Colourful displays brighten Cambridge streets for upcoming annual fibre fair

The outdoor display of free-standing, woven, knitted fibre art in various hues and colours on the streets of Cambridge heralds the arrival of the annual exhibition and fibre fair later this month.

A team of dedicated volunteers – at least a dozen that we could count, started early on Sunday, 7 June with unpacking boxes of masterpieces used in previous years, before heading off to the tree-lined street to put up decors.

Coordinating their efforts was the society’s past president, Margaret Cairns who was on the spot with her partner, Bill and their daughter as well. Bill was seen putting up laminated posters to catch attention of pedestrians, while their daughter was away helping put up craft pieces.

Items were craft creations that were knitted, woven, crochet work and other crafts that use wool and/or other fibres. These treasures were again ready to decorate trees, bus stops, benches, etc that lined Cambridge’s Victoria Street from Town Hall.

Organised annually by Creative Fibre – the New Zealand Spinning, Weaving and Woolcrafts Society Inc. (NZSWWS), the five-day event in the Cambridge Town Hall attracts hundreds of visitors every year. Decoration of the trees and streets is part of the Society’s annual ritual, says Margaret. Undoubtedly, it adds to the town’s attractions for visitors.

“Cambridge Creative Fibre began yarn bombing the trees in central Cambridge in 2017 as a way of promoting their annual exhibition”, Margaret told NewsViews. “This was so successful that it has continued. We try and present a colourful display that varies from year to year. As a club we also provide charity knitting to Loving Arms, Kids in Need, local schools and support the Lions Club with any charity knitting that they undertake,” she adds.

Margaret confirmed that all the craft yarns are taken down at the end of the exhibition period, washed and packed away, ready for next year.

Creative Fibre “brings together people with a passion for fibre crafts and textile arts”. Their mission is to “explore, create and inspire with fibre and to achieve this we share, promote, teach and preserve the cultural activities of spinning, weaving and all other crafts that use wool and/or other fibres.” Spinners, weavers, knitters, dyers, flax workers, felters, crocheters and other makers experience the joy of working with fibre.

The organsiation has groups spread over 15 geographic areas of the country, including Hamilton and Cambridge. The Waikato area itself has 13 groups – Cambridge, Hakarimata (Ngaruawahia area), Hamilton, Matamata, Mercury Bay, Morrinsville, Taumaranui, Taupo, Te Awamutu, Te Kuiti, Thames, Waihi and Whangamata.

Every other year they host a national festival in a different location in New Zealand that includes national exhibition and fashion show, workshops, lectures, trades, and displays.

Dedication of volunteers – including some who were from local Lions Club, putting up the woven or knitted crafts on the trees, was truly remarkable. Most spent hours working non-stop.

Among the volunteers was Ginny who had travelled over 100kms from Tihoi (Taupo District) to help the Society today. She has been a member for two years now, but she was going to utilise the visit to see her daughter and visit their horse farm also, she said. She meticulously worked for over two hours to deck up the 850kg, life-size bronze sculpture of a mare and her foal that sits prominently outside the Cambridge Town Hall.

Their national exhibition usually showcases the creative talents of its members. They use various methods and materials: hand knitting, machine knitting, weaving, raranga, paper art, basketry, spinning, embroidery, crochet and tatting to create free standing fibre art, wall hangings, etc.

The five-day Cambridge Creative Fibre Annual Exhibition opens on 24^th June in the Victorian Room, Cambridge Town Hall. The Fibre Fair will be held on Saturday 27 June where there will be a display of members work featuring knitting, weaving, felting, and spinning.