Hi everyone,
What a great site you have here! I have done a little weaving - I have a Glimakra 60" floor loom which I made some nice blankets on - but have not indulged lately due to lack of time. My husband and I have a flock of sheep (registered Cotswolds and crossbreds of several breed types) which keep us plenty busy. I just had a nice batch of Cotswold yarn milled, including a worsted singles which ought to be great to weave with, and am eager to show it off at .........
the upcoming 17th annual Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival in lovely Hemlock, NY. Some of you may know of it, but every year we still get new attendees who say, "I had no idea this festival existed!" Hmmm....clearly we need to keep getting the word out! Basically, we are a fun and educational 2-day fiber arts festival sponsored by the Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild ( http://www.gvhg.org/index.html ) . You can see the full scope of the festival here: http://www.gvhg.org/fest.html . A wide range of
exciting fiber arts workshops is scheduled, so plan to register early. The fleece show and sale expands every year and includes all grades and colors of wool. Demonstrations, competitions, exhibits, fiber
animals and 80+ high quality vendors of equipment, books,patterns, dyes, yarn,
raw and processed fiber for every purpose, and beautiful finished goods are sure to satisfy every fiber artist's needs! Great food, sheep dog herding, sheep
shearing, free horse and wagon rides, ample parking. Handicap accessible.
Here is a press release highlighting this year's special events:
ANNUAL FINGER LAKES FIBER ARTS
FESTIVAL IN HEMLOCK, SEPTEMBER 17 & 18
“FIBER: IT’S NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST
ANY MORE!!”
When it comes to fiber it’s important to “think outside the
box”—outside the cereal box, that is! Say the “f-word” to hundreds of local artisans,
and what comes to mind is not wheat bran but wool, not apples but alpaca, not
flaxseed meal but the bast from the stem of the flax plant that is spun and
woven into linen.
Speak of “fiber” to area knitters and weavers, and their
eyes sparkle in anticipation of the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival slated for
September 17 and 18 at the Hemlock Fairgrounds in Livingston County. Sponsored
annually since 1994 by the Genesee Valley Handspinners Guild, the festival is
the largest of its kind west of the Hudson Valley in New York State, drawing
almost 3,000 visitors each year. Featured at the fest are exhibits, workshops
and demonstrations of a wide variety of fiber arts including knitting,
crocheting, weaving, handspinning, felting, lacemaking, rug hooking, and
basket-weaving, as well as almost 100 vendors selling supplies and equipment to
support all these crafts and more!
Delightful options abound, too, for those who are not
looking for their “daily dose” of alpaca, llama, mohair, rabbit, muskox, flax,
cotton, bamboo, or shiny manmade fibers! Free demonstrations of the skills of
sheep-herding dogs will astound, and free horse-drawn wagon rides permit the
footsore to ride from one display area to another. Families young and old will
enjoy free demonstrations of the history and craft of fiber production that
take place throughout the festival. In addition, one-of-a-kind finished goods
hand-crafted by local artisans are available to thrill the shop-a-holic and
suit every budget—to be given as gifts or treasured as mementos of a lovely
fall weekend in the Fingerlakes.
Those who are already addicted to playing with fluff—from
beginner to expert—will find every possible type of equipment available at the
festival to boost their skills, from spinning wheels to sweater blockers,
buttons, looms, and dyestuffs. Fiber can be purchased freshly shorn—some sheep
will even be shorn at the fest!—or washed, combed and dyed in a rainbow of
colors; or spun into a multitude of yarns, and even worked into unique handmade
works of wearable art.
In-depth workshops are offered at the festival for knitters,
weavers, spinners, dyers, and felters of all levels. The 2011 festival will
feature a rare opportunity to learn the craft of processing flax fiber into
linen from visiting authors Christian and Johannes Zinzendorf. Also this year,
visitors can watch a team of guest spinners from Toronto race to turn a
freshly-shorn sheep’s fleece into a finished shawl made of handspun, handwoven
yarn in just a few hours!
Hundreds of local craftspeople will have handcrafted items
on display as they vie for awards in knitting, spinning, weaving, felting and
other competitions. Dozens of local shepherds will bring their finest wool
fleeces for judging and sale; some also offer their locally-raised lambs’ meat
for sale. Fairground favorites like kettle corn and funnel cakes will be
available to satisfy hungry tummies--along with lamb burgers, fried artichokes,
and hot and cold beverages.
Admission to the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival is $5 per
day; children 12 and under are admitted free. Parking is also free; however, NO
PETS are permitted anywhere on the fairgrounds. For further information on the
festival, visit www.GVHG.org/fest.html.
I'd be glad to meet any Weavolution-ists who come by my booth, and I'll look forward to lurking on this site and planning for when I can make time to use my loom more.
Robin Nistock
Nistock Farms
Thanks for sharing! I am regularly surpised at new festivals I hear about on Weavolution! Unfortunately I'm on the other side of the pond, but I'm sure many Weavolution members will be there. Hopefully we might even have someone willing to coordinate a Weavolution meet up for those going, who would like to meet face to face!
To everyone attending, have some fiber fun for me!
Erica
