Curious continuing spinners! Gain inspiration and skill at making yarn for your first or next sweater. Experience tools of history that are still effective for today’s artisan wool grower and hand worker. Working from fleeces, explore individual yarn and knitting design. Review carding, combing, color blending, plying, hand positions, wheel adjustments, inspirations, and lessons in consistency for personalized colorful heathers for inspired stranded knits, sturdy worsteds for cables and texture, or spinning of small, smaller, smallest for lace! Personalize your life and style! We can make what we want from what we grow ourselves and prepare ourselves. Non-knitters welcome. 

Class Fika (the beloved Swedish coffee break) provides ample time for discussions of many topics; keeping sheep, sheep personalities, songs and stories with sheep, how much to feed and the set up for the shearer, interesting wool and best uses, and the all-important question, on what part of the wheel did sleeping beauty prick her finger? Spend time knitting: receive written recipes and ideas for the simple sweaters of history.

Students are encouraged to bring their own wheel in working order or borrow a wheel from North House. Please let us know if you plan to bring your own wheel.

Instructor will provide: Wool fleece, roving, angora, and other fibers, handouts and sample garment "recipes", small hand tools, knitting needles and related gear, washing liquid for fleece and lingerie bags.

Estimated additional materials fee for students needing additional supplies: approximately $60 can be paid to instructor in class Skill note: For beyond beginning as well as improving spinners and shepherds who can happily spin a continuous yarn on any device.

Skill note: For beyond beginning as well as improving spinners and shepherds who can happily spin a continuous yarn on any device.

Required Tools

• Wool and other fibers on hand that you are curious about. (You are invited to bring fibers such as alpaca, but if it is very dusty or full of barn trash, pick out the cleanest bits and bring along a sample.) The instructor will also have other home grown fibers to sample.
• Baby oil
• Small hand towel
• Apron
• Any tools that you own if it is convenient - spinning wheel, hand cards, combs, and drum carder.
• Song or story, recollection or poem to share about spinning, sheep, wool, weaving, etc.
• Note taking supplies
• Sample skein of wool yarn plus suitable knitting needles for sample knitting.
• Questions
• Favorite tea to share

Additional supplies will be available from Martha, but also, Grand Marais has a yarn shop for last minute or additional knitting supplies: www.dappledfernfibers.com