——June 13 & 14——Spin Cotton, Wool & Flax with a Spindle, 1 or 2 days

Related Courses: Textile Courses

Dates: Choose one or both days

WOOL: Saturday, June 13, 10am-4pm

COTTON & FLAX: Sunday, June 14, 10am-4pm

Optional: Friday, June 12, 6pm Turning Flax into Cloth Craft Night Series presentation & demonstration with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl. Watch or take part in the processes of making flax plants into fiber, thread and cloth.

Description: Spinning fiber into thread is an age old skill. We will begin learning this challenging and (when you get the hang of it) relaxing activity in this introductory course. We will try out both suspended (“drop”) spindles and supported spindles (they spin on something) to turn fibers into thread. We will progress to plying, using nostepinne and niddy noddy, as time allows. We will discuss fiber preparation, washing, finishing, organizing and storing your thread, preparation for dyeing, and using your thread for weaving and knitting. Resources for exploring more spindles and fibers will also be shared.

WOOL: On Saturday we will spin wool fibers. We will explore a few different kinds of wool (Faroe, Shetland, Gotland, Cormo) and Alpaca too.

COTTON & FLAX: On Sunday we will spin a few kinds of cotton (Pima, Raw, Sally Fox Organic Fibers) and use a distaff to spin Woodspirit School homegrown flax and European line.

Workshop Fee: $60 for a single day, $100 for both days

Optional: Spindle and Fiber Kit: A spindle and an ounce of fiber for more practice at home, $40.

Classroom: The classroom space is on the second floor accessible by stairs and outside under a shade tent. There is a small refrigerator, coffee/tea area and a place for eating lunch together.

JAZMIN HICKS-DAHL studied flax processing with Andrea Mycklebust at North House Folk School, MN. She has grown flax in her backyard since 2017. She learned back strap weaving and spindle spinning from Louise Young in 2020. She makes indigo dyed and handwoven textiles for Woodspirit Handcraft, a traditional craft business she runs with her woodworker husband. She spent 8 yrs teaching children in the SF Bay Area where she grew up before moving to the Northern lands. Her background includes art & design, a love of natural materials, folk textiles, and an obsession with indigo since her teens.