Gauge has a well-chosen assortment of yarns, needles and notions in a spacious and well-lit place that's mellow and totally welcoming regardless of your knitting knowledge. They take a genuine interest in what you're making and do what they can to help you along. I came in with a question about how to finish up a baby blanket and was helped by the staff and two of the customers! If they don't have what you're looking for they will order it and call you or email when it comes in. The stock on hand is pretty much ideal though, something for every price range and good variety in the fiber types. Also, the place is decorated in a modern style that's not all full of sheep and knitting puns. You could take your grandma here and neither of you would feel out of place! read more

My first visit to Gauge was great - friendly staff with great recommendations. My second - not so much. I changed my mind about the color of some yarn I purchased during my first business and brought it back to exchange. The first woman helping me was nice and told me to just pick out the new color. I did and she started ringing up the exchange. Then another employee came and interrupted her saying that because the yarn had been on sale, it couldn't be returned or exchanged. I wasn't asking for a refund or discount or even store credit. Just a straight exchange. I hope whatever was gained by refusing to help me is worth the loss of my future business. read more

This is a lovely little yarn shop that has a great variety of stuff! The owner is very nice, they'll order anything you can't find, and they have good sales pretty frequently. I'm always looking for colorful cotton yarns, and Gauge always has plenty of fun options. Highly recommended! read more

Visiting from Philadelphia at Thanksgiving, I found ONE skein of a yarn that had all the things I wanted. Not enough for a sweater... The manager ordered the correct dye lot for me. I hopped it would come by at least New Year's. It came yesterday (12/19) and I am thrilled. Now I can knit instead of making Christmas dinner,. THANKS! Gauge Knits! read more

I have been to this small yarn shop a couple of times, bought some yarn and now its time to write a review and let other people know about my wonderful experience. This is a small yarn shop, with a decent collection. I am a kind who buys yarn after deciding on the pattern. So I usually visit Gauge Knits to check the recommended yarns, and find a nice color. So far, I had no difficulty finding the yarn I was looking for. Color choices are somehow limited (it is extremely hard to find a nice mustard yellow or a blackish navy blue or a dark teal-green) but that's perfectly fine. More color choices never makes my job easier, I spend hours and hours trying to choose a color that deserves to be knitted. The shop is well organized (yarns are grouped based on weight), and the shop has a very nice patio if you love knitting outside. read more

Very friendly staff! I wanted to learn how to knit and was ready to roll with it but they encouraged me to wait until I could take a beginner's class before buying all of the items and end up regretting it. The beginner's class was great and very personal. I'm now a happy knitter thanks to this place. read more

I've been going to the Thursday knit night at Gauge every week for more than 2 years, but after some recent changes in management it seemed like it was time to update this review. A lot of reviews on here reference an awesome lending library that Gauge had for the community. That has been taken down, and most of the books have been sold. Unfortunately, some of those books were donations to the library and were sold along with everything else, with no regard to the wishes of the donors. There have been recent policy changes including no food or drinks in the store. For those unfamiliar with the store that may sound reasonable, but those who were a part of the store's community it is a rather drastic change. Gauge was previously a place where we could always bring snacks to share or a quick dinner if we came over straight from work, and it was a place to celebrate birthdays and other meaningful events. That is unfortunately no longer the case. The change in store management has come with a change in focus away from lifting up our local fiber community. Instead the priority seems to be maximizing retail space at the cost of brushing the community aside. The yarn, needles, and notions selection at Gauge is still excellent, and many of the ladies who work there are absolutely lovely and helpful and kind. I wish them all the best. read more

I finally got a chance to swing by Gauge today and I am hooked. AMAZING space. It's the roomiest, airiest yarn store I've ever been in, and the only one where I've ever honestly seen myself bunkering down in their lovely back room to knit for no other reason than just hanging out. The organization of the shop makes it extremely easy to locate what you're looking for, and the shop provides plenty of encouragement to relax and meander. I think I touched pretty much everything on the shelves... They have an extensive lending library, including some for-reference back issues of various magazines. They're also the only Austin shop to stock Kollage needles, to my knowledge (square knitting needles that are easier on your hands and produce more even stitches). They stock Twinkle, Hand Maiden, Lorna's Laces, and so forth... very lovely, well-chosen yarns that provide a lot of variety and are somewhat unusual. Really a cream-of-the-crop selection, but also something for various price points. For example - I fell in love with a mohair yarn for $6 with a gorgeous sheen and cozy hand. Their knitting needle selection is great for circulars - Crystal Palace, Addi Lace and Turbos in many different lengths and needle sizes, the aforementioned Kollage needles and more I didn't even notice. They also have some lovely buttons, stitch markers, shawl pins and other boutique-y notions. Pretty beaded stitch markers for around $1 each were on offer the last time I was here. I was also really pleased with the salesperson's attitude... I'm kind of shy in shops, and she was very friendly but didn't make me feel at all uncomfortable wandering around in silence either. This store is a gem. It actually makes me really sad that cluttered and unfriendly shops like HCW get so much business in Austin when there are great stores like this to give your money to instead. Give Gauge a try and you'll never want to go back - even South people will be won over, I think. I sure was! read more

I am a rank newbie knitter. I've got about 30" of scarf to my name and that's it (but dang if I ain't proud of that 30", Bub). So it's nice to walk into a place where I feel like I can ask anyone in there, be they staff or client, for advice or help. The atmosphere was very welcoming and happy with folks knitting and singing along to Big Chill-era music. We stayed and knitted (knit? partook in knitting?) for a good 2 hours, and one of the kind ladies who works here gave me some great pointers on how to stop freaking out and ripping out rows when I twist up my stitches. Cleansing breaths, cleansing breaths. read more

I simply can't say enough nice things about this store. The wonderful staff, the great selection, the support for local artists, classes, etc., etc., etc. It's just a fantastic store all around. Truly an Austin treasure. As a local, it's my go-to store. read more

I love this place. I was happy to find out that there is a store north, close to me. The people there are super friendly. I like to hang out. I even go there just to chat. They are helpful and the selections are great. I love their back room and they have books you can check out for two weeks. Just absolutely awesome. read more

I love every single thing about this place. I'm a new knitter hobbling through my first project and they've helped with needle selection, yarn choices, encouragement, patterns, advice; everything. The people in the store are wonderful. The yarn selection is breathtaking. And frankly, I love having such a cool, crafty place in north Austin. The South Austin monopoly on funky awesome handcraftiness is over. Thanks, Guage, for everything. read more

I still love this yarn store. Today they had an even greater number of interesting shop samples. The woman who was working was friendly, and even though I didn't have a lot of questions today, when I have in the past, I've always gotten the help I needed. I even found something I needed that I didn't know you carried. read more

Now that they are settled in and the hours are firm, this is a great shop. I like their layout best of all of the knitting stores in town. It's a great idea to organize by gauge. Their selection is modest, but that makes it easy to find things. The staff is mostly hands-off if you don't approach them, which I like, but are friendly enough if you talk to them. I was disappointed that they got rid of their frequent buyer program, but I understand that it may not have been financially viable. Their needle selection is sometimes lacking, but otherwise, I can usually find what I need. read more

What a treasure house... yup thats right I crochet. I do kufi hats and gloves in very small size yarn and it is hard to find much in the way of smaller gauge yarns to work in. This place has a decent amount of stuff and seems a little bigger each time I go in and best of all they organize by yarn size! read more

A great knitting store! It's clean, spacious, and you don't feel like you're going to be buried alive by falling yarn. Best of all: they have SPINNING FIBER, in the back of the store. The gals are super helpful, they even start shopping with you. Love love love. read more

Walking into Gauge is like walking into a friend's place: Everyone is friendly, helpful, kind. While it's a relatively new place, new yarns and vendors are added all the time. The atmosphere is very soothing yet energizing. Love seeing all the projects everyone has on the needles! It also has two distinct areas where you can sit and knit and talk awhile. My only regret is that I don't have more time to spend there. I go when I can and it isn't often enough! read more

Love this place! Great selection. It's organized which I really appreciate. You can find what you need for any project and they're great about ordering if you need something special. People are great. There are always people hanging out and working on projects. Fun to bring your finished work for show & tell. My friend calls this place Cheers for knitters. It's true...quickly everyone knows your name and if they don't they're still interested in what you're working on. read more

This is a great shop for all yarn lovers, they have really good selection of yarn and the staff were really friendly. They guided me in selecting the yarn. The shop is small but you won't realize the time you spend there. The staff was kind enough to give me a free pattern and the exciting part is that they wound up the yarn into a ball. read more

Novice knitter here, just wanted to sing the praises of this cute little yarn shop! I wouldn't say the prices on most of the selection is unreasonable, and the high quality of the fibers is indeed noticeable. On top of that, the ladies who work/hang out there are super chummy! Very enjoyable visit. read more

Gauge is exactly what one wants in a LYS. The ladies there are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and really want you to succeed with your project. Their yarn selections are organized in a sensible way, so it's easier for me to find things without being overwhelmed. Their selection of needles and notions is very complete, and anything they don't have in either yarn or anything else, they're happy to get for you. I took two learn-to-crochet lessons from (I'm hoping I remember her name correctly) Melissa and was very pleased with both her skill in getting ideas across as well as her patience with my questions and progress. I plan to take other classes when they get offered next (knitting Continental; two-at-a-time socks, etc.). I also plan to attend their sit-n-knit night on Thursdays just see what that's about; if the folks I've met in there before are any indication of the crowd, I'm sure I'll have a good time. read more

This is a great local yarn shop with very friendly staff. I love how the great selection of yarns is categorized by size (hence, the name Gauge). They have a great selection of beautiful yarn. There are other yarn shops in town with good selections, but the staff at Gauge is better at being friendly and helpful with all customers. This LYS is my favorite in Austin. read more

Gauge is tucked away on a side street and visiting is always an aesthetically pleasing experience. You step in the small space and the beautiful colorful skeins of yarn are neatly arranged in bins lining the walls. It's airy and comfortable. They don't have a large supply of yarn, but rather than calling their offerings small, I would say they are tasteful and selective. The staff are always friendly without being overbearing and seem content to let me mosey among the bins while I make my selection. read more

So very happy to have a local yarn shop within a few miles of my house. The ladies there are very good about giving you some space if you just want to look around, and are excellent if you introduce yourself as a big n00b that needs to be shown a few suggestions for a project you want to start. The selection was pretty spare the first time I visited after they opened, but there's been more yarns and greater variety each time I've visited. I'm so glad they're here. read more

Always want to stop at new yarn shops as I visit new places. Gauge knits is wonderful! Their choices of yarn are amazing! The owner helped me find yarn for 2 items! Also sent me patterns from revelry to my account so I didn't have to remember them. Thank you for bringing me joy! read more

I made my first trip to Gauge last week and I was so pleased to be greeted when I walked in. The store has a light airy feel despite the rather industrial look. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but just wanted to wander and look at everything. They have a nice assortment of good quality yarns. There is a room in the back for classes and some things on clearance were back there too. They also had a beautiful color assortment of spinning silk. I ended up getting two hanks of a gorgeous hand dyed purple worsted. I can't wait to find the perfect pattern to make a beautiful shawl for myself. I got a few other very pretty things to make for others. I was thankful that the staff and even the other customers were helpful when I had questions. After I made my purchase they balled the yarn for me and I went merrily on my way wishing I had a larger budget. I easily could have purchased a lot more than I did. When I need more beautiful yarn I will definitely be back! read more

Really nice knitting shop, with plenty of seating, so you can sit and knit Staff is VERY helpful! Yarn selection is wonderful! read more

I just made my first purchase and can't wait to go back. It's a lovely store with a large variety of yarns and a good selection of notions. I went in for cotton yarn and was very impressed with the range that they carry. The prices seemed very reasonable. I found some beautiful yarns on sale. The staff was very helpful and welcoming, but did not hover. The samples on display were very inspiring. I'm a beginner crocheter, and a bit intimidated by knitting, but I'll have to give it a go with one of their introductory classes. I love that they will let you borrow books from their collection. read more

.This place is absolutely horrible! The two women who run the shop are really incredibly rude. They, especially Allison, act as if asking any sort of newbie questions are a huge imposition to them and they have much better things to be doing, even when empty. I was just recently blatantly insulted by the owner for no apparent reason other than my asking a question about the yarn I wanted to purchase. Yes, their store is large (space-wise) and there is a nice knitting area in the back. However, their selection isn't even that great, (go to Hill Country Weavers, or Knitting Nest) and the attitudes at Gauge would keep me away even if they had the best selections at discount prices. I have been in there about six or seven times now, and EVERY single time they have been rude, or short with me, and unwilling to take time and help me understand things about knitting. I think that unless you take a class with them they don't really give a hoot about you. Also, I have been to the other afore mentioned stores, and when they don't have something they always refer you to one of the other stores, which I think is great customer service. One time while in Gauge my aunt, when mentioning another knitting store for a yarn, got a very mean "Fine, you do that then!" and then the cold shoulder. I hope this store goes out of business! I'm boycotting Gauge Knits. I've seen rudeness for no reason towards confused, little old ladies, and other customers. Gauge is a dump! read more

My daughter and I have visited here a couple of times. They have a nice selection of yarns and needles, and the store itself is cozy, but the people here are questionable. It seems like the employees spend a lot of time fraternizing with regular customers and gossiping amongst themselves. If you're not a regular, you're usually ignored, or you're given the stink-eye. The woman with glasses is extremely rude and short with people. Also, the last time we went in here it smelled like raw sewage. Definitely won't be going back. read more

This place is awesome! karli is the best lil knitter ever. She's really easy to look at too:). She was very helpful with some yarn purchases I need. The actual establishment is really nice too. Thanks Karli read more

I have never been treated with such arrogance and inconsideration in a business. My experience mirrors K.R's review below. When asking for assistance with a project and wanting to purchase hundreds of dollars worth of yarn and paying for assistance with drafting a pattern they treated me like I was dirt and my business was not wanted. And, they need not worry I will never set foot in that shop again and certainly could not recommend them to anyone. read more

very cool new yarn store right next to chez zee. they have quite an assortment of different colors and fiber content of yarn. on your 10th purchase you get a discount! hooray for frequent trips to gauge! read more

For the first three or 4 times that I walked into gauge, I didn't buy anything. Part of it was because at the time I discovered this shop I was only making minimum wage, which meant that premium yarn was GHASTLY expensive. Unfortunately it's common for retail workers to not even make an attempt to offer me any service or help me in anyway. I'm glad to say that gauge was one of the few exceptions. The ladies have always been super friendly and chatty, which I like. And if you're in a pickle with your knitting, they're more than happy to let you pick their brain. I'm a firm believer in the notion that knitters only get better by receiving knowledge passed down from more experienced knitters, and my experiences I had at this shop really help me solidify that. The only bad thing I can say about Gauge is that it's a 45 minute drive from my house, which I guess is a good thing because otherwise I would be in here everyday. Favorite yarn store hands down! read more

I ducked in here on a whim the other night. This was a good idea. Nice range of yarns (never-surrender acrylic worsted to pretty hand-dyed laceweight), spinning fiber (!), small but well-picked book selection, basic notions and needles. Prices are fairly standard for a brick-and-mortar. Plus the lady working was happy to chat with me about yarn selection, and even pulled up Ravelry when she wasn't 100% sure about a question, which was really cute. It's way closer to home than Hill Country--my yarn budget has a new and awesome problem. read more

I have been knitting all my life, I have knitted hundreds of hats. so why was I so intimidated when I went into Gauge? The sales/knitter person asked me what weight I was looking for. Hmmm. I really did not know. Since I didn't know what weight I was looking for I told her the colors I was looking for. She showed me a variegated yarn that was OK. But, nothing further, like "feel free to look around the store, or what are you knitting? Or this is how our store is organized..(I guess Gauge is organized by weight) I like to shop local. When I travel, it is one of my destinations, locally owned yarn shops, it is a nice way to get the flavor of a new place. But I honestly did not want to spend my money here. read more

My favorite yarn shop in Austin! You will find an edited selection of the best, most current yarns in an uncluttered, lovely, modern atmosphere. Hang out for awhile! read more

Karli and Allison are two of the nicest proprietors (proprietresses?) I ave ever met, and their store reflects this. Not a large selection when compared to Hill Country Weavers, but a great place to sit and knit and get individualized attention if you need it. The prices are reasonable, and they will make sure you find exactly what you are looking for. read more

Beautiful yarn! Awesome classes! Knowledgeable, funny, nice staff! This is the only knit shop I go to in Austin!

Lovely little store. Beautiful yarns at good prices. All high quality. Very helpful staff and nice atmosphere. Highly recommended.