SWISS YARN FESTIVAL!

This morning, we head straight for the Swiss Yarn Festival, where we’ll collect our tickets and dive into a weekend of woolly wonders.

Here’s where it gets extra fun: we’ll be staying at the same hotel as the festival designers, giving you the unique chance to mingle and share conversations beyond the booths. Even better, we’ve been invited to join their welcome dinner and bowling party on Friday night - a relaxed, laughter-filled way to connect with some of the creative minds you admire.

And remember, you’ll be experiencing all of this alongside Irina Shaar, who will be sharing her warmth, insights, and fiber-world connections every step of the way.

You'll have three days to wander the stalls, meet indie dyers and designers, take a class if you like, or simply bask in the company of fellow yarn lovers from around the globe.

Rowan Tree Bonus! As part of your tour, you’ll be able to sign up for two festival workshops—on the house! This is your chance to learn directly from designers, expand your skills, and bring home new techniques (alongside your yarn treasures).

GLATTFELDEN & HUTTWIL

After the festival glow, we’ll venture into the Swiss countryside for a visit to a family-run wool hub dedicated to all things fiber. Here, sheep and other animals are part of daily life, and you’ll see how raw fleece becomes yarn, fabric, and more. The workshops and shop offer everything from knitting yarns to spinning fibers, felting supplies, and cozy woolens.

We’ll pause for a hearty serving of house strudel before continuing on to a nearby cheese dairy to discover how Switzerland’s famous wheels are made. The highlight? A fondue lunch—because some things really are worth melting for. We’ll return to our hotel full of cheese, yarn, and happiness.

DEPARTURE

With bags full of yarn and hearts full of memories, we’ll say auf Wiedersehen to Switzerland and head for the airport. Safe travels home—until our next adventure together!

Sydney is a knitter, spinner, crocheter, dyer, and felter. She loves to explore how different local cultures work with fiber.  At one time Sydney managed Quail Hill Farm including sheep for fiber and meat as well as pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, too many cats and dogs, plus various types of poultry. She took her sheep wool from shearing to dying, using her own dye plants, to spinning to knitted garments.  Sydney grew up in NYC and Switzerland and is fluent in French, Italian, and German. She worked for many years as a French teacher and mentor in Waldorf Schools. Before that she worked as a financier on Wall Street and she now uses those skills for strategic planning at Rowan Tree.

Irina Shaar is a passionate knitter and the creator and host of Fiberchats, a YouTube channel dedicated to celebrating the global fiber arts community. Through her engaging video interviews, she spotlights knitters, crocheters, and designers from around the world, exploring their stories, techniques, and inspirations.