Nestled in the gorgeous county of Orange Virginia, and about an hour’s drive from Interstate 64 resides James Madison’s Montpelier and Fairgrounds. Here, on a cloudy and humid Sunday afternoon, vendors and animal owners joined together to attend the Fall Fiber Festival and Sheepdog Trials. Though the weather was less than ideal, it did provide festival goers with the relief they desired from the sun. One guest explained to me that the day before, they had been hunkered down in what little shade a small treeline provided to escape the pelting rays.
With a camera in hand, I explored a whole new world of crafting and trades that I had never seen before, while I was not at all versed in the techniques and objects I was seeing from tent to tent, I was lucky enough to be accompanied by my friend and ODU student, Stephanie. Stephanie answered all my questions and gave me the knowledge I needed while we visited animals and shopped.
“So what first got you into crafting?” I asked Stephanie as I marveled at the beautiful fiber that is pictured in the thumbnail for this article.
“I’ve always done some kind of art since I was young but I first got into fiber arts when my aunt Patsy passed away,” she responded. “I remembered that she started to teach my cousin and [I] how to crochet years before, so I decided to teach myself to crochet in her memory. It escalated to making my own crochet patterns, learning to spin yarn, making my own art batts, to knitting (I’ve always been intimidated by it but I inherited a bunch of needles from another aunt who passed in 2013). Now I’ve bought a cricket loom by Schacht so I’ll be weaving too.”
When asked what her favorite part of the festival was, Stephanie said: “As with every fiber festival I go to, walking around and seeing all the awesome projects and colors of fiber and yarn, getting some new ideas for my own projects, and talking to the people at the festival. Fiber nerds are some of the nicest, most down to earth people you’ll meet.” I can attest to that one!
While we did not stay very long, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience a trade that seems to be forgotten by our technologically advanced world. I think it is so important to preserve the trades that may come through for us in the future. I, myself, have started crocheting and asked Stephanie what advice she has for anyone just starting out.
“The best advice I can give if you’re starting to crochet/knit/spin/weave is to practice. Don’t get discouraged if your yarn ends up being way over-spun (we all do that) or if you realize you’re making a slip stitch instead of a single crochet stitch and that’s why your project doesn’t look right (whoops… Did I do that…?). Also, YouTube is a great resource!”
Festivals in our local area and ones that require a bit of a drive are the perfect place to meet new people and experience new things. Next time you see an event, grab some friends, build an awesome playlist and head on out. It truly is amazing out there!