Saturday in Brooklyn

Celebrating five years of friends and fiber

River Valley Farm's paper sheep took shelter from the rain

This was the fifth year for the Kings County Fiber Festival. Held in Park Slope in  Brooklyn, N.Y. on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend the festival is now a part of family history. Son Steven connected Maxine de Gouttes, organizer of the event and then owner of Stitch Therapy knitting shop in Brooklyn, with his sister Kris of Winter's Past Farm who became part of the first group to participate in the festival.

Each year, more people attend the festival and there are more group activities at the historic Old Stone House in the park. The park is also the site of a children's playground so the area buzzes with activity.

Spin City spinners and weavers
practice for competition

It's here that the Spin City Shawl Team does a practice run for Rhinebeck's Sheep to Shawl competitions. Unfortunately, I'll miss not only the competition, but the group in full costume when they go head-to-head with other sheep-to-shawl teams from the region. (Few things interfere with fiber festivals, but this one takes precedence over everything else. My son is getting married.)

Knitting with hands

Also at the Old Stone House was a large group learning to knit without needles. Lion Brand Yarn donated the yarn--and bags to hold the creations. People of all ages took advantage of the opportunity and some made some pretty large shawls!

Winter's Past Farm booth ready for business

Most of the day was just about perfect for being outdoors. It was cloudy but comfortable until about 3 p.m., when it started to drizzle. Not enough to bail but enough that we needed to make the booth into a three-sided plastic cocoon. By the time it was raining steadily, it was time to pack up. 

It was all great fun!

Mud madness

Overlooking and overcoming rain, mud and soggy wool

An improvised yarn drying rack

The rain was unrelenting and, much as I like rain, it made for a rather miserable beginning to the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It made driving slow and the Mid-Atlantic region's week of rain created streaming rivulets and oozing, slimy, slippery, sludgy mud at the Howard County fair grounds.

The mucky, muddy mess at the fairgrounds was bad. The outside tent booth was swamped. Only the basics--tables, chairs and display grids could be unloaded to the tent booth on Friday with plans for a very early preparation on Sat. 

A much bigger concern was how to make the booth accessible to Sat. shoppers. The resourceful shepherds of the American Coopworth Registry's co-op bought--and spread--two bales of straw in and in front of the booth along with three rubber mats in walkways. (You can see the newly-strewn straw at early Saturday morning set-up in the photo below.)

Nearly ready for customers Saturday morning at the
American Coopworth Registry booth

Another problem awaited us. The truck cab's rear window leaked. A lot. Because the extended cab area was so tightly packed, we didn't realize the problem until almost too late. Products got wet. Mostly it was yarn and fortunately, all of it was completely salvageable. But it was just one more thing to do at the end of a tiring day.

We stayed that night at an Airbnb site that was less than wonderful, but that's another story best addressed by a proper site review.  

The next night, a most thoughtful son-in-law surprised us by booking us into a Hampton Inn. )There is nothing like a lower-end experience to add serious appreciation for a quiet room with a comfortable bed, nice bedding and a bathroom just for two.)

Focus on fiber

A highlight of the weekend was Sunday's talk by Judith MacKenzie. "The History of Wool" sounded generic but her talk certainly wasn't. Full of little-known facts (to me, anyway) that included distribution of sheep, the genetic pool of Navajo Churros, the coats of sheep, and many, many more fascinating tidbits, I find myself wishing for a book that consolidates it. I hope she has one in the works.

Q: How do you spend a weekend at a fiber festival without buying something?
A: You don't. Or at least, I can't seem to so I try to make a plan. This time--and for the first time ever--fiber for spinning was my focus. I've found spinning different wool breeds an excellent learning experience so I left home with a list of breed-specific wools I wanted to learn to spin. I came home with Polwarth, Cormo and ultra fine (18.5µ) Merino--all on my list--plus some Finnsheep that wasn't. 

Now what? I am rather often asked, 'What are you going to make?' The short answer is, 'I don't know.' The longer answer is that I have ideas--some very definite ideas, actually. My Pinelands Spring cowl was one that has been completed but there are more in the pipeline. 

But right now? I just want to sit at my wheel and spin some nice yarn.

N.B. This was Mother's Day weekend and I got the best present ever. I spent a lovely, lovely weekend with my lovely, lovely daughter. It doesn't get any better than that. Ever.

Fiber festivals and markets

Gleaning data from preferences and purchases.

Winter's Past Farm at Kings County Fiber Festival

From writing a business plan to developing and offering products and services, small business face the same hurdles as large corporations. Where are the opportunities? Who are the potential customers and what do they need and/or want? Bottom line: What will sell?

Large companies spend a great deal of time and money identifying their market as it is key to strategy and to profitability. Small business owners need the same information, but gathering it is a slower and less structured process. No outsourcing, no big data to crunch. 

Pricing is important, but understanding potential buyers comes first. Who are they? What interests them? What will appeal to them? And perhaps most importantly, where are the opportunities? 

Two fiber festivals. Two markets.

Among others, Winter's Past Farm is a regular exhibitor at Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival, a weekend event in mid-Jersey, and Kings County Fiber Festival, a Saturday event on Columbus Day weekend in Brooklyn. I'm focusing on these two here.

Although only about 50 miles apart the two festivals are very different. 

Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival 
Type of festival: Hosted by Garden State Sheepbreeders, the event features a two-day sheep and fiber livestock show. A community event that also draws serious fiber folks from an estimated 40 mile range in central New Jersey. 
Date: Second weekend in September.
Location: Set amidst farmlands in a county agricultural fairground's dim and dusty barns. 
Weather: The 2014 weekend was brutally hot vs. this year, which was beautiful. The crowd seemed smaller this year, but once tallied, sales figures were the same year over year.

Kings County Fiber Festval
Type of festival: Street festival. Lots of families, but far fewer serious fiber folks. 
Date: Saturday of Columbus Day weekend.
Location: Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
Weather: Comparing year over year, we noted that about half the 2014 vendors bailed out due to heavy rain. However, once the rain cleared, there was a flood of customers and business was brisk. This year, it was a spectacular fall day and all vendors showed up. It certainly seemed that there were fewer customers. Did more people travel over the beautiful long weekend?

As we pondered differences, we also noted different purchasing preferences, both year over year and between the two festivals. For me, the most dramatic difference was the preference between two knit accessories.

I had taken two recently released patterns--The Peacock's Gift, a singular shawl in striking royal blue (below, left), and Jersey Waterways, a versatile cowl in a lightly variegated gray (below, right). 

Jersey Waterways*

The Peacock's Gift*

At Garden State, the Peacock's Gift was the clear attention-getter and the sole source of pattern revenue. There was little interest in Jersey Waterways.

In Brooklyn, preferences were exactly opposite. Interest was almost solely on the Jersey Waterways. I sold out of the printed patterns! (Both are available on Ravelry.) 

Was it color? The weather--surely a factor but how important? And what about the demographics? I'll probably never know the answers--and there is nothing to suggest that things won't change next year. But I'm reassured that knitters like what I'm doing, so I'll just keep designing what I like--and listening and watching for reactions. 

*Model: Lauren Valletutti. Photographer: Maurice Marietti

Fiber and friends

Exhilarating and exhausting, fiber festivals provide rich experiences.

Marudai with 16 bobbins

If you've been to one fiber show, you've been to one fiber show. There are many shows and they all share the common thread of enthusiasm, but each is unique, reflecting its location, organizer and attendees. For smaller shows, in particular, this is the place to find local craftspeople with products. Kind of like farm markets for fiber. 

The business model is not new. Plan an event and capitalize on access to the target market--in this case, sheep and wool. Selling booth space to vendors who serve that market is the simplest and, at a minimum, event organizers underwrite operational expenses with booth sales. 

I'm not privy to the Garden State Sheep Breeders' business plan for its 21st annual Garden State Sheep and Fiber Festival, but I suspect they're happy to break even.

A convenient festival

Last weekend featured near-perfect weather for the Festival held just north of Lambertville, NJ. Unlike 2014 when the weather was brutally hot, the weather this year was near perfect. Only a couple of downpours marred the clear, fall days. 

One attendee noted the convenience factor. To put that into context, its location is midway between two huge Northeastern region sheep and wool shows--Dutchess County in New York, aka Rhinebeck, and Maryland. Both feature hundreds of vendors, thousands of attendees and millions of products. Great experiences, both, but long drives and large crowds can exhaust the most energetic.

Winter's Past Farm
Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival 2015

Back to convenience. That assessment was based on three factors. One, the location in Mid-Jersey is easy to get to. Two, crowds weren't overwhelming. There was space to walk and time to talk and to make purchasing decisions. 

And three, the range of offerings from the nearly 80 vendors listed in the show brochure covered just about anything you might want or need to quench your fiber thirst. The number of participating vendors continues to grow, filling two barns this year. 

There were educational experiences and lots of inspiration. Plenty of yarn, fleece, roving, tools and equipment. Add to that a host of competitions, sheep shows and demonstrations--cooking, shearing, sheep dog herding, and more. Even if you weren't shopping for yarn (can't imagine that!), the Festival offers a day for family fun. (And, no, I have no ties to the group.)

Behind the (non-existent) counter

Kris planned to simplify set-up this year. She did it and in the process, opened up the space for browsers, for serious buyers, and for folks who stopped by to say, "Hello" or to chat. We both liked the configuration.

Pat, an online spinner friend

For me, there are three main reasons for being at a show like this. One, I am inspired. That's a big one. Two, I get to share my fiber love with other like-minded people. 

And three, I can stand in one place and meet both old friends and new. There are some I only see rarely and others I've met online. I was pleased to see Kae--the one who crocheted the beautiful shawl in autumn colors for the 4-H Fair last month--but furious with myself that I didn't take a photo! Especially since she sports an edgy new hair do. 

Another highlight was Pat. We share a history of learning to spin rather independently. Although we live near each other, we had never met in person. I was so pleased she stopped by.

The morning after

I hate to admit it, but I hereby publicly confess: I felt the weekend feat on Monday. But a couple of good nights' sleep later, my enthusiasm is growing fast for the upcoming the King's County Fiber Festival on Oct. 10 in Brooklyn. Love that show. Love the street, i.e., people traffic. But even more than the fiber fun, the all time highlight is seeing family who live there! 

Near Brooklyn? Do stop and see us!