All spun up: Fiber arts event coming to Oak Harbor

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, April 14, 2026

If Rumpelstiltskin ever took a ferry to Whidbey Island, he’d probably feel right at home — though he might have to share the spotlight with a hundred other friendly spinners.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18–19, the Whidbey Weavers Guild is inviting the public to its 53rd annual Spin-In at Oak Harbor High School. The two-day fiber arts gathering will be packed with 25 vendors, workshops and plenty of woolly wonder.

The Whidbey Weavers Guild is comprised of more than 150 members on the island who indulge in a wide range of fiber arts, including weaving, feltmaking and dyeing.

Donna Schutt, a Spin-In chairperson, said the reason for the event is connection. The event isn’t just about watching, though observers are welcome — it’s about doing. Participants are encouraged to bring their own wheel, e-spinner or spindle to spin and chat with others who love the craft. An optional fiber pack will be available for purchase during the event.

“While you’re spinning it’s very easy to also socialize and talk to other people. Your hands are busy, your feet sometimes are busy, but it’s a very social type thing. So spinners like to get together, sit in a circle and talk and spin together,” Schutt said.

Each year, the Spin-In features a standout guest. Jacey Boggs Faulkner, owner and editor of PLY and WEFT magazines, will speak at 1 p.m. on Saturday on a surprise topic and lead a Sunday workshop titled “Worsted to Woolen.”

Schutt said she hopes Boggs’ name will attract many new faces this year.

“Jacey Boggs is a world-renowned spinning instructor. She’s been teaching spinning for probably 25-plus years,” Schutt said. “By all accounts, she’s just a firecracker, so we’re really looking forward to having her.”

Beyond workshops, the event includes a marketplace open both days. Visitors can browse and buy spinning fiber in various stages — from raw fleece to cleaned wool that’s been dyed in different colors — often sourced from regional sheep. There will be spinning accessories for sale, including lap drapes and hand salves.

The Spin-In will also feature a liquidation table to buy and sell used equipment like wheels, looms, drop spindles and books.

Competitors can enter handspun skeins and handcrafted items for ribbons and prizes, including People’s Choice awards for “Best Overall Handspun Skein” and “Best Item Created with Handspun.” Door prizes and raffle baskets will also be available, with prizes coming directly from the Spin-In’s vendors.

Whidbey farmers Nan and Ken Leaman, who raise heritage breed sheep at Wild Rose Farm, are looking forward to selling their wool, yarn and blankets at the event. Their farm specializes in fiber rather than meat production, focusing on breeds like Teeswaters, Wensleydales and Valais Blacknose sheep. For them, the Spin-In is an opportunity to share the results of that work directly with the fiber community and to put themselves on the radar for Whidbey residents, though they already have quite a large following online.

“I think it’s really wonderful just bringing this great fiber to people,” Nan Leaman said. “We really love the sheep, and are proud of what we’ve done. It’s just really great to be able to share that.”

Shop Wild Rose Farm’s Collection at www.wildrosefarmwhidbey.com.

For Carla McCoy, who organized vendors for her second year, the appeal of spinning lies in both its function and its accessibility.

“A spinning wheel is essentially a twisting machine,” she said.

Whether using a traditional wheel or a simple handheld tool, the principle remains the same, she explained. Spinning methods range widely in complexity and cost, from antique treadle wheels to portable drop spindles.

Carla McCoy’s connection to the craft extends beyond organizing vendors. Her husband, Jon McCoy, builds custom spinning wheels, called the Pocket Wheel, from his home workshop. He has mastered the art of wood-working after taking over the spinning wheel business from its owner in 2010. The wheels are designed with portability in mind, allowing spinners to travel with them easily. Beyond practicality, he emphasized the deeper value of the craft.

“Not all creating is about efficiency and maximizing production. Sometimes it’s about maximizing fun,” Jon McCoy said.

He custom makes each of his spinning wheels to the wood preferences of the customer, making them unique, often sentimental pieces, he said.

“If I get to be part of that smile, that’s the best that I can ever hope for, that level of joy when someone else is using a tool that I made.”

He produces about 30 to 40 wheels a year, with a waitlist that stretches several years long. In addition to spinning wheels, he also produces bowls, furniture and other woodwork. Find Jon McCoy’s work at www.pocket-wheel.com. Though he won’t be a vendor at the Spin-In this year, he will be helping troubleshoot equipment during the event.

There’s a strong population of spinners on Whidbey Island, Schutt said.

“When I’m walking through Coupeville carrying my spinning wheel, you’d be surprised how many people stop me and say ‘Oh my wife has one of those,’ ‘Oh my mother has one of those,’ ‘Oh I used to spin,’” she remembered.

The Spin-In also draws visitors from off-island, bringing new faces to Whidbey who might not otherwise make the trip, Schutt noted.

Admission is $25 and covers both days, with a free public window Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn more about the Spin-In and the Whidbey Weavers Guild at whidbeyweaversguild.org.