Fiber arts on display in Long Beach
Published 11:06 am Monday, November 3, 2025
The Columbia Pacific Fiber Arts Association will host its annual fiber arts festival at the Long Beach Elementary School at 400 Washington Ave. S, in Long Beach.
The two-day event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 8 and 9. It features displays, vendors and classes. Among instructors will be Audrey Knippa, Diane Seifert, Cheri Diehl, Cynthia Killingsworth, Didem Tezcan and Jennie Sanders of Mad Hatter Fibers of Ephrata, Wash.
Classes include knitting in the round, weaving in the round, painting with wool, making Dorset buttons, crocheting mandalas and needle felting jellyfish. Others include beginning crochet, two Amigurumi classes, wild weaving, needle felting ornaments and peg weaving.
Shelly McSweyn, one of the organizers, said a new element will be a small petting zoo for a couple of hours both days. There will also be at least two classes for children this year.
“Our focus is teaching children about fiber from the very beginning — with the animals themselves — and taking them through what it takes to get to a finished product,” McSweyn said, “and teaching them that they can learn and participate in handwork of all kinds.”