Knits and Pieces in Baltimore: Yarn, Notions, and Classes for All Skill Levels

Knits and Pieces is a yarn shop located in Fells Point that stocks worsted and fingering weight yarns alongside notions, patterns, and finished accessories, and offers in-person knitting and crochet instruction for beginners through advanced students.

What Knits and Pieces actually is

The shop occupies a street-level storefront on Broadway and operates as a full-service yarn retailer with an embedded teaching studio. It carries approximately 800 to 1,200 individual yarn SKUs at any given time, with an emphasis on natural fibers (merino, alpaca, cotton, linen, silk blends) and a smaller selection of synthetic and acrylic options. The shop also stocks needles and hooks in metal, wood, and bamboo; stitch markers; row counters; blocking supplies; pattern books; and finished items including hats, scarves, and sweaters available for purchase. The space functions as both a retail destination and a community instruction hub, which shapes both its inventory decisions and its positioning relative to other yarn sources in Baltimore.

Yarn inventory, pricing, and what to expect

Yarn prices range from $6 to $28 per skein depending on fiber content and yardage. Merino and wool blends typically fall between $8 and $16; luxury fibers such as cashmere blends, mohair, and hand-dyed indie yarns run $16 to $28. Worsted-weight yarn in standard commercial brands sells for $10 to $14, while fingering-weight sock yarn averages $14 to $18 per skein. Acrylic options, limited in selection, cost $5 to $9. The shop restocks inventory on a rolling basis; popular colors and weights sell out within two to four weeks, and no online ordering or mail delivery is available. This means repeat customers plan visits around seasonal patterns (heavy on chunky yarns and worsted weights in fall and winter; linen, cotton, and laceweight in spring and summer) and confirm availability by phone before making a dedicated trip for a specific yarn.

Notions and tools are priced competitively with national online retailers for most items. Wooden DPN sets cost $12 to $18; circular needles in sizes 4 through 15 range from $8 to $22 depending on material and length. Blocking mats sell individually or in sets; a single mat costs $8, and a five-mat set costs $35. Patterns include vintage Ravelry printouts (free in-store), contemporary indie patterns ($7 to $12), and bound pattern books ($20 to $45).

How Knits and Pieces compares to other Baltimore yarn sources

Baltimore has four primary yarn retail outlets. Knits and Pieces is the only shop that combines walk-in retail with structured classes; two competitors, String Theory Yarn in Canton and The Woolly in Hampden, operate as yarn-only retail without on-site instruction. A Michaels location in Towson carries basic craft yarn and needles at lower price points ($3 to $8 per skein for acrylic and beginner blends) but offers no specialty fibers, no curated selection, and staff without knitting expertise. A fourth option, Sew It Seams in Federal Hill, stocks yarn alongside fabric and sewing supplies; it carries a narrower yarn selection (roughly 300 SKUs) but offers both knitting and sewing classes under one roof.

Choose Knits and Pieces if you want hands-on instruction, are building a long-term relationship with a shop, or need guidance on fiber choice and project planning. Choose String Theory or The Woolly if you have a specific yarn in mind and want to compare multiple colorways in one visit without committing to a class. Choose Michaels if you need acrylic yarn fast and price is the only factor. Choose Sew It Seams if you want to combine yarn shopping with fabric or sewing supplies in a single trip.

Services and class structure

Knits and Pieces offers drop-in classes and session-based courses. Drop-in "Stitch and Sit" sessions meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., with no registration required; cost is $5 per person for existing customers or $10 for visitors. These sessions are unstructured social knitting time with an instructor present to answer questions and troubleshoot; they suit people already comfortable with basic stitches who want community and feedback.

Formal classes run on a six-week session cycle and cover specific skill tracks. Absolute Beginner (knit and purl, casting on, binding off) costs $90 per six-week session, meeting once per week for 90 minutes. Intermediate (increases, decreases, following patterns) costs $108 for six weeks. Advanced (colorwork, lace, shaping) costs $120 for six weeks. A separate Crochet Basics track mirrors the knit structure and pricing. Single-session trial classes cost $18 and are offered monthly on the first Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. All class registrations include a 10 percent discount on yarn purchased during the session term, which typically saves a beginner $8 to $15 across six weeks of material.

Who this shop suits and who it does not

Knits and Pieces is ideal for people new to knitting or crochet who want live instruction without driving to a community college or yarn retreat center; for intermediate knitters seeking pattern feedback and community; and for anyone in Fells Point or Canton who prefers supporting a local retail owner over mail-order shopping. It is poorly suited to anyone shopping primarily on price (Michaels beats it on yarn cost), anyone seeking extensive yarn selection under one roof (The Woolly and String Theory carry larger inventory), or anyone who knits exclusively at home and has no interest in classes or in-store community.

What a first visit involves

Walk-in retail traffic is welcome any time during business hours. Browsing typically takes 20 to 40 minutes; staff can recommend yarns for specific projects and answer basic fiber questions without appointment. If you want to enroll in a class, arrive 15 minutes early on the first session date to complete a brief intake form that captures skill level. Bring a project or needles if you already knit; the instructor will assess your technique and place you in the right level. If you are completely new, arrive with no equipment; the instructor will provide loaner needles for your first session.

Hours, parking, and logistics

The shop is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday. Street parking is available on Broadway and adjacent residential blocks in Fells Point; a public lot is one block south at Wolfe and South High streets and costs $2 per hour or $10 daily. Confirm current class schedules and enrollment by phone before your first visit, as session start dates shift seasonally.

Knits and Pieces fills a gap in Baltimore's yarn retail landscape by bundling retail and instruction, making it the only shop where a complete beginner can buy yarn, learn to use it, and return for feedback without assembling resources across multiple venues.