'Fiber Festival' Calls All Knitters, Crafters To Park Slope

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Calling all crafters.

The Kings County Fiber Festival — an outdoor marketplace for knitters, crocheters and other fiber craft lovers — will make its return to Brooklyn next month at the Old Stone House in Park Slope, organizers announced.

The event will bring dozens of vendors and artists from throughout the east coast to the park surrounding OSH on Oct. 9.

It will mark nearly a decade since the festival's launch by Parsons faculty member Maxcine DeGouttes.

"The festival was created with New Yorkers in mind and NYC as a destination location," DeGouttes said, noting that the festival is on Columbus Day weekend to celebrate the cultural diversity of the textile industry.

"The history of people and the crafts that we do are a way of life. People of color are an integral part of the fabric of this world's history and we will not be erased," she said.

Here's what you need to know about the event:

WHEN: Saturday, October 9, 2021. Open to the public 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: Outdoors at the Old Stone House & Washington Park in Park Slope. 336 3rd Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215

SCHEDULE:

“Make Warm Hats for the Homeless” Hat Drive:
Make a hat for someone who really needs your help this winter.
Bring your hat donation, in an individual plastic bag, to the Festival under the “Make Warm Hats for the Homeless” banner. We will deliver the hats to group homes, shelters and soup kitchens within New York City. Last year we collected over 600 hats! Please place each hat in an individual zip lock plastic bag. We will collect hats only on Saturday, October 9, at the Old Stone House. Please do not mail hats.

Artist Talk YouTube Series:
The 3rd Annual Artist YouTube Video Talk featuring three shepherdess farms and longtime vendors discussing the care and wool of sheep breeds, angora rabbits, and alpacas. YouTube Channel here.

Mystery Blanket Stitch Along
16 knit squares named for mystery writers–each texture is revealed in the first row repeat.
Keep yourself busy and expand your knit stitch repertoire with this Mystery Stitch Along. Each cryptic pattern will help you discover the true name of each texture. Each texture explores some of the many stitch techniques from cables to knitting in the row below. The squares were originally put together as a blanket but you can mattress stitch the squares together in the formation of your choice. Free Download here

WHO: Participating vendors include: 7th Floor Yarn Inc, Argyle Yarn Shop, Bay Haven Short Tails, Bead Biz, Biaol Padin Designs, Cece's Wool Yarns & More, Clarion Call Fiber Arts, Cozy Color Works, Crochet Designs by Juliette, Crochetfina, Designsbyyasmen, Evy Leonard Crochet Designs, Jack Pie Fiber, Jessica's Rabbits, Joy Woolworks, JW Jewelry Studio, Knits4Comfort, Knit the Rainbow Inc, KnittyGrittyYarnGirl, m.a.b.e.l, New Beginnings, Pin Money, reyooz, Red Bridge Studio, Rosie's Colors Yarn, Sandpiper Yarns, Sassy Black Yarns, Shirsty Cat Designs, Stitched by JessaLu, Stitches & Yarn, Arsenic In Blue, The Golden Purls, The Tribal Knot, The Wandering Flock, There Is Always Time, Tina's Toasty Toes, UnRuled Wearable Art, Utopia Bath Ltd, Warp and Beam, Winter's Past Farm, Woven by Carol, XOBohemia