In-Depth Review of Knitting Yarn

Knitter's Review
June 20, 2013

Last Saturday, an old New England friend now living in Montana sent me a message. "Big Sky Fiber Arts Festival today!" she said. "Where are you?"

Not in Montana, that's where. But Rachel was, and I longed to be there with her. I asked her to take lots of pictures, and lots of notes, and tell us all about this great little festival in one of the most beautiful and least populous states in the country.

Join me for a peek at the Big Sky Fiber Arts Festival.

Rolling Down the River
If you want to make yarn in this country, you'll soon discover that we have very few places left that can dye yarn on a commercial scale. One such place is right here in Maine at the Saco River Dyehouse, which rescued equipment from the 100-year-old JCA dyehouse in Massachusetts after it closed. They've been a great help with my Great White Bale project, helping ship batches to mills and even washing and twisting skeins. They're looking to add a new piece of equipment, and they need our help to make it happen. It's a Kickstarter campaign worth supporting.

Upcoming Events
I wish I could clone myself to catch all the events happening. There's Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon, Midwest Fiber & Folk Art Fair in Illinois, Pleasant Mountain Fiber Arts Workshops in Maine, Alice Springs Beanie Festival in Australia, and the second-annual Congresso Brasileiro de Tricôo in Sãao Paulo. It also marks the beginning of Fibre Week in Alberta, Canada. Me? I'm headed to Columbus for The National NeedleArts Association's semiannual trade show. I promise lots of peeks at what's coming down the yarn pipeline for fall.

In the Forums: Opening Soon?
Donna has a friend who plans to open a new yarn store. Sounds great, but Donna has her doubts. She's asking for our advice. She wants her friend to succeed and doesn't want to see her heartbroken—or broke.

Need help logging into the Forums?

As ever, I thank you for letting me be a part of your knitting life.

I'll talk to you again on July 4!