A Fall Filled with Fiber Fun…
Mimi’s Needle Basket carries lots of great things, such as ChaiGoo interchangeable needle sets, Wool Tree Mill lucets — and Fix-A-Stitch, of course!
They recently shared with us Mimi’s fall fiber fest schedule:
- October 4-5 Yarnosphere – Expo Arts Center at Bixby Knolls, 4321 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, CA
- October 11-12 Vista Fiber Fiesta – The Fiesta will take place at the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, 2040 North Santa Fe Ave., Vista, CA. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
- October 25 Ventura Harvest Festival – Where: Studio Channel Islands Art Center, 2222 Ventura Blvd., Old Town Camarillo When: Saturday, October 25, 2014 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The festival will be on the grass, adjacent to Studio Channel Islands Art Center, and close to the very popular Camarillo Farmer’s Market. There will be hand-made items, equipment and materials for sale, along with demonstrations of spinning, weaving and other fiber crafts.
- November 2 Torrance Fiber Fest – Torrance Cultural Arts Center Adjacent to 3341 Torrance Blvd., Torrance CA. The entrance is from Madrona Avenue. Free Parking, Admission $10 (cash only) includes 10 door prize tickets* Show Schedule: 11:30 – Lunch service begins 12:00 – First Door Prize Drawing* 2:00 – Fashion Show 3:00 – Last Door Prize Drawing* followed by the Silent Auction
If you’re in the area, we do encourage you to stop by and say hello! And if you’re not in this neck of the woods, what fiber festivals are you looking forward to this year? Let us know, and we’ll spread the word!
The knitted-in marker
I was teaching my friend to knit recently when I noticed that she’d fallen victim to something that happens to us all now and again: the knitted in marker.
Notice how the black ring is THROUGH her knitting, not just on either side? Because this is her very first knitting project, we decided to leave in in place for now. If she restarts the scarf, it will fall out. If she finishes it … well, we’ll either decorate it with beads or take the scissors to it.
In any event, she’s off to a good career in knitting, learning early that “things happen”! Has it happened to you yet? Share in the comments below!
Knitting in Cuba … NOT
Recently I was fortunate to make a US-approved People to People trip to Cuba. We were in two large cities, and of course I was interested in finding out whether anyone there knits.
The short answer is NO. There is some crochet, but mostly I saw beautiful hand embroidery:
I believe that yarn is inaccessible to the people there, and since it is quite warm, there is not much desire for knitted items in other than lightweight cottons.
Based on the tools that I saw in the fields — primitive by our standards — if knitting were in practice, one assumes it would be accomplished on hand-carved needles. I’m curious to find out, however, if other knitters know differently. If so, please share with us!