About this Event
We’ll begin with a raw fleece from a nearby farm and work through the first stages of processing: skirting, separating, and scouring. Along the way, we’ll learn about the characteristics that make wool such a special fiber, what to look for when choosing a fleece, and how to recognize different types of wool by sight and touch. We’ll also explore an array of other fibers and compare their different qualities.
Once the fleece is clean, we’ll prepare the wool for dyeing and experiment with natural dyes to create a range of colors. We’ll then use hand cards and combs to prepare the wool into roving, ready for spinning.
Finally, participants will learn to spin their own fiber into yarn using drop spindles. By the end of the workshop, everyone will have made their own hand-spun yarn and will have a better understanding of the entire process, from raw fleece to finished fiber.
Alongside these hands-on techniques, we’ll tour the mill with owner/operator Lewis Cleale to see how the same processes are scaled up using industrial machinery. We’ll consider the differences between processing wool by hand and at a larger scale, while focusing on accessible tools and methods that can be used at home.
This class is for fiber lovers, textile artists, farmers, and anyone curious about how yarn is made from wool fresh off the sheep.
Julia Hames is a multimedia artist, educator, and gardener based in Hudson, New York. She holds a BFA in Painting from the Rhode Island School of Design, with a concentration in Nature, Culture, and Sustainability Studies. Her work is informed by ongoing experimentation with regional fibers, natural dyes, and materials sourced from the surrounding landscape, and explores meditative craft practices that allow time, labor, and personal connection to become part of the work. She has led workshops on spinning, dyeing, and wool processing at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, Craft Society, RISD Nature Lab, the Garrison Art Center, Brookfield Craft Center, and Studio Claudy Jongstra.
This event will take place at Nobletown Fiber Works, the Hudson Valley's newest artisan spinning mill.
Event venue & nearby stays
Nobletown Fiber Works, 9221 New York 22, Hillsdale, United States
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