Fiber event weaves thousands of guests into Greencastle this weekend

For the 26th year, the Fiber Event returns to Greencastle this weekend, drawing an annual crowd of 3,000 fiber aficionados to the Putnam County Fairgrounds. Free, and open to the public, the event runs Friday, April 13 from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, April 14 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

"We are excited to welcome such a large group to Putnam County," Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau tourism director Eric Freeman said.

"The planning committee has spent months putting together two packed days designed to attract fiber artists and fans from across the U.S. All of the county's hotels, inns and B&B's are full, and this group returns each year because of the hospitality it annually enjoys in Putnam County," Freeman added.

Sheep shearing demonstrations take place throughout the day Friday and, from 6-7:30 p.m., the Fiber and Friends Gathering in Harris Hall provides an opportunity for fiber enthusiasts to network. Spin, crochet, knit or weave? This is a free event.

More than 100 vendors, from Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Wisconsin and as far away as Florida, North Carolina and Oklahoma, will again participate in the event, with booths in the Community Building, "Fiber Alley" (outdoors) and the Fiber Arts Building.

Local vendors include Anderson Alpaca Farm and Wool Ends/The Clay Purl, from Cloverdale; Bittersweet Baskets, of Coatesville; Terre Haute's Dogwood Lane; Russellville's Friends of the Park; Rockville's Kristy Dooley; Bainbridge's Treen Acres Farm; PAM, Roadhouse, Under the Son Farm and Wolf Beach Farm, all of Greencastle. Geno's Kettle Korn, Fillmore, is one of several food vendors keeping event-goers well-fed.

The event includes fiber competitions in fleece, skein and garments, and a multitude of workshops.

Friday workshops include:

-- Weave a Scarf on a Rigid Heddle Loom, a three-hour session for up to 10 people, with a $70 registration and materials fee.

-- Silk Reeling Basics, a three-hour session for eight, with a $70 registration and materials fee.

-- Dyes of the Americas, a six-hour workshop for 12, with a $110 registration and materials fee.

-- Master Continental Knitting, a three-hour session for 12, with a $49 registration and materials fee.

-- Beginning Embroidery: Creating a Mini Hoop Necklace, a three-hour session for 12, with a $65 registration and materials fee.

-- Needle Felted Treasure Jar Lid, a three-hour session for 10, with a $60 registration and materials fee.

-- Viking Knitted Bracelet, a six-hour workshop for eight, with a $105 registration and materials fee.

On Saturday, three-hour workshops include:

-- Triangle Loom Weaving, a class for 10, with an $80 registration and material fee.

-- Indigo and Woad, a class for 12, with a $65 registration and materials fee.

-- Bead Knitting Rockstar, a class for 12, with a $55 registration and materials fee.

--Lace Knitting 101, a class for 12, with a $55 registration and materials fee.

-- Traditional Market Basket Weaving, a class for 10, with a $70 registration and materials fee.

-- Plying for Texture: Bumps, a session for 10, with a $65 registration and materials fee.

-- Creative Carding: Creating Texture in Fiber Art Batts, a class for 12, with a $75 registration and materials fee.

-- Rainbow Dyepot, a session for 10, with a $120 registration and materials fee.

Details about the event can be found at TheFiberEvent.com.