Fiberside Chat
Join Live Online Chats with Some of Fiber's Most Exciting Creators
We’ve invited some of your favorite designers and creators to join us for a series of online gatherings with Longmont Yarn Shoppe: Fiberside Chats!
Launched in May of 2020, these gatherings hosted on Zoom, are one-hour sessions with special guests joining us to give a peek into their world. These designers and creators will discuss their unique path, creative processes, latest projects—or whatever is inspiring them now. There will also be a Q&A session, giveaways, and other fun surprises for those who join!
How to register: Register on Longmont Yarn Shoppe website, select YARN HARBOR from drop down menu. Check out.
As a participating shop we get credit for bringing our customers along!
Your ZOOM Link will be sent the evening before and about 1 hour before the event. Check your spam filter if you do not see it.
NEW FOR YOU!
If you have a conflict in your schedule for a particular chat, don't worry we've got you covered. Many of our guests are allowing Zoom recordings of their Chat. You'll be able to confirm this on registration. Whether the chat will be recorded or not will be clearly stated for each chat.
Recordings will be available for 1 week after the chat, only to registered attendees.
Upcoming Guests:
Dawn Barker October 27th, 2024
Journey into the Innovative Assigned Pooling Technique with Dawn Barker
Join Fiberside Chats on October 27th for a special guest appearance by knitwear designer and dyer Dawn Barker. Dawn will delve into the origins, inspirations, and intricate process behind her groundbreaking assigned pooling stitching technique. She’ll offer valuable insights into color theory and yarn selection as she showcases a selection of her patterns. You’ll have a chance to have your questions answered by Dawn during the Q&A session, and you could be one of three lucky winners to receive a pattern and yarn to create your own project. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the pioneer of this transformative method and broaden your knitting horizons!
BIO:
Dawn Barker is the creative force behind the knitting technique known as Assigned Pooling. Through countless hours of research into color pooling dynamics and textured stitches, she has developed a captivating style of knitting that resembles embroidery on a knitted fabric. Dawn’s designs are characterized by clean, modern shapes, featuring classic, deeply saturated colors. Her lifelong love of fiber and her background as a fine artist led her to establish Barker Wool in 2017, a platform where she shares her hand-dyed fine yarns and innovative knitting designs with the world.
Dawn is happiest existing somewhere between the extreme freedom of dyeing and the structured discipline required to create practical, wearable designs from her yarns. Residing in Amarillo, Texas with her husband and two sons, she continues to push the boundaries of knitting, leaving an indelible mark on the worldwide fiber community. www.barkerwool.com
This is a live Zoom Event on Sunday, October 27th at 1:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Central, 11:00am Mountain, 10:00am Pacific
This Fiberside Chat will be recorded - a link to the recording will be available for one week and shared with registered attendees only.
Stephen West November 3, 2024
Woolly World of Westknits!
Join Stephen as he welcomes you into his colorful Wooly World of Westknits. In this 1 hour 15 minute presentation, Stephen will discuss how he chooses his color palettes and share secrets for how to make your palettes pop. This live presentation hosted on Zoom will be a visual feast for the eyes while Stephen gives you an up-close look at his newest designs along with the current, completed MKAL. We will discuss how to create successful color palettes for Marled knitting, Faded knitting, and graphic stripes and slip stitches. You will learn a few of Stephen’s color-changing tricks and color planning strategies to gain more confidence with your own knitting projects.
BIO:
Stephen was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He studied dance at the University of Illinois, where he encountered his first local yarn store, Klose Knit in Urbana. The creative atmosphere of that local shop spurred Stephen to start designing patterns, and he was soon featured in Knitty’s fall 2009 issue with his Colonnade Shawl. Not long after, he moved to Amsterdam, publishing more patterns and launching a series of pattern books under the name Westknits. He continues to produce pattern books and hosts several online knit-alongs each year. His simple, clean, architectural designs have now been knitted by thousands of knitters all around the world.
Stephen has taught workshops throughout the United States and internationally in Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Israel, Iceland, UK, and Amsterdam where he co-owns Stephen & Penelope, a yarn boutique in the city center. In 2019 Stephen and his business partner Malia Mae Joseph realized a long-held dream by launching their first yarn brand, West Wool.
This is a live Zoom Event on Sunday, November 3rd at 1:00pm Eastern, 12:00pm Central, 11:00am Mountain, 10:00am Pacific, 7:00pm CET
This Fiberside Chat will be recorded - a link to the recording will be available for one week and shared with registered attendees only.
Sissal Kristiansen November 17, 2024
A Stitch in Time: The Faroese Fisherman Sweater and Its Significance
Sheep outnumber humans on the Faroe Islands, home to just 55,000 people. Centuries ago, the remote archipelago relied on wool and knitting as primary exports, but as fishery became more important, wool remained vital for providing knitwear to fishermen braving the North Atlantic. Sheep, Sea and Sweater rhyme – and the rise in fishery gave rise to the iconic Faroese Fisherman Sweater, known for its striking patterns and colourwork, and still today, it is significant in Faroese knitting. The islands' isolation and limited land fostered a unique culture that continues to thrive today, even as the Faroese enjoy modern lifestyles.
In her presentation, Sissal Kristiansen will guide you through the rich history and culture of Faroese knitting. She will explore its development and introduce the distinctive traits of the two-layered wool produced by Faroese sheep, discussing its advantages and challenges then and in today’s world. Register now for a virtual visit to learn about these stunning, woolly islands through Fiberside Chats!
BIO:
Sissal Kristiansen is a Faroese knitwear designer and owner of Shisa Brand. She is a proud Faroese and loves her country, its culture, and its history. She has a great passion for Faroese knitting, history, wool, and sheep—to such an extent that she has initiated the project ‘the Wool Islands’ to share the history of Faroese knitting and wool culture and to promote Faroese wool and knitting. She emphasizes the importance of working collectively to advocate for Faroese wool. She is an international lecturer and part of a consortium of like-minded business owners who promote local wool products and knitwear.
https://instagram.com/shisabrand, https://www.instagram.com/thewoolislands, https://www.instagram.com/karensissal
This is a live Zoom Event on Sunday, November 17th at 1:00pm EST, 12:00pm CST, 11:00am MST, 10:00am PST, 6:00pm WET
This Fiberside Chat will be recorded - a link to the recording will be available for one week and shared with registered attendees only.