Last but definitely not least, I wanted to share some of my vendor highlights from OFFF! There were so many great vendors that it would be impossible to write about them all, so here's a small collection of my favorites.
Woolgatherings - Hand-painted and dyed roving in a wide variety of fiber blends.
I'm still a novice spinner, and walking into this booth was like walking into the most wonderful sweet shop: color and texture everywhere, neatly portioned and displayed beautifully. I was especially inspired by the shaded alpaca/silk blends, which had a black base overdyed in different hues: color that evoked beetle wings; the shimmers across an oil slick; the color of a crow's wing.
I'm still a novice spinner, and walking into this booth was like walking into the most wonderful sweet shop: color and texture everywhere, neatly portioned and displayed beautifully. I was especially inspired by the shaded alpaca/silk blends, which had a black base overdyed in different hues: color that evoked beetle wings; the shimmers across an oil slick; the color of a crow's wing.
Three Fates Yarn - Yarn and spinning fibers, hand-dyed in gorgeous, saturated colors.
I found out about Three Fates Yarns on Ravelry a while back, and was intrigued by her beautiful, jewel-like colors. So it was doubly awesome that I not only got to squish some in person last year at Knit Fit, I also had the chance to meet Stephania - who, as it turns out, is a fellow Obie and friend of Ariel's!
We caught up again at OFFF, where she let me run loose and take a million pictures of her beautiful yarn and roving. I am in deep, obsessive love with her color sense; crystal-clear, sophisticated, and bright, every braid and skein practically sang with color. I'll definitely be visiting her booth again at the our upcoming local fiber festival, Knit Fit.
(The vendor list for that event, by the way, looks amazing. If you're in the Seattle area, I highly recommend checking it out.)
I found out about Three Fates Yarns on Ravelry a while back, and was intrigued by her beautiful, jewel-like colors. So it was doubly awesome that I not only got to squish some in person last year at Knit Fit, I also had the chance to meet Stephania - who, as it turns out, is a fellow Obie and friend of Ariel's!
We caught up again at OFFF, where she let me run loose and take a million pictures of her beautiful yarn and roving. I am in deep, obsessive love with her color sense; crystal-clear, sophisticated, and bright, every braid and skein practically sang with color. I'll definitely be visiting her booth again at the our upcoming local fiber festival, Knit Fit.
(The vendor list for that event, by the way, looks amazing. If you're in the Seattle area, I highly recommend checking it out.)
Sunset Fibers - Handpainted spinning fiber in soft shades and bold colors alike.
I loved the way the braids at this booth were all hung in a row, gently swaying in the wind, in a glorious, squishy cascade of color. Each braid felt as though it had its own story: lush autumnal tones spoke of the turning season; bright greens and purples echoed lime popsicles and super-soaker fights; blurred neons made me want to put on my roller skates. I loved that although they were all so different, there was an overall sense of cohesion between all of the colorways.
I loved the way the braids at this booth were all hung in a row, gently swaying in the wind, in a glorious, squishy cascade of color. Each braid felt as though it had its own story: lush autumnal tones spoke of the turning season; bright greens and purples echoed lime popsicles and super-soaker fights; blurred neons made me want to put on my roller skates. I loved that although they were all so different, there was an overall sense of cohesion between all of the colorways.
Shaggy Bear Farms - Fiber farm specializing in farm-to-needle yarns and fibers.
Note: Although Shaggy Bear's website is under construction, their yarn is available at Northwest Wools, a lovely little shop in southwest Portland. (If you stop by, please tell the owner, Jackie, hello - she was so welcoming to our little group!)
This was one of the first booths I went into, drawn in by the subtly variegated and super soft yarns hanging on the outer walls. They had a wide range of fibers and yarns from an impressive 25 different types of wool-bearing animals! The wool/silk blends in particular were absolutely beautiful. The colors were luminous and complex, evoking the highlight and shadow of a whole object: alpine flower, rusted door, tortoise.
New Hue Handspuns - Spinning fiber and handspun yarns - particularly laceweight!
I have a deep and abiding love for handspun yarn, which started almost six years ago when my mom sent me two skeins of Spincycle for my birthday. Since then, I've grown to love handspun of all weights and types, but have found it particularly difficult to find handspun laceweight yarn - one of my favorite weights to knit with.
So imagine my delight when I came across New Hue Handspuns, and she had not just one skein, but a whole variety of colors of handspun laceweight! Swoon. Each skein was finely spun, reading as one color from a distance, but slightly shaded in its plies upon closer inspection. There was also beautiful hand-painted fiber and heavier weights of handspun, all of which shared the same earthy, delicate colors and lovely texture so clearly shaped by someone's hands.
---------------------------------
A huge thank you to all of the vendors, designers, and yarn people who were gracious enough to chat with me and allow me to take photos for this series. I had an amazing time at the event, and it was really fun to write these posts about the community I love so much!
And thanks to you, readers, for following along with my adventures at OFFF. I hope to see you there next year!
<3
Cory
A Yarny Weekend at Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival
Part 1: Animals!
Part 2: Yarn People!
Note: Although Shaggy Bear's website is under construction, their yarn is available at Northwest Wools, a lovely little shop in southwest Portland. (If you stop by, please tell the owner, Jackie, hello - she was so welcoming to our little group!)
This was one of the first booths I went into, drawn in by the subtly variegated and super soft yarns hanging on the outer walls. They had a wide range of fibers and yarns from an impressive 25 different types of wool-bearing animals! The wool/silk blends in particular were absolutely beautiful. The colors were luminous and complex, evoking the highlight and shadow of a whole object: alpine flower, rusted door, tortoise.
New Hue Handspuns - Spinning fiber and handspun yarns - particularly laceweight!
I have a deep and abiding love for handspun yarn, which started almost six years ago when my mom sent me two skeins of Spincycle for my birthday. Since then, I've grown to love handspun of all weights and types, but have found it particularly difficult to find handspun laceweight yarn - one of my favorite weights to knit with.
So imagine my delight when I came across New Hue Handspuns, and she had not just one skein, but a whole variety of colors of handspun laceweight! Swoon. Each skein was finely spun, reading as one color from a distance, but slightly shaded in its plies upon closer inspection. There was also beautiful hand-painted fiber and heavier weights of handspun, all of which shared the same earthy, delicate colors and lovely texture so clearly shaped by someone's hands.
---------------------------------
A huge thank you to all of the vendors, designers, and yarn people who were gracious enough to chat with me and allow me to take photos for this series. I had an amazing time at the event, and it was really fun to write these posts about the community I love so much!
And thanks to you, readers, for following along with my adventures at OFFF. I hope to see you there next year!
<3
Cory
A Yarny Weekend at Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival
Part 1: Animals!
Part 2: Yarn People!
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