It’s the most wonderful time of the year… for me anyway. The ‘bers (September, October, November, December) mean beautiful fall colors, cooler weather, and craft fairs. Next year I’m going back to Rhinebeck, but this year I stayed local and went to Wisconsin Sheep & Wool.
I got the impression that it was larger–or at least more crowded–this year, possibly due to the weather. Last year was very hot which may have deterred some people from attending. This year the weather was sunny and in the 60’s, perfect for outdoor fiber shopping.
I found some new, cool stuff this time and as usual wanted to share that with you as well as my fiber haul.
First of all, this is the first year I’ve been really, really tempted to get a drop spindle. In the end I didn’t, mostly out of fear it’s a hobby my cats will decide is for them to play with. I’ve never used one or spun roving before, so if you have and you have cats, please drop me a comment; I’m curious to see if it works out.
One of my favorite things about fiber festivals (well any craft show in general) is seeing what people are making. There were some GORGEOUS shawls and sweaters displayed this year.
I took pictures of soooo many sweaters that I want to make later in the year.
I also noticed that the new thing this year seems to be 3D printing. I saw a lot of 3D printed yarn bowls, needle keepers and even small sheep figures. I’m curious to see if this trend kind of fizzles out or becomes pretty common as more people get into the hobby.
As in previous years, there was livestock being showed, but we spent so much time in the craft barns that we didn’t get to spend a lot of time saying hi to the sheepsies (per my husband who famously couldn’t tell a sheep from a goat, all fiber bearing animals are “sheepsies.”). It was mostly sheep and goats on Saturday so maybe other fiber bearing animals were being shown the next day. Angora bunnies are my personal favorite.
One of my favorite finds of the festival were these yarn end minders. They are small wooden animal cut outs (either sheep, cats or dogs) that you wind your loose end around to keep it tidy and out of the way.
I have been doing more and more colorwork so I got a set to manage my ends. Of course I picked cats.
My other favorite find was this mug, gifted to me by my best friend. It pretty much sums up how I feel most days.
I love the wooden lid so I can keep my tea hot. Also, I’m pretty sure this is an AI generated image and this vendor had mugs and pins with lots of images of cats knitting that I think were made using AI. That raises the question about that becoming a trend, along with 3D printing.
So what else did I get? Strap in!
First of all, my aunt made me the blanket in the background because she’s a fiber person too.
Both skeins of yarn came from Oink Pigments. The left hand skein is the colorway dyed specially for this event called Kind of a Pig Deal. The one on the right is Totally Tubular and called to me from my 80’s childhood. I felt that the project bag, what with its cats and books, was a moral imperative to buy. It’s called a Sock Box and it’s sold by Star Knits. I have another one of her Sock Boxes and it’s perfect for one skein of yarns, a small project, and the needles. The pin says Bury Me Under Yarn and Books and came from the Hundred Ravens Stand.
This project bag and pin came from Kaleidoscope Fibers. The pin is a dragon sitting on yarn that says “my hoard.”
I’m obsessed with fall colors so when I saw the two skeins on either end I gasped and made a last minute purchase on my way out the door. The yarn is from Shear Wool Fiber Threads, and the colors are 139-C (orange, brown and green) and 149-C (red, orange and green).
The yarn in the middle came from A Hundred Ravens, which I mentioned above. Last year I found their booth, having never heard of them before and I LOVE her colors. What I love most though is her yarn base Yaksha which is 70% Merino wool and 20% Yak and 10% Nylon. It is so so so soft. These are for luxury socks I’ll be keeping just for me, thank you. The color above is A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far Far Away.
This year I managed to score all of this for about $220 USD, which means at least yarn hasn’t been impacted by inflation yet.
How about you? Have you been to any Fiber Festivals this year? Any plans to go?
I tried knitting socks just before Covid started. I have made 3, and then I kind of stopped knitting and huddled with my eReader. I am not a good knitter, but I would like to start up again so I can improve. In the last year I have started quilting, but there are so many other crafts I would like to try – cross stitiching, felting, etc. Your yarn posts always are interesting. I love to see the pretty yarn.
What a fun post, @Elyse…and I don’t even knit!
No fiber festival for me, but I went to a county fair yesterday, so saw some sheep, goats, and crafts.
What a beautiful (and squishy) haul! Love the project bags, too.
This is a reminder that I need to get back into knitting, just so I can get some more yarn!
Why are all the most beautiful skeins in sock weight or thinner?
I’m headed to our local fiber festival this weekend in fact (Machias Fiber Festival in Downeast Maine). I’m on a strict budget this year so won’t have much of a haul to brag about – I love seeing yours!
Drop spindling and cats – when I stated spinning my cats were at first mildly interested, then got bored and left me alone. Of course now I have two kittens, which may change the scene a bit. Still, I wouldn’t let your cats stop you from trying it out!
I knit for many years and happily attended SAFF but like @Laurel, I’ve moved to other hobbies, mostly because I realized I never actually used any of the things I made (shawls, sweater, socks) except dishcloths. I’ve given away almost all my non-discloth fiber, except a couple of skeins I want to use for hats. The skeins I kept were from Toad Hollow Yarns. Check them out!
I don’t actually like the way hand-knit socks feel. I like a sock with the highest cotton content possible.
Now, I go to quilt/fabric shows 🙂
I love A Hundred Ravens. We have a lot of mini fiber festivals in Maryland. I USA,ly attend SVFF. It I really don’t need any more yarn or project bags. But my mind is weak!
I had set my needles aside for a few years. Retired earlier this year and got the urge. Started reaching myself to crochet. Picked up a half-finished sock and am finishing that up again. Love knitting socks. It feels great to get back to it. I love all the beautiful squishy yarns.
Might have to start knitting again; I’m in-love with the yarn end minder. So cute!
@MirandaB
I just recently got back into knitting and crocheting, and realized that for me the fun is in the making, not the having 🙂 I make things and donate them. Two places I donate to are Disabled American Veterans and Knots of Love (blankets for premature babies)
Though I do have plans to knit a sweater for myself soon!
I’ve gone to a few quilt shows, but never fiber shows.
I’m primarily a knitter but I’ve tried many things fiber-related: crochet, weaving on a frame, weaving on a loom, drop spindle. I love sheep and wool festivals and loved this post. I try to get to the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival annually but can’t always make it. I also recommend the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. It’s smaller but has great booths. Plus, it’s Vermont.
I don’t know if it counts, but I’ve been eyeing a cross-stitch conference for next year. I haven’t decided yet.