MENU

Fall is the Season For Fiber Festivals

Last week I was up visiting my parents and sharing Little Turtle with the family.  We had a couple of days that were like the fall of my childhood: cool mornings warming up to afternoons just this side of too warm.  Days where you want your sweater in the morning and shorts in the afternoon.  It was perfect – getting me in the mood for Fall and one of my favorite fall activities: Fiber Festivals!

SVFFThis weekend I’ll be at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival.  I’ll be teaching two classes: Helix Knitting and Duct Tape Dress Forms.  Registration is open until the day of.  I love teaching at SVFF.  It’s an intimate venue run by a great group of volunteers, and I have such a good time.  Catch me on Friday or lunchtime on Saturday.  And keep an eye out – Mr. Turtle and Little Turtle will be wandering the event while I teach!

Yarn Properties: the Low-Down on Plies, Twist, and Fiber

Yarn Properties: the Low-Down on Plies, Twist, and Fiber

The following weekend I’ll be teaching at Fall Fiber Festival & Montpelier Sheep Dog Trials at James Madison’s Montpelier.  Last year I couldn’t teach at the venue because I was attending a wedding, but this year I’ll be back, teaching Yarns 101.  This is the perfect class to pair with a Fiber Festival – it covers what yarns are best for which projects, how fiber, ply and weight affect your final projects.  If yarn substitutions ever stumped you, this is a class to give you good foundational knowledge.  Signups close on Friday, so check out the classes!


 

Later this Fall I’ll be returning to one of my favorite venues, Fibre Space.  If you aren’t able to get to the fiber festivals, I’d love to have you join me in Old Town Alexandria!  Check out the classes I’ll be teaching on October 15th: Intarsia Crash Course, Finishing Essentials and Darn Those Knits!

Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival!

Tomorrow morning I’ll be heading off to the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival – one of my favorite to teach at!  Last year was my first year teaching at the fairgrounds, and I loved every moment of it.  The staff are great; the venue is lovely, and the drive to Berryville is a pleasure.

Last year I was so busy teaching both days that I barely had time to breathe.  This time I’ve got a little more flexibility –  I’m teaching one class on Saturday afternoon, and another Sunday morning.  Mr. Turtle and I talked about going apple picking on the way home.

If you’ve never been to SVFF, it’s a great fiber festival for kids, and a feast for the eyes for stitchers.  Last year Mr. Turtle was fascinated by the sheep dog demos.

I was glad to see some of my favorite vendors.  When you do the fiber festival circuit, various vendors become your friends, and it’s good to see them again and catchup for a few minutes between sales or setting up.  If you go to the festival, go and look up Turtle Made – a company that makes the most clever turkish spindles.  Also check out Dragonfly Fibers – they’ve been the lovely sponsor of a few of my designs!

Meanwhile, I’ll be in the instructor tents doing what I do best, teaching my heart out.  This weekend we’ve got a reprise of a constant favorite, Duct Tape Dress Forms, and also a class on repairing handknits.  If you have a spare moment, keep an eye out for me at lunch, as I grab a quick bite and say hello to as many people as I can!