Yarn Shop Review: Wool on the Exe

If you love yarn then the likelihood is you love a yarn shop? Well we certainly do! Any chance to visit one and we are there in a flash! So when we heard about a new yarn shop that had recently opened in Exeter, we made plans for a little shopping trip!
I (Hannah) live in Okehampton, Devon, so Exeter is pretty local to me and Cara visits me once a week (at least!) so off we went!

So let me tell you about this amazing place! Wool on the Exe is located right next to the river at 2 Okehampton Street, Exeter, Devon, EX4 1DW.

You can visit Wool on the Exe's website here. Find out who runs the shop, what is stocked, what workshops are coming up and pretty much everything else you'd need to know

Today we want to tell you all about our first experience of this yarny treasure trove.
 Even before entering the shop, we stopped and gazed in awe at the lovely products in the window display. It all looked so inviting and just made us want to rush in. The shop itself is bright and airy. There is lots of natural light, which is always important when looking at yarn, nothing worse than buying what you think might be blue yarn and you get it home and it's green! This can happen in larger, darker shops or shops with lots of electric lighting.
We loved the layout of the whole shop. Products are on different levels, inviting you to look in and around each display, pick up and feel the yarns. Even the fittings looked great, you can tell that a lot of time and care has gone into designing the layout. The shop is brimming with personality, individuality and has a really personal touch.

The shop is run by the two very welcoming and friendly ladies pictured below.

Mary Ann Jennings (left) and Debbie Judd (right)

Both ladies greeted us when entering the shop and were happy to speak to us about our interests and had an excellent knowledge and enthusiasm about their products. We both felt really at ease in the shop. We both get a little anxious around new people or groups of people and sometimes in shops sales people can 'pounce' on you and make you feel pressured to buy, which can really put us off. It was quite the opposite here! We were able to browse the shop in our own time, as well as being able to ask questions and receive plenty of information or help about our purchases.

Love this wallpaper such a fab way to showcase memories!

Both the ladies are really proud that they can support local businesses through their shop. A lot of their yarn comes from British manufacturers including more well known brands, such as West Yorkshire Spinners and also smaller, local producers. Here is a selection of the stunning yarns we saw:

Whistlebare Yeavering Bell DK

Spindle and Skein, Vegan Selection (Flax yarn!!!)

Hoooked 

Eden Cottage Yarns, Bowland DK

Crystal Palace Yarns, Mochi Plus

Eden Cottage Yarns, Whitfell Chunky

Eden Cottage Yarns, Askham 4 ply

Spindle and Skein, Devon Longwool, Bluefaced Leicester, Jacob Humbug, Organic Falkland Merino, Shetland

Spindle and Skein, British Wool Breeds Yarn Box

Wool on the Exe also stock:

• Blacker Yarns
• Fybrespates
• UK Alpaca
• Patons
• King Cole
• Woolyknit
• West Yorkshire Spinners
• Chilla Valley Alpaca
• Opal
• Regia
• Toft (crochet kits)

We may have a bought just a few of these wonderful yarns, which we will look at more closely in a future post.

As well as stocking yarn there are also lots of accessories such as crochet hooks and knitting needles, handmade stitch markers and project bags. Also a fine selection of local artisan gifts including;

 Local Artisan Ken Clark's stunning handmade wooden yarn bowls.

Wychwood Dreams, handmade jewellery, stitch markers and row counters.

So, there's absolutely amazing, stunning, beautiful yarn and a great selection of local, handmade accessories and gifts. Then, to top it all off there is CAKE! Their cakes are made by a local bakery called The Exploding Bakery, discovered at a local food show. Well, we couldn't say no to a piece could we? The day we visited they had Chocolate, Sea Salt and Rye Brownies and they were bloomin' delicious. Then we washed it down some very tasty juices from Folkington Juices.

You said it!!

Ooooo cheeky

Wow! What a shop, it really has it all and such a pleasurable shopping experience. If you live near Exeter then definitely rush down there as soon as you can. If you live further afield then you should really make plans to visit them. But if it really is a little too much out of your way, then head on over to their website, where you can get all that loveliness delivered straight to your door!

http://www.woolontheexe.com/ Oh we almost forgot, you should really take a look at the upcoming workshops and book a place, we really like the look of the spinning and dying workshops.

Thank you so much to Mary Ann and Debbie for allowing us to write this review and for such an enjoyable afternoon in their wonderful shop. We will certainly be back soon!

And thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read this post and for supporting our blog.

Big love from Hannah and Cara.