Get ready for the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl!

It's that time of year again! Clear your calendar and clear some space for a fresh yarn stash- the yarn crawl is here.

The 4th annual Steel Valley Yarn Crawl runs from July 28th through August 6th. It gives yarn lovers the opportunity to win fantastic prizes at 11 shops in the Pittsburgh area over 10 days.
The passports and bags are now available at Yarns By Design and at each of the participating shops. For $12 you will receive a fabulous bag and eleven raffle tickets. The bag is bigger and better this year, with plenty of room for your yarn crawl purchases and later for toting your projects or even to bring to the beach this summer.

Come and get your 2017 SVYC bag today!

If you'd like to plan ahead, here is a 2017 map of the participating shops. Check out the Steel Valley Yarn Crawl website for all of the details on the event.

In addition to exciting prizes, we will have a free knit and crochet pattern featuring Hedgehog Fibres. It's the perfect opportunity to give this beautiful brand a try if you haven't already. Stop in today to pick up your bag and passport!

Our Hedgehog Fibres are yarn crawl ready. 

Warmly,

Sarah at Yarns By Design

sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com

Sheep and Fiber Fest

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the 14th Annual Sheep and Fiber Fest in Waynesburg, PA. It is a wonderful (and free) two day event that highlights the sheep and fiber industry. The long list of activities included several sheep shearing demonstrations, they looked like completely different sheep after their haircut! The breed pavilion gave visitors the chance to see, touch and learn about the sheep. Other activities were dog shepherding demos, lamb cooking demos and sampling, hand spun skein exhibits, makers space, live music, and fiber arts vendor and crafts sale.

A good looking pair of Kerry Hill sheep.

What's a Fiber Fest without alpacas? 

For those of you with a competitive spirit there were events like the fleece to shawl competition and the fiber arts competition. The fleece to shawl competition consists of teams of fibers artists who spin and weave with the raw fleece material and finish with a completed shawl…all timed of course! The fiber arts competition allows youth and adults to enter their handmade knitted, crocheted, woven and felted items that are judged for the chance at awards and prizes. All items had to be at least 50% natural animal fibers and made within the past one year. I tried my hand at this competition and entered my crocheted "radish brooch", which won honorable mention. Yay!

Soft and squishy fleece and roving from Roving Acres Farm. 

My radish brooch gets honorable mention. 

Checking out the fiber arts vendor and crafts sale was especially fun. Vendors had beautiful hand spun yarns, handcrafted tabletop looms, handmade jewelry, and hand painted ceramic pieces to name a few. Talk about talented artisans and crafters! My favorite pick was Sweitzer's Fiber Mill from Seven Valleys, PA who had lovely displays of their own yarn (including yarn made from milk protein, corn and soybean). I treated myself to some pretty yarns hand dyed in shades of pink and purple by the owner's 7 year old daughter, Lilly. It even came with an autograph from Lilly herself.

Lilly's Ranbow Yarns from Sweitzer's FIber Mill

This fun fest inspired me to learn  more about sheep breeds and the process of how their fleece turns into beautiful yarn for me to use. Now, I'm searching for more local fiber arts festivals!

Sheep shearing demonstration. 

Do you have any fiber arts festival recommendations for me? What about your fiber arts competition stories and tips? I'd love to hear from you, comment below.


Warmly,

Sarah with Yarns By Design
sarah@yarnsbydesignpa.com