Five Things I Learned on the LYS Tour
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
Twenty One fabulous yarn stores in five days – that is the Puget Sound Yarn Tour challenge, should you choose to accept it. Just a few days before the tour began, I decided I was up for that challenge. Eight stores were my previous record, and I have had nothing but admiration for friends who have completed the whole tour in the past.
It was fun, it was fulfilling, and it reinforced my love for our local fiber community. Here are five things I learned as part of my Puget Sound LYS Tour 2024 yarn adventure:
1. The yarn tour brings people together.
Throughout my travels I met people from across the region and from across the country. I had conversations with people from Eastern Washington and Oregon, but also from further afield like Missouri and Hawaii. Wearing a handmade sweater or accessory is always a great opener for conversation – cries of “I love your _____ “ (insert sweater, shawl, scarf etc), can be heard from person to person throughout the tour, and a new connection is made.
You are also likely to bump into old friends along the way. It was great to see friends from classes I have taught, and to cross paths with a dear friend as she headed south while I was northward bound. We swapped stories of our store visits so far, before heading on our way.
2. Yarn stores are super generous with their patterns.
I returned home from the tour with 42 free knitting and crochet patterns – wow! I was struck by the kindness and thoughtfulness of the store owners who had taken the time and care to bring us such a wonderful array of designs, each of them different. Patterns ranged from short sleeved sweaters that are perfect for this time of the year, through to mittens and cowls that will be ideal for the colder months. You could easily fill most of your crafting year creating these beautiful designs!
3. Inspiration comes in many guises.
I returned from the tour with images of yarn, patterns and new fiber pursuits dancing through my head. There is so much fiber inspiration to consume during the LYS Tour.
Featured trunk shows are always such a great way to make yarn discoveries and get your hands on the yarn that you have been eyeing on social media or online. All the shops are full of beautiful samples that provide project inspiration, and are also an ideal way to understand how a yarn that you have been admiring as a skein will knit up into a future project.
The same applies to all the lovely garments and accessories that people were wearing to tour, and I have added so many new patterns to my saved pattern folder on Ravelry as a result.
4. Planning your travel itinerary is a must!
The Puget Sound LYS Tour website recommends travel planning, and they are not kidding! I live close to Seattle, and I worked out that I traveled 442 miles from Wednesday to Sunday. I loved the route suggestions featured in the tour passport, and I followed these except for a few changes to fit with my schedule.
A cautionary tale…. I discovered the importance of ferry bookings when I reached Sea Bre’s Yarn in Coupeville, and the lovely lady asked me if I had booked my Coupeville to Port Townsend crossing. I had to confess that I hadn’t. Panic set in as we hot footed it over to the terminal. My husband asked the ticket operator “What are our chances of making the 11.45am ferry?”, “unlikely” came the reply.
After 40 stressful minutes of counting the cars in front of us in the standby line, and trying to think of a Plan B, we cheered as we were waved on to the ferry – the very last space was all ours’! I have already made a mental note to be more organized next year.
5. We live in a stunning part of the world.
This is something that everyone in the Pacific Northwest already knows, but yarn tour travels are a great opportunity to fall in love all over again with our beautiful part of the world. We drove through cool urban areas, idyllic farmland, coastal towns, past forests, and mountains. Quite simply put, yarn touring is good for the soul and our yarn community.
Just a final thought – yarn stores are there for us all year round, and any day can be a great day for a yarn tour. I highly recommend planning your own mini yarn tour whenever the urge takes you. A warm welcome is pretty much guaranteed across our Puget Sound fiber loving community. Happy Travels.
