Shopping for Silks

Over the last few months I have looked through the floss displays at the craft and hobby shops I’ve visited locally. DMC cotton 6-strand floss can be found just about everywhere, including WalMart. Some of the specialty DMC flosses, and Kreinik fibers (blending filament, #4 braid) can be found in limited variety. One store may have a handful of one, while a different store will have a couple of another.

Yesterday while I was out & about (it was voting day, I try always to go vote unless there is some reason I can’t) I decided it was a good day to find the smaller craft shops. Thus began my final phase of the Local Hunt for Silk.

The first stop was a glorious quilting shop- stuffed full of every conceivable cotton fabric and a bewildering array of quilting threads. I inquired, and yes, she thought they might have some silk floss. My sense of elation was short-lived, as I discovered the only embroidery floss they carry is a lovely cotton Caron (I do not remember if it was Watercolours or Wildflowers). One of the other stores in town also carries this line of floss.

Onward I went, stopping briefly at an alterations shop just in case for some incomprehensible reason the owner had decided to carry needlework silks. She hadn’t. So I tried my last hope- a yarn shop. This was definitely a long shot, because I don’t know a single knitter who knits with embroidery floss. I spent a lovely time visiting with the shop owner, who may begin carrying some needlework supplies- probably kits to start with. While her selection of knitting yarns was inspiring enough to entertain a brief thought to pick up knitting or crocheting again, it was not silk embroidery floss.

This leaves me with either travelling a very long distance to needlework shops that do carry silks, or ordering from online stores. It doesn’t take me very much math to see that online shopping is by far the least expensive option. *sigh* I’d really hoped to stumble upon some gem of a local shop.