location: 658 Queen Street West
phone number: (416)703-0202
hours: Mon-closed; Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat–10am to 6pm; Thurs–10am to 8pm; Sun-11am to 5pm
payment methods: Cash, debit, Visa, MasterCard, Amex
directions: one block west of Queen and Bathurst. Take the 501 Queen West Streetcar from Queen or Osgoode Station to Bathurst.

Open for over thirty years through three downtown Toronto locations, Romni Wools is too big in size and selection for it to be a well kept city secret. A good thing for the well seasoned knitter or craft curious alike; they’ve got the goods to either supply your habit or get you started on a new one. The entrance itself is a testament to this: To your right the tools to start – a towering wall of knitting and circular needles, crochet hooks, stitch markers and too many more fibre craft gadgets to name. To your left, you’ll find a moderate selection of the finished product – hand knit sweaters from $80 to $100 and felted bags in the $30-$50 range. Pick up a smaller version of the store’s mascot if you’re feeling a little fuzzy - small stuffed lambs from $20 and up.

Past the entrance, it’s difficult to give a sense of how much yarn Romni Wools carries; the store is nearly 6000 square feet and on two floors. Product is displayed from floor to ceiling. Entire walls packed with fuzzy rainbows of colour, aisles of stacked plastic bins overflowing with gossamer threads of pastels, soft mountains of skeins you almost want to jump into like a pile of leaves. Prices on this massive selection range from reasonable to luxurious: from a $6.95 Shepherd cotton merino blend to $26.95 Colourway “dreadlock” yarn in raspberry.

Their stock covers natural to novelty, with plenty of alpaca, merino, mohair, bamboo, cotton and silk to boot. It’s fabulous for the yarn geek or compulsive collector who, like me, may tend to buy more yarn than is ever possible to knit. Simply put, Romni Wools carries a lot of wool in enough colours to make up for its bare décor of grey concrete floors and warehouse style fluorescent lights.

While most bins and shelves are accurately labeled with name and price, there is a lot of unmarked product. Luckily, Romni is well staffed and there is always someone to help, which is especially useful if you’ve got more specific questions about what type of fibre or weight is best for your project. With some employees teaching Romni’s array of in-store classes, they are all prepared to help you out on your latest (or first) project, and even offer free 15 minute clinics by appointment.
profile by Chantal Braganza
photography by Ashley Satchell