The Quest For Yarn in Saudi Arabia

When my husband suggested a road trip to Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia, the first thing I did was troll the internet looking for places to visit. One of the first things I like to search for in a new country, is where to buy yarn and craft supplies. I was thrilled when I found Al Zamil Stores mentioned on an expat forum. It is a family owned business which has been in operation since 1964. It is 4 floors including fabrics, notions, patterns, needle craft accessories, scrapbooking supplies, costumes, a custom styrofoam department, and much more! A truly fascinating place to visit!  I love vintage haberdashery items, and I think some things in the store had been in that store for 30 years or more! A great place to treasure hunt! I just wish I had been looking for something in particular. I also wish I had this store in my area. I would be a frequent customer!

 There was one aisle of yarn, mostly from Turkey, in solid colors and a few novelty yarns.

I don't think sewing patterns are purchased very often. It was quite a vintage collection. I  don't think there was a pattern there more current than 1980! They even had them covered with plastic so they don't get dusty.

I found this section so unique. I have never seen such a variety of looms before. They seemed quite popular, too. People were buying them for their children to use in a class.

I love rick rack, and am always on the lookout for unusual types. I haven't ever seen any like this before. It could be stunning on the right project. At this moment, I am really wishing I had bought them both!

This was very unusual knitted jersey yarn from Italy. I woke up in the middle of the night with a vision of crochet motifs made from this. We stopped by on our way out of town, but they had just closed a few minutes before! They close for noon prayer, and don't reopen until 4pm. Unfortunately we couldn't stay longer, to wait for them to reopen! Maybe the yarn will still be there if we make another road trip there... In the future I think I need to schedule two visits to places like this, when we are on a trip. One to get the feel of the place and take it all in, and a second after I have had a chance to think about all of the possible uses for what I have seen. A lesson learned!