Workshops

Beginning Spinning
Friday, July 5 – Saturday, July 6, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

This class will cover basic mechanics of spinning wheels and how to make your wheel work for you. Using wool rovings and top, we’ll learn how to spin singles, how to ply those singles together, and how to get a balanced yarn. We’ll cover drafting both woolen and worsted, what the difference between the two is and when and where you might want to choose one method over the other.

Topics Covered Include:

• Spinning wheel mechanics (how YOUR wheel works)
• Understanding wool preparations
• Drafting worsted-style singles
• Drafting woolen-style singles
• Plying methods for 2-ply and 3-ply yarns
• Finishing techniques
• Fibre characteristics and how they affect the final yarn

Instructor:  Christie Schulze
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  None
Tuition:  $295 + $35 material fee + GST

Cards & Combs…Tips & Tricks
Friday, July 5 – Saturday, July 6, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

Do you have a set of Cards and Combs that you want to use more?  Come and explore different ways to work with these interesting tools.   We will look at several styles of carding cloths and what fibres are best to use together.  Blending different fibres and colours will be examined. 

Come and have fun working with these great tools and make some special yarns.

Instructor:  Jayne Deardorff
Difficulty/Prerequisite: Must be able to spin on a wheel.  Bring to class a set of cards, combs if you have a set, pen and paper.
Tuition:  $295 + $40 material fee + GST

Dive into Design
Friday, July 5, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

A single image can be a great springboard for generating many design ideas.  In this workshop, Fiona will supply images and show you how to dive headlong into your interpretations.  Part one will allow you to work on your own samples and share ideas with fellow participants.  Part two will give you time to refine the ideas begun in part one and work on new ideas. 

WARNING: This workshop may change the way you see the world!

Instructor: Fiona Ellis
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  Be able to knit and purl.
Tuition:  $195 + GST

Feeding for Fleece
Friday, July 5, 2019 9:00 pm – 12:00 pm

An important part of raising wool animals is knowing what to feed in order to obtain good quality wool. Whether you come from an operation with hundreds of head or just a small backyard flock, understanding the principles of feeding management and the effects that nutrients have on wool production could mean higher quality fleeces for you.

Instructor:  TBA
Difficulty/Prerequisites:  Open to anyone
Tuition:  $95 + GST

Felted “Landscape and Birds”
Friday, July 5, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

You are invited to come and play with wool and make some beautiful art!  Each participant will make a large felted wool ‘Painting’, of a landscape scene of their choice with lots of detail.  Using different ‘painting with wool’ techniques, you will be shown different trees, moons, sunsets, rocks etc.  We will also be focusing on pictures that incorporate birds such as owls, ravens, chickadees, cardinals, roosters etc.  You will then be shown ways to mount or use your work of art when you take it home.  We will be learning both needle felting and wet felting and use merino, silk and other embellishments.

Instructor:  Lois McDonald-Layden
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  All experience levels welcome.
Tuition: $195 + $50 material fee + GST

Focus on Sleeves
Friday, July 5, 2019  1:30 pm – 4:30pm

Understanding how a variety of sleeve types are constructed and how to adjust them can bring greater satisfaction to your sweater making.  This course will give you an overview of sleeve types, discuss how to modify them and methods of construction, including how to set them into the sweater.

Instructor:  Jessie McKitrick
Difficulty/Prerequisite: Familiarity with basic knitting and measuring gauge is an asset. 
Tuition:  $95 + GST

How Much Wool Do I Need to Make a Sweater
Friday, July 5, 2019  9am – 4:30pm

How much wool do I need to make a sweater?  This class came from that simple question.  In this class you will learn how to choose an appropriate fleece for your pattern, and then learn how to correctly determine how much fleece you need by both using calculation from your pattern as well as preparing your chosen fleece.

Instructor:  Sue Clausen
Difficulty/Prerequisite: Able to do simple knit or crochet, and spin on which ever form they are most comfortable with.
Tuition:  $195 + $35 material fee + GST

Into the Zone…drafting zone!
Friday, July 5, 2019  9am – 4:30pm

We start the day spinning our default yarn.  Then we move into learning seven drafting techniques starting with short forward draw, short backward draw, and so forth, ending with the supported long draw.  We work with prepared fibre: combed top for the first four and carded rovings for the last three drafting techniques.  Students put a sample of the yarn on their card stock sample card and also make a mini-skein of each.  The mini-skeins are labeled with plastic labels so they can be washed and kept track of.  Then we compare these to the unwashed samples.  The rest of the day we mix and match different fibre preparation techniques: combing, flick, hand and drum carding, with different fibres to get a variety of results.

Instructor:  Diana Twiss
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  Must be able to spin a continuous thread and be comfortable with plying.
Tuition:  $195 + $20 material fee + GST

Make a Wet Felted Vessel
Friday, July 5, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

Wet felting is a method of creating art using wool as your medium.  This felting method is thousands of years old and has a rich history in many cultures.  In this workshop you will learn about the different breeds of wool and their properties.  We’ll start by making a sample piece of felt to help us understand the unique, natural properties of wool.  Each participant will then put their new-found knowledge to use making a felt bowl or vessel.  Wet felting is a hands-on, sometimes messy art process.  Wear comfortable clothes that you can get wet and not worry about.  Barbara Leighton, founder of the Leighton Art Centre, believed that every person is an artist – they just needed to find the right medium, perhaps wool is yours!  Try felting and find out.

Instructor:  Leah Cathleen Donald
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  Beginners and up
Tuition:  $195 + $20 materials fee + GST

Management 101..Keeper of the Stock
Friday, July 5, 2019 1:30 – 4:30pm

Seeking all those interested in a learning the basics and beyond!  This half day workshop will give you a great hands on approach to setting up your own operation regardless of how big or small.  We will look at several aspects of the livestock production from facilities to health and everything in between.  This is your opportunity to make industry connections with people that can really help you improve your cost of production. 

Instructor:  TBA
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  none
Tuition:  $95 + GST

Setting Yourself Up for Sweater Success
Friday, July 5, 2019 9 am – 12pm

If you’d like to make  your first sweater, or if you’ve been discouraged by past sweater efforts, this course will help you to plan for a great sweater project.  Understanding not only how to read gauge, but also a variety of pattern conventions can greatly enhance your sweater knitting experience.

Instructor:  Jessie McKitrick
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  None, other than an interest in making a sweater; familiarity with knitting an asset. 
Tuition:  $95 + GST

Spinning with a Navajo Spindle – Traditional and Non-Traditional
Friday, July 5, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

The Navajo spindle is an easy way to learn to spin. The novice or experienced spinner can work slowly at first when using a Navajo Spindle which is unlike working with a drop spindle or wheel.  You will have the opportunity to practice drafting, with a long draw technique while building confidence to gather speed.

You will learn a brief history of the Navajo Churro sheep, how to spin with the Navajo spindle using the traditional Churro wool ranging from raw to nicely prepared, have time to practice and then deviate from traditional to non-traditional spinning using blends of the Churro wool with a variety of fibres. The instructor will share some of the great possibilities learned when completing the independent study on Churro sheep for the Master Spinner certificate.

The traditional techniques that will be taught include: spinning in the grease from raw wool, spinning from carded rolags, 2 plying yarn and learning the Navajo 3 ply, finishing and putting the yarn into skeins. The non-traditional techniques will include: preparing blends of Churro and other fibres by using a variety of tools, spinning and plying on the Navajo spindle, finishing and ending with skeins of yarn.

Instructor:  Kathy Schneider
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  Beginner spinner to the experienced that are new to Navajo spindle
Tuition: $195 +$30 material fee + GST

Natural Dyes: 25 Colours from One Dye Pot
Friday, July 5, 2019 9am – 4:30pm

Plant-based natural dyes create a soothing palette of colours, but did you know we could extend the range of colours from each dye by using a variety of mordants and modifiers? This workshop exercise, based on work by natural dye guru Jenny Dean, lets us explore the full potential of the range of hues that one dye bath can yield. This full-day class will introduce students to the basics of mordanting for natural dyes, the use of natural dyes, and modifying dyed skeins, as well as safe dye room practices and disposal of materials. By the end of the day, participants will have at least enough yarn to knit or weave a small scarf to show off the array of colours. (Yarn for all samples will be provided, but if a participant wishes to bring additional fibre, they are encouraged to contact the instructor for instructions to prepare skeins for dyeing.)

Instructor:  Michelle Boyd
Difficulty/Prerequisite:  None
Tuition:  $195 + $45 materials + GST