Monday, October 12, 2009

Weaving & Knitting Classes



OK, it took me a full month after returning from Colorado to get that last blog post up, and here's another one right on it's heels. I need to let some folks know about my updated teaching schedule, and this seemed like the best place to spread the word.

I just returned from a 2 day Acadian Weaving class at The Mannings. We had a great class, Carol & Ron are always terrific hosts, the studio is well prepared and I came home with just a little yarn and, oh, a little loom to play with. (Shh! A Schacht Flip!)


And here are the warps from the class. This is a two harness class, with the looms set up for plain weave, so all the design is in weft manipulation. Didn't they weave some pretty cloth?

Next up is a late addition to my schedule - I will be teaching Shaker Rag Rugs at the John C. Campbell Folk School November 1st - 7th. There is still room in this class, so if you're interested, don't delay! It should be a fun week, relatively low pressure for a weaving class as students will be working on individual looms & weaving one or more small rugs.

December 5 & 6, 2009 I will be doing a new class for the Blue Ridge Spinners & Weavers Guild here in Virginia - an 8/2 Cotton Towel class focused on weave structure. There will be 6 different weave structures and it will be a round robin class with students weaving 2-6 towels over the two days.

I've also designed two other brand new 8/2 Towel classes - one on Color & Weave and one of Swedish Weaves - these will be ready for 2010 and will be in my next teaching brochure.


So far, my 2010 teaching schedule has a Tartan sample & scarf class for the Waterford Weavers Guild February 20 & 21 - a round robin class in which students weave samples in class and then go home & weave a scarf on the remaining warp on their looms. There may be a warping class - Beam Me Up Scotty - a few weeks before the tartan class. I'll let you know!


March 7 - 13 I'll be back at the Folk School for a Traditional Island Knitting Sampler class. We will explore Shetland lace, Fair Isle colorwork, gansey and Aran cables and patterning over the course of the week. If anyone has a great idea for a name for this class, I'd love to hear it! Somehow Island makes me think pina coladas... North Island? Help...

In May we will have the Peace Weavers booth at Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, and I will be at The Mannings Spinning Seminar June 12th, doing something interesting - at past seminars I have done wool waulkings, demonstrated point spinning on hand spindles & a great wheel, & demonstrated traditional warping & beaming techniques.


The only other class on my schedule now is Acadian Weaving at the Campbell Folk School in October 2010. I am hoping to have another try at teaching a weaving class at Webs, maybe tartans in the fall. I will post an update when I have more information.

You can contact me by commenting on this blog to ask for more information, or click through on any of the links above. I hope to see you at a class or an event sometime this coming year!