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This was my third Yarncamp in a row and I am sure I will attend the next one in 2019 as well. With its barcamp background, Yarncamp is so very different from the usual knitter’s meet-ups where you mainly buy yarn, take workshops you had to book in advance and hurry through the day to meet your knitting friends who live too far away to see them regularly. At a barcamp, it is you who decides which workshops (sessions) will be held.
Each morning starts with a plenary session where everyone can offer or request sessions covering subjects she knows well or wants to take a closer look at. All suggestions are collected to a publically accessible session plan so you can check it whenever needed. Each time slot has 45 minutes which leaves 15 minutes between two sessions to have a cup of coffee, a quick chat or to grab something to eat from the buffet. To give you an impression on how versatile the sessions are, these are the 2018 session plans:
I attended the GGH session and the tatting and bobbin lace session on Saturday and also held an introductory session to toe-up socks myself.
GGH introduced their new “Bambu” yarn, a 100% rayon yarn made from bamboo. The session participants were asked to try it out, so I took my chance. The yarn knits up easily, has a good stitch definition, is soft to the touch and has a wonderful drape.
I am super happy I was allowed to take three dark grey balls with me to play with, I already have something in mind for next summer. As it is intended to be a summer yarn, Bambu’s colour palette actually is a pastel one, so I am very happy GGH has included a “light black”.
Uschi Wolf‘s introduction to tatting and bobbin lace was very interesting as she explained the potentials and limitations of each technique, apart from an overview of the techniques as such. She also had brought some of her current projects with her:
On Sunday, I attended the labyrinth knitting and yarn festival tourism sessions and held an introductory session to advanced vegan cooking and baking.
Doerthe knocked me off my feet with her labyrinth knitted sweaters. They are constructed by knitting a looong (30m or more) meandered garter “string” which is then assembled to a sweater. Sounds weird? Here is how it is made:
Using this technique, planning ahead is everything. A gauge swatch is mandatory as it affects the shape of your result as such. Moreover, you need to layout your labyrinth on squared paper first, to place the increase and decrease points. And in case you are still interested by now, like me, there is a book on that which sadly is out of print. It is called “Unexpected Knitting” by Debbie New and maybe I have ordered a thrifted version for myself before the end of the session.
During the “yarn festival tourism” session, Claudia Eisenkolb and the participants have compiled a list of yarn festivals worth a visit. I have added the links in case you are interested. 😉
17./18.11.18 Barcelona Knits
24./25.11.18 Friedberger Wollfest
25.-27.01.19 Vogue Knitting Live! New York City
09./10.03.19 WollLandia Kieselbronn
21.-23.03.19 Edinburgh Yarn Festival
30./31.03.19 Swiss Yarn Festival
13./14.04.19 Leipziger Wollefest und Stoffmesse
27./28.04.19 Hohenloher Wollfest
27./28.04.19 Le Fil de la Manche
11.05.19 Aschaffenburger Wollträume
11./12.05.19 Saltum Uldfestival
25./26.05.19 Kielgeholt Duisburg
01./02.06.19 Oppenheimer Wollfest
02.06.19 Rheinischer Wollmarkt Euskirchen
14./15.06.19 Woollinn Dublin
23.06.19 Auersmacher Wollfest
04.-07.07.19 Jyväskylä Knit Fest
August 2019 Wollfestival Düsseldorf
20.-22.09.19 Fanø Strikkefestival
28./29.09.19 Yarndale Skipton
28.09.-06.10.19 Shetland Wool Week
September 2019 Berlin Knits
September 2019 Das bunte Schaf Langenfeld
04.-07.10.19 Knit City Vancouver
11./12.10.19 Nederlandse Breidagen Zwolle
12./13.10.19 Wollmarkt Vaterstetten
16.-20.10.19 Loch Ness Knit Fest Inverness
19./20.10.19 German Raveler Meeting Leipzig
October 2019 Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival
October 2019 Westerwälder Wollfest Westerburg
November 2019 Yarnporium London
November 2019 Wiener Woll- und Stofffest
You may wonder why I went to three sessions per day only, but there is so much more happening around that you keep losing track of time. I had a lot of really good talks in the lobby, tried out Schachenmayr’s new premium Regia sock yarn Alpaca Soft on Pony “perfect” dpns at the Schachenmayr knitting lounge and took a look at the book samples Haupt and Stiebner publishing had provided for reviewing.
The yearly yarn exchange table is also something worth mentioning. You are asked to bring some yarn, needles, books or whatever knitting related things you would like to get rid of and place it on the marked table. You also may take whatever you like no matter whether you have contributed to it or not. The leftovers then are donated to a local charity that knits them up for people in need. But look at how full the table was this year! There even were bags and books placed around it!
Apart from yearly charity for people in need, there was another one this time, held by Claudia Eisenkolb, to support Förderverein für tumor- und leukämiekranke Kinder e.V., Mainz. Claudia sold a lot of her personal knits and donated the proceeds.
She revealed the sum of the proceeds in the closing session and I am speechless she was able to donate 1376,56 €. Well done, Claudia!
In contrast to the previous events, this year’s Yarncamp warm-up event on Friday night took place in a bistro only with no yarn shop visit beforehand. As much as I liked the former warm-ups in yarn shops, I have to admit, I prefer the pub only version. It is so nice to have all evening to get to know each other and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere with everybody looking forward to the actual event that starts the next morning. In case you did not attend, you definitely should. You will start your Saturday with a lot more familiar faces who are happy to see you again.
Big thanks to all the sponsors who once again have supported this event. This year’s goodie bag was so filled with yarn, accessories, etc. it almost would not close. I did not take a picture of it as I had to disassemble it completely to fit it into my luggage, but you can find a pictures of it here, e.g.
See you next year, Yarncamp! I already have blocked the first weekend in November 2019 in my calendar. Thank you for a fantastic weekend in Frankfurt!
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