The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) is surveying the textile community. The 10-minute survey asks about your experiences with the fiberarts you enjoy: weaving, spinning, crocheting, cross-stitch, embroidery, and knitting. Let us know which types of projects you prefer, how you like to learn, and what you’d like to see yarn shops do better. The fiberarts community needs your advice and opinions, whether you are a beginner or an expert! This survey is conducted every few years by TNNA. Your input is very important and will be included in a published national report. Your answers are anonymous. No one will use your survey responses to market to you. Weavolution will be using the results to help improve the community.

In return for your participation, you will receive valuable benefits:

  • Gain a chance to win one of five $100 fiberarts gift certificates. 
  • Ensure stores, manufacturers, and other suppliers provide what you want.
  •  Explore your fiberart interests. 

Your valuable input will also help the fiberarts community:

  • Give guilds, associations, community groups, and others guidance to grow the world of fiberarts. 
  • Help independent retailers and family-owned suppliers succeed by giving them the customer feedback they need. 

The survey is sponsored by TNNA, an organization of businesses dedicated to supporting the fiberarts community. Hart Business Research is conducting this survey for TNNA and compiling the results into a major national report, The State of Specialty Needlearts 2013. Please take the survey and help the fiber community.

Thanks for your support,

Erica & Oliver

Comments

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 15:34

sally orgren

As weavers, this is a *great* opportunity to let vendors hear our tiny squeaks among the overwhelming cacophony of knitters who inadvertently are dictating the yarns made available to us.

Do take a moment to fill it out! Some of the questions made me think, like wow, do I really spend that much for supplies and equipment each year!?!

Also, as weavers, I am not certain we think about "local" yarn shops like knitters. I tend to think of "independently owned" (vs chains) and B&M with a website (bricks and mortar), vs online (only).

I'd love to hear what others think after filling this survey out!

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 16:03

endorph

survey a few days ago and I had some of the same thoughts as you Sally - especially on how much I spend! As a knitter, as well as a weaver I am becoming more aware of the abundance of yarns made for knitting or crochet, as opposed to those for weaving. I am lucky enough to have a LYS near me that carries weaving yarns - because they do production weaving - but find myself having to go online for weaving yarns I can't find locally. I am also lucky because this same shop carries better quality knitting yarns than say Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joanne's.
Thu, 04/04/2013 - 16:52

SallyE (not verified)

What I noticed, is that on several questions they mentioned Ravelry specifically, but not Weavolution.   I personally don't like Ravelry - I can never find what I want there, and there don't seem to be many conversations going on.  I think it's trying to be to much for too many different fiber arts.

I sometimes use the Yahoo sites, but they seem to post comments as they come in, and not really in threads.   So overall, I like Weavolution best!

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 18:57

sally orgren

At the end of the survey, you could access the TNNA's past survey results, the last one completed in 2010. (Only the summary, not the nitty gritty drill down data.) I printed it out.

It was interesting they specifically asked weaving questions this time around, and in the 2010 report, they noted on page 4 that "Fewer yarn stores are carrying needlepoint and cross-stitch but more are carrying spinning and weaving." Maybe that is why?

Sally

Thu, 04/04/2013 - 23:48

laurafry

I haven't done the survey - yet (too busy getting ready to leave tomorrow) - but one reason for shops to carry knitting and crocheting rather than weaving yarn is the sheer numbers.  Ravelry recently announced that it now has 3 million people registered.  Weaving just doesn't have the population that knitting does, even though weavers on a per project basis, generally use way more yarn....  

Yarn Harlot has thousands of followers on her blog - a weaver might be lucky to have 250-ish.

We cannot ever forget that weaving is a very tiny community.  I'm grateful for the internet for the ability to connect with others who are as 'warped' as I am because we are few and spaced far apart.

cheers,

Laura

looking forward to connecting with a roomful of weavers in Langley BC this weekend.  :)

Fri, 04/05/2013 - 02:09

SallyE (not verified)

I had to laugh at LauraFrys comment:  "because we are few and spaced far apart."   So, would you say we have a wide sett??

Thu, 05/09/2013 - 04:06

Dragonsneedle (not verified)

I finally had time and the survey was closed. It is sometimes discouraging that I have to wait for my order from a website to come in. We only have 1 store in San Antonio that carries weaving and spinning supplies, that I know of (Yarnivore). But, Carries mostly knitting yarns though you can weave with some. Ravelry is fine but it was developed for knitters so... I found weavolution by accident as I found our locall weaving guild and was glad I did. Weavers are unfortunately few and far between, so as SallyE quipped "wide sett"