So I think we’ve had enough of the seriousness around here lately, so let’s get back to some fun stuff. One of my favorite knitting blogs, Nothing but Knit had a fun Q&A on her blog a few days ago. She asks questions about attending fiber festivals. And since I’ve attended a few I thought I would join in. Here are the questions and my answers. Feel free to join in. Leave a link in the comments to your blog post, or answer in the comments section below. Feel free to join Karen over on her post as well.
Q: Have you attended a fiber festival? What did you think? Were you overwhelmed or in your element? If you’ve never been do you want to attend a fiber festival?
A: I have attended Rhinebeck (NYS Sheep and Wool) several times, although I didn’t attend this year or last year. I also attended the Catskills Fiber Fest recently. My first experience with Rhinebeck was overwhelming. I, thankfully, went with a friend who was experienced in all things Rhinebeck, but I didn’t have a spending plan. That can be overwhelming, and dangerous! But as my experience grew, I now know to go with a plan.
The Catskills Fiber Fest was much smaller, and therefore much more manageable. This year was the first year for the festival. It is much closer to where I live so I really liked that. There were some great vendors there and I bought some yummy yarn. I was able to see the yarn and talk to the shop owners.
Q: What is your favorite part of a festival? Do you enjoy the items available for purchase, the animals or are you all about hanging with other crafters?
A: I really like seeing the animals. I like touching the yarn. And I really love the food (at Rhinebeck. I didn’t eat at the Catskills one). I really, really like watching the field trials at Rhinebeck. Watching the dogs work is really fascinating.
Q: If you’ve attended more than one festival (you lucky crafter) which is your favorite and why? If you haven’t attended one, which one would you most like to attend?
A: Honestly, I really liked the Catskills Fiber Fest the best. I mean, Rhinebeck is Rhinebeck, but it is so unmanageable. The Catskills festival was just big enough to spend some time at, plus it had a wide range of vendors. I think the only thing it was really missing, besides more animals, was food vendors. But being so close to some fun restaurants, that wasn’t a huge issue. I hope they continue having this event.
Q: I’ve been seeing lots of ads for crafty travel. Basically it’s a trip centered around a craft like knitting. You travel to a place and become a craft-centered tourist. There are also cruises where instructors teach classes on the ship. Have you seen these ads? Do you think you’d like to travel in a craft centered way? Would you like to visit wool mills in Ireland, Scotland or New Zealand? Would you want to take a cruise with your favorite designer?
A: I haven’t seen a lot of ads for these types of events and I’m not sure that I would actually participate in one. I almost attended the New England Fiber Art Summit this past summer. It looked like a lot of fun. I could see me attending something like that but not traveling to Ireland, Scotland, or New Zealand for fiber exclusively.
I’ve also followed along with Lori on her instagram. She takes fiber travel to a whole new level! Her adventures certainly make me want to do some fiber related travel, but I know me. I probably wouldn’t do that exclusively.
That was fun! Thanks Karen for asking these questions. The pic above was taken at the Catskills Fiber Fest this past summer.