WOOSTER, Ohio — Color and texture can take an ordinary fiber project to the next level by adding a creative stitching technique, special yarn or fiber dyed specifically for the project. 

The 2012 Great Lakes Fiber Show is offering workshops on dying, spinning and knitting techniques to move projects from ordinary to extraordinary. This year, the show will be May 26-27 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, in conjunction with the Great Lakes Sheep Show and Sale and the Great Lakes Angora Goat Show.  The deadline for registration is April 30.

The fiber show will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 26 and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 27. Now in its 17th year, it has attracted interest from more than 80 vendors selling raw and processed fiber from sheep, alpacas, llamas, angora goats, angora rabbits and buffalo. Several fiber processors will be on hand to take customer fiber back to mills to be processed into batting, roving or yarn for projects.

Vendors will also have finished items for sale, as well as sheep-related art and pottery and spinning, weaving and knitting tools, patterns and other supplies. The fiber show has grown from one building to four, as well as an outside exhibit area featuring alpacas, sheep and rabbits.

Highlights of the fiber show include workshops and fun activities during the two-day event. According to Linda Reichert, coordinator for the show, the pre-registration is required for the workshops, but activities are free and open to people of all ages. The workshops will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.

Saturday workshops include: I-Cord, the Duct Tape of Knitting ($30), Introduction to Punch Needle Techniques ($55), Must Do, Mosaic Knitting ($30), Making Mittens ($30), Spinning Textured Yarn ($35) and Advanced Tatting ($35).

Sunday workshops include: Twined Woven Placemat ($30), Spinning for Lace ($30), Spinning Knot and Slub Yarn ($30), The Physics of Color (one session in the morning and one in the afternoon, $30), Spinning for Color ($30), Adjusting and Adapting Patterns ($30) and Beginning Lace Knitting ($30).

There will also be a series of “Just For Fun” activities available on both days in the Industrial Building. On Saturday, these include Drop Spindle (10 a.m.-noon), Stitch Markers (1 p.m.-3 p.m.) and Solar Dyeing (3 p.m.-5 p.m.).  Sunday activities include Braided Beaded Bracelets (10 a.m.-noon), Woven Roving (10 a.m.-noon) and Drop Spindle (1 p.m.-4 p.m.).

Reichert said although these activities are planned with younger fiber artists in mind, they are open to adults as well.

Spinners may enter their fiber in the skein competition. There will be classes for both experienced and novice spinners, for fine, medium and bulking single yarn, fine medium and bulky plied yarn, spinner’s choice of fiber and ply and novelty yarn in boucle, knot, spiral, slub, cable and spinner’s choice.

The Great Lakes Fiber Show also features a Wool Fleece Show and Sale, specifically for quality hand-spinning fleeces. The show features a division for white fleeces and one for natural-colored fleeces. Both will have classes for fine, medium, coarse and double-coated fleece. New this year are classes for Border Leicester fleeces from rams and ewes.

Entries for the fleece show and sale may be sent to Linda Reichert, 2474 N. Firestone Road, Wooster, OH 44691. For information about the sheep show, contact The Banner magazine at 309-785-5058.

To register for a workshop, or if you would like more information on the fiber show, go to the website www.greatlakesfiber show.com or call Reichert at 330-264-9665. Admission to the show is free; food will be available on the grounds.