The Designer Gardens

If you are a weaver, knitter, crocheter, quilter, or other textile-minded artist, you are going to love this class! We will show you how to process wool from raw materials using only organic methods and no harsh chemicals. You will learn how to wash the wool, dry it properly, pick it, card it, and spin it. You will experience working with three different types of sheep fleece as well as angora wool (which comes from our very own angora rabbit, or “urban sheep”) and practice working with a drop spindle as well as a spinning wheel. Simple combed wool can be used for quilt batting. You can felt it, or spin it, and of course, once it’s spun, you can weave it. Every student will go home with plenty of fleece, yarn, and knowledge to continue processing their own wool at home. (Note that we will not cover dying in the class, but may offer it as a separate course in the future.)Hand-spinning is as peaceful (and addictive!) an art as knitting itself. It is fun, economical, useful, and extremely relaxing. If you have had the pleasure of walking into a yarn shop and being overwhelmed with the marvelous arrays of color and texture stacked against the walls, but have not yet experienced spinning for yourself — you are in for a treat!

ALL CLASSES REQUIRE ADVANCE REGISTRATION, EVEN FOR GIFT CERTIFICATE HOLDERS.

January 21, 2012 (Saturday) 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. $75

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