Southern Adirondak Fiber Festival

This past weekend was a lovely one.  The Southern Adirondak Festival is a lovely festival in upstate, near Saratoga Springs.  It's fast becoming a can't miss festival, and I've been lucky enough to be invited to teach there for the last two years.  It's held at the Washington County Fairgrounds, inhabiting at least 8 barns of vendors, plus classes, herding competitions, and all things sheep and fiber.  The vendors are selected by a jury process, ensuring a nice variety of offerings for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers, and anyone else involved in yarn or felting.

This year as I wandered the barns.  There was a wonderful vintage button dealer, with fabulous collections.  Just the thing for the sweater you have on the needles right now.  These wooden ones to the left are from Lazy Day Farms. **Slurp** (A little knitting drool!)











The felted poppies at right are another product on offering, with vintage button centers.  They make lovely lapel pins, hair clips, and bag decorations.  The colors were great, and Fenwood-Designs.com was generous enough to let me take these photos.

Valentine Arts had these unique yarns in their booth.  Each ply is hand painted separately, and then plied together to make these beautiful yarns. And, each yarn is hand-spun.  Fiber Festivals are one of the few places where you'll find a wide variety of hand-made yarns.  For fiber fans who are looking to break out of the commercial-look mold, it's terrific to have several yarns to choose from.

This spinning wheel, right, is unlike any I've seen before.  It's a interesting blend between modernity and history.  Handcrafts enter the 21st century.  It about $600, available from a builder in Vermont.  All the woods are locally sourced.  No word on whether the carbon fiber wheel is "organic".

As wonderful as all the "stuff" is at all these festivals, the best part is getting to spend time with the people.  I love getting to visit with my students, who have wonderful stories and knitting styles that we build on in class.  The owner of Battenkill Fibers, Mary Jane Packer, and I got to have a quick visit about sock knitting, and the preferences we have for the same type of long wearing heel patterns.  Stephanie Grieger, of Dirty Water Dye Works, introduced me to some terrific new sock yarn, and we're brewing up something for the Rhinebeck 2013 Sock.  Laurie Perrin, of Silver Moon Farm Fiber Arts, led me to some lovely superwash superfine merino which will allow me to finally make Louie's blanket.

These are all parts of why I love these events.  If you haven't gone to a fiber festival yet, it's time to get off the couch, and go!  Meet some fiber people, and make some new fiber friends.  See things in person that will inspire you.  I hope to meet you at a festival soon!

 

 

Moments From The Southern Adirondak Fiber Festival

These gorgeous buttons are made of porcelain by Melissa Jean Designs.  Not only are they beautiful, Melissa is a sweetheart herself.  I was lucky enough to meet her, her husband, and her daughters.  Their angora bunny was with them, who is tentatively named Sweetie Helga. Many surprises awaited in her booth, but I'll save them for later.  You can find her website here.

To the right is Stephen Willette, a master woodworker who makes beautful knitting needles, crochet hooks, buttons, and knitting tools out of hardwoods.  What's even cooler is that he makes them on site right in front of you!  His wife, Linda, is right there with him to manage sales and explain some of the details of how to use the tools. Sadly, they only took cash, and by the time I got there I only had plastic left.  Oh well.  I'll be sure to have cash the next time I see them!

Crochet has never been my friend.  I love it, and I'm impressed as hell by people who can do it well,  but I am definitely not one of them.  The fabulous headwear above was crocheted by Cal Patch, who is one of the most charming women I've ever met.  She designs clothes, she crochets, she spins, she teaches, she has a great dog, and she has a warm and open way about her.  I would love to take a class from her.  If anyone can teach me to crochet, I think she can!  A link to her site is here.

The entire area of Washington County, NY is spectacularly beautiful.  This is a shot of the main street in Salem, just east of Greenwich. The scent of the apples in the orchard as I drove along, and the fog off the fields...it's a little bit of northeastern heaven.   There's so much more, and I'll share it in chunks over the next few days.