Birds are singing, daffodils are blooming, and I’m starting to see pictures of cute baby lambs on social media. That can only mean one thing—that fiber festival season has begun!
All winter, we’ve been spinning down the stash to make room for new fiber. We’ve kept a list of must-have tools and fibers to try, waiting for a chance to touch and feel, to see those colors in person. And, of course, we’ve watched eagerly on social media as our favorite makers load up their vans, trucks, and trailers to come to a festival near us.
Why Visit a Fiber Festival?
There’s nothing quite like the energy of a fiber festival, where we’re all surrounded by textile enthusiasts. Beginners can ask questions, try new tools, and even discover a new fiber obsession. Experienced spinners forge deeper connections, find inspiration, and touch base with old friends we haven’t seen all year. We all get to squish fiber, take classes, and make new friends.
Last weekend, I loaded up my car and drove three hours north to the Carolina Fiber Fest. I drove through a foggy mist, marveling at the trees in bloom, contemplating how I might turn the colors into a stranded colorwork pattern.
As I arrived at the fairgrounds, the bumper stickers told me I was in the right place. One proclaimed, “This car stops for dye plants,” while others simply featured cute sheep. The back of a pickup truck was piled high with freshly shorn fleeces, waiting to head inside for the fleece sale.
Pamela couldn't resist this tiny Turkish spindle from Snyder Spindles. She sampled a bit of the red eri silk found at The Miller Girls' booth.
What to Do When You Get There
The first order of business was to take a quick spin through the building, noting the booths I wanted to stop by first. One of the things I want to try this year is weave an Autumn Jewels Scarf. I have the warp wound and ready to go, but needed an eight-dent reed for my loom, so stopped by the LoftyFiber booth to pick one up.
Pamela found Icelandic yarn and a neat spinning trick from Honey Creek Farms, and a reed for her loom from LoftyFiber.
I also noticed that Erin from Nickel Madigan, whose fiber was featured in the most recent issue of Spin Off, had a booth, and stopped to buy braid of Bluefaced Leicester/tussah silk and a tiny little sliver of rainbow cashmere that I’m excited to blend for a pop of color.
Just five grams of cashmere from Nickel Madigan can go a long way when you diz and blend it with another fiber.
From watching custom batts going through The Foldout Cat's huge drumcarder, to talking to farmers about their sheep, to meeting the folks behind my local fibershed, there was so much to do and see that I took two whole days to enjoy it all. Did I come home with more fiber than I can possibly spin in the coming months? Perhaps, but my calendar is already marked for next year!
Pamela K. Schultz is the content editor for Spin Off. She spins, knits, weaves, and gardens in coastal North Carolina.