Fabulous Yarn, A Luxury Fiber Store For Fanatics In Tivoli

Any knitter worth their needles knows the name Fabulous Yarn. What they may not know is that the prolific online vendor of the world’s highest-quality yarns is based out of an unassuming storefront in Tivoli, New York, run by its spitfire founder, Judy Schmitz. 

A youth opera singer turned fashionista punk musician turned early internet publishing expert, Schmitz didn’t start knitting until she had her first child in the early 2000s. She said she went to make the baby a sweater and hated the texture of manufactured wool. After struggling to find what she was looking for, she realized there was an opportunity to use her knowledge of online sales to bring better yarn to baskets everywhere. 

“I didn't want to put acrylic or plastics on my baby,” Schmitz says. “It felt awful. And interestingly, it turns out that my kids could tell, too.”

But back in those days, you couldn’t build relationships with yarn sellers without a physical store. So Schmitz opened shop in Tivoli in 2004, near what was then her weekend home in nearby Barrytown, while still working full time in the corporate world in Manhattan. She was busy. But the grind paid off and while Fabulous Yarn is now a major online presence, the storefront is a bit of a hidden gem, where fiber artists can get their hands on some truly rare products.

Inside the door is a tight little shop packed floor to ceiling with skeins and balls and cakes of hand-spun luxury yarns. This downy-soft, kaleidoscopic textile smorgasbord is truly more a showroom than a store — a representation of the variety for sale on the Fabulous Yarn website. The massive inventory is stored behind the back wall in a much larger storage, processing and shipping room. 

“What we do is we put out one of everything,” says Schmitz. “And my husband likes to say it's like Tiffany’s because it’s like a display case you can touch, but also because a lot of yarns can get really expensive.”

They are expensive yarns because they are the best, Schmitz says unapologetically, adding that she’s providing crafters with access to exhaustively sourced, hand-spun, hand-dyed yarns, made by the most sought-after artisans, using the highest-quality materials. She’s not opposed to anyone using machine-spun, lower-quality wool in their projects, but if someone is looking for exceptional materials for a special garment, Fabulous Yarn is giving them all the options they could ever want. 

In person or online, Schmitz offers access to brands including Art Yarns, New Urth, Lanalpaca, Malabrigo, and so many others from around the globe. She also has her own line, Fab Yarns, produced in partnership with small-scale makers and she even supports local artisan line Tivoli Yarns, who make a Superwash Merino.

The Hudson Valley has a rich history in yarn, which Schmitz is happy to champion. Chancellor Robert Livingston had Merino sheep, widely regarded as producing the softest of all wool brought to Dutchess County in 1802. There’s now plenty of Merino for sale at Fabulous Yarn and a prominent painting of a Merino sheep hangs in the store. Schmitz is a major participant in the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival every year, takes part in many local events, and often offers knitting classes and workshops.

“This is a great place to be,” says Shmitz. “Local people know where to find me and a lot of people will drive quite a long way to come here. Even people who have been buying from me online for a long time will come here to be able to touch things and be inspired.”