Publication Date:March 9, 2009 Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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ISBN13: 9780470289358
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Condition: New
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Amazon.com Review Meet the people, sample the flavor, and experience the kinship through 11 unique events and more than 25 inspiring projects
Throughout history, we've gathered together in the market square. We're there to buy and sell, to get good deals on fibers, fabrics, fruits, vegetables, and bread, but we're also there to see friends, gossip, trade recipes, and admire new clothes. We've got an eye on each other's animals, and we're going to keep them from getting into any trouble. It's our chance to hold someone else's baby or to congratulate a new grandmother. It's a chance to connect, to touch, and to bond with others.
These days, it's easy to feel like we live in scary times, and sometimes we're less neighborly than we used to be. Our lives are filled with long distances and technology. We're more likely to make cyberfriends than visit with someone down the street. Our lives are full of work, school, and caretaking, but how many of us still live near our families? Our hometowns? How do we reach out to one another?
2010 Fiber Festivals mentioned in Fiber Gathering
Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival May 1st & 2nd, 2010 Howard County Fairgrounds 2210 Fairground Road West Friendship, MD 21794
New York Sheep and Wool Festival October 16th & 17th, 2010 Dutchess County Fairgrounds 6550 Spring Brook Avenue Rhinebeck, NY 12572
New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival May 8th & 9th, 2010 Hopkinton State Fairgrounds 392 Kearsarge Avenue Contoocook, NH 03229
Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair October 22nd, 23rd, & 24th, 2010 WNC Ag Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road Fletcher, NC 28732
Michigan Fiber Festival August 21st & 22nd, 2010 Allegan County Fairgrounds 150 Allegan County Fair Drive Allegan, MI 49010
Black Sheep Gathering June 18th, 19th, & 20th, 2010 Lane County Fairgrounds 796 W. 13th Avenue Eugene OR 97402
Estes Park Wool Market June 12th & 13th, 2010 500 Big Thompson Avenue Estes Park, CO 80517
The Wool Festival at Taos October 2nd & 3rd, 2010 Kit Carson Park Paseo del Pueblo Norte Taos, NM 87571
Beautiful Festival Photos and PatternsMarch 12, 2009 Lynne E.(California) 18 out of 19 found this review helpful
I really love this book, because it has wonderful photos of sheep and people and booths taken at the nation's major fiber festivals (e.g., Maryland Sheep and Wool), many great projects (for example, the Evergreen lace shawl, which I plan to knit), and lots of useful information (like how to wash a fleece, or start your own fiber gathering).
A preview of most of the projects is available on Ravelry (for the link, see Joanne's 3/2/09 blog post below on What I Did This Weekend). Be warned, the preview will make you want to buy the book!
Celebration of the Fiber FestivalMay 8, 2009 K Mack(Bainbridge Island, WA) 10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Fiber Gathering is a beautifully written snapshot of the phenomena known as the fiber festival in the United States. The reader is taken on a tour of 11 of America's greatest fiber festivals. Organized by region, it's an insightful look at what makes each of these festivals unique and cause for celebration.
Sensory images leap from the written descriptions. Ms. Seiff sets the scene so well that I felt I had traveled along to enjoy the unique vendor offerings, taste the food, listen to the performers, and smell the wool.
I think what makes this book unique is the fact that not only did the author actually visit and experience each festival first hand (many for the first time), she is a passionate fiber enthusiast and it comes through joyously in her written words. Jeff Marcus, her husband, accompanied her to the festivals and contributes a compelling photographic record of the journey.
Sidebar articles appear in each chapter detailing the processes and techniques often demonstrated at fiber festivals.
The book also contains more than 25 actual projects ranging from simple fingerless gloves to an intricate shawl. The cover appears to focus on these projects (which are all wonderful) but I believe the festival overviews are the essence and true delight of the book.
The rich tradition of regional fiber festivals is highlighted in her collection of narratives. She captures the spirit of why we gather and the layers of enjoyment one gets from attending such a festival: buying unique, one-of-a-kind materials, visiting with friends, and immersing oneself in the creative energy that only a gathering of fiber enthusiasts can create.
I'm so impressed with the quality of this book and the story it tells. It captures and documents the state of the fiber festival in the first decade of the 21st century. I can't help but imagine fiber enthusiasts 50 or 100 years from now pouring over the pages and marveling at the rich history we currently live.
Beginner All the More Inspired to KnitSeptember 23, 2009 C. Ttee 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
At 64, I have begun to knit to focus my thoughts and relax. FIBER GATHERING is just what I needed to be introduced to the celebrations, American traditions, and common values of the wider community of knitters. Joanne Seiff writes with warmth and humor and is an excellent teacher.
Guidebook and inspiration!September 23, 2009 K. Hertweck(Missouri, USA) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have loved fiber (knitting and crochet) for a long time but have recently taken up handspinning as well. I am almost entirely self-taught, so good books are priceless for continuing my education. Fiber Gathering definitely fits the bill! This book provides everything I would expect from a pattern book, including beautiful but useful pictures for viewing the product and clear directions for making one for myself. It also includes directions for projects that can take fiber art to the next level...how to dye fiber and basic spinning instructions, for example. And to top it off, the basic premise of the book, combined with artfully arranged photos and a thoughtful narrative, provides ample inspiration for approaching fiber art from different directions, both geographically and culturally. I recently attended my first fiber festival, a small regional event, and took my copy of Fiber Gathering with me to read in the car. It provided the knowledge (and courage) needed to purchase and process my very first raw fleece. I will surely use this book as reference and for inspiration for years.
Armchair travel and ideas for real tripsSeptember 23, 2009 Donna(Colorado, United States) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I love this book. As an avid traveler and a fiber fanatic, I enjoyed every bit of this book. The author takes you on a tour of fiber festivals around America, and provides a sampling of projects to make with the materials available at each festival. I wish I could visit all of the events featured in this book, but that's just impossible. I am glad to have this book to give me a taste of what's going on around the US. The projects have a down-home feeling that I found very appealing. Instead of trendy, high-fashion garments, the book is full of comfortable, relaxed, yet still fashionable pieces. There are home dec projects as well. Even if you don't intend to make any of the projects yourself, you will find inspiration for your own creations in these pages. A wonderful addition to any fiber-enthusiast's library.
