The Steel City Fiber Collective (SCFC), winner of December’s $1000 Awesome Pittsburgh grant, will provide Pittsburghers the chance to rent space and equipment for knitting, crochet, dyeing, spinning, weaving, and fiber preparation. They also plan to host classes for the fiber art community. Says SCFC founding member Nora Swisher, “A mobile dyeing class will make our city more awesome by bringing bright color to the dreary Pittsburgh winter. Dyeing your own yarn gives people a sense of accomplishment, provides a family friendly social activity, and encourages art and DIY culture.”

The Steel City Fiber Collective is the brain-child of a long-standing knitting group who first gathered in 2006, comprised of Anna Sylvester, Becca Krieger, Cheryl Koester and Nora Swisher (now the co-owners of SCFC). Recently, they ran a successful kickstarter campaign and published several patterns, but have yet to open up shop. The Awesome Pittsburgh grant enables SCFC to obtain all the supplies and equipment needed to conduct a dyeing class. Only running water is needed once the dye equipment is put into place. They will offer classes to the public before securing permanent space (hence, “mobile”), and after securing a space, they will use the same equipment.

Awesome Pittsburgh Trustee Jeb Feldman is impressed that “classes and equipment will be available at an affordable price and accessible to all ages and skill levels, ranging from kids to seniors” and wholeheartedly agrees with SCFC that “promoting fiber crafts can result in a happier, warmer Pittsburgh community.”