Description
These sessions are designed to introduce you to spinning your own yarn. You will learn about different fibres (wool, silk, alpaca and other speciality fibres), how to prepare the fibres using tools; both hand carders and drum carders, and then will start the process of learning how to draft fibre into different styles of yarn (art yarn, worsted, lace weight etc.) You will mainly be practicing on drop spindles as these are the easiest method for you to begin drafting, but you will have the chance to use a Turkish spindle, treddle spinning wheels, and an electric spinning wheel to explore spinning fibre into yarn. Spinning fibre is something that humans have been doing for thousands of years, but thankfully the tools we use nowadays are a little more user-friendly! These are 3-hour workshops for you to get as much information and practice in. Please bring some lunch if you think you will need it.
What's included in the price?
All materials are provided for use in session, and you will be able to take a little sample of your handspun yarn home with you! I do have drop spindles for sale, so if you find one you like you can purchase it to take home. Refreshments will be on offer also, please consider donating towards the CIC we hire the room off for this as they provide them for your comfort.
Duration
3 hours
Cancellation policy
Medium - Cancellation and a full refund can be obtained up to 4 weeks before the course starts
Maker
I am a textile artist based in Yorkshire. I teach textile arts (knitting, crochet, spinning yarn and more) and I also occasionally sell my pieces. I love meeting new people and teaching them skills that they can use to create beautiful pieces. I am almost completely self-taught - which means I have found ways of learning and teaching that are flexible, and I have not met someone yet who I cannot teach the skill they wish to learn!
Suitable for
- Adults
- Teenagers
- Children
- Hearing impaired
- Easter
- School holiday workshops & activities
- Stag dos
- Public transport
- Mother's Day
- Suitable for beginners
- Engagement, birthdays & anniversaries
- Fairs, festivals & exhibitions
- Romantic
- Hen dos
- Christmas
- Corporate days out & team building
FAQs
There is limited on-street parking around the venue, but the public transport is very good into Silsden. Many Hands 25 CIC is on Kirkgate. Sadly not wheelchair accessible as there is a flight of stairs to get into the studio.
Yes they will, and I try and ensure that there are choices in colours etc. However, if you would like to bring your own to use, please feel free!
Yes, you can! You are the level of skill that the workshop has been designed for. You will learn from the very beginning and I will take you through each step of the process. You will begin on a drop spindle so you can learn how the fibres draft, and how the spin is taken up the fibre. If you are comfortable by the end of the sessions you may spin on the wheels, but equally, you may just be practising treddling and drafting!
Your first handspun may not be good for anything! It will be over spun, lumpy an funny looking. But that's ok, because you're going to keep it to look back on your progress!
When you are better at spinning, your yarn can be used for knitting and crocheting into hats/ gloves/ scarves, or used as something like cuffs on a knitted jumper. You could weave with your handspun, use it on mixed media pieces, the world is your oyster!
Yes of course you are! Please let me know beforehand and I can prepare alternative fibre for you to use, such as banana, bio-nylon or bamboo. There are many fibres available that do not involve any animals at all.
Not at all, in fact the very opposite. Wool sheep have been selectively bred over hundreds of years to grow the perfect fibre for us, it's dense and soft and there's often a huge amount on each sheep. This means they need shering every year to allow their skin to breathe and ensure that they don't overheat - we are doing them a favour!
I get a lot from online stockists - particularly any speciality fibres (plant fibres/ sparkly bits), but I get a lot of my base fibres from farmers in the local areas who shear their sheep every year and need to get rid of the fibre. Sadly the price of fleece has hit rock bottom - farmers may get just 40p per fleece off the wool board, but they will get a few pounds per fleece off me - meaning the farmers win and I win by getting quality locally sourced fibre!
