The World In Stitches

The staff is absolutely friendly and very helpful, and they have a lovely cross stitch collection. Worth the hike for me to visit a lovely store like this.

I love this store. Randi is my personal needlework muse, advising me on projects, admiring my less-​than-​perfect work and, in general, making every visit to her store a total hoot. Don’t be put off by the rather idiosyncratic organization of the store. Just imagine you are in some crazy bookstore in a Dickens novel, and you will get it.
Randi has advised me for years as I have gotten back into needlework after my kids both went off to college. I began with a cross stitch for my parents’ anniversary, another for my nephew’s wedding, needlepoint pillow for myself, and a «mash-​up» of congratulations and Noah’s art designs to make a diploma for my daughter who is getting a vet tech certificate after a degree in conversation biology.
The store carries a huge number of designs, including the standard puppies, kittens, kids, and Christmas ornaments as well as some amazing artistic and original pieces.
Randi makes every visit fun and relaxing. No pressure. Lots of smiles. This is the kind of old-​style store we need here in New England.
Hmm…I may even take up knitting next.
Try it out. You’ll be glad you did!
Ellen Q

Great shop with a lot of variety. I love all kinds of needlework, and I can always count on them to have great fibers, Mill Hill beads, linens, and other supplies in stock. The owners are very knowledgeable and will help you with any questions or make suggestions.
The atmosphere is laid back. The owners are very hands-​on, particularly with their regulars, so sometimes you need to wait a bit while they finish up with someone else. I would suggest that you don’t go when you are in a hurry.
When I know exactly what I want, I am often tempted to just order it online, but a locally-​owned small business like this is worth supporting, so I head on over to TWIS. It’s always a treat.

I’ve purchased yarn at TWIS numerous times. The selection is excellent and prices fair, though you might find similar items at A.C. Moore for a bit less. Still, I’d choose to go to TWIS since they have a wider selection of gorgeous yarns A.C. Moore just doesn’t have.
The owner is very knowledgeable and it does seem to be a very laid-​back kind of place. I think, as a previous reviewer noted, there can be times when CS may not be as crisp as you’d like. I’d suggest don’t be afraid to speak up, let it be known you have cash in hand and would like to purchase!
There’s also a fantastic consignment shop at this same location.

When I went in, there was me, another active customer, and a bunch of ladies doing crafts at a table. I poked around a bit — found a couple things I was interested in, but wanted to know more about.
Waited for the staff person to finish up with the other customer she was talking to. And waited some more. And some more. They were chit-​chatting like old friends and looked like there was no end in sight. I hung around at a distance that made it obvious I was in need of help, but not trying to be pushy. Too much gab, too little action. So I put my stuff back and left. Probably won’t be back.
I understand that I need to wait my turn. But if you’re just shooting the breeze with an old customer, maybe you can at least acknowledge the other customer and say something like, «I’ll be with you in a minute.»

My wife goes here because it’s the only shop around (other than boston) for certain items.
That said, the customer service is terrible! Hanging on your shoulder, telling people to go to the atm’s nearby vs paying with a CC, basically pressuring you to leave and not buy anything.
Amazing.

My mother introduced this store to me back when it was in its older, smaller location a little further down the road. I am so glad to see this business thriving. I no longer live in the immediate area but I still come back to this store when I need some specialty skeins of yarn, the selection here beats almost anything I’ve ever seen.
The World in Stitches, as the name suggests, also has a lot of resources for quilters/​sewers (but not fabric), as well as knitters, crocheters, even scrapbookers, and probably a bunch of other crafts that I don’t even know about. The woman who owns this store really, really knows her stuff, so even if your question is completely off the wall, she knows how to help you. TWIS is a fantastic resource to fiber crafters in the area.
It’s worth noting that this store is on the second floor of the building its in, so when you’ve parked in the «back,» look for the double doors leading to the staircase and go up.