Contact & Events

In addition to the yarn you see on this website, at events I also have hand-knit items, and I'm always happy to answer knitting questions and help you with your historic or modern project.

At historic events and reenactments (marked Historical Event! below) the hand-knit items I take depend on the time period the event is representing. I will take pieces from patterns dated before an event's timeperiod, but never after (you will never see my WWII Red Cross socks at a Civil War reenactment!). My yarn is always at all events, both modern and historic.

New for the 2010 season, Mother of Purl (The Coppersmith's Wife) will be carrying my yarn and roving at a number of historical events and yarn shows throughout the Midwest. Her "Suzy the Shepherdess" yarn and roving is identical to the yarn and roving you will find at my booth and on this website, and all at the same price. Click here for a list of her events.

You can place an order now and arrange to pick it up at one of my events. You save yourself the shipping charge and are assured that the item you want won’t be sold out when you come to my booth. Plus, you get the thrill of meeting me!

Please note that you may have to pay an admission charge if an event requires it. I've included the admission charge, if any, in each event description below.

I may sell the additional items off my website in the future, but for now they are only available when you see me personally. So stop by and say hello!

February 5 - 7, 2010. Reenactor Fest 6 at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Illinois. Conference for reenactors from Ancient Rome through WWII. One huge room full of vendors, plus some workshops and activities on the side. The best historical shopping you'll ever find! Admission is $20 for one day. Visit www.reenactorfest.com for more information. (Note: If you're staying at the hotel be sure to book your room through the RenactorFest website for a saving of about $100 per night less than the standard rate).

I’ll have yarn, roving and hand-knit items made with documented historical patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

April 17 (Saturday), 2010. Stephenson County Fiber Art Fair, Cedarville, Illinois. A celebration of the fiber arts with workshops, demonstrations of spinning and weaving, and vendors offering fibers for spinning plus finished yarn, dyes, books, gifts, equipment, handmade soap and baskets. Also supplies for spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, dyeing, tatting and crochet. Admission is $2 for adults, free for kids under 12. For more information visit www.SuzyBeggin.com/FAF.htm.

My products will be part of the Moonspinners booth (on "The Stage."). I'll have wool yarn, roving, and hand-knit items made with both modern and historic patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

May 15 & 16, 2010. Historical Event! Civil War Days at Naper Settlement, Naperville, Illinois (Civil War, 1861 - 1865). Civil War battle and encampment. $12 adults, $11 seniors, $8 youth (4 - 17). For more information visit http://www.napersettlement.org/calendar/Civil%20War%20Days.html.

Change of Plans: This event is always a fun one and I encourage you to attend, but unfortunately I will not be attending this year. My perfect and problem-free pregnancy got a little more exciting then I would have liked this week, and I have been ordered to cut back on my activities and events. Mother of Purl will be at this event, so please visit her tent to buy my yarn, and be sure to visit me (and the baby!) at my September and October shows!

September 11 & 12, 2010. Historical Event! Civil War Days, Lockport, Illinois. (Civil War, 1861 - 1865). 22nd annual Civil War and Living History weekend held in Dellwood Park (Lockport Township Park District). Admission fee. (815) 838-1183. Food/beverage available. For more information visit www.lockportpark.org.

I’ll have yarn, roving, and hand-knit items made with pre-1865 patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

September 18 & 19, 2010 (I need to confirm this date). Historical Event! Civil War & Living History Weekend, Lake Villa, Illinois (Civil War, 1861 - 1865). 8th annual Civil War and Living History weekend at the Longwood Centre and Lehmann Mansion in Lake Villa. Admission fee. (847) 356-6100. Food/beverage available.

I’ll have yarn, roving, and hand-knit items made with pre-1865 patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

October 2 & 3, 2010. Historical Event! Battle of Morseville, Stockton, Illinois (Civil War, 1861-1865), in Memory of David Pierce. Civil War battle reenactment with an emphasis on the medical core. Period fashion show, Sunday church service, and more. One of the best looking and most authentic reenactment battlefields you'll ever see - not a manicured golf course, but a cow pasture with permanent bridges, signal core tower, and earthworks. Really cool. Adults $5, children under 12 free, families $10 (last year's prices, I'm assuming they're the same). (815) 858-3493. Food/beverage available.

I’ll have yarn, roving, and hand-knit items made with pre-1865 patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

October 16 & 17, 2010. Historical Event! Dollinger Farm Civil War Days, Minooka, Illinois (Civil War, 1861-1865). Annual Civil War battle reenactment on a farm that has been in the family since 1852. Admission fee for the battle viewing area only (walking the grounds, camps and sutler area is free). Food/beverage available. http://www.dollingerfarms.com/civilwar.htm

I’ll have yarn, roving, and hand-knit items made with pre-1865 patterns. I’ll also have my book Suzy's Musings & More.

Can't wait for an event to see my yarn? You don't have to!

My yarn is available year round at these locations. Labeled as "Suzy the Shepherdess Yarn," the yarn in these shops is the same yarn sold on this site and at my events.

Fiber Wild at 304 S. Main Street in Galena, Illinois. A perfect weekend road trip! Fiber Wild is in beautiful downtown Galena Illinois. In addition to yarn, Fiber Wild also has knitting and spinning supplies. Open 10 am to 6 pm Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 am to 5 pm on Sundays; and closed on Tuesdays.

Esther's Place at 201 W. Galena Street (Route 30), Big Rock, Illinois. Esther's Place is in Big Rock, a tiny town you've never heard of that's just west of the western Chicago suburbs, about a half hour west of Aurora and Naperville. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm. All of the yarn at Esther's Place is from Illinois sheep.

Mother of Purl (The Coppersmith's Wife) can be found at a variety of historical events and yarn shows year-round throughout the Midwest. In addition to my yarn, they also have patterns, needles and spinning supplies. Click here for a list of her events.