The Hamster Wheel
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🐹 A Bellingham Yarn 🐑🧶

🐹 A Bellingham Yarn 🐑🧶

November 18, 2024

Good morning, Bellingham. This is your Monday update from The Hamster Wheel.

It’s mid-November in the Ham. We know we’re not alone in counting down the days before the solstice (33 to be exact). In the meantime, turn on the SAD lamps and don’t despair! Whatcom County is full of winter festivities and holiday markets to keep the season cheerful. We’ll keep you updated on it all. 🍂⛄️

~ Val & Evan

In today’s Hamster Wheel:

Spincycle Yarns
The New Old World Deli
Food & Drink
Music & Nightlife

Nature, Community, Sasquatch, UAP

Photos From the Hoods

Mallard taking flight at Barkley Pond - 📷 Photo by Richard Marcus.

A roaring Chuckanut Falls - 📷 Photo by Sylvia Bernstein.

Tag @bellinghamsterwheel on Instagram or reply to this email to get your photos in The Hamster Wheel.

Weather Forecast

Monday: 47°F 🌡️ 36°F | 🌧️ Rain Showers | 🌧️ 80% | 💨 SSW 10 mph

Tuesday: 48°F 🌡️ 40°F | 🌧️ Light Rain | 🌧️ 100% | 💨 E 9 to 18 mph

Bellingham Bay Tides

Day	Time	H/L	FT
Mon	7:59 AM	H	9.68
Mon	12:44 PM	L	7.07
Mon	4:41 PM	H	8.44
Tue	12:43 AM	L	-2.41
Tue	8:54 AM	H	9.6
Tue	2:00 PM	L	7.05
Tue	5:21 PM	H	7.85

Moon Phases

Weather & Tides from NOAA. Moon data astronomyapi.

Events, Updates & News Around Town

Get off the Hamster Wheel

A Decidedly Bellingham Yarn

Have you noticed the charming yarn shop next to Henderson’s Books on Grand Ave? It’s the flagship store of Spincycle Yarns, a local manufacturer with an international following.

Our good friend Micah 👇️ is part of the Spincycle team and invited us to tour the shop, mill, and dye house.

Bellinghamsters Kate Burge-Tibi and Rachel Price started Spincycle Yarns 20 years ago, first selling their handspun yarns at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Since then, they’ve found ways to scale the manufacture of their unique kettle-dyed, slow-color-changing yarn and now supply retailers and artisans worldwide.

Knitter or not, walking into their shop on Grand is a magical experience. You'll find skein after skein of gorgeous color-changing yarn displayed alongside solid yarns dyed by partnering businesses like The Farmer's Daughter Fibers, the co-creators of the Spinster's Daughter collection.

Spincycle yarns are dyed and spun in Bellingham. Entering the mill, a simple warehouse in the Sunnyland neighborhood, is like stumbling upon Rainbow Brite’s headquarters. A vibrant kaleidoscope of color surrounded us as bales of white wool transformed into thousands of unique, one-of-a-kind skeins.

If you’re a knitter, weaver, sewer, or yarn-curious and looking for inspiration, pop into Spincycle this holiday season and say hello to Micah and the team.

The Slopes Open Thursday at the Mt. Baker Ski Area!

Mt. Baker’s 2024-25 season is officially on! Passholder Day is Wednesday (Nov 20) exclusively for Season Passholders, and Opening Day for everyone on Thursday (Nov 21).

Finn Banks at Baker - 📷️ by Val

They will open chairs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, along with Raven Hut Lodge, and hope to add Chair 5 on the Shuksan side later Wednesday. If weather permits, both base areas could be fully open by the weekend. Snow report.

In other news…

🏙️ The Bellingham City Council meets today (Nov 18) at 2:30 and 7 PM. You can review the agenda online. This public meeting is held in the Council Chambers at the City Hall or watch online. The council is scheduled to address adopting the 2025 Budget and an ordinance raising the Solid Waste Utility Tax from 11.5% to 17.25%.

👨‍🌾 The Whatcom County Council meets tomorrow (Nov 19) at 2:05 and 6 PM. You can review the agenda online. This public meeting is held in the Council Chambers at the County Courthouse or watch via Zoom. The council is scheduled to discuss the 2025-2026 biennium budget and an ordinance establishing a Medical Examiner Department.

⛵️ The Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners meets tomorrow (Nov 19) at 4 PM. Attend in person at the Harbor Center or stream live on the port’s YouTube channel. The commission will address approving the 2025 budget and tax levy, the sale of 6.18 acres in Sumas International Cargo Terminal to Arrow Reload WA, and the lease of 2.56 acres at the Airport Industrial Park to Pickleball Acre LLC for the development of a pickleball facility.

Local Business Updates

Haggling With Local Folk

The New Old World Deli

Old World Deli is throwing a Grand Reopening event today after a brief closure to remodel and rebrand. Enjoy $6 porchetta, 50% off all old merch, and artisanal chocolate advent calendars in time for the holidays. Stop by between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check out the refreshed space.

Kids Eat Free at The Loft

Fellow exhausted parents of Bellingham. On Mondays, The Loft offers a free meal off the kids menu with the purchase of any $15+ regular priced food item. 🍔

Rome Grocery Now Serving Artisan Pizza

The Rome Grocery on Mt Baker Highway is now offering artisan pizza seven days a week. Kitchen hours are 11 AM-8 PM and the menu is available online for takeout orders.

Food & Drinks

Hamsters Gotta Eat

Monday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St.)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)

Tuesday Food Trucks
A Que Tacos @ Goods Local Brews
Burnt Side Down @ Stemma Brewery
El Pollo Feo @ Kulshan Brewery (Roosevelt K2)
El Tapatio @ 4124 Strider Loop Rd
Galley 2 Go @ Stones Throw Brewery
Luchadora @ Wander Brewing
Outpost Eats @ Kulshan Brewery (James St. K1)
Tacos El Tule @ West Marine (Meridian St)
Tam Tam Pizza @ Fringe Brewing
The Galley @ Ponderosa Beer + Books

Help Spread The Word

Refer three Bellingham friends to join our newsletter community, and we’ll include a birthday callout to one person you specify on their B’day 🎂. Get your referral link here. Your current referral count is: 0. You’re so close!.

Music & Nightlife

Spinning Into The Night

Monday Games & Trivia
Trivia Night @ Ono Kitchen & Bar | 7 PM
Trivia Night @ Paws for a Beer | 6:15 PM
Trivia Night @ Zeeks Pizza & Fountain Brewing | 6 PM

Hakuna matata

To All Our Readers

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Have a great Monday!!