lori l. , who will visit Istanbul soon, asked my recommendation for yarn shops in Istanbul. Well
lori, there are 2-3 good brands:
Feza (the best yarn),
YarnArt and
Anchor (in this order). You will see
Bravo (which looks so nice, a true eye-catcher), but I don't recommend unless you never wash your knits. One brand is very popular here:
Nako. It is quite cheap, they have mostly acrylics. From
Nako I suggest only yarns with minimum 50 % wool.
Yarn shops are everywhere here, as 90% of Turkish women are knitting. But, the
magic yarn land, a street only with (cheap) yarn shops is in
Eminőnű district and the place's name is
Kűrkçű Han. Actually, this district of Istanbul,
Eminőnű, is the shopping paradise. Words are not enough to describe the experience of shopping here. One day is not enough. Here you can find everything (gold jewelry, yarn, clothing, kitchenware, spices, beading accessories, fabrics, etc) at any price. As a foreigner, YOU MUST BARGAIN. The rule is: you say you like the goods (never offend a Turkish seller by telling him his goods are not nice just to get a discount) but you can't afford this price. You pretend you leave his shop, he calls you back to "talk again", you still say you don't agree and leave again, he calls you again. Patience. This "game" might be tiring for you but is usual here.
It seems lori l. will have a great time in Istanbul.
This is my first WIP (work in progress) after my return from Romania and my second project from Norah's book: Knitting Nature. The first project was Droplet Hat. The hat for a swap on Ravelry but I am making this lovely tank for myself.
I am using Turkish yarn from Linate Okiteks, CotoLin Gold: 50% cotton and 50% acrylic. It was a true bargain as it's a discontinued yarn and the seller told me it was the last batch. I just adore the color: yellow peach, very close to the skin color.
My gauge/tension is 20 sts per 4'' with US 7/4.5 mm needle and I cast on for the smallest size.
My nickel-plated KnitPicks interchangeable circular needles are perfect for this type of yarn.
