June in Chicago is full of surprises, and this year was no exception.  This time the nice surprise was an early June day that felt like a June day should, clear, warm, and spent in the park hanging out with fellow crafters.  We knit, we crocheted, we watched wedding parties and Quinceañeras pose for photographs in Millennium Park.  (Electric blues seem to be the hot color for big fluffy dresses this season.)  We chatted with people who stopped by to see what we were up to, and even posed for photographs for curious onlookers.

 

Thanks to everyone who came out!  I was so glad to see old friends, and make a few new ones.

World Wide Knit (crochet, spin, weave, play with yarn) in Public Day (week) starts on June 8, 2013!  We are kicking it off in Chicago with the Millennium Park gathering of WWKiP Day!  We will meet in the Boeing Gallery North Area of  Millennium Park, starting at noon, and going until 5pm, or as long as people feel like crafting in the park.  If the weather is not yarn friendly, we will meet in the main reading room of the Chicago Cultural Center.  We always welcome all the yarny crafts, so don’t hesitate to bring your crochet hooks and spindles.

What projects are you planning on bringing?  I am hoping to have my endless tank top all knit up and blocked in time to wear, which will free me up to bring something new!  I’m thinking a crocheted tank top.  What are your go to social crafting projects?

In the meantime, how about a little blast from the past?  Here is a picture from the first year we hosted WWKiP Day, back in 2007:

 

See all those people in the background?  All knitting, crocheting and spinning.  All of them!  Let’s make that kind of scene again this year!  We hope to see you there!

Whew!  What a show!  I feel like I still haven’t stopped moving since YarnCon (well, except for Sunday night, man was I tired) but at least not as fast.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in YarnCon this year, you helped make it the best YarnCon ever!  So far I think the consensus is that the moves to the 2-day format, free admission and to the Plumbers Union Hall were good moves.  We are personally thrilled with the changes, but that is our opinion, what about yours?  We would love to hear your thoughts, comments, suggestions, even complaints.  If you have something to say, feel free to leave us a comment.  We are already planning next year event (we have already booked the hall for next year, so mark your calendars!  YarnCon takes place on April 5-6, 2014!) while wrapping up the last bit of work for this year’s show (about 32 of you will be getting a phone call from me in the next few days so I can send you your raffle prize!) and your feedback really helps.

How do I feel about this year’s YarnCon?  I think the smile on my face says it all.

Want to see more pictures?  Check out our Flickr Group.  You can join and add pictures to the group.  Now, back to dreaming of what I will make with my new yarn and roving, and sending out raffle prizes.

I would like to thank everyone who came out on a cold night to the Windy City Knitting Guild meeting last night, and gave us such a warm reception (especially Karen who skipped a Blackhawks game to hear about YarnCon!)

It’s always a pleasure to connect with knitters in person, and it was great to see a number of people who are regular participants at YarnCon.

Thanks to the guild for inviting us!  And for providing the first of many raffle prizes to come!

So, here we are with another YarnCon almost upon us.  But not just another YarnCon, a new YarnCon, made with yarn ripped out from the old one, and re-knit in a new gauge.  OK, enough with the knitting analogies, and on to what is new, what is old, and what is YarnCon!

What is new is the location, the time of year, and the length of the event. Although we will miss the wonderful staff and beautiful murals at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, we have outgrown that space. We are excited about our new venue, with amenities both vendors and attendees have asked for; we are now at the Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Union Hall, a lovely and large space in the historic Randolph Street Market District – West Loop area. It is minutes from Downtown Chicago, easily accessible by public transit, and right off of the expressway.  And it has its own parking lot!  Parking was a huge problem at the Pulaski Park Fieldhouse, and we made easy parking, and proximity to public transit a priority when searching for our new venue.

We also moved YarnCon from the Fall to the Spring.  When we started YarnCon, we thought Fall was the obvious time to have a show dedicated to making things with yarn. Everyone else seems to think so too, and the season has become too crowded with fantastic fiber festivals.  Our vendors were having a heck of a time choosing where to go with so many shows.  Then we realized, to anyone who loves yarn enough to attend shows dedicated to it, all seasons are crafting seasons.  I’ve seen a hundred people gathered in the hot June sun in Chicago’s Millennium Park to knit in public; no season will stop those who love to create with yarn.  So, we decided to spring ahead to Spring.  YarnCon will be on April 6-7, 2013, Saturday from 11-7 and Sunday from 11-4.  Oh yes, that was the other change!  We’ve gone from a one-day affair to a two-day affair.  Double the YarnCon!

OK, so that covers the where and when, now for the what.  What is YarnCon?  I bring this up because I have been thinking about it quite a bit lately.  Not just because we are working like mad to get everything ready, but also because the wonderful folks at the Windy City Knitting Guild (are you a knitter?  Then you should join!) have invited us to come an speak to them about YarnCon on Tuesday, February 19, 2013.  You don’t have to be a member to attend the meeting, so why not come and check it out?  I’ve done a little public speaking, and I always prepare the same way, by obsessing over the subject for weeks, and preparing for it at the last minute.  In my obsessing, I started to ask myself, how do I explain what YarnCon is, and what it means to me?

The simple answer is that YarnCon is an independent fiber festival dedicated to the yarny-arts.  We consider the yarny-arts to include everything from prepared roving and batts, (undyed or dyed); spindles and wheels; hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns; knitting, crochet and weaving patterns, tools and finished objects; and of course the accessories that make all that work easier and more beautiful, like hand-made buttons, project bags, you get the idea.  In order to promote the yarny-arts, we have created an event in which people can come and buy hand-made goods from the makers themselves, and learn from them as well in the workshops they offer, or just by talking to them.  Most of our workshops are offered by people who also sell what they make, so they have a lot of experience, and they love what they do.  (Speaking of workshops, we are always looking for people to share their knowledge, if you are interested in teaching at YarnCon, please contact us at info@yarnygoodness.com and we will get you all the details.)  Because we know how much you want to try out that yarn you just bought, or hang out an have lunch and crochet a few more rows before you go back to shop some more, we always set aside some space for lounging around with yarn, and yarn-enthusiasts (or your spouse who came because you asked so nicely.)  Plus, Heartland Cafe is always on hand to sell you a delicious lunch, without having to trek up to Rogers Park to get it.

That’s the what of YarnCon.  But YarnCon is more than that, at least to me.  Through YarnCon I have found a community, and communities, of people who come together to share a common interest.  There are knitting circles all over town of course, and the regulars at the local yarn stores who meet once a week.  But once a year, all those groups come together in one place to support the people who create beautiful goods for their crafts, and take lessons to further their skills.  And most of all to spend an afternoon immersed in a hobby that means the world to them, and share that with their friends, friendships often formed at the LYS, or the stitching circle, or by attending and volunteering at YarnCon.

YarnCon is about conscientious consumerism. Our focus for YarnCon is on handmade goods for yarn lovers, by yarn lovers. We feel there needs to be a place for the small scale fiber artist, small mills, woolly animal raisers, and those who make accessories and tools for working with fiber to sell directly to the public. We see YarnCon as that place. It is important for those who buy and use these goods to connect with those who produce them. We think it is much more meaningful to work with yarn spun and dyed by a person you met than by a mill overseas. You can personally ask about the sheep or alpaca that fiber came from, you can ask the spinner how those particular yarns will hold up in different projects. You can ask questions about a pattern you are interested in and have them answered by the author. This is not anonymous consumerism. This is a yarny community coming together.

I hope you will join us as we continue on this fantastic journey.  In the meantime, here is a little blast from the past, a picture from our first YarnCon, in 2007: