Now vs. Later: Why It Matters

It’s summer, and people are starting to be out and about more. It’s great news that many of us are finding we’re able to visit with some of our friends and family members, but it also means registration levels are down at the online fiber festivals.

Classes that are undersubscribed are subject to cancellation, and that’s a shame. These festivals are pretty terrific and they have some amazing programming coming up. So if you are planning to take a class but haven’t signed up for it, you should register as soon as possilble. Delaying may mean the class you want won’t be there. 

I’ll be teaching quite a bit this month (assuming the students are there): In addition to a Log Cabin knitting class I’m teaching through my own website on Saturday, I’ll be at Virtual Knit City this weekend (July 9-11), Vogue Knitting Live July 15, and Fiberworld July 22-25. (You can see the full details on my Classes page; I’m always excited to spend time helping you expand your knitting skills!)

I want to talk a bit about Fiberworld in particular. It’s a newer show, only in its second year. Unlike most other events out there, this one was conceived to be virtual forever. That means it’ll be there every year for all those folks who can’t travel to attend fiber festivals, and it will always offer an opportunity for teachers from all over the world to connect to students on other continents.

Fiberworld is unique in the way they structure their content. Sure, there are plenty of classes with renowned teachers (and I’m the last person to talk you out of taking classes, as that is how I make a living), but the $25 admission ticket to Fiberworld includes so much content that you could spend all day every day watching lectures and demos and you’d have an incredibly full four days without spending another penny. Some folks might balk at that $25 admission price; there are other fiber events that charge $5-10 admission or include it free with a class purchase. But that $25 admission to Fiberworld includes access to a seriously overwhelming amount of content — much more than I’ve seen at any other festival. There are lectures, panels and demos, both recorded and live, going on two different “stages” for 12+ hours a day. There are pajama parties, trivia nights, bingo, and a pet fashion show. There are lectures on the life and contributions of Elizabeth Zimmerman, the history of wartime knitting, craftivism, on breadmaking and fermenting foods. There are dyeing demonstrations and a beer tasting. There’s more than I can reasonably list, so if you’re interested, go on over to Fiberworldshow.com and click on the Stage and Lounge schedule.

And if you are interested in adding some classes to that lineup, there’s a coupon code, TICKETCLASS15, that’ll get you $15 off your first class.

Romi Hill made a particularly good case in this tweet yesterday as to why we should all be supporting Fiberworld. I agree with the points she’s made. Fiberworld is doing a great job of paying teachers fairly, they’ve worked really hard to be as inclusive and responsive as possible, and they are offering outstanding content. I believe in this show and hope to get to be a part of it for many years to come. But if we want events like this to continue, we have to support them.

Of course any festival that has to cancel a class will refund your money promptly or offer options for other classes. And the class I’m personally hosting on my website, New Directions in Log Cabin Knitting, will go forward on Saturday no matter what. 

But I hope it doesn’t come down to cancelled classes and disappointed students and teachers. I hope we knitters can appreciate the chances we have to connect, to learn, and to be a community together.  Maybe a little reminder is just what we need.