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| Here's our Wonders of Wool Instructor lineup for 2013! |
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Three Ls and Three Cs: Two Clusters for Spinner’s Delight & Edification
An Introduction to Rare Wools
Deborah Robson is a fiber generalist who specializes in spinning, knitting and weaving, although she experiments with all aspects of textiles. She is the fiber author of the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More than 200 Fibers from Animal to Spun Yarn and the Field Guide to Fleece, in collaboration with livestock expert Carol Ekarius. For fourteen years she served as an editor at Interweave Press, including twelve years as editor-in-chief of Spin-Off: The Magazine for Handspinners. Among her accomplishments at Interweave were the Save the Sheep project and the book Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools. She also edited Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, has worked in trade, literary and scholarly publishing of books and magazines, and written for PieceWork, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off, The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, as well as fiber-related anthologies including KnitLit (too), KnitLit the Third, Hooked and The Knitter’s Gift. Her textile designs have appeared in several magazines and collections. She has earned a MFA in writing from Goddard/Warren Wilson, is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Colorado Authors’ League, and served two terms on the board of directors of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.
Introduction to Tabletweaving: Double-Face Lettering
Plysplit Garlic Basket
“I chanced upon tabletweaving materials when tagging along with the knitters in the family at WEBS about ten years ago. I expanded into many other narrow wares like kumihimo, inkle weaving, lucetting, knotting, plysplitting and glass-bead making. I now share with my wife a love of fiber and dulcimer playing and we enjoy spreading the fun, relaxation and pride we find in hand weaving.”
Punch Needle Picture Frame
Chris is the owner of Wild Fiber Wools and has been a fiber artist for more than twenty years. She is experienced in punch needle, rug hooking, appliqué and needle felting. She is currently working on her McGown Teacher accreditation for rug hooking. Always designing new punch needle and hooking patterns for rugs and bags, Chris also attends many workshops and camps throughout the year. She also holds her own workshops at her guest house, Woodridge Lodge in Portage, Wisconsin.
The Shepherd’s Rug (2-day class)
The Shepherd’s Rug – Advanced
Letty Klein has been making custom braided rugs from roving for over twelve years and has been a shepherd for almost three decades. She has served on the board of directors for the Michigan Sheep Breeders Association and is a past vice-president of the Natural Colored Wool Growers Association. She has a regular column in the Black Sheep Newsletter entitled “Michigan Shepherding.” Together with her business partner Ann Brown, she has published a book: The Shepherd’s Rug – A Braided Rug from Roving, now in its third printing.
Beginning Spinning
Raised a “city girl,” Deb moved to Black River Falls in November of 1988 to begin a new job as the 4-H Youth Development Agent for Jackson County, UW Extension, and to discover “the country life!” The following spring she moved into her first home, bought two Targhee sheep from a 4-Her, and went off to learn to spin. The rest, as they say, is history! In 1994, Deb began her business, The Fiber Garden. She is an enthusiastic handspinner, with a love of teaching. In addition to The Fiber Garden, Deb has taught spinning at workshops throughout the state and is on the teaching staff of Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island.
Knitting with Silk Handkerchiefs
Norwegian Knit/Crochet Cuffs
Spinning Long and Short Fine Fibers
Spinning Companion Yarns to Liven up your Knitting/Crochet
Carol has taught spinning and knitting throughout the U.S. and abroad for many years. Her particular interest is in primitive wools and how they are used for traditional knitted garments in Scandinavia and Britain. Carol is the Technical Editor of Spin-Off and frequently publishes articles in the magazine. She also writes for PieceWork and , occasionally, Interweave Knits. She has translated a number of Scandinavian knitting and crochet books into English.
How to Select Color Palettes for Knitting and Other Fiber Arts
Casting On for Great Beginnings
SOCKS: Fair Isle design and Techniques
Fair Isle Knitting 101
Spindle Spinning for Beginners
Nancy Shroyer has been knitting for over forty years and has been teaching all levels of knitting for over twenty. Learning to spin and dye has added to her knowledge of yarn and its construction. She has written patterns and books incorporating her unique ideas, and her philosophy is to make working with fiber easier for everyone. She has found many shortcuts, techniques and formulas that can save time and anxiety. This has led to her developing Nancy’s Knit Knacks, a company that makes innovative tools for fiber artists. These products are currently being sold worldwide in over a thousand shops and all major catalogs.
All about the Angora Rabbit
What Will Angora Do for You
Donna Towell has been spinning for over twenty years. For the past twelve years she has enjoyed raising and showing a herd of award-winning wool rabbits. She has cared for well over one hundred rabbits during this time and traveled extensively within the United States to show and compete on both a state and national level with her rabbits, handspinning and woven scarves. She is an acknowledged expert on the care of wool breed rabbits, as well as the harvesting and spinning of their fiber. Her passion is caring for her family farm as well as sharing with others her knowledge of rabbits, rabbit fiber and spinning using a variety of fibers. She is currently the newsletter editor and webmaster for the Spindle and Dyepot Spinnners guild (www.wispindleanddyepotguild.net) , and is also a key leader for the 4-H Rabbit Hopping program. Donna pioneered Rabbit Hopping in Waukesha County and has helped spread the activity in the state of Wisconsin. Visit Donna’s online business where she sells her Angora fiber, yarns, handmade items and Angora rabbits; D. Lee Woolee’s Rabbitry and Yarns.
Modified Wool Drying Basket
Bev started weaving in 1988 and soon developed a passion for the craft. She began teaching basket weaving 12 years ago in order to pass the love of weaving on to others. She has taught in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois. More recently, Bev has enjoyed incorporating soft fibers into her basket designs.
Polymer “Washer” Necklace
Handmade Paper Ornaments and Cards
Artist Lynne Bergschultz has been working in polymer clay for over a decade and continues to be amazed by its vibrant colors, versatility and creative potential. Just as this medium has gained recognition in the area of fine art/craft, Lynne’s work has also grown. Her polymer clay buttons and accessories have been published in Belle Armoire and Quiltmaker magazines and are sold at shops, galleries and fiber shows around the country. Lynne taught at public schools for ten years, then had a career in illustration and design and now focuses primarily on polymer clay buttons and fiber arts. Teaching workshops gives her the opportunity to share her enthusiasm and expertise with others, bringing her artistic career full circle.
Advanced Techniques in Felt bags
Bird Pods: Wild & Wooly
Super Stylish Sculptured Felt Hats
In 1999, Suzanne Higgs invented the Needle Felt hat form, became an avid needle felt maker with a passion toward felted hats and an award-winning designer. She does all kinds of felt-making, from hats and bags, to nuno clothing, and wild and wonderful bird pods or bird yurts. She moves easily between fashion and organic forms. Suzanne has work on display in Numazo, Japan, Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo, several galleries in the Midwest, as well as on her Etsy website and blog. She divides her time between teaching, taking felt classes and creating – and loves all for very different reasons. Seeing her students succeed brings her great joy and seeing them excel is amazingly joyous to her. Suzanne continues to explore the ideas that she dreams.
“Colorworks”
Silk Painting/Surface Design
Karen Rognsvoog has been dyeing natural fibers and growing plants for dye since the mid-70s. She is always interested in the colors of nature: boiling plants, weeds, flowers and bark for use with fibers has made this inexpensive hobby a passion for her. After some hands-on experience, she began teaching natural plant dyeing classes in schools and community centers in the Twin Cities area. She now teaches at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota; The Clearing Folk School in Ellison Bay, Wisconsin; The Minnetonka Center for the Arts; the Minnetonka Community Center and for other groups interested in learning about nature’s color palette. She is a professional pianist, amateur cellist and teaches private piano lessons to kids and adults. Some of her other hobbies include fishing, Japanese ink painting, watercolor painting, Japanese Shibori, gardening (has a dye garden), spinning and ham radio. She’s always on the lookout for new and interesting dyestuffs so don’t follow her on the road too closely; she notes “I brake for roadside weeds!”
I Heart Duplicate Stitch
Spinning Marl Yarns
Shaping With Stitch Patterns
Blending Colors at the Wheel
First a dancer, then a neuroscientist and professor, Amy now devotes herself fulltime to the fiber arts. Her fiber work is informed by her art and science background; she has a keen understanding of learning movement skills, composition, pattern recognition, and systematic exploration. The result is her focus on spinning and knitting technique, texture, three-dimensional structure, and knit designs that exploit handspinning techniques. You can find more about her work on her website www.stonesockfibers.com and her blog http://stonesockblog.blogspot.com/
Window Into Collapse Weave – Weave A Scarf
Chris has been weaving for over thirty years. She is primarily self taught, but has had the privilege to participate in classes and workshops with nationally known weavers. This, along with her involvement in weavers’ and spinners’ guilds, has provided her with a wealth of knowledge and encouragement. She has always woven fabrics for clothing and items for the home. She has sold one of a kind shawls, woven/knit garments and rag rugs in Door County galleries and shows. The one thread that has always run through her weaving is the making of shawls, which allows her to play with color and basic weave structures.
Beginning Felting: An Exercise
Small Felted Vessel
Nuno Scarf
Mary has been felting for over a dozen years and continues to be intrigued with the textures and forms felting of wool evoke. She has been raising Corriedale sheep for over 25 years and is a wool judge. She is also involved with the Blackhawk Artists, an art group from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin and is on the Earth, Wood & Fire Artists Tour held each October. Mary very much enjoys teaching felting to students of all ages.
Express Yourself on SAORI Looms!
Bengala Dye: The Ultimate Eco Dye Color from the Earth
Chiaki O’Brien is a SAORI Leaders Committee Certificate recipient. She and her husband Dan are the only two certified instructors in the Midwest as of September 2012. Chiaki worked as an instructor for the SAORI head office in Japan. She brought SAORI Weaving to Minnesota when she and Dan moved from Japan in 2004 and opened a home studio, SAORI Studio “FUN.” They have been planting “SAORI Seeds” whenever and wherever they can, such as teaching at schools for artists in residence, in several community education programs for people with or without disabilities, at the Minnesota Children’s Museum, at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, Shepherd’s Harvest (MN), North Country Fiber Fair (SD) and at art shows, as well as exhibiting at the University of Minnesota (2011), Hudson Hospital and Clinics (2011) and Penny George Institute for Health and Healing (Studio Show in 2012). Both Dan and Chiaki also took a Bengala Workshop in Japan in the summer of 2012 and were hooked right away! Since then, Chiaki has participated in additional workshops when the lead instructor from Japan was in New York City. Studio “FUN” is now one of two U.S. Bengala Distributors and Dan and Chiaki are both instructors. Chiaki has traveled to Japan this winter for additional training in traditional Bengala dyeing techniques as part of the Jerome Foundation Fiber Artist Grant from the Textile Center of Minnesota. She is also doing a Bengala Dye exhibit in her hometown in Japan.
Beginning Two-Color Knitting
Portuguese Style Knitting
Beginning Hand Caning
Mary Jo Harris lives with her husband in the knitting Mecca of Madison, WI. By day she canes chairs and is a mild mannered Customer Service Rep for an on-line seller of sheet music, but by night (and on weekends!) she knits, designs and talks about knitting. As an active member of the Madison Knitters’ Guild, she has an almost constant opportunity to discuss anything and everything knitting-related. She has knit using the Portuguese Knitting method for about five years and has been a knitting teacher off and on for decades.
Felted Bangle Bracelets
The Perfect Size Little Felted Purse
Jan is a teacher and artist and has dabbled in many forms of fiber techniques before discovering wet felting. She has been teaching it and creating for four years, recently retiring from teaching K-12 art in Catholic schools. She has recently taught and/or shown her work in Milwaukee, Racine, Stevens Point and Marquette, MI. She has taken classes from many felting teachers, local to international, because there is always something to learn. She has had work accepted in juried shows and continues to enjoy working with people and felt. Her website is www.JanFalkArt.com .
Stepping It Up With Colorwork
Basic …But Beautiful Brioche
The Krause’s started the family’s llama farm, Pine Knoll Llamas, located in Clintonville back in 1988. She has been herd manager for several camelid farms in Wisconsin and has also shown throughout the U.S. The passion for fiber started with a llama outing where she saw llama fiber being combed and an ‘internal switch’ was turned on that changed her life forever! She now shears around 50 llamas a year and processes about one half of those fleeces, so she always has fiber on hand. Kathy states that she loves wool in all aspects and in all levels of processing, saying “There’s no greater joy than to take a fleece and to work with it to see the finished product.” She was one of the founders of ‘fiber thing,’ an event that was held annually in Shawano, Wisconsin and remains a committee member of the current ‘fiber thing’ event called the Winter Weekend Warmup. Kathy, and her husband Dick, have opened a small retail yarn/spinning shop called the Copper Llama. The shop is located on their property in an old restored 1300 square foot shed, where they offer a full line of yarns and accessories, rovings and fibers for the spinner/felter. She is also a member of the Shawano Knitting Guild and Saxony Spinners.
Make A Beaded Bead
Nora grew up knitting and weaving with her mother. She learned to spin in the early 70s, raised Angora rabbits, Angora goats and eventually sheep and her beloved Border Collies. She took her first beading class only because it was titled “fibers and beads.” What she found was a wonderful way to play with color and texture by weaving beads together in the palm of her hand. Making beaded beads is her latest fascination and the possibilities seem endless. She has taught several beading classes at the fiber thing Winter Weekend Warmup in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and enjoys introducing others to the world of beads and beading.
Dual Coated Fleeces – Spinning in the Grease
Blending Fibers with a Hackle
Diana’s former life consisted of lots of computer technical workings, but she dreamed of owning a farm with fiber animals. After “retiring” from computers, and moving halfway across the country, the opportunity came about to buy a farm, load it with Icelandic Sheep and a wild, enjoyable ride has ensued!
Fiber Art Basket
Cindy Ellenbecker has been making baskets since 2002 and spinning since the 1980s. She has recently combined her love of yarn and animal fibers with plant fibers to make a unique look in basketry. Cindy and her husband own and operate a fiber farm and fiber arts shop, Bleating Heart Haven in New Holstein, Wisconsin, where she also offers classes. Bleating Heart Haven is home to Angora goats, Shetland, Cormo, CVM-Romedale, Blue-Faced Leicester and colored Merino sheep, alpacas and German Angora bunnies. You can learn more at www.bleatinghearthaven.com .
Tapestry Triangles
Handspun Landscape in Tapestry
Ruth Manning teaches and creates art at her studio in Madison, Wisconsin. She specializes in handwoven tapestry with a focus on portraits and personal narrative work. Ruth has taught in public school art rooms, conference and camp settings and individual classes.
Ribbon Necklace with a Lot of Flair!
Shell Fringe Scarf
Tracey Schuh owns and operates Interlacements Yarns in Abrams, Wisconsin. Tracey is a multi-talented fiber artist who is passionate about working with color and texture. Initially a weaver, she has now expanded her horizons to encompass all mediums of art. She loves creating, using found objects. Tracey’s enjoyment of teaching has her designing classes all the time, so stop by and say ‘hi.’ If there’s a class you’ve always wanted to take, she probably has it on her list. Tracey loves the exciting invention and reinvention that comes with both learning and teaching. She invites you to introduce yourself and create a new idea with her!
Rug Hooking
Linda Harwood comes from a large working farm in Michigan and has raised sheep all her life. She is self taught in the art of rug hooking since the early 80s. Some of her inspiration is drawn from old world animal paintings and her country background. She loves working with color and starts with either recycled or new wool, which she then over-dyes. Linda has had her work published and has appeared on television. You can view some of her work at www.harwoodhookedonewe.com.
Wool Felted Cuff Bracelet – With A New Twist??
Margie Meehan owns Tipperary Fiber Studio and with her husband Pat has raised Romney and Coopworth sheep for nearly 21 years. Two years ago they sold the flocks, but with sheep, we all know that there is always a lot of fiber left over for fiber art projects! Margie’s love of fiber arts has her involved in weaving, felting hats, knitting and spinning. Since childhood she has also had another passion – rock hunting. She searches local shops for handpicked tumbled rocks to use in her jewelry designs. Margie has taught at festivals across the Midwest for the past fifteen years and most generally you will find her vending as well! A board member of the Iowa Sheep Industry Association and one of the co-founders of the Iowa Sheep and Wool Festival (now in its ninth year in Adel, Iowa), Margie, as Fiber Chair, organizes all the fiber classes, instructors and fiber vendors each year.
The Wave: An Infinity Crohook Scarf
Liz has been a compulsive knitter and crocheter for more years than she wants to count. She retired from teaching math and computers twelve years ago and opened a yarn shop in the beautiful north woods of Wisconsin. At Sutter’s Gold ‘n Fleece, she spends her time helping others enjoy and appreciate knitting and crochet. Since the magic loop technique hit the industry she has fallen in love with using one long circular needle to knit two socks or two mittens at once. In addition to her teaching experience, she is a YCOA Certified Knitting Instructor and Crochet Instructor, and has completed level 1 of the TKGA Master Knitter Program.
Needle Felting: Horse with Mane and Tail
Danita is an Interior Designer and Certified ILR-SD Fleece Judge who has been involved with fiber since she purchased her first llama, Forrester, in 1996. Since then, Forrest Ridge Llamas & Alpacas has been home to three llamas, two alpacas and one sheep, providing Danita with a variety of fibers. Her specialty is needle-felted, soft sculptures and original designs for painting with fibers. She loves to work wet-felted, braided, woven and dry-felted pieces together to create wool art. Danita has taught classes at Tri-County Fiber Studios & Llama Farms, Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, WTC Junior College, as well as Minnesota and Wisconsin llama conferences. She takes pride in fleece education and believes every llama, sheep and alpaca has a fleece project purpose.
Viking Knit Bracelet
Double Viking Knit Bracelet – Advanced
Barbara’s background is in fiber art, but wire worked jewelry has a special appeal to her. Since learning and refining the techniques for Viking Knit jewelry, she has enjoyed working with this ancient art form and teaching it to others. She has taught jewelry and weaving classes at Sievers on Washington Island, Peninsula School of Art in Door Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. Recently she was awarded an Honorable mention for her Viking Knit Jewelry in the Artists of the New North exhibition at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Neenah, Wisconsin. Barbara lives in Green bay, Wisconsin, where she enjoys creating in her home studio, Windflower Studio Arts.
Spinning Bulky Yarn!
Passionate Purples
Stefania has been a life-long knitter, and started spinning and dyeing to supply herself with “the best yarns in the world!” She got her first Certificate of Excellence in Handspinning from the Handweaver’s Guild of America in 1997. Since then, she has opened her own business called Handspun by Stefania and taught numerous workshops dealing in natural dyes, spinning, and basket making. She has spoken about the fiber arts to numerous groups, and has appeared on Home & Garden TV as a guest on the Carol Duvall Show. Stefania sells handspun, natural hand-dyed roving, dyed with natural dyes, and handmade baskets. Previously a high school English teacher, and now enjoys teaching spinning, dyeing and knitting to fiber enthusiasts.
Simply Shetland
Nancy Barnett lives in the Missouri Ozarks and has been spinning and raising sheep for 28 years and Angora rabbits for 25 years. She raises Shetland, Bluefaced Leicester and Border Leicester sheep, and French, English, Satin and German Angora rabbits, selling breeding stock and processed rovings. She is a popular teacher at several Missouri fiber events throughout the year and has taught at The Fiber Event at Greencastle, Indiana; Middle Tennessee Fiber Fair, Dickson, TN; Southern Indiana FiberArts Festival, Corydon, IN; Fiber Christmas, Kellyville, OK; Michigan Fiber Fest, Allegan, MI; and the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival. She is the winner of two Sustainable Agriculture Grants, one of which was for her Angora/Wool socks. She lives with her husband Bill in a 1935 rock schoolhouse constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and is a licensed real estate agent.
Home Cheese Making
Herbal-Milk Based Soap Making
Linda Conroy is a veteran home cheese maker, an herbalist, educator and wild food enthusiast. She has been making cheese in her own kitchen for over 15 years and has been teaching classes for more than a decade. She began making cheese while apprenticing on two different goat farms and has continued to explore this lost art by taking advanced classes in order to refine her technique. Linda is masterful at explaining cheese making and demystifying the process. She is the proprietress of Moonwise Herbs and founder of Wild Eats: A Movement, designed to encourage people to incorporate wild food into their daily lives. You can learn more at www.moonwiseherds.com .
More Broom Making: 3 Styles of Whisk Brooms
“Little” John Holzwart is a broom maker, artist, gardener and wild forager. He makes the fabulous brooms offered by Moonwise Herbs. In addition to making brooms, he grows, as well as wild harvests, herbs for personal, as well as commercial products. He has studied permaculture, cordwood masonry, traditional broom making and has worked on an organic vegetable farm. “Little” John has completed the New Warrior Training Program, is a regular participant in a Mankind integrative group and is a student of nonviolent communication. His mission in life is to be a positive male role model. John offers broom making classes, as well as wild plant and mushrooming treks. His handcrafted brooms are available at fairs and festivals and he is sought after as a demonstrator of this amazing, lost art.
Kumihimo Braiding
Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving
Cheryl has been spinning and weaving for more than 25 years and knitting for even more! She started with a drop spindle and a handful of wool, and continued until, in 1999, she came in 3rd in the world in the “Spin the Longest Thread” competition. Her love of weaving began with a set of cards and yarn strung between two chairs. She continues to work with “basic” equipment such as a tablet, inkle looms and rigid heddle looms, as well as more advanced computer-assisted looms and combination unit, and single-draw Glimarka. Cheryl has taught at national conferences for Complex Weavers Guild, Midwest Weaver’s Conference, Wisconsin Spin-In, UW Extension programs, and for local knitting guilds and at Yarns by Design in Neenah. She strives to provide each student with a solid base of knowledge from which they can expand in any direction they wish to explore.
Weave A Dishcloth
Weavette Loom Weaving
Jane started weaving on a 4-shaft table loom in 1979, but it wasn’t until she acquired a seven foot triangle loom in 1990 that she found her dream tool. The “instant” warp-while-you-weave has provided endless hours of fascination. The seven foot loom was a challenge to ‘take on the road,’ and so Jane was delighted to find more portable looms made by Hazel Rose Looms. Not only was there a hand-held triangle loom but also squares and diamonds in various sizes. Jane has held workshops on the continuous weave technique at the Midwest AlpacaFest, the Midwest Folk & Fiber Festival and other area events.
Not Just For Socks: Sock Blank Dyeing
Mo is an enthusiastic teacher who loves to share her fiber knowledge with
others. She has had extensive experience teaching everyone from beginners to
experts. Knitting since childhood, she started spinning and dyeing wool in
college and now has her own flock of Corriedale and Corriedale-cross sheep.
Many days you can find her at The Cat & Crow, in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin
experimenting with new dyeing or felting techniques.
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