Last weekend… oh my goodness… I’m still catching my breath just thinking about it.
Between the Texas Yarn Tail, Local Yarn Store Day, and Little Craft Fest, all happening at the same time, it felt like the crafting universe decided to throw one big, beautiful party…and we were right in the middle of it.
At the shop, even though I wasn’t there for the full weekend, I heard all the stories; let me tell you, you all showed up. We had such a wonderful turnout, and it sounds like the energy was just buzzing from start to finish. Julie, Dianne, and Talulah held down the fort (and I mean held it down), making sure everyone who walked through those doors felt welcomed, helped, and probably a little bit inspired too.
Our Yarn Trail party launched festivities on the Wednesday beforehand, where we debuted our inaugural Blue Light Special — I must admit, it was an absolute blast. There’s something about a surprise deal that just brings out the excitement in all of us. I was there on Thursday, and we did two more Blue Light Specials—and wow, it was busy in the best possible way. The kind of busy where you look around and think… this is exactly why we do what we do.
And then… just like that… Tara and I packed up and whisked ourselves away to Little Craft Fest.
Now that was a whole different kind of joy.
I had made plans with my daughter, Tara, before I realized the Yarn Trail dates, and I am so glad I kept them. Entering a new creative space offers a unique opportunity to learn afresh. Playing again.
I took a bookbinding workshop (which I am already dreaming about bringing into the shop somehow), learned all about layering with stickers from Amy Tangerine, and explored travel journaling with Cora Crea. And yes… Pipsticks was there too, which felt like walking into a little sticker wonderland.
And let me just say—Coralie and Amy Tangerine are amazingly talented. Observing how they think, layer, and view a page offers new insights. I even learned how to create little scenes with stickers, which feels a bit like storytelling… just with paper instead of yarn.
But here is my favorite part, and I know this won’t surprise any of you…
I ran into so many of our people.
Knitters. Crocheters. Familiar faces from our YSB community, all off on their own little creative adventures. And of course, we gathered, we chatted, we shared ideas, we compared projects… because that is just what we do. It doesn’t matter if it’s yarn, paper, stickers, or thread—we are makers at heart.
And I was reminded of something I think we all quietly know…
Most of us don’t just have one craft.
We wander. (Or in my case… squirrels.)
We pick things up, we set things down, we circle back around. But every single thing we try feeds into the next. The colors we see, the textures we love, the stories we tell, hey all find their way back into our knitting and crochet.
So, while the shop was full and lively with Yarn Trail excitement… I was off filling my cup in a different way.
And now I get to bring all of that back to you.
Because that’s the best part, isn’t it?
We go out into the world, we gather ideas, inspiration, and a little bit of magic… and then we bring it home to share with our community.
