Young Knitters Discover a Decades-Old Wool Festival, Join the Call to Action
The summer heat and the cold of the fall wind are gone, but the warmth of summer is gone, too. Just as the light is fading, as the first leaves fall, and as the crisp winds start to blow in the fall, it’s time for Fall Felt Art Festival. This one-day, hands-on, free event hosted by Vermont’s Museum of Arts and Crafts is always a wonderful time to delve into the process of knitting with a group.
This year’s festival will showcase more than 20 pieces of original work designed by more than 70 members of the local knit community in Burlington. The evening before festival day, organizers invite the public to browse art displays and then book a private studio tour with one of the artist representatives. Afterward, artists set up their work so that passersby can see it for themselves.
The festival, which is held at the museum’s Burlington headquarters from 12:15-4:15 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 16, is free to attendees and free for the public to enter. Artists also have a variety of seating options on the grounds, including on the museum’s lawn, but the best view is from the museum’s glass fronted building, where the artist-created work is displayed on a platform raised 20 feet above the lawn.
The theme of Fall Felt Art Week is “Fifty Years of Needlework in America,” and for the first time many of the pieces made at this year’s festival will be “featured” in a book titled “New and Recent Works from the Burlington Needleworks Guild, 1930-2006” that is being finalized at press time. The books will be available at several local bookstores, including Burlington’s First Stop Bookstore.
“We’re very grateful and excited about the recognition of Fall Felt Fest,” says Kate Kowal-Hodnett of the Museum of Arts and Crafts (MAC). “The fact that we have a book for the event speaks
