New Yarn Stores in 2024.
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber officer
There are many reasons I am thankful to live in this glorious part of the world. One of them is the abundance of fabulous local yarn stores. When I moved here in 2017 my whole fiber world was rocked by the choices that were available to me as a yarn lover. I have spent the past seven years exploring, and a week doesn’t go by without a yarn store visit near or far. I know this is the same for most Woolpack readers.
Happily for us yarn enthusiasts, we have had five new stores open in our region in the past twelve months. Each of them has a different offering, but they will all give you a friendly welcome and add to your Puget Sound fiber experience. The Woolpack asked each of the owners three questions to fill us in on what we can all enjoy when we pay a visit.
Read on to find out all about our new local yarn stores that launched in 2024.
The Knitters Studio, Bellevue. Owner: Rene Dickey
When did you open and where can we find you? The Knitters Studio opened May 8th. We are at 958 111th Ave NE, Suite 103, Bellevue, WA 98004
What is your background/yarn journey? I came to the yarn world through fine art and incorporating fiber into my artworks. I continued to explore the many avenues of the craft and am now excited to share my knowledge and an abundance of beautiful yarns with the Puget Sound region.
What can fiber enthusiasts find when they visit? I am excited to see manufacturers creating superwash wools without the typical chemical treatments. Some current examples at the store are Ikigai Fibers Paka Washi in their fresh and uplifting palette and classic buttery softness. We also have Lamana Como Grande whose special carding process not only allows for machine washable wool without the typical chemical treatments but is half the weight of normal yarns its size, creating wonderfully light and soft garments and accessories.
What makes your store unique?
Spindelwicks, Tacoma. Owner: Lloyd Dual
When did you open and where can we find you? The shop opened in July of 2024 on the third floor of Plaza West in University Place. Our address is 7406 27th St W #303 University Place, WA 98466.
What is your background/yarn journey?
What can yarn enthusiasts find when they visit? I support knitters and crocheters of every level and provide yarns that range from basic all the way up to luxury. Along with perennial favorites like Cascade, Malabrigo, Universal Yarns and Blue Sky Fibers, I carry a range of house dyed yarns as well as yarns from around the world. I bring to my customers yarns that you typically wouldn’t find locally. I have Stylecraft Special DK from the UK, which is very popular among the crochet crowd. Also, I’ve discovered the hand dyed yarns of Arcane Fibre Works out of Canada, as well as Scissortail Knits from Oklahoma. My selection will keep growing based on customer feedback and my research into what is trending.
What makes your store unique? My mini-aussie greeter, Oakley. She brings energy and happiness to the shop that is unmatched.
Strikke, Bothell. Owner: Lindsay Christiansen
When did you open and where can we find you? Strikke Yarn & Supply opened up last November (2023) in Bothell, WA. We are just up the street from McMenamins and Caffe Ladro in downtown Bothell. Strikke (pronounced strick-eh), is the Norwegian & Danish word for knit. It draws from my family’s heritage, and also our community here in Bothell. Our shop is located a converted house that was built in the 1920’s, and we share it with Make Apothecary (an art studio & retail craft shop).
What is your background/fiber journey? I have been in the local yarn shop world just shy of 10 years now, working on both the retail floor side, as well as the back of house admin & marketing side. It’s been a fun & rewarding journey, and opening up a shop in Bothell has been a dream.
What can yarn enthusiasts find when they visit? One of my passions is finding yarns that are not easily found, or are hard to get, and making them available to you! I love meeting the creators behind the products we carry, and getting to work with these yarns is made even more special by the relationships that bloom. Knowing where your yarn comes from is very important to me as, an owner and fiber artist.
What makes your store unique? One unique part of our shop is our American Wool Month celebration in February. Though we are a new shop, this is an annual month long celebration of the farms, mills & yarns that make American Wool possible. Not only is knowing where your wool comes from an important piece, so is building and sustaining a vibrant community. From the farm to the maker. We have some really exciting events & guests planned for February so be sure to stay tuned!
Yarn Dragon, Seattle. Owner: Jonathan Berner
When did you open and where can we find you? Yarn Dragon opened it’s new store at Pike Place Market on July 10th of this year. For directions, go to YarnDragon.com and click the banner at the top that says “Here’s How To Find Us”.
What is your background/yarn journey? I started knitting in 2008. I was going to save the planet by making my own clothes from reclaimed sweaters at the thrift shop. I very quickly learned that there wasn’t enough time in the day to do that, but I fell in love with the engineering, the history, and the fidget spinner aspect of making loops through loops form a garment.
Eventually, I became miserable enough in my corporate job that I started asking around how to turn my yarn obsession into a career. The people in the know told me that dyeing yarn was the way to go. I sold my first yarn in January of 2014 and by June of that year I left my real job. I’ve been supporting myself with yarn ever since. We’ve gone through a number of iterations as a business, first selling wholesale, then direct to customers starting in 2018 at Pike Place Market. In response to the covid shutdown and following slow return to business, we added finished knitwear. We found enough success there that we were able to open our new store in July.
What can yarn enthusiasts find when they visit? Yarn Dragon is truly unique. All of the yarn in the store is hand dyed by me and my sister Karen. It is the true luxury yarn that every knitter craves- fine wools, alpaca, silk, and even camel. Beyond yarn and knitwear, we also carry a wide variety of Chiaogoo needles, other notions, books, and Schacht spinning and weaving products.
What makes your store unique? Our focus is on local makers wherever possible. If we don’t make it ourselves, then we try to find someone locally who does.
The Yarn Outfitter, Arlington. Owner: Sarah Dobbins
When did you open and where can we find you? The grand opening was in mid-November of 2023. You can find us at 106 W 5th St, Arlington, WA 98223.
What is your background/yarn journey? Following a career as a Math teacher I decided to stay home after the birth of my first child, and I started crocheting afghans in my spare moments–my grandma taught me when I was around eight years old. I had a few false starts in learning to knit, but when I saw someone knitting a sock on DPNs at a stitch night, I was determined to learn that magic! I’m mostly self taught from the internet and books. I worked at an LYS part time for a couple of years and I loved it! Somewhere in there, I learned to spin too. I gave my math instructor career another go, but ultimately felt the pull toward owning a yarn shop. I used the math job to save up for the yarn job, and here we are today!
What can yarn enthusiasts find when they visit? Customers can expect to find yarn and fiber from PNW dyers, yarns from local farms, Norwegian yarns from Sandnes Garn, USA made yarn from Brown Sheep, Emma’s Yarn, staple yarns from Malabrigo, Universal
Yarn, Cascade, and Plymouth. I offer classes and repair services as well.
What makes your store unique? I think all shop owners put a bit of their personality into their stores. I know when I set out to open a shop, I wanted to make it my goal that all fiber artists feel like they have a place here. For instance, we don’t have “knit night”, we have weekly “Stitch and Spin Together” gatherings. I have an open table policy. If there is not a class in session, you are welcome to pull up a seat. Who doesn’t like knitting while surrounded by yarn?
