Archives for March 2016

Food Truck Spotlight

March 31, 2016 by Sara Leave a Comment

Welcome to YarnCon week! Are you as excited as we are?

We are excited to announce the food truck lineup for YarnCon 2016! On Saturday, we’ll welcome Bruges Brothers and the Corner Farmacy. Sunday brings La Cocinita and the Fat Shallot. It’s going to be a tasty year!

Bruges Brothers

Back at YarnCon for a second year, Bruges Brothers brings crispy Belgian-style frites with a selection of tasty, hand-crafted sauces.

The Corner Farmacy

The Corner Farmacy offers a seasonally rotating menu that features fresh, locally sourced ingredients — hence the “Farm” in “Farmacy.” Also, they offer breakfast items all day!

La Cocinita

Literally “the little kitchen,” La Cocinita serves fresh, authentic, gourmet street food from Latin America. Their build-your-own style means you can customize your order to your own taste, to boot.

The Fat Shallot

How do delicious, made-to-order sandwiches sound? Just about perfect, that’s how. This husband-and-wife team grills up comfort food, elevated.

Filed Under: Vendors Tagged With: brugesbros, cornerfarmacy, fatshallot, food, foodtrucks, lacocinita, yc2016

Admission is Free, But We Need Your Support!

March 30, 2016 by Lindy 2 Comments

Did you know that we used to charge admission to YarnCon? Yep, $3 to walk in the door. We weren’t crazy about it; charging admission gives you less money to spend with the amazing artists on the shopping floor, and we wanted even the fiber-curious to come check out YarnCon, without commitment.

YarnCon 2007 at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse

YC #1: 2007 at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse. We charged admission then; can you believe how we’ve grown?

But putting on an event in the heart of the city is not cheap, so we had to figure out another way. Rather than charging a flat admission, we came up with ways for you to show us the support you can, or want to.

Here are three ways you can help keep admission free for all:

* Enter to win! Our amazing vendors, sponsors, and friends of the show donate prizes that we raffle off all weekend long, and you don’t even need to be present when we pull your name! Raffle tickets are only $1 each or $10/dozen, so the more support you give, the better your chances to win! (Pro tip: the door prize entry just needs your name and email or phone, for those of you that like to print out labels for these things.)

The raffle table in years past; what will our vendors and friends have for you this year?

* Get gear. Your t-shirt and bag orders, along with anything else in the YarnCon shop, go directly toward the costs of the show. Display your YarnCon pride! You can preorder anything from the shop to pick up this weekend, or get your gear at the event.

* Donate. YarnCon is officially organized by the non-profit Society for the Lost Arts. Your donation not only supports YarnCon’s continued existence and growth, but helps us develop workshops, programs, and community around the arts, and it’s tax-deductible!

YarnCon is 100% a labor of love. We organize the show for YOU: vendors, designers, crafters of all types. Your enthusiasm sustains and grows the show, and we can’t wait to see you THIS WEEKEND!

Filed Under: Community, Crafting

Damn Fine YarnContest – Prizes!

March 29, 2016 by Lindy 2 Comments

DFYC-Final-logoB You’re pulling out your favorite fair isle sweater or whipping up a tiny cherry pie for our Damn Fine YarnContest, right? We’re so excited to see what you’ll enter, whether designed yourself or from a pattern you’ve knit a thousand times. The range of skills in our fiber community is amazing, and we want you to show it off!

Even if you’re not entering — and even if you can’t make it to YarnCon at all! — you can follow along with the fun on Instagram, and vote for your favorites! Follow @rubysubmarine, where Leah Coccari-Swift of Great Northern will be posting pics of all the entries, and @yarncon, where we’ll be posting highlights. Judges will check out the fan favorites when they make their decisions.

And now, a peek at the prizes!

16tote1

Every category winner will receive one of the awesome new organic cotton box-bottom tote bags we cooked up for YarnCon this year, plus an additional prize unique to the category:

Best Twin Peaks Prop:

Winner of this category will receive a signed copy of the Great Northern Knits book that kicked off this whole contest idea in the first place. Since the book isn’t scheduled for publication until late this year, the winner will receive PDF copies of From Another Place (cropped version shown above, but we’ll include both versions!) and Cherry Pie, patterns that will appear in the book. That should keep them busy while they wait!

Best Garment:

straight_edge_slouch_medium

The winner of Best Garment will receive a kit to make judge Lisa Whiting’s Straight Edge Slouch Hat, a quick knit and a nice change of pace from the more technical demands of a full garment! But if they want to tackle another big project right away, we’re including a printed copy of Lisa’s stunning new Cabled Cardi pattern, along with a set of Balwen Woodworks Mulberry Branch buttons to finish it off.

afterlight

Best Use of Handspun:
What do spinners want, but more fiber? Best Use of Handspun winner will find that their YarnCon tote bag contains a full braid of hand-dyed fiber from one of our awesome vendors, along with samples of additional fibers from vendors past and present.

Best Toy:
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Best Toy winner will receive a signed copy of judge Anna Hrachovec‘s latest pattern book, Adventures in Mochimochi Land. With 25 new patterns inside, it will help our ultimate toy-knitter establish their own toy colony!

Best Accessory:

Winner in this category will be the proud new owner of judge Allyson Dykhuizen‘s Midwestern Knits book, chock full of garment and accessory patterns from Midwestern designers and all featuring indie yarns.

But what about “Best in Show”?

The Best in Show winner, decided on by all five judges, will get the ultimate YarnCon prize package, which includes:

A YarnCon T-shirt;
A YarnCon goodie bag, this year’s cotton box-bottom tote with vendor samples and YarnCon swag included;
A signed copy of Great Northern Knits when available; PDF copies of From Another Place and Cherry Pie to tide them over;
A Work+Shelter project bag;
Two of the latest Mochimochiland toy kits: Ninja and Robot;
A Balwen Woodworks vintage ruler pin;
Plus plenty of shout-outs and the gratification of knowing they bested a hot field of incredibly skilled YarnCon attendees!

Filed Under: Community, Contest, Crafting

Vendor Spotlight: A Riot of Color, Brew City Yarns

March 28, 2016 by Lindy Leave a Comment

Welcome to YarnCon week! Are you as excited as we are?

While the blog will be packed full of info this week, we wanted to introduce you to two more vendors you’ll see this weekend. Last year’s attendees will almost certainly remember Susan of A Riot of Color, with her space-age purple spinning wheel! A Riot of Color returns this year (we can’t vouch for the wheel), with her palette of wild and fun hues. Susan will be teaching classes in Playing With Color and Spinning for Kids as well, so you can get a close-up view.

Brew City Yarns makes their YarnCon debut with another wild range of saturated color with a pop-culture twist. Their rotating monthly themes keep things lively!

A Riot of Color
http://ariotofcolor.etsy.com/

What would you MOST like YarnCon shoppers to know about you?
We dye vivid colors that make your heart sing!

Any special or featured products you want to share?
We will have Four Elements kits — four mini skeins inspired by earth, air, fire, and water — perfect for color work, and kits to make “My Head’s in a Whirl” hats, a two-color worsted hat with a horizontal cable brim.

Brew City Yarns
http://www.brewcityyarns.com/

What would you MOST like YarnCon shoppers to know about you?
Brew City Yarns is a family business that specializes in hand-painted artisan yarns. Each month we release a new theme of yarns that includes full skeins and mini-skein sets. Past months have included: My Little Pony, Star Wars, and Disney Villains. Our April theme is inspired by the Welcome to Night Vale podcast.

Any special or featured products you want to share?
Because we carry so many yarn bases, from laceweight to bulky, if you see a color you would like made on a certain base, we will ship it to you for free if ordered at YarnCon. There are also many fiber and kits that we keep exclusively for fiber shows.

Filed Under: Vendors Tagged With: a riot of color, brew city yarns, vendors, yc2016

Felting Fun Workshops

March 26, 2016 by Natalia Leave a Comment

There is more to working with fiber than yarn. Before if becomes yarn, and even after it has been worked up, it can be felted into all kinds of fun and useful objects. This year we are offering three different workshops that will teach how to make the most of felt!

Denise Handwerker will be teaching two workshops of making the most of old sweaters that need a new life. In Sweater Hoarders Road to Freedom she will teach you how to turn old wool sweaters into felt, and demonstrate some of the fun things you can make with your new felt.

Already know how to make the felt? Learn how to turn your felt into a great new pair of slippers in Old Sweaters to New Slippers.

For the kids (young and old alike) Renée Jones will be teaching Wash Those Woolies for Kids: Felting Handmade Soaps. The felted soap bars are fun, quick, and easy to make. Besides making great gifts, they are a great way to teach children about the properties of animal fibers and where wool comes from.

YarnCon is a week away, pre-register for classes now so you secure a seat!

Filed Under: Crafting, Uncategorized, workshops

Damn Fine YarnContest – Meet Your Judges!

March 26, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

(We let Great Northern Knits co-author Leah Coccari-Swift have the mic today to fill you in on the latest for next weekend’s contest! Are you cooking up something fun to enter?)

Hello, fiber lovers! I’m here to tell you a little about each of our wonderful Damn Fine YarnContest judges, so you can get to know us before the Big Weekend. Each of us will be judging one of 5 categories, and coming together to decide on our pick for the Best in Show prize. Read on, won’t you? We can’t wait to see what you’re gonna submit!

Best Twin Peaks Prop Judge: Leah Coccari-Swift (that’s me)
Leah Log Lady
You may be wondering about the “presented by… Great Northern” aspect of this contest. Great Northern is my upcoming Kickstarter-funded knitting book with Teresa Gregorio, inspired by the early 90’s TV show Twin Peaks. The show was groundbreaking in many ways, and also happens to feature some amazing knitwear. The iconography of Twin Peaks lends itself nicely to yarn-crafted items, and I can’t wait to see what folks come up with for this category! Check out Great Northern here, and you can find my blog here. I can’t wait to see you at the show!

Best Garment Judge: Lisa Whiting
Lisa
Lisa is a talented artist, knitwear designer, and creative director at the super-popular yarn subscription club Yarnbox. Her designs have been featured in many magazines and on TV, and she created one of my all-time favorite kid’s hat patterns, the adorable Kitty Hat for Blue Sky Alpacas. We’re delighted to have Lisa judging the garment category, as she’ll bring her creative eye and keen aesthetic sense to the task! You can find Lisa’s website here.

Best Use of Handspun Judge: Vera Videnovich
Vera
Vera is an amazing spinner, knitter, designer, and grower of superb vegetables. Her farm produces veggies in the warm season and wool from her sheep in the cool season (shorn and spun by Vera!). The love and care she dedicates to her creations results in beautiful produce, stunning knitwear (check out her men’s sweaters!) and luscious yarn. Vera’s spinning and design expertise will serve her well as judge for this category! Follow her on Instagram here.

(Ed note: Vera is our resident spinning guru; she taught all three YarnCon organizers how to spin. You can learn from her too next weekend in her DIY Handspinning classes!)

Best Toy Judge: Anna Hrachovec
Anna
Anna is an artist, designer, author, animator, and all-around creative force. Anna’s wonderful Mochimochi Land patterns are incredibly popular for good reason, they are incredibly cute and addictive to knit! Anna’s fantastic sense of color and design make each of her tiny, anthropomorphized creations a true work of adorable art, and we’re thrilled to have her as the toy judge! You can find Mochimochi Land on the web here, and Anna’s website here.

Best Accessory Judge: Allyson Dykhuizen
Allyson
Allyson is a designer, editor, author, and kick-ass lady. Holla Knits, her online magazine, is in its 5th year of producing challenging, unique, fashionable patterns. Allyson has been featured in magazines, co-authored the wonderful book Midwestern Knits last year, and is currently working on the 1Knit1Chicago kit club, which is producing fabulous original patterns. Her technical skills and design savvy make her an ideal accessories judge. Check out Allyson’s blog here.

All 5 of us will judge “Best in Show”!

When entries are dropped off, they will be photographed, posted on Instagram, and tagged with #damnfineyarncontest. For those of you who won’t be able to make the show, you can still see all the amazing work online… heart and comment on your favorite! The judges will take this into consideration when making their decision. Remember, judges’ decisions are final, and will be made according to their discretion; the amount of weight they give to online votes is up to the judge!

So, are you digging through your FOs yet?

Next week, we’ll be sharing a peek at the prizes in each category, and the big kahuna… Best In Show!

Filed Under: Community, Contest, Crafting, Uncategorized

Sponsor Spotlight: Knit 1

March 25, 2016 by Lindy Leave a Comment

Today we’re checking in with Knit 1, who is supporting this year’s YarnCon as a sponsor. I’m not sure how store owner Lynn found time to answer our questions, what with moving the whole store, even if just across the street.

The new, larger spot opens up Saturday, so go check it out and say hi!

Knit 1
3856 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago IL 60613
http://www.knit1chgo.com/

What will folks find at your store?
Since we have a brand new store, they will find a beautiful, new space with lots of yarn! We stock things we love, natural fibers and unique brands in a range of prices. I particularly love color, so you can expect lots of that in our yarns!

Do you carry any indie-dyed lines (or other handmade items) in your store?
Yes. We have yarns from local dyers plus bags, yarn bowls, and needles made by (mostly local) artists.

YarnCon is, at heart, a party to bring together fiber lovers and encourage support for independent makers. How does this jibe with your store philosophy?
There is so much local talent in this city! Knit 1 supports independent makers in several ways. We help by teaching and offering a variety of classes so artists and makers can learn new skills. We sell locally made goods – I mentioned the yarn bowls and bags – but we also hold book signings of local authors and host trunk shows for local makers. We love to see the work of local designers; supporting up-and-coming designers and giving them a place to show and grow their work is a win-win for all of us in the fiber community. In the new store we have a large class area designed specially so we can teach other fiber arts like dyeing, spinning, embroidery and weaving.

Tell us about the new 1knit1chicago project!
I thought you’d never ask! We are showcasing 5 Chicago knitwear designers who will be designing exclusive patterns for Knit 1 in 2016. The 1knit1chicago Kit Club participants will have exclusive access to 5 fun accessory patterns designed by local knitwear designers. The way it works is, starting in April and debuting every other month through December, pattern club subscribers will get their pattern and yarn for the project in an exclusive 1knit1chicago project bag, plus an extra bonus gift! Adding needles to the kit is also available.

Chicago designers include Allyson Dykhuizen, Sarah B. Abram, Amelia Plunk, Leah Coccari-Swift and Stefanie Goodwin-Ritter. Yarns featured in these kits are Wonderland Yarns, Mrs Crosby, Hikoo by Skacel, Dream in Color and Mountain Colors. Project bags are made at WORK + SHELTER.

We’ll be hosting pattern launch parties at the store for every pattern. The designer of that month’s pattern will be there to answer questions and help everyone to get started!

What do you most want people to know about you?
After 50 years of knitting I’m still as passionate about it as I have ever been! Creating a space and community for all fiber enthusiasts has been a lifelong goal.

Filed Under: Community, LYS, Sponsor Tagged With: knit 1, local store, sponsors, support, yc2016

Sponsor Spotlight: Yarnify!

March 23, 2016 by Lindy Leave a Comment

We are rich in LYS options in the Chicago area, and we’re thrilled to have two of them supporting this year’s YarnCon as sponsors! We posed a few questions to Barbara at Yarnify! and Lynn of Knit 1, to let them introduce their stores to you in their own words. We were also interested to hear how YarnCon’s focus on independent makers, and the greater fiber community, fit in with their own philosophies.

Today we hear from Barbara, Yarnify! owner; on Friday we’ll check in with Lynn of Knit 1.

Yarnify!
47 W. Polk St., Chicago IL 60605
http://www.yarnify.com

What will folks find at your store?
Our goal at Yarnify! is to carry a thoughtful mix of the best yarns we can find. It’s no secret to fiber friends that this is the greatest time in the history of the world to participate in fiber crafts, so our challenge is to choose among the wealth of wonderful yarns and fibers available and stock something for every taste and budget. Brands featured include Cascade, Berroco, Classic Elite, Madelinetosh, Malabrigo, and Rowan, with selected gems from Baah, Sweet Georgia, Jilly, Frabjous Fibers and Misti Alpaca. Oh, and let’s not forget the huge selection of roving!

yarnify1

Do you carry any indie-dyed lines (or other handmade items) in your store?
Yes indeed, and we are constantly looking for opportunities to showcase local artisans whose innovative products enrich our crafting lives. The mix of offerings varies over time, but recently has included yarns, as well as project bags, knitted accessories, amigurumi, and pins. And we just started offering our very own Nonesuch American Worsted, 100% domestic superwash wool dyed in lively tonal shades by a local artisan! We are looking to collaborate with other local artists on limited-edition runs of hand-dyed yarns. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into a few at YarnCon!

YarnCon is, at heart, a party to bring together fiber lovers and encourage support for independent makers. How does this jibe with your store philosophy?
Yarnify! exists because passionate crafters need two things: a place where they can enjoy the entire sensory experience of selecting yarn and projects, and a supportive community where they can learn about fiber and stretch their crafting skills through a lifetime of projects. Uniqueness is a strong motivator for crafters; we want to make something distinctive, something that reflects our personal tastes. So it’s no surprise that as novice crafters gain knowledge and confidence, they develop an appreciation for the beauty, sophistication and uniqueness of handmade products. Part of our mission at Yarnify! is to awaken that appreciation and introduce these crafters to everything we celebrate at YarnCon!

What do you most want people to know about you?
That I’m crazy about color! Solids, tonals, gradients, multicolors, spatter-dyes, you name it. There’s nothing more enjoyable to me than helping someone find exactly the right shade(s) or tint(s) or hue(s).

Anything else you want to share?
That I’m eagerly anticipating the arrival of YarnCon – so much beauty, talent, energy, and potential packed into an exhilarating weekend!

yarnify3

Filed Under: Community, LYS, Sponsor Tagged With: local store, sponsors, support, yarnify, yc2016

Vendor Spotlight: Deitricks’ Alpaca Ranch, Esther’s Place

March 22, 2016 by Lindy Leave a Comment

We welcome back two returning vendors in today’s post!

Deitricks’ Alpaca Ranch brings their own naturally colored alpaca fiber in all the pettable forms you can think of; yarn and fiber, along with plenty of finished items.

If you’ve never tried needle felting (and especially if you have), the Esther’s Place booth is always a fun hangout. Loads of demos, kits, and felting tools for all skill ranges, plus fiber in every shade for concocting your own creations.

Deitricks’ Alpaca Ranch
http://www.deitricksalpacaranch.com/

What would you MOST like YarnCon shoppers to know about you?
We are a family farm currently home to 70 huacaya alpacas (and growing!), raising our own luxurious alpaca fiber. We are dedicated to bringing the most environmentally friendly/sustainable fiber to our clients in all natural colors; we don’t dye. We offer our own farm-raised fiber made into yarn, roving, felt, fiber batts, hand woven rugs, hand knit hats, gloves, scarves, cowls, raw fiber and more!

Any special or featured products you want to share?
Yarn! Yarn! Yarn!

Esther’s Place
http://www.esthersplacefibers.com/

What would you MOST like YarnCon shoppers to know about you?
Great selection of hand dyed merino top roving..hand blended batts and needle felting kits and supplies!! Free demos…a fun booth to visit!!

Any special or featured products you want to share?

Needle felting kits and supplies of all types:

esthers2

Filed Under: Vendors Tagged With: deitricks alpaca ranch, esther's place, vendors, yc2016

What’s a Twin Peaks prop?

March 21, 2016 by Lindy 2 Comments

One of the most frequent questions we’ve gotten about the Damn Fine YarnContest is, “What’s a Twin Peaks prop?” So if you’re wondering, you’re not alone.

The contest was inspired by the forthcoming Great Northern Knits, a collection of patterns based on the cult-classic Twin Peaks series of the 90s. The show, which is currently filming a reboot, is full of quirky, eccentric, and downright weird characters. Netflix has the original series if you want to check it out.

The Best Twin Peaks Prop category pays homage to this creative TV icon and will be judged by Leah Coccari-Swift, one of the designers behind the Great Northern Knits book. Just type “Twin Peaks” into Google or Pinterest for a whole bunch of oddball ideas to get your creative juices going. If you’re looking for a little extra inspiration, here are a handful of patterns that would fit right in!

Coffee and Cherry Pie

Twin Peaks’ lead character, FBI Agent Dale Cooper, is passionately devoted to these items on the Double R Diner’s menu. His rapture over “a damn fine cup of coffee” inspired the contest’s name.

Clockwise from top left: Coffee Cup by Hannah Kaminsky, Cherry Pie by Sherry Rohekar, Do You Want a Cup of Coffee for 99 Cents? by Knitvana, and Tiny Cherry Pie by Anna Hrachovec

The Log

One of the more eccentric residents of Twin Peaks is Margaret Lanterman, aka The Log Lady, who carries her log around town and acts as its translator to those who “can’t hear it.”

Woodins by Anna Hrachovec

Stumpy the Cotton Swab Holder by Jessica Suzanne

Eyepatch

In honor of Nadine Hurley, inventor of the silent drape runner.

Arrgh by Nikol Lohr

Jelly Donut

Agent Cooper once ate 12 of them in a day, as reported to the mysterious Diane.

Jelly Donut by Kat Lewinski

Filed Under: Community, Contest, Crafting Tagged With: contest, greatnorthern, twinpeaks

Archives for March 2016

Food Truck Spotlight

Welcome to YarnCon week! Are you as excited as we are?

Admission is Free, But We Need Your Support!

Damn Fine YarnContest – Prizes!

Vendor Spotlight: A Riot of Color, Brew City Yarns

Welcome to YarnCon week! Are you as excited as we are?

Felting Fun Workshops

Damn Fine YarnContest – Meet Your Judges!

(We let Great Northern Knits co-author Leah Coccari-Swift have the mic today to fill you in on the latest for next weekend’s contest! Are you cooking up something fun to enter?)

(Ed note: Vera is our resident spinning guru; she taught all three YarnCon organizers how to spin. You can learn from her too next weekend in her DIY Handspinning classes!)

Vendor Spotlight: Deitricks’ Alpaca Ranch, Esther’s Place

What’s a Twin Peaks prop?

Coffee and Cherry Pie

The Log

Eyepatch

Jelly Donut

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