Manitoba Fibre Trail 2021

Suddenly it is September of 2021 and another year of a Fibre Trail (in lieu of a single-location Festival) is upon us. I miss Festivals and All The People – and that’s coming from an introvert.

I’m looking forward to visiting multiple locations across our province, but I’ll be staying fairly close to home with kids at school and other family commitments. However, I’ve been asked to offer some type of workshops and Daria of Cloud 9 Fiberworks has offered me space at her venue. Thinking upon what folks have expressed interest in lately, and taking into consideration that folks are going to want to travel around with a relatively loose schedule (I may be projecting), I have come up with the following plan.

On Friday September 17, from 10-5, you can find me at 107 Bramton Street in Winnipeg, with Daria, ready to provide mini workshops and help problem solve on two topics: 1) Beading Knits and 2) Making Sweaters that You’ll Love. I debated scheduling things, but thinking about it honestly, I could foresee folks arriving at all times hoping to get some help/insight.

Never beaded a knitting project before? It’s easy enough to learn and I’ll show you some common tools you’ll want – you may already have some and didn’t realize it – as well as how to. Daria will also have kits (with pattern) available for my Battle-Weary Dragon Shawl, which is beaded, featuring some of her luxurious silk lace. (I’ll link my other beaded designs below if you’re interested.)

Looking to make some amazing sweaters that you’ll love? As it turns out, I have a lot of experience in this and I’m happy to help you love your sweaters too. As you can see from the top row of images in the gallery above, I like my sweaters relatively fitted. I regularly custom create them, but I’ve also used a wide range of published patterns also. Full confession, there are some measurements, math, and note-taking needed, but nothing a simple calculator can’t handle in small steps. If you’ve never made a sweater for yourself, what’s stopping you? (I held myself back for years, foolishly so in retrospect.) If you’ve had some regrets in the past, don’t be afraid to bring something along and I’ll be happy to engage in a productive discussion of how to achieve a Sweater you’ll adore in all ways.

More Beaded Designs: Garden of Dreams shawl and Corey’s Stole.

ETA: I take it for granted that wearing masks is a normal part of close social interactions at this point. However, to be clear, masks are required to be worn during classes as we will need to be in relatively close proximity to discuss the finer details of our art.

Additionally, I will be accepting “by donation” appreciation for the drop-in support. All proceeds will be redirected to local fibre artists and producers over the weekend. Mandy also appreciates quality dark chocolate, but not while she is spinning. She also loves everything dyed by Daria, except perhaps the chartreuse.