About this Event
Come and spend some time outdoors, slow down and reconnect with the traditional skills and natural materials behind the things we wear and use.
Each workshop can be booked individually, or you can join us for the complete journey and save £20. Lunch included on each day.
How to Prepare Raw Fleece for Fibre Crafts - Sunday 11 October 10am-3pm £60
Begin at the very start of the journey. Get to know different breeds and their fleeces, how this influences the character and qualities of its wool and how to use this knowlege to determine its best use.
This workshop will focus on how to sort, clean and prepare a raw sheep fleece ready for spinning, felting or other fibre-craft.
Wool is one of the most underused and undervalued natural resources in this country. In a world full of plastic and waste we believe that we should be actively using and utilising it.
Nicky & Lily will guide you through the anatomy of a fleece, how to identify its qualities such as staple, crimp and texture, you will then learn to dag and divide a fleece, how to properly wash and dry a fleece and finally how to start proccessing it into usable fibre to spin, felt or weave with.
Tea, coffee and lunch provided on the day.
Learn to Spin Yarn on a Drop Spindle - Sunday 25 October - 10am - 3pm £80
Discover what actually happens when loose fibres become spun yarn, and explore the process of drafting, twisting and creating a continuous thread from fleece.
Working with your hands and taking time to find your own rhythm, you’ll learn the skill of drop-spindle spinning and begin to understand the process, patience and magic behind a ball of handspun yarn.
You’ll leave with your own Kromski drop spindle to keep, any yarn you have spun on the day and the skills and confidence to continue your spinning journey at home. No previous spinning experience needed!
Nicky & Lily will spend some time talking through the history of drop-spindles, sharing examples of many kinds. You will learn how to properly set up your own Kromski spindle, how to identify qualities in prepared fleece and why you may want to choose certain qualities for certain applications. You will be guided through the process of spinning with help as needed and we will spend time in circle spinning, talking and reflecting on the ancient practice. All that you create throughout the day can be taken home with you.
Tea, coffee and lunch provided on the day.
Natural Dyeing with Plants - Sunday 8 November - 10am - 3pm £100
Delve into the wonderful world of natural dyeing and discover the slow, rewarding practice of creating colour from plants and reveal the endless possibilities held within them.
Coaxing colour from plant materials is a beautiful process of working with nature, fire and water.
We will create dye pots from plants that can be foraged, grown or bought in the UK and share our own selection of over 100 samples of colour created from these categories.
Nicky & Lily will show you how to mordant your yarn, brew up a dye pot and modify to extend the pallete range for each dye pot. You will come home with your own set of sample skeins, notes and the knowlege and skills to continue your dyeing journey.
Tea, coffee and lunch provided on the day.
All three workshops for £220
That's a discount of £20 compared with booking the workshops individually.
The three workshops are designed to complement one another, taking you on a journey from raw fleece to prepared fibre to handspun yarn to natural colour.
You can, however, choose to attend whichever individual workshops interest you most.
As these are Autumnal workshops, please come prepared for the elements with warm outdoor clothing and sturdy footwear. We'll embrace the changing season, with plenty of opportunities to slow down, gather around the fire, learn, make and enjoy being outside.
This is a chance to step away from the rush of everyday life and spend time learning skills that connect us back to the earth, natural fibre, plants and the slower rhythms of making.
Event venue & nearby stays
Dorchester, dorset, United Kingdom
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.