If you looking for new and interesting ways to stretch a braid of fiber, spinning a crepe or cable yarn is a good alternative to a marled yarn. Maybe you’re looking for a different way to combine braids with different colorways.

Crepe yarns are a plied yarn and a single plied together. A cable yarn is a plied yarn plied with another plied yarn. These novelty yarns can also be a way to expand your yarn options in fabric construction.

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Contents: Kit includes fiber and handouts.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note taking supplies, a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, lazy kate, and a niddy noddy.

• Homework: Pre-spin ½ or so ounces of singles (solid color) before the class, yarn should be spun firmly but not overspun.

Are you intrigued by the possibilities that a blending board opens up but don’t know where to start? Would you like to see what you can accomplish before committing to buying your own? Or maybe you have played around with your blending board and would like to explore some new options. In this workshop, we will start with the basics of applying and removing fiber and the care and cleaning of your blending board. We will then move on to some of the more interesting things we can do with blending boards, such as making matching batts, striping, garneting, etc.

• Skill Level: All Levels

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Contents: Kit includes fiber, additional blending board supplies, and handouts.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note taking supplies. Students should bring a Blending Board (if you have one).

• Homework: None

We will be enjoying the festival and demonstrating spinning!  Hope we see you there!!

There are many ways to blend pre-dyed fibers together to create different colors (optical blends). In this workshop, we will play with different blending methods (including blending boards, combs, drum carders†, hackles, handcards, and blending directly at the wheel) to determine the best way to create just the yarn that you want for your color work projects. We will discuss blending different types of fibers together to create additional color effects and ways to transfer this knowledge to blending larger amounts of fiber for larger projects.

• Skill Level: All Levels

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Any of the following items that you have: Blending board, combs, hackles, and handcards. Note taking supplies.
  A spindle or wheel for spinning samples (optional).

• Materials fee: $35 - Participants will receive fiber and handouts.

• Instructor Will Provide: Instructor will have a limited number of fiber processing tools available for participants to use during the workshop.

• Homework: None

Strong Family Farm is having a homesteading Day on Sunday June 30th. They are having a canning demonstration; going to talk about gardening at home and raising chickens. They are hoping to have sheep or alpaca visitors.

We will be enjoying the festival and demonstrating spinning!  Hope we see you there!!

Please join us for a Virtual Distaff Day on Zoom. If you’re interested in joining us, please email me (TerriSpins@gmail.com) or PM me on my Terri Spins Facebook page for the link.

Distaff Day (Roc Day) is the day after the feast of the Epiphany. It is also known as Saint Distaff's Day, one of the many unofficial holidays in Catholic nations.

Many St. Distaff's Day gatherings are held, large and small, throughout local fiber communities. The distaff, or rock, used in spinning was the medieval symbol of women's work.

In many European cultural traditions, women resumed their household work after the twelve days of Christmas. Women of all classes would spend their evenings spinning on the wheel. During the day, they would carry a drop spindle with them. Spinning was the only means of turning raw wool, cotton or flax into thread, which could then be woven into cloth.

November 25th is St. Catherine's Day. St. Catherine is the patron saint of spinners.

We will be honoring her by spinning (and doing other fiber arts) together in Zoom. If you have some free time, we would love it if you'd join us!

If you would like to join us on Zoom, please email me or PM me on my Terri Spins Facebook page.

If you are unable to join us, so please comment, post pictures, and tell us what you will be spinning in honor of our patron saint.

Do you remember all the advice that more experienced spinners shared with you when you first started spinning? And all those fabulous tips and tricks that they swore by? No? Maybe you have forgotten some of them due to information overload? Yes? Well, fear not! We will cover the questions that surface most often for spinners—whether wheel or spindle—and will offer suggestions on ways to overcome the problems and issues in a range of spinning topics. Some of the topics covered in this workshop will include wheel maintenance, spindle storage, fiber characteristics, drafting, plying, and finishing. I want to be prepared with the necessary tools and supplies!

Price: $125.00

• Skill Level: All Levels

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $10.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes handouts and various supplies as needed to answer questions and resolve spinning issues.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note-taking supplies. A spinning wheel in good working order or spindles, any tools and/or fiber that are related to your specific questions (such as handcards and nostepinnes).

• Homework: None.

Enter the world of spinning on the go!

We will begin with the basics of drop spindle spinning using the “park and draft method.” The Workshop will include) discussions and demonstrations of drafting and plying methods and spindle care. We will also discuss different types of spindles and their various characteristics.

Experience Level: Beginner. The only prerequisite is an open mind and a desire to learn.

Materials to be provided by instructor: Instructor will have a limited number of spindles available for participants to borrow during the workshop. However, the instructor’s spindles must be reserved in advance.
Instructor will also have a few pieces of equipment (i.e., niddy noddies, nostepinnes) for participants to use during the workshop.

Students Should Bring: Participant Should Bring: Note taking supplies and a spindle, if you have one.

Price: $75.00

Prerequisites: None

Materials Fee: $15.00 payable to the instructor.

Homework: None

Have you ever wished that you could make your own yarn, just the way you want it? If the answer is “Yes,” then this is the workshop for you! We will begin with the basics of drop spindle spinning using the “park and draft method. Then we will move on to the basics of wheel spinning. Included in the workshop will be discussions and demonstrations of drafting and plying methods.

Experience Level: Beginner. The only prerequisite is an open mind and a desire to learn.

Materials to be provided by instructor: Instructor will have a limited number of spindles available for participants to borrow during the workshop. However, the instructor’s spindles must be reserved in advance. A limited number of wheels are available for rent for $10.
Instructor will also have a few pieces of equipment (ie, niddy noddies, nostepinnes) for participants to use during the workshop.

Materials to be provided by students: Participants should bring note-taking supplies, fiber prep tools (handcards, flicker, or mini combs), a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins and lazy kate.

Students Should Bring: Note-taking supplies and a spindle and/or spinning wheel, if you have one.

Price: $75.00

Prerequisites: None

Materials Fee: $25.00 payable to the instructor.

Homework: None

Please note: on the checkout page, please use the “Order Notes” field to tell us:

1 – If you need to reserve a spindle

2 – If you are bringing a wheel or renting a wheel from the instructor for $10. 

In the half day class, we will explore, compare and contrast various types of silk fibers. For example: bombyx, tussah, eri, mugga, etc, and different preparations: mawatas/hankies, brick, sliver, reeled.

We will discuss the characteristics and best uses for each type. We will also discuss how different methods of preparation will affect your final product.

The only prerequisite is an open mind and a desire to learn.

Experience Level: Student should be comfortable with spinning (can spin a stable, continuous yarn) and looking to expand options.

Materials to be provided by instructor: Instructor will provide fiber and handouts.
Instructor will have a few pieces of equipment (i.e., niddy noddies, nostepinnes, a few pairs of handcards) for participants to use during the workshop.

Materials to be provided by students: Participants should bring note-taking supplies, fiber prep tools (handcards, flicker, or mini combs), a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins and lazy kate.

Students Should Bring: Note-taking supplies; fiber prep tools (handcards, flicker, or mini combs), a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins and lazy Kate.

Price: $75.00

Materials Fee: $25.00 payable to the instructor.

Homework: None

In the half day class, we will explore, compare and contrast various types of cellulose fibers. For example: flax, bamboo, hemp, cotton, etc.

We will discuss the characteristics and best uses for each type. We will also discuss how different methods of preparation will affect your final product.

Experience Level: Student should be comfortable with spinning (can spin a stable, continuous yarn) and looking to expand options.

Materials to be provided by instructor: Instructor will provide fiber and handouts.
Instructor will have a few pieces of equipment (i.e., niddy noddies, nostepinnes, a few pairs of handcards) for participants to use during the workshop.

Materials to be provided by students: Participants should bring note-taking supplies, fiber prep tools (handcards, flicker, or mini combs), a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins and lazy kate.

Students Should Bring: Note-taking supplies; fiber prep tools (handcards, flicker, or mini combs), a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins and lazy Kate.

Price: $75.00

Prerequisites: None

Materials Fee: $15.00 payable to the instructor.

Homework: None

Have you ever seen a Cobweb-like lace shawl and wished that you could spin yarn that fine? In this Workshop, you will learn techniques that will have you spinning fine yarns before you know it! We will cover some of the different factors that determine the characteristics of your yarn, including wheel set-up, fiber preparation, drafting technique, ply, and other such topics. We’ll start with some heavier wool that may surprise you with its ability to create a lace weight yarn! Then we will move on to finer fibers. We will also discuss some of the different characteristics of the fibers and resulting yarns.

Price: $110.00

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $45.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes fiber and handouts.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note taking supplies. A spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, and lazy kate.

  Optional Supplies: You may want to bring some knitting needles to try out your new yarn!

• Homework: None

Have you ever seen a Cobweb-like lace shawl and wished that you could spin yarn that fine? In this Workshop, you will learn techniques that will have you spinning fine yarns before you know it! We will cover some of the different factors that determine the characteristics of your yarn, including wheel set-up, fiber preparation, drafting technique, ply, and other such topics. We’ll start with some heavier wool that may surprise you with its ability to create a lace weight yarn! Then we will move on to finer fibers. We will also discuss some of the different characteristics of the fibers and resulting yarns.

Price: $245.00

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $40.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes fiber and handouts.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note taking supplies. A spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, and lazy kate.

  Optional Supplies: You may want to bring some knitting needles to try out your new yarn!

• Homework: None

Do you remember all the advice that more experienced spinners shared with you when you first started spinning? And all those fabulous tips and tricks that they swore by? No? Maybe you have forgotten some of them due to information overload? Yes? Well, fear not! We will cover the questions that surface most often for spinners—whether wheel or spindle—and will offer suggestions on ways to overcome the problems and issues in a range of spinning topics. Some of the topics covered in this workshop will include wheel maintenance, spindle storage, fiber characteristics, drafting, plying, and finishing. I want to be prepared with the necessary tools and supplies!

Price: $125.00

• Skill Level: All Levels

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $10.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes handouts and various supplies as needed to answer questions and resolve spinning issues.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note-taking supplies. A spinning wheel in good working order or spindles, any tools and/or fiber that are related to your specific questions (such as handcards and nostepinnes).

• Homework: None.

If you are looking for new and interesting ways to stretch a braid of fiber, spinning a crepe or cable yarn is a good alternative to a marled yarn. Maybe you’re looking for a different way to combine braids with different colorways. Crepe yarns are a plied yarn and a single yarn plied together. A cable yarn is a plied yarn plied with another plied yarn. These novelty yarns can also be a way to expand your yarn options in fabric construction.

Price: $125.00

• Skill Level: Intermediate

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $25.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes handouts, fiber, and yarns for plying.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note-taking supplies, a spinning wheel in good working order, extra bobbins, lazy kate, and a niddy noddy. Optional Supplies: Multicolored or solid top.

• Homework: Pre-spin about .5 oz. of singles (solid color) before the class. Yarn should be spun firmly but not overspun.

Are you intrigued by the possibilities that a blending board opens up but don’t know where to start? Would you like to see what you can accomplish before committing to buying your own? Or maybe you have played around with your blending board and would like to explore some new options. In this workshop, we will start with the basics of applying and removing fiber and the care and cleaning of your blending board. We will then move on to some of the more interesting things we can do with blending boards, such as making matching batts, striping, garneting, etc.

Price: $245.00

• Skill Level: All Levels

• Technique: Spinning

• Prerequisites: None

• Kit Cost: $40.00 payable to the instructor.

• Kit Contents: Kit includes fiber, additional blending board supplies, and handouts.

• Supplies Students Must Bring: Note taking supplies. Students should bring a Blending Board (if you have one).

• Homework: None

I will be demonstrating spinning with the Ye Olde Lebanon Towne Militia.  I will be demonstrating while riding in the back of the cannon trailer during the Gaspee Days Parade.

We will be enjoying the festival and demonstrating spinning!  Hope we see you there!!

I hope that you can join me as I demonstrate spinning with other members of the Nutmeg Spinners’ Guild!

An Interactive Celebration and Demonstration of All Things Fiber!

While our sheep are being shorn, Hill-Stead Museum will welcome fiber artists and vendors demonstrating skirting, carding, spinning, weaving, knitting, crocheting, felting; storytelling; and more. There will be free hayrides to and from the barns, food vendors, and craft activities.

Learn what it takes to create something “from sheep to shawl.” It’s a celebration—Join us!

Quinquatrus of Minerva (Actually March 19th)
Roman festival of the Goddess Minerva (Greek Athena)
The patroness of medicine, handicrafts, doctors, artists, weaving, sewing, painting, teaching, dyeing, spinning and wisdom and as font of artistic inspiration.

Sunday, March 19th was the Quinquatrus of Minerva. But we had another obligation on the 19th and we like to have these gatherings on the weekend so that more folks can join us! Therefore, we will be gathering on Saturday, March 25th.

***** If you would like to join us on Zoom, please email me or PM me on my Terri Spins Facebook page prior to the event. *****

If you have other obligations for the day, please join us in spirit, comment and tell us what you will be spinning, and share a picture or two!! ;D

Friday, February 3rd was St. Blaise's Day. But since this Saturday was our Spinning Guild meeting, we will be gathering on Zoom on Saturday, February 11th.

If you have other plans that day, please join us in spirit, comment and tell us what you will be spinning, and share a picture or two!! ;D

 ***** If you would like to join us on Zoom, please email me or see the links on my Terri Spins Facebook page and in my TerriSpins Facebook group. *****

 St. Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers.

Saint Blaise, was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey). According to the Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron combs, and beheaded. He is the patron saint of wool combers.

Saturday, February 3rd was St. Blaise's Day. But since That Saturday is our Spinning Guild meeting, we will be gathering on Zoom on Sunday, February 11th.

If you have other plans that day, please join us in spirit, comment and tell us what you will be spinning, and share a picture or two!! ;D

 ***** If you would like to join us on Zoom, please email me or see the links on my Terri Spins Facebook page and in my TerriSpins Facebook group. *****

 St. Blaise is the patron saint of wool combers.

Saint Blaise, was a physician, and bishop of Sebastea in historical Armenia (modern Sivas, Turkey). According to the Acta Sanctorum, he was martyred by being beaten, attacked with iron combs, and beheaded. He is the patron saint of wool combers.

Class Information:

• Time: Thursday, 9 am to 5 pm

• Experience level: Beginner

• Class Fee: $150

• Materials Fee: $20

Materials fee includes: Participants will receive fiber and handouts.
Instructor will provide: Instructor will have a few pieces of equipment (i.e., niddy noddies, nostepinnes) for participants to use during the workshop.
Students should bring: students should bring a spinning wheel in good working order, Optional: extra bobbins and lazy kate.

Class Description
Have you ever wished that you could make your own yarn, just the way you want it? If the answer is “Yes,” then this workshop is for you! We will spend a relaxing time and begin with the basics of wheel spinning. Included in the workshop will be discussions and demonstrations drafting and plying methods.