New fiber arts studio Wool Friends opens in Ballard

There’s a new fiber arts studio in Ballard: Wool Friends is now open on 1423 NW 70th Street.

Co-owners Brandi Henderson and Sarah Emerson are at the helm of Wool Friends, which Henderson says is a place for fiber arts enthusiasts to “gather, play, and share their knowledge of their craft.”

The studio offers classes for knitting, sewing, spinning, and also sells supplies via their online store. They also offer memberships which allow for open studio hours and special events.

Henderson, who grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, attended a visual-arts high school with a focus on drawing and painting, before moving on to study architecture at the California College of Arts and Crafts. She worked in architecture for several years before returning to school to study baking and pastry, and moved to Seattle to open The Pantry, which offers cooking classes, potlucks, and family-style dinners, all happening around a large table.

Henderson says that as The Pantry grew into a community hub, she craved an artistic outlet outside of cooking and baking. She had been knitting for 20 years and took up weaving, which triggered an interest in sewing, dyeing, and spinning.

“She found herself fascinated by the parallels to the culinary world—the rigor and precision combined with creative freedom, and the desire to engage with locally made products as a response to fast fashion. She began dreaming of a place where the community could gather to practice their crafts and learn from each other,” according to Wool Friends’ website.

Emerson is from Seattle—she studied theatre at the University of Washington and California State University, Long Beach. Her day job is in tech, but she’s a lifelong crafter and partnered with Henderson on other fiber arts projects before they teamed up for Wool Friends.

Classes will start officially in February, but they’re accepting memberships now via their website.

Photos by Wool Friends