It's always a blast at Gina Glasscock's farm, and this fiber art workshop weekend is going to be no exception! Come and join us for a fantastic lineup to get you excited about working with your alpaca fiber, some of the items you'll make would make fantastic gifts for friends and family also. See you soon :)

WET-FELTED FLOWERS
(Saturday 14 October, 9:00am-12:00pm)

This is going to be a super fun workshop! Prepare to put in some elbow grease as my SPARKLE Studio partner Amy Shelton and I pull out all the fun stuff: bubble wrap, silk hankies, merino, bamboo, sparkle and most importantly, ALPACA, and step you through a a few hours of pure play and creativity! We'll guide everyone step-by-step through making a three dimensional flower, teach you how to attach it to a pen using wire and floral tape, and then give you play time to create a couple on your own!

Making these is easy and addictive, and they look great when presented as a bouquet on a vase to have on the counter of your farm store, your kitchen table, or your office desk.

All materials are provided.

CIRCULAR WEAVING: a wall hanging
(Saturday 14 October 2017, 1:30pm-4:00pm)

Using wreaths made from the blackberry, wisteria and honeysuckle vines in my garden, you will create a circular wall hanging. A selection of natural materials such as undyed alpaca roving, combed top, locks and wooden beads will be provided to weave with. For those who want something more colourful, novelty yarn, dyed alpaca fiber, and sparkle are also available to kick things up a notch.

All materials are provided.

THE BLENDING EXPERIMENT
(Sunday 15 October 2017, 9:00am-12:00pm)

You've heard of 'blending fibers', but what do they DO?
Working with a not-so-great alpaca fleece, we will be splitting into small teams, each carding a different fiber into it until it becomes a fully blended, 'brand new' fiber. Samples are compared by the entire class to see how just exactly how the different blending fibers have affected the alpaca fiber. Let's make lemons into some amazing lemonade and learn a few things along the way! Hopefully you are familiar with carding on a drum carder - if not, we will team you up with someone who is.

If you are a handspinner, you are welcome to bring your wheel to spin up some of the samples.

All tools and materials are provided.

YARN PAINTING
(Sunday 15 October 2017, 1:30pm-4:00pm)

You will learn how to mix your dyes and prepare your skein of yarn for dyeing. Everyone will paint one skein of yarn with dye after which they will be steam set and rinsed. Full class notes will be provided so that you can focus on enjoying the creative process. Please be aware that sometimes dye processing times can be unpredictable, therefore there is a possibility that this workshop may run a little over the scheduled time.

All materials are provided.

*~* TIPS *~*

- Wear comfortable shoes, and clothing you don't mind getting dirty
- A camera is always handy, and besides, you may want to share your creations with your Facebook friends during class
- Bring business cards to share - after all, we need to create a support network!

At the conclusion of the class you'll be able to purchase materials to take home including fiber/yarn cleansing products; dyed fibers; blending materials; sparkle and embellishings; and drum carders. Cash, checks, credit cards, and Paypal are accepted.

Drum carders are shipped via UPS ground directly from the Strauch warehouse and usually arrive within 2-3 days. All carder purchases include tools, clamps, shipping, and a credit for product of your choice that you can take home right away so that you're ready to start when your carder arrives.