Check out the DFW Fiber Fest

If you live in or near Texas, you’ll probably want to check out and hopefully make plans to attend the DFW Fiber Fest, which takes place Sept. 14-17 at the Irving Convention Center.

In addition to the vendor hall with more than 100 vendors, there will be morning and afternoon on the Thursday and Friday of the festival, as well as morning, afternoon and evening classes on Saturday, and classes on Sunday morning. Some of the classes are all day deep dives into projects or techniques.

Jean over at Bead Biz sent me information about the festival, so I wanted to mention her classes in particular (she’s also a vendor). She’s teaching different ways to add beads to a cast on and bind off (two different classes; that’s her shawl above) as well as wisdom on starting a craft business.

In addition you’ll find a ton of other classes such as how to cross stitch on knitting, different ways to shape the top of a hat, spinning Shetland wool, felted mermaids, punch needle bees, loom knitting, double knitting, ergonomics and more.

As part of the event there’s a makealong for both knitters and crocheters, who can get a special discount on a shawl pattern to make prior to the event.

I know a lot of these vendors and teachers have lost money because of Stitches shutting down, so if you’re in the area it would be great to show them some support. (The beginning of that story, where Stitches reported it was closing, is here, with more details here if you’re not caught up on it.)

Have you ever been to DFW Fiber Fest? It sounds like a great event but I’d love to hear about your experience if you have gone or are planning to attend this year.

[Photo: Jean Elizabeth Glass.]

Next Pattern:

Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?