Organised by designer and hand-dyeing expert Mary Strachan and Crofter’s Yarn wool shop owner Jan Aitken, the ticketed Wool Ewe festival will be held next week on Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, at PetriDish in Stafford St.
Ms Strachan, whose designer brand Need Want Crave focuses on hand-dyed yarns, said the festival was inspired by the local community of "yarny people".
"There is a community around Jan’s shop, where people can come together, relax and socialise while doing their knitting, and take part in classes," Ms Strachan said.
"It is important for people to meet others to socialise and share advice and equipment — it’s a connection.
"So the Wool Ewe festival is an expansion of that — we will have workshops on a whole range of interesting topics, and fun sessions like a knitwear runway show and a debate."
Among the workshop topics, led by expert local presenters, will be fibre sculpture, keeping hands healthy with the Physio Who Knits, how to become a fashion designer, colours, felting, the joy of fibre crafting, and what roller derby and weaving have in common.
There will also be industry stalls, yarn sellers and hands-on sessions on wool dyeing.
"The Wool Ewe festival is going to be a lot of fun, and a great chance to learn and enjoy fibre crafting alongside like-minded people," she said.
Pre-registration is required. Contact yarn@wantneedcrave.com or croftersyarn@gmail.com, or find Wool Ewe Dunedin 2025 on social media.
