PEI Fibre Festival

The PEI Fibre Festival was created to support the Island's wool industry and the craftspeople who work with wool and fibres through knitting, crocheting, felting, rug hooking, and more. This year's PEI Fibre Festival runs from October 1-3 at the Delta Hotel in Charlottetown. An increased number of vendors will attend the Marketplace this year, once again presenting a wide array of fibre-related products, including wool from various animals, hand-dyed fibres, tools of the trade, and more. Close to fifty workshops led by local and international instructors are on offer this year. Among this year's instructors is Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, also known as the Yarn Harlot. Stephanie is from Toronto and has written eight books on knitting. She has been described as a knitting humourist and has called her own writing "knitting humor." Also joining the festival as an instructor is Carson Demers, a lifelong knitter and physical therapist with 30 years of experience in musculoskeletal rehabilitation and ergonomics. He literally wrote the book on ergonomics for knitters and fibre enthusiasts, Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting. Instructor Kim McBrien Evans is a knitwear designer, indie hand dyer, and size-inclusivity advocate known for designs that turn abstract ideas into colour-filled, hand-knit reality while fitting and honouring every body. Kim aims to revolutionize sweater fit, sizing, and how diverse bodies are represented in the yarn world through research, education, and collaborations with makers worldwide. She is the author of The Knitter's Sweater Knitting Bible and co-author of Custom Shawls. Local instructors include felting artist Lisa Freeman and rug hooking specialists Charlene Miller and Debbie Miller. Janet Ogilvie of Green Gable Alpacas will welcome participants to her farm and explore the process of turning alpaca fibre into hand-dyed yarn, while Flory Sanderson will lead participants in a guided felting experience as part of her farm tour. Rounding out the program are three Island tours and a social event featuring entertainment by the Ross Family Ceilidh. The final day of the festival is from 8:30 am-4 pm and features Crochet & Chat with Sarah Thompson, Sweaters that Fit with Kim McBrien Evans, The Ergonomic Efficiency of English Style Knitting with Carson Demers, Visible (or not) Mending for Knitters with Gillian Noonan, Introduction to Colourwork: Fair Isle, Intarsia and Slip-Stitch Knitting with Kate Atherley, Cables - Adding Texture and Performing Surgery (Gasp!) with Jo Bint, Introduction to Rigid Heddle Weaving with Laura MacEachern, The Lacework Scarf: A Luxury Prefelt Masterclass with Elise Campbell, Knit Smart with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, Felted Hat with Toos Omtzigt, Initiation to Bobbin Lace (2-day Workshop) with Josée Poupart, Fibre Festival Marketplace, Impervious Shawl, project class with Kim McBrien Evans, Continental Knitting with Comfort and Efficiency with Carson Demers, Master Bottom Up Crochet Beanies! with Sarah Thompson, How to Read Your Knitting with Jo Bint, Needle Felted Angel with Laura MacEachern, Warm Hands with Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, and Getting Gauge with Kate Atherley. The Festival is open to the public and tickets are on sale now. For further information, visit peifibrefestival.com, subscribe to the newsletter or follow the festival on Facebook.