Yarn Store Focus – Bazaar Girls

July 12, 2024

Keeley Richardson

Founder and Chief Fiber Officer

Port Townsend is beautiful at any time of the year, but a trip to this wonderful nineteenth century town is a joy during the summer months. If you go, be sure to visit Bazaar Girls where you can delight in an array of colorful yarns and receive a warm welcome from the knowledgeable team who are waiting to talk about all things fiber. We caught up with one of the owners, Kerri, for a Q&A for this month’s Woolpack Yarn Store Focus.

Please introduce yourself and let us know who we can expect to meet when we visit your store.

The Yarn shop is owned by Numahka Swan, Kerri Hartman, and Dana Standish. Diana Levin helps out Tues, Weds, Thurs, Karen King helps out on Mondays, Shelli Hooten on Sundays, and Karen Anderson teaches beginning knitting monthly.

Where do we find you?

We are located at 647 Washington St. in downtown Port Townsend.

How long have you been there?

We have been in our current location for nearly 2 years, and had a presence in downtown Port Townsend for 12 years.

What will we find when we visit your store?

We specialize in Indie local dyed yarns, small US and European Mills. We also carry a large variety of local and imported wool for spinning and felting, embroidery floss, books, and locally made soaps.

What are your favorite yarns/fibers?

We love wool! scratchy wool, soft wool, non superwash and superwash wool! We carry some cotton and some acrylic blends, but the lions share of our inventory is wool, with a generous side of mohair! In fact, Colinton unbrushed mohair, which can be found on our website, is sold exclusively at Bazaar Girls. My current favorite is American Shetland from Elemental Affects, Coastal Wool, flax and silk also from Elemental Affects and Rauma Finul from Norway.

What’s on your needles right now?

I am currently knitting a “Happy Little Dinosaur” with Woolstock Worsted weight, because dinosaurs are the theme of our county fair this year, I am also working on a simple cowl with Baah New York, a hand dyed superwash single ply because it is new for us, and a sample is needed. Also, a color work tam in Rauma Fingering because I always like to have a small color work project on the needles. Heathered wooly wool is my favorite thing to work with. Shetland, Rauma, Kauni etc.

What notions can’t you live without?

Stitch markers and highlighter tape are the notions I can’t live without.

What’s your advice for a new yarn enthusiast?

My advice for new knitters, is find a knitting circle or start one.

What’s coming up in the future at your store?

Our Fiber Traditions Weekend and our Spring Getaway Retreat are our biggest events of the year. They take place in Brigid’s Loft, the beautiful event space in our historic building. We invite top tier teachers from across the country and about 2/3 of the attendees every year are return customers that have formed a little family.

There are a few spots available in both, and full details can be found on our website.

What are your recommendations for additional places to visit in your area?

A hike in Fort Warden, A cocktail on the deck at Sirens, and show at either the Rose Theatre or Key City Public Theater would round out a perfect day in Port Townsend.

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