January festivals: Mississippi’s Fiber Arts Festival

Mississippi is famous for its river and mud pie, but the annual Fiber Arts Festival is fast becoming a much anticipated attraction too. It’s a celebration of anything and everything woven, and encourages a bit of experimentation by exhibiting objects created from fibres taken from the coats of animals such as llamas, rabbits and alpacas, as well as cashmere and mohair wool from goats.

The festival includes demonstrations showing how fibres can be cultivated from such animals without causing them any harm, as well as demonstrations showing the process of spinning the yarn for weaving into cloth. There are also lots of free workshops planned, where children can try their hand at a bit of weaving and spinning.