Coven of Stitches Hooks Alameda Crafters
Written by Isabella Molina ‘27
On March 16, 2024, the West Alameda shop, Coven of Stitches, announced its long-awaited opening. The shop, which is situated on Webster Street, features beautiful yarns, threads, hooks, needles, and other craft materials. Like many other people my age, I enjoy crafting, so when I got a text from my mother with a screenshot of the Instagram post about their opening, I was ecstatic. Alameda is mostly barren of small business yarn shops, with the more popular options being Michael’s and other more widespread shops. When I entered, I didn’t know what to expect from the shop since I decided to go in blind for a more authentic review, but I was pleasantly surprised. The vibrant colors of yarns that decorated the walls and every surface brightly greeted my eyes and drew me in. Since Yelley, the owner, was yarn hunting when I first went to the shop, I met their husband, Jason, who at the time was knitting. I returned to the shop on Thursday of that week and met Yelley and the shop dog, Beatrice.
Yelley grew up in Michigan with parents who often had opposing schedules, so their grandmother on their father’s side would watch them while their parents were at work. The time they and their grandmother had together prompted their grandmother to teach them crocheting at the age of five. Since then, Yelley has been incredibly passionate about crafts, especially that of fiber arts. “I taught myself how to knit when I was in fifth grade, with a book from my school’s library and a pair of chopsticks that I put into a pencil sharpener to get them sharp like knitting needles,” Yelley recalls.
The beautiful store and wide array of yarns and materials reflect this passion. Some of the yarns are from large companies to promote affordability, and others come from local businesses, such as BayFarmDyeHaus, a local yarn dyer on Bay Farm, a local dyer in Daly City, or just any yarns that Yelley finds either through friends or on Instagram.
Another factor that is important to Yelley as a queer person of color is representation through the yarns that they purchase and choose to shelf in their store. This representation is crucial to promote the inclusivity that the shop holds. “I really want this to feel like a space where people feel welcomeand people feel like they want to come hang out, Yelley states. Yelley also highlighted the idea of a “no rules” shop: “I want people to feel like you can bring any project, you can buy the yarn at Michaels, it can be stuff you’ve had in your stash or you got from your grandma or whatever like just bring your crafts here.”
As well as becoming a community hub for everyone to join, Coven of Stitches will also hold classes for everyone. These classes will include almost anything fiber-related, such as knitting, crocheting, spinning, weaving, mending, embroidery, cross-stitching, etc. Classes are open to people of any level in fiber arts, whether you’re a seasoned crocheter who wants to learn new techniques or someone who has never even picked up a skein of yarn. Those teaching the classes include Yelley, their employee, Angelina, and possibly even a barista from the local coffee shop, Signal, to name a few. One main issue for many people, especially in the Bay Area, is the affordability of yarns, materials, and classes. Yelley explained that they will provide a sliding scale, such as financial aid or scholarship-like programs through the shop for people who want to learn to craft but cannot afford it. While it’s not yet known when classes will begin, you can check out the shop’s Instagram and Facebook for updates and information on class availability and schedules.
Crafting is increasingly helpful in an era dominated by negative stimuli, such as phones and other devices that have little benefit to our creative well-being. It can help relieve stress, something we all seem to have in our everyday lives, with the reward of accomplishment and something you can hold on to and a skill to pass down. While still a new business, I can already see the positive impact that this store will have on Webster, or maybe even Alameda as it weaves our close-knit community together even closer. Coven of Stitches will even have a summer program for teens to hang out, learn to craft, and get to know each other. Coven of Stitches hopes to build the next generation of crafters in Alameda and make long-lasting friendships. What are you waiting for? Go to Cookiebar for some ice cream and get to crafting with Yelley, Jason, Beatrice, Angelina, and anyone else you meet!
