Chagrin Falls, Ohio Yarn Shop: The Artful Yarn

The Kiersten J Yarn Shop Hop

How’s THAT for timing?

Last week I needed to make a quick drive up to New York for a few days’ stay. I was hustling around the house, packing up in my normal, less-than-methodical manner (OH! I’ll need jammies…whoops! Phone charger. Mmm…do I need more than a pair of my trusty Birks for a week?), and I paused the clothes packing to stash some knitting into a bag. Well, there was a bit of knitting stuff left in there from the last trip, and one of those bits of stuff happened to be a passport for this year’s Heartland Yarn Adventure.

I’d picked this gem up during recent travels just to have the listing of all of the 84 local yarn shops that were participating. I had zero expectations of actually being able to participate in the adventure, since Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky are not my regular stomping grounds. But I do have family in New York State and occasionally drive through those states. I thought it’d be nice to maybe use the passport list to pick out some yarny rest stops along one of those future trips. (You all plan your road trips around yarn shops, too, right?)

Well, lo and behold, my travel days just happened to be the first weekend of the Adventure! I put that passport right back in the bag and started looking forward to visiting a couple new places on my trip. One of those turned out to be the delightful shop The Artful Yarn.

First Impressions

Chagrin Falls, Ohio appears to be one of those charming little villages where you plan to spend the day enjoying the whole scene. I happened to arrive on a gorgeous summer day when there was a village-wide sidewalk sale going on and many visitors were strolling about, taking advantage of the festivities.

I’m looking downhill into the village. The main intersection is where the white car is, and The Artful Yarn is in the building with the red awning to the left in the picture. My GPS took me to the correct address, but travelers will want to note that there is no street signage that makes it clear you’ve arrived at your destination. The shop is housed inside the building along with several other shops, some of which looked really creative and interesting!

There are signs inside the building that help you find The Artful Yarn. It’s located in the part of the building near the main intersection of town.

It became pretty clear when I’d found the right place!

Best Characteristics of The Artful Yarn

You can’t spend more than a few moments inside The Artful Yarn without experiencing the warm welcome and friendliness of the staff. I knew it was an extremely hectic weekend, but that didn’t prevent me from having a really warm, welcoming, and personable customer experience.

Customer Service

I spent most of my visit chatting with Linda, who was taking care of the front while the owner, Tiffany, was teaching. Linda is gifted in her ability to maintain running conversations with customers, and fully attend to the needs of other customers and visitors, both in person and over the phone. She was very knowledgeable and encouraging, and one of those folks that you learn quickly to trust at your local yarn shop. She must be a wonderful resource for the local makers.

Class Supplies

I really liked how The Artful Yarn staff chose to display the patterns and yarns that went with them that they were using for their classes. They were all in one area, near where the class was being taught. It must simplify the process for students in picking out the yarn they want for their class projects wonderfully. It’s so easy for even experienced knitters to get paralyzed by a wealth of options. Additionally, this arrangement means instructors can make some pre-selection choices, highlighting yarns that are an especially good fit for the chosen pattern, and weeding out potential options that wouldn’t work so well.

Classes

As I mentioned, Tiffany was teaching a class during my visit, but she graciously allowed me to step in and observe. I’m so grateful she did, because it was such a treat to interact with her and her students. I just loved how she’s teaching that class.

Tiffany was using a blanket pattern with multiple blocks to teach her students different knitting techniques. One block has cables, one has bobbles, etc. It’s such a fun way to learn new skills! Students get enough practice to gain confidence, but don’t have to work such a large piece in one pattern that they become bored with it. Plus, at the end of the project, they have a visual record of all the skills they’ve gained in the class.

Keeping the effort to reward ratio in balance is so important when instructors choose to teach project-based classes. I love to teach that way because there’s something tangible at the end of the process. However, if the project is too big or time-consuming, it can become boring or discouraging for the student and challenging for the instructor to keep all the participants interested.

Great Ideas

For Yarn Shop Owners

There are some definite challenges when your yarn shop doesn’t have street visibility. The signage inside the building is really helpful. From talking with Linda, it sounded like the local makers have done a great job of building a community there. They’re obviously working hard so that people can find their way to the shop.

The classes cannot help but be beneficial to growing that customer base, and the methods Tiffany is employing both in the set ups for her classes and the actual classes she’s teaching are ideal for continuing to bring new people into the fold of avid knitters. The 4-Pack of Sessions is a particularly clever class idea that other shop owners may want to incorporate into their class offerings.

For Makers

If you’re local to the Chagrin Falls area and haven’t checked out The Artful Yarn yet, you’re in for a treat when you do. My impression is that Tiffany and Linda are committed to meeting each maker exactly where they are in interest and skill level and helping them as individuals. There’s no sense of herding groups of customers into a particular class to get it filled or push excess inventory to get it moved out.

Additionally, while the space and inventory aren’t enormous, there is plenty of room for a very comfortable gathering space for classes and social knitting, and more than enough beautiful yarn to meet your needs. You’ll find some lovely work from independent dyers, as well as more widely known brands.

What Came Home With me?

I am always curious about the independent yarn dyers that local yarn shops carry. I especially love picking up skeins from local (or local-ish) dyers. As I was looking at the area of the shop with the class patterns and yarn, I noticed these beauties from Spun Right Round, from a Rochester, New York dyer.

These were some of the suggested yarns for the class making Tweed Boomerang (Ravelry link) by Lauren Parker. I purchased them with that pattern in mind and cast on soon after I reached my destination. I was so eager to play with it that I almost forgot to get pictures before I wound the first one into a ball!

It’s a well-conceived pattern and a really good project for a beginning knitting class. I love how the colors in these yarns are playing together. Mine has less contrast than the pattern model, but I am loving it so far. The yarn is a dream to knit.

What to Know Before You Go

Trust your GPS to get you to the right spot (it’s not far from the main intersection of town) and look for the signs inside the building with the red awnings to get to The Artful Yarn. It’s tempting to skip a new place when it’s not easy to find, but don’t. You’ll miss out on a gem. If you’ve got extra time, you might even like to check out some of the other shops in the building. I ended up exiting the building through a textile painter’s shop and she had some gorgeous work displayed!

I didn’t have time to explore, but I passed a bunch of interesting shops and restaurants. Several of the latter had outdoor seating available on this beautiful summer day. I could easily see spending a day exploring the village. It’s not at all far from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, so you could easily make a longer stay in the area, as well!

The Artful Yarn was a wonderful find during my long drive. I’m so glad I had the Heartland Yarn Adventure Passport so that I knew of its existence along my route!