Firstly let me apologize for the radio silence. While we had an absolutely fantastic show in 2021 we’ve run into more than a few hurdles with trying to get a show running in 2022. The key issue so far has been trying to find a location within the city that could both fit our ever growing audience and wasn’t so expensive that we would have to charge admission (and this was even before inflation really hit the area).

Nova Place was our first experiment with going over the river (even though it was just a little bit) but while the space was a huge success, the location proved to be an issue for many (there was quire a few twisty roads there). So now we are looking for a new home, but we still want to stay accessible to as many people as possible. This means changing something, but we haven’t completely decided what.

So please be patient. If you have any ideas, suggestions, concerns, or just want to reach out, feel free to email us at indieknitandspin@gmail.com or comment here.

In the meantime we will keep our previous show information up so you can continue to shop from our previous wonderful vendors. Also be sure to attend the many other fantastic shows in the Pittsburgh area.

See you soon,

-Nik

We are looking forward to seeing so many of you tomorrow. Some final updates:

• Masks are required.
• Road Construction: Unfortunately Federal Street is still closed and Google doesn’t seem to know yet. Please take East Commons and drive the large square around to the front of Nova Place. If in doubt, try navigating to the Children’s Museum first and then continue around West Commons to South Commons. You can also park in Red Lot 6 if you fancy a walk.
• Early access passes will be available at the door for $5 cash or you can purchase online through the EventBrite App.
• Looking to avoid the crowds but don’t want to pay for early access? Come by after 3pm for a typically slow time.

To help everyone plan their visit we are uploading the latest vendor map for IKS! You will note there are two elevators from the garage: Plaza and Central. Prior to 12 noon please use the Plaza elevator to gain access through the northern Plaza door entrance.

It is with a heavy heart that we have to cancel the workshop from Alana Wilcox for this IKS, but fear not, we are taking the feedback to heart and are already planning on how we can best introduce workshops for the next IKS. Everyone who signed up for the event previously has been fully refunded. Please let us know if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing everyone this Saturday!

I would like to take a moment to address the elephant in the room: COVID-19. Some of you may be thinking, “What are you thinking holding a fiber festival during a pandemic?!?!?!” The answer, in short, is that we believe we can do this show safely for everyone. I want to take a little bit to outline exactly why we feel that way:

1. Our space: You’ve seen in the video, we have a huge space!  I can’t emphasize enough how big this place is.  Seriously, we’ve got airflow almost like being outside. We have come a long way in 10 years from the two story school house, and this is a really big contributor for why we feel safe.
2. Shallow booths: We are pioneering a new type of booth for all our vendors this year: 6 foot deep and 6, 12, or 18 feet wide. Gone are the days of getting locked into a booth or not being able to reach the pretties inside! This also prevents people from crowding and helps to ensure adequate airflow and spacing.
3. Masking works:  The data from around the world, and even around the US shows that masking works which is why we are requiring everyone to wear masks at our event regardless of vaccination status (and we will have some extra in case people forget them at home). Please remember that many of our fiber friends are immune compromised, have children at home who can’t be vaccinated yet, or both. If you feel you cannot wear a mask we encourage you to shop our vendors through their online shops.
4. Science and statistics:  Amongst other things I have been playing with the tool at microcovid.org.  This is a website that helps to evaluate the probabilities of exposure at an event like this.  You can enter your specific conditions and check how you can minimize your risk.  I have made an example on how we see IKS going for attendees.  The key things to note are to put your vaccination status as well as adjust your acceptable level of risk.  Keep in mind their “Low Caution” is limiting yourself to a 3% chance of getting COVID in a year if you did something attend IKS every week.
5. Wristbands:  Ok this won’t actually protect you from COVID, but we have decided to give out 3 colors of wristbands: Black for vendors and volunteers, green for “early access”, and red for “Greet from 6 feet”.  While we all should be keeping our distance, it will be great to have a visual reminder for those of us who are especially vulnerable or concerned.

We know that even with all of these precautions some of you will still not feel comfortable attending IKS this year. That is ok, we will welcome you with open arms next time and would love for you to shop at our vendors online shops. We look forward to seeing those of you who can come this Saturday to join us in celebrating 10 years of IKS.

We are running out of time. We need 15 people to sign up by Tuesday, October 5th or we will have to delay the workshop until next IKS (no sign ups on day of). We have a huge space where we can spread out and still get the best class experience. Let’s make this work!

Find out more information and sign up on Alanna’s website here!

Greetings IKS fans.  We are just under 3 weeks away and we are throwing some wonderful wrenches into the mix.  Alanna Wilcox has amazingly offered to host a workshop called “12+ Ways to Spin a Painted Top” based off her book “A New Spin on Color”.  This will be a 6 hour workshop with fiber supplies included for only $160.  And don’t worry about missing out on any IKS awesomeness, this class includes a break during the second half of early access and ends early enough for you to check out any vendors you missed out on your first round.

There is one catch though: we need to make sure we get enough students, so tell your friends!

Find out more information on Alanna’s website here!

Note: When you click “Register Now” it add’s the class to the cart in the top right. Click there to finish your registration.

Want to avoid the rush and get first access to all our wonderful vendors? Get an early access pass for $5 (+$1.04 Eventbrite fee) to gain access from 11am-12pm. Only 125 early access tickets are to be made available so be sure to get one while you can.

IKS will be free to access from 12pm (noon) to 5pm.