Early bird registration opens for the 10th Knitting Weekend at Slater Mill

(Pawtucket, RI) Slater Mill has officially opened registration for its 10th Knitting Weekend, with early bird discounts on Full Weekend packages through November 24, to entice the most eager fiber arts enthusiasts.

The annual Knitting Weekend and Fiber Market draws hundreds of knitters, weavings, dyers, felters, textile artists and the fiber-curious, for a weekend that showcases teaching artists, exhibiting artists, designers, fiber farmers, makers, and practitioners of all skill levels.

With now a decade of events under its belt, Slater Mill has settled into a winning formula for curing the winter doldrums and shaking cabin fever, if only for one weekend in January.

The weekend opens on Friday, January 19 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., with a reception and trunk show, and a designer salon from 7:30 to 8:15. This year, fiber artist and designer, and former Vogue Knitting editor, Margery Winter, will be the featured speaker. This opening ice-breaker sets the tone for a weekend of socializing with likeminded artists, inspiration, traditional art practice, and networking.

Concurrent knitting classes are held on Saturday January 20, and Sunday January 21, from 8:30 to 11:50 a.m., with noted knitting instructors and designers Ellen Mason, Alison Green, Dylan Uscher, Diane Ivey, Pam Sluter and Michelle Charest, Ph.D. By limiting the maximum class size to 12 students, participants receive instruction tailored to their skill level, and are afforded the ability to ask individualized questions. Full and partial weekend registrants may select two or one classes, respectively, and a la carte registration will also be available for individual classes.

Saturday after class, the annual Luncheon with the Artists offers a plated, sit-down meal with choice of wine and soft drinks, and an opportunity for casual chat and Q&A with the teaching and exhibiting artists. The luncheon will take place in the historic second floor hall of the 1793 Old Slater Mill. Live jazz will be performed by the Steve DeConti Trio.

The free, public portion of the weekend is the colorful Fiber Market, which is held in the historic Slat-er Mill factory. It is the only trade show held in this space during the year. Twenty vendors from Maine to New York, and New England in-between, peddle a variety of raw fibers, spun fibers, dyed yarns, notions, and creations. The market is open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Ten years is a milestone that we’re very excited to celebrate,” says Erika Davis, Program Director at Slater Mill. “The contemporary relevance of today’s fiber arts practice is very much at home here in the nation’s first cotton spinning mill.”


Visitors will also draw inspiration from the annual fiber art exhibition installed for view during the weekend. This year, Margery Winter will showcase a collection of large-scale works, as well as wearable designs. And on Sunday, you can put that inspiration into practice during a free Drop in & Weave session – a beginner-level activity for all ages with take-home cardboard looms for participants.

Registration options available now are Full weekend package, which includes Friday opener, two knit-ting classes, Luncheon with the Artists, and a Berroco gift bag; Partial weekend package, which in-cludes the Friday opener, one knitting class, and a Berroco gift bag. A la carte registrations are avail-able now for the Friday night opener, and the Luncheon with the Artists. Individual knitting class reg-istration is open after November 24.

Register by November 24 to get an extra discount on the Full Weekend package, and first choice of classes. Visit brownpapertickets.com, keyword Knitting Weekend, or visit slatermill.org. Email in-fo@slatermill.org or call 401-725-8638 x.108 for a mail-in registration form, or for inquiries.

Knitting Weekend is presented by Slater Mill’s Trad Arts Studio, with the support of R.I. State Council on the Arts, Berroco, Inc., Phyllis Kimball Johnstone Foundation, the City of Pawtucket, and the Na-tional Park Service.