2020 Classes, Swag, and the Ever-Popular Longest Thread Competition

For many years now, we've run The Longest Thread Competition at Homespun Yarn Party. Its been such a hit, that we’re doing it again!

Bring your favorite drop spindle and 10g of the fiber of your choice. Everybody gets ten minutes to spin as much singles yardage as they can. The longest singles wins GLORY, and a prize!

Hope you join us!

Don't know how to spin on a drop spindle? We will teach you! We'll offer free classes on knitting, crochet, and drop spindle throughout the day. If you're a beginner looking to pick up a new craft, loaner needles and hooks will be provided for intro to knit and crochet lessons. For the spinning lessons, you can purchase some fiber and a spindle from one of our lovely vendors or bring your own.

We're excited to bring you two new intermediate technique classes this year:

Mosaic knitting is a technique using two colors of yarn and slipped stitches to create colored patterns in knitting, working only one color per row. We'll give a brief description of mosaic knitting, show some samples, talk about yarn and needles choices, how to read mosaic charts and written instructions, and will end with a small sample project. Yarn will be provided, or bring your own contrasting colors.

© kiraknits

Want to take your crochet to the next level? Smitten with color work and want to get it on your hooks? Just have a cross stitch pattern laying around that you think would make a really cool throw pillow? Come learn how to do tapestry crochet and add those crisp color patterns to your next project. Grab any two colors and a hook, and we'll show you all the rest. Knowledge of how to chain and single crochet are helpful, but absolute beginners can learn too.

© tobebeatrice

In our popular More Ways to Cast On class, we'll show a few different options - i.e. for toe up socks, or the circular cast on for shawls (instead of the tab), or even how to knit that tab. Time permitting, we may add some cast-off options, such as a stretchy bind off for socks or cuffs.

Classes are held at the center tables. Space is limited and classes are first come, first served.

12:45 – Intro to Crochet

1:15 – Mosaic Knitting

1:45 – Intro to Drop Spindle

2:15 – Tapestry Crochet

2:45 – Intro to Drop Spindle

3:15 – More Ways to Cast-On

3:45 – Longest Thread Contest

4:15 – Intro to Knitting

In addition to our group sessions, our Roving Teachers will be available for one-on-one project help and Q&A throughout the day.

Do you have a project in the works that could benefit from some quick expert advice? Bring it along! Our teachers have generously offered to make time available for those needing a bit of help on a project (e.g. picking up stitches, tightening holes in heel gussets, those blasted side stitches that like to get messy, joining new fiber on your spindle without losing twist, interpreting a tricky pattern instruction) and offer impromptu mini-sessions and on the spot Q&A on crochet, spinning, and knitting.

If you see one of our teachers sitting at the class table without an active class session, or roving about, sporting an HYP "Roving Teacher" button, feel free to flag them down for assistance!

Our teachers will be out and about throughout the day. We want to make sure our teachers get some shopping time in, so if they don't have their button on, they're off-duty.

We'll have fantastic door prizes throughout the day, courtesy of our vendors and sponsors. You'll get a raffle ticket as you enter, and we'll draw winners every half hour. Prize packages will be on display at the HYP Door Prizes table (aka the TABLE OF AWESOME) - place your ticket in the jar for the prize you'd most like to win but make sure you'll be in the room when that ticket is drawn - you must be present to claim your prize.

Don't forget to bring your knitted/crocheted hats for the 500 Hats Project. Some hats will be started if you'd like to stop by and add a few rounds. You can read more about this year's project here.

We'll have large and small Homespun Yarn Party bags in new colors, stickers, stitch marker boxes, key tags, tape measures, and buttons for sale at the HYP swag table just inside the door. If you don't have a swift and ball winder at home, or if you just can't wait to start working with your new purchases, we will offer winding for $2 a skein at the HYP Winding Station. All proceeds support future Homespun Yarn Party events.

Here's a preview...

Weather permitting, the adjacent deck will be available to hang out and socialize if you need a break from shopping. If the deck is open and it's warm, we welcome wheel spinning and electric spinners outside. Keep your fingers crossed for lovely weather, but our vendors are all indoors so we are mud-free and dry, rain or shine!

NOTE: Our class tables must be kept open for our scheduled sessions and Roving Teachers, and our charity tables for those actively working on a charity project. We ask that shoppers leave their wheels in their vehicles until the final hour of the event unless the deck is open (check first as we have no public storage space).