Meet Up At Fiber Festival of New England

A close-up nose-to-nose view of a felted-of-fiber horse and a Boston terrier, both designed and created by Pat Pawlowicz, author of “A Fistful of Felt”, artist/instructor, met inside the Fiber Nook at The Big E. More fiber creations, felting and yarn, plus designers, entrepreneurs, and fiber animals will congregate at the Fiber Festival of New England, Saturday, Nov. 5 and Sunday, Nov. 6 inside the (heated) Mallary Complex on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition (ESE). Tickets are $5 at the door; children 12 and younger, free. Parking is plentiful – flat, open and close to the complex; $5. Show hours are Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (413) 205-5011 for details or check out their Facebook page for updates.
We’re hoping to check out fiber felting, pick up some fleece at the fleece sale, meet new people, soak up all that yarn, fiber and knitting beauty – and report on what we discover.

Demonstrations include sheep dogs, fiber trends and traditions; there’s a fashion show, sheep shearing, alpacas and rabbits – plus so much more. Presented by ESE and New England Sheep & Wool Growers Association, the second annual event is going on as planned as the region recovers from record-breaking power outages due to the combined wallop of a snowstorm and plentiful foliage still on trees. More details on the FFNE site. Note: Or check the event’s Facebook page, linked above.


As power is still in stages of restoration in the southern New England region due to a foot-deep October snowstorm, the uses of natural fibers, knitting and other ways to keep warm take on new meaning. During the recent week-long loss of electricity, cable, and Internet, hardy individualism kicked in. Old-fashioned and time-tested methods to keep warm, cook, and to communicate called on ingenuity. Wool, alpaca, yak, bison, angora and other natural fiber sweaters kept my crew warm and well – and proved a necessity as temperatures dipped into the 20s. Power is still off in many households and businesses. Come on out and support the local and regional economy – many vendors are also small farms and entrepreneurs who have quality products and stand behind what they produce.