There are plenty of yarns to choose from inside Good Yarn, but the owners are just as keen on the kind you tell over a cup of tea.
That’s the philosophy behind the new boutique yarn store on Hardy St, where four local women have created more than just a place to buy wool.
Good Yarn opened on 23 May after the idea was spun from a shared frustration among local knitters: where could they go in Nelson to buy locally-made wool after the closure of independent wool shop Cruella’s?
The answer came from Helke Florkowski, a paediatrician at Nelson Hospital, paediatric nurse Ella Evans, textiles teacher Sandy Goonan and Matthews Eyewear’s Lynley Matthews.
“We’re all very enthusiastic knitters,” Ella explains.
“Most of us were in a knitting group at The Free House and we were sitting there in January, wondering how we were going to source local wool… where we could feel it, see it, and have that interaction in a shop rather than online.”
For Ella, who comes from a sheep farming background, supporting New Zealand’s wool industry was important, and they only stock wool that has been grown, processed, spun and dyed here.
The shelves are also stocked with New Zealand-made patterns, buttons and accessories – but they say selling wool is only part of what they’re trying to achieve.
"People come in and they don’t necessarily buy wool – they come and talk about wool, fibre and creating. That’s why we chose the Good Yarn name – it’s about talking and connecting,” Ella says.
Outside the shop, a table with a “sit and knit” sign invites anyone to pull up a chair. Workshops are also getting underway, with the first beginners’ class this Saturday. Helke, a machine knitter, is also planning machine knitting workshops, with spinning, needle felting, wet felting, dyeing, crochet and embroidery classes also in the pipeline.
They also hope to run charity knit-alongs, where people can bring along their own projects or use patterns supplied by the shop.
Helke says one of the biggest surprises since opening has been the number of younger people discovering knitting.
“It’s a revival of crafting, which is so nice. I’m impressed how many young people are coming in… there’s one girl who has come in five times because she wanted to knit socks for her boyfriend.”
Ella says that it has been wonderful meeting customers and hearing their stories.
“It really fills our hearts, because that was our intention – to provide something for the community.”
Helke recalls two women from Richmond who planned a cycling trip just to visit the store on a Monday and were thrilled to see that they were open.
“They got their knitting out, and we had such a good laugh. I made them tea, and then the shop filled up.”
The ladies also hope the shop will become another reason for people to visit Nelson’s city centre.
“It’s really important for us to keep Nelson alive and vibrant, and so many people have given us positive feedback… it’s a warm, beautiful-looking shop that lifts the whole street,” Helke says.
Good Yarn is open six days a week at 210 Hardy St. For more information, visit its Instagram page, @goodyarnnelson.
