Stitches East/United has struggled in Hartford...I don't know what it was like in the places it was at before Hartford, but I've worked or attended it for 3 or 4 years....The first year was fantastic and it was well attended, but attendance has gone down every year since (with a break 2 years ago). Last year, they changed it from Stitches East to Stitches United, bringing in quilting and other fiber arts, such as cross stitch, etc.
I've attended most of the fiber festivals in and around the northeast.....from my small Connecticut Sheep and Wool (next month) and which shared the weekend with Stitches last year, upsetting many locals.....to Vogue New York (so massively crowded all three times I've gone) and Rhinebeck...I've also been to shows in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and upstate New York.
So I just counted and it looks like there were about 79 vendors...I don't quilt and I gave away all my cross stitch stuff, so I'm only interested in the yarny vendors...and it looks like about 59 of them were geared toward knitters/crocheters.
I was happy to see a few new vendors...Leading Men Fiber Arts...I'd heard a lot about them from YarnHoarder....Makers Mercantile...they were suppose to be there last year and had to pull out last minute. I got to meet a Facebook friend, we are in a yarn group together, Alexandra of Alexandra's Crafts...got a pretty lilacy colored skein from her....We had a talk about the show. She is from the Northwest, close to Portland and as she said, "the mecca" of yarn....and they never have attendance issues at any of the many festivals out there.....so I'm not sure what it is......
I also talked quite a bit with Lisa Bass of White Birch Fiber Arts. I have posted before of the amount of her self-stripe I own...sigh...I purchased a gradient, speckled hat kit with a pompom from her....
There was a lot of talking going on, as it was easy to do because the crowds were so small....
I also took my first class, Selbu Mittens with Jeffrey Wall of The Yarn Guys. It was interesting...I only got to the cuff before I had to leave about 20 minutes early to catch the shuttle to the march.
All in all, an enjoyable weekend for me....my friend Maureen went on Friday with our friend Diane and they had a good time too...Then she joined me on Saturday and hung out while I took the class in the morning.....Yes, I spent money and I know others did....but just worried that there wasn't enough attendees for the vendors to make their booth fees and expenses back....(I helped out in a booth the past couple of years, but she chose not to have a booth this year)
My haul? Not great pictures, as the light was bad...
I'll have better pictures on Saturday for Stash Acquisition.....with some other acquired stash
oh and a funny picture, I noticed this in the toilets of the Convention Center, pretty handy!
1 comment:
Wow; just 79 vendors? I'm shocked. Our STITCHES had about 181 vendors. Some vendors is better than none and 79 is still a good number because it can get overwhelming. I usually start in the back and work my way up to the front. I was pooped by aisle 100. I really like the looks of your minis from the convention.
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