All The Fiber Crafts at Clear Creek Farm
Keeley Richardson
Founder and Chief Fiber Officer
A couple of weeks ago I headed over to Duvall to visit a wonderful crafting venue nestled in beautiful countryside just outside of the city. Clear Creek Farm is a welcoming hub for fiber lovers and as I discovered, a great place to learn new skills, hone existing ones and make new friends.
Liz Ligon, the owner of Clear Creek Farm, founded the non-profit at the time when we were all emerging from the Covid pandemic. It was her mission to share her land and space to bring the community together. A barn was lovingly converted into a bright, airy and welcoming studio space, and The Hive was created. Originally, classes and activities across all of the arts were offered, but as interest in the fiber arts has grown this is now the main focus at Clear Creek. Whether you are looking to find your community, or expand your knowledge, there is a fantastic offering for all at The Hive.
Working in partnership with Yvonne Ellsworth of Lavender Sheep yarn, Liz has put together a calendar that is bursting with opportunities for fiber friends to enjoy and explore their creative side. The Hive’s fall program includes familiar favorites like spinning, weaving, knitting and crochet, and also decorative crafts like Chinese dragon boat decorations, or needle felted holiday ornaments.
Local fiber and clay artist Charan Sachar of CreativeWithClay will be making appearances in November with a series of spinning workshops teaching exciting techniques such as popcorn jumbo boucle, stacks, or how to recycle scrap yarn for knitting joy. A great way to add to your spinning repertoire whilst learning from a local expert.
I asked Yvonne what she loves most about Clear Creek Farm ” There two things that are so exciting about working at Clear Creek. First, I get to talk with amazing instructors about their passions. The second is working with students and seeing that ah-ha moment when they learn something new. I really love my job!”
Community is at the heart of everything that takes place at Clear Creek Farm. With the intention of making fiber arts available for all, a sliding scale of fees is offered across all of the workshops, and there is an option to include a “pay it forward” donation when you book a class. Such a great way to give the opportunity to experience the joy of our fiber world to someone else!
If you like the idea of sitting and working on your latest project with like-minded fiber lovers, there’s a drop in stitch circle every Saturday from 10am to 12pm. The Hive also hosts regular free events, giving fiber curious people the opportunity to sample weaving, spinning, dyeing and knitting. The next event will take place on October 25th. Mini workshops with experienced instructors will begin on the hour and run throughout the day. There’s also an opportunity to meet the farm’s adorable resident alpacas!
If you head over to The Hive at Clear Creek Farm, consider taking a handmade hat, or some no longer needed stash yarn to donate to their fall/winter community project. This season Liz and Yvonne are collecting and creating knitted/crocheted hats to donate to the Friends of Youth non-profit that provides support and opportunity for young people in need across King County. A meaningful way to make a difference using fiber skills and show you care during the colder months. If you don’t have stash yarn and would like to get involved, Liz and Yvonne are inviting volunteers to collect donated yarn from the baskets at The Hive. All are welcome to take part in this wonderful community project!
And for the future? Over to Yvonne: “We have great plans for the future. We would love to involve the community more in our space by having more times for knit groups and spinning groups. We would like to carry yarn and tools for fiber enthusiasts. Of course, we also want to continue to bring great fiber art classes to our community while working with fantastic teachers.” Exciting times ahead for Clear Creek Farm!
You can find out more and check out the full schedule of workshops and events on the Clear Creek Farm website.
