Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival

Norma was a vendor at SVFF a few years ago and her artwork has evolved since we last saw her in Berryville. If you're in the Potomac, MD area and want to hear her free presentation at the Potomac Fiber Arts Guild on January 13th, please see the information attached to this graphic!

Come hear artist Norma Brooks speak at our monthly Guild meeting. Free and open to the public.

Her presentation: "My Evolution – Birth of A Basket and All Its Offspring"

Using rope, fabric, and found objects, Norma Brooks creates baskets, bowls, trivets, coasters, rugs, wall art, and brooches.

January 13, 2024 10:30 AM (following Guild meeting)
St. James Episcopal Church, 11815 Seven Locks Rd, Potomac, MD 20854

See link in Bio for full details

Did you miss the live reading of CeCe Hops Again? There will be an event in Williamsburg tomorrow at 2 PM with https://www.wrl.org/event/animal-helpers-storytime/

We've received lots and lots of comments, messages, and emails if we're open Saturday...WE ARE!

Many vendors have been able to move under cover - check out the addition and renovations to the Show Barn!

Shows and exhibits are in barns!

We even have a book reading at 11 AM under the 20x40 Info tent!

The forecast has the storm mostly east of us... so we think everyone in the DC area should "evacuate" to Berryville, VA and bring your yarn money!

We're open Sunday, too!

Pre-buy admission tickets through the link in our bio.

Anyone who can identify the seller of the yarn in this photo and tells us the correct answer can win a prize at the Info Tent - see Bethany or Maggie.

We have a terrific variety of fleeces to look through tomorrow at our juried fleece sale! We’ll let you keep your sold fleeces here under our tables until you are ready to depart. Fleece sale starts at 10 am!

Our bio has the link. You can possibly get a seat in a class at the festival if you miss this deadline!

Route 340 in Harpers Ferry is closed! They are doing work to prevent future rock slides. There are several detour routes, but if you plan early, you might find a quicker route than the signs - like I-70 West to I-81 South if you're coming from northwest (Frederick or Baltimore, for example).

Did you know that you can buy your entry ticket in advance for SVFF? Tickets are valid for either Saturday or Sunday in case your plans change. You can even do it from the Eventeny app (found in your app store). We're also happy to charge your card or take your cash at the walk-in gate after you park. For more info, please see the link in our bio/about area.

Classes are coming for 2023 Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival!

These will go live for sales at 9 AM Eastern time, Sunday, August 13th.

https://www.eventeny.com/events/ticket/?id=3740

We have an AMAZING line-up of 43 offerings!

Any materials fees are included in class costs. If you take a class, you get in free to the festival the day of your class(es).

We have published the 2023 Class Proposal forms! Please make sure to advance through the last page to submit. Email [email protected] with any questions!

Google form for non-google/gmail users: https://forms.gle/HrW9FEyjpzWqmfhW6

Google form for google/gmail users: https://forms.gle/zFex7ZpohHJs6Fau5

[photo description: dusk over the fairgrounds from 2019]

We are very excited to share an article written by Lisa Check of Flying Goat Farm and The Chesapeake Fibershed in Ply Magazine: https://plymagazine.com/2023/04/452677/

Lisa can be found in the Arts & Crafts building. Representatives from The Chesapeake Fibershed will be in the Info Tent.

Fibershed and Terroir – PLY Magazine As the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller, the place we call home is our touchstone. Where we live holds pieces to the puzzle of our identity. Our values and attitudes can be molded by our place. Place determines the comfort food we eat and the way we dress. It even inspires our art and t...

So adorable

Thank you to all our vendors who donated to the Volunteer Raffle. Items and vendors are listed in SVFF Friends.

A small amount of lost and found items this year! Please message us if you spot something you dropped this weekend.

Congrats to our winners (last name spellings may be slightly incorrect):

Crochet Hooks: Heather Abdy
Knitting Needles: Gabriela Conrad-DiStasio
Loom: Victoria Farrn
Wheel: Vinny Williams (who is gifting the wheel to his mother)

Thank you to everyone who visited us this weekend, and we hope to see you next year September 23 & 24, 2023.

Thanks to Needles in the Haymarket and Beaver Creek Yarns at Misty Mountain Farm for providing the above items.

Huge thanks to all the vendors who contribute items to our volunteer-only raffle! If you'd like to volunteer, please check next year's event page or email [email protected]!

Photo: Vinny Williams with the Kromski wheel he won for his mother.

Gorgeous weather today at the festival. Hope you can come out tomorrow!

Rare Breed Spinning with Melissa Weaver Dunning, Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Working with washed fleece samples, we will explore the world of rare breed wool, including: how to choose a fleece for a particular project, skirting and grading fleece, sourcing rare wool, traditional and modern wool preparation, different spinning styles and sampling & swatching for a particular project. Students will work with Herdwick, Navajo-Churro, Romeldale/CVM, Shetland, Tunis, and other breeds as available.

Materials cost covers handouts and a rare-breed fleece sampler. Materials costs are included in registration. Students should be able to spin a continuous yarn. Students should bring hand spindles and/or a spinning wheel as well as hand cards or combs (if you have them). Teacher will have cards and combs for use during class.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Unfortunately, we have had a couple vendors come down with covid, and two of our instructors have had to cancel for medical emergencies for either themselves or family members. We are all very sorry to have last-minute changes, but they are a sign of the times we live in! If you were scheduled to take a class with Q or Dorothea, your class is canceled, and your fees have been refunded 100%. We've sent out emails to students, but wanted to communicate as fully as possible so people can plan accordingly!

There will be no sheepdog demos this year, but we have TWO goat shows this year and will have sheep, alpaca, and rabbits in the breed exhibit. The map online is always more up-to-date for vendor locations than our program that went to print at the beginning of September: https://www.eventeny.com/events/map/?id=1789&mid=2252

Thank you for understanding!

Kaleidoscope Knitting - Color and Knitting, What Could be More Fun? with Mary Gildersleeve, Sunday 1pm-4pm

Color - it is all around and now we have yarns that will allow us to easily incorporate colors into our knitting. But what if YOU want to pick your own colors - how do you know what works and what won't, how do you know how much yarn to purchase, what stitches work best with colorwork? Have you been itching to try stranded knitting? This class will build your confidence to create the perfect palette for YOU. You'll leave the class having learned the benefits of two-handed knitting, knitting in the round (even if making something flat), and with a fun hat pattern to test your new-found skills. Charts, color selection, and other tips/techniques will be gleaned in this lively and informative class.

Please bring: 4 to 5 (or more) colors (complementary, coordinating) of worsted weight yarn (only need 10 yards or so of each color) – preferably a wool or wool-blend; 16-inch circular or double-pointed needles in size US 7 or 8; notetaking supplies.

Skills: Able to knit in the round, willingness to learn to hold one color in each hand.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Double Knitting, with Peggy Doerwaldt, Sunday 1pm-4pm

Double knitting is a fun technique; you actually knit 2 identical sides simultaneously creating a mirror image to enjoy.

In this class you’ll learn how to:
-Read a chart
-Double knit a beginning pattern

Class includes complete step-by-step instructions on how to achieve this technique.

Bring your knitting needles sizes 5 - 10.5. Bring 2 yarns of the same weight any color, any weight (although sport and DK work better with the patterns provided) and be sure the yarns are two different colors, 1 light and 1 dark.

Know: how to knit and purl, read a pattern, work two colors at same time

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

SE2SE Meet and Greet and Show and Tell...Many of us have gone head over heels for the Livestock Conservancy's Shave 'Em to Save 'Em Program. Whether you're just starting out, or have every stamp in your passport, this mini-event is for everyone to share their advice, favorites, finished projects and general discussion on the rare breeds that we love.

Meet behind the Arts and Crafts building between classes, 12:10-12:50 Saturday and Sunday for a casual discussion. Free, no registration required.

Handpaint Magic Spinning with Melissa Weaver Dunning, Sunday 9am – Noon

Handpainted rovings are plentiful and popular these days, but many spinners are not sure how to work with these beautiful fibers. Come and learn different methods of predrafting, fractal spinning and chain plying to help you make the best use of these exciting rovings.

Materials cost covers handouts and handpainted roving sampler. Materials costs are included in registration. Students should be able to spin a continuous yarn.

Students should bring hand spindles and/or a spinning wheel as well as any handpainted rovings they wish to experiment with or have questions about.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Design Your Own: Shawls, Scarves, Ponchos, with Mary Gildersleeve, Sunday 9am-Noon

Have you ever wanted to design your own wrap … whether a shawlette, scarf, poncho, cowl or other accessory? Have you wanted to try your hand at lace knitting or cables or colorwork but not sure you want to make a full-sized garment? This class is for you. With a few rules (which can all be broken) ... some graph paper ... and of course needles and yarn, you'll be on your way to designing your own cozy wrap!

We’ll be working swatches and playing with shawl and scarf shaping – please bring wool/wool-blend worsted weight yarn in light color; 16-inch circular or double-pointed needles in size US 7 or 8; notetaking supplies.

Skills: Able to knit and purl, follow pattern directions and willingness to try some fun shapes!

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Easy Dye Silk Scarf, M Theresa Brown, Sunday 9am-11:30am

Easy Dye Silk Scarf Create your own beautiful abstract designs on silk scarves. No need to steam or heat set with the specially formulated, safe dyes. You’ll leave with 2 ready to wear pure silk scarves that you designed using the techniques learned in the workshop. Suitable for all ages including children ages 8 and up.

Materials fee covers the 2 silk scarves as well as all the needed supplies such as paper towels, table coverings, latex gloves, pipettes and use of 8 assorted colors of dye.

Materials fees are included in the cost of registration.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Wheel Spinning - Next Steps with Dorothea Pierce, Saturday 1pm - 4pm or Sunday 9am - Noon

You have a wheel, and you can spin a basic single ply yarn, but it takes longer than it should, and you aren’t sure what to do next. Don’t worry! There is more out there – if you are excited to learn take that next step NOW! Learn back draw and forward draw, and the famous long draw! We will practice some different plying techniques, venture a tiny bit down the art yarn path, and work on finishing techniques as well. -Up your wheel spinning game in a safe environment with a teacher who has been spinning for decades.
Materials cost covers: Fiber and color options. Materials fees are included in the cost of registration.
Please bring a functioning wheel that you are comfortable using and at least three bobbins of different color singles. No specific length of singles (half bobbin or a less is fine) just a gracious plenty to be able to practice different plies. Bring at least two ounces of two different colors of roving to use when practicing some art yarn techniques.
Suggested for class: if you have multiple roving colors bring some and you can trade with others to create fun yarns. The instructor will be bringing some for you to use, but more is always better. If you have a lazy kate, bring it, if not bring a shoe box, and if you don’t have that, don’t worry we will fix you up!
Students must be able to spin a continuous yarn.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/

Dream It ... Design It: Hand-Knits design, with Mary Gildersleeve, Saturday 1pm-4pm

What goes into creating your own design? How do you get the "perfect" sweater ... shawl ... pillow from your mind to your needles and beyond? What are some of the must-haves for beautiful and practical design? Color theory, stitch textures, fiber facts, and pattern drafting will all be covered in this lively session. Bring your needles, projects, questions and I'll get you on the road to being your own hand-knits designer!

Please bring: An open mind, paper/pencil, project to work on while class is happening. Optional: pictures of a design you particularly like (commercial or your own sketch). No homework.

Students need to know how to knit and purl, read a pattern, and have a willingness to see beyond what others have done.

Register for this class here: https://www.eventeny.com/events/2022-shenandoah-valley-fiber-festival-1789/