Stitches West: So much yarn and fiber = so much fun

Skeins and skeins of colorful yarn / The scene outside the Yarnover Truck,
a mobile yarn boutique, on Saturday morning at Stitches West. 

Last Saturday, my wife Jodi and I attended the 2017 Stitches West yarn and fiber exhibition in Santa Clara, Calif., where we connected with many of our fiber friends. When you're the husband of a knitter, like I've been going on nearly 20 years, you set aside the last weekend in February for the fiber arts – and embrace the creative experience.

Ball So Hard /
Neighborhood Fiber Company's slogan.

I've been Jodi's regular companion – and I'm proud to be her yarn enabler, too – at this annual gathering for more years than I can remember. Together, we've seen it grow into one of the West Coast's premiere fiber arts events.

Although husbands and boyfriends makeup a very small percentage of the ever-growing yarn and fiber crowd at Stitches West, I attend willingly and feel uninhibited, totally at ease. If you've ever been tempted by the fiber arts, whether it be knitting, crocheting or spinning, the Stitches West marketplace is the place to go see. After all, there's so much yarn and fiber, which can only mean one thing: So much fun.

Upon entering the Marketplace Hall, which we did when the doors opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday, knitters and their enablers are easily tempted by row upon row of booths filled with colorful and luscious yarn and gorgeous fiber that's not only attractive to look at, it's also lovely to touch, too. It's the place to plan the perfect sweater, find fiber friends, and gain new perspectives – even take an engaging class.

Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns & Fibers /
Inspired by nature.

Our first stop of the day inside the Marketplace Hall was at Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns & Fibers, whose booth is always an inspiration for lovely designs and colorful fibers. Miss Babs is Babs Ausherman, a hard-working, insightful fiber artist and online retailer of hand-dyed yarn and fiber and patterns based in Mountain City, Tenn. I've learned that she was raised in a family of creative types and entrepreneurs – and she believes that a good day's work is good for the soul.

I've had the pleasure to visit and talk with Miss Babs each of the past several years when she comes to California. I appreciate her sharp wit, artistic and creative flair, and her thoughtfulness. From her, I've learned that color ideas come from everywhere – especially when they're inspired by nature.

A Verb For Keeping Warm /
Beautifully decorated and inviting for knitters.

From there, it was on to see our dear friends Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez, whose naturally-dyed A Verb For Keeping Warm yarn and fiber have made their bricks-and-mortar shop a haven for knitters and fiber artists close to home in Oakland. Their booth each year is always beautifully decorated and inviting. As always, whenever we drop by the AVFKW booth, it's abuzz with newly designed and naturally dyed yarn and fiber, and plenty of knitters perusing the yarn and fiber as well as patterns and project bags.

We also paid a nice visit to Neighborhood Fiber Co., based in Baltimore, whose uniquely hand-dyed yarn is inspired by urban landscapes.

After a leisurely lunch with a couple of fiber friends, it was time to renew our friendship with Robin Senour, a glasswork artist from Berkeley, whose witty Sacred Laughter artwork and philosophy ("Bring more art into your life") we admire and adore. On Saturday, we bought out tenth piece of Sacred Laughter, a badger from Senour's "Wind and the Willows" fairy tale collection. Over the years, we've made many friends among the yarn and fiber vendors and artisans at Stitches West – and it's always nice to be recognized like an old friend by them.

After one last pass through the aisles, where we renewed our acquaintance with Kira Dulaney of Kira K Designs – she shared with me the great news that she had just completed creating her 100th pattern in 10 years – and we also met the good folks from The Knitting Tree, L.A., it was time to make full circle by returning to Miss Babs to purchase some skeins of lovely and colorful yarn and say goodbye until next year.

Looking back, as my appreciation of the fiber arts continues to grow, I will always enjoy making time to explore the creative process and to find out what inspires these remarkable fiber artists.

Stitches West: Joining in the conversation

I am the husband of a knitter.  My wife loves to knit ~ she's been a yarn and fiber enthusiast for the past decade ~ and her project bag is always ready to travel.

Jess Forbes /
Co-founder,
Ravelry.com

Last weekend, the annual Stitches West showcase returned to the Bay Area, and the Santa Clara Convention Center was abuzz with knitters and knitting celebrities.  They included: Jess and Casey Forbes, the founders of Ravelry.com, a social networking community for knitters and crocheters, and actress Ali MacGraw, who autographed copies of the Marion Foale-designed pattern "Ali's Cap" (the iconic fashion item the actress wore in the motion picture Love Story) to benefit the Wildlife Emergency Response Fund.

Malabrigo /
Beautiful Uruguayan yarn

Upon entering the Marketplace Hall at Stitches West, knitters and their enablers were easily tempted by row upon row of booths filled with colorful, luscious yarn and gorgeous fiber that was not only attractive to look at, but also lovely to touch.  I especially loved the incredible softness and beautiful colors of the Malabrigo Worsted Merino yarns from Uruguay. Also, there was a plethora of knitting and weaving accessories on display, which included knitting needles of every imaginable size, yarn winders, and sock blockers. This year, I noticed a new trend: Handmade, hip and colorful project bags and totes were the attention-getters.

I am my wife's regular companion at Stitches West; we enjoy making a weekend of it.  Although husbands and boyfriends make up a very small percentage of the ever-growing yarn and fiber crowd at Stitches West, I attend willingly and feel uninhibited, totally at ease.

Blue Moon Fiber Arts /
Organically-dyed fiber

You see, I am my one of my wife's yarn enablers ~ she seeks my advice and trusts my judgement when it comes to buying yarn.  The payoff has been handsome; I have many beautiful pairs of colorful hand-knit socks and several very handsome and stylish scarves.  Each year, I make a point of wearing the newest scarf while walking through the bustling marketplace.  Sometimes, someone will stop and compliment me on my taste in scarves, and I make sure to give proper credit to my wife.

Many people are surprised to learn that I can converse decently in the language of knitters.  I know what a "skein" is; know the difference between tweed and alpaca yarn; and understand the importance of matching "dye lots".  I try to stay current by reading a variety of knitting blogs and perusing my wife's knitting magazines. Photographing all of her finished projects for Ravelry has given me great street cred with knitters, too.

Cheryl Oberle /
A colorful, knitter-friendly
vest

Over time, I have made many acquaintances among the yarn and fiber vendors and artisans at Stitches West. It's nice to be recognized like an old friend by them.  Among my Stitches friends are Colorado-based Cheryl Oberle, who designs knitter-friendly kits for creating shawls and vests that showcase her hand-dyed artisan yarns.

Also, there's my friends from A Verb For Keeping Warm ~ Kristine Vejar and Adrienne Rodriguez ~ who've grown their naturally dyed fiber and yarn website into a warm and spacious brick-and-mortar, which has become a haven for knitters and fiber artists close to home in Oakland. Then there's Michael Wade, part of the AVFKW family, who is creator and host of "Fiber Beat," a podcast about knitting.

Sacred Laughter /
Original glasswork art
by Robin Senour

Finally, there's Robin Senour, a glasswork artist from Berkeley, whose witty Sacred Laughter artwork and philosophy ("Bring More Art Into Your Life") has struck a friendly chord with me.  On Saturday, I bought my latest piece of Sacred Laughter: "The more you watch the less you know," which certainly is a pretty profound statement about TV, complete with the body of a TV set whose picture tube shows a smiling cat, a flying saucer, and a full moon.  It's whimsical and artful ~ and it's designed to draw laughter.

Michael Wade /
"Fiber Beat" podcast
creator and host

Although I do not knit, I am learning drop spindle spinning and have received a lot of encouragement. Meanwhile, I appreciate the fiber arts and I enjoy exploring the creative process and discussing what inspires various fiber artists.  And, I've found that many vendors, such as Cheryl Oberle, are very appreciative of being asked about the background and detail that goes into creating their products such as hand-dyed yarn and scarf patterns. And this year, I drew lots of curiosity by wearing a "Fiber Beat" button that Michael Wade handed me at the Verb booth promoting his podcast.

While looking at some beautifully designed Jean Frost sweaters adorning the Knitter's Magazine booth near the front entrance to the Marketplace Hall, I recognized Rick Mondragon, the magazine's editor.  I asked him about the future of Stitches West and he smiled excitedly, telling me that it's become the biggest of the four regional Stitches (the others are Stitches South in Atlanta; Stitches Midwest in Schaumburg, Ill.; and Stitches East in Hartford).

"We sold out the floor this year," Mondragon told me, adding that Santa Clara is signed to be host site for Stitches West through at least 2014.

We look forward to returning to Stitches West next year and the year after that ~ and the year after that.

Here are some of the visual highlights from my visit to Stitches West 2011:

Jean Frost-designed sweater as featured in
Knitter's Magazine.

Socks with style / Colorful socks designed by Cookie A.

My brush with greatness / Michael and Ali MacGraw.

Mary-Heather Cogar / designer, models her
Xeriscape scarf from Rainy Day Goods at the
Ravelry.com meet up in the Marketplace.

Kira K Designs / Original hats, scarves and gloves
by Kira Dulaney, Oakland, Calif.

Yarn Pop / Bright Flowers project tote.

Visiting the A Verb For Keeping Warm booth,
which enjoyed great foot traffic and featured
colorful naturally dyed fiber and yarn created by
Kristine Vejar.

Colorful, hand-painted yarn sweaters from
The Sanguine Gryphon.

"Fiber Beat" podcast creator and host Michael Wade greets visitors
at the A Verb For Keeping Warm booth.

All photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2011.  All rights reserved.