July 10, 2011, at Splash Pad Park

The Oakland Fiber & Textile Festival, a free, family-friendly public event, returns to Splash Pad Park Sunday, July 10. Local artisans and craftspeople representing all the fiber arts will offer their wares; fiber enthusiasts will demonstrate crafts such as knitting, spinning, and weaving; and visitors can learn everything from handling and sorting raw fiber to making finished textile products.

Last year’s inaugural festival was a hit, with attendance exceeding expectations despite blistering heat. Hundreds of visitors of all ages browsed the fiber offerings and watched demonstrations. Newbies who took needles in hand for the first time with $1 knitting instruction went home with needles and yarn, as well as a brand-new skill.

This year there will be added focus on the make-and-take tables, where the fiber curious can try their hands (kids’ hands welcome!) at crochet, needlepoint, felting, and more for a nominal fee. Here the skills handed down through the generations, the ability to create something with your hands, will be passed on to visitors.

“With the Fiber Fest we are trying to bridge the gap between fiber farms in the rural areas and the end users in the cities, between the raw products and the finished garments, and most of all between those who have skills and experience to share with those interested in learning,” says festival co-founder Bente Petersen.

The festival is the brainchild of Petersen of Piedmont Yarn & Apparel and Lou Grantham of San Francisco Fiber, Oakland merchants committed to building community through public/private synergy. Working with other local merchants, the Oakland City Council, and the community at large, Grantham helped transform Splash Pad Park from an abandoned, ivy-covered eyesore to a community gathering spot.

Visitors have the opportunity to directly support local artisans and merchants, and any profit made by Petersen and Grantham on the festival itself will be donated to the Friends of the Park.

Vendors will offer raw materials such as freshly shorn alpaca, sheep and goat fleeces, and brightly colored artisan-dyed roving and yarn; finished products such as hats, shawls, and sweaters; notions like handmade buttons; and accessories such as shawl pins for a great finishing touch. More than 30 vendors, guilds, and nonprofits will be participating—almost twice as many as last year.

An exciting addition this year will be the fabric-swapping booth. Still have that piece of Superman print for pajamas for your 4-year-old, who is now 17? Come trade it for something for yourself. “Where else can you try knitting, crochet, needlepoint, felting, weaving, spinning, or quilting in one day? It’s a win-win-win agreement,” muses Petersen. “Vendors get exposure, the city gets some revenue, and the public is inspired to create, which benefits everyone.”

For more information please visit www.oaklandfiberfest.com

Posted by Urban Fauna Studio Intern:: Tina Li

If you can’t wait till our sale be sure to visit her at her OPEN STUDIO tomorrow! Karrie from Girl On The Rocks will be there also selling her novel accessories and hand dyed fiber!

Open Studio
Saturday, August 7th, from 12:00-5:00 p.m.
305 Vernon St., #2, Oakland, CA 94610
http://www.etsy.com/shop/pigeonroofstudios

ALTCRAFTat The American Craft Council Show

Our friend and fiber artist Sonya Philip (along 15 other talented artists) will be there showing her awesome felt ceramic art work. If you don’t get a chance to drop by her booth take a peek at her Etsy store. The picture above are of her fiber “migrating spleens”. Each one has a different face and they are hand knit.

About AltCraft – This section features rising indie craft artists whose work illustrates the innovative techniques and materials of the burgeoning new handmade movement. The work of 16 artists, selected through a special jury process, will be presented in a unique loft space in the Fort Mason pier.

American Craft Council Show in San Francisco
Friday August 14th 2009, 10am to 8 pm
Saturday August 15th 2009, 10am to 6pm
Sunday August 16th 2009, 10am to 5pm
Fort Mason
Marina Boulevard and Buchanan Street, San Francisco

Check out the feature in the San Francisco Chronicle

This class will teach the basics of weaving with a table top rigid heddle loom. You will learn how to warp the yarn, thread it and weave it. The Cricket Loom by Schact is compact, capable and cute! At only 11″ x 18″ x 6″ and just under four pounds, it’s easy to take along. Instructor Nancy Alegria has been weaving since 2003 and has taught weaving to both elementary school children and adults. She has also been a regular contributor to Weavecast and wrote an article for the first issue of Weavezine. Quality instruction and a rigid heddle loom offered at a great price! The class can be taken for a reduced fee if you already own a cricket loom or you would like to RENT one. Please contact us for more information. CLASS REGISTRATION LINK HERE

LEARN TO KNIT or CROCHET a BRIMMED HAT! - Two part class: August 1st & 15th 2009.

Skill Level: Knowledge of basic knitting or crochet needed
Hats with short curved brims are a universal favorite style — they keep the sun out of your eyes, give you a little attitude, and look great even on people who usually won’t wear knit hats.  Choose from two of Kira’s designs: the crocheted Mod Cap or the knit (with crocheted brim) Couvercle Cap, both of which have a wide size range from kids to adults.  If you haven’t made hats before, this would be a great first hat project! Instructor Kira Dulaney’s designs have been published in Knitty, Inside Crochet magazine, and the 2008 Stitch ‘n Bitch Page a Day Calendar.

CLASS REGISTRATION LINK HERE

CAMP PLUCKYFLUFF – Sunday August 30, 2009

This one day camp will be held at Urban Fauna Studio from 10am to 5pm. Instructed by master art yarn spinner Lexi Boeger of Pluckyfluff fame! We will cover a broad spectrum of techniques. The emphasis, however, will be on helping you to learn to create your own new and origional styles. Check out our Flickr for pictures from past camps. Don’t miss your chance to spend some time with Lexi and other spinners at this fun spinning workshop! Previous campers are encouraged to re-register. Lexi will cover new techniques for you and help you with improving your spinning methods! *Wheels may be available for rental from our store. Please inquire at time of class registration. Cost: $130.00 CLASS REGISTRATION LINK HERE

The Fiber Show, Friday July 24th, 7-10pm

270 anderson street, san francisco, ca 94110 (bernal heights)

The Fiber Show brings together a diverse collection of Bay Area artists whose two dimensional and sculptural pieces blur the lines between art and craft. From knitting needle to sewing thread, the manipulation of cloth and yarn challenges the idea of fiber as strictly functional. The skill share portion will provide instruction on how to needle felt using recycled sweater scraps, as well as an opportunity to knit on a collaborative scarf. Come out and visit us tonight at a local SF Fiber Show. Free needle felting demos!

Come and celebrate our 1 year anniversary in fibert-tastic style!

We are excited to announce that we are now certified as a San Francisco Green Business! What does this mean exactly?  Well, just because many shops are independently owned and selling green products does not make their business practice green. We decided that a more genuine commitment to sustainability was to get certified by the SF Green Business program. SF Green Business helps San Francisco businesses adopt environmental practices that are sustainable as well as profitable. We are the first fiber art and craft shop in the SF Bay Area with a green certification. We’re proud to be certified and grateful to have a wonderful community of customers and fiber artists who have been cheering us along the way! THANK YOU! Our colleague Lauren of Sweet Meats published a interview about our process. If you want to find out more about SF Green Businesses and what we have committed to do, read her article here: http://bizmiss.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/apparently-it-is-easy-being-green/

Upcoming Classes For July and August

Table Top Weaving – Saturday July 25th 2009
This class will teach the basics of weaving with a table top rigid heddle loom. You will learn how to warp the yarn, thread it and weave it. The Cricket Loom by Schact is compact, capable and cute! At only 11″ x 18″ x 6″ and just under four pounds, it’s easy to take along. The ten inch weaving width gives plenty of room to make a variety of projects without sacrificing portability. Comes with two stick shuttles, a warping peg, threading hook, two table clamps, and 8-dent rigid heddle reed and two balls of yarn. Instructor Nancy Alegria of Spindles and Flyers Spinning and Weaving Guild, is an excellent spinner and weaver. She will walk you through the completion of a small bag made from your first woven fabric. Quality instruction and a loom offered at a great price! Cost: $210 (includes tax) LINK HERE

Camp Pluckyfluff – Sunday August 30, 2009
This one day camp will be held at Urban Fauna Studio from 10am to 5pm. Instructed by master art yarn spinner Lexi Boeger of Pluckyfluff fame! We will cover a broad spectrum of techniques. The emphasis, however, will be on helping you to learn to create your own new and original styles. Check out our Flickr for pictures from past camps. Don’t miss your chance to spend some time with Lexi and other spinners at this fun spinning workshop! *Wheels may be available for rental from our store. Please inquire at time of class registration. Cost: $130.00 LINK HERE

Jumpin’ July SALE: In Studio and Online July 6th-16th 2009

In celebration of going green, we thought we would save you a little green on your next purchase at our studio or online at the MaryJane’s Attic Etsy Store! From July Monday 6th to Thursday July 16th 2009  we will be running a great deal on many of our products:

In The Studio….
20% OFF all In Stock * Rawfish Designs Handspun Yarns * MaryJane’s Attic Yarns & Fiber Kits * Bee Sweet Yarns * Noro Yarns * Magdalen Mowery Buttons * Roz Bears Needle Felted Creations * Commerical Dyed and Undyed Fibers * Jacquard Dyes * Knitware Ceramics *
30% OFF all in stock Fiber Craft Books
50% OFF all in stock Magazines!!!

New products in the shop include: * Hazel Rose Looms in 2×6″ lengths (great for book marks!) * New yarns, batts and fibers from Altered Visions, Marajane Creations, The Spun Monkey, and Traveling Rhinos * Copies of Spin Control by Amy King * Handspun Luxury Yarns From Spinn Dotter Min as seen in SPIN OFF Magazine Summer 2009 Armchair Traveler Article * And Much More…

Online @ Maryjanesattic.Etsy.Com
20% OFF ALL Products* in stock in our Etsy Store. You must enter “GREEN20″ in the notes section as you check out and we’ll refund you 20% of the purchae price after you complete payment. *Does not include the purchase of spinning wheels.

Shop early for the best selection! In Store frequent buyer cards will be honored for this sale so you SAVE even more!

Upcoming Shows – Come Visit UFS On The Road!

Renegade Craft Fair San Francisco
July 18th & 19th 2009: Booth #8 Visit us and our Boothmate Chibi
Sock Summit
Portland,OR August 6th-9th 2009: Booth #816

The crowds in Cypress Hall (Bazaar Bizarre Building)

Some pictures of our booth set up…
Marajane Creations Hand Dyed Romney Locks…incredibly soft!!
Traveling Rhinos Carded Wool Batts

Kira K Needle Cases, Roz Bears Needle Felted Bunnies, Girl On The Rocks Stitch Markers and lots more cute needle accessories…

Kundert and Greensleeves Spindles
Hand dyed below and handspun yarns up top…with The Spun Monkey’s beautiful Nuno felted scarves hanging in between.

More pictures of Bazaar Bizarre at Maker Faire can be found at http://www.flickr.com/groups/bazaarbizarresf/.

We made friends with sheep and a couple goats…

Met Amy Singer of Knitty Fame

Scoped out some new products for the store…
Earrings from Jennie The Potter

Cool recycled knitting needle jewelry from Sassafras

Some of the booty I scored for my personal stash


Blas went on a Golding Spindle binge…although I could hardly blame him. All of their work is gorgeous and turns out the Goldings are San Francisco natives!

And the incredibly bad for us, but damn good tasting faire food…Ribbon Chips With The Works: Fresh, thinly sliced potato deep fried to a golden crisp and topped with EVERYTHING

The best kettle corn we have ever had! Seriously perfect balance of sweet and salty. It was giant bag…none of it made it all the way back home. It was too yummy.

More pictures here.

The summit was packed with attendees both days we were there. That’s Jaime Zollars in the foreground. We Love her work! She is doing some design work for UFS and our other business. Will let you guys see the results soon hopefully.

We participated in two panel discussions, one about crafting a green craft and another about how to sell handmade goods in retail stores.  All our Co-panelists were incredibly nice, talented and educational. We enjoyed meeting them and felt it was a great match based on our diverse experiences in these topics.

Us with Cosa Verde couple Liz and Jeff (two of three fellow co-presenters) for Crafting A Green Craft panel.  Their site is new and innovative. If you want to shop green, online and support indie artists you have to check them out.

We heard Maria Thomas, CEO of Etsy, speak. She was a great speaker, her career path was interesting and inspirational. She really cares about seeing Etsy succeed.

We taught about 35 Summit attendees how to needle felt little birds…as expected they broke out some mad needle felting skills and made some very unique birds. Below is Kimberly Dorn, executive director of SOA. She made an awesome mustached bird with an fro!

We also participated in the Show Of Awesome, which was a mini craft show to show off some of the speaker’s goods. UFS got to pimp some of our consignors goods and tell people about our mission to sell green fiber supplies. You can see more pictures of the event on their Flickr Pool

I love it when outdoor shows work with us…the Mochi Bubble yarns I dyed looked great hanging from the top of the tent…..a yarny rainbow curtain to attract customers.

And we finally got a chance to break out the ginormous banner we had made…it didn’t even fit on our Stitches West booth.

There were  a ton of great new needle felters among us. These two kids did an awesome job needle felting a skull and chick….and of course they win the award for best emo kid pose. Their look says “too cool for school…but not too cool to needle felt.” Rock on Glen Park residents!

A few more pictures here