10-Year Celebrations and Other Thoughts

A lot can change in ten years.

Ten years ago, I was single. Childless. Spent my disposable income on, well, yarn.

Flash forward to now:  I’m happily married. We have three children. I still love yarn, but disposable income and free time to knit are largely things of the past (and, I hope, the future; this too shall pass).

Ten years ago, there was no YarnCon. Can you even imagine?

And yet in 2017, we’ll celebrate our tenth show. So much can change.

This month, in preparing for a knitting/dry-felting class I’m teaching at my children’s school, I visited one of our longtime YarnCon vendors, Esther’s Place. I needed some wool for the kids to use in needle felting, but really I wanted an excuse for a quick trip out of the city on a gorgeous spring day.

Mother and daughter team Donna and Natasha have transformed a lovely Victorian house in Big Rock, IL, into a colorful playhouse for fiber fanatics. Lush roving dyed in every shade and whimsical felted creatures are all around. I was drawn to the curly fleece locks dyed like little rainbows. My three-year-old instantly spotted the needle-felted Star Wars figures. It’s a fun place.

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And guess what? Esther’s Place has been around for a decade. Another ten-year celebration! In fact, this weekend they’re hosting a Farm Days Open House to commemorate. If you’re in the western Chicagoland suburbs (and even if you’re not), head out to Big Rock this weekend for some fibery farm fun.

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Donna Lehrer and Natasha Lehrer Lewis


Newsflash: Kids Love Wool

Armed with a pound of roving dyed in 16 distinct colors, a bulk order of felting needles and foam pads, and a basket of cookie cutters, I made my way to the Chicago Free School, where two of my kids attend.

We talked briefly about how felting works: how the wool fibers are built to cling to each other, and that with a little help from an absurdly sharp and skinny needle, we can mold and sculpt the wool into shapes.

They loved it. They dove right in.

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There’s something about working with your hands, feeling the fuzzy wool and blending different colors together, and yes, stabbing something with a sharp object, that kids just GET. (Incredibly, in a room of kids ranging in age from 7 to 13, we only had one pricked finger.) As someone who works in the fiber world, I’m so gratified and rewarded at how excited these kids are about working with wool.

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We started out with simple cookie cutter shapes this week, and next week we’ll explore creating landscapes on flat felt “canvases,” as well as sculpting 3D objects and figures.

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Such a fun time.

Have you taught kids to knit, crochet, spin, or felt? How did it go? Let us know in the comments.

 

 

 

 

Sponsor Spotlight: Knit 1

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 1Knit 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.

Sponsor Spotlight: Yarnify!

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.


YarnifyfpYarnify!
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!

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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!

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A sense of community

I’ve been thinking about communities and what they mean to us a lot this Summer. In June I was all excited about World Wide Knit in Public Day; I had been picking out my projects to take to the park for days, coordinating with people, heck, even choosing what to wear. When that Saturday morning rolled around, I woke up with a migraine of epic proportions. There was no leaving the house that day. What to do? I was the coordinator! I grabbed my phone and contacted a couple of people in our community of stitchers, and in a few minutes, I had the whole afternoon covered. (Thanks Lindy and Karen!!)

Later this Summer, I was hanging out at Sifu Design Studio (as many of you know, I spend some time there helping my buddy, Lisa, out around the store, and you know, fondling the yarn) figuring I would give her a hand preparing for the Yarn Crawl. But, when I came in, I was in for bad news: Lisa was in danger of losing the shop over some shifty accounting by her previous accountant. When Kim from Chicago Knits Magazine heard the news, she jumped into action and started a Go Fund Me drive to save the store and pay off those back taxes. The outpouring of love (and money, in donations and purchases) was overwhelming. Sifu, like every yarn store in the area, is much more than a yarn store. It is where we go for knit nights, classes, help with our projects, and to meet up with our friends. These are more than stores, they are our club-houses where we gather with like-minded people and make new friends. It is where we share news, plan new projects of a variety of scales, and take a break from our everyday routines to create something new.

I feel honored to be a part of this community of makers. YarnCon is one way in which Sara, Lindy and I get to contribute to the larger community in the Chicago area, and throughout the Midwest. My life is richer because of the connections I have made with so many of you. Thanks for saving the day, in so many ways.