Most of us spinners have fallen in love with a handpainted braid with gorgeous flowing colors, brought it home, and then worried about how best to spin it. Join Kate as we cover five different ways to prepare, reconfigure, and reimagine our handpainted combed tops using only our hands. No handcards or drumcarders needed! The class session will focus on fiber preparation, and Kate will show examples of finished yarns and share yarn construction recipes to help you plan your own roadmap for the braids in your stash.

Parallel drafting is one of my favorite color spinning techniques, there are so many exciting options! It allows you to blend and mix colors without dye and tools beyond your wheel and hands. Together we’ll learn the basics of parallel drafting with solid colors, including lots of tips to keep fibers together and orderly. We’ll work with solid colors and braids, shifting the value and mood of colors, and making multicolored braids more unified. We’ll see how ply change the look of parallel drafted yarns, by making singles, 2-ply, and 3-ply yarns. For extra fun, we’ll parallel draft intermittently and compare parallel drafted and plied yarns to standard drafted and plied yarns and see what happens when we combine the two. Parallel drafting is versatile and exciting, after this class your stash will look limitless!

Hemlines that ride up. Shoulders that feel too tight. Necklines that choke us. All of these fit issues, and more, can be resolved by adding short rows to your sweaters! Come explore how to shape your sweaters with short rows to create sweaters with comfortable shoulders, necklines, and hems that lay evenly all around your body.

Discover the relaxing and rewarding world of knitting in this beginner-friendly class. No experience is necessary—all are welcome. You'll learn to cast-on, the knit stitch, and bind off. You will end the class ready to try your first project!

Looking to make the best yarn choices for your projects? Look no further as we discuss fiber, twist, spinning styles, ply structure and how all of these factors alter your finished object. If you’ve been unhappy with how a project has turned out in the past, or just want to learn more about yarn; this is the class for you!

Do you raise sheep and not sure how to skirt your fleece to sell to send to a mill or sell to a handspinner? Are you new to buying raw fleece and not sure how to choose a good one? Learn what to look for and what to avoid. Producers and buyers alike will benefit from this free lecture by Kimberly Radcliffe, fleece judge and longtime raw fiber enthusiast!

Create dramatic color changes across your weaving using clasped warp and clasped weft techniques. Students learn how to control color patterning by choosing where warp and weft colors meet, allowing them to create:

• Blocks of solid color
• Gradations
• Painted-warp effects
• Unique color intersections

With a warping peg and two sources of yarn, even simple plain weave becomes a canvas for expressive colorwork.

Join in the fun of stranded color knitting the Fair Isle way! In this hands-on class, you’ll be introduced to the yarn of Shetland as well as a bit of the history and the unique story behind this colorful, time-honored technique. We’ll work with traditional jumper-weight, woolen-spun Shetland yarn, equivalent to fingering weight. After some practice knitting with two colors, you’ll begin your own Fair Isle headband using a pattern Joan developed specifically for learning the technique. Topics to be covered include: three ways to knit with two strands of yarn at the same time, yarn dominance, yarn management, maintaining even tension, floats and tails, reading and using color charts.

You’ll leave with the skills and confidence to continue exploring the wonderful world of Fair Isle knitting, one colorful stitch at a time!

This needle felting project combines so many wonderful skills to add to your felting know-how. Learn how to create on and off the form (on and off of your work surface), work with wool locks, use an armature and more, all while making this cute woodland sprite!

When you’re spinning a yarn there are several things to consider: the fiber, how it’s prepared, and what draft you’ll use and that’s even before you sit done to spin. In this class, we’ll look at why some fibers are easier to spin evenly and practice some ways to make the others behave a little better. We’ll talk about keeping records and use some tools to help you stay on course.

Routine sheep care tasks such as catching, restraining, trimming hooves, and moving sheep can be physically demanding for handlers and stressful for animals when appropriate equipment and low-stress techniques are not used. Through group discussion and sharing of practical examples, participants will consider basic animal behavior and safe handling strategies, and then identify ergonomic tools and economical equipment that may improve daily work on their own farm. Whether participants are new to sheep production or looking to refine established handling methods, this session will offer space to share accessible ideas for calmer sheep, safer working conditions, and more manageable chores.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Participants will be able to identify different tools and equipment used for sheep handling and care
2. Participants will better understand sheep behavior and low stress sheep handling techniques
3. Participants will share their tips for sheep handling and different ergonomic tools and equipment

Join Jacey Boggs (founder and director of PLY, WEFT, and PURL magazines) for a candid retrospective on building a career and a publishing company from the ground up, starting with a secondhand spinning wheel and no formal training. This talk traces almost three decades of hands-on learning across spinning, weaving, and knitting, the lessons (and mistakes) that shaped each craft, and the collaborators and mentors who helped turn one magazine into three. A personal look at building an editorial business rooted in curiosity, craftsmanship, and community.

Find out what resources are available to help you raise healthier sheep, add value to your wool and lamb, and grow your operation. The American Sheep Industry Association and American Lamb Board are led by producers, for producers. Join the ASI staff and discover practical tools, educational resources and marketing programs designed for you. From the flock to the marketplace, uncover resources that can help you raise a healthy flock, market your products better, and find new opportunities for success.

I like to spin color, but I’m not a dyer. When I need a specific color, I card or comb commercially dyed and natural colors together until I get exactly what I want. In this class we’ll compare the effect and speed of blending color by carding and combing. Which is faster? Which blends most thoroughly? Which method is better for making tweed, semi-solid, or heathered yarn? I’ll be presenting with hand cards, combs, and a drum carder. I will also show how to use easy to find and inexpensive tools, like dog and cat brushes and combs to blend. You do not need to have all the tools to participate in this class; use what tools you have and learn about the tools you might want to buy later.

What makes Scandinavian colorwork different from other world traditions? We will study classic motifs found in Scandinavian stranded knitting and explore the traditional use of color. We will begin by learning a fun, tricky way to knit garter stitch in the round, a common border in traditional vintage garments. We'll discover when and how to tack down extra-long floats, learn to Norwegian purl, and consider combining motifs to create new ones. We will start a headband or hat using Mary Jane's Storhedder pattern as our template.

What core to use? Should I pre-twist my core? My core-spun yarn always has extra twist, how do I fix that? What fiber prep can I use for corespinning? If you haven’t tried corespinning because of these questions (or more), this class would be a perfect starting place as the basics of corespinning will be covered.

When I first learned to spin, I thought there was just one way to finish your yarn. You washed it, rinsed it and hung it to dry with a light weight if it was misbehaving. I was missing so much information. In fact, maybe you shouldn’t finish your yarn at all until you have used it in your project. It depends! In this class we’ll explore the reasons for finishing or not and then play with some of the different ways to finish your yarn. We’ll also see if the way you spin your yarn may determine how you finish it. We will talk about finishing cellulose fibers as well.

Note: There will be time to do some of the finishing techniques so hot and cold water should be available nearby.

Delve into a fun and easy crochet technique which is easy for beginners and interesting even for experienced crocheters! Hybrid crochet, also called Tunisian crochet, uses two passes to create a single row, building up stitches on your crochet hook, then working them off on the return pass. It creates a soft, squishy fabric in a process that feels like a mix between knitting and crochet, with endless possibilities for texture and lace.

Drum carders are a mystery to the average fiber artist: fiber is fed into the carder, ends up on the big drum, and something magical happens in between. De-mystify the drum carder as we delve into the differences of woolen and worsted carding, explore the many tools that make drum carding more efficient, and crank out four different fiber preparations.

Please note: The instructor will demonstrate techniques at a pace that may be too quick for students to perform during the live class. Students will be able to practice the techniques as per the instructor’s guidance after attending the class and while reviewing the class recording (available for 30 days after the class is finished.)

Ever known a knitter who hasn’t said, “Just one more row”? Me neither! I’ll bet they’ve also complained of aches and pains while knitting. In this class, you’ll learn how knitting effects the “fabric that makes the fabric” – your body, and see how your knitting technique impacts your efficiency and productivity. By completing a Risk of Injury assessment in class you’ll learn how knitting contributes to those aches and pains throughout your body. But more importantly, you’ll learn how to reduce them. A little knowledge and some simple changes can keep you knitting comfortably and safely ever after. Students who’ve taken this class have said that it should be “required learning for all knitters regardless of experience level!” and, “it’s as important as the knit and purl stitches!” This class is taught by a passionate knitter who is also a physical therapist. This class is not an individual knitting assessment.

Discover the joy of your e-spinner! In this hands-on class, you’ll master setup, speed, tension, and twist control for smooth, consistent results, while picking up tips to troubleshoot common challenges and spin more comfortably. You’ll see what your e-spinner can do, and for those transitioning from a treadle wheel, we’ll highlight the key differences. We’ll also explore smarter plying techniques to speed up your plying. Gain confidence, build skills, and make your e-spinner your go-to fiber companion.

Everything you need to know to figure out all those tricky numbers puzzles you encounter in your knitting. We’ll focus on how math fits into pattern reading – all the aspects of counting and working and keeping track of instructions. We’ll cover things like “Decrease every 8 rows 10 times”, and "Increase 12 stitches evenly distributed across the row." We’ll talk about calculating yardage in partial balls of yarn, and how to ensure you’ll have enough to complete your project. We’ll also have a discussion of gauge and what it really means – and how to deal with it if you can’t match. Suitable for newer knitters, and those who wish to get more comfortable reading patterns - it's all about conquering your fear of the numbers and making you a more powerful knitter!

Have a special skein (or two) of handspun but it’s not enough for the sweater of your dreams? Maybe you have a few braids of fiber that you want to include in a garment and you just don’t know how? This class will cover how to swatch and sample for the perfect projects plus lots of inspiration to move stash into successful sweaters. Please note that this is an interactive, not lecture style class.

This workshop explores the use of simple and affordable tools for fiber preparation for handspinning. From spinning from fleece with just the use of a flicker, to making commercially prepared fibers easier to spin with a diz or a stick, this workshop will show students how the addition of a handful of tools that cost less than $50 can make fiber preparation and blending easily accessible. We will cover how to spin a fleece with just a flicker, making “faux”logs with just a couple sticks, use of a diz to blend and pre-draft, and how to use “bowing” to prepare fiber for spinning. Expand your fiber prep toolbox and learn how simple tools can be used in new ways to broaden your spinning experience.

Two-dimensional needle felting is its own art form. In this workshop you’ll learn the art of blending colors to create a beautiful blue sky or a sunset/sunrise. Then we’ll take this landscape to the next level by adding texture using lumpy art yarns and smooth wool yarn to create the land in the foreground. You’ll learn the best way to attach this yarn to your work so that it will not move. Lastly, we’ll add tree silhouettes to complete the scene. You’ll quickly see why this type of needle felting is often called “painting with wool.”

Meet the American Sheep Industry Association’s new Executive Director, Mike Michener. You will have an opportunity to ask questions about the future of the sheep and wool industry in the US.

A deep dive into starts and ends; we’ll cover key ways to cast on and bind off your knitting, highlighting both good general-purpose methods, and specialty methods and when you might use them. We’ll talk about how to create stretch when you need it, and how to stop it when you don’t, and give tips to help you decide what version to use if the pattern isn’t specific Along the way we’ll provide tips like how to ensure you never run out of yarn for your long-tail cast on, and how a crochet hook can change your life.

Weaving is an ancient art that is easy to learn yet has endless possibilities, and tapestry weaving is a wonderful introduction. Unleash your creativity while playing with color and texture! We will use a simple frame loom to make an artistic wall hanging while exploring plain weave as well as rya fringe, soumak, and clasped weft weaving techniques.

Ready to crank out socks but not sure where to start? In this hands-on class, you’ll master the hung hem, and tackle no-drop short-row heels and toes. With step-by-step guidance, troubleshooting tips, and plenty of practice, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to keep cranking at home. Bring your CSM, and let’s make some cozy socks—one row at a time!

An introduction to the world of spinning cotton. Students will learn the basics of spinning cotton and the variety of cottons and fiber preparations available for cotton. Students will be instructed in how to setup for successful cotton spinning, how to long draw cotton, how to manage a long draw drafting method and ensuring that you’ve created a stable single with an appropriate amount of twist. We will try out a variety of different cotton fiber preparations as well as have the opportunity to try out different cultivars of cotton. Everything to help you get started with spinning cotton!

Thick and thin yarns are great when it comes to creating textured yarns and are one of my favorites to spin. In this class you will learn to spin thick and thin yarns with the intention of plying them into something magical. Using the thick and thin singles we will explore how to create Beehives.

Becca Tucker of the Frederick County Office of Agriculture likes to be the first point of contact for farmers in Frederick County. They help connect farms to other local resources, programs, or individuals based on their specific needs. Some information will be provided about the different organizations that businesses can connect with for assistance such as Maryland Department of Agriculture, University of Maryland Extension, Soil Conservation (local, state, federal), USDA Farm Service Agency, MARBIDCO, Future Harvest. The importance of business plans will be briefly discussed as these are often needed for funding.

Sara Kidd is the University of Maryland Agriculture and Food Systems Extension Educator. She is located at the Frederick County office.

Heather Hutchinson, of the Frederick County Soil Conservation District, will also present information on the state cost share programs and initiatives

Looking to make socks that are strong and wear for longer? Or maybe you want to have soft and warm socks? Making your own fiber blends for socks can help create your own perfect pair. In this class you will learn some basic tips and tricks for blending fiber for your desired socks using both equipment or just your hands.

An intermittent yarn is one with a color change that happens at regular intervals, and in various lengths. Typically, there is a background color and a higher contrast intermittent color. In the knitting and crochet world there are commercial yarns dyed to be knit or crocheted into assigned pooling patterns, working with a design that switches to a different stitch pattern when the colors change. You can use intermittent yarns for assigned pooling-type of patterns or worked without stitch pattern shifts, making a unique colorway. As a spinner you have so many options to make intermittent yarns. In this class we will explore intermittent singles, 2-ply, and 3-ply yarns. We’ll see what happens when we leave the intermittent color clear, or marl it. Of course we’ll also dip into our dyed braids stash, using a braid as the intermittent color, and as the base color.

Intermittent color helps you create beautiful and unique yarns that will be a joy to work with.

In this class, we’ll look at swatches with different plies and see how they change the look and feel of the swatch and discuss why. Then we’ll do some plying and you can see which one you like best for your next project.

Learn life changing techniques for those of us with chests that are larger and smaller than patterns are written for, as well as chests that have been transformed by surgery.

Sweaters look best when they fit us in the shoulders and properly accommodate the chest. From how to properly choose a size that fits your shoulders, and multiple methods of bust shaping to accommodate your chest, including bust darts for bottom up and top-down sweaters, and alternate shaping methods that work for all genders. Leave class with endless choice for modifying any sweater pattern to fit your chest, as it is!

Learn to weave on the go! Small, portable pin looms make it easy to take your weaving anywhere, and they’re perfect for using up those colorful odds and ends in your yarn stash. Inspired by Angela’s Creative Pin-Loom Designs video with Long Thread Media, this class teaches you the essentials of pin-loom weaving.

You’ll learn how to warp the loom, weave your squares, and seam them together to create simple, satisfying projects. Whether you’re brand-new to weaving or looking for a fun, stash-busting technique, this workshop offers an easy, portable way to enjoy weaving wherever you are.

This class is all about helping you make a better garment by teaching you how to make great choices. We’ll start with tips for choosing a good pattern, through to properly identifying what size to make, to finding the best yarn. We’ll have an honest discussion about the issue of gauge, and share tips for ensuring that the knitting is fun and the result fantastic. Along the way we’ll talk about how to deal with unclear and confusing instructions, and answer a lot of frequently asked questions about the patterns and the process.

Listen to Dr. Geoff Ruppert and Deborah Robson as they talk about the Corriedales, the 2027 Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival Featured Breed.

Geoff will talk about how to improve your breed while honoring breed standards, including how you make decisions to improve genetics to achieve your desired flock improvements. Other topics he will cover are importing processes (semen vs embryos) and deciphering EBVs.

Deb will follow with information about the history of the Corriedale breed. She will talk about the characteristics of Corriedale wool, how to prepare the fiber for spinning and fleece best uses.

This seminar will discuss what sheep producers can expect in 2027 regarding new
animal health products and updates regarding New World Screw Worm, Scrapie and other
important diseases.

Learn basic use and techniques of a blending board from one of its designers! In 2011, Henry and Roy Clemes created a new tool that became the wildly popular Blending Board. This class will not only demonstrate the versatility of the blending board - blending fibers of various types, lengths, and colors - but also the strength of the blending board - quickly preparing fiber as rolags for woolen spinning.

Please note: The instructor will demonstrate techniques at a pace that may be too quick for students to perform during the live class. Students will be able to practice the techniques as per the instructor’s guidance after attending the class and while reviewing the class recording (available for 30 days after the class is finished.)

Do you do more with yarn than knit? This class takes inventory of the ergonomic pros and cons for a variety of fiber arts including weaving and finer needle work. You’ll learn how injuries occur and the contributions your craft makes both to their occurrence and prevention. You’ll learn to identify ergonomic risk in your craft and techniques to prevent injuries including improved posture, stretching and exercise

Shoulder seams that fall off the shoulders. Sweaters fit in the chest but don't fit anywhere else. Sweaters that stretch across the bum or the belly but seem loose everywhere else. Sleeves that are tight and twist when we move. There are many sweater fit issues that have simple solutions you can implement right now. Have your WORST fitting sweaters with you for class, and we'll look at solutions you can use in your next sweater!

Skills level:

Intermediate sweater knitter who:

• Has knit minimum of 3 adult sweaters, preferably in different shoulder constructions (circular yoke, set-in sleeve, raglan, drop shoulder, etc.)
• Is familiar with basic sweater constructions (circular yoke, set-in sleeve, raglan, drop shoulder, etc.) and can identify parts of a sweater (shoulders, sleeve cap, cuff, hem, body, etc.)

If you are keen to work from sheep to shawl—starting with raw wool and working through to a finished textile—there is always the chance that you’ll purchase a lemon of a fleece. Sometimes we buy a fleece that looks great at the show and turns out to have a significant break in one area, or you might have brought home a free scratch-and-dent fleece on a whim. Join Kate, who has been a shepherd for most of her life, as she walks you through diagnosing the problem fleece, methods for fixing a flawed fleece, and knowing how best to use the prepared fiber. For this workshop’s kit, Kate has selected a group of fixer-upper fleeces that can be made into beautifully prepared spinning fibers with only a pair of handcards.

Have a colorful time learning how small practice squares—swatches—can make a big difference in the outcome of your colorwork knitting projects. Mary Jane will show you how to use swatching to choose colors, fix tension issues, and plan projects more confidently and successfully. We'll explore four different methods of knitting a colorwork swatch, finding the best method for your future projects. A swatch lays the groundwork for a successful project, testing out color choices, the qualities of different yarns, and achieving gauge. Swatches are the key to making your projects look just as you imagine. They become a resource you will refer to over and over again. Perfect for knitters who are fairly new to colorwork or want to improve their skills, this relaxed workshop will help you feel more confident, creative, and ready to take on colorful projects.

Sleeve style and fit are crucial elements of what makes a garment just right! This session is a very focused discussion about alterations to sleeves in garment patterns. We’ll talk about everything from adjusting stitch patterns (or fit) for the cuff, to measuring for and fine-tuning sleeve length, all the way to adjusting the fit at the bicep. We’ll share tips for making sure you’re choosing a good garment pattern to begin with, that makes the alterations easy.

How do you spin a yarn for a specific project? The key is knowing what you want and how to get there, and learning to love (or at least appreciate) sampling. In this class we’ll discuss and explore how each decision in the spinning process affects your finished yarn and your finished project.

A few of the things we’ll discuss are:

• How to evaluate a knitting pattern in order to build a handspun yarn
• How to assess a commercial yarn to spin a match or make a better yarn
• Making informed choices about your project yarn
• How to evaluate your yarn
• The elements of successful sampling
• How to sample quickly

Note: This isn’t a hands-on spinning class, it’s more of a planning to spin class. You can absolutely spin whatever you’d like during this class, while you listen and watch me work through my process of planning and spinning intentionally for a project.

Move beyond the basic stitches while exploring chevrons, lace, and textured patterns. We’ll cover different ways to increase and decrease, as well as reading both written and charted instructions. Kira will show lots of samples to encourage you to start an exciting new project with your expanded skills.

Art yarns look pretty and are great for sharing on social media, but have you wondered how you could use these yarns in your knitting projects? Using art yarns for weaving seems obvious, but these yarns can enhance your knitting projects, too. Charan will share ways of using different kinds of art yarns in knitting projects. By practicing these techniques and learning what technique works best for each yarn, you will gain the skills to use these yarns in your future projects.

Join me in making a sheep head to frame and put on your wall or give as a gift. I’ll walk you through the process of forming the head using various rolling and shaping techniques. You’ll learn how to create the ears, eye lids and the neck separately and then add them to the head. Next, I’ll teach you the best way to work with wool locks, adding them one at a time to your project. You’ll be amazed how the locks complete your sheep.

Handspun yarn opens so many possibilities for sock knitters! This class discusses fiber choice, drafting method, wheel mechanics, twist, and basic sock ply structures. Start making the perfect yarn for sock knitting now!

Cotton and some fine fibers are unforgiving. The charka's speed and control make it the right tool for the job. Bring your spindle or wheel skills and gain control of your charka. With some technique troubleshooting, you will develop the skills needed to use the best tool for these fibers, especially cotton. We focus on speed, control, and twist as you align your drafting and turning speeds to spin the yarn you want.

As a friend once said to me: master cotton and cashmere will be a breeze!

Interested in spinning or preparing your own fiber blends but not sure how including different accessory fibers will affect the primary fiber? In this workshop, we will start with spinning Polwarth wool top and then explore a variety of variations of blends that combine Polwarth wool with other fibers such as different types of silk, luxury down fibers and even a bast fiber! We will discuss the characteristics of common fibers found in blends and how they interact with wools, as well as understanding the role of ratios when developing our own blends.

Learn how to weave beautiful overshot patterns on the rigid-heddle loom using just one heddle and a pick-up stick. Angela will go over all the basics of the overshot structure to get you started on this new weaving adventure, and then you’ll weave a sample using what you’ve learned. Discover endless design possibilities as you weave these complex patterns using simple pick-up techniques.

A hands-on introduction to the world of spinning on supported spindles. We will go over the different types of supported spindles and their traditional uses - Tahkli, Pu-Yok Tibetan styles, Russian, and more. We will discuss how to pair spindles to a particular fiber type, and the importance of fiber preparation for spinning on supported spindles. Students will be instructed in how to long draw on a supported spindle - starting with park and draft, how to manage drafting and their fiber supply and ensuring that you’ve created a stable single with an appropriate amount of twist. How to manage the winding on of singles and building a stable cop on the spindle will also be discussed. Students will purchase a class kit with a HipStrings Tahkli style supported spindle and spinning dish, along with a sampler of different fibers well suited for supported spindling.

Visible Mending is a creative way to extend the life of your clothing and household items while embellishing them for a unique look. We will cover decorative embroidery and woven patches using Speedweve looms (or just a needle and yarn). After this class, you’ll look at holes and stains as opportunities rather than tragedies!