My Hungry Yarn Stash blog series features the yarn stores where I have bought copious amounts of yarn for my massive knitting project, Stitched Glass.
One of my all-time favourite yarn stores is La Droguerie in Paris, France.
La Droguerie, the notions haven
This incredible store features sewing, beading, ribbons, notions and yarn, and is located at 9, Rue du Jour in the Les Halles Quartier, a shopping district in Paris' 1st Arrondissement. It is not to be confused with the other La Droguerie in Paris, a crêperie on Rue des Rosiers in Le Marais in the 4th arrondissement (but you could go there too – the crêpes look delicious).
La Droguerie, the creperie
La Droguerie yarn shop is tucked behind my favourite church in all of Paris, Eglise Saint-Eustache. This means that any trip to La Droguerie also involves a trip into Saint-Eustache, to take in its 13th century Gothic architecture, flying buttresses and art.
Saint-Eustache
Saint-Eustache also has incredible examples of stained glass, which were of course inspiring to me because of my Stitched Glass knitted tapestries. Also of interest is the church’s bronze and white gold triptych entitled “The Life of Christ” by renowned visual artist Keith Haring. It was the last work he did before his death.
"The Life of Christ" by Keith Haring
At the south entrance to the church, there is also a fabulous sculpture called Écoute by Henri de Miller. My kids loved climbing this huge head and hand, placed in a beautiful courtyard. Apparently the sculpture weighs 70 tonnes.
Écoute by Henri de Miller
But after you’ve enjoyed Saint-Eustache and Écoute, make your way to La Droguerie a few steps away. It is a knitter’s heaven of colourful yarns, hanging by the skein on hooks that line the store walls.
In the charming style of an old-fashioned haberdashery, the attendant will help you choose your yarn. She then weighs it in a colourful twist of knitting potential.
She records all of your purchases on a little slip of paper which you then take to the ‘caissière,’ a cashier in a booth behind glass.
Of course there are 1000 things other than yarn that you can buy in this sumptuous store, including buttons, ribbons, beads, sequins, and fabric. A trip to La Droguerie is a true adventure for those who, like myself, are colour-addicted, and those who love to make stuff.
You won’t regret a delicious trip to La Droguerie. Your hungry yarn stash will thank you for it. In French no less.
Merci, Kirk. J’avais faim. That’s what my stash said to me, I swear.