Knitting Plans – so much yarn, so little time

Even as my head is full of possibilities having just completed the 3-day, Knit Camp at the Coast, VIP retreat with Marie Greene, I am planning ahead for those frigid days when the garden is in its winter rest.  As a means of continuing my knitting immersion, I registered for the 2022 Have a Ball Fall Crawl and several Fireside Chats.  These virtual activities were created in 2020 as our world went into pandemic lockdown and local yarn stores (LYS) scrambled to stay afloat.  Even as brick-n-mortar sales picked up, shop owners had discovered these online events were an engaging marketing technique.  Through the wonder of Zoom, local and distant customers could be brought together with far-flung resources which generated sales and kept ledgers in the black.

The five-day Fall Crawl will feature 28 LYSs located in the U.S. and Canada including several that I frequent often – Yarnology in Winona and 3 Kittens in Mendota Heights (always a regular stop anytime I am on my way to St. Paul); several that I only know as online vendors like Knot Another Hat in Hood River, Oregon, as well as shops that are on my wish list of places to visit like Stash in Charlotte, NC (hopefully as part of November 2023 plans to attend Verse & Vino – that library’s major fundraiser).  Each participating shop will have 45-minutes to showcase its specialties, share locally designed patterns, and offer discounted sales.  Plus, there are will be prizes just for participating!

The Fall 2022 Fireside Chats will connect Zoom participants and designers from California to Denmark, Uruguay to Maine and beyond.  The various creators will share the story of their unique fiber journeys, showcase favorite techniques, and describe their latest creative ventures.  There will be time for Q&A, pattern discounts, and (yes) more prizes.

Happy Knitting!