LYS SPOTLIGHT: Suncoast Yarns in Tampa, Florida
This is the first installment of a new blog post theme: LYS Spotlight. The plan is to highlight local yarn shops (LYS) that I have enjoyed visiting and share some other favorite spots nearby.
Before a recent trip to Tampa, Florida, I did some scouting online for yarn shops in the area. I was happy to find that Suncoast Yarns is located less than 15 minutes from the Airbnb we stayed at in the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood.
What a treat to find a nice selection of yarns at Suncoast Yarns… especially since I finished up a knitting project in the car on the long drive from Kansas City to Tampa. Finishing a project is always a good excuse to buy more yarn even if there’s lots of yarn stashed at home!
Keep reading below for more about Suncoast Yarns, places to visit in Tampa and some favorite restaurants in the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa!
On the shelf at Suncoast Yarns: Urth Uneek Worsted yarn in gorgeous variegated colorways. This yarn would work beautifully with my Quality Time Scarf & Blanket knitting pattern.
FRIENDLY & WELCOMING NEW OWNERS OF SUNCOAST YARNS:
Last year, the co-owners acquired Stash – A Place for Yarn (which was located in St. Petersburg and Tampa) and renamed the yarn store Suncoast Yarns. Friends have helped them design a new logo and they are in the process of updating their website. (There’s so much that has to happen behind the scenes to keep a local yarn shop operating!)
The staff and owners of Suncoast Yarns are very friendly and welcoming! Every customer is warmly greeted with: “Welcome! We’re so glad you are here.”
YARNS AVAILABLE AT SUNCOAST YARNS:
It’s always fun to browse the selection of yarns at a little yarn shop! I couldn’t resist purchasing some Malabrigo Rios: two skeins of a lovely variegated green named ‘Fresco y Seco’ and two skeins of a blue colorway named ‘Blue Jean’. The owner commented that ‘Blue Jean’ is their best-selling colorway in Malabrigo Rios. After knitting just a few inches, I can see why it’s so popular!
Suncoast Yarns stocks several options of Malabrigo yarns including Rios worsted. Malabrigo Rios is a nice choice for my Room with a View Scarf & Wrap, Quality Time Scarf & Blanket or The Days to Come Blanket knitting patterns.
All of the yarns are displayed by brand including:
Berroco including Vintage worsted and Vintage DK
Malabrigo including Rios worsted and Rasta super bulky
Urth including multicolor Uneek Worsted
Kraemer Yarns
Wonderland Yarns
as well as other brands in various yarn weights.
Suncoast Yarns has a nice selection to help any knitter find yarn for their next knitting project!
Suncoast Yarns offers lots of colorways in Berroco Vintage worsted yarn. Berroco Vintage worsted will work well with any of my knitting patterns for worsted weight yarn.
WHERE IS SUNCOAST YARNS IN TAMPA, FLORIDA:
Suncoast Yarns is located at: 3347 S. West Shore Boulevard, Suite 3, Tampa, Florida.
Check their website for shop hours and contact information.
Suncoast Yarns is a 15 - 20 minute drive from Tampa International Airport, the Port of Tampa (if you are departing on a cruise and need some yarn for your excursion!), Downtown Tampa, and the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood. It’s fairly easy to get to from various locations in Tampa.
Here’s a photo of the Suncoast Yarns shop window:
Suncoast Yarns is a local yarn shop in Tampa, Florida.
THINGS TO DO IN TAMPA:
In addition to yarn shopping and knitting in the sunshine, other things I enjoyed in Tampa included: walking on Bayshore Park Trail (adjacent to Bayshore Boulevard), walking around the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood (charming old homes), visiting the Henry B. Plant Museum (part of a huge historic Victorian hotel that is now incorporated into the University of Tampa campus), and eating at several great restaurants on Howard Avenue (see details below!).
The Henry B. Plant Museum offers a glimpse inside this huge brick Victorian building that was originally constructed as a resort hotel.
If you are interested in venturing south to St. Petersburg, Sunken Gardens is one of my favorite spots. It’s a 100 year old botanical garden with massive old palm trees and pink flamingos. The Chihuly Collection of large glass sculptures is also worth a visit in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Chihuly Collection in St. Petersburg, Florida features large glass sculptures such as these organic orange flowers. See the entire collection in Downtown St. Petersburg.
RESTAURANTS IN TAMPA / HYDE PARK ON HOWARD AVENUE:
It was so easy to walk to all of these restaurants on Howard Avenue from the cute little house we stayed at in the Hyde Park neighborhood. We enjoyed all of these restaurants:
Daily Eats – A casual, modern diner that has wide selection of delicious choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. (They serve breakfast all day!) The Chicken Melt sandwich and home fries were amazing for lunch.
Green Lemon – A modern Mexican restaurant. We happened to get there in time for the early bird 3 for $10 taco special. Mix and match your choice of street tacos. Delicious!
Fresh Kitchen – Build your own health-focused bowl with a combination of veggies, protein and starch options. Very casual and reasonably priced. Order at the counter and enjoy your meal at a table outside or take it to-go.
Water + Flour – This is a slightly upscale but casual restaurant featuring pasta, pizza, sushi and California style bowls. I had the “Fitness” bowl with brown rice – delicious! Pasta dishes and generously sized pizza were also enjoyed by our group.
Chill Bros Scoop Shop – If you want something sweet take a stroll down Howard Avenue to this locally owned Tampa ice cream shop. The creative flavors of ice cream are made from scratch. The chocolate chip cookies are great, too! (There are also a couple of other locations around Tampa.)
When we visited Tampa in December, these morning glories were growing profusely on a fence in the Historic Hyde Park neighborhood. This is a great place to take a walk and admire the interesting architecture of the 100+/- year old homes.
Thanks for reading! If you are visiting Tampa now or in the future… hope you enjoy some great weather with lots of sunshine!
These were my five best selling knitting patterns in 2022. Click here to get all the details!
