Dear knitters,
dear fellow yarn dyers,
when I started my yarn journey a couple of years ago, I did not even dare dreaming of joining the passionate crowd and meeting newly found friends on festivals all over Europe, and recently USA. It was beyond my wildest expectations to envision such a future, but here I am, telling you, my dear companions and mind travelers, where we could meet next! I worked my butt off to be here where I am now, and, although I am currently penniless - I invested my last dime in new knowledge and new destinations, I am at peace and content. Content to lead the life I love, surrounded with people who love me. What more could one wish for!
Here is my compilation of the yarn festivals for the next year and to my current knowledge. Feel free to expend the list in the comments!
September 2024
27 & 28.09.24
Nederlandse Breidagen or Dutch Wool Days
New location supposed to bring younger and hipper crowd between Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Looking forward to this one, as I built a nice relationship with several Dutch dyers and knitwear designers. Besides it is reachable from Berlin by car and not overpriced.
October 2024
12 & 13.10.24
Knit, eat & co. 2024, La Sucrière, Lyon, France
This will be my first time and I will be happy to report, but all I hear is: cool, relaxed and hip. Je suis excitée!
25, 26 & 27.10. 24
Stockholm Fair, Stockholm, Sweden
This seams to be a very intense festival chain that has its iterations in Stockholm (October), Malmö (Spring), Gothenburg (August) and Umeå (September) and a little bird told me they are good for the hand dyers although the original concept is more like a handiwork fair. I will definitely put it on the list, but it seams to be quite far away for a sole entrepreneur like yours truly, and I have to contemplate the logistics.
November 2024
03.11.2024
Fiber Fold DK, Roskilde, Denmark
This was my first yarn festival and it will always stay dear to my heart. I met yarn dyers who helped me a lot to settle in the business and I have never felt such a community vibe as there, since it was still small (they moved to a bigger location now, two years ago we were literally selling in a big metal container - grassroots activism at its best!). It was a great start to the yarn dyeing scene and definitely the one I will remember forever. An extra perk: Denmark is absolutely stunning and just a stone throw away from Berlin (2h drive - 2h ferry - 1h drive), which makes it a great weekend destination, so you can combine business and pleasure!
16 & 17.11.2024
Barcelona Knits, WTC Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
This is a festival that is happening on a location that overlooks the Barcelona port so while you are knitting, eye shopping or chatting around with every knitfluencer on the planet who shows up here, you might simultaneously wave to the sailors leaving for Americas or other wild seas. Sometimes they hoop their horns to say good bye to the firm land, so it is goose bumps guaranteed! Besides a lot of fun in the evening, as Barcelona never sleeps. If there is one festival in Europe you would like to visit, choose this one. Honestly, even if you just walk around in circle not knowing what to do, you will walk in the shadows of Diego Velázquez and Christopher Columbus, and well....you know the end of the story. The world became a totally different place after their time, right?
Munich Knits , 30.11 - 01.12.2024
The newest in the festival heavens, Munich Knits escaped my attention, but seems to have built a wonderful roaster of teachers and yarn dyers, so I will definitely pay it a visit!
January 2025
16, 17, 18 & 19.01.2025
Vogue Knitting LIVE, Marriott Marquis Times Square, New York City, NY USA
Craziness overload! The only festival I know that lasts for four days and gathers powerful crowd. Maybe not the hippest of all, but definitely a duchess among the knitting festivals, so go and bow to her majesty the VOGUE and NYC. And if time and budget allows: Sweeney Todd and Hamilton on Broadway are just next door.
February 2025
14, 15 & 16.02.2025
Love Yarn Madrid , Madrid, Spain
I might visit this festival for the first time in 2025 to be able to say more. Reports vary, but according to the photos - it looks big.
April 2025
4 & 6.04.2024
Swiss yarn festival looks so picturesque and I enjoyed watching the Fruity Knitting podcast in this fairy tale location, I am definitely planning to visit it in the future. If you are an EU-based dyer, bare in mind that Switzerland does not belong to the EU free trade area and the shipping to Switzerland faces many administrative and financial obstacles, so it might not be your primary focus to present your yarn. On the flip side, the crowd seems to be passionate!
July 2025
05 & 06.07.2025
Wollfestival Kassel , Kongress-Palais Kassel, Kassel
It is only its second iteration, but I've heard it was a blast for the dyers last year!
Jyvaskyla Knit Festival 2025 (summer edition)
Knitting festival in Jyväskylä, Finland
This festival has something to do with Jonna from Laine Magazine, a local yarn shop tititiyy and Finish Tuku Wool and it is supposed to happen twice a year, in summer and winter. However, since it is very new, I haven't heard any reports. It is quite far, 2000 km away from Berlin, so, I am afraid, my curiosity might stay unsatiated, for now. Besides, social and web are in Finnish, meaning the crowd is local. Would definitely love to visit as a teacher or just a knitter!
August 2025
Flock Fiber Festival, Seattle, WA, USA
Seems to gather the hip yarn crowd, would like to visit it, as soon as the time and budget allows!
Take a deep breath ....then go back to the beginning 🥰😅😜
