Festival Update

63 Days to go!

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

We are excited to host a Design Contest at this year’s Fashion Show and Luncheon. Many of you have asked if you need to submit a garment in order to attend. NO... Attendees to the Fashion Show Luncheon and Design Contest are not required to submit a garment for the Design Contest, however, if you choose to, your luncheon ticket price includes one free garment entry, a Friday admission pass and chances to win one of the 10 Mystery Prizes which will include gifts from our sponsors, cash, accessories, gift cards and more!!! Be one of the people selected and find out what is in the Mystery Boxes!

We have been working with Pittsburgh Tours and More to provide shuttles locally to the Festival. Pittsburgh Tours and More will also provide transportation from up to 4 hours away! If your group, guild or club is interested in chartering a bus: small, medium or large, please go to Pittsburgh Tours and More to make arrangements. All people using the Pittsburgh Transportation Group will receive a Free Admission Pass to the Yarn Tasting included with the cost of their ride.

We have made arrangements with the Westin for special room rates the weekend of the Festival. Stay the whole weekend and have more fun. Share a room with a friend and you can stay late and ride upstairs to your room after the Yarn Tasting or the PJ Party. Remember StevenBe will be giving special prizes for those wild PJ’s, socks, hats and a special gift for that special someone with a sassier attitude than his. Everyone who attends the PJ Party will receive a special gift from our sponsors.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

A reminder about Design Contest Details:

Since this is a 1st time event at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival, we don’t know if your design was started last year or entered in another contest. Any innovative designs in the categories below are acceptable, regardless of when you finished them. We are also excited to open the Design Contest to students, at no cost! We are extending a special invitation to CAPA students, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Students, the students at Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Kent State and Indiana University of Pittsburgh. If you have a child in school, and you are aware of their creativity, pass the information below along, and, if you aware of any other schools with a fashion design department, please make us aware so that we may send them an invitation as well. We are extremely excited to see what the younger generation is creating.

The Fashion Show Design Contest entry categories are as follows:

  1. ​ Crochet or Knitted Garment
  2.  Crochet or Knitted Shawl
  3.  Crochet or Knitted Accessory. For example: a bag, scarf, hat, boot topper, socks, shrug, capelet etc.
  4.  Wild Wearable Art. For example, any combination of medium including fiber, fabric, yarn, recycled materials and construction technique including weaving, machine assisted, needle felting and wet felting.

​ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE BY FEB. 22 BY EMAIL OR US MAIL.

BOOK REVIEW and SWEEPSTAKES GIVEAWAY:

The Knowledgeable Knitter by Margaret Radcliffe
Understanding the Inner Workings of Knitting and Make Every Project a Success

This is the ultimate resource book/guide for knitting. We have all had the experience of buying beautiful yarn and getting a great new pattern only to be frustrated at some of the instructions along the way. Encountering stumbling blocks and not knowing what to do, where to turn to, is oftentimes what leaves us with those many unfinished projects. Margaret explains in this book every choice you’ll come across in the life of a project. From start to finish, Margaret empowers you to understand “why” instead of “how” to enhance your overall understanding of knitting and how it relates to your projects. Beautifully illustrated and accompanied by excellent color photos, Margaret starts with understanding and evaluating schematics, to choosing correct yarns for patterns, to finishing, this book is a must have for every knitter.

If you prefer classes and a hands on explanation, we have a class offered at the Festival that touches on what Margaret has offered in this book: Knitting the Big Picture with Lauren Sims, is just the class for you. Lauren analyzes the why and how of 4 patterns so that you will have a full understanding of why the designer did what they did, coming away with an “aha” and being able to tackle any challenges in any pattern. Lauren joins us this year as a new instructor, with 2 classes: Knitting the Big Picture and Cables Ahoy! offering students a unique twist – how to cable without a cable needle.

The Knowledgeable Knitter will be raffled to one of the attendees in Lauren’s Knitting the Big Picture Class on March 27th in her class. Only attendees enrolled in the class will be eligible to receive a chance to win the book.

Congratulations to the winner from our last newsletter!  Genna Kasun of Huntingdon, PA was randomly drawn to receive 52 Timeless Toys to Knit by Chris de Longpre’.

Festival Update is published by
Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet
P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030
We do not share our mailing list with any third party.
Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

 

Festival Update

Happy 2015!

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

The Holidays are now behind us. I had much time to reflect on a great year. We spent a good deal of time making gifts for our loved ones this year. Sarah made felted baby booties for the new baby and she placed some on Etsy to sell.

                                  

The gifts were heartfelt and the time spent together made it even more special. I am seeing a surge of hand made items in recent years and am pleased to witness the return to simpler times, and more thoughtful giving. With the availability of so many places to sell: craft fairs, handmade markets and Etsy, it gives us all an opportunity to make, create and sell our handmade items. For those of you who haven’t discovered Etsy yet, we are offering a class: Learning to Sell Your Handmade Items on Etsy.

I finished a shawl I started 9 years ago! I’ve almost finished a sweater (for myself) with a yarn I purchased long ago and may even begin another sweater soon! With upcoming travel plans, taking a book to read takes 2nd place to knitting.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

An important note about the Design Contest Details:

Since this is a 1st time event at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival, we don’t know if your design was started last year or finished semi recently. Any innovative designs in the categories below are acceptable, regardless of when you finished them. We are excited to open the Design Contest to students, at no cost! We are extending a special invitation to CAPA students, Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild Students, the students at Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Kent State and Indiana University of Pittsburgh. If you have a child in school, and you are aware of their creativity, pass the information below along, and, if you aware of any other schools with a fashion design department, please make us aware so that we may send them an invitation as well. We are extremely excited to see what the younger generation is creating.

The Fashion Show Design Contest entry categories are as follows:

  1. ​ Crochet or Knitted Garment
  2.  Crochet or Knitted Shawl
  3.  Crochet or Knitted Accessory. For example: a bag, scarf, hat, boot topper, socks, shrug, capelet etc.
  4.  Wild Wearable Art. For example, any combination of medium including fiber, fabric, yarn, recycled materials and construction technique including weaving, machine assisted, needle felting and wet felting.

​ALL ENTRIES ARE DUE BY FEB. 22 BY EMAIL OR US MAIL.

BOOK REVIEW and SWEEPSTAKES GIVEAWAY:

52 Timeless Toys to Knit by Chris de Longpre’
Chris has autographed the copy for us to give away. The book is a delightful menagerie of playful patterns that will enchant knitters and children of all ages. A timeless book, as the name indicates, for all seasons, animals that can be played with all year long. The book is cleverly divided into patterns for animals that fall into their habitat categories: Down Under features Crocodile, Kangaroo (complete with pouch and Joey), Kiwi, Koala and Platypus! Wetlands features: Beaver, Frog, Garter Snake, Snail and Turtle. There are 9 categories in all: Flock, Heartland, Midnight Sun, Reef, Serengeti, Southwest and Woodlands. We’ve all seen Monkeys, Hens, Chicks, Penguins, Bunnies and Owls, but have you ever seen a toy Armadillo, Puffin, Toucan, Blue-Footed Booby or Lizard? It is obvious that a great deal of time went into making this book, with tremendous detail on every critter. Whimsical embroidery details are included (funny little teeth for crocodiles) as well as stuffing instructions. Chris chooses yarns from Brown Sheep Yarn Company due to their natural fibers and they are made in the US. This book is a must have for all animal enthusiasts, parents, grandparents, teachers and children. Kudos to Chris for a fun, colorful and playful book! My favorite is the Flamingo.

To enter this sweepstakes, please send an email (one entry per person please) topghknitandcrochet@gmail.com with the subject line of “52 Timeless Toys” by January 21st, 2015. Winner will be announced in our next newsletter.

Congratulations to our winners from our last newsletter! Mary Beth Bowler of Pittsburgh, PA was randomly drawn to receive Christmas Crochet for Hearth Home and Tree by Edie Eckman and Mary Dudding of Lewis Center, OH will receive cozy toes for baby, sweet shoes to crochet and felt by Chantal Garceau and Mary J. King.

Festival Update is published by
Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet
P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030
We do not share our mailing list with any third party.
Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

 

 

Festival Update

Happy Holidays!

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

I have so much to be thankful for this Holiday season: good health, family, good friends and laughter. And with a new granddaughter, what better gift could I ask for? I would like to send a special holiday greeting out to each of you and hope that your Holidays are peaceful and filled with Joy.

I have 2 books to give away this issue, both crochet related. Although one is a “Christmas” Crochet book, and we won’t get it out to you until after the New Year, it can be our belated gift just for you. We have much crochet at the Festival in March, with The Crochet Dude® Drew Emborsky and Robyn Chachula and their Crochet Superbooth as well as many crochet classes with other teachers and a crochet category in each category of the Design Contest… All of our crochet fans will have no time to rest.

We are thrilled to have such a fantastic line up of new exhibitors with many of our returning favorites. If you are wondering why some of our “old time” vendors are not returning, many are not doing the “show circuit” any longer and some had conflicts with the new dates, March 27, 28, 29th 2015. Check out all of our exhibitors many of whom are offering classes and will have many new products.

On a last note, when sending in your registration electronically, if you are sending it in for 2 people, please put the name of the other person in the Instructions from Buyer section. We would like to list all names on the class rosters.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

BOOK REVIEWS and SWEEPSTAKES:

Christmas Crochet for Hearth, Home & Tree by Edie Eckman
Edie Eckman is a household name, her work has been seen in every publication that is crochet related.  Maybe she will consider joining us next year. This book is aptly named, with patterns for stockings, ornaments, garlands and more. With projects to get started on for next year and those beautiful stars that I have hanging on my tree and in my window year round. I have never made them, but always purchased them at local craft fairs.

To enter this sweepstakes, please send an email (one entry per person please) topghknitandcrochet@gmail.com with the subject line of “Christmas Crochet” by December 31st, 2014. Winner will be announced in our next newsletter.

cozy toes for baby, sweet shoes to crochet and felt by Chantel Garceau and Mary J. King
At last, a felting book for Crochet! To my knowledge, this may be a 1st, with patterns for 7 baby booties, slippers and shoes that can be worn all year long. Whimsical, cute patterns that all kids will enjoy: ladybugs, frogs, sock monkey, pandas, an owl and even a watermelon! The slippers are shown with either a crocheted bottom or an alternative leather bottom stitched on.  A perfect easy to follow book with step by step instructions. (I think I could even make these) And why not a hat to match?

To enter this sweepstakes please send an email to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com (one entry per person please) with the subject line “cozy toes” by December 31, 2014. Winner will be announced in our next newsletter.

Festival Update is published by
Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet
P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030
We do not share our mailing list with any third party.
Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.



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Festival Update

Festival Registration is OPEN!

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

Check it out: Classes are now open for registration at PghKnitAndCrochet.com! We have classes for everyone: knitting, crochet, wet and needle felting, FeltLOOM classes, spinning, and more. Classes fill early, so don’t wait too long to sign up for your favorites.

Special Events include:

Pittsburgh Tours & More is providing shuttling to the Westin for the Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival, March 27, 28, 29, 2015. Please contact smoreira@supershuttle.com to make your ride arrangements from all points East, West, South and North of Pittsburgh (locations to be announced) and for groups coming up to a four-hour distance. All persons using Pittsburgh Tours & More will receive a FREE Admission Pass to the Yarn Tasting included with the cost of the ride.
Last, but not least: Festival Gift Certificates make a GREAT holiday gift… for a friend and for yourself! Click here to learn more.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

Festival Update is published by

Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet

P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030

We do not share our mailing list with any third party.

Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

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Festival Update

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are almost done and ready to open registration. You’ll hear from us the first week of December which day we are ready to open. We had one change to our schedule: Steven West canceled, but we are thrilled to include Alasdair Post-Quinn, the Extreme Double Knitting Master. He has a great selection of classes to offer, and he’ll be on hand to sign his books, too. In the meantime, enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend with your family and loved ones.
We have included for your pleasure a video of my sister Ann making an effort to teach crochet! After having gone through all of the class submissions, and carefully selected classes that hold a broad appeal, she came up with her version of what would be a fun class. That’s me laughing hysterically in the background (Ann was always the class clown).
As mentioned in our last issue, we encourage you to start thinking about several special design prizes that will be awarded at the Festival.At the Friday Luncheon and Fashion Show, we will be awarding a $500.00 cash prize for the “Best in Show,” and prizes for the three winners in each category:
  • Crochet or Knitted Garment
  • Crochet or Knitted Shawl
  • Crochet or Knitted Accessory (For example: a bag, scarf, hat, boot topper, socks, shrug, capelet, etc.)
  • Wild Wearable Art (For example, any combination of media, including fiber, fabric, yarn, recycled materials, and construction technique including weaving, machine-assisted, needle and wet felting)
Entry forms will be available when we open registration.
Last but not least, mark your calendars for Handmade Arcade, Saturday, Dec. 6, and the Spinning Plate Gallery, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6-7. Great holiday gifts abound! Many of our featured teachers and friends will be at both events, so please come and support your local artists.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

New at the 2015 Festival: Pop des Fleurs ‘Pop In’ Lounge

Pop des Fleurs is an outdoor installation planned for the winter of 2016, designed to bring delight and color during the dark season through handmade, pop-up flower gardens. Just like the Knit the Bridge installation, Pop des Fleurs will be created by the community, and the flowers will be made primarily out of repurposed materials, knitted and crocheted. Pop des Fleurs was selected as a Community Outreach Project of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh’s Fiberart International 2016.

The Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival will host a Pop des Fleurs “Pop In” Lounge, along with the Warm Up America! Lounge. Materials and Fiber Arts Guild members will be available and on hand to show you how to make flowers. Drop in and participate in Pittsburgh’s next community installation by making a flower, knitted, crocheted or otherwise. You can also start making flowers now and drop them off at the Festival. We have posted a step-by-step written tutorial for a beautiful and easy Puff Flower here, and the YouTube demonstration version can be found here.The Pop des Fleurs website also has tutorials here.

PJ Party with our Darlin’ StevenBe

On Saturday, March 28, at 9 p.m., put your PJs on and come on down to enjoy a fun-filled evening with our Darlin’ StevenBe. He’ll entertain us with his latest creations, as well as the fabulous designs from our other Fab Guys. We’ll also have some exciting surprises in store for you! Snacks, light refreshments, prizes and giveaways will all be part of this special evening. Plus, each person who attends Steven’s PJ party will receive a special gift from our sponsors.Extra-special prizes will also be awarded for:

  • Wildest Socks
  • Most Outrageous PJs
  • Craziest Hat
  • The Best and Sassiest Attitude!

Registration for the PJ party opens soon.

October Sweepstakes Winner

Congratulations to Andrea Simpson of Toronto, Ohio, for being our randomly drawn winner of Felt So Good, by Tone Rorseth.

Festival Update is published by

Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet

P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030

We do not share our mailing list with any third party.

Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

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Screenshot-2014-11-21-09.53

Knitted PUFF Flower Instructions

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Screenshot-2014-11-21-09.53

You will need:

  • Any color worsted weight acrylic yarn and appropriate sized needles
  • Colored plastic bags (reds, yellows, purples, oranges, whites) cut into approximately 3 x 3 inch pieces

Cast on 15 stitches, leaving an approx. 8-10 inch long tail.

The next row, Row 1: knit 1st st, and place a couple of pieces of the plastic in between the stitches on needle, with half on one side, half on the other side of needles, knit the next stitch. Fold the other half of the plastic toward you, and knit the next stitch. Continue to end of 1st row.

Row 2: knit

Row 3: same as Row 1

Row 4: knit

Row 5: same as Row 1

Row 6: knit

Row 7: same as Row 1

Row 8: knit

Row 9: same as Row 1

Row 10: knit

Row 11: same as Row 1

Row 12: cast off, leaving approx. and 8-10 inch tail

This gives you 6 rows of plastic flowers. Trim the whole flower to approx. 1 inch and attach an extra tail of yarn at each corner, leaving each corner with a tail approx. 8-10 inches long.

Video tutorial available at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sx-YsBxkD8

These can also be made using colored fabric.

Festival Update

Happy Halloween… and Design Contest News

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Festival Update
March 27, 28, 29, 2015
THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH
Happy Halloween!
What wild knitted, crocheted or fiber costumes will we see this weekend? We posted this cutie on Facebook. All of the baby and children’s costumes are so sweet, but we are curious to see ones that you have made … show us yours!

Last weekend, Ann and I visited Toronto’s creativfestival. It’s where we met Charles Voth, a new teacher who will be teaching for us in March. We also met one of our new vendors, Black Sheep and Ewe, and saw our friends Becca Smith (Bagsmith) and Liz Tekus (Fine Points), as well as longtime Festival sponsors Lion Brand Yarns and Coats and Clark. I came back with tons of ideas and new products, and can’t wait to start experimenting with new fibers, yarns, fabrics, paints and pressed mulberry bark! I promise to show you the outcome after I am done playing, if the end products are worthy of showing.
Ann and I had a terrific fun time. This was our birthday weekend getaway, as we both have birthdays in October, which is just one of the reasons why I love the fall so much. Who doesn’t love to celebrate birthdays? And the colors… it was spectacular, my favorite season. (Can you tell?)

Photos: Toronto Travel Guide (left), Barb Grossman
At this time, class selections have been made. We’ll be adding an additional 15 classes to the March Festival, offering you more than 80 classes from which to choose! In addition to the Fab 4 headliners, we also welcome back nationally acclaimed designers Andrea Wong and Robyn Chachula. We are excited about many other new teachers and exhibitors, too. We’ll have all classes, teachers and exhibitors posted and details for registration up in about a month. Stay tuned!
With Warm Regards,
Barb
New at the 2015 Festival: Design Contest 
During our “Kick off the Weekend Fashion Show with the Fab 4” event on Friday, March 27, we’ll also host our first-ever Design Contest. There will be beauty, color, inspiration and pizzazz on the runway, and guaranteed entertainment to be shared by all who attend with Emcees StevenBe and Barb Grossman. One entry will be chosen by our panel of Fab 4 judges as the contest winner in each category, with a final selection to receive the coveted “Best in Show” Award with a cash prize of $500. Each contest category winner will also receive prizes in his or her category, which are as follows:
  • Crochet or Knitted Garment (1 prize will be awarded for Knit and 1 for Crochet)
  • Crochet or Knitted Shawl (1 prize will be awarded for Knit and 1 for Crochet)
  • Crochet or Knitted Accessory, such as a bag, scarf, hat, boot topper, socks, shrug, capelet, etc. (1 prize will be awarded for Knit and 1 for Crochet)
  • Wild Wearable Art, defined as any combination of medium including fiber, fabric, yarn, recycled materials, and construction technique including weaving, machine assisted, needle and wet felting. (1 prize will be awarded)
From these Top 7 winners, the Fab 4 judges will select a “Best in Show.” Put your creative hats on and let the designing begin! Details on how and when to submit your entry will be announced in a future issue of Festival Update.
Take Our Festival Transportation Survey
We are exploring some options for shuttles, and rides for those of you who prefer not to drive into town. Pittsburgh Transportation Group has offered to work with us to provide you with ride options. But we need to hear from you whether you are possibly interested. We are looking to coordinate rides from all points outside the city: North, East, West and South (locations to be determined).
IF YOU THINK YOU MAY PREFER TO BE SHUTTLED INTO TOWN, ONE, TWO OR ALL THREE DAYS, PLEASE LET US KNOW. This is not a commitment, just a preliminary survey to coordinate locations. Please send a YES if you are interested to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com.
If you are not interested, you need not respond. Thank you for helping us with this preliminary survey.
Salvation Army Honors Festival Efforts

The Salvation Army’s Allegheny County “Doing The Most Good” Annual Dinner is being held at the Pittsburgh Sheraton Station Square on Thursday, Nov. 20.
Thanks to all of you, Barb and Randy Grossman are being honored with the Community Service Award.
“We began our relationship with the Salvation Army years ago, and the Fabric Fair drop-off was included and has become a part of both the Knit and Crochet Festival and the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival,” Barb says. “Without your generous support and continued donations, we would not be receiving this prestigious award. I am humbled, and again give credit to all of you. Thank you.”
If you are interested in attending the dinner, please visit WPA.salvationarmy.org or email Barb for details.
September Sweepstakes Winners
Congratulations to Diane Yorkshire of Pittsburgh for being our randomly drawn winner of How To Knit, Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques, by Leslie Ann Bestor. Congrats, too, to Nancy Robbins, Kirkwood, Mo., for being our randomly drawn winner of How to Crochet, Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques, by Sara Delaney.

Today’s the last day to get in on the October sweepstakes for the latest book that Barb reviewed, Felt So Good. Read her review and how to enter the sweepstakes here.
Festival Update is published by
Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet
P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030
We do not share our mailing list with any third party.
Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.
eNews designed by Gooch & Gooch, LLC

 

FSG_CoverFINAL

Feeling good about 'Felt So Good'…

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Barb joined a book review blog tour for Felt So Good, 70 + Felted and Plain Wool Designs for You and Your Home by Tone Rorseth. Here’s her review — and giveaway details!

FSG_CoverFINAL

Felt So Good is the basic “how to” of making felted creations,  simple and easy. From accessories to housewares, recycling wool to make mittens, hats, handbags, and more, this book reminds me of many of the projects we made at the Waldorf School with my handwork group over 10 years ago. It’s nice to see someone put it into a book with easy to follow step by step how-to guide.  With recommendations for which tools to use, patterns at the end of the book, and which ready-made felt to purchase, this book leaves no simple questions unanswered.

It would make a  great gift for a young person, or for a Scout troop or homeschooling group, after-school class — the options offered are a fun assortment for all seasons. I recall doing needle felting with Girl Scouts, at community center and library events, and it was the hit of any gathering. Young people love the immediacy of needle felting and the often quick results achieved.

From animals to pincushions, mobiles, headbands, decorating skirts, slippers, mittens, garlands, hairclips, bookmarks, cell phone cases and more, the Tone left no simple or creative idea out.

Make sure you see our newsletter next week for details on how you can win a copy of this book! Not getting our newsletters? Sign up here. Or if you want to enter our giveaway now, simply send an email (one entry per person, please) to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com by OCT 31, 2014, with the subject line of “Felt So Good.” Please include your name and a phone number where you can be reached. The winner will be drawn randomly from the entries and announced in the November issue of Festival Update. To purchase a copy, click here.
Festival Update

What's goin' on

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

What’s goin’ on …

I got my girl Sarah settled in at Pitt, where she is enjoying classes, studying hard and doing homework. She joined the FSAE Racing Team and the Sailing Club, and is crocheting slippers for everyone on her dorm floor. Pretty well-rounded kid! I miss her dearly, but the Festival prep work is keeping me too busy to fall apart!

I am also taking yoga classes at a new studio in Point Breeze, Inner Hearth, where I have tried four classes with four different teachers. These gentle and stimulating classes are a perfect end to my days, just what I need to keep me balanced and even-keeled.

Here are some preliminary Festival plans:

On Friday, March 27 (Save the Date!), we’ll kick off the weekend with a “Fabulous Fashion Extravaganza Luncheon,” featuring the Fab 4 (Steven “StevenBe” Berg, Stephen West, Drew “The Crochet Dude” Emborsky and Charles “The Sock King” Gandy) and other special guests. With the latest seasonal wear trends, must-have garments and accessories, this show is sure to be a smashing runway presentation. On Saturday evening, StevenBe will also host his ever-popular PJ Party.

We are receiving final class submissions for the Festival. (Yes, I gather them this far in advance.) We’ll have many new teachers and new classes on the schedule for this year, along with many returning favorites. We’ll also have many new vendors in our marketplace. Stay tuned as more details fall into place!

With Warm Regards,

Barb

Showing Pittsburgh our Love of Fiber 

In addition to the three full days of classes and market, we’ll have a 78-foot Cascading Wall of Yarn Art Installation!

I have completed one of the panels for the yarn art installation, a panel in various shades of white yarns (my continued study in white). More than 75 different yarns were used to create this 46″ x 96″ panel:  mohairs, wools, alpacas, natural fibers, acrylics, silks, blends, tweeds, recycled dyed, undyed, lace weight to bulky, novelties and more. We have a wall of 78 feet to display the various yarns, weights, colors, shades and hues for a “shout out” to Pittsburgh that “We Love Yarn!” All in all, one panel has more than 400 individual strands of yarn, making the total installation close to 10,000 strands of yarn! We will gift the installation to the Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts School (CAPA) after the show, where the students are focusing on weaving this year. We’ll ask them to bring in their finished projects the following year so everyone can see what our installation evolved into.

We are inviting you to participate. If you, your group, club, shop or organization would like to be involved in this large yarn art installation, please let us know. No knitting or crochet skills are required; all you need to know how to do is to tie a knot. We can drop off all supplies for you to make a panel to hang at the Festival in March. The first public “tie one on” party will be hosted at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse on Oct. 10, I Love Yarn Day, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Drop in for a little bit, or spend the whole day helping to create the various panels for the installation (bring your own beverage). The Center is also offering project participants a buy one, get one free yarn purchase all day as an I Love Yarn Day sponsor.

Scarf-in-a-Scarf

One of the panels has already found a home at Toni Ritchey’s RaggZ Fiber Art in Greensburg, where we spent an afternoon playing on her new FeltLOOM. Barb says, “I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to try out Darn Good Yarn‘s Silk Recycled Chiffon and Recycled Sari Silk Ribbon. The silks worked beautifully on the FeltLOOM, and make a nice trim for some of my planned accessories. Whether making jewelry, garments, patterns, home goods, finished products, or accessories, the fibers and items at Darn Good Yarn are the perfect accompaniment for every knitter, crocheter, weaver, spinner, and crafter.”

Darn Good Yarn Needs Your Vote!

Maggie Pozorski, VP of Darn Good Yarn, writes: 

The Darn Good Yarn office has been buzzing for the last two weeks and now I get to let the cat out of the bag!!! We are planning our first trip to India! We have two main goals in mind, No. 1 we are going to source many new products for Darn Good Yarn in hopes of providing hundreds of more jobs for women in India!!!  Right now we support about 300 families in India and Nepal; the goal with this trip is to double that number!!! No 2 we have a goal of bringing a film crew with us to India with the intention to capture the whole story of how Darn Good Yarn is made, from waste to amazing craft supplies. I am not sure if you know but just last year Darn Good Yarn turned over 20,000 pounds of waste fabric into yarn!!!
So we need your help!!  We have entered a grant contest to try and fund our trip to India!! To move further in the contest, we really need your vote!!!  Here is the link to vote for Darn Good Yarn in the Mission Main Street Grant Contest: https://www.missionmainstreetgrants.com/business/detail/14349 
Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for being part of the Darn Good Yarn family! With every purchase you make you are helping the full circle of craft supplies grow bigger and better, and supporting more and more women!!

September Book Reviews and Sweepstakes

How To Knit, Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques, by Leslie Ann Bestor and How to Crochet, Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques, by Sara Delaney 
These are the perfect books to get anyone started. If you are a seasoned knitter or crocheter, they may be nice books to pass along to your niece, nephew, daughter, son or grandchildren when you can’t be there to guide them. From simple how-to and easy-to-follow steps to basic cast-ons and cast-offs, the books include increasing and decreasing, how to select needles and yarn, how to change colors, joining and reading patterns.
Studies show that learning a new craft can have many benefits on brain functions. “Crafting is unique in its ability to involve many different areas of your brain. It can work your memory and attention span while involving your visuospatial processing, creative side, and problem-solving abilities,” says Catherine Carey Levisay, a clinical neuropsychologist. The Waldorf School of Pittsburgh includes knitting, crochet and handwork in every grade. With so many arts being excluded from school programs, involving our younger generation in a new craft will make them as smart as we are! 🙂
HOW TO ENTER THE SWEEPSTAKES: Simply send an email (one entry per person per book, please) to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com by OCT 10, 2014 (I Love Yarn Day!), with either the subject line of “How to Knit” or “How to Crochet.” Please include your name and a phone number where you can be reached. The winner will be drawn randomly from the entries and announced in the next issue of Festival Update.

Festival Update is published by

Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet

P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030

We do not share our mailing list with any third party.

Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

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Festival Update

Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival's FAB FOUR Headliners!

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Festival Update

 

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Festival Update

March 27, 28, 29, 2015

THE WESTIN CONVENTION CENTER PITTSBURGH

Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival’s FAB FOUR Headliners!

Be Sweet

Be Sweet

 Be Sweet Be Sweet

What a line-up! Steven “StevenBe” Berg, Stephen West, Drew “The Crochet Dude” Emborsky and Charles “The Sock King” Gandy will be our FAB FOUR guests of honor and teachers at the 11th Annual Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet Festival.

Stephen and Steven are currently on tour, and if you are unable to make the summer tour, hang in there, you can enjoy them while they are here. We’ll have them for three days and will have some special events with all four guys, including classes, trunk shows and design contests. We’ll provide you with all of the details as they unfold over the coming months. So, be sure to Save the Dates (March 27, 28, 29) with this “supergroup” at our next show.

With Warm Regards,

Barb

Barb’s Summer Picks

Be Sweet’s Grace and Style Set 2: a Poncho, Infinity Scarf and Cocoon Shrug

Be Sweet

Be Sweet

Be Sweet

I love it, all three! Available as a free pattern on Ravelry, this set is lightweight and a perfect accessory to be worn with anything! Jeans, a skirt, casual or dressy, it is the “must have” going into fall. Made with lightweight BeSweet Grace and Style combination bamboo, baby mohair and a touch of metallic, it is light, wispy, sumptuous, stylish and easy to knit for all levels. With no sleeves, or intricate patterns to follow, it is a no-brainer and is the perfect garment to work on at your yarn meet-up. It is worked up quickly on a size 11 needle, making a fine, translucent fabric. Perfect for fall, winter and spring, it is also a great little accessory for the cooler summer nights.

You can mix and match the poncho, cowl and shrug, wearing a different color cowl with the shrug and poncho… endless possibilities!

The yarn can be purchased at some of your local yarn stores. StevenBe has his own colorway … no, not pink, a lime green, available at his store. If you purchase five or more skeins from him, in any color, you get a StevenBe Accessory Tote for free! Bring the tote with you to the Festival, and he’ll sign it for you, too!

Scarf-in-a-Scarf

The “Scarf-In-A-Scarf” by SKEINO is my other pick for the summer. The beauty of this is the hand-dyed silk scarf that accompanies the knitted ruffled collar/scarf kit. It is reminiscent of the Scarf in a Scarf kit made by HPKY a few years ago, and equally as lovely. I have this pattern from HPKY and have hand-dyed my own silk scarves to go with the colors I selected after having made the first one.

For those of you who have a stash of yarn(!) and would like to create your own personalized version, pick a color from your stash, find the pattern from HPKY or the one from Skeino, and dye or hand paint your own silk scarf. We are offering a Silk and Yarn Dyeing class and a Silk Painting Class at the Pittsburgh Creative Arts Festival next month, with our very own Jennifer Vancalcar, from Holiday Yarns and my friend Evi Slaby, from Indiana. If you are interested in taking these classes, we are offering a 20 percent discount for K&C friends. Let us know: pghcreativearts@outlook.com, and we’ll send you a special registration form with a coupon code. You can create your own Scarf in a Scarf, hand dyed and created by you for you! Space is limited, so don’t delay.

PROJECT CONTEST!

This year at the Festival, many of you walked away with yarn and patterns you purchased from our exhibitors. We would love to see what you did with these! We are going to have a contest for the BEST KNIT and BEST CROCHET project. To enter, please EMAIL US the following information to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com):

  1. The name of the yarn used for your project.
  2. The name of the pattern used for your project.
  3. Label it KNIT or CROCHET.
  4. The exhibitor from which you purchased the supplies (optional).
  5. Photo of your completed project.

PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ENTRIES BY AUGUST 14, 2014.

We will then take all submissions and create two photo albums on our Facebook page, one for KNIT and one for CROCHET. A winner will be selected from each category based on the most “likes” on each photo.

We always love seeing your completed projects each year when you attend, so we thought this would be a fun way to see them a bit earlier. Each lucky winner will receive:

KNIT: One skein each of Colinette pink wool and Jupiter Moon merino and cotton lime yarn, and Knit a Monster Nursery book by Rebecca Danger.

CROCHET: Annie’s Crochet with Love Knots book, and four skeins of Louisa Harding silk and wool laceweight yarns.

Steel Valley Yarn Crawl: Aug. 1-10

The first-ever Steel Valley Yarn Crawl is coming up. Our friends and exhibitors, Kathy’s Kreations, Kid Ewe Knot and Yarns by Design are participating. The dates are Aug. 1-10, see their store websites for details. They will have specials and gifts during the yarn crawl, stop in to see them. We have donated a special prize to each of the shops also. Each store will have their very own theme and specials.

  • Kid Ewe Knot will feature a trunk show with our friends The Ross Farm, and with Great Adirondack Yarns.
  • Let’s Go Bucs! Yarns by Design will have a specially themed Pirates’ display and Pirates giveaways, as well as yarn-related prizes and giveaways.
  • Kathy’s Kreations, being 8 miles from Latrobe, is having a Steeler’s Training Camp theme. Along with special displays and black and gold accessories, she’ll feature a throwback from the Super Steeler days: Randy Grossman’s game-worn jersey and helmet. Plus, a limited number of autographed photos of Randy will be given out at Kathy’s store during the crawl!

(We know he’s a hunk… but he’s taken! ;-))

Festival Update is published by

Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet

P.O. Box 7706, Pittsburgh, PA 15215 / (412) 963-7030

We do not share our mailing list with any third party.

Copyright 2014 Pittsburgh Knit & Crochet. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without written permission.

eNews designed by Gooch & Gooch, LLC