Yarns Unlimited still spinning after 30 years

Many common addictions people deal with daily are smoking, online shopping and texting.

But at Yarns Unlimited, people thrive because they have become addicted to yarn.

“I love the people, and I love the yarn,” Donna Jacques, a regular at Yarns Unlimited,said.

The store is set up similarly to Barnes and Noble. Instead of having a wide selection of books, it has a wide variety of yarn, hanging in intricate patterns with identical cozy, deep set couches open to the public for community knitting.

Suzanne Halvorson opened Yarns Unlimited in Fountain Square Mall, in downtown Bloomington, in 1979.

“We don’t have a street front for people to seek us out, but it’s the fact that we’ve been in business for 30 years that our customers keep coming back,” Mary Ann Gingles, the current owner and former customer of Yarns Unlimited said.

“We make the store so it is comfortable and welcoming,” Gingles said. “We like to encourage people to knit and help each other out if we make mistakes.”

Jacques said she is now well-informed about color, patterns and quality  due to her frequent visits to the store.

“People are always willing to help,” Jacques said. “It’s just a comfortable place to come.”

Gingles came to Yarns Unlimited five years ago to attend the beginning knitting class.
Ever since then she has been addicted to knitting.

“It’s a very relaxing, therapeutic and productive social activity,” Gingles said. “I love the creative process that allows you to make a hand-made gift.”

Yarns Unlimited carries an extensive amount of colors in sock yarn, baby yarn, wool, cotton, locally hand-dyed yarn, roving and supplies needed to go with the yarn. The store even attracts people from out of town due to their immense selection.

“Well, I live in Fort Wayne, and I came here because I wanted charcoal yarn for my son’s sweater I’m making,” Sarah Long, a customer, said. “They have such a wide variety of colors here.”

Yarns Unlimited provides more than 40 classes, taught by experts and master artisans, that are pertinent to weaving, spinning, crocheting, felting and knitting. The classes switch every two months because of the change of the seasons and attempt to cover all niches.

“They have excellent classes here,” Jacques said. “I couldn’t even make a hat four years ago, and now I can make my son a sweater.”

Chris Haack, a regular customer of ten years, came to Yarns Unlimited because of her interest in weaving.

She took Halvorson’s weaving class and since then has gotten the Yarns Unlimited fever.

“Usually if you chose a pattern that was too complicated for you to learn then you would just give up,” Haack said. “Here, they make you want to learn.”