.
Ms, Nina needs a lesson in politeness. Who wants to give someone business who acts like they are doing you a favor by being there. No thank you.
This place is GREAT!...IF you like being treated like complete shit.
I suggested to a friend that we stop in here as she was looking for some nice yarn. Neither of us know a whole lot about yarn, so we were armed with some simple requirements from her Aunt (who would be knitting the yarn into something for her).
WELL BOY ARE WE STUPID. The lady, if you could call her a lady, who "helped" us was about as snooty as they come. It is hard to imagine how she can sell anything.
She essentially told us that the criteria given to us by my friend's Aunt was so incomplete, and that our descriptions of what we needed were so vague, that there was SIMPLY NO WAY SHE COULD HELP US.
Not only was she the most utterly useless sale person I have ever encountered, but she was also the rudest.
A few days later, my friend went to another high-end yarn store in Lincoln Square and with the same criteria, was easily assisted in finding several suitable options. They also offered that should it not work out, she could bring it all back AND somehow, they managed to be friendly *GASP* while doing it!
I will never go to Nina again. It is a total embarrassment.
I went here ready to buy, but I needed a little help narrowing down the correct supplies. The saleswoman told me that "knitting is an exact science" and that if I don't know the specifics of what I need, I shouldn't buy anything. She continued to reiterate this fact for 5 minutes as she wandered around the store pointing to varying styles of yarning belaboring the point that "it's a bad idea to buy anything, I might ruin the pattern, etc..." So I left and spent my $60 somewhere else and I was happy to do so. The other yarn store proprietor threw caution to the wind and made many helpful suggestions and I found exactly what I needed.
There is no point in having nice merchandise if you discourage customers from buying it! Knitting isn't an elitist activity, it's a warm and loving hobby. Shopping here is the yarn equivalent of buying a blood diamond... sure its pretty, but how many people had to be mistreated for it to be available.
Thank you Crystal and Erin. Both were completely right, the lady was SUPER snotty. I bought 108 yards for $22, I thought it might get me the pattern I wanted, guess not cause I didn't spend enough. I also bought a cute little sheep measuring tape but that's about it. I don't like rude customer service and that was the biggest turn off at this store.
I just recently moved to Chicago am was looking for my new knitting store. I was so thrilled to find Nina.
The store itself is lovely. It has a wonderful selection of yarns, patterns, books, examples, and supplies.
Nina was very sweet as well. I think others may have misunderstood her. While she wasn't loud or overly bubbly she was so helpful. I appreciated that she didn't push me to buy things that I didn't need. When I asked how much yarn I would need she suggested me getting one ball in case I didn't need a second.
I also appreciated that she wasn't rushed and took time to wind my ball of yearn herself (I'm used to stores having me do it). This is a knitting store for god's sake. If you're in a hurry come another day!
I will definitely be coming back to buy more yarn for my current project and to take Nina up on the offer to sit on the couch and look for a nice baby sweater pattern.
I stopped by Nina last night five minutes before they closed to buy a pair of specialty needles. I knew exactly what I needed and wanted to support a local, female owned store. HOWEVER, I will never go to this place again. Even though the owner was letting people out of the store as I tried to cross the street, by the time I got there she "was closed." i know this sounds nit-picky, but as a daughter of small business owning parents, I found this sort of 5-minutes-prior-to-closing refusal a slap in the face in terms of customer service. I guess in this recession, Ms. Nina is doing just fine.
The last time I went in there, last year, I was seeking some advice on a pattern I bought that was giving me some trouble. I bought some yarn (very pricey) and then asked for help with the pattern- the owner was a complete jerk. She looked over the work I had done once, asked me questions (that came across as accusations) and then said she couldn't help me. Wow.
I'm done with this place.
I love this place ... Nina offered my sister and I a somewhat impromptu knitting class, and it was exceptional. She's talented and helpful. The shop is one of those friendly, familial places you want to stick around. Looking forward to spending some quality time here this season!
Truly lovely (albeit pricey) yarn & decent selection. It's tidy & everything is in it's place but the staff is chilly & relatively unwelcoming/snobby. I'm all for lovely, deliciously decadent yarn (& I'll even pay for the overpriced-but-so-yummy-yarn) but I will not pay for the chilly reception I got here.
I'll stick to the Knitting Workshop on Damen with it's welcoming & attentive staff, thanks. The only time I'll come back to Nina is when they have their big anniversary sale. I can deal with condescension for a great deal.
This store has most of what you need to start a pretty expensive knitting habit. I love upscale yarn - it just feels way nicer to work with, and having something that looks semi-professional when you're done is very rewarding. Unless you know exactly what you're looking for when you go in, I strongly recommend you browse elsewhere. The staff might be nice to people who are experts, or signed up for classes, or clearly about to drop some dough, but if you're just trying to remember if you needed the 12-inch 9 needles or the 9-inch 12 needles, they will treat you like you're violating their contract with the public merely for stalling. Seriously, the one time I went in there with my mom, who spins her own yarn, they were the nicest people ever, and then when I returned by myself, intending to resume a fairly in-depth conversation about socks, they were downright rude.
I'm suprised to see the comments about the icy service. The staff is always nice when I go in there. This is the place I learned how to knit. The knitting 101 class is great because you learn how to make a scarf, during the first class, and the prices for the classes are fair. I also took a private lesson there, and learned how to rib in one session. They are also nice about giving you free patterns for certain yarns if they are available.
I love knitting on thick yarn (because you get finished so quickly), and Nina has a great selection of thick yarns. I also appreciate the way the store is organized. Nina used to work at the Container Store and it shows- very easy to shop. They often have refreshments available, and you can sit in the front area and hang out and knit if you like. I will agree that it is a bit expensive- I usually try and go during one of the sales and stock up then. Only thing is that there is only 1 cash register, so you can stand in line for a loooong time during the sales (like for over 10 -15 minutes).
Overall, I like Nina's over some of the other knitting stores in the city. There is a knitting store right in my neighborhood, and I will drive 15 minutes to Nina's.
I think the secret to liking Nina is knowing what to expect.
I've found it's most enjoyable when approached as an exploration, not as a goal-oriented shopping trip. By that I mean, if you're going there looking for something specific, you're likely to be disappointed by the smallish and carefully curated selection of yarn. But if you go there to be inspired, you're likely to leave really excited about the new project you have to start the moment you get home :)
By the same token, I've decided the owner is maybe just a bit odd. She's been very helpful so many times that there's no way I could accuse her of rudeness or snobbery. She's stayed late, talked me out of buying things, talked me into buying less expensive things, let me try things out to make a decision, looked for patterns, etc etc.
But at the same time, I've also experienced some of the things mentioned in negative reviews -- sometimes within the same visit! So I think maybe she's just not the most extroverted, bubbly, social person on the block. Once I decided the occasional brusqueness had nothing to do with me or her opinion of me, it was easy to roll with it and enjoy the beautiful yarn and good music.
I think this store serves a delightful knitting niche, and I'm glad it exists.
I went to Nina today after passing by it for months. I was planning to pick up yarn and maybe needles to make a scarf. I was impressed by the selection but shocked by how rudely I was treated. I was spoken to as though I know nothing about what I was doing; the woman behind the counter was short with me and acted like I was being difficult and bothersome. I was on the verge of purchasing needles when I decided I could not support a business that treated me so badly. While the product at Nina is excellent, it is not worth the snotty attitude you will encounter.
I visited Chicago to check out several yarn stores as I am planning on moving to the area later this year. Nina was one of the stores I visited and I am glad that I did. The young lady helping me, Sam, was very helpful and friendly. She pointed out some new stock and we carried out a conversation as I perused the store. The yarn is arranged in a very orderly fashion in a store with room to move around. There were display tables showcasing new yarns and a few knitted samples. The store also had some very pretty buttons as well as a selection of books. While I was in the store, another employee was helping someone with a project in the couches near the front.
Overall, the store was well lighted and spacious, organized, with good customer service.
Warm and fuzzy!
That's how I feel every time I visit Nina. Seems fitting for a yarn shop, no? Each time I come here I have to tell myself that frolicking is just plain inappropriate. I might knock something over or be frowned upon for disturbing other customers.
But still... la la la la la!!
I'm not deranged. I just really love knitting. My grammie taught me when I was 12 and up until recently I've never pushed myself to make anything other than very wormy scarves. Tsk. Nina offers many lovely classes. I recently enrolled in one and began to make a hat. During the first hour I was convinced that this hat would only be fit to used as a teapot cozy but after some expert guidance and truckload of patience on behalf of the instructor - my hat is turning into something I can really be proud of!
The yarn at Nina will make you completely shun all that crap from JoAnn Fabrics and Wal-Mart for life. It actually feels like something you'd enjoy wearing - as opposed to nasty, scratchy mystery yarn...like that smelly afghan draped over the back of Aunt Doris' settee. My skin itches just thinking about it.
Granted, this is not your bargain basement knitting emporium but with all the help and compassion you receive with your purchase you'll feel like it's money VERY well spent. And where else can you enjoy complimentary Starburst with a knitting lesson?
This past week, I had my first yarn emergency. I ran out of my dye lot color of my current project. My situation of non matching dye lots freaked me out so much that I called the manufacturer in hopes of locating it somewhere, but to no avail. I had to get a different not completely matching skein.
While over at Division street for Rib-B-Que, I stopped in and picked up the necessary skein. Walking in Nina's, the store feels like a high end yarn boutique. One of employees directed me to my much needed Blue Sky Alpacas dyed cotton. I promptly found my color and searched for another color because I'm liking the project so much. When I finally decided on the color, I noticed three different dye-lots for one color. Thankfully, they gave me a bag of yarn. The yarn itself was about $2 more than most Internet and base retail prices, so I dropped a pretty penny here for convenience sake.
When I looked at other yarn, it was difficult to tell who was the manufacturer since the skeins were turned inside not exposing the labels. Nina's stocks some great yarns like Louisa Harding and Debbie Bliss, but I really couldn't experience them because I couldn't tell where they were. I didn't notice any cheaper yarns either. All I found was a small Cascade offering and a lot of kits.
Overall, it's a nice yarn store. It seemed pricer than my home yarn store. The store owners were nice and created a comfortable atmosphere. It's a good backup for yarns not sold where I usually go, but I'm weary of the prices.
Love coming here whenever I'm shopping on Division. The best atmosphere of any yarn shop in the city (bright natural light lets you see true colors of yarn), a great selection of yarn including lots in fibers other than wool (bamboo, hemp, etc) as well as a killer selection of Manos and Be Sweet (made by women in South Africa). Sometimes they have good sale yarn in the back as well.
Used to seem expensive but it's really not - it's just that the yarns they stock aren't cheap. You get what you pay for.
Definitely not the best prices I've found on yarn in general but I went in late November when they were having their anniversary 40% off sale and it was complete madness in there! At 40% off everything, the prices were ridiculously good but I never thought I would see women pushing and shoving over yarn and knitting needles! Seriously, it was like a Marc Jacobs sample sale in there or something...I had to wait in line to pay for over twenty minutes.
While I was there I saw the cutest ruffled scarf that I knew would be the perfect Christmas present for my mom. It said the pattern was free so I bought the yarn that it called for and waited on line to pay. When I got up to the register and asked for the pattern the woman (who I assume is the owner) apologized and said that they havn't finished writing the pattern yet but that she could e-mail me when it was done.
One week, two weeks went by and no pattern. So I went into the store one day after work and asked if she could just dictate the pattern to me. She was extremely apologetic about not having it done yet and then stood with me for almost 1/2 an hour working out the pattern (I wanted it wider and not as long). If that isn't going beyond customer service, I don't know what is. And of course, Momma loved the scarf I made!
I have to agree with all the reviews about the icy service. It is not a very welcoming store, and in fact, pretty snobby, which is sad because it's a precious store inside. Normally, I am not even a stickler for service but it's hard to ignore when you are one of only a couple people in the store and never greeted or acknowledged. I would even make attempts at small talk and ask about certain knits, which granted could be elementary questions to them since I am a beginning knitter, but I would get a one word answer and the conversation would stop there. The yarns are nice and would probably be worth the pricey price if good service came along with it, but it doesn't so in the end it's just an overpriced knitting shop with an unwelcoming staff.
Nina is a great upscale yarn store. I stopped in during a recent visit to the Windy City & was surprised by their selection. Keep in mind that you will find no deals in this store...everything is expensive and gorgeous. That being said, if you have the money and want to splurge, this is your place. The store is very well organized, I felt comfortable touching the yarn & taking it out of its meticulous display arrangememts for closer inspection, and the staff was right there to answer any questions I might have. If I lived in Chicago, Nina would probably be the store I visit when I felt like celebrating a special occassion with the purchase of luxurious yarn, but it would not be my everyday store for basic supplies.
When it comes to look and atmosphere, Nina is gorgeous and my decorator's eye is more than appreciative. When it comes to yarn selection, however, I am less than impressed. Not into the artsy yarns that make a sweater just by being knitted, I like to find more variety in the yarns that one needs to design around- but that's just me.
Nina does have a fine selection of knitting books, which became evident when my mother traveled all the way up from the burbs to buy one she had been hunting for.
Expensive but high quality. If you are looking for some of the best yarn (durable, special material, quality), this is the place to go. The owner & staff are there to help you with your projects.
The best and most dangerous aspects of living where I do? My three-block proximity to Nina. While I admit I was at first a bit intimidated by the store (its hip aesthetic and quiet atmosphere), I can't stay away now. (Although, I admit I'm a decent knitter, and so maybe I have a bit of that "part-of-the-club" sense that others here say can make or break a yarn store experience.)
Nina, the owner, was quite helpful on my most recent project, in which I brought in one of my wedding shoes and needed help matching yarn to it for a shawl I'm making. She ended up having to special-order the yarn for me, since my project required quite a bit more than she had in stock--which she did graciously. I must also mention that this woman must have the best taste ever in music; everything she plays in the store makes me think, "I should ask what this is," though I seldom do.
Price-wise, I think that anywhere one shops, it's expected that she would pay more for high-quality yarn. I think Nina's prices are on par with other stores that carry the same items, if not even a buck or two cheaper.
A great selection of books - like a dozen or so on sock knitting. She had the Cat Bordhi book I wanted, and was able to point it out to me when I could only remember "Cat" and that it had something to do with circular needles.
She also had a great selection of nifty buttons and other accessories. She even had Eucalan! My old knitting place in Austin had a good selection of buttons, but it was all kind of... hippy? Nina's is not like that.
I guess I can see why people might not like the "icy" service. The woman who helped me was not warm and bubbly, and she didn't seem to have a lot of patience for some of my novice questions. But she was super knowledgeable and helpful -- just maybe a tad brusque. Snobby might be the right word, but not in an entirely off-putting way. She certainly wasn't rude or anything.
In the end, the store has a big selection of beautiful (and yes, expensive) yarn, great books, tons of needles, and super cool buttons and stuff. I was quite impressed.
hands down the finest lys in chicago. my hands sweat when i walk in the door and i always spend far beyond my means. they are very kind, helpful, the selection is like candy at willy wonka's-they carry all the finest brands (malabrigo, lorna's), and they always offer to ball up your skein, which i only let them do with sock yarn, because i enjoy doing it myself. they have a small but excellent selection of books and workshops and very inexpensive private knit lessons ($25/hr). and they have tons of the greatest needles you can buy (lots of addi turbo circulars & crystal palace dpns)
if you are a knitting addict, don't go in there. it's a knitters crack house. i mean that in the very best way.
I'm not one that generally searches and searches for bargains, but after being disappointed that I couldn't find any cheap lessons in Manhattan, I scheduled one while on a trip to Chicago. It was a private lesson with a wonderful teacher for only $25. My teacher (her name unfortunately escapes me - I want to say Sam?) dyed yarns at a factory uptown on days she wasn't at the shop. She was friendly and knowledgeable and I had a great understanding of cabling when I left. Our lesson even went a little over an hour and she didn't charge me extra.
I had lived around the corner from this shop for a while and never went in partly because at the time I didn't know how to knit, and partly because I felt a little intimidated at how sleek it looked. I felt silly at my previous hesitation after finally going in. It was friendly, had a vast collection, was nice and roomy (unlike most of the Manhattan stores I'm used to) and had a great selection of knitting books.
If only I still lived right around the corner!
Yeah, I've gotten some big sticks here. Wanna make something of it?
Nina the business does carry many high-end yarns, but they frequently have more affordable lines like Cascade and Misti. I think the decor and atmosphere in the store tend to make patrons think it's more expensive than it really is, but if you keep your eyes open--especially during sales--you'll find some reasonable deals.
It's not my favorite yarn store in Chicago, but Nina the human is so nice and helpful, and everything is so pretty and pet-able that it's almost brutal to walk in and not spend an entire paycheck.
First off, I may be a bit biased, as I learned how to knit at Nina. I decided to have my grandma buy me knitting lessons for my birthday a few years ago, googled some yarn stores in Chicago, and decided Nina's rates were pretty reasonable and the store wasn't so far from me, and went there.
Man, am I glad my random googling helped me find this place. Keep in mind, 95% of what I knit is made with all-natural fibers, and I abhor the idea of acrylic. If you don't share in those sentiments, Nina might not be the place for you.
I like to think of Nina (the shop) as kind of a yarn art gallery--it's not a superstore, you won't find every color of every brand there, but it's a well-curated selection of really interesting and lovely yarns, from Habu's silk-stainless steel cobweb weight to the big, bulky Ozark Handspun stuff. The store also has a great selection of yarns whose proceeds go to help the communities that make them (Be Sweet from South Africa and Manos del Uruguay come to mind).
And while some of the yarn is pretty spendy (Blue Sky Alpaca Silk is just never going to be as cheap as Brown Sheep, no matter how I desire it), the store also has a great selection of Manos and a decent selection of Cascade 220 (which is toward the back, for those of you who couldn't find it).
The folks who work here are all great, and not super-obtrusive on the customers, so if you have a question, ask!
I went to Nina's for the first time today and I thought it was a pretty wonderful store. I was a little intimidated by the look -- at least as I perceived it from their website -- but it turned out to be a wonderful, inviting, warm place and I will definitely go back.
As others have noted, the selection is not huge, but what they have is really wonderful and they do have Blue Sky Alpaca, which a lot of folks seem fixated on these days for some reason, so they should be happy to know that, if they don't already. They also have some good Lorna's Laces and a couple different kinds of Malabrigo, which is cool. I did not see the Cascade 220 that someone else mentioned, which I think is notable, because it's considered a more affordable yarn. Nina's definitely did not stock much lower-price-end stuff, but then again, frankly, if you're buying natural fibers, you're not going to get cheap regardless of where you shop (minus Joann's or Michael's of course, but they don't have much of a selection of natural materials).
I couldn't give it five stars because of two things that I haven't noticed in the other comments: 1) the lighting is sub-par. It does create a nice environment, but it stinks for really checking out the color of yarn. And 2) they don't have much in the way of knitted swatches, and the ones they did have didn't all have tags on them to tell me what the item was knitted from, which bothered me. I like to know, sometimes, what a yarn will look like knit up (some yarns are less predictable than others). Of course, if they had a ton of swatches, it would probably interfere with the look of the store. I still think it would be worth it and they could come up with something.
There you have my 2 cents worth!
Let the record state that I am not a knitter. My girlfriend knows more about mixed martial arts than I do about knitting, which really just speaks to how little I know about knitting. What I do know, however, is that my girlfriend likes to knit so I decided to stop by Nina's last night to get her a gift certificate.
As a guy who is clueless about knitting, I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked in the store. Fortunately, the owner of Nina (who also happens to be named Nina -- go figure) was very nice and helpful in answering my questions and making me feel comfortable. Given my situation, I'm not sure I could've asked for more. Thanks Nina!
I love this shop,
the display,the atmosphere,the big kniiting needles in the window
and the collection of needles and yarn the have is just amazing.
Finally a knitting store that is not filled with merchandise and you feel
overwhelmed by just stepping inside. Very friendly and knowledgeable
staff.
I even like the graphics they have,
Thank you for bringing knitting to a different level.
I adore Nina.
Her yarn selection is incredible, albeit on the expensive side, plus the shop has such a calm and inviting vibe (i.e., not cold and intimidating like certain other knitting shops on Lincoln Avenue between Belden and Webster). Even my manly-man husband felt comfortable here as he fell under the spell of that cool contraption Nina uses to wind up a ball of yarn.
Nina is a very gracious woman and extremely helpful. She will assist you in all aspects of your knitting project from the idea stage to yarn selection.
Rock star parking is usually available which is nice, too.
Considering the other places I've visited for yarn this place is awesome. I always just went to Jo Anns or Michael's in the burbs which are not that great. I know that now after visiting Nina's. I'm a beginner when it comes to knitting, I learned a long time ago and was never patient enough to finish a project. Now that I'm a bit older I want to give it another try. I went to Nina to find some needles and some yarn. I asked the lady there (Im not sure if that was actually Nina) what I should get considering my lack of experience. She was very helpful and showed me the outcome of different yarns with different needles etc. I ended up buying needles and yarn which is what I needed. Definitely telling my friends and family about this place.
Oh this shop makes my heart go doki doki! I love it! They have the best yarn, yes it's expensive, but all of my favorite items were made from yarn I purchased there. Both in appearance and textures the selection is fantastic. I think in response to the 'icy service', well it's obvious many people think this store is great. Which is lovely, but usually when I go in it's very busy. There is only one, maybe two people staffed at any given time. So they can't give you undivided attention and seem pretty frustrated at times ha. But hey that's great, I'm so glad a specialty yarn store is still making it today! If you go on a weekend morning/afternoon, just be sure to bring your patience with you and you will love this place too!
Since stiching my first stich I have become a loyal customer of this gem of a shop. Rows and rows of gorgeous wool, a nice variety of needles, books, and ideas galore. They always have the perfect shade of my favorite malbringo wool.
The only bad thing I can say is that I have become a yarn snob after shopping at Nina I can not buy wool at Micheals or Joanne Fabrics... it's just not natural!
I have been here so many times trying to figure something out and Nina and crew are always so helpful.
Nina is a great place to take a class and just hang out and knit. She always has cool tunes playing.
Nina is my personal hero!
I signed up for a one hour private lesson and fell in love with Nina's. Its awesome. The atmosphere was very chill and the lighting was soothing. I left after an hour knowing how to knit and feeling tranquil. I've looked into classes around Chicago and was happy to see the most affordable location was right by me. Nina the owner is awesome and my teacher Bria Rocked!!!
nina is such a sweet lady, i used to walk past her shop every night and she'd be there, at her mac. finally i went in, deciding that i would be a pioneer stitcher and cross the gender divide. i told her i woudl stitch an afgan. she said maybe start out with a scarf. i bought a book, some amazing yarn that looked green but was made of hundreds of blue and yellow strands, and 2 needles.
that was two years ago and they're still in the drawer. i guess i'm a sucker for a well designed sales floor. i might try to sign up for lessons over the holiday... but you should go in and see this lady if only to buy yarn for other stitchers. i've found that most stitchers have needles that have been passed down, usually aluminum. she has amazing ones out of different types of wood and finishes. they'd make great gifts.
The staff was very very helpful. Went out of their way to find the perfect yarn for my two projects. They let us wander around offering just enough attention to make sure we weren't feeling ignored. The store is beautiful and has a very nice selection. I came from Michigan on a visit, and would definently stop by again. We had stopped by another store (On Damen) and were treated rudely and with a rather uptight attitude from the staff. Forget them! Nina's has my undying loyality.
I have nothing against Nina in particular, I just can't give it 5 stars because it's too expensive. When I worked around here, I liked going just to browse and pretend that I could afford the fancy yarn. Everyone who I've talked to who works there is very nice and knowledgable and the place itself is clean and organized really well. The best part about Nina is that I can usually find some weirder gauge needles when I'm in a pinch and I really don't want to wait for anything to come in the mail. Yes, I'm probably paying way too much for them, but sometimes it's just worth it to not have to deal with impatience.
I'm not a knitter, but my mom is- and OCD one at that, and she loved this place. There's plenty of room to browse and the staff is helpful and friendly without breathing down your neck. I was a little bored since all the books and magazines are knitting related, but it was nice to have a big couch to sit on while I waited for her.
Neighborhood: North Center
Category: Fabric Stores
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: Hobby Shops
Neighborhood: Bucktown
Category: Art Schools
Neighborhood: South Loop
Category: Art Supplies
Neighborhood: Near Southside
Category: Arts & Crafts
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