(For my English-speaking friends, fika is coffee and cookies--chocolate chip and Oreo cookies specifically!).
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Your Drafting Skills for Spinners
When you learned to spin, you drew out your wool in a certain way. And you are probably still using the same drafting technique. Did you know that there are several ways to handle your wool when spinning? In this class you will learn the best way to spin a combed top for making worsted yarns for long-wearing garments, and how to spin rolags and clouds for making woolen yarns to use for warm mittens and hats. This workshop will cover 5 different drafting techniques.
8:30-10:00am After a brief introduction we
start learning two worsted drafting techniques.
10:00-10:30am Fika and a chance to stretch your tired hands
10:30-12:00pm We will work on three woolen drafting techniques.
Limited to 5 students who know how to spin
on a wheel or spindle. The teacher will be providing clean colored wool and a
pair of handcards. If you have handcards or a blending board, feel free to
bring them to class. A spinning wheel or spindle in working order is required;
you may want to bring a spare drive band, oil for the wheel, extra bobbins, a
niddy noddy or nostepinde for storing yarn.
Date: May 2, 2015
Time: 8:30am-12:00pm
Location: Ulvsbo,
Sjuntorp
Cost: 885
SEK
Sheep Breed Tasting for Spinners
Looking at online shops to buy a fleece and
don’t know what you’ll be getting? Visiting a fiber festival or local farm and
puzzled by the selection of wool available? You should have a working knowledge
of how to choose the proper wool for your project, and be comfortable spinning
it into the best yarn for the job. This workshop will cover 6 breeds from
several categories of wool—English Leicester* (longwool), Debouillet* (fine
wool), California Red* (medium wool), Black Welsh Mountain lamb* (coarse wool),
Icelandic (double-coated) and Suffolk (Down)—and give tips on the best uses for
each type.
*Conservation breeds, meaning that the number of sheep has dropped
below an acceptable limit.
1:00-2:30pm After a brief introduction we
start sampling the first three breeds.
2:30-3:00pm Fika
and a chance to stretch your tired hands
3:00-4:30pm We
work on the last three breeds.
Limited to 5 students who know how to spin
on a wheel or spindle. The teacher will be providing clean fleece, one pair of
handcards and one pair of minicombs. If you have handcards or wool combs, feel
free to bring them to class. A spinning wheel or spindle in working order is
required; you may want to bring a spare drive band, oil for the wheel, extra
bobbins, a niddy noddy or nostepinde for storing yarn.
Date: May 2, 2015
Time: 1:00pm
to 4:30pm
Location: Ulvsbo,
Sjuntorp
Cost: 1,050
SEK
Preregistration and payment is required—register for BOTH workshops at the same time and receive a 10% discount on the total cost! Invoicing and payments will be through Paypal, where you can use your credit card if you want. Contact Carol at carol_mcfadden (at) verizon.net for registration or if you have any questions about the workshop. For questions about the workshop location, contact Elin Dahllov at [elin (at)swedishfibre.com].
About The
Instructor
Carol
McFadden of Feistywoman Designs is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Having
learned embroidery, knitting and crochet at Grandma’s knee when she was six
years old, she has never been very far from fiber no matter what job she’s
held. Carol learned weaving and spinning almost 40 years ago, holds a
University degree in Studio Art, co-owned a weaving shop, became a production
weaver for a bit, co-chaired a conference fashion show, has earned awards for
her spinning and weaving, taught fiber classes, sold her handwovens
commercially, and sold handknit accessories, handspun yarn and fiber in an Etsy
shop. She has several patterns on Ravelry as Feistywoman Designs, does a bit of
writing and designing for Yarnmaker and PLY magazines. But her focus these days
is on following my creative muse, playing with color and fiber, and enabling
others to do the same.
