One additional pro that bumps this up to 5 star.... I'm a little new to fancy yarn that requires you to wind it from a loose hank into a tight little ball appropriate for knitting use. Most stores let you wind your yarn the day you purchase it, but I fell into some yarn that didn't get wound right away, and winding it by hand was a disaster waiting to happen. I went to Imaginknit, fessed up that I had no idea how to use the ball winder, and they graciously helped me wind some yarn I purchased that day AND the yarn from another store. The employee spent 10 - 15 minutes with my friend and me, making sure we knew how to do it properly. I was so grateful for this! read more

Having seen quite a few shops now, I have to say that really and truly this place has nearly everything you could look want. The staff is very helpful and will gladly suggest materials for projects. This is my go to place. read more

I first came here when I was just learning to knit, and at the time I found the outstanding selection to be simply terrifying and overwhelming. I ran out without a single purchase, thinking that it was the store's fault that I caved in front of such an awesome display of woolly goodness. Now I am wiser and with sorer wrists from knitting, and Imagiknit is my new favorite place in the city. The selection is incredible, the people who work there are really nice and helpful, and the prices aren't even too bad for chichi knitting goods. Plus they have a frequent buyer card that keeps bringing me back to spend more. Three blocks from my house, it is both a blessing and a curse. Damn you Imagiknit. This is a cruel love. read more

Its pretty hard not to love this place. I tend to nearly hyperventilate at the sight of so much awesome yarn in one place. I wish though that they still had the punch card! I dont know of any store in the Bay Area that has this much yarn! Also, I think there pricing is pretty fair. I've compared a few times from online and the markup is usually pretty small ( as in .50 cents) read more

I took a Intro to Knitting class here with Judy and it was amazing. I loved her attitude and she was great at explaining to beginners and making it easy for us. The store is amazing too with two rooms full of different yarn. This is such a cute store and I would definitely take another class with Judy again. Thanks Judy for teaching me know to knit! I'll never forget you. Hopefully, I will see you again in your amigurumi class when I become more advanced. read more

Can we say: addiction! It's like entering a beautiful palace of yarn. Soon enough you'll realize that it's a maze and you just can't find your way out. I never take a basket, but only buy what I can carry. Although it seems I am able to carry more and more each visit. They definitely have the largest variety. Not cheap at all, but so worth it! Staff has always been helpful, but they will leave you alone if you just want to get lost in the jungle of color and texture read more

This is such a friendly store. All the staff I have come across are willing to help and are not snobby at all. I have not asked for knitting help yet but I see people always asking and getting advice in a friendly manner. When I come in here, I browse for awhile and don't feel like I'm being annoying buy not making a decision yet. I also don't feel like they care how skilled you are as long as you are enjoying what you make. They're just people that like yarn and knitting (and crochet!) Nothing like the snooty yarn stores I've read reviews of on here. They don't even flinch if you ask for the cheapest needles. read more

This store carries a wide selection of yarns and accessories. Staff are very helpful. However, most of their items don't have a price tag on it. So beware, when asking how much an item cost, it could cost you $20 for a an item they said cost $6. Also, when buying fibers make sure you look at the weigh scale and you're paying for the right amount. I was shorted 1 oz. Lesson learned, always ask for an actual receipt and check before leaving the store, especially if you're from out of town. read more

Update - 5/24/09 - today the staff was even more attentive and helpful than before. Very warm, homey place to shop and to browse. Adding a positive review here is like bringing coals to Newscastle, but I feel I must. This is the best place in the Bay Area for knitters. Not only do they have an enormous selection, but the staff is extremely knowledgeable and courteous. If you want to be left alone to browse around they let you do that. But if you want help they are right there for you. They have all the usual stuff that yarn shops have - pattern books, supplies, kits, etc. They just have more of it in an inviting shop in a neighborhood where, miracle of miracles, the parking isn't that bad. I've never had to park more than a half block away - and no meters. read more

I wish I was a pothead, because then I'd get stoned, go to Imagiknit and happily play around with all the soft, beautiful yarns. Excellent selection. Good sales bins that lessen the pain inflicted by the fancy yarn splurges. Helpful and friendly staff who never make fun of my knitting experiments gone awry. Four homemaking, plush stars. Oh, and knitting is the new black. So hip. read more

I had high hopes for this place. They are much better than Art Fibers, only for the fact that they are mounds amount of cheaper. Yes, Art Fibers is all special made...but it's yarn, ya know? Parking is kinda crazy to get here. Luckily, we found rock-star parking right outside. SCORE! The only thing that was a little offsetting was that everyone there was a yarn-ie. They wanted to talk about it, the guy was asking me what I was doing with it (and while that's fine, you should train your voice to sound not so inquisitive when you ask questions...like I was gonna steal it or something.) But, it was a nice store. Just somewhat hard to locate things. No one was really helpful throughout the process. It's good for multiple reasons, but not good for other reasons. Oh well. read more

Thanks to Kaitlyn...she's lovely. Out of the thousands of customers she's served, she remembers my name and my daughter's name!! Fine, it's possible, I've been in retail...but still. She made sure we had a great shopping experience. read more

I've only been to this place twice, but I had a great experience both times. I'm a fairly new knitter, and this was the first place I went when I felt ready to purchase decent yarn for a project. The staff was very helpful without being pushy. I mingled around the store for a few minutes admiring the overwhelming yarn selection before I got a polite and non-pushy "can I help you" from a very knowledgeable staff person. She asked me whether this was my first time in the store and proceeded to explain the store layout. She then helped me pick some very nice yarn for my project. After I purchased the yarn, another very helpful and friendly staff person showed me how to use the yarn winder, and we chatted a bit, even after my yarn balls were finished. My second time to the store was more of the same. I think the staff was into the project I was working on, because they were extra helpful this time. The yarn I picked turned out to be a bit felted together and tangled when I put it on the winder. At first, they tried to help me, but the store got busy (it was the beginning of the holiday season), so they just gave me a new skein and helped me wind it. Another thing that's cool about this place is that both the staff and clientele consist of both men and women. Most craft places I go to seem to have only women shoppers, and I think that this place would be a welcoming and comfortable place for men interested in knitting or crocheting. read more

Nice selection of yarn. Wait staff top notch. Will visit again. Parking during day was great right next to store.

I just pulled out the yarn I bought from ImagiKnit over a year ago, and when I opened the plastic bag the smell of stale urine from the small dogs in the store hit me, hard. ImagiKnit may have a great selection, but wasn't worth writing about until now, as I'm disgusted by the stench I thought I rid myself of by airing it a whole weekend in the sun over a year ago. I can get over the non-existent sales staff, but without a major cleaning overhaul and facelift, this San Franciscan will not be back. read more

This yarn shop has the most enormous inventory of such beautiful and fine yarns. There is nothing like being able to go into a shop to feel and see the yarn for my next project, and Imagiknit always has what I need. They have helpful staff to guide you, hundreds of pattern samples to inspire you, and- well, did I mention the inventory? I am so lucky to have this shop in my neighborhood and in walking distance from my home (they have kept me well supplied during the pandemic), but if I were an out-of-towner (and travel restrictions were lifted), I would add this store to my itinerary for a visit. read more

Very large selection of yarn.price is bit higher even same yarn than other shop.some lady is very nice and helpful ( esp the Asian lady. She is wonderful ) but lady at register ( I guess if she is the owner?)first time I bought just 1 cheap yarn .she told me Like "oh! That's is ? From all of yarn ?" How rude.I went to back couple time ,bought couple super Merino yarn then she is nice but I always remember what she said with buying the only 1 cheap yarn. now I am trying to buy from online like knit sleep eat or Stevenbee etc read more

The delicious high I get when I'm in this place is without equal. The folks get excited with you about your projects, I've been five of six months between visits and they remember what you got last time and want to know how it's going. I'll admit that I'm a very experienced knitter. I've had the problem of taking a question to my LYS and getting a polite "i dunno" from the clerk. Not here. I took a friend on her first trip to get the tools to learn and she got a grin and a "welcome aboard" from the woman behind the counter. The selection is fantastic and no one is snobby when I mention price constraints. read more

Yarngasm. I'd been feeling a bit dispirited about my current WIP after having my needles confiscated at an airport (grr, this despite calling the airline and the airport before, making sure that yes, they'd changed that rule back and i could take my knitting on board), but this place cured it. i was after mohairs and cashmeres in some bright, jewel-like colours to make my favourite sartorial peacock happy, and this place obliged in spades. No idea what their lessons are like (I'm pretty sure I overheard one of the employees talking about lessons), but in terms of range, helpful staff and soothing atmosphere (yes, I knit, and I'm a freak, but at least THEY UNDERSTAND!), this place is fantastic. Oh, and max props to Pearl Fine Arts Supplies. I wandered in there looking forlorn and asking where to buy yarn in the city, and they wrote me a long list of good places to try, including this. read more

Very knowledgeable, helpful, friendly staff. Enormous selection of yarns, including obscure local brands. You could get lost for hours just touching all the sample scarves and doo dads they have displayed. Imagiknit is the Britex Fabrics of yarn stores. read more

hi, my name is bob and I am a yarn addict. "I have this problem, you see..." I said as I walked in the shop. They understood. I pulled out the last yard or so of my mohair strand and asked them to point me in the direction of another skein. Just from looking at it the salesgirl (not the owner) guessed the correct brand. I purchased the ivory puff of wonderfulness and tucked it away in my purse (no schmancy bag necessary for this girl, thank you very much!) Then I perused and touched just about every skein of yarn in the place. No seriously, you see, I've got this problem...remember? They've got good stuff here! Great quality yarns. Gorgeous color selection! Great sample swatches so you can see the finished product. Also have great scarves, hats and other knitted wonders that seemed to be available for sale. less than 5 stars because the brands I'm familiar with using were typically $2 more per skein than what I usually get them for. I understand the shop that I typically buy from (little local place back east) has much different costs than 18th/Sanchez in sf... but $2 more/skein is a lot. Whenever I have a moment free to do so, I will still treat myself to some fantastically beautiful yarn from imagiknit...regardless of the cost. I like them. read more

I love love love them! At ImagiKnit you will always find something perfect with the help of someone as kind and creative as yourself. If I could move in and sleep on the couch surrounded by all those yarns and knit up love. . .if only. read more

Holy Grail of LYS. They have an overwhelming amount of stock. I will have to check out their classes later. The customer service is a hit and miss. Sometimes, great service, sometimes, completely ignored.... read more

Hands down the best yarn collection in the Bay Area. A visit to this splendid shop borders on therapeutic. A wide array of yarn variety, textures, colors, from acrylic to cashmere. The owner, Amanda and crew have made plenty of sample items to help introduce new fabrics, ideas, and assist with your next new project. You have the option to buy the sample yarn and get the pattern free with purchase. read more

Very poor customer service, despite the store having a great selection. Its unfortunate as I would have loved to take one of their classes, but overall the staff did not impress and were actually kind of rude. It really felt like it was a bother for them to answer our questions and look for a specific wool we were trying to find. read more

Such a fun store!! The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. I loved that they had a range of prices; I've been to some yarn stores where every skein of yarn is super pricey. I was able to find street parking easily on a weekday early afternoon. read more

I absolutely and completely LOVE ImagiKnit. I wish they would allow me to live in the store. Although many of the reviews have stated that the staff isn't friendly, I have never experienced anything but smiles. Each time I'm in the store, an employee helps me out with picking the right yarn, shows me where to find what I'm looking for, re-teaches me how to wind a ball of yarn on the wooden winder, and is always friendly. They were once out of a specific yarn that I love, so they wrote down my name & number and called me shortly thereafter to let me know that my yarn had arrived. Some people have also posted comments about the prices, but come on...you pay for what you get, and at ImagiKnit, what you get is the best. My friends get me gift certificates to ImagiKnit for my birthday, because it's all I could ever ask for. read more

Wow!!! Yarn addicts paradise!!! Definitely worth the trip and would come back in a heartbeat next time I'm in SF area! Love the test yarns and the AMAZING selection...a must visit! Bring the credit card....reasonable yarns + fantastic selection + mild yarn addition = pricey and priceless yarn buying experience!! Stop by today!!!!! read more

Yarn everywhere! I love this shop and the fact that they are a test site for Malabrigo so you get all the "fun stuff" and test colors. I have been there a few times and the employees seemed too busy to realize that there was a person in the shop, another time, the owner watched me like a hawk, and it appeared to look like she thought I was stealing from her shop. I really enjoy the arrangement of the yarn. One room is all natural fibers and the other room is all acrylic/plant/etc. fibers, and both rooms are arranged from smallest gauge yarn in front to largest in back. Wish the shelves weren't so high, if you're short you're going to have to ask for help. Prices are great and very reasonable, a few times I've found skeins for a dollar or two lower than other shops in the area. read more

Wow!!! This place was amazing. Super friendly customer service. I'm from San Diego visiting my sister. I crochet and they helped me find some really exciting new yarn . The prices range from really high for the hand made fancy stuff to, "Whoa this is so pretty and soft"..."yay! It's only 10$!" I will totally come back next time I visit read more

I'm a casual knitter but I do get the urge to sit down with some good yarn and knit to my hearts content. I checked out this store because of all the yelper's reviews on their selection. Parking was a of hassle but once we got in, my eyes just boggled at all the different types f yarn. It was a bit on the expensive side but with yarn like that, it's almost expected. The ladies that worked there were present and seemed to be helpful although I didn't really need any help. Defiantly a place I would go back to. read more

The yarn is abundant and beautiful, the staff is friendly and helpful the prices are reasonable and fair, the location is convenient and fun. A few times I have come in confused with a knitting pattern or idea and one of the wonderful people that work there has gotten me straightened out and on my way with everything I needed. Thanks Imagiknit! read more

I really like this store. There is a large selection of yarn, well displayed, but a few times missing the colors I want. Otherwise everything is perfect. I love that I can browse and pre-plan from the website on what to buy. And the staff is superb at being helpful and supportive, maybe the best perk of this store. read more

WOW!!! The ladies working here are amazing. I went yarn crazy and filled my basket equaling over $400, and Janet was patient and so helpful in guiding me down toward my budget and showing me around. This customer service is unparalleled! This is a very special spot and I'm so happy it exists. read more

Imagiknit is one of the best yarn stores I have ever visited. The draw for me comes from two elements: incredible customer service and great selection. Upon moving to San Francisco, I visited the store to splurge on some new yarn and was greeted by the knowledgeable and friendly Ray. He has helped me now on numerous occasions, always delighted to see me and help on my yarn quests. His knowledge of pattern design is a bonus. Just a great guy who keeps me coming back for more. I have also had amazing experiences with Whitney, who, while relatively new to the store, was so warm and welcoming. She helped me find everything I needed and has since been a great help in discovering new yarns. She is the kind of person who will give you 10 great options for what you ask and then find you something special that suits your personality. The stock at Imagiknit is epic. They have everything you could want - from beautiful animal fibres to affordable acrylics and lovely plant fibres. I am never at a loss for yarn there! All in all, I love this store. It feels like a home to me and I now go weekly to buy all the yarn. Whether you spend 10 dollars or 100, you will be taken care of at Imagiknit. read more

This place is full of yarn and I have always found the staff very helpful. As others have said go focused with a yarn purchase in mind or you can spend hours looking at a lot of the QUALITY yarn choices. The prices are good and it is very conveniently located. They have sale items for all tastes and price ranges. If they don't have what you are looking for they can order it for you and call you when it is there, what else can you ask for? I bring everyone who visits me here to see the place is a nice tourist attraction as well. A must for Your Yarn Crawl ! read more

Imaginknit Love it...a knitters paradise. Time can easily get away from you as you shop the rooms of wall to wall displays of yarns They have an extensive selection of traditional and specialty yarns, not cheap by any means but they do have great sales. I can always find what I need for a special project and the salespeople are very knowledgeable and helpful. Great selection of books as well. read more

Really friendly and knowledgable staff and amazing selection of yarns and needles. I was worried that the very small sized needles I was looking for would be hard to find but hey not only had them, they had two different lengths to choose from! Perhaps a little pricey but being British I haven't got used to the conversion rate yet! If I had more time in San Francisco I would definitely become a regular here. Only reason for the 4 stars rather than 5 is that the carrier bag (which I paid for) broke on my walk back to the hotel and I had to walk back on myself several blocks looking for my fallen needles! read more

I try not to go here unless I absolutely have to. While the selection is pretty great, it seems like the staff here has a decent percentage of younger hipsterish knitters who don't offer the friendliest service, and seem more interested in getting the day over with than helping you. The biggest burn I had was when I purchased seven skeins of yarn about 15 minutes before closing time - they were worsted weight, so it wouldn't take very long to finish winding them. Since I had so many, I let some others with just one or two skeins cut in front of me periodically to wind, and I figured I could get through the rest of mine somewhat quickly. About five minutes before closing, one of the sales assistants came over as I was finishing up my fifth skein to ask me to leave. I was shocked - I had just purchased a decent amount of yarn from Imagiknit, had let some other patrons go in front of me to be courteous, and now I was being ousted from the shop? The half-assed explanation was that there was some kind of rule where the sales people had to be out of the premises at exactly closing time, but I found that ridiculous. At 6:27pm, I found myself standing outside the door with five balls and two unwound skeins, bewildered and angry. It's fucked up when the priorities of a store's staff are more concerned with their time card than with helping their customers (and staying 5 minutes to let them wind two skeins). I'd rather order online than come here again. read more

I'm an impulsive knitter, so when I want to start a project, I want the yarn right away. And since I live three blocks from Imagiknit, it's where I often end up. But lately, I've become really fed up with the attitude of their staff. In my last 3 or 4 visits, I have been alternatively treated like crap for asking for help finding something and ignored altogether. The yarn selection is very large and one of the owners (I think she's one, anyway) is very nice, but for the most part, the salespeople who work there make it an unpleasant experience for me to go inside. It's definitely time for me to find a new yarn store in the city. read more