This was the 10th year for DFW Fiber Fest. It has grown from a very small event to a large yet still personal event. It is organized by a board of volunteers, and I don't think I can even imagine how hard they work to put everything together.
Two years ago, I went to DFWFF as a shopper. I didn't take any classes; I just met a friend on Saturday and shopped in the vendor hall. Last year I decided to take some classes and was a full weekend student (with a little shopping time thrown in). This year I was a vendor (sharing a booth with my friend Taya from Handspun Homestead).
The beginning part of the week was taken up by preparations for the event--making sure I had packed everything I would need and get everything situated at home (especially with the toddler) so things would run smoothly while I was gone (even though the convention center is not a long drive away from home, I decided to stay at the conference hotel this year, so I was immersed in the event). I did a little bit of knitting, and tried some techniques to produce some variegated yarn, but that's about it on the creative front.
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| New colorways: Olwen (x2) and Camlann |
Thursday was set-up day. Thanks to the help of the wonderful Ted (from my knitting group), Taya and I were able to get the booth set up fairly quickly. We used Ikea shelves so there was some assembly required but it wasn't too bad. After arranging everything (and rearranging), there was just enough time for me to eat a quick dinner (thanks again to Ted for making a food run for us!) and check in at the hotel before the kick-off event: a talk from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (aka the Yarn Harlot). She had given the talk at the previous year's event so I was really looking forward to this year's talk and was super happy to have made it in time.
As I was heading up to my room in the hotel to drop off my suitcase, who should walk out of the elevator but Jacey Boggs and her husband. Meeting Jacey in person had been one of my main goals for the event since I've been copy editing for her amazing spinning magazine, PLY. I still had my hamburger in hand (so I was tired and hungry) and my suitcase, so I smiled at her but didn't stop to introduce myself at that moment. I hoped that I'd be able to run into her again. I ran up to my room, ate my hamburger (which tasted so good since I was so hungry), and grabbed some knitting to take with me to the talk. When I got there, the doors were already open, so I went in and had a seat toward the back of the middle. I realized that I didn't know who from my knitting group was going to the talk, so I was looking around to see if anyone I knew was there, and on the opposite side of the aisle a row back from me, I again saw Jacey and her husband. Feeling this was a much better moment, I got up and went over and introduced myself, asking if I could sit next to them. Both Jacey and Levi are really great people and were welcoming and friendly. And Stephanie's talk--for all her nervousness about it since it was a brand new talk--was truly fantastic. It was a great kick-off to the fiber fest.
I went back to my room after that because I was really tired and went to bed not too long after. I'm not sure if I was nervous or if it was just sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, but I was wide awake at 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Not a great start to what would be a long day. But after some coffee and breakfast, I was ready to get back to the vendor hall and do some last-minute prep before the vendor hall opened.
Because this was my first time at DFWFF and was the debut of Round Table Yarns (so I didn't have any name recognition), I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised within the first hour to have two knitters come over and ask about the Don't Blink Hat and Scarf kit (I had posted a preview on Ravelry), so I sold two of the four I had brought (another sold a little later in the day and the last on Sunday). That was exciting. So many people who came by over the course of the weekend stopped to admire the Blanchefleur Shawl sample that was sitting in the front of the booth. And people bought my patterns and yarn. Such a relief. There was a group who was especially excited about the yarn--the names were a big attraction--and came back multiple times. Seeing their enthusiasm and excitement is exactly what I've been hoping for (thank you gals so much for your enthusiasm!! It helped me feel a lot less nervous about the yarn launch). I want people to be excited by the yarn and patterns and want to use them. I'm looking forward to checking Ravelry over the next few months to see projects going up.
I also got to learn a lot more about SpinOlution wheels (my booth partner is a dealer), and it was a lot of fun to see people, both experienced spinners and brand new spinners, trying out the wheels. I had a lot of great conversations and met so many wonderful people throughout the weekend. I've been trying to decide which route to go for my business--should I pursue more wholesale types of options or more direct sales (which means me going to festivals) options and I realized that connecting with other knitters on a more personal basis is really what is important for me. I like seeing who buys my yarn and meeting them in person. I'm imagining a day when someone comes back by my booth to show off what they made from yarn they had bought the year before (as I saw happen with other vendors). So I'm going to see what I can do to pursue the fiber fest route (and perhaps some trunk shows) so I can get to more events and meet more knitters. (I'll still have my yarn and patterns available online as well.)
Even though I was in my booth most of the weekend, I took some time before the hall opened each day to walk around to the other booths and check out what was available. So many pretties! I decided that this year was the year of self-striping sock yarn for me, so that's what I focused on overall. I had been told that Sunday morning was fairly slow in the vendor hall so that was the time to do our own shopping. Since I had made a list of everything I wanted from my pre-show walks, I was able to zip around to each booth and get the items on my list fairly quickly. Here's my new stash:
I got some E-tomic Balm from Goodies Unlimited (which should help with some of the shoulder pain I've been having). For the sock yarn, I got yarn from Gynx Yarns, Wooly Wonka (whose dyer, Anne, and I had a lovely conversation about her venture with Elizabeth--the graphic designer who designed my Round Table Yarns logo--which is called Stitch Definition. In particular we discussed photography for some of my patterns), Brazen Stitchery, Must Stash, Tumbleweed Yarn, and Fishknits. The fiber came from Four Hens Fibers, October House, and Dawning Dreams. And I got some Signature DPNs in my most-used sock knitting size since I'm apparently going to be working on a lot of socks in the near future!
It was a tiring weekend and it felt good to be home, but it was such a great fiber fest. Thank you to the organizers and volunteers who worked hard to make it run so smoothly. Thank you to all the other vendors who made their wares so enticing. And thank you especially to those of you who stopped by my booth; I hope to chat with you again next year.
Finally, I'll be posting a shop update in my Etsy shop which will go live on Thursday, March 26 at 7 pm (CST). I'll have most of the following in the update:
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