Yarn and craft stores near Palo Alto

Palo Alto makes plenty of things, but yarn is not one of them. We found no yarn shop, fabric store or big craft chain inside city limits in 2026. The 2025 closing of JOANN's stores nationwide removed the last easy option for fabric and notions on this stretch of the Peninsula. What remains is a small group of independent shops in neighboring downtowns, each with a loyal following, plus two Michaels stores for basics.

This guide starts with what you can find in Palo Alto, then covers the nearby towns: Los Altos, Menlo Park, San Carlos, Mountain View and Redwood City. We confirmed each shop on its own 2026 website or a chain store page. Small shops set their own hours, so check before you drive.

Yarn and craft stores at a glance

What you can find in Palo Alto

For paper crafts, the city is well covered. Paper Source at Town & Country Village sells specialty papers, rubber stamps, stickers, ribbon, gift wrap and card-making supplies, along with stationery and invitations. It runs seasonal in-store events, which are a gentle way into a new craft. Painters, sketchers and printmakers should read our art supplies guide, which covers paper in bulk and the larger art stores within driving distance.

Classes are another route. The Palo Alto Art Center runs art classes and workshops for adults and children through the city. If you want to learn a craft before buying supplies, a class tells you what you need and what you do not.

Uncommon Threads, Los Altos

Uncommon Threads is the closest yarn shop to Palo Alto and the one most local knitters name first. The business has been around for more than 40 years. Stephanie Hein, a former customer, took it over in 2009. The shop has moved within downtown Los Altos and its website now gives the address as 164 Main Street, Suite 105.

The store sells yarn, needles, hooks, patterns, notions and finishing tools such as blocking pins and wool wash. Its fall hours on the website are noon to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, which is the open stitch night, noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays. The site also lists holiday closures, including November 26 and December 24 to 26. If you cannot visit, the online shop ships.

Los Altos's small downtown is easy to walk once you park. Our downtown Los Altos guide has cafes for a knitting break.

Old World Designs, Menlo Park

Needlepoint has its own specialist two miles north of Palo Alto. Old World Designs at 727 Santa Cruz Avenue is a full-service needlepoint shop. Linda Mendenhall bought the business in 1991. It began at Allied Arts in Menlo Park and has been on Santa Cruz Avenue since 2002.

The shop sells hand-painted canvases and the fibers to stitch them, including silk, wool, cotton and metallic threads, plus beads, cutters and other tools. It hosts trunk shows, private and group classes and weekly stitch-ins on Fridays. The website lists hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, along with mail order and curbside pickup. Note the early closing time if you plan an afternoon visit. Our Santa Cruz Avenue guide covers parking and lunch nearby.

Nordic Nest, San Carlos

Nordic Nest at 781 Laurel Street in downtown San Carlos combines a yarn shop with Scandinavian imports, gifts and craft kits. Anette Grøstad is a co-owner. The yarn wall leans toward Nordic brands such as Sandnes Garn. The online shop lists dozens of colors of Sandnes yarns, from soft wool to the sturdy Fritidsgarn line.

Classes are a big part of the business. In fall 2026 the shop sold places in a weekday knitting class for beginner and intermediate knitters, a kids' crochet class on Thursdays and seasonal sewing workshops. The website does not post regular hours, so call before you go. San Carlos is about 20 minutes north on El Camino Real.

Michaels in Mountain View and Redwood City

For general craft supplies, the nearest chain is Michaels, with stores at 2415 Charleston Road in Mountain View and 100 Woodside Plaza in Redwood City. Both stock yarn from large brands, knitting needles and crochet hooks, along with paint, foam board, kids' craft kits, frames and seasonal decorations. After Party City closed, Michaels added more party supplies and balloons in 2025. Prices are lower than at the independent shops, but the yarn selection leans toward acrylics and blends.

Michaels runs frequent sales and coupons, so check its website or app before a big purchase.

Quilting and sewing

Fabric is the hardest craft supply to find near Palo Alto. Always Quilting in San Mateo, which once ran a full shop, now operates as Studio AQ at 1515 South El Camino Real, Suite 250. Its website says it is open by appointment only and focuses on long-arm quilting and classes, with a small stock of batiks, batting, wide backs and minky fabric. It sits just beyond our usual 12-mile radius, so call or email first.

Nordic Nest's sewing workshops are another option for beginners. For thread, buttons and small repairs, Paper Source and Michaels carry a few basics.

Crafting with kids

Children's crafts are easier to supply than adult fiber projects. Michaels stocks ready-made kits for slime, beading, painting and simple sewing, along with foam, felt, pompoms and glue in bulk, which helps for a class party or a rainy afternoon. Paper Source sells stickers, stamps and card kits that suit older children. For lessons, Nordic Nest's kids' crochet class teaches the basics with yarn and a hook. The Palo Alto Art Center also lists youth classes and camps each season. A first project should be small. A coaster, a bookmark or a simple scarf in thick yarn gives a child a finished piece in a few sessions, which keeps interest high. Buy chunky yarn in a light color so stitches are easy to see. Pick wooden or bamboo needles, which grip the yarn and slip less than metal ones.

Tips for shopping at a local yarn store

1. Bring the pattern. Staff can suggest yarn substitutes if you know the weight, yardage and gauge.
2. Buy enough of one dye lot. Colors vary slightly between lots, so buy all the skeins for a project at once.
3. Keep the label. The ball band lists fiber, care and dye lot. Tape it into your notes.
4. Ask about winding. Many shops wind hanks into cakes for you, sometimes only for yarn bought there.
5. Join a stitch night. Help with a dropped stitch is free when you knit with others.

Frequently asked questions