20-21 April 20-21, 2024 YarnCon Vendor Marketplace
Plumbers Union Hall Chicago, IL
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March 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Longtime YarnCon fans know that we give out goodie bags to the first 50 shoppers through the door each day of our show. These treasure troves typically offer yarn, stitch markers, patterns, pins, and other delights from our fabulous vendors.

Raffle drawing at YarnCon 2018
Raffle drawing at YarnCon 2018

Since we’re not in person this year, we’re giving away 10 goodie bags to some lucky YarnCon followers! Everyone signed up to attend our Diversity and Inclusion in the Fiber World Panel Discussion is automatically entered, so if you haven’t signed up for our first panel discussion, here is an extra incentive to register! Get your tickets here: https://www.yarncon.com/diversity-and-inclusion-in-the-yarn-world/

This year we have surprises from these YarnCon vendors: WhyKnot Fibers, Cooperative Press, Bur Oak Studio, Daisy Bags, and Wild Stitchers. PLUS a super special raffle for a Beautiful Syster project bag! The drawing will be held on Saturday, April 2 at 2pm Central on our FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/YarnCon

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March 25, 2022 by 3 Comments

…I wouldn’t have any appointments.”*

Okay, maybe a touch dramatic, but it’s a great line. And we are disappointed, but you know what, these are weird times, and we are all doing the best we can, and we don’t always know how it will work out. In this case, we thought that offering online classes would be something people might enjoy, and a very small number of you thought so too, but sadly not in the numbers necessary to run 2 days worth of classes.

For those who had registered, we have already sent refunds. It seems some of you got the refunds before the emails letting you know you would get getting refunds, and I am so sorry about the confusion that has caused. To our teachers, thank you for all of your efforts, we can’t wait to work with you in the future.

BUT! The good news is we are still going forward with the Panel Discussion on Diversity and Inclusion in the Fiber World on Friday, April 1 at 6:30pm CDT. Tickets are still available, and if you have questions or thoughts you would like us to cover during the discussion, please leave them in the comments, or email them to info@yarncon.com.

And please keep following us here and on social media, we will be planning at least a little fun on our YarnCon weekend, even if it can’t be in person this year.
https://www.facebook.com/YarnCon/
https://www.instagram.com/yarncon/

*From “Snowball in Hell,” by They Might Be Giants.

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March 22, 2022 by 2 Comments

This year we are trying new things in the virtual realm, and along with our online class offerings, we are also hosting a panel discussion via Zoom. We hope this is the first of many to come.

Our first discussion will be on the subject of diversity and inclusion in the yarn world. For the last few years, we have been talking about racism in our fiber community, usually when someone says or does something offensive. We thought it would be good to talk about it on a more regular basis, in order to keep the conversation going.

We are honored to have Gaye Glasspie (https://ggmadeit.com/), Diane Ivey (https://ladydyeyarns.com/), and Louis Boria (https://www.brooklynboyknits.com/) on our inaugural panel.

Tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/yarncon-diversity-and-inclusion-in-the-fiber-world-panel-discussion-tickets-301931273567
Or from our class page where you can see all of our classes available this year.

If you have questions or topics you would like to see us address during the panel discussion, please leave them in the comments. Thanks!

Filed Under: Classes, Community, Diversity, YC2022 Tagged With:
March 10, 2022 by Leave a Comment

When we announced that YarnCon is offering on-line (virtual) classes this year, we received a message about pricing. Why are we charging the same amount for an on-line class as for an in-person class? Glad you asked! The reason is that the main consideration in pricing our classes is that we fairly compensate our teachers. Our teachers are doing the same job, teaching the same material, and for the same maximum class size whether they come to a conference room, or they teach via Zoom. In fact, there is more work on their ends when they teach via Zoom because they have to be responsible for their camera set up, Zoom account, internet connection, etc., while still making sure to give just as much attention to their students as they would in person.

I think if the last two years have taught us anything, it is that we can be flexible, and teach in different settings, such as remotely or in the class-room. We all have our preferences, and that’s fine! But, let’s remember that the teacher is teaching the same material, and is working just as hard to make sure their students are getting the most out of their classes, and deserves to be compensated fairly for their work, and the expertise they bring to the classroom, virtual or otherwise.

So, I hope you will take a look at our fantastic class offerings for this year, sign up to learn some new skills, and plan a cozy space in which to Zoom in and enjoy taking a workshop with other stitchers.

All classes are listed here: https://www.yarncon.com/schedule/ and include a link to the registration page.
Please also check out our Instagram page where we are sharing pictures and details about the upcoming classes! https://www.instagram.com/yarncon/

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March 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment

We are excited to announce that our virtual YarnCon Symposium for 2022 is open for registration! We have a wonderful selection of classes to offer from our experienced instructors, and you can take these classes from the comfort of your own home, or where ever you choose to Zoom.

Vera Videnovich is standing in the middle of a circle of people seated on a stage. Vera has her arms raised as she demonstrated how to spin on a DIY drop spindle.
Vera Videnovich teaching DIY Drop Spinning during YarnCon 2019.

To see the class schedule, please click on: Class Schedule. (each class will have a link to the registration page on Eventbrite.)
To go straight to the registration page, please click on: Class Registration.
Please sign up soon! Spaces in each class are limited.

Please keep an eye on the schedule, along with classes, we will also be adding a Diversity and Inclusion in the Yarn World Panel Discussion that we will be offering over Zoom.

Filed Under: Classes, workshops, YC2022
February 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Hello! I wanted to pop in and give a quick update. Although we will not be meeting in person, our amazing teachers have all agreed to offer their classes virtually, and we hope to have those open for registration in the next couple of days.

We are also getting ready to announce the details of a Diversity Panel Discussion that we will be offering virtually, and free of charge. We want to be sure that we keep talking about diversity and inclusion in the yarn world, and not just when something fits the fan. We hope you will join us.

We are still working on the vendor side of things, and hope to have updates for you soon.

We’re sorry we have been so quiet, we have each had a lot of unexpected things take up a lot of our attention as of late (when it rains, it pours, right?) but we are doing our best to get everything moving again. Thank you for your patience.

Natalia
Team YarnCon

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January 7, 2022 by 4 Comments

The last two years have been…something, haven’t they? We can’t wait to see you all in actual, physical person again, but the current Covid variant situation makes it plain that it’s not quite time to gather in large numbers indoors. We hate postponing the reunion, and we hope you agree that the health and well-being of our yarny community is worth waiting a little longer for.

That said, we’re not done with 2022 just yet! We’re hosting our first-ever YarnCon Symposium the weekend of April 2-3 in a virtual format. Outstanding fiber experts from all over the country will teach live via Zoom, and we’re proud to announce the inaugural YarnCon Diversity & Inclusion panel discussion.

So, please keep an eye on this website, and our Facebook and Instagram pages for more updates. In the meantime, please stay safe. Get vaccinated and wear your masks, the sooner we can get the spread under control, the sooner we can get together and squish the yarn in person.

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September 16, 2021 by Leave a Comment

Thanks for checking in on us. It’s been a *hand waves* while. We have had some website difficulties, but we are back up, and slowly getting things back as they should be.

I am sure you are wondering about YarnCon 2022. We are figuring it out, and we thank you for sticking with us, and being patient. Everything is hard to predict right now, kind of like April weather in Chicago, you know?

As soon as we have some news, we will share it here, FB, and IG. Thanks!

–Natalia

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March 25, 2021 by 2 Comments

Sometimes in life, you try for something big and it works. Sometimes, you fail.

Team YarnCon decided to host a virtual event this year, since it is not yet possible to gather in person. We contracted with a company that hosts virtual and hybrid conferences, and we had such high hopes for a virtual show! Unfortunately, the promises made by the company we were working with have fallen far short, and we have come to the agonizing conclusion that going forward with the virtual event they could host for us would be worse for our vendors and marketplace attendees than canceling. Please believe us when we say this was not what we wanted to do, and we are heartbroken that we can’t provide the experience we’d hoped for.

HOWEVER: We don’t give up that easily, friends! We are going to work with our vendors to feature them on the YarnCon Facebook page and livestream vendor chat sessions on April 10. We still plan to offer the classes that are already open for registration, and by taking control of the reins, we think we can offer a great virtual class experience via Zoom. We will refund all General Admission registration fees over the next few days, as well as all fees that vendors have paid.

Plus, we want to do something fun to mark YarnCon weekend. After classes wrap up on Saturday evening, we’re hosting a virtual Stitch Night over Zoom, and we will be giving away prizes in order to show our appreciation for everyone sticking with us through all the upheavals the last year has thrown our way. We love our fiber community, and we will continue to do our best to support you, just as you have always supported us. 

Thank you for hanging in there! 

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March 11, 2021 by 2 Comments

We are very excited to announce that registration for Virtual YarnCon 2021 is now open!
Sign up now to experience YarnCon virtually! At virtual YarnCon you can visit with your favorite vendors, and find new ones to love. And we have workshops to help build your skillset, and inspire you with new ideas for the new yarn and fiber you’ve been looking forward to. It’s YarnCon from the comfort of your own home!

Register now!

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