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| Spinners who wish to deepen their understanding
of the craft will enjoy this class.
Fleece selection, fiber preparation, spinning
and plying techniques, and the ultimate
effect the spin will have on the cloth for
both woolen and worsted yarns will be
covered. Six different draws will be taught as well as how to adapt your wheel to spin the yarn you want (rather than the yarn it is willing to let you spin). Diameter control, consistent spinning and tension will also be covered. Students bring: wheel (in good working order), hand cards/flicker/wool combs or dog comb. Students should be able to spin a continuous thread and have a good working relationship with their wheel. |
 yarn diameters - photo by Peggy Howell |
Class fee: $210. Materials fee: $25. 15 students
Well-prepared fibers spin easily into beautiful yarns. Participants in this class will learn both drum carding and combing of fine, medium and coarse wools; color blending; luxury fiber preparation; and separation of guard hair from under coat. We will spin the carded and combed preparations so that we can view the differences between woolen and worsted yarns. The class also helps students have a greater understanding and appreciation of all fibers and their properties. Participants should be able to spin a continuous thread and bring a wheel in good working order.
Class fee: $210. Materials fee paid at class: $25. 15 students
If you have always wanted to spin, have taught yourself a little, or haven’t spun
for a while, this workshop is just what you need to gain confidence and skill.
We will start with a beautiful fleece, learn to card, spin, ply and set the twist.
Then we will spin woolen and worsted yarns, some commercially prepared
fibers and discuss wheel maintenance.
Bring: Spinning wheel and all its parts, lazy kate with 3 bobbins, wool hand cards.
Class fee: $140. Materials fee paid at class: $20. 15 students
Intermediate knitters don’t need an engineering degree to knit these fabulous tote
bags. They are fun, fast, easy to make and a great way to reduce your stash.
Bring straights, circulars and/or double pointed needles in a variety of sizes to
suit your yarn and small quantities of all sorts of yarn including some to share/
trade with classmates. If you wish to felt your bag, use only 100% wool (not
super wash).
Class fee: $70. No materials fee. 15 students
Painting yarn and seeing it change from white to a rainbow of colors is magical. Knitters, spinners, weavers or those who simply love to look at beautiful yarn will paint their own wool and/or silk skeins, rovings or warps with acid dyes. Everyone will leave with their beautiful product and the knowledge to repeat the process at home. no previous experience required. Students wear old clothes. Bring: Rubber gloves, 1 - 1 ½ lb. of fiber. |
 Dyeing class - photo by Kate Perez |
Class fee: $70. Materials fee paid at class: $12. 10 students
Intermediate knitters create a light-as-a-feather scarf using lace weight yarn and
#5 or #6 needles. Students will see and study examples of Shetland scarves.
Then they will knit a miniature scarf to learn such traditional Shetland
techniques as long tail cast-on, edge stitch with loop, faggoting, cockleshell
pattern, grafting, blocking and pinning, Shetland abbreviations and weaving in
ends through a split ply. A full size scarf will be started in class.
Homework: Knit 2 swatches (2”x3”) of garter stitch of any weight yarn; leave
on stitch holders.
Bring: Homework, about a yard of yarn of contrasting color to homework, a
tapestry needle, knitting needles size 5 or 6 (straight or circular), and
stitch markers.
Class fee: $70. Materials fee paid at class: $15 for Shetland lace weight
yarn scarf kit that includes enough yarn for samples and a full sized scarf.
14 students
Ruffles are in!...and so are all the
other wonderful textural effects you
can achieve by combining light
|
 scarf by Sharon Costello |
Class fee: $70. Materials fee paid
at class: $25 includes silk chiffon
base, merino wool and silk fibers
for embellishment. 14 students
Advanced knitters will enjoy learning how these gorgeous patterns are created
using only two basic techniques without the use of a cable needle. Examples,
charts and pictures will be shown. Students will work a variety of samples to
learn techniques and how to read the charts.
Bring: About 2 oz. of smooth, light colored worsted weight plain yarn and
appropriately sized double pointed needles, 2 skeins of a sport weight yarn, and
appropriate size double point or circular needles, (size 3, 4 or 5) and a way of
keeping track of your pattern such as a dozen stitch markers, sticky notes, or a
magnetic board with magnetic strips. Candace will have Gems merino sport
weight yarn for purchase at $13 per skein.
Class fee: $70. No materials fee. 15 students
How many different colored yarns can you get from one variegated roving? It
depends! How you spin the yarn makes all the difference. Do you strip it, or
spin across the web? Do you use a singles, 2 ply, Navajo or cable ply? We’ll
spin and ply till we have an answer.
Bring: Spinning wheel and all its parts, lazy kate with 4 bobbins.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $10. 15 students
Make an adorable little bag while learning the techniques of bead knitting, then
branch out and make your own designs. Invisible cast on, chart reading,
graphing, stringing beads, twisted cord making, and threading a cord to make a
drawstring will be taught.
Homework: Knit two garter stitch swatches (4” wide x 2” high) in any weight
yarn, leave on needles with a 12” tail.
Bring: Homework, 2 oz. of fingering weight yarn, #1 or #2 needles, 2 yds. of a
smooth yarn, crochet hook to match needle size, tapestry needle, small terry
washcloth.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $3 for beads. 15 students
It is always the wheel, not the spinner (well maybe not always). Sometimes just
the smallest adjustment to your wheel can make a world of difference. Because
spinning wheels, like people, need a little TLC. We will start by cleaning, oiling
and adjusting our wheels. When they are tuned up and happy, we will play
some tricks with them to make then more responsive.
Bring: Spinning wheel and all its parts.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $5. 15 students
| Intermediate knitters learn the
techniques of making
interlocking diamonds, half
diamonds, and finishing
diamonds. Once you know the
technique, anything is within your reach, from sweaters to socks, and in any weight yarn and any desired size. Bring: About 2 oz. of several colors of any weight yarn, appropriately sized double pointed needles, 12 knitter’s (or regular) safety pins, paper, pencil, flexible tape measure, ruler, scissors. |
 Candace Strick |
Class fee: $35. No materials fee. 15 students
Spinners have a dazzling array of colored fiber available to them in the marketplace.
In this workshop, we’ll look at ways to use these fibers to produce
beautiful yarns. We’ll make heathered yarns, marled yarns and tweeds. We’ll
use the dyed fiber to make stunning bouclés and novelty yarns. This will be a
hands-on class, so bring your wheel and all its parts, handcards, mini-combs if
you have them, a ball winder and niddy-noddy, a variety of knitting needles and
measuring tape. I’ll bring lots of colorful fiber to keep us busy. Suitable for
people with a basic understanding of both spinning and knitting.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $10 for fiber. 15 students
Using simple knitting, novelty yarn leftovers, and a brown paper bag as a guide,
intermediate knitters will create fabulous bags that can sit up, fold down, and be
a clutch or a shoulder bag. They will learn to make handles from the cheapest
stuff from a hardware store.
Homework: With a 24” circular needle and smooth yarn cast on enough stitches so the needle tips meet easily. Knit every round until piece measures 5”, do not break yarn, leave stitches on needle.
Bring: Homework, homework yarn, a novelty yarn that goes with the homework yarn, Size K crochet hook, regular sewing needle and thread, strong sewing needle (such as a curved upholstery needle), scissors.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $2 for handles. 15 students
This wonderful spindle has been used for many thousands of years. It is still the most commonly used spindle in the Middle East and South America, areas where spinning is a daily practice and an important part of the community’s livelihood. It is a very versatile tool; it can be used as a drop or supported spindle and therefore can handle a wide range of fibers. Traditionally it is designed to have the spindle’s weight easily changed, allowing different yarn diameters to be spun comfortably and consistently. There will be a huge variety of spindles to try, including pre-Columbian ones. There will be both long and short fibers to spin.
Bring: A spindle if you have one.
Class fee: $35. Materials fee paid at class: $5. 15 students
Intermediate knitters learn how to use color to maximum effect by creating
wonderful designs using two colors in the same row. They also learn how to
hold the yarns, stranding and weaving in, how to follow charts, and how to
create their own designs.
Bring: Several small balls of smooth 100% wool yarns in assorted colors in a
good mix of light and dark values no thicker than worsted weight. If you bring
variegated yarn, also bring a contrasting solid color to go with it. Needles,
appropriately sized, either 16” circular or double pointed.
Class fee: $35. No materials fee. 15 students
Carol Bodin has been weaving and dyeing for over 30 years. She is an active
member of The Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore, The Potomac Craftsmen
and The Potomac Craftsmen Gallery. Her specialties are liturgical weaving and
elegantly hand-dyed items. Her home is in Ellicott City, MD.
Maggie Casey is a co-owner of a weaving, spinning and yarn shop in Boulder,
CO. She has been a spinner for 30 years. She has completed part one of the
Handweavers Guild of America Certificate of Excellence in handspinning and
has taught extensively at major conferences. She has also been a judge and
writes for Spin Off magazine.
Sharon Costello is a fiber artist best known for her whimsical felted figures. She also creates and sells one-of-a-kind wearable art at her own gallery, Mill Cottage in Rensselaerville, NY. Her decade-old teaching career includes classes for both adults and children in different settings around the country.
Judith MacKenzie McCuin is the ultimate textile artist and teacher. She has an in-depth understanding of every aspect of spinning, weaving, knitting, and dyeing. Her teaching career spans the globe from such fascinating places as above the Arctic Circle to Turkey. She is the author of Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning and often writes for Spin-Off and Handwoven. She lives in Augusta, MT.
Robin Russo started working with fibers in 1975. She continues to take every
opportunity to explore their potential. She teaches spinning, felting, sericulture,
dyeing and working with exotic fibers to groups across the country. She has been
teaching at Soar and Convergence since 1998. Her interest in fibers lead to
raising her own silkworms from 1990-2002. She comes to us from Bradford, VT.
Candace Eisner Strick has immersed herself in music and knitting most of her life. Now retired from 16 years of teaching cello, she concentrates on designing, writing, and teaching knitting. She is the author of 5 books including Sweaters From New England Sheep Farms and her designs have been published in every major knitting magazine. Candace teaches workshops internationally, at major knitting conventions and guilds. She has three grown sons, all of whom know how to knit but refuse to do so.