# Alaska cruise



## Matty33 (Apr 10, 2012)

Looking for lys information in Skagway and ketchican ....got to shop for yarn on my cruise


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## Select7777 (Oct 30, 2011)

When are you going? I'm going in may, on the princess cruise line.


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## knitter73 (Nov 3, 2011)

I'm interested too. I'm going in June.


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## Renee50 (Feb 12, 2012)

I'm going the end of June.


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## nuclearfinz (Feb 23, 2011)

We went about 6 years ago on that cruise and had a blast. We were there in July. Skagway was my favorite. Went on the Ladies of the Evening Tour. Pretty cool. Hubby did the bike ride that starts in the Yukon and ends up back in Alaska. If he would do it, ANYBODY can. he is not big into exerting himself. Have to say Ketchican was my least favorite. 53 jewelry stores right where the cruise ship pulls in.


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## bbbie (May 5, 2011)

ketchican has only 3 places for yarn wal mart, the point (best place) and rain forest crafts


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## Grannybean (Dec 26, 2011)

I'm going in July. would love to have some recommendations as to where to fine LYS also.


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## knittingneedles (Mar 27, 2011)

One of my favorite things to do on cruises is to find LYSs wherever I go.. Have found some amazing stores.. Usually I go to Ravelry and find groups from the area I will be going to and ask them where they like to shop.. works out well and you might even meet new friends.. or check out www.knitmap.com 
Whatever you do.. have a great cruise!!!


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## Tami9120 (Mar 29, 2012)

If any of you dock in Homer there is an adorable shop "Commuknitty Stash" it's in a yurt....


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## deshka (Apr 6, 2011)

. 53 jewelry stores right where the cruise ship pulls in.[/quote]

There are jewelry stores in all the ports, and the curise lines ENCOURAGE you to visit each and every one, with their 'free gifts'. Those stores are owned by the cruise lines, Disney, in other words. If you go to those jewelry stores, you have no time to visit the real areas, my suggestion, is to just skip all of them. All their staff is brought in from some other areas, no employment for the locals. These stores are taking up so much of the prime areas of these towns. I learned this on my first cruise, so avoided them on other cruises I have taken. I loved our Alaska cruise, except for the bus drivers that showed up in Seward. Absolute jerk that we encountered.


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## immunurse (May 2, 2011)

Grannybean said:


> I'm going in July. would love to have some recommendations as to where to fine LYS also.


 I clicked on the wrong post -- I meant this post to quote knittingneedles who said her favorite thing was buying yarn on trips

How do you get it all in your suitcase?

DH and I are going in September with one of my favorite cousins and her DH. Holland America with the trip from Fairbanks. Can any of you who have been there tell me if you would recommend the "pretour" one-day trip to the Arctic Circle. It's expensive but it sounds interesting.


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## knittingneedles (Mar 27, 2011)

I love HAL, always cruise with them. I use vacuum bags for the yarn.. just ask your cabin steward for the vacuum and suck all the air out..

If you go to cruisecritic.com and go to the roll call for your particular cruise you will find fellow cruisers who might be arranging excursions that you might be interested in, and they usually discuss HAL excursions too..


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## Matty33 (Apr 10, 2012)

I am sailing May as well ... We are sailing 16th of May on Island Princess! Maybe we will meet!


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

As deshka stated the jewelry stores are owned by the cruise lines as are some of the other stores. In order to help the locals and natives earn a living please shop in their shops. Some have signs in the windows stating they are not associated with the cruise lines and are locally owned. They have a short span


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

Sorry, I hit send before finishing my sentence. I was just saying they have just a few months to make profits.


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

For all my Alaska bound friends, you're in for a wonderful time. I, too, hunt for yarn shops on my trips.

In Fairbanks I shopped in Inua Wool Shop. I bought some of the Qiviut yarn. It's native to Alaska and comes from the fine underhair of Musk Ox. It's the warmest yarn of all and the lightest in weight. It's wonderful but expensive. Be prepared to dig deep into your bank account. 

In Juneau I shopped in Seaside Yarns. Small but great shop.
The owner, Melissa, was very helpful. I even emailed her after I got home for help with a pattern for the Qiviut...yes I bought another skein. I'm weak. Anyway she gave me several patterns to look up. I wanted a scarf pattern that would use only one skein since it is so expensive.

When in Anchorage I visited the Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers Co-op. It was started as a way for the women to suppliment their income. Some items are sold there. They are all made with the Qiviut in the natural color.

We also visited the Musk Ox Farm at Fairbanks and there's one in Palmer outside of Juneau. Tours are available.

Google yarn shops in whatever town you're going to stop. Most of them have at least one shop.

I visited North Pole. Be sure to buy postcards to send to friends and grandkids while there and have them postmarked from North Pole. My 3 year old grandson was amazed that I was at Santa's house. Of course he was full of questions that just did not end! Precious!

I would have loved to have gone to the Artic Circle. There were so many places to go and things to see that we just did not have time to do. I'd love to go back!

I'm a talker and could talk all night but I'll go before you all shut me down.


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## pasha (Dec 11, 2011)

When you are in Ketchican, visit Ray Troll's gallery. He has an interesting sense of art and humor. The gallery is downtown.


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## Matty33 (Apr 10, 2012)

Thank you to all for the suggestions


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## beadknitter (Sep 23, 2011)

Hi from Australia,
My husband & I are driving around Alaska & Yukon ( 2nd time in the yukon) in September this year & are having a few days in Homer so I will be on the lookout for the Yurt. Thanks for that tip. We eventually end up back in Anchorage to drop our car off & get the train to Seward & cruise down to Vancouver ( did the cruise from vancouver 2yrs ago but just doing things a bit differently this time) so any other wool stores in Alaska you know of would be great.
Thanks Sandra ( beadknitter)


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## beadknitter (Sep 23, 2011)

Hi from Australia,
A query on your trip to Alaska, did you drive around? My husband & I are doing a driving tour of Alaska & Yukon ( 2nd time to the Yukon) in September so I was pleased about your comments on the wool shops. We are driving & then coming down from Anch. to Vancouver by cruise ( we did this 2 yrs ago but only a 7 day return from Vanc.) a few more days in Vanc, fly to vegas for a few days before coming home. Any clues on shops etc would be great, as I am trying to organise our itinerary as I do the driving as my husband has had a brian tumour, so i have to make sure we get to some good shops as well, but we love the wilderness in the Yukon, so hoping Alaska will be the same.
Thanks for any hints
Sandra(beadknitter)


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

Another shop in Fairbanks is Norther Threads. I didn't get to go there... just read about it. The Cookie Jar Restaurant was terrific in Fairbanks. It's family style and the food was good. Mostly I just walked around the different towns and would stop at various shops. I don't remember any one particular shop (these were not yarn shops). The yarn shops I visited were within walking distance of the ship. Anchorage is a big place and has lots of different shops - I've found out since I got back home - but I didn't have lots of time to explore. I was traveling with 3 others and we had planned activities in just about every port. Some I wish I had skipped and toured the towns instead. 

we flew into Fairbanks a day early to explore. we had a rental car - that's how I got to the Inua shop and the musk ox farm. From then on we were with our cruise group. I would love to go back and be able to drive wherever I want to go. There's so much to see.

Be sure and google the yarn shops in each city. There are many, many shops in Anchorage. Also the flowers are gorgeous in all the towns we visited. Vancouver amazed me with all the trees in the city and grassy areas. Around here the trees are wiped out to build malls and businesses. I love the trees and natural areas.....they should build around nature.
Be sure to read up on the qiviut yarn. I think you'll be very pleased. It doesn't shrink or stretch out of shape. And it's sooooo soft!


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

oops. It's Northern Threads.


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## immunurse (May 2, 2011)

beadknitter said:


> Hi from Australia,
> My husband & I are driving around Alaska & Yukon ( 2nd time in the yukon) in September this year & are having a few days in Homer so I will be on the lookout for the Yurt. Thanks for that tip. We eventually end up back in Anchorage to drop our car off & get the train to Seward & cruise down to Vancouver ( did the cruise from vancouver 2yrs ago but just doing things a bit differently this time) so any other wool stores in Alaska you know of would be great.
> Thanks Sandra ( beadknitter)


Beadknitter, DH and I will be boarding the Statendam in Seward on Sept. 16 for the cruise through the Inland Passage to Vancouver. By any chance, are you on the same ship?


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## deshka (Apr 6, 2011)

any other wool stores in Alaska you know of would be great.
Thanks Sandra ( beadknitter)[/quote]

Tangled Skein in Eagle River, I love this store. in Anchorage the fabric tree/yarn tree. They had lots of nice yarn, but may be cutting back on yarn as the last time they didn't have as much. The yurt in Homer was fun to visit. There is, or was one in Palmer, in a big house, but their yarns were becoming faded from all the windows. The place is not so clean either, with some sort of animals running around, ferret I think. yarn smells not so good.


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## beadknitter (Sep 23, 2011)

Hi immunurse,
We are on the cruise leaving Seward on the 7th Sept, arriving Vanc 14th & leaving Vancouver on the 17th for a 3 day to cruise to LA & then flying to Vegas for a few days before home.
Hope you enjoy your trip.
beadknitter


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## beadknitter (Sep 23, 2011)

Hi deshka,
I am keeping a note of all the wool shops & of course I added the Cookie Jar to my list. Thanks for all the info.
beadknitter


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## CharleenR (Feb 21, 2012)

There is a great beading shop in Ketchikan called the Bead Shoppe. Since I last visited (sorry to say not since 2002)I hear they have since added yarn. It is in the second floor of the Salmon Landing building by the cruise dock. Wish I was going there too, very nice shop!

Skagway, not so sure about, I wasn't into knitting as much when I last visited.



Matty33 said:


> Looking for lys information in Skagway and ketchican ....got to shop for yarn on my cruise


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## lhharris (Mar 29, 2012)

beadknitter said:


> Hi deshka,
> I am keeping a note of all the wool shops & of course I added the Cookie Jar to my list. Thanks for all the info.
> beadknitter


Just to clarify, the Cookie Jar is a restaurant. No yarn there.


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## maxjones (Aug 2, 2011)

Don't miss The Point in Ketchikan. Interesting store and nice people.


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