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Fiber Arts Exploration Weekend 1

February 23 - 25, 2018**

(Friday evening through Sunday afternoon)

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$165 per person

includes all meals, instruction, and most supplies

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**Fiber Arts Weekend 2 will be held May 4-6, 2018. Click here for details!

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Spinning Wheel Photo by Knitty.com

Greg Cotton demonstrates a drop spindle.

Claudia Jervey, our Rigid Heddle Weaving instructor introducing  her grandson to a loom.

Join a friendly group of Midwest spinners and weavers who are excited to share their skills with you! Our Fiber Arts Exploration Weekend will be filled with hands-on learning and practice, great meals, and new friends. You’ll have to opportunity to learn to use a Drop Spindle (and to make one of your own out of inexpensive materials); to weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom; and to use a Spinning Wheel. Instructors are providing most of the materials (including looms and spinning wheels).

 

Our weekend begins with dinner on Friday, and concludes on Sunday after lunch. All meals and snacks are included. Class size will be small for optimal learning.

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No  previous knowledge

of weaving or spinning

is needed.

 

Our Fiber Arts Weekend includes:

  • Opportunity to learn three new skills - Drop Spindle Spinning, Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving, and using a Spinning Wheel.

  • Three knowledgeable, personable instructors

  • Looms, spinning wheels and drop spindles to learn and practice on all weekend

  • Comfortable classroom space

  • Abundant time to create, learn and work with other fiber enthusiasts

  • Six delicious meals (dinner Friday; breakfast, lunch, dinner Saturday; breakfast & lunch Sunday)

  • Coffee & tea, plus mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks

  • A tour of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage (if interested)

  • Special price for local “commuters”

  • NOTE: price does not include accommodations

To Register, Click Here!

$165 per person

includes all meals, instruction and most materials

​

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Drop Spindle If you love yarn and all of its uses, have you considered traveling one step closer to the sheep and spinning your own?  Do you love falling down rabbit holes that rival any of those produced in Wonderland?  Join Greg Cotton and learn this ancient craft.  Human beings have been spinning for at least 35,000 years, using little more than sticks and clay to produce incredible yarns.  We'll use similar found objects, albeit found in the 21st century..dowels, CDs, toy wheels, and the odd binder clip...and will spend time learning to produce equally incredible yarns.  Drop spindles for your use will be provided; the instructor has requested that you bring $20 to pay for fibers used during the class. Also, we hope you bring willing hearts and hands, some small degree of self-confidence, the joy of learning, and slightly below-average intelligence.

 

Beginning Wheel Spinning Learning to spin can be a great adventure.  This class will introduce participants to the techniques and tools used to produce yarn.  The focus will be natural sheep wool both processed and unprocessed.  We’ll discuss fiber selection, fiber preparation,  color,  and spinning equipment.  Participants will work on a variety of spinning wheels to learn the basic techniques of creating yarn for knitting, crocheting, and weaving.  Spinning fiber is an ancient art that bridges cultures all over the world. No previous knowledge of spinning is required.

 

Introduction to Rigid Heddle Weaving This class will teach beginning weaving students the fundamentals of Rigid Heddle Weaving. Class activities will include a discussion of choosing the right loom and fiber for your project,  warping the loom, hands on weaving and tips on finishing the project.  Looms and loom tools will be provided for use during the class; the instructor has requested that you bring $20 to pay for fibers.  Participants should be able to complete the scarf in the all day session Saturday (with half day session on Sunday if needed). Participants should bring a scissors, tape measure and note book.  Class size limited to 5. The finished project will be a hand-woven scarf.   No previous knowledge of weaving is required.

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Heddle Weaving

Drop Spindle

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTORS

Greg Cotton (Drop Spindle) grew up on a sheep farm in South Dakota and always wondered what happened to all that

wool after shearing was done.  In 1980 he learned to spin, and being a person of generally oddball passions has not stopped spinning since then; in fact, he has been teaching other people how to spin since 1983.  Greg lives in Iowa City with five chickens and a house filled with fourteen spinning wheels, 98 spindles, seven looms, innumerable knitting needles, and enough wool to survive the zombie apocalypse.  When he's not involved with fiber or chickens, he works as the College Librarian at Cornell College (where he never attends a faculty or committee meeting without a knitting project or a drop spindle close at hand).  His non-fiber passions include baking bread with his 27 year old sourdough starter, faithfully writing

in his daily diary, and never ever missing a day at the gym.

 

Barb Krummell (Spinning) learned to spin on a Great Wheel in 1984 and fell in love with all aspects of fiber and spinning.  

She collects and restores Great Wheels and also uses a variety of modern flyer wheels to produce yarn in her home studio

in NE Missouri.  

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Claudia Jervey’s (Rigid Heddle Weaving) love of crochet and yarn led her to weaving in 2009.  She has been weaving ever since using a variety of rigid heddle looms including Schacht,  Ashford and Kromski.  Claudia enjoys sharing her love of fiber and weaving with other fiber enthusiasts and is a member of Northeast Missouri Fiber Addicts.  She creates beautiful woven projects in her studio located in Putnam County MO Several of her projects have been entered and received ribbons at the Putnam County Fair.  Outside of weaving she enjoys crochet, Tunisian crochet, sewing, and scrapbooking.  She is also a BEGINNER….learning spinning and quilting.

 

 

Mercantile guest rooms: David Brower (above), Rachel Carson (above right), Aldo Leopold (right).

La Casa, where some of the classes will be held.

To Register, Click Here!

 

$165 per person

includes all meals, instruction and most materials

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Cancellation Policy: Workshop fee and accommodations charge are both due at time of reservation.

Full refund (less $25 accounting fee) returned with a full 7 days notice.

Less than 7 days notice for a cancellation will result in loss of deposit.

ACCOMMODATIONS (not included in cost of weekend)

The Milkweed Mercantile has three rooms available here at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage and three additional rooms at a super-comfy off-site farmhouse one mile from Dancing Rabbit. Cost is $50 per night per room. Details will be provided after registration.

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