Last week I discovered a gem in Kuwait.  A little yarn store called Needles and Yarn.  The first thing you notice when you walk in is how sunny and bright it is.  With a huge window, the natural sunlight makes all the yarn look magical.  If you have ever bought yarn at a store that had no natural light, you probably went home and discovered that the colors were not what you thought.

I found out about Needles and Yarn thru instagram.  I asked the owner if I could interview her and she graciously said yes.

If you were expecting her to be an older woman then I am sorry to burst your bubble, Balqees is a young lady in her twenties who is also a software developer, obviously energetic and very passionate about yarn and the things you can make with it. Originally she was taught how to knit by her grandmother and then how to crochet by her mom and when she decided to start her own business she felt it had to be something she was passionate about so she opened a yarn store.

If you live in Kuwait and have tried to buy yarn you will already know that mainly Turkish and Chinese yarns are available.  When I first started buying yarn you couldn’t even find the Turkish yarn and it was mainly acrylics you could find.  While acrylics are great for some things, high quality luxury yarns really do make your fibre experience so much different.  And this is exactly where Needles and Yarn fills the void.  They stock Debbie Bliss, Adriafil and Louisa Harding yarns.  As for the needles in stock, they have Adi needles and hooks which are not available anywhere else in Kuwait.

“My yarns are not available anywhere else in Kuwait” Balqees says, and she is absolutely correct.  The colors are just divine and the white shelving makes them pop even more.  A selection which is obviously curated by someone who loved yarn and enjoys using it.  They also offer free classes.

Their next workshop is on Monday the 29th of April is for Autism Awareness you can call 66699996 to reserve your place. For this yarn store, community is a very important factor. Because after all, a yarn store is a great place to meet people who enjoy your hobby. And the hobby we all share is a great way to give back to our communities.

Like I said, the yarn is just gorgeous. I could spend hours just petting the yarn.  When I asked Balqees what she knits the most she said “Scarves, lots of scarves.”  And later she said how a wonderful yarn with a simple pattern can make something amazing.  And with the yarns she has, she is right.

Needles and Yarn is a great example of the entrepreneurship  in Kuwait, young people who are deeply passionate about something and turning the passion into a business.  It is not just about a yarn store, it is about people stepping out of the box and doing something awesome.

I think if you are in Kuwait you really ought to give them a visit, even if you don’t knit or crochet.  You might be inspired to learn, and with their free workshops, you really have no excuse.  Here is their location:

View Needles And Yarn Store ابره وخيط للاقمشه in a larger map

The store is open Sat to Thurs from 9:30 – 1:30 pm and 4:30 – 8:30 pm