A fibre art weekend at Tupare in New Plymouth in early December will start with the basics - shearing the sheep.

A sheep shearing demonstration between 9am and 10am on Saturday, 4 December, will mark the start of a busy weekend as members of Taranaki Creative Fibre spin and knit items from the newly shorn fleece.

Between 10am and 4pm on both days, there'll be have-a-go sessions for visitors keen to try their hands at a variety of fibre art techniques including tapestry and loom weaving, wet and dry felting, silk spinning and paper making, knitting, standard and Tunisian crochet, dyeing and the fibre "collage" technique known as scrumbling.

A variety of fibre artworks will be on display, and handcrafted items will be available for sale.

"We're really pleased to be working with Taranaki Creative Fibre on what's shaping to be a most interesting weekend of events," says the Taranaki Regional Council's Regional Gardens Manager, Greg Rine.

"It's a great opportunity for people to bring a picnic and spend a leisurely day learning about and experiencing fibre arts."

The fibre art weekend is part of a regular programme of free public events at Tupare and at Hollard Gardens and Pukeiti, two other heritage properties owned and administered by the Taranaki Regional Council on behalf of the people of the region.

ENDS

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