Where to Buy Yarn Online in Canada?

Just over 38 million Canadians live in Canada, which is less than the population of the state of California in the USA. Over 90% of us live within 150 miles of the USA border.

Our retail market is very different than the United States, with many of us in locations. Back where I lived in Ontario, Walmart was within 20 minutes, but it was the closest location, 45 minutes in one direction and 90 minutes in the other.

There are some regions in the further northern regions where yarn may be undeliverable as it's too far removed to be easily accessible through courier or Canada Post services.

Quebec has strict consumer laws, and many companies do not ship their products to Quebec. Products and online websites must be in French. Companies voluntarily refuse to ship to Quebec when they do not comply with the law.

When a store chooses to discontinue a brand or reduce its offerings, yarn lovers like you feel the pain the most.

Truthfully, I support Yarnspirations not just because they support me but because they believe in the education of the product itself. Patterns galore and much more. It's not like a generic product on a shelf with no inspiration and oodles of ideas.

Having moved to Nova Scotia, I have more access to yarn within minutes with Michaels, Walmart, and larger independent shops such as Rewards, which carry a vast amount of yarn.

There's a push-pull relationship in play. As Michaels cuts back on the national brands, it's pushing me to Walmart or Rewards to continue to play with the brands. Walmart just cut back the yarn aisle again, making me further to move my shopping online to stay with the brands I am loyal to.

A few Americans don't fully grasp that our retail market is different. We don't have the opportunity north of the border to go across the street or across the region to a different location to buy yarn. We don't have Joanns or Hobby Lobby to spread out our shopping.

The Ultimate Question

A crocheter just moved from St John's, Newfoundland, where they could get good clearance sales. They are now living two hours west of Edmonton, Alberta, and Michaels is within two hours. They have Walmart but are looking for alternative online locations to buy yarn. She is not alone.

She's on a budget and is really looking for sales, but she also wants the capability of having access to live remotely. I think many Canadians can relate.

Locations and Clearance

Extra Tips

I would keep an eye on the clearance section of Yarnspirations.com as a starting point. Sometimes, they have a sale on already discounted yarn, and you can really soak in the savings. Also, if you hit a minimum amount, you may get free shipping if they offer it. The sales change nearly weekly. You will see the clearance under the yarn main menu in their top menu.

Americans see a lot more clearances as the major yarn hub is in the United States, so they can benefit from that as well.

While many stores only carry a handful of colours, Yarnspirations carries the entire collection of yarns except when they are made just for a retailer like Caron Cakes.

Michaels Stores will also ship to you. The USA and Canadian locations are not treated equally. So if you see someone in the USA stocking up on a big sale, chances are, it's not happening here in Canada simultaneously. The same goes for Canadians. We have sales that the USA doesn't. Keep an eye on their website or app. You can order curbside pick-up as well, and it will be waiting for you when you get there, especially if you are going so far.

Mary Maxim is based out of Ontario Canada and offers a huge selection of yarns. You can order online and they also have a clearance section to take advantage of. You may find yarn here that is discontinued that you have been trying to find.

Fabricland is another retail chain you can check into. Until this article, I didn't know they did online shopping for us. Learn something every day. I haven't been to fabric land is probably over 30 years but it is a long-standing retail chain here in Canada.

Lensmill Stores also sells yarn online. They have many locations in Ontario.

Giant Tiger is another location that may be a hit or miss for yarn as they are a discount or budget-minded retail chain. Some items may be in-store pick up only while others may be available for free shipping.

Rossy has locally sourced and national brands, as well as liquidated yarns. Glancing through, they have some really sharp deals. It appears they are located on the east side of Canada, such as Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Ontario. They ship Canada-wide.

Walmart Canada is another location where you can pick up and/or deliver items directly to you. I don't go to Walmart often enough to know if the yarn ever goes on sale or just goes to direct clearance after the shelves are reassigned for another product. You may know better than I do.

Dollarama may have yarn, depending on what they are trying to push out the door.

There are many independent yarn stores in Canada, and some may be online. These yarns are usually independent of higher-quality products such as merino, wool, and more. I will leave that to you to find.

With COVID-19, a lot of stores had to get their act together to get online for online purchasing.

Yarn is becoming more and more an online purchase. Yes, it's a very tactile product that we want to feel, but stores are feeling the crunch of people online shopping and slow movers on the shelf compared to others are getting replaced.

You, the consumer, have the power to change things by contacting corporations to share your thoughts if a product is taken out of service and you know it's still being made.