Churro fleece is new to me. I was given a small sample of this fabulous fibre by Judith, one of my SpinningSchool ladies who had visited the Navajo reservation in the States earlier this year. I told my friend Gillian who lives in Phoenix, Arizona about it – she did a bit of research…as you do…and found […]
Exotic yarn from Wildfires of Oakham proved irresistible to spinners at SpinningSchool on tuesday- we were enthralled by Uday’s talk and video about the cooperative movement in his native Nepal – we saw a video of women harvesting nettles and retting, boiling and spinning the yarn which was on sale. He has a shop at […]
Weaving lessons can be creative. Just look at this first weaving by Dee. Weaving on her neat little laptop loom (12″Ashford Knitters Loom), she chose Ashford’s Tekapo yarn as the warp and weft. Tekapo is a beautifully bouncy yarn with good stretching properties – just right for the rigid heddle looms which can be warped up […]
Weaving on Knitters Loom at Knuston Hall last weekend was a huge success – so much so that the next course will be in January. The course was for complete beginners and included candlewick, pick up sticks and colour theory. Ruth started this piece after making her first sample – although only her second piece of work, the edges […]
Long draw on a drop spindle was Mary’s challenge at Woolly Day. If you want to learn how to do this then the latest edition of Yarnmaker tells you how. Mary did very well with her new 70m Ashford spindle – she came with her Grandma who is spinning on her great aunts’ wheel. I […]
Golden Fleece carders, blending boards and brushes will be making their UK debut on the Spinning School stand at The Big Textile Show this weekend. Also on the stand will be the new Ashford Kiwi Superflyer, spinning wheels, looms and accessories as well as local handmade and milled yarns from some of my pupils’ own […]
Erica did some Big Spinning at the Off Piste Spinning workshop. She used some alpaca that was not good quality given to us at Spinning by the River day as it was ‘A pity to waste it’. The result is the yummy rug, just right to put your feet on when getting out of bed! It is […]
My dear aunt has been staying for a week – she came to Woolly day on Saturday and did some weaving on the Knitters loom I had warped up for her to play with – she is a knitter but had never done any weaving before. On Monday I finished it off while demonstrating at […]
Jane inspired us all last week with this Manx Loachtan rug; it was spun on the Country Spinner and then woven on a peg loom. Glorious.
The Knitters Looms were highly productive at Weaving Retreat
A new weaver plans to use this log as her inspiration and thought she may have to do some dyeing but we have yarns, and colours to suit everyone …..
Six weavers are in Weaving Retreat at Loddington this week so HapHazard knitters is at Loddington on Wednesday 28th May and not Stoke Albany this week – If you live nearby (LE7 9XE) you are welcome to join the Haphazard Knitters from 7-9pm at Loddington Grange – (£5 with tuition, otherwise £3).
These are some of the rug yarns available to weavers to use next week on my weaving course.
one of my students wants to use this lichen on bark that is growing on her terrance as the inspiration for her weaving next week….the course is fully booked but will be repeated at Knuston Hall later in the year
My husband is wanting to know why I appear to be stuck to my iMac….I could spend weeks poking around in there.
Lunch at Workshops and Woolly days is always a great treat – the next one is on 8th April – see What’s On page www.spinningschool.org/events We have a shared buffet, everyone brings something they like and it never fails to make a lovely meal
Ruth is learning to spin raw fleece ready for when her Leicester long wool sheep are shorn in June, she plans to make rugs on the peg loom. There was plenty of help at Woolly day
Sally who only learned to spin a few months ago has made some lovely alpaca yarn from her own alpacas – she is going to start weaving it now.