Coming October 20-22, 2023

Here is a correction to the initial version of this blog on SAFF! 9/19/2023

Don't be fooled by this link as I was:

https://saffsite.org/event-information/ where you see a link at the bottom to ...event-schedule/  where "coming in October" is displayed.  That link was never updated

INSTEAD make sure you click on the "SAFF 2023 Information" in red at the TOP of the page.  This is what you will see (below).  Be sure to sign up for classes.

In the pull down menu you will see the correct links but they won't be correct in the boxed links lower on the page.

So many things to do and see.  What to do first?  It depends on what interests you most: classes, events such as sheep herding, demonstrations?  Walk into a auditorium space and be knocked over by the grand, copious, extensive, unbelievable vendor displays of fiber for felting and spinning, yarns to knit and crochet, yarn shops moved lock stock and barrel to the vending space (it seems to me), rug hooking, weaving, hand made fiber items, tools for working with fiber, and so on. 

I like to visit the animals and hear the sounds they make.  Totally weird and amazing if you never have heard them. And of course, each breed of sheep or goat, for example, looks so different.  How about an angora goat (mohair) compared with a Jacob conservation breed sheep (wool)?

As a knitting and crocheting enthusiast I have spent previous years at the SAFF trying out different yarns. I bought my first merino roving there with the notion that I might like to try felting.  That's not the only possible new hobby that I saw demonstrated.  At a spot where the vendor was working on an Australian Locker Hooking project, I found she sold all the necessary materials for joining in.  

I have also established an ongoing relationship with vendors that don't  live close by.  I wanted more of a particular type of knubby cotton yarn that I haven't seen in stores and was able to order more. 

Do you want to buy a fleece and start from scratch?  This is a good place to shop and experience the array of choices. 

Lots of other vendors sell finished products in addition to offering raw materials and you might fall in love with some beautifully knitted baby booties as I did.

Are you competitive?  Enter the competition by clicking here. There are lots of categories to chose from.

*! Seek out the Local Cloth table which will have information on our non-profit organization centered in Asheville.

• Local Cloth is a non-profit whose motto is "growing the fiber economy".
• The surrounding 100 mile radius comprises our Blue Ridge Mountain Fiber Shed where our members, including the farmers and artists, live and work. 
• And, Local Cloth volunteers will be running free "Make and Take" mini-workshops there.

SAFF starts on the Friday; classes start early on Thursday (no retail or events events).

Note for the SAFF that at the Ag Center only gate 7 is open. On the Events page at the SAFF webpage you will find entry price and directions to the Ag Center in Fletcher where the SAFF fair is held.