Fidos and Fiber Arts: October Celebration Days

October 30, 2025

October is the month we witness or experience many changes: foliage sheds its summer shine to let through vibrant shades of orange, yellow, and red; our farmers are hard at work, harvesting as quickly as they can to deliver before the rail loaders close for the day; it’s finally starting to get cooler outside!

For monthly celebration days, I think October’s most well-known are Halloween and Indigenous Peoples’ Day (not to be confused with National Native American Heritage Month, which starts on November 1). Let’s investigate two lesser-known days to celebrate this October.

Image credits from left to right: IHS, M1439 (cropped); Martin Collection, IHS (cropped); Personal photo, Chloe Redman

Dog people everywhere already do this daily, but did you know that loving and supporting your furry family members has its own dedicated day? Subaru – yes, the Japanese car manufacturer – decided to affirm its commitment to bettering the lives of all dogs by establishing the National Make a Dog’s Day in October 2019. This was a result of the Subaru Loves Pets initiative and partnership with the ASPCA, reminding everyone to support and love our furry companions and bring awareness to how we can support local shelters, care for disabled pups, and encourage adoptions.

This year’s Make a Dog’s Day fell on Wednesday, October 22. If you already have enough dogs in your family and don’t have the means to express outward support, express it inward! Give some extra cuddles, throw the ball a few more rounds, do whatever you feel comfortable doing to express your love and support to your pets.

Image credits from left to right: IHS, R0940; Personal photo, Chloe Redman; IHS, M0634 (cropped)

The second Saturday of October is actually #ILoveYarn day, a global day of celebration for everyone regularly tangling with yarn to make clothes, blankets, toys, and anything else you could think of! We honor crocheters and knitters this month, whether you create for the joy of it or out of necessity.

Also, did you know that humans have been making yarn for at least 4,500 years?! Wool and cotton fibers were spun into yarn by hand with a distaff and bowl, a common practice between 2500 and 1200 B.C., according to the Textile Heritage Museum of North Carolina. Just think, we went from having to hand-spin fibers to having entire spinning mills to produce the skeins!

Chloe Redman is an Assistant Reference Librarian in the Archives and Library. She is pursuing an MLIS at Indiana University-Indianapolis and reads books as fast as Kirby devours buffets.

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