It’s one of my favorite weekends of the year– the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival–but this year it felt a little bit like a letdown. There seemed to be fewer vendors and less stock, meaning that even though I went early on the first day a lot of the specialty colorways I was looking for were already sold out.
First of all, I attend the event every year with friends and I wasn’t the only one who thought that while the crowd size seemed the same, there were fewer vendors and more space in the “country store” barns where most of the yarn, notions and other crafts are sold.
One of my favorite vendors is Oink Pigments, and every year I look forward to their specialty colorway for the event. Even though we arrived pretty early she was down to three skeins and none of them were sock yarn. Fortunately she was happy to dye a skein to order for me.
The larger vendors were still there, but it seemed like some of the smaller ones were not. I did manage to find a few new vendors, though.
Knitz and Pearls had a bunch of yarn that glows under a blacklight that appealed to my 80’s and 90’s child neon loving heart.
I also find Fiber MacGyver (can we just take a minute to appreciate the name) and their adorable mushroom sock yet. They even gave out the little camper stitch stoppers with each purchase.
There were also yarn trucks there, which, rather than selling products from a single vendor, sold several different brands of yarns and notions similar to a little yarn shop on wheels.
And of course people still had their beautiful projects to show off, like this colorwork sweater.
So what do I think is happening?
I suspect the smaller stock and fewer vendors has to do with uncertainty regarding tariffs. Not a lot of wool is actually produced in the US, meaning a lot of dyers purchase their stock from overseas.
I don’t dye yarn but I do buy finished, dyed yarn from a few vendors in Europe and this year there has been a ton of delays and uncertainty regarding shipping and cost. A lot of shipments have taken much longer than usual, and some producers aren’t shipping to the US at all.
If you’re interested in further reading, Slate has an article on tariffs and knitting.
I’ll be going to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival next month (aka Rhinebeck) and I’ll be very interested to see how it compares to other years.
I still managed to find some cute yarn this year and I’ve already started a project so obviously it wasn’t a bust.
Have you been to any fiber festivals lately? Have you noticed a difference year over year?
Thank goodness I have a TBK pike almost as big as my TBR pile.
I used to work on a boutique spinning mill. You buy an animal well make your fiber into yarn roving or batting. The machines are imported and the fiber for blends is imported, energy is up, travel is expensive and thin profit margins have disappeared.
Our small, local fiber festival was canceled this year. I’m guessing for many of the reasons you mentioned.
It seemed like fewer smaller vendors to me too! Did I still find and buy too much yarn? Obviously…
Our small local festival is this Saturday. Based on their social media preview posts it looks to be normally sized, but we’ll see.
I’m so frustrated with the tariff nonsense – many of my favorite dyers are outside the US as well, and none will ship here right now. I’m also wary of how the tariffs will impact pricing and availability for US-based yarn suppliers. I do have a hefty stash, but sometimes I need to shop for just the right thing!
I don’t knit but I do quilt and sew, and the loss of Joann’s coupled with the tariffs has me guarding my thread and fabric like it’s my hoard and I’m a dragon. It’s so freaking frustrating.
I read this yesterday, and the phrase “none of them were sock yarn” kept floating through my thoughts. I can sit for HOURS without moving if I’m reading, studying, or using numbers. But to be able to sit still long enough to knit a sock with a cute little pattern eludes me. I wish otherwise. I hope that everyone who desires lovely knitting wool will be able to find it in abundance, and soon!
Apparently, the customs thing for items less than $800, de minimus?, also can affect this. Kicked in at end of August.
May affect a lot of businesses.
There’s been a lot of discussions and worry about the effects of the tariffs and the loss of de minimis exception in the various online knitting communities that I follow. People are seriously worried both in the US and elsewhere about how many businesses will survive this mess. The same goes for the people I know who sew (another craft I love).
I’ve always tried to not overbuy and accumulate too much of a stash, and, in fact, was kicking myself at this time last year for being too ambitious and buying for more projects than I could complete over the next year. Now I’m grateful that I did that.
I’ll be curious not just how many merchants will be at Rhinebeck, but how many will be from outside of the USA (I also wonder if international knitters will stay away). The hassles over tariffs and the huge “Not Welcome” sign that the current government has posted on the USA borders are, I assume, making international merchants and knitting enthusiasts think twice and that is just sad.
Fossil Fibers (who supplies beautifully dyed wool for hand spinners) recently posted a long, long post about exactly how global the wool/yarn industry is and how these tariffs are hurting, not helping the US wool industry (https://fossilfibers.wordpress.com/2025/09/03/not-your-normal-blog-post-this-just-sucks/).
I’m planning my first ever Rhinebeck trip this year. Is there an SBTB meetup? Maybe we can do a stash yarn swap?
@kathryn: JillianEve had a long podcast about fabrics and the history of tariffs not too long ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qALHS-QJ28