Workshop Wednesdays: Fleece to Garment

Fleece to Garment is a 4 part class taught by my good friend, Deb Accuardi. She was half of the former Pico Accuardi Dyeworks and currently keeps a blog here and a podcast here. I came up with this set of classes in part because Deb came up with the idea of leading a group of people from purchasing their fleece from Imperial Stock Ranch and then meeting regularly with them to work through the process of turning it into a finished sweater. The other inspiration came from the survey I sent out last year asking for suggestions for classes. Many people wanted to improve their spinning skills in ways that fit into these same classes. I also felt that by making it a 4 part series students could take just the class they wanted and put off the rest for another year. The parts are as follows:

Part 1: Get Ready to Spin: In this class it is all about prepping fibers. Students bring a washed raw fleece to class and then learn different techniques from carding to combing. Available in class will be drum carders and Duncan Carders is letting the class borrow an Electric Carder. Washing a fleece would have been available if it wasn't for a lack of water allowed in the classrooms and fleeces wouldn't be dry in time to do the other parts. Though if there is enough interest, Deb may get together a group to wash fleeces before the festival.

Part 2: Sampling for the Garment: Learn how to spin consistent singles meant for a finished product. This class teaches you how to get the exact yarn for your finished item, starting with your singles. Deb will cover worsted vs woolen techniques for spinning. Everything you need to make the perfect single.

Part 3: The Final Yarn: Now that you have singles (or bring your own singles to class) Deb will talk about the many ways to ply them together into your finished yarn. You may want to ply 2, 3, or 4 strands together to achieve the perfect finished yarn for your project. Perhaps Navajo plying will help you achieve the right effect. Deb will walk you through all of these techniques to create the perfect finished yarn for your finished project.

Part 4: Knitting with Handspun Yarn: Now that you have your finished yarn here are some techniques to make sure your yarn will work the way you want in the finished garment. This class is also open to knitters who do not spin and simply love handspun yarn! Since handspun yarn works differently than commercial yarn Deb will walk you through how to get the most out of any handspun yarn.

For each of these classes Deb is providing a journal to keep your samples and notes in from the class. For each additional class she will provide extra inserts to keep extra samples and notes in. The material fee covers this notebook and is $10 per class for the first 2 classes in the series. So at most you pay $20. Also, if you sign up for all 4 classes you receive a class discount of $40. So you can take all 4 classes for $220 including materials and come away with a working knowledge of how to turn a raw fleece into a gorgeous handmade finished project. A real deal in my opinion!

If you would like to hear about the classes in Deb's own words she talks about it here on her podcast At the Kitchen Table: Episode 89: And the Winners Are...

For more info on Get Ready to Spin check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/fg1-fiberprep.html

For more info on Sampling for the Garment check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/fg2-spin.html

For more info on The Final Yarn check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/fg3-ply.html

For more info on Knitting with Handspun Yarn check out here: http://cgff.lavendersheep.com/workshops/fg4-knit.html