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Reflecting, and looking ahead

Looking back at the year, I must say that the patterns of 2012 were very creative. Many of the projects were small and easy to accomplish, assuming you know the techniques used. Among my favorites were Leftie, Wingspan and the Spectra Scarf, all of which I have and promise to wear at the Festival. They each feature a variation of the short row technique.

This year, we are offering three Festival classes with teaching short rows, two of which are the Spectra Scarf and one with Heidi Kozar: Shapely Short Rows. Much of the appeal of these patterns is the yarn. Yarns have evolved so much over the last decade, even within the last five years. With the long changing colorways of Kauni Effekt, to the beautiful beaded yarns (ArtYarns), embellished yarns (Pagewood, BeSweet, TSC and our good friend StevenBe), to the recent explosion of alpaca, all of which can be found at the various booths at the Festival. The textures and colors are fantastic, and it might even be fun to pull out some of your favorite old patterns and try the new yarns with them.

I applaud all of the indie dyers, designers and yarn companies who work hard and have fun producing these beautiful works of art. I love them all; perhaps I should look into reviewing yarns as well as books! I look forward to what 2013 will bring.

There are many alpaca farms cropping up in back yards everywhere. In fact, I have had many recent requests for booths at the Festival from local alpaca farms, and I’m pleased to announce that we have three vendors this year featuring alpaca: Stramba Farm, Annadele Alpacas and Highland Alpaca. It is the perfect yarn for those who have a wool allergy and need some additional warmth. Baby alpaca is one of the softest yarns, it’s the only socks we wear in the house during the cooler months.

One last note: When sending in your registration form, whether by mail or electronically, please be certain to make a copy for yourself. I have had numerous requests from pre-registered folks who forgot to write down what they were taking, and would like a copy sent to them. All registrations sent in with class requests will receive a confirmation via email; however, you will not be sent any tickets in advance or a list of the classes for which you’re registered. You will be notified if the class/es you selected are full. All classes will be marked FULL on the class pages on the website as they fill, by the way.

You may pick up your registration envelope at the door when you arrive. Our doors will open at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 15, a half-hour prior to the market opening and class start times. On Saturday and Sunday, the doors will open at 8:30 a.m. See you soon, and stay tuned for newsletters every other week from now until the Festival with updates.

With Warm Regards,

Barbara Grossman

Call for Festival volunteers

In previous years, many of you have asked to volunteer the weekend of the Festival. We have volunteer opportunities for those who would be interested in:

Setting up on Thursday, March 14, from 1 to 9 p.m.
Teaching others to knit and/or crochet on Saturday and Sunday noon to 1 p.m.
Assisting with the woven prayer flags, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Trunk show assistance, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Yarn angels (watching a booth while a vendor takes a break, fetching meals for a vendor, etc.), Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Please let us know if you are available to assist in any way. Volunteers are given free admission all three days, plus a gift or a discount toward a class of their choice. When responding, please include your phone number and email address, what day and what time of day would best suit your schedule.

Other than the Teach Me 2 Knit or Crochet classes, all other volunteer shifts are for two hours.

Lion Brand Yarn joins as a Festival sponsor

Lion Brand Yarn is a new sponsor this year. They will have some fun gifts for us, and we look forward to a sneak preview of their garments at the Revolving Trunk Show. They will also be supplying us with yarn for the Knit the Bridge project.

Follow the Festival Pinterest page

We want to be where our attendees are, and it seems these days more and more of them are on Pinterest.com. So follow us on our Pinterest profile, where you can find boards devoted to our sponsors, teachers, events and more. We’ll keep it updated in the coming months so you can find even more to love, comment on and repin!

Dec. 19 Sweepstakes winner

We had an overwhelming response to Randy’s review of Boyfriend Sweaters by Bruce Weinstein. But there was only one copy to give away, and that we did to Beth Pomerantz, Pittsburgh, PA. Congratulations, Beth… and Randy, who received many, many compliments on his insights and critique!

Book review… and TWO chances to win

Knitted Farm Animals, 15 Irresistible Easy-to-Knit Friends, by Sarah Keen, is a sweet look at all of the animals in the barnyard. Knitters of all skill levels will fall in love with this roundup of furry and feathered critters, including a pig, sheep (of course!), cat, llama and mama duck, with ducklings. Each animal is beautifully photographed in the book’s colorful gallery section.

The knitted patterns, sprinkled with fun farm facts and jokes, are easy to follow, with photos showing each toy from a variety of angles. This is a perfect book for small, easy projects. I have several little critters, knitted and felted, that make it into the Easter basket every year.

I have TWO copies of this darling book to give away. To enter the sweepstakes, please send an email (one entry per person, please) to pghknitandcrochet@gmail.com by Jan. 21, 2013, with the subject line of “Knitted Farm Animals.” Please include your name and a phone number where you can be reached.

Thank you, Pat Catan’s

Pat Catan’s Craft Centers has graciously sent FOUR huge boxes of yarn for the Festival, to be used for all of our charity projects onsite all weekend, including Knit the Bridge!