2018 DFW Fiber Fest

I have a long history with the DFW Fiber Festival.   The first time I attended was in 2008, when the festival was held in its inaugural location, Addison, Texas. I must admit that I’ve never taken classes at the festival but have enjoyed the vendor hall almost every year since then.  And the vendor hall is what I wish to tell you about today.

In the past ten years, I’ve watched this fiber fest grow by epic proportions: it now fills the Irving Convention Center and attracts names like Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and podcasters like The Grocery Girls.

Vendors

The number of vendors at DFW grows every year but, thankfully, some of my favorite dyers continue to come year after year.  It’s always exciting when the vendor list comes out so you can start to plan your shopping.

2018 vendors included The Suburban Stitcher, Must Stash Yarn, Brazen Stitchery, Fiberlady, Hill Country Weavers, McKinney Knittery, West 7th Wool, Lost City Knits, October House Fiber Arts, Purrfectly Catchy Designs, Savvy Skeins, and Yarn Carnival – just to name a few.  I love how well Texas dyers are represented. But it’s also fun to see vendors from around the country!

(And there are some vendors coming in 2019 that I’ve been dying to shop!)

Culture

Strangely enough, some of my most awkward yarn-related interactions have occurred at DFW Fiber Fest.  It’s an odd thing. There are booths. You enter a booth. You say “hello” to the person that you assume is running the booth. And you get no response or a weird response that makes you think you’ve trespassed on sacred territory.  

I remember a vendor – from far away – who had a pattern on display that I adored.  The lady in the booth was outright rude when I seemed interested in the pattern but not her yarn.  I bought the pattern from her – when I could have gotten it on Ravelry – and still, she was not happy with me.  

But then in 2018, we (with my yarnie friend, Cheryl) went to the festival on Sunday, for the first time (we usually go on Saturday).  By 1:30, the vendor hall was nearly deserted. And the booth dwellers were actually a bit nicer. I’ll never forget the Must Stash booth.  Stacie came up to me like she knew me – she didn’t – with the biggest smile on her face. I gushed about her yarn….and then bought more of it.

Location

The Irving Convention Center is actually easy for me to get to.  I like that the fiber fest has chosen a location that is not in the messy downtown areas of Dallas or Fort Worth.  Parking has always been free – and I sincerely hope that tradition continues.

The convention center is easy to get around and the area in the middle of the main floor is always filled with tables for knitting, chatting, and resting.  

The 2019 dates for the festival are April 4 – 7.  If you’re in the area, come check it out!