Eureka! Fiber in the Ozarks 2025
I live about 20 miles from a remarkable community called Eureka Springs. Eureka Springs is located in northwest Arkansas and has long been a mecca for artists and craftsmen. For the fourth year, Eureka Springs hosted an incredible March 13-15 event called “Fiber in the Ozarks.” Held in the historic Eureka Springs Community Center (to read about the history of the building, click here.}, this event brings in vendors from all across the south, Mideast, and even a few northern areas to display their wares, teach classes, and answer questions from the lucky folks who attend.
Guess what?? I was one of those lucky folks, for the first time, this weekend!
You Snooze, You Lose!
I was too late to sign up for the classes I really wanted to take ( ☹ ). They were already filled with waiting lists, unfortunately. However, this turned out to be a bit of a blessing, as I was able to stroll through the vendor venue at my leisure on Friday evening. Saturday morning, however, was really crowded. This is when I learned my first lesson from this event: yarn/craft folks are some of the kindest, most considerate individuals I’ve ever had the privilege of meeting! No matter how crowded the room grew to be, everyone was polite and calm with so much chaos around them. (And I’m not talking about the Chaos Fiber Company, one of the vendors! They ae a fun company. If you want to read about them, click here.
I saw individuals with dogs, babies, strollers, wagons, and super-large woven baskets making their ways through the crowds with nary a cross word from any attendee that I heard. The dogs were the most well-behaved canines I’ve ever seen; one gorgeous German Shepherd adolescent puppy wore a harness with the words “In Training” embroidered on the side, but followed the commands of his handler so beautifully! A majestic (no other word for it!) full-grown, Irish setter strolled nobly through the venue on a leash as if he was a a king surveying his domain. This same huge dog calmly and quietly bore the attention of everyone he encountered, even letting this little old lady cat person (me!) stroke his head and talk baby talk to him!
It was such a gratifying feeling, knowing that I belonged to this community of creative individuals who so willingly shared their knowledge and crafts with those around them!
Looking Forward!
My next few blogs will be about some of the vendors that I had the privilege of interacting with on this amazing weekend. Here is the first vendor:
Baskets by Laura (https://www.facebook.com/basketsbylaurak )
Sadly, I don’t have any photographs taken by myself of this remarkable vendor booth. I was able to lift these photos of part of her display from the above link. Laura herself was busy teaching basket classes to those lucky enough to enroll in her classes. (This was one class I really wanted to take!) Her sweet husband, Jim, “minded the store” for her and was more than willing to chat with anyone interested.
These baskets ranged from very small (here’s a photo of the one I bought for my piano) to very, very large. If you will click on the above link, you can see photographs of the many styles and colors of baskets that Laura produces, some of which are specifically designed for knitters/crocheters. Please take a few moments to check out her Facebook page in the above link and see for yourself some of the amazing baskets she has created. You will understand why I voted for this vendor booth as the best display in the show!
Next time, I’ll tell you about an incredible bag maker and a lady who runs a llama and alpaca rescue farm!
Happy knitting!
