CNY Fiber Arts Festival

The 2019  CNY Fiber Arts Festival was held on June 8th and 9th, and was a smashing success.  Three guest artists delivered lectures and demonstrations on aspects of knitting to enthusiastic audiences, and five workshops were presented on spinning and felting. Volunteers in the Children’s Tent  worked on knitting,weaving,felting, and other crafts with visitors, and a new display of art work by students was featured.  Jim Baldwin returned with his shearing demonstrations and individual vendors offered demonstrations of weaving and spinning. Sheep, alpacas, goats, and Angora rabbits were on display. Visitors selected raw fleeces from over 100 offerings at the Fleece Sale,  and a local spinning guild had a steady stream of visitors to the Wheel Corral, most of whom were trying spinning for the very first time.

Fiber artists and farmers offered a variety of products for sale, including handspun and hand-dyed yarn, roving, hand-dyed fabrics, and finished products ranging from decorative art works to unique articles of clothing.  Handmade wooden fiber tools, pottery, antique tools, and related farm products were also available.

On Saturday, a competition was held for the first annual Viv Fulton Memorial Award for the finest example of a handwoven product from natural fibers. Three prizes were awarded, with the blue ribbon going to Maryanne Stanton of Syracuse for a handwoven shawl.

Members of CNY Fiber Artists & Producers will be meeting soon to begin making plans for the 2020 festival.