Like a city full of cats, Prince George gets to play with string all this week.
For the second time in as many years a team of local knitters and crocheters, spinners and weavers are pulling back the curtain on a festival of handmade textiles. Fibre Fest 2018 is coming together on Sept. 16, and the runway into that event is the Great Northwest Yarn Crawl.
The yarn crawl is a community-building event that began in June. It is a passport program whereby enthusiasts are directed to yarn stores across the region, all of which are participating in the contest. It's the event organizers' way of introducing the yarn users of the area to all the resources available throughout the area.
"The yarn crawl finishes up Sept. 9. There is still time to take part in that," said Bonne Leiphart, one of the founders of the event. "We are trying to nudge people to get out there and try more stores. We have nine on the list and we are very excited to include Alberta, we have a store in Sexsmith participating, so we even changed the name to The Great Northwest Yarn Crawl. We also got a lovely donation of a prize and well-wishes from a store in Edmonton that isn't on the yarn crawl list but just wanted to encourage us and give us some solidarity."
Passports to obtain verifications on the yarn-themed scavenger hunt can be picked up in any of the participating stores: Darling Deviance, Ewe's Knitting, Faking Sanity, Hippy Strings, Impossible Knot, The Olde Spinning Wheel, Top Drawer, Vanderhoof Department Store, and Yarn & Sew On.
For instructions on how to turn your completed passport pages into prizes, visit the official organization website at www.playing-with-string.com.
The festival on Sept. 16 is a full day of textile activities and interactions.
"We are very excited. We have lots of new things going on this year," said Leiphart, building on the lessons of last year. "We really put the focus on workshops and demonstrations."
There is no charge to attend, and all levels of experience or curiosity are welcome.
The instructors and presenters this year include Natalie Wolfe, Tara Bogh, Sharon Stene, Leiphart, and others. Celebrity knitter Nicky Epstein has donated a number of her personal items like books she's authored.
Faking Sanity representatives will demonstrate an E-spinner, a new tech tool that aids in the spinning process so people with limited hand capacity can still do it.
"We are having a Fibre Friends Gather Area, a space set aside where people can bring their own items, people can sit around and talk about things, and there will be a registry there where people can write out the knit group they blong to," said Leiphart. "I take part in two knit groups in town and I know of at least three more. If you're travelling, and you want to drop in on a knit group, there has to be some knowledge of that. Some knit groups are just for themselves, a closed group, but a lot of them are open to anyone and that's a great way to meet new people, spread the word about local knitting, share local knowledge. Talking with other people can bring up solutions if you're having a challenge with a technique or where to find certain things."
Local band Chilako will perform live music to add some entertainment. There will also be a drop-n-swap this year.
"You bring your own unloved or never-gonna-need-it yarn, you drop it off on the table, and if you spot anything you like on the table, you can take it home with you for free," Leiphart explained. "If you didn't bring something to swap, that's ok, there's a donation box where you can make a cash contribution and the funds raised from that will go to the Brunswick Street Seniors' Centre."
That is the place where Fibre Fest takes place. It is free admission and operates 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
