Fiber, Friends, and a Little Leeway
The last time we met here on the blog, I was off to DFW Fiber Fest in Irving, Texas. Well, here’s how that adventure began…
Thursday morning, I got up extra early because I still had to clean out the car, clean the house after the grandkids left, finish packing, and then load everything into the car. You know—just a few small things before leaving town. ;-)
I was supposed to be at Dianne’s house by 9:00 a.m. Before I knew it, I realized I was running about 20 to 30 minutes behind. Since I had a class at Fiber Fest at 2:00 p.m., I quickly texted Dianne: How much leeway do I have? She promptly replied: "I gave you an hour of leeway because I know you can run late." Phew! Thank you Dianne, I only needed 30 minutes (glad she didn't tell me this in advance - no telling how much later I would have been)!
Does that tell you anything about me? I really do try so very hard to be on time. Last year I misplaced my cell phone right before we were supposed to leave, so of course I was late getting to Dianne's house then, too. Apparently, traveling with me requires patience, careful planning, and a built-in one-hour cushion.
Dianne is my is my travel buddy, driver, planner; and most importantly, the person who already knows to adjust the schedule before I even ask. She also takes workshops at Fiber Fest so she can bring new skills back and teach them at the store. We make a pretty good team: she keeps us on schedule, and I provide the adventure.
My first workshop was with Vincent Williams, and it was amazing. Vincent is professional, knowledgeable, and a wonderful crochet teacher. I’m hoping to have him come teach at YSB, which would be such a treat for all of us.
DFW Fiber Fest is much more than a fun getaway for me. It’s one of the ways I find new yarns for the store, reconnect with vendors, discover new teachers, and continue building my own knitting and crochet skills.
I originally signed up for four classes, but before the trip, I decided to cancel two because I was feeling a little overwhelmed. That sounded like a very sensible and responsible decision, didn’t it?
Then I took a workshop with Shana Cohen.
Guess what…
I immediately signed up for another one of her classes the very next day!
So much for cutting back. But when you find a wonderful teacher, sometimes you have to change the plan. Shana will also be coming to teach at YSB, and I can’t wait for you all to meet her.
Another favorite part of Fiber Fest is reconnecting with so many of our vendors, including DanDoh Yarns, Charming Ewe, Treasure Goddess, Red Door Fibers, Katrinkles, and many more. I also discovered a few new dyers that I would love to bring into the store, fingers crossed! There may be a few new yarn squirrels heading our way.
But the very best part was seeing so many of my YSB customers at the festival. That truly made me happy because it means you’re continuing to explore, learn, and grow in your knitting and crochet. I tried to take pictures with everyone I saw, because those smiling faces are the memories I want to bring home.
Oh, and I won a door prize! I never win anything, by the way, so perhaps Fiber Fest really is a magical place.
It was a quick trip, but it was filled with new skills, old friends, new teachers, beautiful yarn, possible new vendors, and plenty of inspiration to bring back to YSB. I’d call that quite productive; especially considering we left only 30 minutes late!
Be sure to check our calendar of events, because that’s where all these Fiber Fest discoveries will begin turning into new classes and adventures at Yarn Store Boutique. After all, that’s where it all happens and apparently, we even start on time. Well…most of the time. ;-)
