Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival

This weekend was the 11th Annual Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival from August 19-21. I don’t think I’d ever been to Gibsons before. The town is technically on the main mass of British Columbia, but is considered the Sunshine Coast. The quickest way to get to Gibsons is by ferry, and the crossing is only 40 minutes.

Chelle and I planned to get the noon ferry, but missed it by about 10-15 minutes. But that was okay, it gave us time to park the car, grab some coffee, get our tickets, and wander around a bit. We got the 1:35pm ferry and got into Langdale Ferry Terminal in good time and caught the bus to the high school where the merchant mall was.

Sunshine Coast — photo taken upon arrival at Langdale Ferry Terminal

The Gibsons Fibre Fest offered classes on Thursday and Friday, the merchant mall and juried exhibit was open all three days, and on the Saturday there were festivities in the Landing. Also, the term ‘fibre arts’ is very inclusive: knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving, dying, sewing, quilting… the festival has it all. We were going mainly for the merchant mall, and Chelle had quite the score. She got some Bombax Silk from Hummingbird Fibre Arts. I nearly fell down over all the Malabrigo at Unwind Knit & Fibre Lounge (Gibsons’ new local yarn store).

Hummingbird Fibre Arts

One of the Festival Directors taking a photo at Unwind Yarns' booth

Had there been other festivities on the Friday, I think we would have gone earlier to wander around… but you always forget travel time. I’m a bit young to remember The Beachcombers (TV show) but it’s what Gibsons Landing is famous for — Molly’s Reach and the Persephone are both in the Landing. We ended up catching the 5:30pm ferry home with a few of the other knitters and fibre artists we knew.

On the ferry home from Gibsons (from left to right: Shannon of Unwind Yarns, Siobhan, Petra, Viki, and Chelle. Faye is visible on the floor at Chelle's feet.)

So what did I buy you ask? I bought a lovely skein of 100% merino wool at Shannon’s booth, Unwind Yarns — Throwing Sheep Into Rainbows. I’m thinking it will become a shawl (similar to the one being photographed above). The second photo is very true to colour; the colourway is called Splotch. I also picked up some beads for earrings.

Unfortunately, the board of directors has announced that the 2011 Gibsons Landing Fibre Arts Festival is cancelled. Many assume it’s due to the arts funding cuts in the province, but there are several reasons which the board outlined in a press release. Hopefully some Gibsons residents will step up and resurrect the festival in a couple years. Even though this was my first year attending, I am hoping it will just be a small hiatus.

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