Yarn Day Trip – Skagit Valley
Caitlyn Wilson
Woolpack Contributor
We started out the day by visiting Fidalgo Artisan Yarns & Clothing, in Anacortes. Coincidentally, the day we chose to visit was Local Yarn Store Day, and Fidalgo was celebrating their 11th anniversary of opening! The atmosphere was festive and the shop was bright and colorful. Lori, the owner, hand-dyes many of the yarns herself. She has a number of interesting fiber blends, such as a yarn with Seacell, a sustainable fiber made from seaweed and cellulose. The shelves were packed full of vibrant colors, and the samples displayed along the walls inspired so many fun ideas! They also had many crocheted tulips on display, celebrating the Tulip Festival happening in the area.
On the sidewalk in front of their shop, they have a little patio called “The Front Porch”. It’s fenced around with crochet and knitted pieces that set it apart from the regular walkway, and has umbrellas for shade. A couple gals were sitting down to knit and told us it’s one of their favorite places to hang on a sunny day.
We hopped back in the van to head back east to La Conner. Our next stop was Jennings Yarn & Needlecrafts. This store had a broader range of crafts, with embroidery, cross-stitch, and needlepoint focused in the front of the space, and yarn for knitting and crochet further back. They featured art by local artists and had a lovely engaging atmosphere.
We walked down to La Conner Pub & Eatery for a seafood lunch. The place looks out over the river and it was a great relaxed break in the middle of our day.
On the walk back to the van, we decided to go on the other side of the street to explore the shops along the way, and were we ever glad we did! We unexpectedly stumbled on a new yarn store, open only 3 weeks! Purl Dive is a lovely small space, packed full of beautiful hand-dyed yarns. The back of the space is in the process of becoming a cocktail bar. If you’ve been to Skein & Tipple on Whidbey Island, you’ll recognize the vibe of this, their sister shop. Can you imagine indulging in a craft cocktail while also indulging your hankering for yarn? We can’t wait for Purl Dive’s back room to be fully renovated so we can check out the drinks!
We gathered back up after lunch to visit The Lamb & Kid. This shop is an explosion of color. We got to see a beginning knitting class in progress, and all the shop employees were so welcoming. The star of the show for me was a yarn called Birdie, a fingering-weight suri alpaca/silk blend. It’s only one of a family of Birdies though, joined by Birdie DK and Big Birdie. All of these have the same soft fuzzy effect and the same vibrant line of colors.
We sat on their beautiful couches and knitted for a while before we had to set out to catch our return ferry.
We drove home as the sun started to set, sending golden rays of light over the carefully planted fields. The whole day was a representation of what makes Washington great, and we couldn’t have had a better time.
Check back in next month for a special report on the Puget Sound LYS Tour!
