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

And Now for Something Completely* Different

*Okay, not completely, but very new!

We are proud to announce the inaugural YarnCon Symposium! We have wanted to expand our workshops for some time, but the limiting factor has been availability of space at the Plumbers Union Hall. We love being at the Plumbers Union Hall, and we have no plans to leave, but it has made hosting classes more and more complicated. So: a new space was in order if we wanted to expand our class offerings. That led to another change we have always wanted: to be able to attend classes and parties while registered as a vendor at a show.

Intro to Dyeing class at YarnCon
Intro to Dyeing class at YarnCon

The solution is the YarnCon Symposium: two days of classes at the lovely Crowne Plaza West Loop!

On Thursday and Friday, April 2 and 3, 2020, we will host our first annual symposium, with classes on both days and a reception on Friday evening. Then on Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5, 2020, we will have YarnCon at the Plumbers Union Hall, as we have since 2013. We will still have beginning dyeing and spinning workshops over the weekend during YarnCon, but sit-down classes in classrooms with all of the amenities will take place at the Crowne Plaza. The hotel is just down the road from the Plumbers Union, and is the perfect place to stay if you are coming in from out of town!

If you are a teacher and have thought about teaching with us, but weren’t so keen on the open layout we used to have, now is your time to join us. We think you will be pleasantly surprised, as we have put lots of thought into the care and feeding of instructors. This means competitive pay, lodging, and travel expenses. You can see the details, and fill out the application at the following link:
https://forms.gle/z6CdUUx2DgC8FX4F7

Seeing as we are growing and expanding, we also thought it was time to have a party to celebrate! We are planning a reception at the Crowne Plaza on Friday night after classes have wrapped up. We will have more information on that soon, so be on the lookout, as tickets will be limited. Sign up for our mailing list to get the info!

On your marks…

Just kidding! No need to race to get your vendor applications in. Sara and Natalia took a weekend off to re-work the application process, and we hope it will be a better fit for all of us as we grow.

Natalia and Sara in front of the Sandpiper, home of the Hoof to Hanger Fiber Mill.
Natalia and Sara in front of the Sandpiper this summer,
home of the Hoof to Hanger Fiber Mill, a 2019 sponsor.

As many of you who applied to vend at YarnCon in the last few years know, we filled up in record time, and many of you who planned to apply never got a chance. That was never our intent, so this year we are changing how the process works.

Applications will go live on October 1, 2019 at 10am Central Time, and will close on October 8, 2019 at 10pm Central Time. There are no bonus points for being the first, but we will not take applications after they close.

Edited to Add the application link: https://forms.gle/2G6tADKn1eCPe1S58

YarnCon has always been a juried show. We will judge all the applications according to our posted guidelines, and send our acceptance and rejection emails on October 15, 2019. You will be able to find the application on the homepage of our website. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@yarncon.com. If you want to be on the vendor mailing list, please sign up on the homepage.

We will also make an announcement about workshop proposals in the near future, so stay tuned! There’s also a sign up for the teaching mailing on the homepage.

YarnCon may be months away, but the 2019 application is live today!

Fall is just settling in, and spring seems an eternity away, but as far as Team YarnCon is concerned, April is right around the corner!

The 2019 application is live now! We are taking applications until November 2, 2018, OR SOONER IF THE SHOW FILLS UP, so head on over to the Vendor Application and tell us about yourself. And please spread the word to any friends who want to join in the fun.

Due to an increase in the volume of applications we receive, the jurying process will be more competitive in 2019 than in the past. It is hard for us to choose among so many creative vendors! We will do our best to accept vendors in a way that balances out the offerings and reflects a broad diversity of yarny goods. We thank you all for understanding.

In the meantime, happy making and happy Fall!

Let’s plan some classes!

Planning for YarnCon 2018 is moving along at a fast clip this year, dare I say we turned up the dial to 11? (Yeah, I went there.) We have never filled the vendor spaces as quickly as we did this year! You really like us! And now it is time to show the same love to the educational side of the show. 

If you have ideas for a workshop, now is the time to send those proposals, and here is the form you need to fill out: https://www.yarncon.com/yarncon-2018-request-for-workshop-proposals/

We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us!

YarnCon 2018 is full!

Well, that was fast. YarnCon 2018 is full to bursting!

We had an incredible response this year, and all full-size booth spaces filled up in a record NINE DAYS. Many amazing vendors, new and returning, will be on hand to woo and wow you in April. Soon we’ll start previewing them and their luscious goodies on our Facebook page, so tune in starting in January to see those.

Technically, there are still a few mini booths available (4’x4′), so if you are interested in one, email us asap at info(at)yarncon(dot)com.

Swatching 2018

Team YarnCon here, excited to announce that the vendor application for YarnCon 2018 is now open! You can find the link right here: https://www.yarncon.com/yarncon-2018-vendor-application/

This part is like swatching for a project you have made before, but you have new yarn, and you want to be sure it will fit. And the beauty of handmade is you can customize as you go! Maybe you didn’t like the neck on the sweater last time, or the sleeve length; you can change those parts and still end up with a great sweater. That is how planning for YarnCon feels every fall, like a familiar project you get to start again and make even better.

The applications are coming in a terrific speed, so please apply now if you want to be a part of YarnCon 2018. This one goes to 11!

 

YarnCon 2017 is full!

Well, that was fast. YarnCon 2017 is full!

We had an incredible response this year, and so many amazing vendors, new and returning, will be on hand to dazzle you in April. Soon we’ll start previewing them and their luscious wares on our Facebook page, so tune in starting January 23 to see the goodies.

Technically, there are still a few mini booths available (4’x4′), so if you are interested in one, email us asap. No more spaces left for 2017! Join our mailing list to be the first to know about applications for 2018 (scroll down, form to the right).

YarnCon may be months away, but the 2017 application is live today!

With the winter holidays upon us, even imagining spring seems like an exercise in futility, but as far as Team YarnCon is concerned, April is right around the corner!

The 2017 application is live now! We are taking applications until January 21, 2017, which is sooner than you think, so head on over to the Vendor Application and show us what you make! And please spread the word to anyone you might think has some yarny talents to share.

The deadline for Workshop proposals is January 6, 2017, so if you would like to teach at YarnCon, please head over to the Workshop RFP page and get us your proposal post-haste.

 

In the meantime, happy crafting, and happy holidays!