The eye-catching colors of “Fair Isle” knitting start out as wool the color of sheep in the fields. However, stir up a dye pot or two, get out the carders & spend some time at the spinning wheel and voila, an absolutely endless array of beautiful heather mixes can be had for the knitting! On Day 1, students will dye white and natural fleece using common and historic natural dye sources. On Day 2, students will card and combine colors to produce a variety of heather mixes, and move on to spin/ply carded wools. On Day 3, students will design and knit a small project as a stepping stone into the stranded knitting style called Fair Isle. Topics covered will include: cultural details, picking and carding, color blending, wheel adjustments, plying, simple natural dyepots, lessons on consistency, yarn management, color layout and traditional patterns. This course is designed for advanced beginners and up who are able to happily spin a continuous yarn and have some experience in circular knitting. Students are invited to bring any fiber (from any animal!) they would like to include in their blending experiments (fiber length 3-4 inches).