What: Indie Fiber Arts Marketplace and Fiber Arts Classes

Who: Everyone who loves to work with beautiful and unique yarn and fiber. There will be yarn and fiber dyers, teachers, spinners, designers, creators, and sewers – and, of course, you and your fiber loving friends!

Where: Wilkins School Community Center in Regent Square, 7604 Charleston Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218 **

When: Saturday November 14th, 2015, Marketplace will be open 10:00-4:00 and Classes will run 9-6

Why: Because this is the best place in Pittsburgh to score fabulous hand-made fiber arts supplies and learn new things! Come shop for your holiday knitting, gifts or… just for you!

and entry is free!

**Please note, this space is not handicapped accessible, and requires the climbing of several flights of stairs to get to the show. Despite efforts to raise the funds, the Community Center has not yet succeeded in getting enough money for an elevator.

Name: Kelly Straub
Business: Shirsty Cat Designs
Website: www.shirstycat.com

For the love of color…

Color is everywhere… but often we take color for granted because most of us are lucky enough to see the full beauty of the rainbow. If you suddenly couldn’t see all those colors, how would you feel? Would you be sad or frustrated? I know I would be. I love color, I relish color and all the beauty it brings. I love the way color can move me, can affect or reflect my mood and desires. It was through that love of color that I was drawn to art, and through art I discovered knitting, literally wearable art.

I found my way to knitting and fiber arts over ten years ago now, I have relished the opportunity it has given me to play with that color. I got to take strands of vibrant reds, rich blues, and lush greens and literally knit them together into a wearable landscape of color. Soon I was drawn to mixing my own colors, and dying my own yarns; literally getting my hands in it at times so I could play with those colors as many times as possible.

Since the advent of my business, Shirsty Cat Designs, I have been able to share my love of color with people who fully appreciate it. People who can see not only a beautiful skein of yarn, but the spectacular garment it can become through their effort. It is that passion, that vision, that joy, that brings me out to celebrate with you all the magic that is color.

Name: Joanna Romaniuk
Business: Joanna’s Boutique
Website: www.etsy.com/JoannasBoutique and
On Facebook


A few words about me
I was born and raised in Poland. I learned to knit when I was a child – it was just something what we all were doing. As my daughters grow up and moved out I become more involved in knitting. I taught myself how to spin on the spindle – from book! and later how to dye fiber. Today I spin using Hansen e-spinner. Never used wheel. I just love it. And all of this colors! Selling my stuff allowes me to play with the colors I could not wear and create more then I can wear.

This year at Indie Knit and Spin you could…
listen to a lecture on natural dyeing or conservation wool breeds!
get in depth about sock heels or learn crochet for knitters!
learn to make buttons, dye your own yarn, or create some peace with yoga and yarn.

So many options for classes starting at just 30 minutes and $5! https://indieknitandspin.com/all-classes/

If you’ve been thinking about taking a class, now is the time to sign up. To register or get more information, email me at cosymakes(at)gmail(dot)com.

Name: Emily Eckel
Business: Artisan Buttons
Website: www.etsy.com/shop/ArtisanButtons

Artisan Buttons offers a selection of buttons not found in the big box stores.
My buttons are hand crafted from recycled or locally sourced materials.

I make reclaimed hardwood buttons from old rulers, instrument boxes, broken furniture, children’s blocks and wood workers scraps. The buttons are made in series and when the source material is exhausted the series is complete. For this reason all of the wood buttons are limited editions.

My hand dyed recycled buttons are salvaged from button collections of friends, or purchased at thrift shops and estate sales. These white or light colored buttons are carefully cleaned and sorted. Then they are dyed in a hot dye process and rinsed obsessively. They all take the dye a bit differently and no two are exactly the same. The colors are rich.

I also make buttons using pre industrial revolution techniques such as needle weaving embroidery floss onto rings. The Dorset cross wheel design is an example of one of these beautiful patterns. This technique was once a closely guarded secret among the button makers living in a small area in England. Their way of earning a living ended with the industrial revolution.

My cover buttons are made from wonderful textiles that I find in thrift shops or people give me because they are damaged. Currently I have buttons made from an embroidered tea towel, a textile made of woven ribbons and a Japanese silk scarf.

Name: Stephanie Alford
Business name: SpaceCadet
Website: http://spacecadetyarn.com/

At SpaceCadet yarn, we passionately believe that knitting and crocheting make people happier, deep down inside, and that nothing does that more than working with gorgeous, vibrant yarn. For us, dyeing is a cosmic adventure. We start with high quality yarns and luxurious fibers — merino wool, silk, linen, and bamboo — to begin the wonderful process of mixing our dyes by hand and seeing where the colour takes them . The result is yarn and fiber that is as exciting to work with as it is for us to create.


In the last year, we’ve really taken that adventure to a new level, moving into a dedicated studio and using that opportunity to explore exciting new dyeing techniques. And with exploration comes a lot of experimentation… and the result is stunning one-of-a-kind colourways that we may never be able to repeat but that are too gorgeous to pass up — and that is what we’re bringing to Indie Knit & Spin! Once they’re gone, they’re gone, so come to our booth early to get the best pickings!

Name: Amy Maceyko
Business: Structured Stitches
Website: structuredstitches.wordpress.com

Amy designs patterns for both knitting and crochet, and she sells them as pdfs on Ravelry, Patternfish, and LoveKnitting. As an architect, she loves both the design aspect of the work, but also the layout and writing of the instructions to make them as clear and straightforward as possible. Ask her about the similarities between architecture and fiber arts or the differences between knitting and crochet, and you may get a much longer response than you anticipated!

Name: Gwen E. Brown
Business: Gwen Erin Natural Fibers
Website: gwenerin.com

At the end of this year, I can say that I have five solid years of business behind me. It’s an exciting and surprising place to be. I have begun to settle into my routine of making and I have an established product line. However, things are always evolving and changing. Recently I have shifted my focus more towards combed top and less on carded roving. The accessibility, variety, and quantity available have made it less of a struggle to acquire fiber. This fall I have added three new breeds of wool to the collection: organic Polwarth, domestic Targhee, and Cheviot. The Polwarth is incredibly soft, while the Cheviot is a bit more coarse and perfect for beginner spinners. The Targhee has an exceptionally spongy texture and makes a yarn with superb elasticity.

As always, there will be dyed locks and carded batts to pick through, handspun yarn to fondle, and assorted notions to snatch up. A little bit of everything.

Name: Stacey and Ting
Business name: Chickpea Yarns
Website: etsy.com/shop/chickpeayarns

We are two friends who have been knitting, cooking, and laughing together for many years. One day late last spring, decided to experiment with dyeing yarn together. We loved the process and the end results so much that we decided to dye yarn for other knitters (and crocheters!) to enjoy as well!

The parts we have come to love most about our dyeing and selling adventures: ending the day with Easter egg colored hands (somehow someone always forgets their gloves); giggling over potential names for each of our colorways; writing cute, funny, or fangirlish descriptions for each skein we list in our shop; getting awesome feedback from happy customers (!!!).

Indie Knit and Spin will be our first craft show, so please give us lots of love! :)

Names: Nikki Bush and Candace McCandless
Business: Peppermint Knits
Website: www.etsy.com/shop/peppermintknitsllc

Two girls who are dyeing to meet you.

Vintage mini-skeins

Kettle dyes

Egg hunt

Colored pencils