Every knitting retreat needs at least one yarn shop visit. Technically, Ginger Twist Studio wasn’t one of the main activities on our Edinburgh itinerary, but it was absolutely on our we must fit this in somewhere list. So, on our free day, our entire group made our way to the shop during its regular hours—because giving a group of knitters free time in Scotland and expecting us not to find yarn would have been wildly optimistic.
A Wall of Yarn and Plenty of Inspiration
The first thing you notice when you walk into Ginger Twist Studio is the enormous wall of yarn stretching almost all the way to the ceiling. There is even a library ladder that can be moved into place so the staff can reach the yarn stored at the very top.
As someone who is 5'3", I fully appreciate a yarn shop that acknowledges some skeins require special equipment. The entire wall is filled with color, texture, samples, and more yarn than your eyes can possibly take in all at once—in other words, an excellent way to make a very good first impression.
Just above the shelves, the walls are lined with colorful knitted samples—sweaters, tees, cardigans, and accessories that immediately have you imagining what all that yarn could become. If something catches your eye, the staff can use a long hook to bring it down so you can look more closely, check out the construction, and, of course, give the fabric a proper squish.
Our group quickly moved from admiring the samples to discussing which sweater we wanted to knit and which yarn we would use. Apparently, we needed to make project plans before we had even finished looking around the shop.
Meeting Jess and Discovering Ginger’s Hand Dyed
Then there is Ginger’s Hand Dyed, Jess’s own collection of yarns dyed right there in Edinburgh. Instead of displaying the yarn twisted tightly into hanks, many of the skeins hang open so you can really see the movement of the color, the texture of the fiber, and the way the light catches each base. It is a beautiful rainbow of color and probably not the safest environment for anyone who walked in saying, “I’m only going to look.” Fortunately, none of us had made that kind of unrealistic promise.
We were also lucky enough to meet Jess while we were there. The staff had already told us that the Ginger Twist logo—a very stylish ginger cat wearing glasses and holding a ball of yarn—did a pretty good job of capturing Jess’s personality, and once we met her, we understood exactly what they meant. She was wearing a fabulous dress she had sewn herself, which naturally led to plenty of admiration from our group. She was warm, funny, and incredibly easy to talk to, and we quickly found common ground when we learned that she had grown up on the West Coast of the United States before eventually making Scotland her home. She shared a little of that story with us, and it was very clear how much she loves the creative life she has built there.
What especially caught my attention was not just the color, but the interesting fiber combinations Jess has chosen for her hand-dyed bases. Splendid Lace combines British Bluefaced Leicester with silk, giving it that wonderful balance of sheepiness, sheen, and drape. Sweet Flax 4ply blends baby alpaca, linen, and silk—a combination that sounds perfect for a lightweight garment with softness, movement, and just enough warmth. Apparently, the part of my brain that analyzes yarn construction does not understand the concept of vacation, because I immediately started imagining what I could knit with each one.
Yarn Shopping as a Group Sport
Because this was a Sweater Club retreat, yarn shopping also became a group project—in the best possible way. My travel companions loved having me there to help them compare fiber blends, think through pattern possibilities, and decide whether a yarn would create the kind of fabric they had in mind. We also helped one another choose colors that suited both the person and the project.
There were thoughtful discussions about gauge, drape, and sweater construction—and there were also several perfectly reasonable decisions that sounded like, “I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to make with this, but I had better buy a sweater’s quantity because this yarn is coming home with me.” Some projects begin with a pattern. Others begin with a yarn announcing that it has already packed its bags and will be traveling home with you.
What Came Home With Me
For my own purchase, I showed what I consider remarkable restraint and chose one base: Yakety-Yak 4ply, a fingering-weight blend of superwash merino, yak, and silk.
I bought a sweater’s quantity of the warm chartreuse Muddy Sunshine colorway, which seems to glow when the light catches it. The softness and drape immediately made me picture a lightweight tee that I could wear through several seasons. Do I know exactly which tee pattern yet? No. But as we have already established, the yarn had packed its bags, and I wasn’t about to make it miss its flight.
Ginger Twist Studio is not only about yarn. The shop also has a wonderful selection of garment fabrics, project bags, books, notions, and UK-based wool brands that we do not commonly see at home.
By the time we finished shopping, nearly everyone in our group had found something—a sweater’s quantity of yarn, fabric for a future garment, or a few smaller notions, including some adorable Highland cow needle stoppers.
Fortunately, most of us had deliberately left extra room in our luggage for souvenirs and yarn. A few especially experienced travelers had even packed an extra foldable bag specifically to house yarn on the journey home. That isn’t overpacking; it is making sure all the essentials—yarn, chocolate, shortbread, Scottish-woven tartan fabric, tea, and Scotch whisky—have suitable accommodations for their international journey home. You know, the necessities.
Planning Your Visit
If you are a knitter—or simply someone who loves color, textiles, and beautifully made things—Ginger Twist Studio is well worth adding to your Edinburgh plans. Give yourself more time than you think you will need, because this is not the kind of shop you pop into for five minutes. You will want time to explore the yarn wall, study the samples, investigate the fabric and notions, and reconsider at least three projects you had no intention of casting on.
Before visiting, check the shop’s hours and travel information—and perhaps review your available suitcase space while you are at it.
Our visit to Ginger Twist Studio became one of those wonderfully unhurried parts of the trip that everyone continued talking about afterward. We left with yarn, fabric, notions, new project ideas, and the happy feeling that comes from spending time in a shop created by someone who genuinely loves the craft.
I will be sure to share what my Muddy Sunshine Yakety-Yak eventually becomes—once the yarn and I agree on the right pattern. In the meantime, have you ever visited a yarn shop while traveling that you still think about? Tell me about it in the comments, because clearly my future travel plans need more yarn-related destinations.
