It’s yarn crawl season around here, and I find myself feeling like I am missing out. I am not planning to “crawl” but I am connected to enough fiber arts sites that I can’t help but get regular updates on the status of the crawls around me.

I have to admit, while I know my REASONS for not crawling again this year, I am still feeling a bit like I am missing out on something. I have even considered visiting a couple shops on the crawl calendar just to dip my toes in the excitement that is a yarn – or fabric – crawl.

One of my biggest challenges around taking that step is represented by the photo at the top of this post.

• The pattern – Winter Gems Wrap – is free, and can be found on the Fiber Flux Blog site (link here). The Fiber Flux Blog site has so many wonderful patterns – if you’ve never visited them, you’re missing out!

In a recent quest to use up the yarn and fabric stashes I have in my house, I dug around in pursuit of yarn for a new project and found 2 skeins of 50% Merino Superwash wool/50% cotton yarn in a DK weight that I had purchased at a previous yarn crawl. Each skein was a little more than 225 yds, and I had initially hoped that I would be able to find other yarn in my stash that would complement these two smaller skeins.

Sadly, I did not, so I ended up going on a hunt for similar fiber content yarn in the same weight so that I could actually finish the piece (small, lightweight wrap) and be able to use it. After some searching, I found a suitable complementary batch on Etsy.

Some may wonder why I didn’t return to the same Local Yarn Shop (LYS) where I had originally purchased the lighter green yarn. Unfortunately, that yarn shop closed more than a year ago, as have 2 other shops that were close enough to fit in a quick trip, and where I was familiar enough with the owners and inventory that I felt I would be able to find what I needed.

This project, and the need to buy ADDITIONAL yarn to finish it reminded me why I was hesitant to participate in the crawl again this year. When crawling, I tend to purchase a skein or two of something that catches my eye OR something that I think would be a good “staple” to keep in my stash for later. After several years of that kind of crawling, I have a lot of partial project quantities of yarn in containers throughout my house.

Also, I am uncomfortable just stopping by a shop during the crawl event to get my “passport” stamped and put my ticket into the basket for a chance to win the giveaway prize. I grew up in an artist’s home and spent my childhood running the grounds of juried craft shows. The tension around making the bulk of the annual family money during festivals and shows in the late Spring/Summer/early Fall months is hard-coded in my DNA. For this reason I struggle with participating in a yarn crawl without actively supporting each shop, which means that if I’m crawling, I’m making a purchase of between $30 and $70 at each shop, if not a bit more.

In an earlier blog post about yarn crawling, I shared that the last time I “crawled“, I ended up buying more than $550 worth of yarn. That sizeable stash was not one large project, or even two. It was a collection of single skeins and an occasional pair, purchased at every participating shop.

Could I envision a project and shop each location to gather all the needed supplies? Of course, but I’m not sure how feasible it would be AND let’s face it: it’s SO EASY to get caught up in the excitement of it all and spend more than we intended to when we left the house that morning.

I truly feel conflicted about not crawling this year, but I am committed to working down my stash instead of adding to it, and to keeping the momentum of clearing out my house moving along as I approach retirement, which is coming in a couple years. In addition, I would be dishonest if I didn’t also admit that I am paying more attention to SAVING money instead of SPENDING it, partially due to my looming retirement, but also because it seems that EVERYTHING costs more right now.

One year, a shop owner shared that she makes 60% of her annual income during the yarn crawl, and that reality weighs on me, too. I understand the hope and the anticipation and the WORRY that goes into the prep and planning for events like a yarn crawl.

I do not pretend to know what the “answer” is to generating revenue beyond events like yarn crawls. I suspect it is some combination of classes, mini workshops, ad hoc sales, and other related activities. I also believe that the same worries and concern relating to finances are being felt by shop owners across the country – especially right now.

In working on a paper for another project, I was recently researching the trends seen in small towns when they are falling on financial hard times. Some of the telltale signs include the following businesses starting to move into empty shops:

• Dollar stores
• Payday loan/check cashing shops
• Rent-to-Own furniture and appliance stores
• Title loan and pawn shops
• Vape/smoke shops

It made me sad to think about these while recalling the closure of the 3 local yarn shops in my area over the past year, because I understand the underlying forces at work. According to sources that track these statistics, small business bankruptcy filings (Subchapter V) were up 67% in Q1 2026 as compared to the previous year, and overall business bankruptcies are at their highest level since 2014.

The reasons include all the usual suspects, but small business owners point to tariffs, high interest rates, and inflation as the main culprits in these recent trends, with more than 40% of the small businesses surveyed reporting negative impacts from the 2025 tariffs. Across the board, cash flow and inflation remain the top-cited operational challenges for small businesses.

While I have decided against crawling, I still feel that I have a responsibility to participate in the economy that is the local fabric, yarn or quilt shop. Here’s what I am doing, and hope that others will consider this or something similar in their own neighborhoods.

I am doing more participatory shopping. My sister and I will, once again, attend a 2-day quilting retreat in the Fall. It supports a local, small business, strengthens the bonds of community, and keeps us connected to the things that we love.

I am also committed to stopping by a regional yarn or fabric/quilt shop every month. I can purchase a hook, some needles, sewing supplies, or fabric/yarn for a specific project. In addition to the dollars I spend, I can share my gratitude for them being in the community, and compliment them on what they do for fiber artists in our area. I can also encourage new fiber artists to shop these stores.

My sister and I also take mini day-vacations and visit fabric, quilt, and yarn shops across several states. That is another way to support our fiber shop brothers and sisters (did you know that there’s a website that lists Yarn Crawls by state!?).

I surely don’t know the solution to these and similar challenges, but I believe that if we all do a little, together we can make a difference for the small fiber arts businesses in our areas and beyond.

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