Cortes Island is home to a community of fibre artists. Prior to the pandemic, many of the artists would gather weekly and monthly for an event called "Spin in Public," which was held at the museum, the Friday Market at Mansons Hall, the Co-op or the lounge at the Gorge Marina.

While the regular gathering was canceled indefinitely due to COVID-19, three years later, the event is coming back.

Laura Balducci, local fibre artist and event coordinator for the Cortes Island Museum of Archives Society (CIMAS), is responsible for making "Spin in Public" happen once again. CIMAS will host the event on Thursday, Oct. 20 in the Heritage Garden at 10 a.m. 

All ages are welcome to join the fibre artists, and beginners are especially encouraged to come explore.

“It's the perfect opportunity to come and sit with someone who's doing something that you wanna do. If it's learning to spin, everybody always has extra fiber," Balducci said. "Bring your knitting needles or some yarn and you can sit with one of the knitters… hopefully we can inspire you to get your winter project going.”

To hear more about the traditions of fibre art on Cortes, listen to the CKTZ News Update below: