Not So Rigid Weaver

Musings on weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom and beyond

Weaving suppliers in Canada

Last Updated February 23, 2022

Finding stores that sell weaving supplies in Canada can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack, as there are many more yarn stores for knitters than weavers! There are of course many, many more yarn stores that sell wonderful knitting yarns that you can also use depending on the project, but this list focuses on online stores selling a range of weaving supplies of interest to rigid heddle weavers.

I started this list from my own personal hunt; I've noted where I've ordered from a supplier but inclusion or exclusion from this list shouldn't be taken as any sign of quality. The list is now ordered regionally from west to east, with no particular order within a region.

Weaving Focused Suppliers #

This category covers the store that are really focused on weaving supplies, and have a wide range of weaving specific yarns.

BC #

Jane Stafford Textiles: Salt Spring Island, BC. Jane Stafford runs a popular "online guild" for multi-shaft weavers and sells a variety of weaving yarns from standard cottons to more exotic types like mohair and silk. Also a dealer for Louët looms.

Penelope Fibre Arts: Surrey, BC. Maurice Brassard, Ashford, Harrisville, Henry's Attic, Jagger and other weaving yarns. Ashford, Leclerc, Louët, and Schact looms (and Harrisville Potholder looms)

Sanjo Silk: Vancouver, BC. Their focus is on silk and silk blends for weaving and other applications - they very possibly have the widest selection of silk yarns and fibre in Canada. You can also get silk cocoons and some interesting byproducts of silk spinning in their "curiosities" section. Their sister business the Silk Weaving Studio sells handwoven silk items and runs weaving and spinning classes.

Alberta #

Gather Textiles: Edmonton, AB. Carries Maurice Brassard, GIST, and others including some Alpaca yarns. Sells Schacht, Leclerc and Louët looms. Also has some online learning and workshops.

mo.go.po.mo: Stirling, AB. Supply & Design Studio in southern Alberta. They sell a variety of weaving and some knitting yarns; in particular they have a selection of linen and hemp yarns in addition to typical cottons, wools, and synthetics. They sell some Louët equipment and Venne yarns.

Ontario #

Camilla Valley Farms: Orangeville, ON. A wide selection of weaving yarns, Leclerc looms, and a large collection of books and weaving accessories.Cotton in a wide range of thicknesses, cottolin, Tencel, Rayon Chenille, various weaving specific wool and wool blend yarns, and UKI brand mercerized cotton. Their website and online ordering process is dated; you fill out a form online and they will confirm by email. (I have ordered from them)

Quebec #

Maurice Brassard: Plessisville, QC. They produce a wide range of weaving yarns which are distributed globally and are available from other sellers. You can order direct from them but it's more of a catalog order process as opposed to a modern e-commerce setup.

Tisse et File: Mercier, QC. Weaving, spinning, and felting supplies and a range of yarns. Weaving yarn brands include Maurice Brassard, Venne, Gist, Bockens, Ashford, Jagger Spun, and Lunatic Fringe. They sell Ashford and Kromski rigid heddle looms and are also dealers for Schacht and Louët. Notably they sell a variety of less commonly found fibers like hemp, silk, and alpaca. They are also a Glimakra dealer though they only list some accessories like shuttles on their website.

Irene Textile: Morin Heights, QC. (Online orders with option for local pickup). Has a wide variety of weaving yarns, including a wide range of Maurice Brassard yarns, Gist, and MERLIN French Linen. An unusual option is a Japanese paper yarn by Mondofil. Sells the Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom, along with Schacht and Leclerc floor looms. They are also as of January 2023 a new dealer for Glimakra and Louët looms, and Bockens yarns.

MD Weaving: Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, QC. A relatively new online business out of Quebec (I believe they opened in 2022). They have a range of cotton, cottolin, tencel, and acrylic weaving yarns, including some space dyed cotton, and some wool and wool blend bases for dyeing.

East #

LoomLust: Hanford Brook, NB (now online only). Maurice Brassard, UKI, Venne, Bockens, Lunatic Fringe, Jagger Spun, and Maysville yarns. Notably they seem to be the only active Glimakra dealer in Canada; they are also a Leclerc dealer.

Online stores with a weaving section #

These suppliers are less focused on weaving specifically, but have some weaving specific yarns. I'm focusing more on listing stores which have more than one or two things, have something more unique, or who are in a region that doesn't have many options. For example, I've listed all of the Kromski dealers I've found, as there's only a few of them in Canada, but not every local yarn store that sells Ashford looms and tapestry warp as the entirety of their weaving section, as those are more common.

BC #

Sweet Georgia Yarns: Vancouver, BC. They are known for their line of hand dyed knitting yarns (which are also sold through other retailers), but they also carry GIST and Venne weaving yarns. They also sell Leclerc, Louët, Schacht, and Ashford looms and run weaving classes. Owner Felicia Lo has a YouTube channel and has been getting more into weaving recently.

YarnCanada.ca: New Westminster, BC (online only). Ashford weaving yarns and looms plus lots of knitting/crochet yarns, including craft store staples like Sugar n'Cream. Check out their Factory Mill Ends if you're looking for inexpensive yarn to learn with. (I have ordered from them)

Maiwa: Vancouver, BC. Maiwa sells a variety of handcrafted products but also has a "Supply Store" which sells weaving yarns, with an emphasis on their "Honest Yarn" line of organic, naturally dyed linen, as well as some cotton, silk, and wool yarns. They also sell a lot of natural dying supplies.

North #

Itsy-Bitsy Yarn Store: Whitehorse, YT. This yarn store in Yukon has Ashford rigid heddle, inkle, and tapestry looms and accessories, and while they don't stock a lot of weaving specific yarns other than tapestry warp, they do have a lot of interesting made in Yukon hand dyed and/or handspun yarns.

Alberta #

Stash Lounge: Calgary, AB. Mostly knitting focused, but sells Louët and Schacht looms, along with a variety of mini-weaving looms; Maurice Brassard cotton weaving yarn and some others more focused on tapestry warp.

YuliaAV: Foothills County, AB. Mostly fiber for spinning, they are a dealer for Kromski weaving and spinning equipment.

A & B Fiberworks: Linden, AB. They have cotton and tencel weaving yarns, along with locally produced alpaca and wool yarns.

Ontario #

Wabi Sabi: Ottawa, ON. They carry some Maurice Brassard and Ashford yarns, and Ashford rigid heddle looms. (I have ordered from them for in-store pick up)

The Fibre Garden: Jordan, ON. This store focuses on spinning supplies. For weaving focused yarns they carry some Ashford yarns and a Tencel. They also carry Louët and Ashford looms.

Handknit Yarn Studio: Hamilton, ON. Mainly a knitting shop, but they carry Harrisville weaving yarns and Ashford Rigid Heddle looms.

Little Red Mitten: St. Thomas, ON. Their weaving section includes Ashford rigid heddle looms and Caterpillar yarn, and Maurice Brassard and other yarns.

JanKnits Studio: Haliburton, ON. Primarily knitting, sewing, and quilting oriented; they are a dealer for Kromski looms.

Quebec #

Tricote Moé Ça: Brownsburg-Chatham, QC. Spinning, weaving, and felting supplies, including Ashford and Kromski spinning wheels and looms. They sell Ashford weaving yarns as well as various spinning fibers. They also do custom woodworking for tools, parts, and repairs for spinning and weaving equipment.

East #

The Bobbin Tree: Sydney, NS. As of Feb 2023 they are temporarily closed due to damage from Hurricane Fiona. This store in Cape Breton has supplies for a wide range of fiber arts, including notably Bobbin Lace, and has a fairly wide selection of weaving yarns by Maurice Brassard (including their space died and cotton/hemp yarns which aren't stocked by many retailers), Ashford, and others. Run by Janet Dawson, who has is known for her classes on Craftsy and with Tien Chu, this is a general purpose LYS run by a weaver.

Sisterhood Fibres: Tatamagouche, NS. Carries Ashford rigid heddle and inkle looms, as well as Ashford and other weaving yarns. They also carry some locally sourced wool yarns.

Where the Wildflowers Grow Gallery: Perth-Andover, NB. Ashford dealer, also Maurice Brassard and other weaving yarns, along with felting, spinning, and dyeing supplies.


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