The Yarn Cake, Glasgow

What’s it all about? A yarn café in Glasgow’s West End. They’ve won Best Local Independent Yarn Store Scotland three times, with nominations every year since 2013. Workshops and trunk shows are hosted throughout the year, or you can visit in October for their Glasgow School of Yarn festival. The shop in three words: “Yarn AND cake!”

They say: Crafts and home bakes are a winning combination. “We specialise in natural fibres and British yarns,” says owner Antje Karl. “But we also have our cosy Nook where you can sit with a cuppa and a slice of cake and work on your project or take in the yarn fumes. All our staff are experienced and enthusiastic fibre crafters as well as baristas.

“Our weekly craft night is the friendliest gig in town!” Antje continues. The shop is built on local and global friendship. “Many friends started off as customers and my ‘old’ knitting group friends talked me into opening the shop. We’re all still good pals, 12 years later! We get customers from as far afield as America or Iceland or, just today, a lady from South Africa who was buying a skein of hand-dyed yarn at every stop of her holiday so she could work them into a summer trip project.”

There's a joyful daily rhythm at The Yarn Cake. “I start by switching on the coffee machine and doing some baking,” Antje tells us. “Then I work through any orders. I try to get as much admin and shelving done as I can. Mungo the Yarn Hound gets some fuss, until his adoring public show up and take over! Then we’re nonstop with a steady stream of customers, some of whom might need help deciding, some might be stuck with a pattern and need a bit of support. I love seeing what folk are working on and their yarn choices. After 12 years, people still surprise me with their creativity. At some point we end up with an impromptu yarn party, when some regulars show up and stay for coffee and chat – and visitors usually stay as well!”