I LOVE YARN DAY is a collaborative effort of the Craft Yarn Council, a non-profit made up of the leading yarn companies, accessory manufacturers, publishers and consultants in the yarn industry including Annie’s Publishing; Boye/Simplicity Creative Group; Clover Needlecraft; Creative Partners; Creativebug; Interweave Press/FW; Leisure Arts; Lion Brand Yarn; Prime Publishing; Red Heart Yarns; Spinrite; TNNA and TMA Yarns. The group created the day to promote the holistic benefits of working with yarn, and it’s been a favorite among enthusiasts ever since!

History of I Love Yarn Day

I Love Yarn Day is gots its start in 2011 after the Craft Yarn Council decided that it needed to launch an event to promote the benefits of the industry’s products. 

I Love Yarn Day is very much a product of the internet age. The majority of people who take part do so through the web. Doing so gives them access to Craft Yarn Council’s educational programs and lets them share their experience with other knitters and crocheters. 

Because there is such diversity of council members, I Love Yarn Day provides the perfect opportunity for people to learn about the craft. Aska, for instance, is the world’s largest acrylic fiber producer and has more than 1,200 employees. Likewise, Clover Needlecraft specializes in Takumi bamboo knitting needles, representing what it calls “the pinnacle of craftsmanship.” Interweave is a front-running art and craft media company that circulates a magazine and even has a book publishing arm. And Lion Brand Yarn Company, based in NYC, creates a range of traditional yarns designed to help crocheters and knitter make stunning, stylish outfits you might see on the catwalk. You get the picture. 

We must ask ourselves what our lives would be like without yarn. Historically, it was something that people needed to do for survival, especially in northern climes. On cold winter nights, our ancestors relied on being able to create fabrics that retained body heat as they shivered in their mud huts. With industrial clothing production, the fundamental problem of staying warm disappeared, but it introduced a new issue: generic clothing. 

Therefore, working with yarn today is viewed as a fun pastime, and something the Craft Yarn Council is keen to promote. According to Jenny Bessonette, the executive director of the organization, the industry is seeing a resurgence of interest in the craft. She puts this down partly to current consumer trends, and partly because of the Council’s promotional efforts. 

I Love Yarn Day, however, isn’t just an event for the purpose of increasing the popularity of knitting and crocheting as a hobby. The Council also says that it is vital for improving health too. Numerous studies reveal that working with yarn has multiple health benefits, from increasing confidence to reducing the conscious experience of stress. For instance, a 2019 study found that 97 percent of people thought that working with yarn helped them to “slow down” and relax. 

The organizers of I Love Yarn Day, therefore, see it as something that can assist in wellness. They hope that the day will make it easier for people to discuss their experiences of yarn online and in-person, explaining how it makes their lives better. 

How to celebrate I Love Yarn Day

Celebrating I Love Yarn Day is easy because most of the events and activities take place over the internet. 

The first way to get involved is to sign-up for I Love Yarn Day on social media. The Craft Yarn Council runs pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Here you can see some of the craft materials other crocheters and knitters have created in the course of their work. You can be a passive observer of goings-on, or you can actively share your images and pictures. Don’t forget to comment, like, and share to spread the message of I Love Yarn Day more widely in the community. 

The second thing you can do is include the day’s hashtag in your social media posts to spread the message. Remember, I Love Yarn Day isn’t just about taking up knitting and crocheting. It is also about communicating with people about the profound health benefits that working with yarn brings. Using hashtags is a great way to share the message if you have an interest in health and well-being. If you’re an influencer, you can point out how knitting is similar to other wellness-promoting activities, such as gentle exercise and meditation. It is a powerful tool that people can use to enhance how they feel and enjoy their lives more. 

Thirdly, you can take part in the countdown to the big day itself. The Craft Yarn Council runs a clock that shows how many weeks, days, hours, and minutes there are to go to the next day. Throughout the official countdown, they provide free patterns and exciting giveaways for fans to enjoy while they wait. 

On or before the day, you can download the I Love Yarn Day media toolkit. It includes everything you need to get the party started, including fonts, photography, graphics, and even more ideas for celebrating the day. 

If you’re a massive fan of yarn, the Craft Yarn Council Shares some “big ways to celebrate” the day. For instance, you could host an I Love Yarn Day giveaway, where you hand out your knitwear for free or use it in a prize in a competition on social media. 

The Council also recommends that people share blog posts explaining why they love yarn. You could talk about the fact that it allows you to make new garments or lets you unwind on a Sunday afternoon, readying you for a busy week. Topics could range from your personal encounter with yarn to the things you can teach others. 

Speaking of which, if you’re an expert knitter or crochet, you could become a teacher for the day. If you’re renowned in your field, you could join the official training roster for the day. But even if you’re not, you could host a live webinar on social media, explaining particular topics, from beginner to advanced. 

Another idea is to host a “knit along” in the days and weeks running up to I Love Yarn Day. Here, you set up a live cam and invite others to join your channel, either on a live-streaming service or video conferencing tool. 

For more than 30 years, the Craft Yarn Council has sponsored a wide range of promotional and educational programs, including its highly acclaimed Certified Instructors Program, Discover Knit, and Crochet classes. Its annual I LOVE YARN DAY event is an important addition to the calendar and something that will help to keep the craft going for many years to come.