How Colorful Yarns and Weekly Visits Stitch Friendship Into Community

Every Tuesday morning, just after ten o’clock, the Lake Chelan Community Center fills with a familiar kind of warmth—the kind that doesn’t come from heaters or coffee cups, but from people settling into a space that feels like theirs.

You’ll find a cluster of women arranged in a loose circle of comfortable chairs, yarn in their laps, drinks on the tables beside them, and conversations that begin before everyone has even sat down. They call it their knitting group, but what happens here is much more than that. In this bright, open lobby, community is stitched together one loop at a time.

One of the steady hands guiding this weekly ritual is Melody Baker, who has organized and been part of the knitting circle since its earliest days at Three Wild Sheep, a downtown Chelan yarn shop. Back then, the group grew easily—friends dropped in, customers lingered, people found companionship among the shelves of yarn.

But after the shop closed, the group began to drift. Meeting in homes felt temporary. Meeting in the library wasn’t sustainable. What they longed for was a place that wasn’t someone’s living room or a temporary fix. They needed a place that welcomed them without conditions.

They found it the moment Melody stepped into The Vine coffee shop and asked a simple question: “Could our group meet here?”

And Holly Moody, owner of The Vine, excitedly answered, “Of course!”

From that moment on, their Tuesday mornings became one of the clearest demonstrations of what this building is meant to be: a place where people gather not because they’re part of an organized club, not because they reserved a room, not because they paid a fee—but because it feels good to be together.

Inside this circle are retirees, lifelong locals, new residents, quilters, crocheters, and people who simply enjoy the feeling of doing something side-by-side. Some come every week; others come when they can. There are no officers, no rosters, no rules. Only belonging.

This is what community looks like when it’s allowed to happen naturally.

And in Melody’s eyes, that matters—deeply.

She has lived in the valley for more than four decades. Her children are fourth-generation residents. She has seen orchards become vineyards, farms become developments, and sleepy winters transform into year-round activity. Through it all, one thing has remained constant: the people who call this place home show up for one another. They shovel sidewalks for neighbors. They rally around families in crisis. They volunteer, donate, cheer, mourn, and gather whenever someone needs help.

“It’s always been a community,” Melody says. “People look out for each other here.”

The Community Center amplifies that instinct.

It gives people a place to connect outside of their homes, outside of work, outside of church or school or obligation. It is a neutral, welcoming, comfortable space where people from all backgrounds cross paths—intentionally and accidentally—and feel like they belong.

And others see it too. 

As Holly Moody put it: “We’ve grown to love Tuesdays when the knitters come in. We kind of feel like we’re part of this little knitting club without actually knitting with them.”

Walk through the lobby on any Tuesday and you’ll see it:

• moms with toddlers heading into the playroom
• adults meeting for coffee
• seniors settling into a quiet spot to read
• professionals working on laptops
• teens arriving for the gym
• families catching up between errands
• and a group of knitters laughing around a circle of chairs

All in the same room. All sharing the same building. All getting something they need.

That’s what your donation supports.

Not only the knitting group or the lobby or the classes or the gym—but the capacity for community itself.

When Melody imagines the future, she doesn’t picture anything complicated. She imagines exactly this: a place where people keep finding one another, where kids run in and out of activities. Where teens practice and perform in the gym. Where adults learn, recover, meet, volunteer, and grow. Where small groups like hers continue to flourish simply because the building makes it easy. And her invitation to those who haven’t experienced it yet is simple:

“Come see for yourself. Don’t just hear about it—feel it. Sit in a comfy chair, have a drink, and watch who comes through the doors. You’ll understand right away why this place matters.”

The Community Center is already changing lives in small, steady ways—one cup of coffee, one class, one safe space, one knitting circle at a time. And with the gymnasium and performing arts center now ready to move forward, the ripple effect will only grow.

Your support doesn’t just build a building. It creates the connections that make a community stronger. Let’s keep the momentum—and the community—growing.

If this story resonates with you, now is the moment to act. With the gymnasium and performing arts center fully funded, every gift today goes directly toward strengthening The Community Center’s day-to-day operations and continued growth. Your support ensures this place remains welcoming and thriving for everyone who walks through the doors.

To learn more or make a tax-deductible contribution, visit our year-end fundraising page or contact Executive Director Maribel Cruz at maribel@chelancommunity.org.