A member of the Twisted Threads Fiber Arts Guild places a ball of raw fleece, shorn from sheep and washed, between two wooden paddles called hand cards. With a brushing motion, she combs the fibers of the fleece with the hundreds of metal teeth on each paddle.

A small group of curious children and adults gathers to watch the demonstration. As the guild member cards the fiber, she explains that children were often responsible for hand-carding fleece, which their older relatives would spin and eventually knit into clothing.

Similar scenes play out inside the Agri Supply Exposition Center at the State Fairgrounds every year during Carolina FiberFest. After members of Twisted Threads spin the fleece into yarn, they’ll pass it to the Triangle Weavers Guild, whose members will weave it into a shawl.

Alesia Moore, a board member for Carolina FiberFest, owns Shepherd’s Gate Fiber Mill in Youngsville, which is one of the only operating fiber mills in the state and one of only a few hundred left in the country. Sharing this centuries-old process with children is one of Moore’s passions. “We really want to pass on these heritage crafts to new generations,” she says. “We have to continue our heritage crafts or else we’ve lost our heritage.”

Thousands of people explore the fairgrounds during FiberFest, held the second weekend in March. They attend demonstrations and workshops on knitting, spinning, weaving, crocheting, dyeing, felting, rug hooking, and nearly lost crafts like bobbin lace making and tatting, two methods of handcrafting lace. Experienced artists browse equipment and fiber sold by a variety of vendors and peruse designer showcases for inspiration. And for competitive fiber fanatics, there’s a spinning contest to see who’s the fastest spinner — and who’s the fastest blindfolded spinner, too.

Before like-minded artists could gather to share their crafts, tools, and creations at FiberFest, most people discovered the fiber arts through family or farming. Carolyn Beasley, co-owner of Heelside Farms in Four Oaks and a festival board member, learned how to use a spinning wheel from friends 22 years ago, and soon after started adding sheep to her farm. About seven of her younger sheep are the descendants of Carolina, the first sheep that Beasley took with her to the inaugural FiberFest in 2006, when it was held on the grounds of the Averasboro Battlefield and Museum in Dunn.

That first year, 10 vendors set up tents — one with looms and wheels — and about 200 visitors came to trade tips, swap materials, and find community in an otherwise solitary art form. Although the festival has grown in size and scope, many of the same founding members, most of whom have their own fiber farms, still set up booths at the Expo Center each year, eager to share their craft with anyone looking for a little warmth.

Carolina FiberFest
March 8-9
4825 Trinity Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
(919) 821-7400
carolinafiberfest.org

More to Explore: To find more March events, visit ourstate.com/calendar.