Puget Sound yarn stores are coming together again May 20th to May 23rd to celebrate knitting and crocheting with a long weekend full of special events as part of the Fifth Annual Destination: Yarn tour.
What makes this event special, according to Bad Woman Yarn co-owner Lee Burrow, is its collaborative nature: “Few competing retail businesses plan something for all of those businesses to participate in together.” One year, they even hosted a “coopertition” — a cooperative competition. The 25 organizing retail shops meet monthly all year round to plan for the yarn tour. Now that’s some friendly competition!
From Kent to Bellingham, twenty-five locally owned yarn stores will stay open late during the tour and offer discounts, freebies and prizes. In 2009, stores on the tour hosted over 7,500 visitors during Destination:Yarn. While some crafters will drive the tour solo, many are loading up the van or bus to carry their own knitting and crocheting
communities from store to store.
You can visit just a few of the stores on the tour — or all of them! Special prizes are available for those that hit all 25 stores in just 4 days. And for every participating store you visit, you’ll be entered in a drawing for Grand Prizes totaling $1500, including one gift certificate worth $500 bucks!
Wallingford’s Bad Woman Yarn is proud to be on the tour. Pick up a tour passport at Bad Woman Yarn or at any store on the tour. The passport is loaded with maps and directions, so be sure to pick one up early to plan your tour! Bad Woman Yarn co-owner Judd Burrow told Wallyhood that everybody on the tour will receive a free, original one-skein pattern from each shop they visit.
In addition, the Crochet Guild of Seattle will hold daily trunk shows, including at Bad Woman Yarn.
Participating stores will have extended hours during the tour:
- Thur & Fri: 10am – 8pm
- Sat & Sun: 10am – 6pm