Yarn and related things, whether made from natural wool or artificial, are not something that many people often think of for the many everyday things they contain. However, the organizers of the annual Central Pennsylvania Fiber Festival are seeking to change that through an event like their own.

According to event organizers, their main goal is to promote education and the continuation of processing natural fibers from farm animals into usable products.

They also focus on teaching everything from knitting, crocheting, felting, spinning, and weaving, from the shearing of the animals to a beautiful, finished product.

The event was started to help promote the fiber arts. They try to educate the public about natural fibers and all that can be done with them, and provide a space for the artists to promote their craft and the beautiful products they produce. The products can range from raw fleeces from their animals to hand-spun yarn to indie-dyed yarn to finished items made by weaving, knitting, crocheting, and more.

This year’s dates are Saturday, May 17th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, May 18th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free, as is parking. The event is held at the Lycoming County Fairgrounds with over 60 vendors.

In a world where everyone is used to clicking a button and having something appear at their door, organizers believe it is essential to understand the time and effort that goes into making the items.

They do have folks who come, look at the price of a finished item like a scarf or gloves, and experience a bit of sticker shock. They are trying to help people understand that it takes time to raise and feed the animal, shear it (usually only once a year), keep it healthy, then clean and turn that fleece into a finished product. So essentially that pair of gloves or hat in their hand has taken over a year to make. It is livestock being raised, and that is a 24/7-type of job with joy, trials, and heartbreaks.

The festival is put on by a board of five members who have all participated in the fiber industry in some way.

They have a member who raised alpacas for show and breeding, as well as selling yarn and finished products — they have since retired.

Another member raised sheep, processed their fleeces, and now shares their knowledge through spinning and weaving guilds.

Another member is an artisan soap maker who loves knitting and crocheting.

And finally, Mike and Elizabeth Longstreth, who are among the festival’s organizers, raised alpacas, opened a farm store to sell items locally, and finally, a fiber mill to process fleeces for farms across the country. They provide them with special orders for their farm shops or personal use.

Event organizers believe they are all working on this out of love for the fiber industry and the joy they get from raising the animals to making a finished product from their fleece. Not everyone attending raises animals, but they do have an appreciation for what it takes to make that beautiful sweater or hand-dye those skeins for a special project. It’s a festival of like-minded people. And there is more than just fiber and yarn. They do have woodworkers, soap makers, basket weavers, and more. The importance is that these are hand-made items with natural fibers – everyone makes an effort to provide a product that is usually one of a kind and will last for a long time.

In order to help educate the public, they also have demonstrations throughout each day. Demonstrators include sheep herding dogs, sheep shearing, spinning, weaving, flatbed knitting machines, bobbin lace weaving, antique sock machines, basket weaving, and much more.

All the vendors donate an item for a ticket auction so everyone can take a chance to win. All the proceeds from this go to keeping the festival thriving from year to year. Those who bring a nonperishable food item will receive a free ticket to their ticket auction, and the food items will be donated to the Son-Light House. They will also have a door prize basket for each day.

Food trucks will also be on hand.

For more information, visit the website at http://www.centralpennfiberfest.com and Facebook.