JenLa

General Information
SAFF is always the last weekend of October [26, 27 & 28 this year] and runs Friday-Sunday at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. The event is from 9 am-6 pm Friday and Saturday and 9 am to 4 pm on Sunday. Admission to the marketplace is free on Friday and $2 for Saturday or Sunday-even at that cheap price, if you pay for Saturday you can get in free on Sunday, save your ticket. Parking ran $5 last year. This fiber festival has alpacas, llamas, sheep, goats and angora rabbits. It has workshops on knitting, spinning, felting, weaving and even farm related classes. They have a wood carving class for fiber widowers and also have child care. There are skein & garment competitions, too. The only thing it lacks is adequate food; there is one concession stand type of place inside the main building and there’s usually a very long line to get your boiled hot dog. Don’t be looking for funnel cake or barbecued lamb at this fiber festival, you won’t find it. Please bear in mind that the food is controlled by the Ag Center and not the co-ordinators of SAFF.

In 2006, the festival had record attendance. Parking was at a premium, so plan to carpool. I was told that the event coordinators don’t really want this festival to grow. They would like to keep it to small, independent farms and fiber entrepreneurs rather than have it become commercialized. [HOORAY!] So while there is lots more room at the ag center itself, don’t expect the show to expand much. [Edit: I should say they aren't looking to expand to the other arenas and buildings available, but seem to be continuing to find more wonderful vendors for the spaces they already use.] The marketplace floor was VERY crowded on Saturday and Sunday. I must have had my backpack knocked off my shoulder a hundred times. And the weather has been pretty cold the last couple of years, so you’ll want to layer and you’ll want a vehicle to stash the layers in as you peel them off and shop in the crowds. EDIT: Weather is looking quite mild for 07! The animal areas are outdoors and there are usually a few more vendors out in the barns, as well. You might want to seriously consider throwing a bottle of water or soda and maybe a sandwich in your backpack because the long lines to buy these items are off-putting.

As far as the shopping? You’re not going to find a lot of commercial yarns. They’re represented here and there, but don’t go thinking you’re going to load up on Cascade 220 at a discount, because you probably won’t find it. What you will find are family owned fiber farms and small mills and shops selling their yarns and rovings and a belief in sustainable agriculture. There is a heavy lean toward fleece, roving, spinning, weaving and felting, which you won’t find at big commercial shows like Stitches. I find it difficult to go with a firm plan of what I want to buy, because I don’t know what I’m going to find. You have to be very open minded to be successful. A plan of “1200 yds of worsted” is far more likely to meet with success than looking for a specific yarn for a specific sweater. And by the way, while you’re at the Brooks Farm booth, bear in mind that if you want it, you better buy it right then because they dye specifically for each festival and when it’s gone, there’s no more. You might find a few hanks leftover from Rhinebeck the week before, but generally you will be sorry if you don’t buy enough yardage right then. If you’re in the market for a wheel or spindle, you’ll be in luck here. Same for a drum carder, dyes or a loom. You’ll find plenty of alpaca, wool and mohair and very little novelty here. There are a few book sellers. If you want to find a gift for a fiber pal or an exchange, this show will provide you with a lot of choices for unusual finds.

A bit about the area around the event: The ag center is less than a mile from the Asheville Airport. If you’re flying in and meeting up with friends, most of the local hotels have free shuttle service to and from the airport. If you’re looking for a hotel, go to SAFF’s lodging page for numbers to the nearest ones. Most of the bloggers I’ve talked to are staying here. Rooms fill quickly. Bear in mind that even the hotels that are within a mile or two aren’t what I’d call “walkable” because the main road has heavy traffic and no sidewalks. And hauling wheels and/or purchases through that doesn’t look fun at all. Although we refer to this area as Asheville, the city proper is about a 15-20 minute drive from the ag center. However, there are many good places to eat or drink if you feel like driving into town in the evening. The area immediately surrounding the event has limited restaurant opportunities, especially if you’re like me and you need vegetables and healthy stuff at least once a day. Needless to say, with limited choices, restaurants get very crowded-especially around the typical dining times.
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Parties/Meetups:
UPDATE: The co-ordinators at SAFF have generously and kindly found us a place. Claudia and Katey have reserved for the knitter/blogger/spinner community 4 hours every day. Here are the times:

Friday - 2 pm to 6 pm

Saturday - 2 pm to 6 pm

Sunday - 10am to 2 pm

It is the Blue Barn, conveniently located right next to the McGough Arena, it has a bathroom, and will be furnished with tables and chairs for groups to get together at the event. We don’t know how many tables and chairs will be there, but if you can, bring a folding chair. I am told potlucks and such are permitted [you can't sell food or bring in alcohol] but haven’t heard of any specifically planned. Katey and Claudia have paid this out of generosity, but if you want to donate a few bucks toward the rental, please feel free. Any extra money will go to a worthy cause. The barn is not insulated, so dress accordingly [at this time it looks to be extremely pleasant]. Since they have been so nice to us, we will all make sure to leave the place in pristine condition so we don’t give them any cause to regret it! This meetup is not just for bloggers-Ravelers, guild members or just anyone who wants to say hi, come knit or spin during these hours.

With regards to after hours parties, currently it’s looking like numerous small groups making plans at various hotels, restaurants, etc.
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Vendors:
Hey, guess what? A very nice, blog-free lady named Gail contacted me and she made up a spreadsheet of the Vendors this year. She sent it to me and gave me permission to upload it here for everyone’s use. Thanks, Gail!

SAFF Vendor List [excel spreadsheet]
SAFF Vendor List [word doc]
SAFF Vendor list [pdf]

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Attendees:

GA Knitters:
Jen [that's me]
Jen
Jane
Hockey Mom
Mouse
Jodi
Claudia
Janice
Melissa
Carolyn
Fatimah
Melanie
Jacquie, who has no blog yet

And the PHG will be there en force, as always

NC Knitters:
Turtle Girl
The Combat Bitches update your blog, willya?
Kat maybe
Mel
Shannon
Zknitter
Elizabeth
Katie
Dani
Shadkitty
Amy
Gray la Gran
Stuart
Keri
Kathryn

And the folks from Twisted Threads Fiber Guild

The B-ham, and other AL Knitters:
Elizabeth
Grace
Darlene
Tonni
Laura
Bibby
Carrie
Cindy
Blog-Free Marie
‘Bama girls, please go see this!

South Carolina Knitters:
Donna

Florida Knitters:
Pischi

Virginia Knitters:
Deirdra

Tennessee Knitters:
Brooke
Jen
Betty

And these folks are trying to attempt it, despite some serious travel to join us:

Restless Knitter
Indigo Muse

What about you? e-mail me!