Oct
19
9:30 AM09:30

Twist — Exploring Consistency and Size - Spun Ann Arbor

Sunday, October 19, 9:00am–12:00pm

Description: Spinning a consistent yarn and changing yarn sizes are two skills that most spinners want to learn. The key to polishing your skills for both is learning to control twist. Twist is the heart of spinning: it’s what shapes fiber into yarn. Learning to manipulate twist is the key to creating a yarn that’s a consistent thickness, no matter the size. Keeping a yarn consistent through a spin is a matter of tracking your yarn. In this class we’ll explore wheel set-up, spinner’s control cards, ply back samples, grist, drafting zones, keeping track of your yarn, and how and why to control the amount of twist in your yarns. You’ll learn methods of changing the size of your yarn from lace to super bulky, and gain skills to keep your yarn consistent through a single braid or a whole project.

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Oct
25
to Oct 30

Spinning and Weaving in Taos 2025 with Rebecca Mezoff: Color!

  • Google Calendar ICS

Spinning your own yarn for tapestry weaving means that you can control the structure and the color of the yarn in ways you’re unable to do with commercial yarns. The possibilities for spinning yarn to make images using tapestry are exciting and varied. This retreat offers you the expertise of two yarn lovers. Jillian Moreno is a master spinner, teacher, and author, editor at Ply Magazine, and orchestrator of the best Patreon on the planet! She teams up with master tapestry artist, teacher, and author, Rebecca Mezoff (second-best Patreon on the planet) to teach you how to make yarns for creating unique images in tapestry weaving.

This 5-night retreat gives us four full days of spinning and weaving time. We’ll spend time talking, experimenting and playing with color. We will shift value and make new colors with handcards and combs. We’ll work with plied marls, blend colors at the wheel with parallel drafting, and, of course, we will work with hand painted braids keeping colors clear and manipulating colors for the perfect accent for your tapestry weaving.

Rebecca will present tapestry techniques for blending and grading yarn. We will weave our handspun in small samples and some of you can start a tapestry if you have time.

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Aug
2
to Aug 8

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts - Cancelled

A whole week of spinning intentional yarns and playing with color, in the mountains of Tennessee.

This workshop will provide students the tools they need to spin an intentional yarn and learn the why’s and how’s of yarn construction. Through sampling, participants can make choices in fiber and spinning techniques and create yarns consistent in size, draft and ply and explore techniques for spinning color without dyeing. Working with solid colors and hand painted braids, students will mix, blend and manipulate color and color flow to create yarns both unique and beautiful. At week’s end, you will spin an intentional yarn for a specific project to gain confidence in spinning and mixing color. Adventurous beginners who can make a continuous yarn will dive deeper into spinning basics, while more experienced spinners will experiment beyond the yarns they have been making. Open to all skill levels.

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