Cotton Spoils from Avril

It's probably best for my wallet and my marriage that it took me about ten trips to Tokyo before I wandered into Avril in Kichijoji. Avril is the most beautiful and most sensible yarn shop that I've ever visited. The walls are lined with large cones of yarn is nearly every material and weight. As a customer, you pick up a hand basket and select the cones you'd like your yarn from and then take them up to the counter. You order by gram weight with a minimum 10gram purchase. They measure off your yarn and make dainty little skeins for you. Large quantities come home on cones. I picked up a little bit for a scarf or cushion. My plans aren't firm yet, but I know I'll use it!

If you're a garment knitter, this buying style might not make much of a difference but as someone who likes to crochet with a lot of colors in a single project, this seems quite sensible. Instead of buying one or two 50 gram skeins for a project, you can pick nine or ten little 10 gram skeins. I chose a simple cotton.

It's such a quaint and civilized way to buy yarn. Avril is in Kichijoji which is one of my favourite areas of Tokyo. Here you can find little boutiques, antique shops, Cotton Field, a nice park and it's just a short walk to the delightful feedsack store called A-materials. If I ever make it back to Tokyo, I'd definitely pop in again. If you have a google or Flickr search on Avril, you'll find all sorts of eye candy. Don't blame me if you get lost for hours though!