New-to-me dyers, a hyper-specific color mission, and the importance of showing up in the rain
I had been wanting to go to the Frederick Fiber Festival for years and never had a chance because until recently, I had always been working on Saturdays. Tough, especially because FFF happens twice a year – twice as many chances for me to get my ass there!
During my tenure at the yarn company, we typically went to the big events, like Rhinebeck, Stitches (before it imploded), and VKL (before the thought of unloading a truck in the middle of Times Square became enough to give one hives). I developed a preference for the farm-ier, more outdoorsy events, where in addition to indie dyers and designer appearances, there were also farmers auctioning sheep and herding dog demonstrations. FFF isn’t quite large enough for the complete county fair vibe (I’ll get my fill of that when I make another small roadtrip to Maryland Sheep & Wool next weekend), but it introduced me to a number of vendors I hadn’t had the pleasure of shopping with before.
Before I went absolutely apeshit at every shiny new booth, I had to remind myself that I had a mission. I’ve been wanting to make an Artus Shawl ever since it came out, and I have a very specific color scheme in mind that revolves around luna moth green. My partner, who loves solving problems, was with me, so I asked him to keep an eye out for a similar shade. I was fully expecting not to find it that day, but I happened to find it at Cape May Fibers. I held up a skein of mohair and said “Look for this, but not fuzzy”; I put the skein back down but my partner had the good sense to take a picture of the label to get the colorway, and wouldn’t you know it, the color was called “Luna Moth”. So while I couldn’t get the weight I needed at the festival, I placed an order in sport weight that night.
I also made a stop at Yarn Hero’s booth, another source for color-shifting fractal-spun yarn. What I really appreciated here was that in addition to their beautiful standard skeins, Yarn Hero had flawed skeins, mill ends, and test runs for sale, sold by the gram. Not only is it a more affordable option for festival-goers, but I find this also speaks to the sustainability of the company. It’s good to see businesses not hiding away skeins that are short or have slubs just because they can’t sell them full-price. And it’s a rare opportunity for people like me who aren’t picky about a little mill knot here and there, or for folks who don’t want to buy more yarn than they actually need for a project.
This is another perk of going to festivals like these: you get to see products that often don’t make it to the business’ websites. Plus you get to actually meet the people who run the companies, see the colorways in person, and feel the yarns. This is especially important for companies that don’t have a retail space, and rely on trade shows and trunk shows to directly sell. These events are usually the biggest money-makers, and will often keep an indie dyer in business for months.
Which is why it’s so crucial, if you’re able, to brave the rain if the forecast calls for it. It never quite stormed on Saturday, but we had a clap of thunder and the rain was off and on, like someone was turned on the spigot every ten minutes or so while the clouds blew through. Almost all of FFF’s booths, minus a few trucks and food vendors, were indoors and sheltered, but there was still a strong gust that blew through one of the buildings and threatened some stands. In those moments, everyone comes together to brace against the poles and pick up flying shawl samples.
At many festivals, however, booth spaces are in outdoor tents more exposed to the elements and mud, and some unluckily-placed vendor gets the short end of the stick when the weather turns sour. Rain or shine, these events are planned well in advance and can’t be canceled.
Eventually the sun came out, and we called it a day at the Frederick Fairgrounds with my new skeins. The yarn I got from Polymorph Dye Works is especially fun, black with neon neps – it reminds me (in the best way) of 90s arcade carpet.
achievement
But Frederick is a beautiful little city, so our day didn’t end just yet. My partner is a massive coffee-lover, and we made a stop at Gravel & Grind, a cafe and bike repair shop that sells great drinks and independently roasted beans. It was also Indie Bookstore Day, so while we drank our coffees we looked up the nearest bookshop to support. That turned out to be Curious Iguana on Market Street, downtown Frederick’s main drag of boutique storefronts and restaurants. I picked up volumes 23 and 25 of Jujutsu Kaisen, which were missing from my collection, as well as Sisters of the Lost Nation by Nick Medina; I had read Indian Burial Ground and I’m looking forward to reading his first novel.
Our last stop of the day was Gwenie’s, a Filipino bakery with a couple locations in the MD/DC metro area. We were introduced to Gwenie’s by a friend of ours, and they requested a slice of ube cheesecake if we were going to be in the area. We got there within an hour of their closing time, when everything is 30% off, so we left with an armful of of mamons and sylvanas.
Driving home from a lovely day out, I think the highlight of my Frederick visit was running into a regular customer from my former job and exchanging excited greetings. At least now they know I didn’t just fall off the face of the planet when I quit. Closure!
*I’ve never played a Souls game, Sekiro, Bloodbourne, Elden Ring, or even a Souls-like. I just think the title cards are funny.
Smitty is Knitting 