The Fold

Up until now all I’d known about Marengo was that the name sounds sort of festive — ma-​REN-​go! — and that it was my back-​road turn off on the way to Chicago. Poking around for a pleasant outing with yarn friends, I blundered onto their website and figured why not? All three of us were pleasantly stunned. The Fold is in a non-​commercial area, so we thought my GPS might be wonky until we saw all the cars lining the drive and parking area.
The place is great and I can’t wait to go back for a longer visit! Tons of beautiful yarns, perfectly organized, spinning supplies galore for you spinners (the guild was having a session which explained all the cars), many brands and tools in person that I’ve only seen online or in magazines.
Will definitely take another trip soon. Biggest disappointment on my first visit was that I just couldn’t rationalize buying another inch of yarn, having vowed to plow through my already overflowing stash first. Promises are made to be broken, they say, and The Fold is sure to make me break a couple on my next visit.
I hear they have a fabulous New Year’s Day sale, but don’t know details yet.

The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is an understatement! Toni is phenomenal! Everything a yarnie needs or wants is at your fingertips at The Fold! Even if it is 51 miles door to door, I will be back… if I had more time, I would have spent an entire paycheck! …Toni, thank you for your excellent customer service & my rasta hanks… I’ll be back and gladly let you swipe my Visa :)

Fellow motorcyclists who knit: I know you’re out there, and I’m hoping you’ll read this. If you live anywhere in the area and are looking for a destination to ride through some nice scenery to get to, you could do far worse than The Fold. Seriously. It’s a great place to hit on a long ride. It’s just a little north of 20, then a little further north of 176 on Millstream Rd.
First established as a shop for spinners, this place has everything your knitty little heart desires. (Well, almost.) I’ve never seen such a complete array of nice knitting needles and notions at decent prices in one place. Ever. DPNs, straights, circs… you name it. Chiaogoo, Hiya-​Hiya, Addi Skacel, Clover… even some Lantern Moon were all represented. Pretty much every size of anything you want is here, and it’s all organized very nicely so you can find the size of the needle that you need.
I appreciate that this is the only shop around for spinners, and has spinning classes and roving and wheels and all sort of supplies — and apparently a sheep out back (which I didn’t see while I was there, although I did see the lovely back deck where classes are taught). I’m sure I’d appreciate it more if I actually did spin, but alas. Just a wee knitter here.
The yarn selection must be seen to be believed. There’s truly something for everyone here: from incredibly luxurious (and correspondingly priced) hand-​painted yarns in exotic fibers like yak, to bright cottons for dishcloths and similar accessories. Mainly, it’s nice to go in and just pet the yarn until you find something that calls your name. The owner, Toni, understands this — I think it’s something that all fiber artists and lovers have in common, this need for delicious textures in our hands.
In some ways, I almost feel lucky that I didn’t have a lot of money to spend when I walked into The Fold yesterday. If I’d had it to spend, I would have. This place is Dangerous with a capital «D.» It’s wonderful. It’s a wonderful kind of danger.
Shop owner Toni is just so friendly and helpful, and never overbearing. She’s mastered the art of guiding you and making herself available to help you with any questions you might have, while not being at all pushy. Go give this woman all your money if you knit or spin (and probably if you crochet, too).
The first person I met at The Fold was the shop dog, a beautiful 5-​month-​old boy named Sturm. He’s absolutely beautiful, and when I pulled up the driveway on my bike, he immediately came out from the bushes to check it out. He didn’t bark. Instead, he just came over to sniff and examine. I stood there on my bike for awhile, unable to put the side stand down and lean it over to park it – because Sturm had laid down next to the bike and had his head and front paws partially underneath it, and I didn’t want to hurt him. What a sweetheart! I couldn’t believe he was only 5 months old when Toni later told me. He’s so calm and friendly! He didn’t bark once while I was there, and a lot of other people came and went. I think a spinning class had just ended while I was parking, so a lot of people came out of the shop and left.
As others have mentioned, the shop is a house. There’s a sign out by the side of the road, on the right side of the driveway if you’re facing the house. There are no signs closer to the house. Toni says the shop is what used to be their garage and breezeway. It’s a phenomenal place, and if you find yourself to be a lover of fiber (or love a lover of fiber), this is absolutely a must-​visit place. That goes double if you also ride motorcycles, because it’s a nice ride out.
In conclusion, I’m pretty sure it’s called «The Fold» because the space-​time continuum gently folds around you and swallows you up while you’re here, so you lose track of all space and time and indeed everything but the marvelous array of fibers and tools and books this shop stocks. Be aware of that. Don’t go here if you’re in a hurry. Take the time to poke around into all the corners of the shop and appreciate everything you can.
One last note: signal availability via your wireless carrier is spotty out here, so you may or may not be able to check in. Or consult your GPS. If you keep going south from The Fold, you’ll hit 20. Or ask Toni, who will helpfully direct you. :)

The Fold is one of those places that I always recommend to knitters and spinners as a place that they MUST visit. It is the spinning shop that is most local to Chicago, and until recently was the only place east of the Mississippi where you could purchase a very popular sock yarn in person.
But oh my, the Fold is so much more than that. Toni (the owner) is fabulously and wonderfully patient, kind, helpful and just nice to everyone who walks into the door. And there is Nan, who works there, who is exactly the same way. And then there is Toni’s dog, Eric, who about makes the drive worth it all on his own!

A bit of a mecca for knitters and spinners, this store in the middle of very little is *wonderful*. It’s a spinner’s, knitters and felter’s paradise, with drop spindles, carding supplies, roving, top, accessories and a fabulous yarn selection. Oh my. And the owner is superb. She’s always helping someone and is just so kind to everyone, patiently answering every newb question you can ask — I’m sure she’s answered them each at least 10,000 times before, and yet she treats you as if you are the first person to ever ask the question — really great.
Parking is limited — if you have a choice, you might want to bring the small car. :-)
would I recommend: Yes, for sure.
Would I return: Yes yes yes!

I had heard all this hype from other knitters about «The Fold.» As if it’s this high and mighty mystical place. So I had to check it out to see what all the fuss was about.
First off, I had to Google Marengo, IL cause I had never heard of the town. It’s a bit of a drive from where I live and very scenic at that. This was cool by me being the photographer I am.. . I’ve always enjoyed taking in scenery while on a long drive (as long as it was interesting to look a). I do recommend that if this is a bit of a drive for you and are planning a special trip there call ahead or check their web site to see if they have any upcoming sales. That way you won’t have the experience I did of finding out there is a big sale the next weekend once you are already there.
When you get to The Fold you literally have to realize you are looking for a house with a sign at the front of the drive that reads «The Fold.» Otherwise you will pass the place.
I would agree with cb b.‘s review of this shop. They carry a great selection of yarns (some you won’t find in most yarn shops — like Blue Moon Socks That Rock) and spinning equipment. Additionally there is a great selection of fibers for spinning and books on learning the craft of knitting/​crocheting. They also hold spinning classes outside on the back deck which I found really interesting. There was actually a class going on when we were there so we went to observe and talked to some of the ladies in the spinning group.
The service is good and people there will help you with all your questions without being pushy. It’s a friendly, welcoming environment which I really liked.
To top off your experience, if you’re lucky enough you’ll see the sheep that reside in an area right next to the store (house) — it’s really cool!
All in all, the trip to The Fold is well worth it and I highly recommend you take a trip out to visit.

This store is great! Okay, It is a bit daunting to find, but it is worth it. The owner of this shop loves spinning and has everything you will need to get start, advance or learn the craft of spinnning. She is extremely helpful and not pushy. She also carries an array of yarns that are not found elsewhere for reasonable prices. She has a great library of books as well as weaving supplies.
If you go early, you can check out the sheep! Classes are offered here as well — on here back deck.