Content and duration of all workshops are adjustable.  And I would be happy to format a workshop or presentation to meet your group’s specific needs.

In addition, I offer private lessons for individuals at my home.  My fee for those lessons is $20 per contact hour.

Spinning Workshops

Title:  Beginning Spinning on the Wheel

Description:  This workshop is an introduction to the marvelous craft of spinning yarn on a spinning wheel.  We will cover the parts of the spinning wheel and the basics of how it works.  In the process of spinning “singles” from wool roving, we will practice how to draft fibers and how twist turns fiber into yarn.  We will also practice plying singles together for a 2-ply yarn.  We will discuss the basics of preparing fleece for spinning, care of your wheel, and finishing yarns.  Participants will leave with a completed skein of their own handspun yarn.

Class level:  no experience necessary

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order with at least one bobbin.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fibers for spinning, sundry supplies.

Title:  Creating the Yarn You Want

Description:  This workshop is designed for the spinner who wants to gain greater control over the final characteristics of the yarn she or he spins.  We will practice methods for controlling the thickness and twist of yarns.  We will cover practical techniques for creating yarns that are consistent from bobbin to bobbin, and that match already existing yarns, either hand spun or commercial.  We will also touch on techniques for plying a “balanced yarn”.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, 3 bobbins, and a lazy kate.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Blending Colors at the Wheel

Description:  Learn to make unique multi-colored yarns at the wheel, without dyeing or the use of carding/combing equipment.  In this workshop, we will take rovings and tops of different colors and combine them by pre-drafting in several simple ways to create yarns that produce more colorful and more textural fiber projects.  We will cover techniques that allow you to create the same blends of color from skein to skein.  We will practice making singles yarn as well as 2- and 3-ply yarns.  We will also cover techniques for making marl yarns (plied yarns with different color singles).

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, 4 bobbins, and a lazy kate

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Diversity of Wool

Description:  The wool from different breeds of sheep can vary substantially in softness, elasticity, luster, and feltability.  Through hands-on examination of fiber, yarns, and knitted swatches, we will cover these widely varying characteristics of wool.  In addition to sheep breed, other factors will be addressed that influence the characteristics of the final fiber project, such as fiber preparation and spinning techniques.  We will practice spinning wool from sheep breeds that span the spectrum from fine wool to medium wool to long, luster wool.  In addition, we will practice spinning wools that have been prepared in various ways.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, lazy kate; hand cards (optional), hand combs (optional).

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fibers for spinning, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning With Commercial Yarns (15-18 contact hours)

Description:  This workshop is all about spinning strategies for revitalizing your commercial yarn stash.  Partipants will explore ways to “re-spin” commercial yarns as well as ways to spin together commercial yarns and fiber:  We will re-spin yarns to create “energized” yarns; we will cover several techniques for re-spinning and plying 2 and 3 and 4 yarns together; we will cover combining fiber and commercial yarns to create a variety of core-spun yarns; and we will explore ways of combining handspun singles with commercial yarns to create both smooth and textured yarns.  The yarns you make with these techniques will look more awake, have more edge, and inspire you more!

Class level:  intermediate spinning skills, and very basic knitting or crocheting skills.

Contact hours:  15-18 hours

Materials fee:  $40

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order, 4 bobbins, lazy kate, towel, plastic hanger, some small balls of yarn of various kinds, a couple pairs of knitting needles or crochet hooks, scissors, and scotch tape.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fibers for spinning, additional yarns for spinning, sundry supplies

Title:  Spinning With Commercial Yarns (6 contact hours)

Description:  Here are some strategies for revitalizing your yarn stash!  In this workshop, participants will explore ways to “re-spin” commercial yarns as well as ways to spin together commercial yarns and fiber.  We will cover techniques for creating and using energized yarns, core-spun yarns, yarns plied more than once, and plying together handspun and commercial.  The resulting yarns will look more awake, have more edge, and inspire you more!

Class level:  intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, 4 bobbins, a lazy kate, some small balls of yarn of various kinds, a couple pairs of knitting needles or crochet hooks, scissors, and scotch tape.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination; fibers and additional yarns for spinning; notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning With Locks

Description:  Wool and mohair locks can be used “as is” or prepared in a variety of ways for spinning both highly textured yarns and very smooth yarns.  In this workshop, we will cover a wide array of lock structures, from fine crimp to bold curls.  We will play with undyed and dyed locks, we will spin yarns from the locks, we will combine locks with rovings in a variety of ways, and we will flick locks for spinning smooth, worsted-type yarns.

Class level:  intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, 3 bobbins, lazy kate, flick carder or dog/cat slicker brush or dog “rake”.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fibers for spinning, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning Super Stretchy Wools

Description:  Some wools are especially elastic:  Targhee, Cormo, Romeldale/CVM, Rambouillet, Columbia, Suffolk, Montadale, and others.  In this workshop, we will work with these wools to create sproingy-boingy yarns.  We will cover a variety of drafting techniques that influence the springiness of yarns; we will card and comb washed fleece of these and other wools to make the most of their elasticity; and we will explore the best uses of such wools.

Class level: advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, 3 bobbins, lazy kate, hand combs, hand cards (or flick carder).

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fiber for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Mechanics of Your Wheel

Description:  Spinning wheels are marvelous machines!  In this workshop, we will cover how spinning wheels work.  There will be spinning exercises to remove the mystery from drive mechanisms, drive ratios, drafting, twist, take-up tension, and wheel maintenance.  Along the way, participants will be introduced to concepts of mechanics (such as force, torque, angular momentum, friction) in a non-mathematical way.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning with Silk Hankies

Description:  Silk hankies are a “mawata” silk that consist of very thin layers of silk squares.  We will learn strategies for preparing these hankies for spinning, and then we will spin them using various strategies, including Navajo plying.  We will cover strategies for making your hands smooth to minimize snagging of silk on your hands, and various uses of silk hankies and yarns spun from them.

Class level:  intermediate spinning skills

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $15

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination; fibers for spinning; notebook with handouts

Title:  Variations on Long Draw

Description:  “Long draw” spinning techniques are often used to create “woolen” yarns – yarns that are airy, lofty, soft and warm!  We will cover three variations of long draw using commercially-prepared rovings, drum carded batts, and hand carded rolags.  We will create samples of thick, lopi-style singles yarns, as well as thinner, plied woolen yarns.  In the process, we will discuss the types of fiber that work best for different long draw techniques, how to create a hand carded rolag, and how best to use woolen yarns.

Class level:  intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $12

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order, 3 bobbins, lazy kate, hand cards.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination; fibers for carding and spinning; notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Plying Balanced Yarns

Description:  Consistent and even plying is as important to a high-quality, hand-spun yarn as is the spinning of singles.  Matching the twist in plying to the twist in the spun singles is the key.  In this workshop, we will cover issues related to controlling tension on the singles while plying and the amount of twist in both spinning and plying.  We will practice techniques for plying from one source (Andean plying, Navajo plying), and from two or more sources.

Class level:  advanced beginner to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $12

Participants to bring: a spinning wheel in good working order, 2 bobbins partially filled with Z-spun singles plus 1 empty bobbin, and a lazy kate.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fiber for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Plying for Texture

Description:  In this workshop, we will practice making textured yarns by manipulating the way we ply singles together.  We will spin snarl yarns, cabled yarns, two kinds of  knot yarns, and two kinds of spiral yarns.  These are all yarns that can be created with “ordinary” Z-spun singles.  Along the way, we will discuss how to create a smooth, balanced two-ply yarn.

Class level:  intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $12

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order, 2 bobbins partially filled with Z-spun singles (they should be about the same thickness and twist, but of different colors) plus 2 empty bobbins, a lazy kate.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning Marl Yarns

Description:  Marl yarns are often defined as plied yarns in which the plies are different colors.  We will cover techniques for making those yarns, as well as making marl yarns in which the plies are from different fiber sources.  In the process, we will cover strategies for controlling thickness and twist of singles and for plying to create 2- and 3-ply balanced yarns.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $12

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order, 4 bobbins, lazy kate.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fiber for spinning, sundry supplies.

Title:  Beginning Spindle Spinning

Description:  Twisting fiber into yarn is arguably the oldest of all technologies.  For most of human history, all yarns were spun using a very simple tool:  the drop spindle.  In this workshop, we will use drop spindles to create yarn from wool fiber.  We will spin “singles” and we will make a 2-ply yarn.  Participants will take home a CD drop spindle.

Class level:  no experience necessary

Contact hours:  3

Material fees for class:  $15

Participants to bring:  a readiness to try something new!  If you have a drop spindle, do bring it.

Instructor to provide:  CD drop spindle, samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fiber for spinning.

Knitting Workshops

Title:  Slip-Stitch Knitting (12-18 contact hours)

Description:  Slip stitches are terrific for blending colors and creating complex-looking patterns with both subtle and dramatic texture.  We will cover several categories of slip stitches:  simple slip stitches, “mosaic” stitches, extended slip stitches, manipulated slip stitches, and brioche.  We will explore effects of changing the “background” stitch of patterns (stockinette, garter, rib, seed), using yarns of solid colors and variegated colors, using yarns of various textures, and combining slip stitch patterns with non-slip stitch patterns.  Participants will knit swatches, modify stitch patterns to create new stitch patterns, practice converting stitch patterns between flat and circular knitting, and practice graphing stitch patterns.

Class level:  intermediate knitting skills.

Contact hours:  12-18

Materials fee:  $30

Participants to bring:  several balls of yarn of different colors and textures, knitting needles, cable needle, pencil or pen.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts and stitch patterns, graph paper, sundry supplies.

Title:  Slip-Stitch Knitting (6 contact hours)

Description:  Slip stitches are terrific for blending colors and creating complex-looking patterns with both subtle and dramatic texture.  We will explore the knitting and use of simple slip stitches, “mosaic” stitches, extended slip stitches, manipulated slip stitches, and basic brioche.  Participants will practice several of these stitch patterns and will leave with patterns for purses or hats that use slip stitches.

Class level:  intermediate knitting skills

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  three colors of yarn all of similar thickness, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn, and a cable needle.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts, knitting patterns for hats or purses, sundry supplies.

Title:  Exploring Basic Slip Stitches

Description:  By simply slipping a stitch, you can create surprising textures in your knitting.  You can also create complex-looking colorwork while working with only one color at a time.  In this workshop, we will explore the simplest of slip stitches, in which the working yarn is held to either the front or the back of the knitted fabric.  Our exploration will include changing the “background” stitch (stockinette, garter, seed, rib), the effects of combining 2 or more colors into the slip stitch patterns, the use of variegated yarns into these stitches, and how to create your own unique simple slip-stitch patterns.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  3-4 balls of yarn of different colors but same yarn gauge, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts (including several stitch patterns).

Title:  Extended and Manipulated Slip Stitches

Description:  Let’s take slip stitches a bit further.  Slipping stitches over more than one stitch or over more than one row can create dramatic vertical and horizontal textural effects.  And by combining slip stitches with cables and other manipulations, you can add diagonal texture to your knitting.  These stitches create knitted fabrics with great thickness, elasticity, and drape that work well for jackets and afghans.  In this workshop we will knit several swatches that highlight characteristics of these more complex slip stitch patterns.  We will play with color and combinations, strategies for knitting with novelty yarns, and strategies for modifying knit stitch patterns by adding or subtracting slipped stitches.

Class level:  intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  3-4 balls of yarn of different colors but same yarn gauge, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn, a cable needle.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts (including several stitch patterns).

Title:  I-Cord Edges and More!

Description:  “I-cords” make wonderful, stable edges on a knitted piece, worked along with the knitted piece or added later.  In the process of knitting a sample wrist warmer, we will cover using I-cords for side edges, binding off, buttonholes, as well as added I-cords.  We will also cover techniques for making I-cord fringe, for grafting I-cord ends together to make continuous I-cord circles, and for using I-cords in all kinds of knitting.  Students will leave with a pattern for full-sized wrist warmers.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  worsted weight yarn and knitting needles appropriate for the yarn (including straight needles, double pointed needles, and circular needles), an extra double pointed needle that is a few sizes smaller, and a darning needle.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, extra yarns, notebook with handouts, pattern for wrist warmers, sundry supplies.

Title:  Circles and Hexagons:  Knitting Petoskey Stone Medallions

Description:  In this workshop we will knit a medallion that was inspired by the state stone of Michigan, the Petoskey stone.   The medallions are flat circles, knitted from the center out.  When a series of these medallions are crocheted together, you can change the circular shape to 4-, 5-, 6-, or more-sided pieces.  We will cover a circular crochet cast-on, how to knit circularly with 2 circular needles, 2-stitch cable patterns, and crocheting medallions together.  With this approach, you can make scarves, afghans, hats, pillows, and more.

Class level:  intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  100 yards or so of yarn (1 or more colors), 2 circular knitting needles of the same size (but can be of different lengths) appropriate for the yarn, a crochet hook similar in size to the needles, and a darning needle.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts including written instructions for 2 versions of the Petoskey stone medallion, sundry supplies.

Title:  I Heart Duplicate Stitch

Description:  Duplicate stitch is one way of adding bits of color to knitting, allowing you to “paint” on your knitting.  Other forms of multi-color knitting, such as intarsia and Fair Isle, may seem more “knitterly”, but there are times when duplicate stitch can achieve certain effects in a much easier way.  When done well, duplicate stitch can add an expert air to your knitting.  We will practice techniques for making duplicate stitch smooth and even.  We will play with effects of yarn size and yarn texture and the knit stitches used for the background, so that you will come away with an appreciation of the special advantages of duplicate stitch.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  a swatch knitted in stockinette stitch that is at least 30 sts wide and 50 rows long (a solid light color works best), some yarn of the same type as used for the swatch but in a contrasting color, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn, a darning needle.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, additional yarns, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  The Diversity of Wool

Description:  Merino, Cormo, Finn, Costwold, Wensleydale, Romney, Corriedale, and more!  The wool from different breeds of sheep can vary substantially in softness, strength, elasticity, luster, and feltability.  Through hands-on examination, we will explore these widely varying characteristics of wool.  In addition to sheep breed, other factors will be addressed that influence the characteristics of the final wool project.  We will examine samples of unspun fiber, yarns, and knitted swatches of over a dozen sheep breeds.  There will be fiber and yarns to test-spin, -knit, or -crochet.

Class level:  no experience necessary

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $15

Participants to bring:  No supplies are necessary.  But, participants may bring a drop spindle or spinning wheel if they want to spin, or knitting needles if they want to knit, or crochet hooks if they want to crochet.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, fibers and yarns for spinning/knitting/crocheting.

Title:  The Surprising Yarn-Over

Description:  A “yarn-over” is a fundamental element in knitted lace, but there is more to the yarn-over than lace.  The yarn-over is a surprising and versatile element in many forms of knitting.  We will explore the use of yarn-overs to make beautiful edges, interesting cords, straight and wavy fabrics.  In addition, we’ll cover variations on the yarn-over and how yarn-overs are created in a variety of knit stitch patterns.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  100-200 yards of yarn and knitting needles appropriate for the yarn

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, additional yarn, sundry supplies.

Title:  Seams to Be

Description:  Many knitters struggle to make good-looking seams.  In this workshop we will practice a variety of ways to seam knitted pieces together for the best results.  We will explore side and shoulder seams, invisible and decorative seams, and seams that are flat and tidy on both sides of the knitted fabric.  In the process, we will also cover strategies for creating knitted edges that make seaming easier and more refined.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate knitting

Contact hours:  3

Materials fee:  $12

Participants to bring:  Two swatches using the same yarn, both 20 sts wide and 40 rows long in st st, leaving the last row live and placed on stitch holders.  100-200 additional yards of the yarn, knitting needles appropriate for the yarn, and a darning needle.  I suggest using a solid, light colored yarn so that the stitches are easier to see.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, notebook with handouts, additional yarn, sundry supplies.

Spinning & Knitting Workshops

Title:  Spin Knit Nexus

Description:  In this exploration of the intersection of spinning and knitting, we will cover several spinning techniques for creating combinations of yarns that are not found among millspun yarns.  We will explore how to use those yarn combinations to create unique knitting projects.  We will focus on spinning and combining yarns that are different but complementary by 1) blending fibers at the wheel; 2) combining solid color fiber sources in multiple ways; 3) spinning yarns of different thicknesses and textures from a single fiber source; 4) spinning and plying handpainted tops in a variety of ways.  We will knit swatches from the spun yarns.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning and knitting

Contact hours:  18

Materials fee:  $45

Participants to bring:  spinning wheel in good working order, 4 bobbins, lazy-kate, knitting needles of various sizes.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, knitting stitch patterns, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning &Knitting Energized Singles

Description:  Yarns that are not “balanced” can create biasing fabric when knitted.  Most knitters try to avoid this effect, but yarns with extra twist energy can be used to create intriguing textural effects while using fairly simple knit stitches and we will explore some of these possibilities.  We will also cover techniques on how to create balanced yarns and unbalanced yarns (with energized twist) as well as “management” of energized singles yarns for knitting.

Class level:  advanced beginning to intermediate spinning and knitting

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, lazy kate, and several sizes of knitting needles.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers and yarns for spinning, notebook with handouts, knitting patterns

Title:  Spinning & Knitting Goat Fibers

Description:  Mohair!  Cashmere!  Pygora!  From long & lustrous to short & soft, goat fibers make wonderful yarns.  This workshop is a survey class in which we will spin these fibers as well as blends with wool and silk.  There will be some discussion of the animals themselves.  We will also knit swatches of commercial mohair and cashmere yarns, and discuss advantages and challenges of these fibers for knitting.

Class level:  intermediate spinning skills; advanced beginning knitting skills

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, lazy kate; knitting needles of various sizes

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, yarns for knitting, notebook with handouts, sundry supplies.

Title:  Spinning & Knitting With Silk Hankies

Description:  Silk hankies are a “mawata” silk that consist of very thin layers of silk cocoons that have been stretched over a square frame.  We will learn techniques for preparing these hankies for spinning, and then we will spin them in a variety of ways, including Navajo plying.  We will cover strategies for making your hands smooth to minimize snagging of silk on your hands, and strategies for knitting unspun and spun silk hankies.

Class level:  intermediate spinning skills and basic knitting skills

Contact hours:  6

Materials fee:  $20

Participants to bring:  a spinning wheel that works, 3 bobbins, a lazy kate, and some knitting needles of various sizes.

Instructor to provide:  samples for examination, fibers for spinning, notebook with handouts, knit stitch patterns, sundry supplies.