A large spinning wheel in front of shelves of yarn

A Year of Fiber Spinning Classes with Ben (Delivered Virtually via Zoom)

$30.00

Have you tackled the basics of spinning fiber on a wheel, but still want to learn more? Are you curious to understand how different breeds or fibers behave on your spinning wheel? Then this is the perfect class for you!

Cowgirl Yarn is offering a year-long series of Virtual Fiber Spinning Classes. Each month throughout 2021, our spinning instructor Ben will guide you through a year's worth of classes that will teach you about both sheep and plant fibers and how to work with them.

The series will begin with a class that will help to re-acquaint you with your wheel while reviewing basic spinning techniques. Journeying from month-to-month, we'll explore various fibers from mills and ranches around the country, but mainly those in the greater Cowgirl area. Each month we'll focus on a different breed or fiber. By December if you've completed all of the classes, you'll have spun flax, cotton, and wool using three drafting styles and learned to "listen" to the fiber to spin the best yarn you want. Sign up for one, several, or all of the monthly classes. It's up to you. Here is what will be covered in each class:

January 28, 2021: Let’s Get Back to Spinning – A Refresher on Fiber and Your Wheel. We'll take a look at your wheel, fibers, basic drafting, and the tools we may have and how they can help us spin.

February 25, 2021: Lofty Woolen Spun for the Cold Months. We'll learn how to loosen up our hands while drafting, which can loosen up the diameter of our finished yarns.

March 25, 2021: In Like a Lion Mane Churro and Out Like a Lamb – Spinning a Dual Coat Fleece. We'll take a look at lovely, dual-coated fleeces and why we shouldn’t shy away from spinning them.

April 8 & 22, 2021: Woolen Spun – April Fools! It’s Actually Worsted Spun. We won't be spinning woolen again. We'll be spinning worsted yarns and learning how to wash locks of raw fleece to spin a true worsted yarn.

May 27, 2021: Maybe Woolen, Maybe Worsted. In this class, we'll get to know semi-spun yarns.

June 24, 2021: Busting Our Stash – What Are Those Mystery Fibers? Grab that mystery fiber or those that you're unsure how to use, and we'll see if we can figure them out.

July 22, 2021: Hot July is Cotton Time. Spinning cotton is fun, and we'll learn how to spin cotton on almost any wheel.

August 26, 2021: The Long Draw Days of Summer. We'll learn how and why to long draw when spinning

September 23, 2021: Back to School, Back to Basics, Back to Books. We'll look at some of our favorite spinning books, including those by Alden Amos and other great books to keep us on our game.

October 21, 2021: Fall for Flax.We'll learn to spin flax, the “original” fiber.

November 18, 2021: Do Shave November – Shave ’em to Save ’em. We'll look at heritage breeds and why we need to spin them.

December 16, 2021: How Many Yarns, Yards, and Ewes Have We Spun? We'll wrap up the series by reviewing all that we've spun and measuring our finished yarns.

Cost: $30 per month

Materials:

For this class you must have a spinning wheel, which you've already used to spin yarn. If you do not have your own wheel, Cowgirl Yarn has a few that can be rented on a monthly basis.

Notes:

All classes will be held from 5:30-7:00 pm (MST) via Zoom.
This class is designed for an intermediate to advanced spinner. This is not a beginning spinning class.
When registering, please include your shipping address, as we will be mailing you fiber for 8 of the 12 months. You will NOT receive fiber during the months of January, June, September, and December. All other months will include fiber in the cost of the course.

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