Shuttles Spindles & Skeins

I love this place! Their classes are phenomenal as is their shop. Their selection is huge, so it’s my go to place when I need yarn for a large project (sweater, throw, etc.). I wish they had a couple more «designer» yarns (Sweet Georgia, Malabrigo, etc.) but they have so much variety that I never leave empty handed. They have a great selection of spinning fiber, but as with the yarns, not very many «designer» braids – I go here when I’m spinning for a project and elsewhere when I have no project in mind but want to make a beautiful skien and be inspired to create. I’ve noticed a couple of reviews that say the staff hasn’t been helpful or friendly towards younger customers, but that is the exact OPPOSITE of my experiences here – I’m in my early 20s and I always have lovely chats with the ladies about our projects and on multiple occasions, different staff members have searched the store with me to find the perfect yarn or fiber. And if you’re a spinner, Maggie is an AMAZING resource who is always willing to answer questions. Five very enthusiastic stars!

I love love love this yarn store. It is huge with so much selection. Every time I walk through the door, I’m grinning from ear to ear. If you knit, crochet, spin or just love yarn, this store will be your Disney land. The store has every size and color yarn you could possibly look for and typically a range of prices, although the hand dyed yarn will take your breath away and your budget will go right out the door.
The staff is incredible… They are always there to help and answer any questions, no matter how beginner they may be. There’s no such thing as a quick trip in there for me as I always end up chatting with the staff! I can’t say enough positive things about this store!

There are places still where people are kind and generous simply because. This store is one of those places. I took a blanket in that had a pull in it, a blanket that had been a favorite of my husbands before his death. It meant a lot to him, and thus, to me. I took it in and a trio of lovely women fixed it, which looked like a very painstaking task to me… And they simply wouldn’t accept any money. And the store was filled with beautiful yarn art! Just a cool place with cool people.

Excellent shop. They have a wide range of materials and were helpful to me as I returned to crocheting. The yarn selection was extensive and they had many examples of finished products. I do not live in the area, but if I did I would take classes at this shop.

Why people downrated Shuttles is a mystery to me.
As others have said it is HUGE. You could park a small plane in it.
Yarn selection: You won’t find Red Heart or Vanna White Picks. That being said they have just slowly moved into the very high-​yarns and indie dyers. You can wonder around for hours petting yarn.
A very good selection of books and a giant 2 shelf set of pattern leaflets plus tons of magazines.
Staff: I have shopped there for about four years. I am a sporadic knitter, yet they know my name and always smile when I come in.
I have taken classes there and found them paced right, they don’t hold a class back if someone didn’t do their homework, yet they don’t leave that person in the dust either. The equipment available for use to students is staggering!
Imagine this: You take a spinning class. Each week you are sent home with a different wheel, This is so when you buy one you can make an experienced choice based on the 6 different ones you use. You get each wheel for a week. And that class includes the wool and wheel is costs just $ 150. And on top of that. the teacher is one of America’s most sought after spinning teachers on the wool trail, having taught at Rheinbeck, Maryland Sheep and Wool, Black Sheep etc.
PS they have a pre-​paid yarn deal. You pay 200 in cash and you get a 250 credit to use on roving, cone materials and yarn.

Love this yarn shop — great variety of yarns and fibers and very helpful staff.

Wow, I love this store. Their selection is HUGE and full of gems, they have a sale section that includes lots of lovely marked down yarn and books. They also have every notion you could ever hope for– tons of needles, multiple kinds of blocking soaps, a massive library of knitting/​pattern books for every kind of knitter, etc.
As far as the attitude of the shopkeepers go– I was only treated with good cheer. I’m an intermediate knitter in my twenties (according to other reviews, the sort of person not welcome in this store) and all of the employees were sweet and helpful towards me without feeling pushy or judgmental. When I bought the wrong color yarn for a project I was working on, one woman stayed with me trying to help me figure out solutions for the project when it turned out they did not have the color I was looking for. She even brought me out a cup of water without me asking because I had biked there! another woman gave me a quick demo in cabling because she overheard me say to my friend that is was a technique I hadn’t tried yet. And the woman who rang me up was conversational and friendly. Overall a fantastic experience.

The inventory is nice but like others have said the owners/​employees show obvious bias to older women. Knitting, crochet, weaving… its not just for grandma and perhaps its time for Shuttles to figure that out. I’ve been in there too many times to count and have always had a bad experience. I’ve either been completely ignored or yelled at. I once had well over $ 200 in product in my basket and left the store without purchasing because they treated me and my child so rudely.
I stood in line to purchase some needles and they took people behind me first and acted as if I were not even there. When I was finally helped the employee mocked my purchase. «Why do you need a 12″ circular needle? Why not just use DPN?» Does it matter WHY I am purchasing this needle? Maybe because I want the dang thing!
I honestly cannot think of a single positive experience I have had at shuttles.

The very biggest and high quality yarn selection in Boulder and suburbs. Not only do they have knitting yarns, but they cater to the weaving community too. There used to be several weaving supply stores in Boulder but this is the only remaining one. They teach knitting, weaving, spinning and more. The owners, sales staff and teachers are all very accomplished artists. They know their stock. They are helpful and friendly. I see them working with both novices and experts. I used to weave and knit but now only knit occasionally. But I have sent young people there who have been very satisfied. Today I saw a young mother with toddler in tow getting help, as well as an older customer who needed advice. They seem to have supplemented the older owners and original staff with some younger staff too. They also have displays of items they have made with their yarns including instructions on how to make them.
It’s not cheap to do quality work with quality yarns but it is worth it.

It pains me to give this place a bad review but I must. The selection is outstanding and the people are pretty helpful but they don’t let me knit with the yarn before I buy it. I don’t do that regularly but since I live an hour away, I wanted to see how many I would need and they said I can buy a ball from the sale rack and knit up to see. WTF. I have every intention to buy, it just very off putting. I left then and there and never returned. I have to restrain myself from going back, have to keep reminding myself how mad I was when I left.

Here’s my advice if you’re visiting or living in Boulder. Don’t walk, RUN to this place. You will not regret it. This is the best yarn shop I have ever been to and will in all likelihood ever go to. It’s huge and owned/​manned by lovely ladies who collectively have decades (if not more accurately centuries, sorry!) of knitting, crochet-​ing and spinning experience.
Not every single one of the ladies was warm and fuzzy but even the stern face I met there had an encyclopedic knowledge of knitting and a willingness to teach a lost, clueless and no doubt annoying beginner. Even though they have probably seen the knitting frenzy ebb and wane and have had to put up with hundreds of young women who picked up knitting for a season or two they were still willing to show me what I was doing wrong. I love these ladies, they are sharp and quick witted and spicy, just stick around the shop and you’ll hear them.
They have a ton of yarn, from acrylic cheapies to one of a kind, hand-​spun, hand-​dyed with organic blackberry juice and all that hippy dippy fancy pants stuff that costs 3 times the minimum wage. But you can touch everything! And they have classes! And a round knitting table.
Anyway, I bought a pattern and a pair of needles and a skein. I have used the pattern twice and the needles are without a doubt my favorite pair so far.
Patterns galore, books galore, but most of all, this place isn’t owned, to quote my Stitch N Bitch girlfriend, «by hipsters» but by somebody’s grandmother and I just love that.

We stopped by for Yarn Along the Rockies (2012). This place is hard to find if you don’t look up. It’s in the same parking lot as Chase, and it’s located on the second floor above a dry cleaners and the Jerky place. It’s a huge store and there are a ton of things to look at. It’s organized so you don’t get too overwhelmed with all the stuff to look at. I saw books, examples of items you can make with their yarns, and a lot of the typical stuff you’d find at a yarn store. I’m not sure about prices, as I didn’t get a chance to look at their items too closely. I did like the spinney thingies they used to get yarn or thread on a spool. It was fun to watch while waiting in line.
They do have a dog in the store who is behind one of those portable fences. He was passed out during our visit. The ladies behind the counter were very nice and I will probably be back.

This is a really wonderful place. They have a huge selection (wish they carried a few more brands though like berrocco or malabrigo) and the most extensive spinning and weaving place I have been to. I may have been inspired to get a little loom for myself…
I have to give special props to this place for their kindness and patience with my 3-​year old who knocked over one of the spinning wheels.
Their prices are simply too high for me to give them 5 stars though. Maybe these are going rates for Boulder but most yarns seemed to be about $ 2/​skein more than what I see elsewhere (and you can see from my list I go many places). The sale yarns were not very discounted other than the mill ends, which I definitely stocked up on.

The large selection means that I can usually find a nice yarn here when the urge strikes. Plenty of needles and notions, too. I have enjoyed the communty knitting night with Roxana, where yarn and patterns are provided to create handmade warmth for folks in need.
I find the staff to be very relaxed. The last time I was in, they were very helpful in finding an extra skein of yarn in the dye lot I needed. Thank the stars it was there — I was sure my pattern would use just the single skein I had bought the previous week. I haven’t had any negative experiences. I don’t think the store’s climate is conducive to rushing in and out, and I have certainly spent a few moments waiting at the register in past visits. If you want help here, you may need to ask for it rather than waiting silently to be acknowledged.
A sheepdog is often resting quietly, which is good for at least one star!

Being somewhat new to knitting, Shuttles was kind of a jaw-​dropping experience for me. I entered in a kind of haze of overwhelm. I exited an hour later not quite knowing what happened.
My first visit was supervised by my knitting guide extraordinaire, Annette. Luckily, I had at least a weight in mind and after finding an employee, was directed to the DK/​sport weight section. I would have never found it on my own.
Don’t get me wrong, I love love love to get lost squishing balls of yarn all day long so the fact that there are SO many options is both a bonus and a draw back. First time around, the ladies who worked there were somewhat icy and one asked if I had knitted the adorable hooded cowl I was wearing. I beamed: YES! And she countered with and audible: Meh. Lame.
Shuttles is 7 minutes away from my front door (Yes, I’ve timed it). As my knowledge of yarn/​needles/​fibers/​weights grows, I don’t find the shop as overwhelming as I did initially. Also, I brought my sweet mom in with me because I needed help with my first chart reading attempt and not only did the employees help, they all gathered around and chipped in with comments and praise which was great.
Prices are okay as well, they have a lot of variety so you are bound to find a few options in a few different price ranges. Lots of colors, lots of blends. I like.

Shuttles, you make my heart melt with your fine collection of yarn and needle supplies. You make a cold winter snowy day feel like a welcome sign coz i can then wear stuff I make from the yarns I buy from you.
I love your warm colors and the vibrant ones too and i Love the patterns and the knitting classes. I love the friendly ladies who help me without getting in my way. they let me explore you on my own and explore I do!
Oh shuttles! Winter is gone and spring is here and I will still come and see you! I love you so!
xoxo

I needed a particular tool (cables for my addi clicks for the knitters out there) and after calling around a bunch of shops in the area, Shuttles Spindles and Skeins were the only one who had it in stock. I told them I would be right up and left work.
The place can be a bit hard to find as it is tucked away on the back side of the shopping center but it’s worth it!
The shop is chock full of a fantastic selection of yarns and the prices all seemed really fair (especially for Boulder). I wandered over to the needle section and looked for my cables, after about a minute or two someone asked if I needed assistance, I told them what I was looking for and found out that since they had only had one, they’d set it aside for me. That was super sweet considering I never told them my name or gave a guarantee that I would be there in X amount of time.
I bought my cables ($ 10 cheaper than ordering online somewhere!) and went back to work happy. Well, as happy as you can be when you’re going back to work.
I’ll definitely head back up at lunch sometime and check out the yarn more closely!

This is one of my favorite Denver/​Boulder yarn shops. For many years now, Shuttles has been my go-​to place for high-​quality, classic, basic yarns. They have a great selection of wools, sock yarns, myriad colors of the Lamb’s Pride wool/​mohair blend I love for felting, as well as a small selection of flashy novelty yarns (fur, eyelash, etc.). It’s a friendly, casual atmosphere, too, complete with Bridget, the world’s mellowest shop sheepdog. For spinners and weavers, this is also the place to go for roving, cones and cones of weaving-​weight yarns, looms, and classes.
There are only a few things I don’t like about this shop: They are always very busy, so I’ve always had to wait quite a while to check out. Also, the staff is lacking in knowledge of knitting and yarns. I once walked in, reading a pattern, and asked for a yarn that was a certain number of wraps per inch. The Shuttles clerk had no idea what I was talking about – and didn’t believe I did, either. In fact, she was quite condescending. I’ve made all of my yarn-​buying decisions on my own here since then, but I keep coming back for the great selection.

My parents live in Boulder, and getting to shop here is one of the things I look forward to most when visiting them. None of the pricey square footage yarn stores in the Boston area have as huge a selection or such deep stock, and the offering of pattern binders, back issues of magazines, and obscure needle sizes and notions means that I end up spending half a day just wandering around, dreaming of all the wonderful things I will knit just as soon as I quit my job and spend all day with needles in hand. For yarns I’m super-​familiar with (Hello, Cascade 220! Lamb’s Pride, it’s been too long!) the prices are totally in line with what I’d expect to pay, and even on the cheap side.
I also love this store, for the very same reasons that other reviewers are somewhat critical. I don’t shop at local yarn stores because I want to have my hand held, or receive fawning overly-​solicitous service. I shop at local yarn stores because you can’t touch wool over the internet, or know for sure what color «wheatgrass» really is. I’m more than happy to be left alone, and fully capable of asking for help when I need it. When I sent my mom in to get me a ball-​winder and swift for my birthday a few years ago, she came away well pleased with the help she got, and appreciated the fact that they discouraged her from buying a more expensive swift in favor of the plastic-​and-​metal Japanese workhorse model.

Allow me to preface: If my mother was writing this review, she’d probably give this store 10 stars. And she’s the avid knitter here.
It’s VERY big and has a lot of knitting, crocheting, and spinning products. However, the help wasn’t exceptionally forthcoming.
They did have some fantastic completed projects on display, and one of the classes being held while we were there was on dying fiber, which was pretty unique.
All in all, I’m glad I was able to take my mom there (she has a book written by the store’s owner), but I think you’d have better luck at any number of stores in Denver. Unless you’re a spinner. In that case, I think you might want to check them out.