Rose City Yarn Crawl 2026 Recap
Towards the end of last year, my friend Camelia and I had an idea - what if we traveled for a yarn crawl? Pretty soon, that turned into planning what would become one of the most fun crafty trips I’ve ever taken. So here is a roundup of all the shops we visited during the Rose City Yarn Crawl in Portland, Oregon, plus all the great food and cute sights we checked out along the way.
What is a Yarn Crawl?
This is the first question I get from crafters and non-crafters alike. Simply put, a yarn crawl is an event where participating local yarn stores invite people to visit their stores to shop, do meetups, participate in activities, and enter giveaways. It’s typically held over several days and is a great way to support small businesses and explore the area. Shops generally feature trunk shows from local artists (think hand-dyed yarn, ceramic button makers, notions, etc.), and many have raffles that you can enter simply for visiting the shop!
Yarn crawl isn’t just for knitters and crocheters; weavers, spinners, felters, or anyone who loves fiber is welcome to participate. It’s for anyone, at any skill level, with any budget, who has an interest in fiber arts. YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY MONEY TO PARTICIPATE. If shopping isn’t in your budget, then you’re welcome to join in just for the fun of meeting other fiber artists.
More than anything, a yarn crawl is a chance to be around other people who love the craft just as much as you do. You’ll see hundreds of handknits and maybe even make a new friend or two :)
The Yarn Shops!
There were 9 participating stores in this year’s crawl, but we made sure to stop by other crafty stores along the way! If you want a quick wrap-up, I put together a little reel of the crawl <3 You can find information about all the shops on the yarn crawl website.
Fiber Rythm
This store had great options for knitters and weavers alike! The store was organized by yarn weight (my favorite way), and even had cone yarn in a good variety of fibers (great for weavers!). They had space for classes and workshops as well. I love shops that keep a space for community! This shop has a good mix of price points, featuring mostly mid-range yarns, but the main thing that stood out to me was the variety of colors in the shop.
Ritual Dyes
Right across the street from Fiber Rythm is Ritual Dyes, mostly known for their in-house hand-dyed selection; they also carry brands I don’t tend to find in most LYSs (e.g., Gepard, Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, Hillesvag, etc). This shop is on the smaller side, but that just makes each selection feel even more curated. They also featured a local ceramic button maker as their trunk show. Their staff was so kind, and I even got to say hi to one of y’all there!
Starlight Knitting Society
If I had to pick a “best overall,” it would be this shop. The store was a good size without feeling overwhelming, had a great mix of bright colors and neutrals, a wide price range, and was hands-down adorable. It felt like every corner in this shop had something I already loved + something new to get excited about. I was able to pick up a pair of my tried and true needles, while also finding yarns and accessories I’d never heard of before. If you had time for one yarn store on your trip to Portland, you won’t be disappointed in this one.
Close Knit
This shop is located in a part of town lined with cool little shops and restaurants. The shop itself feels like you’ve stepped into someone’s cozy living room, and the only decor allowed is yarn. They featured more specialty yarns, like Noro, and have a great collection of notions and accessories to choose from. The only downside for us was that when we got there, it was too crowded to walk around, so we only stayed for about 10 minutes. I have them on my list for the next time we visit Portland!
Weird Sisters
The best way to describe this shop is “tiny but mighty”! The store is a combination book store & yarn store and is effectively split down the middle. They featured hand-dyed yarn with literature-inspired colorways alongside classics like Galway worsted, with little sprinkles of stalina yarn throughout the store. Making it a small but well-rounded selection. If you’re a reader and a knitter, stopping by is a must!
Hook & Needle
To visit this store, you’ll need to cross the river into Vancouver, Washington, only 15 minutes away from the next closest shop. Once you get there, you’ll find the cutest little yarn shop right in the heart of downtown Vancouver. This store was packed with colorful yarn, adorable buttons, accessories, and stickers!
Northwest Wools
Not only is this store in one of the cutest neighborhoods I’ve ever seen, but it has a dedicated roving section for all my spinners out there! The shop itself is an old house, and each room is full of fibrous goodness. Right outside the shop is a yarn bombed fence that you can add to yourself! They have a great mix of all yarns, but they’re particularly well stocked on most Malabrigo yarns.
For Yarn’s Sake
When you first pull into the parking lot for this shop, you might think it’s unassuming. That’ll quickly change the moment you set foot inside. This store is HUGE, categorized by yarn weight (yay!), and has a selection of practically every natural fiber you can think of. The main thing that jumped out at me was their selection of rustic, natural wools (my personal fave). Outside of that, they had one of the broadest selections of notions and accessories I’ve ever seen. I’m talking everything from yarn-themed mugs for your morning coffee to the perfect pom pom to finish off a beanie.
Knotty Lamb
This was the last stop on our crawl, it’s about 45 minutes outside of Portland but is worth the drive. You’ll go through acres of farmland as you make your way to the town of Forest Grove, where you’ll find an adorable little yarn shop. Knotty lamb has a cozy feel that makes it easy to get lost in their cubbies of fiber. They had a large variety of hand-dyed yarns, and I got to squish some of CaMaRose’s yarn for the first time!
Other Shops, Sights, & Good Food
We didn’t stick to just yarn stores for the whole trip! Here’s a list of all the other amazing places we got to check out.
SHOPS
Good Yarn - Is another yarn store in Portland that isn’t on the official crawl list, but it is on my “favorite LYSs of all-time” list. What makes this store stand out is how they sell yarn, by the gram. That’s right, this store is full of mill-end bobbin yarn that you can purchase by weight (with a 50g minimum). That means you’re not left with 7/8 of a skein in scrap yarn! You let them know how many grams of each yarn you want and they wind it on to a cone for you. These yarns are often luxury yarns, and are not as common to find (think sequins, lurex, etc). Not to mention, they are overwhelmingly more affordable. I walked out with over 7 cones (2 sweater quantities) for under $60.
Bolt Neighborhood Fabric Boutique - This is one of the cutest fabric stores I’ve ever stepped foot in! The large windows make the store feel bright and open, but cozy at the same time. The store is roughly 50/50 apparel/quilting fabrics, which means I lost my mind 2x over all their amazing selection. I was completely entranced by their buttons and walked out with several sets of them, and some fabric to make a pair of pants.
SCRAP PDX - A creative reuse store, SCRAP is like a thrift store just for crafts. This is the place to go if you’re looking for vintage treasures alongside odds and ends. The thing that got my attention the most were the barrels of photo slides, but there’s something for everyone!
Josephine’s Dry Goods - Stepping into Josephine’s feels like stepping into your grandma’s cozy sewing attic… but if your grandma sourced the most gorgeous Japanese prints and vintage buttons. I walked out with a gorgeous cut of subtly cat-print fabric and some super cute 80s-esque buttons.
FOOD/COFFEE
Literary Arts Cafe is located within the Literary Arts bookstore, I grabbed a great little cup of coffee with a veggie sandwich to fuel up for some book browsing and shopping at Scrap (just a few minute walk away)
Cartopia Food Park - These types of food parks are all over the city, this one just happened to be close to our Airbnb! My friend grabbed some poutine that I was lowkey jealous of, and I grabbed an amazing loaded falafel wrap… my stomach is growling just thinking of it
Pine State Biscuits is on the corner between Fiber Rythm and Ritual Dyes. When I tell you I had the best biscuit of my life there, it’s no exaggeration. Best brunch of the crawl by far! They have another location not too far from Close Knit!
Boxcar Pizza changed what I knew vegan pizza to be. I’ve been vegan for just about 10 years, and this pizza was mind-blowing. Even my non-vegan friends were shocked that it was vegan (even after taking a bite). I highly recommend stopping by, whether you're vegan or not!
Wonderwood Springs is a place we stumbled into after needing a moment to stop and regroup during the crawl. The whole place feels like stepping into someone’s imagination… which you practically are! It’s owned by a local artist who’s worked with the city and abroad in large projects. Right next door is their mini golf course. I got a tasty latte and my friend got one of their “elixers,” which reminded me of the custom sodas you can make at old school soda counters. Oh - and it’s right across the street from Weird Sisters!
Low Tide Lounge is a great little neighborhood bar that made me a great margarita and one of the best plates of nachos I’ve had in a while. I did some people watching but also got to chat with a few regulars. Their menu is vegetarian, and just about everything can be made vegan (so double yay for me).
Catscratch Co-Op Vegan Bakery - This place felt like a little hidden gem! I was already pretty full from the 3 days of going out to eat, but I couldn’t resist one more little treat. When I walked in, the person at the counter was so kind, and when I asked for a recommendation, he excitedly pointed to the kolaches, telling me that he felt like he just perfected it. I’m a Texas girl, so kolaches were our breakfast food of choice growing up. Not only was the bread fluffy and soft, but the inside was smoky, sweet, and had the perfect texture. My favorite part of the shop was the pinboard filled with photos of cats <3
Common Ground Coffee Shop - This coffee shop felt like stepping into someone’s cozy living room. I got some serious knitting done while fueling up on a latte and banana bread.
SIGHTS
10 Falls Trail (Silver Springs State Park) - Oregon is full of waterfalls and I knew I had to see some! To make the most of my time (and stamina lol), I went for the 10 falls trail in Silver Springs State Park, which, yes, has 10 waterfalls throughout the trail. Part of the trail was closed due to the weather, but I still completed about 6 of the 8 miles and saw a whopping 8 waterfalls! It’s about an hour outside of Portland through some gorgeous farmland, including Christmas tree farms!
Lone Fir Cemetery - To me, cemeteries are the best way to get to know a city, it’s full of the people who created it. This historic cemetery had its first burial in 1846 and became an official cemetery in 1855. In the same section were families who were here from Portland’s earliest days, immigrating from Sweden and France, alongside those from my own generation. It was a peaceful morning well spent.
Bagdad Theatre - An adorable old-school theatre! Dinner and a show! <3
The Grotto - Though I don’t think of myself as a religious person, I grew up Catholic and still find a lot of peace in the Virgin Mary figure. So when I saw that Portland had its own grotto, I knew I had to give it a visit. It was absolutely beautiful and peaceful, nestled into a little grove of trees. It felt like a little retreat from the city.
Portland is one of my favorite cities I’ve had the chance to visit. It has a special place in my heart as the first city I was able to solo travel in. I can’t wait to go back. Make sure to let me know which places I need to check out on my next visit!
