I've lived in the Bay Area since mid-2000 and have been looking into all sorts of craft shops, classes, and groups during that time. I hope to share what I've found, to help the crafters in the area find the resources they're looking for.
This page is definitely a work in progress, and I'll update it as much as I can.
Craft Groups
Meet new people and learn new things about the craft(s) you're interested in.
- South Bay Craft Group (Campbell)
- Started by Craftster.org members, this group meets once a month at the Campbell Library. (I help out a bit with the organization.)
- South Bay Rubber Stampers (San Jose)
- A newly created Meetup group for rubber stamping, with monthly meetings at a paper arts studio in Willow Glen.
- Bay Area Stampers
- Just an email list, but based on the SF Bay Area, geared towards rubber stampers and paper crafters.
- Mountain View Scrapbooking Meetup Group
- Monthly cropping nights for working on projects and learning new techniques.
- Oakland Crafts Meetup
- Bimonthly craft meeting in Oakland, open to any crafter or artist. Meetings are sometimes combined with the SF Church of Craft meetings.
- SF Bay Area Artist Trading Cards Meetup Group (El Cerrito)
- Very active group of ATC-creators who meet up in El Cerrito once a month.
- SF Friday Night Scrapbook Crop & Paper Crafters Party
- A San Francisco-based scrapbooking and paper crafting group that meets once a month in the city.
- SF South Bay Area Machine Embroiderers
- If machine embroidery is your thing, then join this group and attend one of their monthly meetings within the South Bay.
- San Jose Scrappers
- Scrapbooking friends who meet at member homes and attend other events to work on projects.
- Santa Clara Scrapbooking Meetup Group
- Scrapbookers meeting in Santa Clara.
Craft Groups - Knitting & Crochet
There are so many knitting and crocheting groups in the area, that they needed their own list!
- Bitch N Stitch North Bay
- If you're north of San Francisco, check out one of any of the meetings with this group.
- Boba Knit (Mountain View)
- Meet some local knitters and enjoy a bubble (boba) tea.
- Commuknity Social Knitting (San Jose)
- This local yarn store welcomes anyone to join them for social kniting on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons (see their Events page). They also offer a men's knitting night on Thursdays.
- Fingers of Fury (Livermore)
- A small knitting group in Livermore that meets every Wednesday night.
- Fog City Knitters (San Francisco)
- A group of knitters and other needle crafters who meet every Tuesday night in the Richmond area.
- Fremont Knitting Meetup Group
- Monthly knitting gatherings in Fremont.
- Funky Fiber Fellowship (Fremont)
- Open to knitters, crocheters, and other fiber artists, this group meets every Thursday night at the Panera Bread in Fremont.
- Knit Happens (San Mateo Coastside)
- For those knitters near Montara, this group meets every Thursday night.
- Knitspiration (Saratoga)
- A local TKGA guild, this group meets monthly at Knitting Arts in Saratoga, to educate and enjoy the art and craft of knitting. Membership dues are $12 per year.
- Knitting Click (Los Altos)
- Join these knitters at one or two of their weekly meetings, held at Full Thread Ahead, Inc. in Los Altos.
- Oakknit / Meanie Knit Cluc (Oakland)
- A group for anything to do with knitting in Oakland, including weekly meetings.
- Peninsula Coastside Knitters (Pacifica)
- With meetings every Monday and Thursday night.
- Peninsula Knitters (Palo Alto)
- Meet for coffee, sweets, and knitting up in Palo Alto.
- S n B Redwood City
- Stop by Mountain Mike's in Redwood City on Thursday nights to knit with this crew.
- San Francisco Chicks with Sticks
- Women who meet to knit and share cocktails every Monday night.
- San Mateo Knitters
- This group meets at a yarn shop in San Mateo twice a month.
- Santa Clara County Crochet Meetup Group
- Crocheters meeting on the 4th Wednesday of every month to crochet together.
- Santa Clara County Knitting Meetup
- An active knitting group that meets regularly in Saratoga.
- Santa Cruz Knitting Meetup
- A popular knitting group with plenty of meetings every month, including a monthly meeting and separate weekly meetings, all in lovely Santa Cruz.
- Silicon Valley Stitchers (Campbell)
- Come to Coffee Society in Campbell on any Thursday evening and knit, embroider, or quilt with this group.
- SnB San Jose (Campbell)
- This group is all about knitting and meets every Sunday at the Sonoma Chicken Coop in Campbell.
- South Bay Knitters (Campbell)
- Come to the Rub & Yarn Hut in downtown Campbell for a twice-monthly knitting group, including show and tell for new knitters.
Education
If you'd like to learn a new craft or technique, check out one of these organizations and sign up for a class.
- A Work of Heart: Creative Arts Lounge
- If paper crafting/arts are your passion, then you might want to check out this great paper-focused studio. They offer classes and various other events, and you can rent the space as well. The studio is full of paper crafting and rubber stamping supplies of all sorts, and you can get full access to them for working on your projects.
- ASUC Art Studio
- A public arts program through UC Berkeley.
- Bay Area Scrappers
- A scrapbooking studio/store in Fremont that offers various classes and group events.
- Blossom Hill Crafts Pottery
- Learn how to throw pottery at this Los Gatos-based studio.
- Craft Gym
- A wide variety of crafting classes and other events are offered by this San Francisco craft school.
- Stitch Lounge
- Learn to sew in San Francisco.
- Sunnyvale Cupertino Adult Community Education
- Offering arts/crafts, home, and other courses, all taking place at high schools in the Cupertino/Sunnyvale area.
Shopping - Store Reviews
The best and worst of Bay Area stores, as told by the locals who visit them.
- South Bay Crochet Yarn Store Reviews
- This site covers all of California, with a greater focus on the SF Bay Area.
- Valerie's SF Bay Area Crafts Lists @ Yelp.com
- My own personal reviews on Yelp.com, organized into several themed lists.
Shopping - General Crafts
These stores offer a variety of items for different crafts.
- Beverly's Fabrics & Crafts
- This local chain has several locations throughout the Bay Area, including San Jose, Alameda, Daly City, and Santa Cruz. Their product selection is pretty varied and includes fabric, sewing notions, beads, scrapbook/paper crafting supplies, silk flowers, yarn and knitting tools, kids' crafts, craft books, and a lot more. Sign up for their monthly sales flier and get coupons to use each month. They accept competitor coupons as well.
- Jo-ann Fabric & Crafts
- A national chain, Joann has a number of stores throughout the Bay Area and the selection at each can vary. Most offer fabric, yarn, paper, and general crafting supplies, as well as books and magazines on a variety of craft topics. Sign up for their biweekly flier to get notified of sales and get coupons for great discounts.
- Michaels, The Arts & Crafts Store
- Another national chain with several locations in the area, Michaels provides art supplies as well as a variety of crafting supplies. Most of their stores have framing and floral departments, and they sell wedding favors, candles, readymade frames, and other items. The selection can vary at each store, but they'll usually have general art supplies, like paint, paper, and so on, as well as items for paper crafting, kids' crafts, fabric painting/t-shirt decoration, needlework, knitting, and wood crafts. Check out the local paper for Michaels fliers (with coupons); they also take competitors coupon, though they don't like to announce it!
Shopping - Needlework & Embroidery
Stores offering embroidery fibers and supplies, as well as patterns, kits, canvases, and more.
- Exclamation Point (Saratoga)
- "A needlepoint store specializing in handpainted canvases and novelty threads."
Shopping - Rubber Stamps
For the stampers/paper crafters out there, here are some nice stamp stores in the area.
- Stamp On Over (Sunnyvale, San Jose)
- With two locations in South Bay crafter's malls in Sunnyvale and San Jose, this stamp shop offers a great selection of stamps, including some cool, modern designs. They also sell ink pads, blank cards, ribbon, glitter, and all sorts of related supplies. Classes and other events are offered fairly regularly.
- Only the Best (Los Gatos)
- Situated in Los Gatos, this shop leans more towards readymade and custom stationery for events, but they also sell stamps and other supplies if you want to make some yourself. The stamp selection is large but doesn't have the same variety as other stores. They also sell supplies and paper goods, with occasional classes available in their back room.
Shopping - Yarn Stores
Yarn and other knitting supplies can be found at these local stores.
- Article Pract (Oakland)
- Plenty of yarns, but they'll special order anything they don't have. Free patterns are available on their site, and they offer classes regularly as well.
- Commuknity (San Jose)
- "A Neighborhood Yarn Experience" Yarn, classes, and more.
- Knitting Arts (Saratoga)
- "A Place Where Fibers, People, and Creativity Come Together."
- The Knitters Studio (Menlo Park)
- "Where Inspiration Begins." Yarn and classes for knitters and crochet, in Menlo Park.
- Uncommon Threads (Los Altos)
- A full-service knitting shop for knitters and crocheters, including classes and other special events.
- Yarn Dogs (Los Gatos)
- Lots of yarn to choose from, as well as various fiber workshops.
