Ready, Set, Apply!

YarnCon 2024 Vendor Applications are open!

We are excited to announce that vendor applications are open, and will be accepted until November 30, 2023! You can find the application here: https://forms.gle/LSudtAManuMTp6BQ7 and you can find the vendor guideline here: https://tinyurl.com/29yt234u (please read these first!)

The ballroom at the Plumbers Union Hall full of YarnCon vendor booths and shoppers. The room is full of happy people and so much yarn.
YarnCon 2023 Ballroom

There has been a bit of confusion concerning adding pictures to the application under the “Internet Presence” question, which you can’t do in the form. What we’re looking for is links to your online presence (your website, Facebook, or Instagram pages) that have pictures of your wares, and of your booth. If you need to email images after submitting your application, please send them to info@yarncon.com and let us know your business name.

Finally, some good news that I am sure vendors at YarnCon 2023 will be delighted to hear: The City of Chicago heard everyone’s complaints about the permit process this year (and by process, we mean some stronger words) and has simplified the system. YarnCon will apply for the permit once we have our vendor list, and all vendors will be covered by our permit. None of you will need to apply for a permit; you will just have to submit the tax forms we will provide you with as the show approaches. Normally I wouldn’t bore you with permitting information at this point, but given how, um, difficult the situation was this year, I thought everyone should know in case they were hesitating to apply on that account.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@yarncon.com. Both Sara and I will see your emails, and it helps us stay organized. As much as we love you, please send YarnCon related questions there instead of to our personal DMs, emails, etc. Thanks!

Vendor Applications Are Coming Soon!

Hello Friends! We are getting a lot of questions about YarnCon 2024, mostly from folks looking to apply to be vendors, so I wanted to give everyone a quick update.

First, the dates will be a little different for 2024; YarnCon will still take place in April, but on April 20-21, 2024 instead of the first full weekend. A total solar eclipse is coming our way, and we aren’t far off the path of totality! As much as we love yarn, and we obviously do, we also don’t get to see a total eclipse* with any regularity, so Team YarnCon is going to be traveling to nearby locals to enjoy this event. Curious about the eclipse? Here is a link with information about it: https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/eclipse-2024/where-when/

And of course the main question we have been getting is when are applications opening up? We are finalizing details with the Plumbers Union Hall, and hope to have the application ready to go next week. The best way to make sure you see the notice to start applying is by signing up for the mailing list. You can sign up at the bottom left on the homepage of yarncon.com. We will also make announcements on Facebook and Instagram.

Thanks for all of the enthusiasm for YarnCon! Stay tuned for more updates soon.

2nd Floor Ballroom during YarnCon 2019

*Do you suddenly have “Total Eclipse of the Heart” stuck in your head like I do? Did you grow up watching music videos? I have a treat for you: https://youtu.be/fsgWUq0fdKk?feature=shared

One Week Left to Register for Classes!

Hey everyone! It’s hard to believe YarnCon is almost here! And you know what that means, you are running out of time to sign up for classes! Click here to see the schedule.

There has been a change to the schedule. Vera will be teaching her DIY Dropping Spinning class at the Plumbers Union Hall on Saturday and Sunday during YarnCon, just like old times, but with one key improvement; we’ve moved it to the ground level to a much more accessible space. If you’ve ever been curious about hand-spinning, Vera is the perfect teacher to get you started.

Vera Videnovich teaching her DIY Drop Spindle Class at YarnCon in 2019.

We have lots of great classes to choose from on Thursday and Friday at the Crowne Plaza West Loop! You can choose from skills that every knitter should be familiar with like Mastering Short Rows, or how about learning double knitting in Technicolor Double Knitting, and have a finished piece with only right sides!

As stitchers, we know the importance of mending hand-made items, but what about store bought clothes? There is no reason we can’t mend anything we wear, and make it truly our own! Kimberley Langley’s class, Extending the Life of Clothing will have you making beautiful repairs to your knits in no time.

A sweater visibly mended by Kimberley Langely.

You can also learn Brioche or how to shape in Brioche, Knitting in Both Directions!, and Tunisian Crochet!

Sadly, Amy Manko won’t be able to join us at the YarnCon Symposium this year. If you are ever at a fiber festival and Amy is teaching a class you will definitely want to sign up!

Time is running out, so please sign up now, so our teachers know how many people to expect, and so that you don’t miss your chance at taking a class at the first YarnCon Symposium!

Class Registration is Live!

And we are so excited about this year’s line-up, and we think you will be too! You can register right here at https://www.yarncon.com/classes/

We have new spinning classes, along with the basics; you can learn new crochet techniques; add new bind-offs to your skill set, and new and better ways to weave in the those ends (yes, please!!); ever run into garter tabs in a shawl pattern, but had no idea, we have you covered; carding; dyeing (an annual favorite, better hurry, that one sells out every year); seriously, don’t take my word for it. Go check it out for yourselves, and sign up for our fun and informative workshops. After all, you will want to sit down and learn some new skills for all the wonderful new yarn and fiber you just purchased from our outstanding vendors.

Just over a month to go before our 10th YarnCon, and we are counting down the days! What are you looking forward to at this year’s YarnCon?

Samantha teaching Intro to Dyeing at YarnCon 2013 

 

Introducing #Yarnstallation!

Hi friends, I know things have been quiet around here, but we wanted to let you know about something exciting one of our volunteers, Cathy Turley, has been working on called #Yarnstallation! What is #Yarnstallation? Here is what Cathy has to say about it (and I will say a tiny bit more at the end):

WHAT

This summer, local artists, community members and volunteers will create a yarn installation (aka yarnbomb) at the Annex at a series of weekly community gatherings.

The public is invited. There is no charge to attend.

This fall, the yarn installation will be exhibited and funds will be raised for arts education at Wells Community Academy, a Chicago public high school.

WHO

We are seeking like-minded individuals to attend the #Yarnstallation community gatherings and to donate time or materials. Knitting or crochet skills are not required.

HOW

Here are ways to get involved:

 Come to the weekly gatherings and invite your friends.

 Volunteer to teach knitting, crochet, weaving, i-cord making or pompom making.

 Donate materials (yarn, knitting needles, crochet hooks, pomp-pomp and i-cord makers, etc.)

 Donate knitted or crocheted pieces (especially rectangles and flowers) to be part of the installation: any color, size, or shape shape – even clean sweaters!

 Donate fine hand-crafted work or luxury yarn to be included in the silent auction.

 Attend the Exhibition & Fundraiser Party on October 7, 2016.

WHEN

#Yarnstallation Community Maker Sessions Every Wednesday, July 13- August 31 5:30 to 7:30pm

WHERE

Events will be held at the Annex: 1620 W. Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL

The Annex is a cultural, content and advertising agency, and part of Havas Worldwide.

To get involved, email me, Cathy Turley: cathy.turley@havasww.com.

Thank you!

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It looks like they are off to a great start, Cathy sent us some pictures from the opening, which I sadly had to miss at the last minute.  The events are every Wednesday through August 31st, 5:30-7:30pm at the Annex, 1620 W Chicago Ave. Check out this link for more information: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yarnstallation-tickets-26333549355IMG_6632

Felting Fun Workshops

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.

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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.

Green & Grey 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!

Workshop spotlights: Make your yarn!

Learning new stitches and techniques is grand, and I highly recommend it! Yet, there is more to learn about yarn than how to use it, what about how to make it and how to customize it? We are here to help with a number of fabulous workshops!

Let’s start at the beginning (well, not quite the beginning, we cannot bring sheep into the Plumbers Union Hall!) We have some great spinning instructors that can take you from learning to spin your spindle and draft your fiber, all the way through making amazing art yarns that will be like no others out there.

Vera Videnovich is well known to many YarnCon regulars, and even taught yours truly how to spin on a spinning wheel. She has been teaching DIY Handspinning since our second YarnCon, and we are always happy when she can join us (this woman is seriously busy teaching and organizing craft shows all over town, so I am not kidding about being lucky!) In her class you will learn to use, and even make, a drop spindle, and the basics of wheel spinning. If you have ever been curious about spinning, but not sure where to start, start with Vera.

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Vera teaching DIY Handspinning at YarnCon 2009

This year we are introducing a spinning class for the kids, so bring them along for a fun and hands on introduction to spinning with Susan Eiseman Levitin in her Spinning for Kids class.

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For those who already know the basics, and are ready to learn to make new kinds of yarn we have classes by two more of our YarnCon veterans, Emily Wohlscheid and Renée Jones. Emily will be teaching Spinning from Fleece & Locks and Handspun Enhancements.

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Renée will get you to work your core in Work Out Your Core! aka Corespinning 101. In these classes you will learn so much about all those interesting fibers and locks, and how to make core-spun yarns and bee-hives, and so many other cool and lovely things! Bring your wheels and your imaginations!

Maybe you already have the yarn, but it needs color! We are always happy to welcome back the ever popular Samantha Lynn! On both Saturday and Sunday she will take you through the basics of acid dyeing (not scary, I promise! think Kool-aid!) in Dyeing I: Kool-Aid Dyes and in Dyeing II: Acid Dyes. These classes sell out every year, so hurry up and register. You will not be disappointed. Plus, thanks to a generous donation by Wool2Dye4 the yarn for the class has already been provided! How Kool is that? (see what I did there?)

Samantha teaching Intro to Dyeing at YarnCon 2013

Samantha teaching Intro to Dyeing at YarnCon 2013

All this and more, at YarnCon 2016!

Teacher Spotlight: Corrina Ferguson

We are very excited to welcome a new teacher to our lineup this year: Corrina Ferguson, coming all the way from Jacksonville, Florida! (As a Chicagoan, I would not mind being the one to visit her right now!)

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Corrina is teaching Fancy Finishes for Knitted Lace on both Saturday and Sunday morning, and it looks like a great way to spend a hour before shopping for yarn! Take your knitting to a fancier, more lovely level by adding beautiful finishing touches to your lace projects. Techniques will include: lace bind-offs, extra stretchy bind-offs, picot bind-offs, crochet loop bind-offs, and manipulating the last few rows of knitting to provide extra stretch for dramatic lace edgings.

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Teacher Spotlights: Theresa Schabes and Kathy Kelly

Today I introduce two teachers who are YarnCon veterans, Theresa Schabes and Kathy Kelly. Both have been teaching workshops at YarnCon for years, and we are always happy to have them back.

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Theresa will take you all the way from turning a thrift store sweater back into yarn (The Thrifty Knitter,) knitting some fine entrelac patterns (Intro to Entrelac,) and finishing any pattern in a professional and secure way (Finishing School: Weaving in Ends and Finishing School: Blocking.)

Entrelac ScarfSchabes_thriftyknitter1End-to-End or Means to an End

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Kathy has been teaching Tunisian Crochet with us for years, and we love her approach. She start with with Beginning Tunisian Crochet, and then offers a second class for those who want to try out their new skills, or for those with the basics already under their belt. This year’s applied offering is the Three Color Tunisian Lace Cowl.

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Sign up before they fill up! You’ll be glad you did.

Teacher Spotlight: Miriam Felton

Along with an amazing group of vendors, YarnCon is also host to some great teachers, and I want to introduce this year’s lineup, starting with Miriam Felton. Those of you who take classes on Craftsy might recognize Miriam from her Lace Shawl Design class. We are fortunate to have her in person this year at YarnCon!

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Perhaps you already know how to do a bit of lace knitting, but fear of making mistakes is keeping you from doing more? Miriam can teach you how to overcome that fear in her class: Fearless Lace Knitting: How to Fix Mistakes.

LaceMistakes

Maybe you are a sock knitter, but who wants to wear hand-knit socks in the Summer? The answer is to make footies! Footie Socks for EVERYONEComfy to hang out in, awesome under your clogs, and a great use for leftover sock yarn!

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