Welcome to the
Great Tennessee Yarn Tour
The Great Tennessee Yarn Tour started in 2023 with a desire to establish a high-quality yarn-crawl type event in Tennessee that would be enjoyable for fiber enthusiasts and local yarn shops alike to participate in. Since the beginning, our shops have worked together to create an event that would be truly unique to Tennessee and reflect the best that our yarn shops have to offer! We strive to create a memorable event that fosters positive relationships and strengthens the roots of our fiber community.
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It has been an honor to watch this event take off and grow. Once August rolls around each year, fiber enthusiasts from all over Tennessee and beyond embark on a one-of-a-kind road trip where they make new friends, explore yarn shops, support local businesses, meet alpacas, and discover the sights and sounds of Tennessee. We are so thankful to our "Tourists" for showing up, year after year. Your excitement is contagious, and we thank you for the opportunity to share in a fiber-filled adventure with you.
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After the 2023 Tour, we heard from Tourists that one thing they loved experiencing was how different each shop was from another - no two shops were alike or carried the exact same products. Each shop had its own focus and personality. Tennessee is blessed to have such a rich community of yarn and fiber-focused shops. What makes our yarn shops really shine, though, is you! You all make our fiber community vibrant and lively, creating a truly rich tapestry out of thousands of unique threads. To celebrate this, we chose the theme "Uniquely Ewe" for 2024. It was so much to meet all of you and experience the Yarn Tour through your eyes!
From the Tour Director...
Hi! My name is Jillian; I run a small yarn shop (Walther Handmade) in a small town (Harriman). Both the shop and the town have a big heart, so I hope you come visit. I am so honored to be a part of the Great Tennessee Yarn Tour and wanted to take a moment to share what the Yarn Tour means to me.
In 2018, I was working a fairly standard 9-5 job and crafting (weaving or crochet) in the evenings. I saw something online about a "yarn crawl." I wasn't quite sure what that was, but it involved yarn, so it sounded like fun. Unfortunately, I found out about the event after it ended - so I made a mental bookmark to look out for the event the next year. In 2019, I was ready. I got my passport and tote bag (because you need a tote bag) and plotted out which stores I could visit after work, which days I could leave work early to go buy yarn 😉, and which stores I would have to visit on the weekend. My husband got in on the fun, and we planned our Saturday Yarn Store Road Trip Extravaganza: Harriman to Gatlinburg to Dandridge to Maryville and back, with stops for coffee and barbecue as needed.
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This event was the turning point - both in my work as a fiber artist and in my consumer habits. First, I fell in love with Alpaca, and it is now my favorite fiber for all things. Second, I learned about SO MANY new and different types/brands/fibers of yarns - bamboo, rayon, merino, organic cotton, and so many more. This may have been the first time I ever bought a hand-dyed yarn. Third, I got to know my local yarn shops, what each has to offer and how each one is special and unique. Each one was a new little world to explore - and world that welcomed me with open arms. Lastly, I got to see so many brilliant pockets of Tennessee that otherwise I would not have known about.
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I am thankful to that event for opening my eyes to the LYS and wonders within. Now that I have my own little local yarn shop, I am so honored to be part of this community and look forward to helping to create an event that has come to mean so much to our fiber community. We hope the Great Tennessee Yarn Tour provides you ample opportunity to discover new yarns and yarn shops, have fun with your fiber friends, explore the highways and byways of Tennessee, and to build a deeper connection to the fiber arts community all around you. Whether you are just starting out and slightly scared (like I was) or are a dyed-in-the-wool-LYS-veteran, we hope your experience is truly enjoyable and inspiring!