Workshops will be announced soon. To learn more, visit the Northeast Handspinners Association and sign up for their newsletter.
Thursday October 13th 9:00am -4:00pm
Are you able to spin a continuous yarn but find it difficult to spin consistently? This workshop will break down all the elements of a consistently spun yarn that includes drafting styles, fiber preparation, and understanding twist. You will leave more confident in spinning any type of weight of yarn more evenly and consistently as well as how to maintain consistency when spinning over several sessions for a project's worth of yarn.
Friday October 14th 9:00am -4:00pm
Color can be an inspiring and intimidating force when creating your own yarns. This workshop will focus on how the color choices a spinner makes prior to sitting at the wheel influence the final outcome of color in their projects. It will help you as a fiber artist achieve the color combinations you want rather than making mud. Fiber preparation choices will be discussed and then techniques for spinning color will be the main focus.
Saturday October 15th 10:00am -5:00pm
Are you interested in spinning more consistent yarns, especially for a desired end use like a sweater? Have you ever spun yarn for a project, like a sweater, and your yarn was way too heavy or inconsistent from the beginning of the project towards the end? This workshop will explore the concept of "Grist", a spinning term that plays an important role in how the construction of the yarns we spin influence the weight and hand of the yarns' final outcome. You will leave more confident as a spinner in controlling the consistency, weight, and hand of the yarns you create.
Thursday August 11 9:00am -4:00pm
Now that you know how to spin a continuous yarn you might have questions like
- How can I spin more consistently
- How can I control the thickness of my yarn?
- How can I control how dense my yarn is?
This workshop will answer those questions by teaching you techniques for:
- Controlling twist
- Controlling yarn diameter
- Controlling yarn loft/density/grist
After taking this workshop you will leave feeling empowered knowing how to spin for a project and being able to control your how handspun yarns look and behave.
Friday August 12th 9:00am -4:00 pm & Saturday August 13th 9:00am - 12pm
Are you interested in learning how to create your own yarn using a spinning wheel?
These are the experiences this workshop will provide:
- Learn about basic wheel mechanics and how to set it up for successful spinning
- Learn about different ways to draft and spin fiber
- Sample different types of fiber preparations to see which ones you like best
- Tips and tricks will be covered to help you gain confidence quickly
* Time permitting plying will also be covered
Saturday August 13th 1:00pm - 4:00 pm
Are you a dyer that would like to be more organized with your record keeping? Or perhaps you're someone that has a great eye for color but sometimes the math involved in dyeing can be a bit confusing. This workshop will walk you through setting up a digital dye notebook using Google Sheets so that you can have a place to keep your records for individual projects, have color formulas automatically calculated for any weight of yarn/fiber to be dyed, and easily reproduce dye recipes from previous dyeing sessions for consistency. This workshop blends the artistry of color application with using technology to help you dye smarter, faster and more consistently.
Did you ever purchase a hand-painted top and spin it only to be disappointed in the final color outcome? This workshop analyzes how hand painted tops and rovings are dyed and how the fiber can be spun in 12+ ways to yield different color combinations in the final yarn. The focus will be on color and how to achieve beautiful color results in your handspun yarn instead of mud.
Just like there are many ways to spin fiber into singles, there are many ways to ply those singles together to create different handspun yarns. This workshop starts off with basic plying using 2 bobbins and then builds on that knowledge to explore other plying possibilities for your handspun singles. Techniques that will be covered include chain plied (Navajo plying), cable plied yarn, novelty yarns such as coils/beehives, knotted yarns, and beaded yarns.
Are you a fiber enthusiast that is curious about color? Maybe you're even "dyeing" to learn more about how and when color is applied to fiber influences a project's visual outcome. In this lecture, Alanna breaks down color theory in a very easy to understand way for the novice fiber colorist and then deep dives into the nuances that can be tapped into when one is aware of how human perception of color (and how that perception) can guide our choices in creating with fiber, yarn, and handmade fabrics.
Tickets $25
After taking my Weaving 101 lecture, you can sign up to learn how to create a woven yarn swatch using a pin loom.
Spinning 101 extension:
After participating in my Spinning 101 lecture, you can learn how to spin yarn using a drop spindle.
This lecture address the science of color and how our eyes perceive color both in the real world, digital colors, and printed colors. After understanding color theory more in-depth, Alanna will explore how our perception of color influences the choices we make when working with color as spinners, dyers, and weavers
Are you able to spin a continuous yarn but find it difficult to spin consistently? This workshop will break down all the elements of a consistently spun yarn that includes drafting styles, fiber preparation, and understanding twist. You will leave more confident in spinning any type of weight of yarn more evenly and consistently as well as how to maintain consistency when spinning over several sessions for a project's worth of yarn.
Learn how to combine different fibers from your stash for unique results!
Friday, October 15, 2021
6:00 PM 8:00 PM EDT
Have you been tempted and purchased different dyed braids of wool only to have them sitting in a storage bin because you're not sure what to do with them? This workshop will explore how a spinner can pair 2 (or more) different dyed braids so that they can be combined and used in a project with pleasing color results instead of getting mud. You will leave this workshop inspired and excited to look at your stash in a whole new way!
This workshop is based off of my book “A New Spin On Color”
Did you ever purchase a hand painted top and spin it only to be disappointed in the final color outcome?
This workshop analyzes how dyed wool tops and rovings are painted and how the fiber can be spun in 12+ ways to yield different color combinations in your handspun yarn.
The focus will be on color and how to achieve beautiful color results instead of mud.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
9:00 - 4:00
Friday, October 16, 2020
9:00 - 4:00
Saturday, October 17, 2020
10:00 - 5:00
This first session will cover the following:
Picking a project
Materials needed
How to organize your thoughts on the project
Curating an inspiration board
Resources
Price: Free
To sign up for access to this session, click here
Spinning Color (2 day workshop)
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
9:30 to 4:30 &
Thursday, August 15, 2019
9:30 to 4:30
Saturday, August 17
9:30 to 4:30
Knitting Continental: Knit & Purl Faster
Friday, August 16
1:30 to 4:30
I’m humbled that Felicia Lo of Sweet Georgia Yarns interviewed me for her 78th podcast “Creating Color Systems”. The podcast will be live starting 6am PST. You can click here to listen to it and let me know what you think!
In addition to teaching workshops I will also be giving a lecture during the guild's meeting on Friday, April 6th on the process of becoming a Master Spinner. Click on the title of the workshops above to learn more about them. To register, complete this form (click here) and mail along with a check to:
Nelda Davis
PO Box 213
Mt Tabor, NJ 07878
