The sixth annual Fiber Arts Festival, hosted by Knit1 Oxford, kicks off this Thursday, Jan. 28.
The event celebrates fiber arts and independent artists, and features classes on spinning, weaving, dyeing, crocheting, tatting and knitting. It will also feature live animals such as llamas, sheep and goats, as well as a display of the processes used to retrieve the fibers from their wool.
It is an event geared for all ages and experience levels. Prices for classes range from $30 to $70 and span from two to four hours.
Patsy Engelhard, the owner of Knit 1. (Photo by Ariel Cobbert)
“It’s been great for education and for people to learn about the fiber arts and see how fun it is to work in this medium,” said Patsy Engelhard, owner of Knit1 Oxford. “You have the opportunity to meet people who create work you can’t find anywhere else and people come from as many as seven states to attend. It’s a great thing to do in Oxford in January, which can be a pretty sad month.”
About five years ago, a partnership between the University of Mississippi Museum, Yoknapatawpha Art Council and Knit1 Oxford brought forth an exhibit of the Gee’s Bend Quilters, a famous group of quilt makers from Alabama.
After the success of the exhibit, there was talk about initiating an event that would teach people about quilt making and show the contemporary nature of fiber arts. After brainstorming, the Fiber Arts Festival was born. It is now the longest and oldest fiber arts festival in the state, attracting anywhere between 1000 and 1200 visitors.
“I think it is a great opportunity to bring people into the space,” said Wayne Andrews, executive director of the Yoknapatawpha Art Council. “People can see how the skill of making clothing is now an art form. It brings in a lot of visitors to our community, as people travel from other states to attend and to learn from noted masters in the craft. It fits with our programming and is a great way to bring in people to the community.”
One of the vendors involved, Sky Loom Weavers, was started by Penny Nelson and Peggy Barnette of Houston, Texas. The two women spin, weave, dye and sell hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns and fibers, as well as finished goods and the
The Knit 1 store is filled with a variety of yarn that comes in many colors and textures. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
tools to make them.
Nelson and Barnette said they were thrilled to be a part of the festival. They said they are excited to have the opportunity to bring history to life and let people know that spinning and weaving are not dying arts.
“There is nothing so wonderful as seeing all your hard work, experience, and talent on display,” Nelson said. “It is even more wonderful to hear someone say ‘Oh, cool! Sky Loom Weavers is here again this year!’ It makes all the hard work and time spent in the studio worthwhile.”
Those involved with putting together this event are proud of the impact it has on the art and cultural scene in Oxford.
“It’s something different and we emphasize that there is something there for everyone,” Engelhard said. “We just hope y’all come, as we say in the South. It’s just a great, different event and there’s nothing else like it around.”
The sixth annual Fiber Arts Festival officially opens Thursday evening at 5:30 and runs through Saturday at 5 p.m. A full list of this year’s classes is listed on the Knit1 Oxford website.
