This knitting festival was a disaster

The story of Wool & Folk 2023
Editing help from: ‪@connormcdowell2‬
Explorer Knit's video: www.instagram....
How to help the vendors: www.moderndail...
Insta: / itsaustingreen
Twitter: / itsaustingreen
TikTok: / itsaustingreen

[@Estframa]

Do I knit? No. Am I going to watch a 30+ minutes video about a knitting event scandal? Absolutely yes

[@sn6328]

Same! Will pause for tea

[@lollyd3679]

💀

[@xxdragona_xx]

M O O D

[@dabsallday9938]

How much drama and scandal could there possibly be at damn Knitting Festival and when did they start having knitting festivals?! 😂 have those festivals always been around or something new??

[@gabrielleking9647]

🤣☠️

[@Alayne985]

Just a side note, that is an absolutely obscene booth fee. That is easily triple what I pay for full weekend festivals that draw 80,000+ people in major cities.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

Seriously, our local farmers market is a huge draw that does well over 1 million visitors a year and it’s only $100 cad (about $72.50 US) for the week if you’re a craft vendor. I was shocked, especially since there’s a pretty high entry fee too.

[@annikakeller5396]

Yeah that was the biggest red flag for me!!

[@cozycasasmr4510]

I was wondering if this is normal or not, I have never heard of such a high fee before but I haven't worked in America so I was curious

[@deanaeverett]

The Dallas Quilt Show has ~8k attendees and a 10x10 booth is half the price of W&F. And it’s indoors, accessible, includes electricity, and for 3 days.

[@ShanaLawson]

I was thinking the same thing. I only volunteered at Cincinnatis comic book expo and their booths were cheaper than that!

[@LilAnnThrax]

I have to say as a disabled person I didn't know the knitting community rode so hard for us. I genuinely got a bit choked up that everyone was mentioning accessibility. I know it was an "accessible event" but even those don't get this much support sometimes. I really hope vendors utilize our court system to get their lost money back if needed. This sounds like a terrible, greedy shrew somehow got to be in charge of an amazingly loving group of people for a day and bombed hard. 😊

[@eliontheinternet3298]

I believe it’s because it’s a very accessible craft! There are many people in the community that have disabilities.

[@jessicafox3378]

It's so accessible and easy to develop accommodations for! Many of the crafts are also excellent physical therapy even for those who have disabilities affecting their hands. These hobby communities are not just disability-friendly, disability is a complete norm here 😊

[@SewardWriter]

Join us! It can get expensive, but you'd be surprised what you can do with an ergonomic hook an dollar store yarn.

[@ohno7153]

It’s because it’s a accessible hobby.

[@BigChungus-t2v]

@@SewardWriterthe tools themselves (for the most part) aren’t the expensive part… it’s that yarn addiction that’ll get ya

[@Partyhatpossum]

If the vendors signed contracts, especially the one who paid for a 10x20 and got a 10x15, I would definitely be grouping together with other vendors to file against the organizer. Absolutely ridiculous that they charged THAT much and couldn’t even give them the correct booth sizes or put them indoors.

[@ashknight6696]

this! hoping there's a class action suit incoming

[@biggy0917]

This! hoping there's a class action suit incoming

[@KellyLoom1s]

this! hoping there’s a class action suit incoming

[@thisisachannel.780]

this! hoping there’s a class action suit incoming

[@LiterallyJustAnActualPotato]

Whoa… the reply comments on this… something sketchy is going on..

[@namebrandmason]

I want to emphasize to any non-knitters who watch this video: events like this largely support independent dyers. Yes, knitting has its own boutique community with hand dyed yarns and limited-release drops. This is not the yarn you see at Michaels, any booth you see in this video has several thousand dollars in merchandise. And it's probably getting rained on.

[@BigChungus-t2v]

Beautiful, special yarns that can make unique and one of a kind pieces. Yarn that is difficult to find, make and obtain, like mohair and novelty yarns. As a crocheter, it makes my fkn blood boil

[@80ladyjay78]

Thank you for explaining I was lost

[@pissonbunni]

god forbid the dye runs or the fibres matt together as well ;-; its probably all ruined

[@thejasminedragonmerchant6843]

The knowledge that all these people probably spent thousands of dollars in setup and dyeing and spinning (not to mention countless hours just working on everything so their wares would hopefully get other festivalgoers intrigued for purchases) and the festival instead gets totally rained on is heartbreaking. All those materials are likely totally unsalvageable and the people who put in so much effort were stuck with miserable weather on top of it...big yikes. That is a crafter's nightmare.

[@historicallyapproximate]

Honestly, I would say that several thousand is a low estimate. When some handspun and dyed yarns can be like $50 per 100g, enough to fill a booth with refills is a lot a lot a lot, just in getting the booth and overhead costs, before the cost of materials and labour. These artists were conned and hard.

[@MsPotatoPirate]

Word on the street is that Felicia walked away with a $300,000 profit. Regardless of whether or not that’s accurate, I hope the vendors and guests, especially the one who slipped and broke her shoulder, sue Felicia into the ground. The arrogance is astounding.

[@nicole-corine4121]

That’s the thing that’s been getting me, $900-$1,800 for the vendors, $45-$50 for thousands of attendees (both of which are way overpriced) and they only payed for 500 person event space. Not even a nice 500 person space. Where did all that money go?! Kinda seems like SOMEBODY scammed all these people and pocketed that money that should have gone into making the event not suck. And then there was the event the night before that wasn’t even properly catered and was an additional ticket… suspicious!

[@katpraeuner9794]

@@lacommentaire141 And she took the go fund me money that was suppose to help her keep her shop open, which she promptly closed. This was a money grab. Seen it before - they promise and promise and then disappear with the money they've collected as soon as they can. The fact that she was actually at the event was surprising. And some of those tickets at the event were sold for $65 someone said (that's what they paid). The $45 was pre-event ticket sale price. I feel so bad for these vendors and am so glad I didn't fork over the $$'s to go. I have back issues and couldn't even have made the walk to get to the gate. I hope she never gets a chance to do this again and I pray these vendors and other people get together and sue the crap out of her. The lady with the broken shoulder - I hope you are recovering and please get a lawyer. I'm not sue happy but there's a time and place for it and this is it.

[@goldstarsforall]

@@lacommentaire141 apparently theyve just moved, and haven't shut it down fully... No idea where its going to but it hasn't 'officially' shut down yet

[@HeleneLogan]

Considering she owns a house she paid 1.8 million for, it all sounds like it descended into a terrible moneygrab.

[@TiffWaffles]

I can't believe the audacity of Felicia. She's a bully, plain and simple. This reflects very poorly on her business and I hope that she realises that because I am willing to bet that the only people shopping there are those that have no idea about this event and what happened.

[@cocovcoco]

Having a knitting event like this be so blatantly inaccessible for people that have mobility aids is disgusting. Knitting, crochet, cross stitching and things like that are very accessible hobbies and crafts for people like me with physical disabilities. This would have been so disappointing to go to pay $45 to be told “tough luck” and left to my own devices.

[@TheChroniclesOfYarnia]

Yes 👏🏼 exactly!! This was just so inexcusable. And in my state 😢it makes me sad that it was not inclusive

[@KindredKaye]

Exactly! Yarn arts are very disability friendly. It’s shocking they wouldn’t consider this when thinking of an event space

[@torakfett3351]

Most of my crafts are fiber now because of my disabilities. They’re so easy to do with limited mobility, if you can move your fingers you can knit and crochet and that’s fucking beautiful to me. Not a lot of activities are like that.

[@stingray1irwin0]

@notville_spam account copying replies to sell the account to a crypto scammer. Report.

[@Padraigp]

Don't you have regulations in america. We have to do a safety report to set up even a small event and it has to show fire exists fire safety electrical safety and disability and toilet acsess parking etc. It makes it hard to jus throw any old festival but it means that people don't end up this way. And when they do end up this way we have a consumer right that means you would get your money back for the ticket and if you wanted dto also sue for any other issues like if your car got stuck in mud or you had to wait all day in the rain you could sue for that as well.

[@elstongunn4277]

As a retired professional event organizer and manager, the FIRST red flag is that Felicia lost the FIRST location because she FAILED to get the proper permits submitted on time. This is a HUGE failure on her part. Shameful, and a clear indication of her incompetence out of the gate. If she ever did a site visit to the second location, she would have immediately concluded that this venue was not appropriate for the needs of the vendors in any way, shape or form. She apparently didn’t care as she just lost her first venue due to her incompetence, and she needed some place-ANY place-to contract with her as a venue location for her event. Vendor contracts are very clear, and she has seemingly failed to meet ANY of her contractual obligations. At the very least, she MUST reimburse those vendors their booth fees and any event ticket prices. If vendors pre-paid for electrical and wi-fi access, that needs to be reimbursed as well.

[@ealusaid]

Don't be so surprised that knitting has this kind of drama! Knitting is a billion-dollar industry, and has been a lot more resistant to corporate takeover or extinction than most other hobby crafts. The community is really organized around objectives like supporting independent designers and manufacturers, and small independent yarn stores. This is people's LIVELIHOODS.

[@roygeorge5364]

I know nothing about knitting but my mum does and your statements are correct - this isn't a bunch of little old ladies knitting squares for blankets!! My mum is always printing off knitting patterns and hunting the internet for the right wool, and chatting to people from other countries about wooly stuff. Hell, she even took herself to the Swarovski crystal shop in Prague to find some embellishment for something she knitted - all the way from Australia. So yes, I can attest to it being a huge industry, and while of course I realise it isn't just a hobby for boomers ( my gen z daughter is a crocheter ) they are the ones with much more disposable income to splash on their hobbies, and it's a shame it turned into a shit show.

[@bridgetttaylor2089]

I think a lot of non-crafters think that because crafting is such a happy hobby (or at least should be) probably everyone's in a good mood and no one's mean and lololono.

[@BigChungus-t2v]

@@resaunders26I don’t knit but I do sew, tailor, and crochet and I’m only 22 yrs old! I’m currently trying to build my social media presence and am always improving my skill set bc I want to make it my livelihood. If I’d taken a leap and tried to sell at a festival like this only to have my entire stock ruined, I’d be extremely discouraged.

[@emiloguechoons9030]

​@@MomeGnomeAs a woke trans who has never knitted in my life, I'm going to start knitting just to annoy people like you. And speaking of stereotypes; complaining about people with blue hair and "they" pronouns is a pretty old person thing to do lol

[@bridgetttaylor2089]

@@MomeGnome so you're just gonna go on the internet and tell lies?! Guess I can't expect more from a transphobe who thinks 'woke' is enough to prove a point

[@ARDrodge]

They DESTROYED the vendor’s PROPERTY to “fix” the outdoor issue? Which then actually caused a more dangerous situation for those who could access said areas? My jaw literally dropped hearing from the vendor. I’m so sorry you folks had to go through this 💔

[@SerialSpinner-ss]

As a former fiber vendor, that would have sent me over the edge. Unbelievable!

[@magixshiz2543]

Context for those who don’t work with yarn- the reason disability accessibility is so, SO important in any yarn event is because yarn craft is a very popular hobby among those with physical disabilities, as it’s a very accessible hobby!

[@mr.bingusthecat]

the audacity for felicia to say anyone can walk while being in a community with a huge demographic of disabled people. insane. ma'am no, not everyone can walk... which is exactly why this hobby is so popular...

[@pretty7545]

And also disability accessibility is so, SO important in any event.

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@pretty7545Right??? It would be egregious regardless.

[@volundrfrey896]

Considering that the stereotypical knitting enjoyer is grandmothers it's really weird that this needed to be said.

[@CaulkMongler]

@@mr.bingusthecat every time people who LITERALLY need accessibility in order to do everyday life things have their mandatory needs diminished I’m like… y’all literally missed the point of the body positivity movement.

[@nataliejones6626]

Sounds like Felicia’s former partner did most of the work for the previous years events and Felicia was angry that she was failing so spectacularly on her own when she probably assumed she would do better

[@AndreaSerralta]

I’ve lived with clinically diagnosed narcissists for most of my life until recently and this was the normal kind of behavior that I anticipated and had grown to be desensitized of because they’d trade a life to get their way

[@LafeiMcCloud]

As a former vendor at large anime conventions, this is a whole nother nightmare than just the guests shopping. That is so much money lost and product lost that you cant even try to resell for some profit.

[@Democratsknowbidensucks]

How is someone else responsible for your goods? you bring something, you know you will be outside? This entire video is hyperbolic lol

[@LafeiMcCloud]

because when you sign up to do vendoring you sign a contract meaning both parties have obligations to fill. I dont know if you heard but a lot of the vendors didnt even realize they would be outside to potentially lose products. Not only that but not enough security to also prevent theft? Yes this whole shit show is on the organizers of the event.@@Democratsknowbidensucks

[@BevMargaret]

Yup....I have only dabbled in selling at craft fairs......this is both angering and terrifying.

[@themidgeling]

As a knitting software engineer, I think you’d be surprised at how many knitters are tech savvy, or at least tech capable. Knitters kind of resent the pre-tech era granny stereotype.

[@kamilareeder1493]

Its wild, my grandma can't use the computer but she can program a computerized embroidery sewing machine 😂😌🤷‍♂️

[@possummode]

yeah i thought that comment was in bad taste

[@kristin2639]

I’m also a knitter who works in tech. The stereotypes around the knitting community are so often wrong, lol.

[@lisamiller6112]

Yes!

[@amandab8433]

My son is an engineer at Google and there's a group of knitters and Crocheters that gets together on campus and off campus. He said it's a way to relax between programming mind sucks 😊

[@zombielovesquad8751]

I'm a vendor at a lot of large Anime conventions. Wool and Folk wanted $900 for a inline booth under a tent with only a estimated 3000 attendance?!!!!! I pay $900 to $1500 for a corner or 2 booths at conventions with 50,000 to 100,000 in attendance. Each attendee must have a huge budget to make that worth it. I have nightmares that are better then how this show was run.

[@LeetaMaybe]

I genuinely love stories about disastrously planned events; fyre fest, dashcon, rainfurrest, etc. Its like exposure therapy for general anxiety. But this was the first one that made me PHYSICALLY ANGRY at the organizers. It wasn't just incopetence and apathy, but genuine malice, it seems

[@lilycollegemythbusters5532]

I do event planning, so I like to hear about these messes to learn to avoid them for my events! I feel for the vendors, what a terrible waste of money and time. Ugh!

[@charlesintune]

I love these stories too! Share some more I've watched vids on all of them! Never forget the extra hour in the ball pit

[@jennxnationWv]

Search Blue ridge Rock festival....it's an epic 💩show from Labor Day weekend

[@MrsDaedalus_]

There is an article about it on Times Union. At this article a vendor told the reporter that they will pursue legal action against the organizers. IMO other vendors should do the same to at least get their money back. The amount of money they had to spend to even sell their stuff at that even is outrageous!

[@seyeon_knee]

Holy cow... I live in Seoul, not too far from Itaewon. On October 29th in Seoul, we held the 1 year memorial for the 159 victims who **died** in the Itaewon Crowd Crush... Those 159 people **died** because of abysmal accessibility, absolutely ZERO crowd control (including basic safety measures present at all other events in Seoul), and overpopulation of the event, among other things, all of which the Wool & Folk coordinators proudly and arrogantly displayed. Wool & Folk is LUCKY they didn't K*LL ANYONE with this carelessness. For everyone's safety, PLEASE don't go to any other events put on by these event coordinators. It's only a matter of time before there is literal blood on their hands for such horrifically negligent event planning. Especially to plan such an anti-accessible (it's beyond not accessible at this point, it almost seems like a pointed attack, tbqh) event for a largely disabled audience is just downright dangerous. Wow... Just, honestly, wow.

[@cjboyo]

Yeah like I don’t think the organizers even considered that this could have killed people

[@aurelia2132]

Hearing about the bottlenecks, I also thought of the Itaewon tragedy. The event organizer is very lucky no one died at W&F from any of their MANY fire code violations.

[@seyeon_knee]

@@aurelia2132 exactly! I was lucky that I didn't lose anyone in the Itaewon tragedy, but a lot of my friends were there and will forever carry that trauma with them. I absolutely have no sympathy for event coordinators that put people's lives at risk. There are SO MANY ways to prevent ALL these issues and if you're too lazy to check all those boxes, the you shouldn't be coordinating events. Plain and simple. One tiny little situation can cause mass deaths if your event isn't properly prepared. That is literally the job of the coordinators... to coordinate the venue, schedule, vendors, guests, staff, and SAFETY REGULATIONS. I could call up a local shop and coordinate a time and price for a massive event. Knowledge of the legal and safety regulations is really the only thing that separates a regular person hosting a big party and an event coordinator. Safety regulations are put in place for a reason.

[@stingray1irwin0]

​@notville_spammer, report

[@lilycollegemythbusters5532]

I was thinking the same. What a fire hazard. All those people and no way to exit. It sounds terrible but it could have been a real disaster if there was a fire!

[@softadornments]

i was there and it was just as bad as you think 😭 the mud alone was awful. i felt bad i couldn’t visit all the booths. navigation was so difficult. my friends and i left after barely being there for an hour bc it got so overwhelming. also the only way we knew there were people on the 5th floor was the handwritten paper sign on the door lmao. i felt so bad for all the vendors who were not given preferential treatment like some were.

[@valtherizzle02]

I was there when the story was written. I was one of the people trapped in a building for 15 minutes and couldn't get out until I was in a full blown panic attack and there was nowhere to sit or get away from crowds. I had to hide in a vendor tent for half a hour. I didn't even see more than half the vendors and several of my friends who were vendors got completely lied to. I was at the event last year as well and there were some accessibility and parking issues, but the event went off fairly well. Which is why I was excited to go again.

[@kittygoesWOOF]

I'm so sorry. I kept thinking about all of the things that could've gone wrong in way of physical injury or worse. It's a miracle no one needed EMT services. I felt anxious just listening to it all. Even with my meds, I would've had a full breakdown. It would have set me back for a while, mentally. You made it through though. I hope every future [knitting] festival or event you attend will be more accessible to everyone, and a heck of a lot less stressful, with many points of exit.

[@sherribrown294]

Panic attacks are horrible 😢

[@excxmoody]

A knitting fest would be neat to go to but from who made the video and several comments, kind of getting the vibe who put on the event may have meant well just never sat there on there own trying to for instance the venue itself...never took in several factors. Sort of comes off like perhaps whoever was involved the year prior...had. An event like this especially when my mother had a lot more mobility again...sounds like a fun time.

[@michellem9444]

Yikes! So glad you made it out okay! Also glad that this event didn't turn out worse. It sounds like it was ripe for something bad to happen, like a fire or dangerous crowd surge. The organizers and the venue were both completely irresponsible for letting a situation like this happen.

[@LittleKikuyu]

I hope you’ll feel better soon and hopefully there will be great fibre festivals in the future that you can enjoy 🙏

[@vincentstrangewaes]

"it's not hard to walk" damn ok guess my connective tissue disorder is just a skill issue. thanks felicia i'll fix that right away

[@Stettafire]

Or anyone with CFS, hyper mobility, chronic pain, arthritis, MS, amputations, paralysis...

[@killerbeanmachine]

dude if I was a vendor at this event, I would have absolutely had a breakdown and cried, and all my stuff definitely would have been ruined. Absolutely disgusting. I hope Felicia and the event organizers get sued

[@TheStitchWitchPodcast]

people lost hundreds, if not thousands, in damages due to poor planning on the organizers' behalf :(

[@alyssa2796]

Literally i would have drove up, seen the carnage and just drove back home.

[@bregowego]

I study interior design, specifically focusing this semester on proxemics, spatial accessibility, and designing for ADA. This situation is so upsetting and scary. I can’t believe they put people through this, incredibly dangerous.

[@kittygoesWOOF]

I love that this is a focus in interior design studies nowadays. We could use more creative and compassionate people when it comes to housing, community buildings, etc.

[@LittleKikuyu]

Yeah, how wonderful that the times are changing for the better 😍

[@EmmisonMike]

The focus on ADA compliance feels especially relevant because fiber arts are especially appealing to folks that, well, would need accessibility accommodations. It's maybe easy to forget that folks with different needs also have fewer options in hobbies to engage in, so having something where the only thing you need is hands and patience becomes more appealing. that shoulda been a primary focus of the event, not just ADA compliance, since that's a bare minimum, but making it the platinum standard for accommodation. put it on the banner for next year. everyone deserves to have a fun thing to go out to.

[@nikonradish]

It’s wild hearing craft drama outside of crafting KZbinrs lol, I’m glad it’s getting more traction! I get most of my craft drama from crochet KZbinrs lol

[@aw.kittlesticks]

craft drama is genuinely so interesting, I suggested this topic because NOBODY outside the craft community talks about it

[@80ladyjay78]

I’m in! Channel names please

[@paadoxal]

i'm here for channel recommendations too:)

[@caffienatedtactician]

Channel recs? 👀

[@ianaia]

​@@80ladyjay78 Emma in the moment!

[@anthonygato407]

In the early 2000's I was a floor host at Hustler Gentlemen's Club in San Francisco California. during the day shifts sometimes was pretty slow with maybe a few customers. there was this one dancer that when it was slow would sit down in a chair on the floor and bust out her yarn and knitting needles and go to town on knitting a sweater or scarf ect... always thought that was pretty cool. dont expect to be in a strip club and theres this girl in skimpy lingerie and platform heels knitting intensely. it felt so hardcore. her Co workers had gangster boyfriends, drug problems, swore like sailers...the knitting girl seemed way more hardcore. I will never undervalue to knitting community.

[@SewardWriter]

I wanna hang out with her.

[@80ladyjay78]

👏🏽😂 awesome

[@naurrr]

queen behavior

[@nope66755]

ho’s have hobbies too

[@valeriaswanne]

My goodness, they still tell stories of her in the company! At least they did 10 years ago. 😅

[@SweetIrony0]

The anxiety I feel seeing all that beautiful yarn hovering over the muddy ground. 😢 My heart goes out to all the vendors and attendants that were lied to.

[@TheStitchWitchPodcast]

part of the knitting community and let me tell you the fiasco with W&F was so bad that Rhinebeek (the main festival that is a 3-day 'retreat' type thing) was actually ruined bc everyone was so pissed and traumatized by the issues from the day before. some people were seriously injured from tripping and falling and all the safety hazards.

[@SewardWriter]

Oh, boy. Felicia REALLY pissed off the wrong people if she ruined freaking Rhinebeck.

[@truzle6133]

Jesus christ, you Americans are "traumatized" after tripping because you were forced to walk outdoors ?? 😂

[@nickelandimed]

I've never rented a booth at a large-scale convention or expo, but I've definitely stayed up late before, sacrificing time with loved ones and even skipping meals in order to prep for an upcoming event or show. The heartbreak and disappointment when all you worked for was ultimately for nothing, and at no fault of your own, must be impossible to put into words.

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

Almost $1-2k for a booth fee plus a $45 entrance fee - especially for a shopping focused event - is borderline scamming. Either the organizer was hoping to pocket a bunch on the backs of other fibre artists or they were so badly mismanaged that they had to make up the money somewhere. Most vending events I do/know of do one or the other - and at nowhere near the fee charged here - or if both fees are present at the very least the entrance fee is nominal ($2-20) and subsidizes the hopefully lower booth fees vendors with both going to pay to cover the rental cost of the space and other associated fees to plan and host an event. For context, my huge year round local farmers market that includes many handmade goods and craftspeople charges $100 (about $73 US) per week for a 10’ booth with no entrance fee and they see over 1 million visitors a year. The costs for both the vendors and the attendees is obscene. I’m horrified especially for the vendors who made little to no sales and had their products ruined.

[@drayner2517]

Don’t forget the $250 paid for attending a pre-event dinner! It’s been estimated that around $250,000 would e been taken by the organiser before expenses. Still a lot of money pocketed.

[@glubtier]

100% on the organizers, regardless of what the venue did/didn't do. First off, if they didn't appropriately vet the venue, that's on the organizers. Second off, if the venue screwed them over-- yeah, okay, that sucks. But at **BARE MINIMUM** the organizers can still *show some compassion*. It's not hard! If I had to put on my tinfoil hat, here's what I think happened: I think Felicia was trying to fleece (hah) the entire convention body, visitors and vendors alike, and pocket the money. Those booth fees are outrageous, and honestly? So are the attendance fees, IMO, for the size of the convention, the venue, the planned amenities, etc. She thought it would be easy money, but surprise: Running a convention **IS NOT EASY**. Even conventions I've volunteered for that have run for years and years at the same, well-trusted venue have had their share of problems. The least she could have done was offer them an extra hour in the ball pit. Pathetic.

[@pancakeshottakes]

Vendors being kind to one another warms my heart 16:17

[@alexmckay1760]

As someone who works events, the vendor map thing is terrifying. I've worked much bigger expos than this that have gotten their numbers cut last minute because their setup didn't match their vendor map. That map and its resemblance to reality is a huge safety thing. They're so lucky nothing happened with all those bottlenecks and narrow passages. I understand why no-one called a fire marshal but jesus christ

[@bijou3000]

This-idy this-idy this this this. Everything about this event sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. A fire on any of the five floors could have turned into a tragedy as people with mobility problems who took the single elevator up would surely have trouble if there were some kind of panicked rush to the stairs. Bottlenecking at the entrance of the building and cardboard boxes creating more slippage on the muddy hill? This event was irresponsible at very best and dangerous by any metric. Since it appears that Felicia is getting away with her cash haul of the tickets and ridiculous booth fees, there's nothing the authorities will probably do about it now. However, I hope that those who endured that deathtrap and were cheated out of the spaces they paid for, get together and find a nice civil court attorney. She should be refunding them on her own, but since she seems to be blocking them instead, they should sue her and ask a judge to intervene. There were evidently quite a few people who paid for booth spaces that they did not receive. The absence of a vendor map goes to show that Felicia didn't lift a finger to insure that people got what they paid for.

[@alexmckay1760]

@@bijou3000 wouldn't even need a fire. That bottleneck/muddy hill/many people trying to leave at once because an event finished are pretty much the exact conditions that triggered the Falls Festival stampede a few years back. Large crowds can be dangerous enough on their own without an external disaster (although yeah the building sounds like an absolute deathtrap in the case of a fire) Also judging by the registration desk it looks like the event was pretty understaffed, so unless the venue itself had people around to help, that already difficult crowd control situation would have been completely unmanageable

[@bijou3000]

@@alexmckay1760 Agreed, again. It sounds like a nightmare. 3000 people in a space with a max capacity of 500 is bad enough before you throw in all their tables, inventory, displays, racks, etc. There couldn't have been enough space to turn around, much less get out safely if everyone had to run for whatever reason. There's a venue here that I stopped attending because the room is so poorly-designed that a long line at the bar blocks any hope of getting out the front door. After the Engine fire in RI all those years ago, it made me start looking at how I would get out if there were problems. I rarely go anywhere without making a mental escape plan and trying not to get boxed in by a crowd.

[@LittleKikuyu]

Soo true!! Is there any potential for a lawsuit (and fines) against the organizers for violating public safety laws? I’m not familiar with US law.

[@bijou3000]

@@LittleKikuyu Since there were no actual injuries, I think the most people can probably hope for at this time is a refund on spaces purchased that weren't as large as promised. In order for lawsuits to occur, people would have to a.) Prove they were injured or suffered significant property damage as a result of the negligence, and b.) Have a defendant with deep enough pockets to make it worthwhile. Unfortunately, most amateur festivals barely break even, even if the vendors had enough money to entice lawyers to take their cases. I think the loss of reputation and trust of the fiber niche community will probably be all the satisfaction anyone gets from this, with the exception of perhaps pressing for the refunded vending space sizes for those who paid and did not receive those larger spaces. I would be interested to see if anyone follows through with any legal action. Please keep us posted if anybody hears anything!

[@DeidresStuff]

Her being named Felicia is just perfect.

[@celarts5752]

Honestly the vendors and event attendees should all get together and either demand refunds or potentially even try a lawsuit cause this was not only irresponsible and borderline cruel but also legitimately dangerous. People could have easily gotten injured and died.

[@Knitspin]

I would not be surprised if this ends up happening.

[@meluvsquki]

They'd need to spend thousands to get 900 or 1800 plus hotel fees back. Some vendors didn't even break even. Most of them are one to two people operation.

[@Knitspin]

@@meluvsquki Given how much money some people in the fiber arts industry(/community) are willing to throw at things like this (remember that at least one person was willing to buy out Ravelry) and the diversity in what sorts of resources (both financial and relational) people have I wouldn't shocked if an attempt was made.

[@jamesedenart]

$900 table fee for an event this small is buck wild to me, and that's so much destroyed product! I feel so sorry for those poor vendors.

[@_Kittlebug_]

Nothing better to listen to while I knit… than knitting drama lol

[@Wonderlandish]

Grandparents of the next generation (us) are so advanced now, our knitting gossip is International and picked for narration for our listen-while-knitting pleasure 🥹 ah, the internet

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

@@Wonderlandishour stitch n bitch is GLOBAL baby 😂

[@Booboonancy]

LOL, I never expected to see knitting + drama go so hand-in-hand 🥴

[@badcat5667]

Very kind of you to give links to the vendors that didn't come out so good ‼️ Woman in charge should be sued‼️😻☮️

[@aw.kittlesticks]

hiii! im kit (the person who suggested the video) it makes me so happy that you covered this story

[@aw.kittlesticks]

also wanted to add that I helped vend at indie untangled which is another yarn festival that is also part of the rhinebeck thing and it was wonderful experience, good accessibility, good communication, plenty of spots to set up

[@samamies88]

"I wants" sounds like old meme from before 2010s.. like... "i haz cheezburger" is in same type of grammar! Glad to hear that you and your friend found something to laugh at.

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I would probably listen to all of your mothers advice forever because she’s clearly pretty sharp!

[@aw.kittlesticks]

several of her friends have been saying the exact same thing lol

[@foxbuns]

i wants 2 offer u a apologize

[@AAA_NNN_DDD]

idk anything about firefest, but this is REALLY starting to feel like tanacon 2.0. like, im convinced the only reason a medical emergency didnt happen was bc the rain stopped people from overheating. a blessing that nobody got seriouslh injured due to the mud

[@KindredKaye]

I have been a vendor at a craft/art fair many many times. Paying more than $200 per booth is unheard of!!! I have never paid more that $50. I know mall of America had a shop where locals could sell their art over the holiday season. I think that was like $1,000-$2,000. But $900 for one weekend is without electricity is crazy!

[@chasingdaze]

As a member of this community, this shit was insane. People who don't do fiber craft and art don't understand how catastrophic even clean, warm water can be to wool if it's even gently agitated. There is a huge focus put on accessibility here and a large reason for that is that beyond the stereotype of knitting/crochet/etc being an old lady art, there is a MASSIVE amount of disabled people who end up picking up this artform and another overlap with the queer community to boot. The fact that Felicia was theoretically another member of this community, there's no way she wouldn't know about how much this absolutely fucks over the community. I can only imagine someone ripped out whatever heart she had and dragged it through the mud herself. I'm glad her former partner got out of the organization because they had to have been the only reason this event was EVER any good. Also, there's always a pretty big amount of drama in the fiber community at large. Everything from people accusing each other of stealing pattern designs, big companies like Shein ripping off artists wholesale, the drama that's been going on with ravelry since it's inception, pro life homesteaders who get pissed off because the queer BIPOC and disabled people in the community call them out for being conservative, the inherent politics of people belittling an incredibly ancient form of art that has been historically diminished due to its association with femininity at large and what it means for something to be "art" at all...... there's a lot to dive into at any given moment and it's only occasionally stupid.

[@ealusaid]

Emma in the Moment covers fibre art drama full-time, and it's glorious. I was there, Gandalf...

[@PamsPrettyPlants]

I used to moderate the largest group on Rav 13 years ago or so and I will never. Ever. EVER moderate a forum ever again. The non stop drama during the 08 election was traumatic 😅

[@tayfan2]

Drama? Crafting is supposed to be RELAXING. You folks are doing it wrong. My days are filled with crafting bliss. It has been my de stresser for decades. I have accepted that it is a solitary craft. I go outside if I want to be around others. I tell strangers about the joys of crafting & show them pics. I plan to exhibit at my local library. Peace.

[@angelagenx6629]

@@tayfan2As a knitter, I never realized how much drama was involved in the knitting community, it was only within the last month or so that I stumbled upon it after searching for a specific knitting tutorial and then fell down a fiber arts drama rabbit hole. I guess in retrospect falling down the rabbit hole did introduce me to a lot of great yarn businesses I hope to purchase from someday.

[@petthequeenofmaddness8592]

@@tayfan2 Most the time yes, but hell's going to pay if I go out to have fun and end up with my stuff ruined that I spent time and money on or even just going out to support other. a good thing of yarn costs like 15-25 if not more and a blanket needs like 5-10 rolls to make depending on size

[@asmileisspecial]

Can tell you’re not a knitter when you say you’re surprised by the drama 😂 Drama is everywhere in the knitting world. Thank you for this video though, I couldn’t get to grips with what was actually happening.

[@ClutchingPearlz]

Seems like the knitting community needs to say “bye Felicia” and never attend another festival she organizes.

[@wwirelesswwizard]

Came here after watching Emma in the Moment’s video about this event, and I’m glad I did! You both had really good takes!

[@Geekfullfun]

This niche drama content is what I live for

[@Jmg5594]

Omg same I am in no way involved in fiber arts but I’m on the edge of my seat

[@HeiligerGrimmnir]

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bunch... /s

[@AmberSoleil1]

Why would you assume knitters are not tech-savvy? I would think a last-minute, poorly communicated change of venue would trip anyone up. And what tech would they need to be savvy with anyway? Instagram? The knitting demographic, especially the portion going to a festival of this kind, isn't the granny you're picturing.

[@Stettafire]

Agreed. He just stereotyped us all as old clueless gradmas who don't use the internet. Does he forget Ravelry exists?

[@bioartist6300]

This is a great summary of the shitshow! This is the second yarn festival implosion I’ve heard about *just this year* and the other one managed to defraud people without even holding the event! There’s a rich history of drama in the yarny world, you’d have a lot of fun looking into it. Wait till you hear about the “mortality rate” of fiber business owners. 😂 As an aside, I couldn’t help but notice the obligatory dig at knitters being “non-tech savvy”. I really don’t get why this assumption is so common with anyone outside the community. Is it the stereotype of fiber artists being old ladies? First off, old =/= luddite. Also, if you look at all the videos of people you showed talking about this, you may notice how they mostly don’t look like they just came from the retirement home. And you even showed some men on the way to the festival! Back to luddites though, do people think that because we enjoy an ancient craft we don’t interact with modern tech? Shit man, there’s so many high-tech toys to play with in fiber arts if you want to! You found all this info ONLINE, didn’t you? How do you think it all got there if we’re not tech savvy enough to even know how social media works? Do you think all the knitting grannies had their grandkids post for them? The reason the venue change was not easily noticed when it was “announced” is because (as you summarized yourself) Felicia buried the lede in a LONG ASS VIDEO.

[@pahliac]

I'd expect a text or/and an email with the headline in caps.

[@pixiebellshop]

Something that may be helpful for folks not in the knitting community to understand is that most of these vendors are very small, often female owned businesses of only one or two people. They are mostly artists who hand dye yarn, which is labor intensive all on its own. Single skeins of yarn retail for $25 to $35. Being out in the rain, in mud, is a nightmare. With the over crowding, you know yarn was being knocked off tables and being completely ruined. Likely those vendors not only did not make money, they lost inventory, which is devastating. As a fellow yarn dyer, my heart just breaks for them.

[@catie5939]

Your channel is starting to be one of my favorites. You're killing it out here.

[@NannettCepero]

I was sad I didn't make more of an effort to attend this festival, I'm an avid knitter and crocheter, and I purchase yarn by the pounds. Now, after listening to the experiences of attendees and vendors, I feel such relief that I didn't attend! I also feel sorry for those that did.

[@iochainsmoker]

i was waiting for someone to cover this since i'm in the knitting community and had no idea what happened

[@cheskydivision]

Fiberchats interviewed four of the venders, very interesting video.

[@annas7715]

@@cheskydivisionIMO Fiberchats was the best I’ve seen on this topic, as it just focused on what went wrong (dangerously wrong), without fanning the drama flame.

[@myspacepunk]

Woah I did not expect you to cover W&F! I'm so used to crafting drama staying within the fiber arts community, but I guess that goes to show how big of a crapshow this festival was.

[@thehillisalive]

"If you don't like it, don't come;" she's gonna be eating those words next year lol

[@phantom_akiren]

As someone who has helped plan a local festival this year with like 200 vendors, 11000 vistors over two days, its chaotic yes but all this is fuckin nuts. I can't believe it was that bad omg

[@annburlingham4563]

I am adjacent to a festival that's been going for over 40 years with I think 300? or so vendors, tens of thousands of visitors, and had to uproot and move the whole thing a couple years ago. They did a phenomenal job, and the new location was incredibly well-organized, more accessible, had heaps of volunteers, etc. There have been complaints from people who don't understand that moving wasn't a choice, and how big an endeavor - run mostly by volunteers! - the whole thing is.

[@Window4503]

Something EXTREMELY similar happened at the Hampton’s Fine Art Fair almost point for point; except that the fire marshal actually did have to show up because of flooding and exposed electrical lines. My coworkers attended and our little gallery was counting on sales from that event. I have to wonder why these failures are such a trend and why these organizers seem to take notes from each other.

[@connormcdowell2]

This is my DashCon

[@Codiscreams]

REAL

[@zeroblank57]

I love that you have a link in the description on how to support the businesses! You rock!

[@sillyer2]

as a crocheter with a small business this is super interesting to hear about & i'm glad you covered the topic

[@MadelineEliseS]

I’ve been waiting for someone outside of the knitting community to cover this shit show. I attended the preevent dinner and main event on Friday. I had a unique experience because I was traveling with a tour company so I wasn’t aware of the cost of the preevent or main day tickets. So overall I had a good time. I did most of my shopping on Thursday evening and with only a small number of people it was easy to get around and see everyone’s booths. Kudos to the vendors for being so professional. I really didn’t catch on to any issues until the next day. Since I had already done most of my shopping, I only purchased a few things over the first hour of the event and retreated to a coffee shop up the street since there was no seating, heavy crowds, and tumultuous rain. I’m proud of how the knitting community has come together after this event. There had been a huge push to support the vendors who lost money to attend and lots of important conversations around accessibility and safety. I would be shocked if Wool and Folk makes it another year. I really don’t know who would choose to vend after this years events let alone pay to attend. Idk if I’ll make it out to Rhinebeck next year but if I do, I’ll choose to attend Indie Untangled or Cakepalooza instead.

[@slipurknot]

it's like everything horrible you could imagine happening in a festival happens... I emphasize with the vendors & guests so much...I can only imagine.. 😰 Felicia and organizers are completely at fault. and the gall of her to behave in such a manner... the disasterous planning... a complete nightmare.

[@felixt808]

i love your pfp sm omg

[@barbarabruce6412]

Yep. I was there and everything you described was accurate. Not mentioned is that there was NO place to sit out of the rain if you did buy food from the vendors. I loved the 2022 festival, but was never aware of the accessibility issues for some. I believe a class-action lawsuit is in order. A lot of $ passed through Felicia’s hands.

[@alyssathomas619]

Whenever my company plans events we always have a contingency plan if the weather is bad. Weddings, parties, graduations, etc all have contingency plans. This is wild

[@AnnabethisKnitworthy]

I had quite a few friends that were there either as attendees or vendors so thank you so much for covering and sharing the vendor list for people to support!! It’s so sad to see an event that used to be about inclusivity and accessibility make such a 180. (Sidenote: most of us aren’t as “non-tech savvy” as you might think, especially designers and dyers.) 🖤

[@Freddiefreds]

yeah a surprising amount of popular knitters engineers and researchers too! and you have to be tech savvy to have a knitting business these days anyways

[@raycreveling1583]

Indie Dyers have to be tech savvy, how else how they selling online, communicating with customers etc...

[@annas7715]

@@raycreveling1583Indie dyers are also chemists!

[@MislaidPages]

I definitely feel like the venue has some responsibility in the conditions that were described. But I don't think I'd ascribe as much responsibility to them as I would in an average situation only because I don't believe, based on all the information I gleaned about the event and the organizer, that Felicia did her due diligence to contract and set up the event at the venue. I would be shocked if she discussed with them how many tickets were sold. I cannot even believe this level of negligence.

[@CosmicAli_TheObserver]

Exactly.. Laziness and greed from both sides put this event together.

[@petthequeenofmaddness8592]

see I feel bad for the venue because you know she lied about how many people there would be and thought it was 50-100 people maybe not 3000 being charged 900 a booth

[@adbreon]

It doesn’t actually matter than she lied, the venue is ultimately where the liability lies- a good venue would have called the fire marshals themselves if they were unable to control the crowd.

[@Smulenify]

Crafting drama, especially knitting and crochet drama, is honestly so fascinating.

[@GabbyE423]

i cannot imagine how stressful this was for the vendors. I've been a vendor at a couple places, and my most stressful one was at a salon that had like 10 vendors, the salon workers barely acknowledged me and people seemed very judgy. but it wasnt that bad, i still sold quite a bit. but a $900 vendor fee to sell almost nothing, have it be rainy and muddy, organizers being aholes, and be super cramped and busy? i would've lost it. sending so much love to these amazing vendors ❤

[@sammybang]

This was literally the Tana Con of the knitting world!! I feel terrible for everyone affected!

[@panfluteskeleton]

This is wild because I almost went to this. I saw ads for it on roadside signs and heard them on the radio. Almost considered it and then I saw the rain and was like "mmmmnah." Glad my gut kept me home

[@tabitha7770]

you have perfect timing dude, i just dropped my gf off at the dentist and was wondering how i was gonna waste an hour in the car

[@codyhelene5000]

Every time he said “how is there this much drama” I had to laugh, welcome to the fiber arts scene

[@heykidsichbinlaura]

Omg I'm so excited someone is finally making a video about this! As a european crafter i didn't really get all the details when everything was happening, so I'm really glad you're putting it all into one video :)

[@knitandcatboodle]

I'm a part of the knitting community and watched all this unfold on Instagram. I know a lot of the vendors and love everything they create. It's so heartbreaking to see how screwed over they were. Being a small business owner isn't easy and having to pay out $1800 for a booth would mean they would need to sell at least 60 skeins to just break even on the fee (and that's assuming they're charging $30/ Skein.) Thank you for making this video! There's so much that happened that I didn't even know about.

[@kitbruen3149]

vendor culture is incredibly supportive but i hate that these people were forced to go this far above and beyond for so many fellow vendors

[@vivianpratte]

I vend at fiber festivals and this sounds like a nightmare!! The ladies 26:03 telling their story, I can FEEL their pain!!!! I had been rained on and my tent blew away -I know their pain. Ugh, so sorry this happened to you all!

[@coolsillyguy]

guys nepotism is good cause we have nick AND austin for content

[@Codiscreams]

REAL

[@yennefer440]

He's related to Nick?

[@christineeleonorepoppe6745]

I'm started crocheting and knitting to help woth my depression... I live in Germany and we had a new 3 day long event for everything around knitting crocheting and sewing...it was so cool and i talked to a couple of small business owners about their yarn...the effort that goes into it is incredible so hearing this Story breaks my heart i wonder if they could sew this woman

[@TwoSistersAndSomeYarn]

“How can you be such an asshole over knitting?” Oh sweet summer child. That’s a rabbit child you don’t want to go down.

[@woundworship]

2:19 'a bunch of non tech savvy knitting people' bro we're not grandmas 😭 im turning 20 this year cmon

[@dorothytucker9305]

Ive been crochetting since I was 8... kinda feel like I should have a talk with my 6 yo if Im a grandma already 😂

[@Stettafire]

Knitting since I was 7. Dude legit thinks none of us know how to use the internet

[@AbiFranklin]

I've been to fiber events in the past and the shopping area was always free to get into, the classes would cost money. This was just shopping you had to pay for?

[@corbinbrier0]

Having accessibility issues at a crafting event is insane. I know so many other disabled people who do some level of crafting/knitting/etc, it's like one of the biggest hobbies among us. They better hope they don't get a class action lawsuit and an ADA lawsuit on top of it. They need to refund everyone and beg for forgiveness for this.

[@mskleftwich]

The man does just the most thorough research and makes every topic interesting! 👏👏👏

[@BDKamerra]

You'd be surprised at how tech savvy the crafting and art communities are. Most of us make our friends, buy our resources, find our inspiration, sell our products, and show off our creations online.

[@Rye_Smile]

This was SUCH an excellent break down of this travesty of a convention!

[@t_map2172]

What a mess! My mum is a knitter and now I have her watching this ha! I’m happy your channel popped on feed. I really appreciate your way of communicating, lol- for real tho. Organized thoughts and presentation. So much more entertaining than simply watching someone laugh or “eek” to things. Thanks for real content and new knowledge.

[@myteenlogic6816]

The walmart wasnt notified that they were going to be used as a satallite parking lot either. Imagine that day for those walmart employees!

[@dragonhoardyarnpodcast8810]

Thanks for the great representation of what attendees and the majority of the vendors went through. 🙌

[@cOttp0tt]

thank you for linking the shops!!! i’ve been getting into crochet recently and i’m super excited to check out some small businesses for my yarn :))

[@lindaalikhan7962]

I think the vendors should file a class action suit to recoup their expenses and losses.

[@airdutemps8363]

What I honestly don't understand is why any1 would go through all the necessary bs to "organise" a mess like this and have ppl experience such a crappy day. Like why wouldn't she jusy tell the thruth and call it off? Tbh that's the worst event story I've heard in a long time!

[@ultraboombean]

40 dollars and about 2800 people bought tickets....that is 100k + and that is just ticket sales, not the vendors who paid 900 a booth, 1800 for both booths. I think they made bank .

[@airdutemps8363]

@@ultraboombean welp, I feel sorry for those knitting people who scamed she def sound like a btch and it mekes me wonder to wich point the knitting community rly need this company. It sure is sad but we all see here they won't make the same mistake again, I'm kinda waiting on some updates tbh

[@tayfan2]

It smells like grift. $$$$$$

[@cryptid-immortality]

Oh dear, as a disabled fiber artist who particularly relies on my specifically small rolling walker for activities, it would be absurd to expect me to walk at least fifteen minutes, walk up the hill in the mud, and be unable to access more than the first floor without an extremely long line? That'd be horrible! I've seen some particularly crowded spaces, and I have gone to outdoor markets that were really busy (the Green Dragon in Pennsylvania, specifically), and while it wasn't the most accessible, it was possible. I don't think this would be possible at all. Absurd to charge $45 for this catastrophe.

[@BarBea1123]

Fiber arts are also utilized by some with physical disabilities to make ends meet, and participate in community, not be so isolated, etc. etc. etc. it should go without saying access is a human right,but to be clear and demonstrate why people are particularly upset over this event.

[@deerhaven3350]

I am a knitting vendor on the west coast and this is absolutely horrible to hear. So sorry for all the vendors and visitors who went through this miserable experience. What a rip-off. That organizer is an idiot who doesn't seem to realize the power of the internet.

[@l.baughman1445]

Vendors: can we say “breach of contract?” Vendors should organize and hire a lawyer

[@misscranky]

I'm inpressed with the restraint it took to not make a Bye Felicia joke

[@rachamanda13]

oh my god i am so happy that non knitters are talking abt this too

[@CleverMonkey-jd3du]

What a crazy yarn.

[@yarning4asmile]

Since you did a video on this, I highly recommend you looking into the "Stitches" disaster of 2023 as well.

[@yarning4asmile]

For more context Stitches ran by XRX filled for bankruptcy while continuing to take creators booth Fees for shows.

[@Elhastezy888]

Why on Earth don't all these folks get together & file a lawsuit together?? A civil case

[@GingaNinjaTV13]

34:58 the way my jaw dropped. It is 100% your fault that you didn’t make your event accessible. Jesus Christ blaming others for their disabilities when you literally didn’t do your job