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A Yarn Lover’s Guide to Sydney, Australia

Looking for yarn shops in Sydney, Australia? Then this guide is for you!

I’ve spent a fair bit of time in Sydney, and it’s a beautiful and walkable city. I’ve picked four areas of town that are fabulous for walking around and sightseeing – and they also have some of the best yarn shops in Sydney! In this guide, I’ve included yarn stores, craft stores/markets and shops where you’ll find yarn and exclusively Australian wool products.

I’ve sketched some maps… but you’ll want a ‘real’ map as well, since mine aren’t terribly detailed.

Ready? Let’s get started!

The CBD

The CBD (Central Business District) is what Aussies call their ‘downtown’. On any trip to Sydney, you’ll likely find yourself wandering through this district of beautiful buildings and shops. Subway stations are plentiful, but if you’re making a special trip, then Town Hall is probably your best bet for the yarn shops.

map showing yarn shops in Sydney, Australia - the CBD

1. Morris and Sons, 50 York St. Morris and Sons is a cross between an LYS (local yarn store) and a big box store. They have a couple of stores nationwide and their own brand of (reasonably priced) yarn. They also carry loads of imported fine yarns and have a table for sitting & stitching. Click here to read a full review.

2. Lincraft, 68 York St. Lincraft is comparable to a JoAnn’s or Hobby Lobby in the US: lots of craft goodies, and mediocre (but cheap) yarn. You may not find much yarn worth putting in your suitcase, but it’s amazingly good fun to look around at all the supplies. It’s stocked slightly differently than an American shop (for example, you’ll find a hat-making aisle and kangaroo scrapbooking supplies), so I doubt you’ll walk out empty-handed.

3. Darling Harbour Souvenir shops. Walk west along Market Street, and you’ll head over to Darling Harbour, which is full of souvenir shops. I wouldn’t usually recommend going to these (usually junky) shops, but this is where you’re most likely to find scarves and hats made from possum yarn. Possum yarn is unique to the Australia/New Zealand region (mostly from New Zealand, where they’re an introduced species threatening the native wildlife), and is incredibly warm and soft. It’s very difficult to find the yarn, so a lovely possum scarf might be your best bet.

Other sights. The Queen Victoria Building is the main ‘place to shop’ in the city. Wander a little further to Galleries Victoria and stop by Kinokuniya– a fabulous Japanese book store with an unbelievable selection of craft (and knitting and crocheting) books.

Walk north up George Street, and you’ll end up at our next stop…

The Rocks

map showing yarn shops in Sydney, Australia - The Rocks neighborhood

The Rocks is sorta touristy, but sorta artsy and hip… and it’s one of my favorite districts in town.

1. The Sheep Shop Okay, you’re going to be mad at me, but I don’t actually know the name of this place! But, it’s a genuine sheepskin store, not some wacky souvenir shop. It’s on the left, and you’ll see it as you’re walking up George Street from Circular Quay (pronouced: Circular KEE). This shop occasionally stocks possum scarves and accessories (see point 3, above) and lots of wonderful sheepiness. Come here for the real thing.

2. The Rocks Market. The market is held every Saturday and Sunday, and is a great source for handmade items. I haven’t yet seen a stall full of handspun yarn, but it would fit right in.

3. Craft NSW, 104 George St. This store is a lovely place full of work made by local artisans. I can’t guarantee it will always be in stock, but I’ve spotted some great local handspun yarn for sale. Click here for a complete review of the shop.

Other sights. Hands down, The Rocks is the best place to have your photo taken with the Opera House in the background. Just walk up to the water and you’ll see what I mean (it’s where I took the photo above). This is also the home of The Museum of Contemporary Art, which is worth a visit if you have the time. On the food scene, you’ll want to check out Pancakes on the Rocks (for yummy crepes) and The Rocks Cafe and have a Kangaroo Burger (the tourist favorite) or a plain ‘ol burger with a slice of Beet (the Aussie classic).

Mosman

Mosman is sorta like the ‘well-to-do’ district: filled with lovely shops and beautiful cafes. To get to Mosman, I’d recommend the ferry from Circular Quay (even though buses do run): it’s a fantastic view of the city!

Mosman is also home to my one of my favorite yarn shops in Sydney: Mosman Needlecraft, 529 Military Road. It’s a well-stocked shop with lots of goodies – and I always like checking out the needlepoint (a rarity in the US)! Click here for a full review.

Other sights. I happened upon in.cube8r Gallery on my last trip there: it’s a great gallery filled with work from local artisans. There was even an amigurumi artist – steal my heart! It’s also worth having a walk up and down Military road, and maybe down a street to get to the water. Beautiful.

Newtown

Newtown is the district right next to Sydney University, and so has a ‘college-town’, hippie feel to it. It’s also home to Sydney’s newest yarn store – A Coffee and a Yarn, which makes it well worth the visit.

I like to walk into Newtown from the city because my in-laws live nearby (City Road turns into King St), about a 45 minute walk end-to-end. If you’d prefer, take the subway to the Newtown station, placing you right next to the yarn shop!

map showing yarn shops in Sydney, Australia - The Newtown neighborhood

1. A Coffee and a Yarn. This shop opened last year and is as much like an American LYS as I’ve seen in Australia. Classes, tables for sitting, nice yarn and even a coffee bar!

2. The Granny Square. If you’re walking in from the city, you’ll see two yarn shops on your right (one picture, The Granny Square). They weren’t open when I was passing by, but if you’re on a yarn adventure, you might want to make the stop!

Other sights. I love Newtown for its yummy Asian food… and almost every noodle shop you stop into is wonderful! It’s also the place to find some rarer cuisines, like Nepalese food.

It’s your turn!

Planning a visit? Already been? Let me know if you spy any new yarn shops Sydney! I’d love to hear how your trip went!

28 COMMENTS

  1. I love Sydney, I’ve spent a lot of time there….you’ve just given me an excuse to go back too! 🙂
    TY

  2. Mel SAYS...

    I’m a Sydney gal and was so excited to read this post! I work in the CBD and I never knew there were so many yarn shops nearby. I’ll be checking them out on my lunch breaks for sure 🙂

  3. This is wonderful! I’m going to file this post away for the chance that I make it to Sydney. My sister was recently in Melbourne and had a surprisingly difficult time finding yarn shops! I love to check out the regional fiber every time I go on vacation!

  4. What a great yarn guide to Sydney, Thank You! I am going to Sydney on July, I am excited! Meiju from Finland.

  5. Greta Erhardt SAYS...

    Thanks so much – planning a trip to Australia at year end and this is PRECISELY the sort of ino I was looking for to plan between museuams and walks in the country….Yeah

  6. Taline SAYS...

    Thank you so much!!! I’m in Sydney now and was hoping someone would list out all the good yarn shops like this!

  7. The House of Wool SAYS...

    Hi, my sister and I have just opened a small wool shop at Blackheath, in the Blue Mountains, October 2012 to be exact (I hope you don’t mind me telling you this!!). We are sourcing hand spun and hand dyed yarns from Australian fibre artists, as well as brands such as Debbie Bliss and Louisa Harding. We are holding workshops in knitting and crocheting, spinning and dyeing at beginner and advanced levels. We will have a website shortly!

    Cheers, Nicole and Rachael.

    • Hi Nicole and Rachael!
      Thanks for the update! I’ll be driving right by Blackheath (going from Sydney to Orange) this holidays. If you’re open between Christmas and New Year, then I’ll drop by 🙂
      Your shop sounds lovely!

      • The House of Wool SAYS...

        Hi Stacey, we will be open in the holidays. The shop is located at 40 Govetts Leap Rd, the white house opposite the Commonwealth bank. Looking forward to meeting you!

        N and R.

    • Veronica SAYS...

      Do you still hold workshops in 2023 I’m after joining a knitting class

      • Anonymous SAYS...

        Idk about their place but I did see something about some (I think 4 week) knitting and crocheting classes in the morris and son’s place that’s mentioned at the beginning of this post. I didn’t have time to have much of a look into it but it seems pretty promising

    • Ronda Hendel SAYS...

      Our friends did a Blue Mountains tour about 10 days ago and he sent me this photo a photo from outside your shop. We’re doing the same tour in about 10 days, and I’m hoping to have a chance to stop in!

  8. Susy SAYS...

    I was in Newtown last November and saw that the Coffee and a Yarn shop had been replaced by another shop. Too bad, but the location and the neighbourhood atmosphere didn’t really fit with the nature and ambiance of the shop.

    • @Susy- Oh, I heard that! Bummer!

  9. Rachael SAYS...

    Has any one checked out the new yarn store in Fitzroy Melbourne? http://www.yarnandco.com . The store looks pretty nice… I am booked in for an intermediate knitting course next week.

    • Oooh, hadn’t seen that one, but their site looks lovely!

  10. Svetlana SAYS...

    Thank you for your information! I’m on vacation in Australia. I’m going to Sydney tomorrow and will visit some of the shops. Your information is very useful!!!
    Svetlana, Moscow

    • So happy you found this page, Svetlana!
      A Coffee and a Yarn in Newtown has closed since, but that’s the only update I know of.
      Enjoy! Sydney is a lovely city! 🙂

  11. The Australian Alpaca Barn is a another place in the Rocks that sells beautiful Alpaca yarn. It only opened a little over a year ago, but sells all things Alpaca. Located in a cute little laneway off George Street called Nurses Walk. They have a website too http://www.australianalpaca.com

    • Hi Sarah- Thanks so much for letting me know! I was just in the Rocks last month, but I didn’t walk down Nurses Walk. I’m visiting again in March, and will check it out!

    • Thank you for those two mentions!

  12. Luke SAYS...

    A few notes from a local Sydneysider:

    Coffee and a yarn in newtown has closed down recently.

    The Granny Square is part of the same company as Morris & Sons and stocks the same range but has less space to do so. If you’re looking for interesting yarn it’s best to go to the Morris & Sons headquarters on York St in the city. I do use The granny square quite frequently because they’re more local for me but if I’m looking to be inspired by yarn I’ll go into town for the WOW factor 🙂

    • Thanks Luke!
      This post was written over 2 years ago, and the update about A Coffee and A Yarn is in the comments section. It’s a shame, it was the closest shop to where I usually stay!
      Thank you for your notes. I agree about Morris and Sons, it’s why that’s one of the only Sydney shops to have a blog post of its own 🙂

  13. Ria SAYS...

    No mention of Skein Sisters yet?
    They opened sometime in 2017 so maybe haven’t made the list yet.
    Fabulous store in Dulwich Hill, super nice staff, great website, and the best looking yarn store I’ve ever seen.

  14. pt SAYS...

    A visit to The Cast Off Collective in Balgowlah (northern beaches, right by Manly) is well worth your time. Wendy, the owner, is wonderful! Plus, you can stop by the French cheese shop next door for THE best cheese toastie ever. Promise!