Stilly River Yarns (Stanwood, WA)

A teal background with gold text that reads "Shop closed Feb. 2-13, 2026." A white jet plane is shown in flight over a collage of images of a 17th-century chateau, a white and roan cow, and a silver stylized lion rampant.

The shop will be closed from Feb. 2 - 13, 2026 so that I can travel back to France to visit family. Stay tuned for short snippets of the adventure!

And if you're a newsletter subscriber, check your inboxes in the morning for the latest issue.

Today, instead of #CustomerCraftinessFriday, we’re highlighting local mutual aid and immigrant assistance orgs, and how you can support them and learn from them.

Stay tuned!

And finally, you're good with losing the vibrancy and diversity of small businesses that are at the heart of so many towns and cities? You're good with the mega-corporations running business here?

(4/4)

How do those of you supporting tariffs propose to provide support to the small businesses that will continue to fold under the burden of these price increases, not to mention support to all their employees?

3/…. Whoops, 3/4

Let's hear from those of you who were out there saying that small businesses just need to hang on until the innovators show up and get US factories going to make these sorts of things. How soon can we expect that?

2/3

Every. Single. Time. I've placed an order that includes hooks and needles, the price on all those items has been higher than the previous order.

It's been almost a year since That Guy took office, and tariffs started in earnest... what, 6 months ago?

(1/3)

Heyyyyyyyyyy - we’re back.

In the last few months, we’ve 1) written an article on tariffs - and how they impact local shops - & had it published in Modern Daily Knitting, 2) dealt with major regional flooding, 3) been working through *gestures at current dumpster fires*

How are you all?

Yes! A very-belated thank you for checking in. We didn’t get hit too hard in our area - the Skagit Valley was much harder hit. Really, really glad the combo of smaller crest, evacuations, + investment in floodwall infrastructure happened.

Class Registrations A locally-owned fiber arts shop in Stanwood, WA. We carry supplies for crochet, knitting, handspinning, and weaving; we also offer classes and private lessons.

Psst. You - yeah, the one with the yarn?

Guess what?

I finished my work tasks earlier than planned. If you live within commuting distance of the shop, you might wanna take a look over here: www.stillyriveryarns.com/store/c7/Cla...

This week's shop schedule:

- classes open for registration on the shop website at 7 PM
- Community Crafting Circle on Tuesday, 1-3 PM
- Stanwood-Camano Spinners on Thursday, 6-8:30 PM
- Rise & Shine Social Time on Saturday, 9 AM - noon
- Shop closes at 1 PM on Saturday for travel to Spokane

It has been a fraught few days. So I went and petted a few local sheep, provided a little financial and lots of moral support at a makers’ market, and am getting ready to teach a spinning class.

I ordered this item after de minimis exemptions closed, and it was delivered today.

1) We have an awesome mail carrier at the shop

2) The “will we/won’t we pay” game is exhausting and stupid

3) This administration is also exhausting and stupid but smart enough to be incredibly dangerous

Re: package from Ukraine

My mail carrier stopped by this morning. “So I asked about your question from yesterday, and, uh, was told we aren’t collecting that money.”

My package arrived at my house, so when I got home from work, I asked my husband about it. “Nope. No money taken or asked for.”

“Any difference for home vs business deliveries?”

“Nope.”

“And this could all change by Monday and you’d have different procedures then.”

*snort* “Yeeeeeeah.”

I’m so sorry to know this is making his job more complicated. He’s a great carrier.

“Make a check out to the postmaster and hand it to the carrier. If that’s not comfortable for you, we can give you pink package slip and you can come down to the post office.”

“Cash?”

“I mean, yeah, it’s allowed? But it makes me SUPER-uncomfortable.”

(2/🧵)

Tariffs BS, round [I have lost track]: ordered something for my RPG from Ukraine that will arrive via USPS. Realized I don’t know how they collect tariffs, so I asked my mail carrier.

“Great question. We have no specific guidance on that, but here’s how we usually handle money due…” (🧵)

Here’s the table I mention in the video; this is from the August 22 edition of the ASI newsletter:

Sad to say, a lot of folks are just now understanding why the domestic wool industry in the US is in deep trouble. A huge part of the conversation is the lack of financial incentive to produce wool - SO much work but so very little return. Here’s my quick explanation (the table I mention is below)

Sure! Drop me a line at Lindsey [at] StillyRiverYarns [dot] com with what you’re thinking about, questions, etc!

Hey all! I have been massively slacking over the summer on using BlueSky.

But the mentions overnight summoned me.

So - I’m back with more plain talk about our industry, more randomness, more BTS of yarn shop ownership, MOAR SHEEP

This week at the shop! Tuesday: Book signing with Deborah Held (and a sold-out class), so no community crafting circle - and After Dark Social Night is rescheduled to next Tuesday, 7/8.

Shop opens at 11 AM on Wednesday.

Closed on Friday/Saturday for the holiday weekend.

The weather may not be hot, but the patterns are... It's a Friday Pattern Roundup!

The weather may not be hot, but the patterns are... , by @StillyRiverYarn
substack.com/@stillyriver...

“I’ll just go to bed when I’m tired,” she said.

1:45 AM sleepy time + weather change + work day with a giant yarn shipment coming in = bad news.

How is it the 4th week of WIP Bingo already!? If you haven't colored in square 11, we'd love for ya to check out our LYS partners - they are amazing!

@stillyriveryarns.com
@alittleknitty.bsky.social
@theknottyknittress.bsky.social
@stringfieldyarn.bsky.social
and Cozy!

Calculated Stars: Moving Stitch Markers YouTube video by Stilly River Yarns

Some eager, astute knitters pinged me to let me know that I neglected to explain how to move the stitch marker after increase rows in our @lystour.com pattern, Calculated Stars.

My apologies, and many thanks to y’all! Updated pattern tomorrow, video tutorial tonight:

youtu.be/DX8vr_fv7tI?...

🚨 💉The FDA will no longer approve COVID vaccines for people 6mo–64yrs who don't have a risk factor for severe COVID-19. People 65 years and older and those under 65 with risk factors can still get vaccinated.

There's so much to unpack here. See a few thoughts below 👇

Class: How to Doodle with Jamie Lomax A locally-owned fiber arts shop in Stanwood, WA. We carry supplies for crochet, knitting, handspinning, and weaving; we also offer classes and private lessons.

Looking for something to use up all that yarn you got on the LYS Tour? Sign up for our How to Doodle class with the Queen of Doodles herself, Jamie Lomax! Saturday, May 31 from 3-5 PM. Registration is $75 and can be done in person or through our website: www.stillyriveryarns.com/store/p682/D...

And I might as well start gathering ideas for more designs, because @spl.org Summer Book Bingo came out today!!

Book 1 done - “new-to-me format” (e-book from @bookshop.org ), How We Learn to Be Brave by @mariannbudde.bsky.social . So many good lessons and reminders.

@lystour.com was amazing, exhausting, motivating, and draining, all at once.

Thank you SO MUCH to our visitors, volunteers, Lydia, Tour staff, and Tour board for a fantastic event.

I took today totally off and will have a non-customer-facing day tomorrow. 😴

Oh yay!! So glad you’re enjoying it!!