2014 Show Cancelled

It's with heavy heart that I announce the cancellation of the 2014 South Spokane Fiber Fest.  I have enjoyed hosting the event for the last 4 years, but personal circumstances have made it so I am unable to continue with the event.  Thank you to all those who attended previous SSFF events and all those who vended their fiber products and supported my endeavor.

New Online Event Site in the Works

One of the changing for the 2014 South Spokane Fiber Fest will be this blogspot.  I've outgrown the current blogspot for SSFF and have made the decision to move over to a website format instead of a blog format.  As of October 2013 this blogspot will be switched over to www.southspokanefiberfest.com .  Much of the features will stay the same, however with a website format I'll be able to accomodate online payments for classes and for vendor booths.

2013 in Review

Well the 2013 South Spokane Fiber Fest is in the books.  I would like to thank everyone who attended for making the event a blast to be at.  And thank you to the vendors, the teachers and the helpers who make this event possible.

Another big thank you to the Palouse Food Bank (and everyone who donated canned goods, the food bank was very appreciative of the contributions that our attendees provided) and to the town of Fairfield.  If you're looking for a venue for a wedding, family reunion, or other events, the town of Fairfield is a dream to work with.

I hope everyone who attended had a great time, made new friends, connected with familiar faces, and enjoyed a day to celebrate the fiber arts.  Plans are already being made for 2014.  Starting with the event date....

Mark your calendars, the 2014 South Spokane Fiber Fest will be held on April 12th.  Hope to see you there!

(As always, be sure to check back here for event details.)

It's here! It's here!

This Saturday is South Spokane Fiber Fest!  Here are the event details in a handy front page location:

Address:  304 N Main, Fairfield WA 99212 (turn on Main Street, top of the hill, can't miss it)

Hours: 10:00 am doors open to 3:00 pm

Admission:  Free

Raffle:  Free ticket and an extra ticket if you bring a can of food to donate to the food bank

Classes & Demos:  Across the street at the Library, there are some spaces open inquire at raffle table.

Vendors:  Amazing and ready to tempt you with yarn and fiber on both levels of the Community Center.

Lunch:  Available on site for purchase or bring your own.

My excitement is best summed up by Kermit the Frog:





How You Can Help End Rural Hunger

Driving to South Spokane Fiber Fest you'll notice rolling hills of wheat, barley, lentils and peas.  Palouse farmers are hardworking stewards of our land; their day often begins at sunrise and finishes long after the sun has gone down.   It's through their efforts and the efforts of farmers all over the world that we are able feed our family healthy wholesome meals. 

However, hunger is a reality for many folks who live in rural America.  Lack of work opportunities, lack of child care options, limited communication and transportation networks, and uncertainty in agricultural and agricultural based employment all add up to an estimated 15.4% of rural households facing the scary reality of food insecurity.

I am very proud to partner with the Palouse Food Bank during the South Spokane Fiber Fest. The Palouse Food Bank is a community ran organization that provides those in need with food donations.  Once again, the Palouse Food Bank will be serving lunch at a reasonable price on site for attendees at South Spokane Fiber Fest.  They will also be accepting monetary donations to those who wish to give.

I'm asking 2013 attendees to be an active part of the solution to end rural hunger.  For every attendee who brings a canned or boxed food donation, you'll receive an extra raffle ticket for the lovely prize drawings.  For three years now, the town of Fairfield has been very gracious hosts as hordes of fiber enthusiasts overtake the Community Center and Library.  I would love to say "thank you for your support" with full food donation boxes.  

(More info on rural hunger can be found at Feeding America )

Yarn: A love story.

The 39 day wait until South Spokane Fiber Fest is killing me.  To pass the time, I decided to try my hand at writing a short story.  Here goes:

The setting: The Community Center in a farming town south of Spokane, April 20^th.

Main Character:  Purl Kitchener, a happy go lucky knitter undecided about her next project.

Purl had enjoyed the drive to Fairfield and was excited about her first Fiber Fest.  Entering the Community Center, Purl looked around and saw a friendly spinner with an open seat next to her.  Purl politely asked to sit next to the spinner and quickly struck up a conversation as she pulled out her latest knitting project.  The spinner introduced herself as Kate VonPly, but she went by Lazy Kate.  Lazy Kate was spinning some delicious alpaca fiber she bought earlier from a vendor just a few feet away.    

As Purl and Lazy Kate were chatting Purl felt something staring at her.  She quickly turned around but couldn’t tell what it was.  A few minutes later she felt it again.  Whipping around she saw it.  There it was brazenly staring at her as it hung next to a really cute project bag.  It was the perfect color of yarn.  Purl adverted her eyes; she didn’t want to give the skein the wrong impression.  She didn’t want the yarn to see the want and need in her eyes. 

Finally the yarn whispered to her in a faint Spanish accent, “Purl, I am the yarn your heart desires.  Do not deny us this love.  My darling, come closer and pet my soft merino plies.”

“No, I….I…can’t.  I don’t have a project in mind for you.”  Purl couldn’t help herself, she was slowly moving towards the yarn as if she were a positively charged ion.

The yarn chuckled softly, “Oh my love, when has that ever stopped you?  Take me home and we will make a beautiful project together!”

Unable to resist the sweet siren song of the yarn, Purl picked the skein up and fell completely head over heels in love.  She bought the cute project bag next to it too.

The End.

I hope you take three things away from this little story:

1. Come to South Spokane Fiber Fest, you may just meet a new friend and fall in love
2. South Spokane Fiber Fest has a great selection of not only fiber, but also yarn.  Yarn from indie dyers and brands you may not see at your local yarn store.  Yarn dyed and sold by folks who are passionate about the fiber arts.
3.  I read too many romance novels.

Used Equipment Sale & Swap

Despite the snow falling on the ground this morning, the sun is out and the world looks bright and beautiful.  What a great day to think about spring cleaning.  Whoa, whoa, whoa...don't shoot me, hear me out for a minute. 

Instead of spending the day on your hands and knees scrubbing, how about spending some time in the craft room cleaning out all the used fiber arts equipment you've been meaning to sell or swap?  The dusting and scrubbing can wait a few months (or another year).

If you've got used fiber arts equipment you're looking to sell or possibly swap, bring it to the South Spokane Fiber Fest Used Equipment Sale & Swap.  An area and item tags will be available for those looking to sell, buy or swap their used fiber arts equipment. Those with items too big to transport are more than welcome to post their For Sale flyer in the Sale & Swap area.

(It is asked that items in the Used Equipment Sale & Swap be limited to fiber arts equipment only.  Please no yarn, fiber or fleece destashes.)