How to Get the Most Baa for Your Buck at Your First Fiber Festival

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It’s that time of year when it seems like there is a different fiber festival every weekend. Lately, my Instagram feed has been full of pictures of booths bursting with fabulous fibers, yarns, tools, and other fiber-related vendors. From a small local fiber fest, to the famous New York Sheep and Wool Festival, there is no end to crafting events to choose from!

But if you’ve never been to a fiber festival, you may be overwhelmed by them all and not know where to start. How do I find a fiber festival? What should I bring? How much does it cost? What do you do at a fiber festival?

Never fear! If you are looking to go to a fiber festival for the first time, let me walk you through what you need to know so you can have a great time!

What is a Fiber Festival?

Fiber festivals are events that are all about fiber arts. They can include vendors, demonstrators, and educators focused on all things wooly. They are usually an annual event, and each one is a little different, depending on the local artisans who come.

Vendors usually include local yarn and fiber dyers, local wool producers, and other artisans who make fiber related products, like pottery, jewelry, or weaving and spinning supplies.

Many festivals have demonstrations of different techniques, like the timeless art of spinning or the witchcraft that is wool dying. There might also be specific classes you can sign up for that will give you hands-on experience.

Depending on the venue, you may also come across a variety of fiber animals. There might be sheep, llamas, alpacas, goats or rabbits to say hello to. For me, the highlight of these events is always the animal displays.

Beyond the shopping, education, and entertainment, fiber festivals are a fantastic way to connect with other local fiber enthusiasts and artisans. You might be surprised by the people already in your community!

How Do I Find Fiber Festivals?

If you are looking for a fiber arts festival that is local to you, your best bet is to search online for fiber festivals in your area. You might also hear about fiber festivals through your local yarn shop, or people you follow on social media.

Fairgrounds and agricultural centers often host a fiber event at some point during the year. If you have one of those in your area, be sure to keep an eye on their event calendar!

Planning Ahead

Before you head out to your first fiber festival, you’ll want to make a little bit of a plan. Fiber events can come in different sizes with different types of vendors and events. Knowing what to expect beforehand can make your experience so much better.

The first thing you’ll need to know where and when the event is. Once you have those key details, you can plan the rest! Most fiber events will have a website, and this is usually the best place to get all the details to know what to expect.

Travel

The first thing you’ll want to consider is how are you getting there? Is it a local even that you can drive to for the day? Or is it further away, and you need to book a flight and hotel?

If you are staying local, you’ll most likely be driving, which means parking will be a concern. Events at fairgrounds and expo centers usually have plenty of parking, but there might be a charge. But remember, fiber festivals are more fun with a group! Finding a few fiber friends to drive with you can help offset the cost of gas and parking.

For bigger events that aren’t nearby, planning ahead is key! The earlier you can book flights and hotel, the better options and prices you will find. If you are staying the night, make sure you have a way to get from your lodgings to the event.

This may seem like obvious information, but not being able to get easily to and from your festival can make or break your experience. The venue selected will play a big role on how accessible an event will be.

Note: If you are investing a lot of time and money into travel and lodging for a fiber festival, take the time to research the event. Read about people’s experiences the year before, look up the venue and see if it will be big enough, if there is parking, or enough bathrooms. Not all fiber festivals are created equal, and you don’t want to pay for a bad experience.

Shopping List

One of the biggest draws for going to a fiber festival is the variety of vendors with unique items you might not see anywhere else. It can also be one of the most overwhelming aspects of going! At fiber shows, you can find raw fleeces, fiber equipment, drop spindles, spinning wheels, and fiber from sheep, alpacas, angora rabbits, and so much more.

I like to plan out what I’m looking for before going to an event, and bring a shopping list with me, so I don’t forget.

If you are looking for yarn, have a project or two in mind so you know what yarn weight, how much yardage, and what colors to look for. There is so much beautiful yarn in booth after booth, it is easy to take home too much yarn, or nothing at all, if you can’t make up your mind.

For spinners, there is usually a huge selection of fibers of all kinds. Are you looking for natural fibers? Something you’ve never tried to spin before? Beautifully hand dyed braids, or do you want undyed fiber to dye yourself? Are you looking for new spinning wheels? Make a list of things you want so you can narrow down your choices on the day.

There is also an array of tools for all different fiber crafts that you can purchase at a fiber festival. These include supplies for knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, cross stitch, needle felting, and more! If there is a particular tool you are looking for, you can probably find it at a fiber festival!

If you manage to convince a friend to come with you who hasn’t found their craft yet, there are lots of beginner kits available that are an easy entry point to different crafts. Or, you can find unique home good and skin care items!

Event websites usually have a list of vendors. Looking this list over before you go will give you a good idea of what will be available at your fiber festival.

Classes and Demonstrations

Before heading out to a fiber festival, be sure to check out the schedule of events and see if anything sounds like fun!

Demonstrations are usually shorter, and anyone can stop by and see. This could be something like wool waulking, sheep shearing, or drop spindle spinning. They are a fun way to see a skill you might not be familiar with in action, and ask some questions.

Classes are more of a commitment. They can take a few hours, and you will usually need to register ahead of time and pay a fee for the instructor’s time and supplies. These will have a narrow focus, so you can really dig into a specific skill. If you are looking to learn a new skill, these are a great option! You can try out something new and learn basic skills, or dig deep into something you’ve been learning for years.

What to Bring

There are a few things I bring to every fiber festival:

• Water bottle: Be sure to stay hydrated!
• Comfy shoes: You’ll be walking around a lot.
• Cash: Most vendors accept cards, but just in case, it’s always a good idea to carry cash.
• Snacks: There are usually a few food trucks and drink vendor options, but if the lines are long, you have dietary restrictions, or just don’t want to have to stop to find food, it’s nice to have something ready to go.
• Empty bags: To fill up with all the things you purchase from vendors.
• A small knitting project or drop spindle: You never know when you’ll find a spare moment and need to keep your hands busy!

Fiber Fusion Northwest

For me, the fiber festival I attend (almost) every year is Fiber Fusion Northwest. I’ve been looking forward to it for months!

This year, it fell on the first weekend in June. I always host a Crafternoon get together the first Saturday of the month, so I turned the June Crafternoon into a field trip! Six of us met up and drove up to the event, which is about an hour away from where I live.

Fiber Fusion NW is held at a fairground, so there is always plenty of parking, and parking and entry are free. They have an impressive vendor selection, and I was able to find nearly everything on my shopping list.

The main thing I was looking for was different types of spinning fibers to try something new. I came home with fiber from different breeds of sheep, some flax, and even some yak! I can’t wait to try these fibers out.

In addition to fiber, I picked up a few tools that I have been wanting. I found a set of tablet weaving cards, moth decorated WPI (that’s wraps per inch) measuring tool, and a handmade lucet.

Chatting with the different vendors is a big part of the experience. They can tell you so much about their products. You can learn where things came from and how they were made. I love getting wool and knowing the name of the sheep, or meeting the fiber artisans who dyed my yarn.

Of course, we found time to visit all of the animals that came to the fiber festival. There were some particularly friendly Icelandic sheep we got to say hello to.

Vendors to Check Out

If you are interested in any of the things I purchased, here is a list of the vendors I found at Fiber Fusion NW:

• Naturally dyed pink wool – The Wooly Witch of The West
• Handmade lucet – Horse ‘n’ Round Studio
• BFL and Sticken Lonk wool and tablet weaving cards – Northwest Yarns & Mercantile
• WPI keychain – Sunrise Grove
• Green wool – Promised Land Fibers
• Flax and yak fiber – Siren of the Skeins (no website, but keep an eye out for this vendor at your fiber festival)

Have Fun at Your First Fiber Festival

I hope you will check out your local fiber festival this year! It’s a fun thing to do on the weekend, with or without friends, and a great way to support local artists. And don’t forget to pet a sheep (or alpaca)!

If you want to see more wooly content, click here.

What is your favorite fiber animal? Let me know in the comments below!