If you have never been to Mary's farm in the rolling hills of Virginia yet, you are in for a very special treat! A magical tree-lined meandering driveway will take you through the stone and iron gate towards the fairy tale like setting of the farm house and barn. A gorgeous setting for a morning of spinning beautifully embellished alpaca fiber! You'll be able to see first hand the alpaca fertilizer tea Mary has developed, and we'll also be able to visit the headquarters of my favourite Unicorn Fibre products!

Stay the afternoon for a Triloom Weaving workshop as well. Or, if you are looking for a complete workshop in hand processing your own alpaca fleeces, consider attending my all day How To Train Your Fiber workshop on Saturday? It's an entire weekend filled with alpaca fiber!

There's nothing as exciting as being able to spin your own yarn, using the ingredients and thickness (weight) that YOU want! It's not always viable to spin on a wheel as wheels are not always portable and certainly not always easily affordable.

A drop spindle is small, portable, and a perfect tool to introduce beginners to the art and technique of spinning.

During this fun 3 hour workshop you will learn to draft fiber, spin a single strand, and ply it upon itself to make a balanced 2-ply yarn. We will use acrylic spindles crafted by Lynne Morgan from 7 Yaks Design in OH, and hand crafted alpaca fiber from my own studio.

Materials:
All class materials including fiber and the use of a drop spindle are provided.


Tips:
- Relax! Spinning has a learning curve, so enjoy the journey through the textured and bumpy yarn you may spin at first. It can be difficult to go back to just 'letting go' once you fine tune your control.
- Bring your cell phone to share your creations with your Facebook friends during class, I have objections to you taking photos.
- Bring business cards to share - after all, we need to create a support network!

At the conclusion of the workshop you will have the opportunity to purchase the drop spindle you worked on for the discounted price of $18.

Take a look at the other fiber workshops at Mary's Alpaca this same weekend:

How To Train Your Fiber workshop all day Saturday (10 Oct) Triloom Weaving workshop on Sunday afternoon (11 Oct)

About Roo Kline A graphic artist by trade, Roo Kline became involved with alpacas in 2006 and shortly after purchasing her own herd in early 2007, the 'Moonwood Farm' fiber studio was launched, gathering a following of spinners and fiber artists who fell in love with her luxuriously handcrafted spinning fibers and supplies. Since 2010 Roo has been teaching her personal techniques and style to others, especially those who love and/or raise alpacas.  She has instructed at Magical Farms, fiber festivals and alpaca shows, local yarn shops, has been featured on several videocasts, has provided her spinning fibers for classes of renowned spinning teachers and has written fiber related articles for American Livestock Magazine.     She was the creator of Alpaca Fiber Solutions and judges the occassional Fiber Arts & Skein competition and spin-off. She lives with her husband and 10 year old son in Huntsville, AL. Email Roo Roo on Facebook Moonwood Farm on Facebook   During this fiber weekend at Mary's, Roo will be assisted by NANCIE McCRAW

 

Alpaca owners and fiber artists... Did you know that all workshops and classes are TAX DEDUCTIBLE? They fall under 'education'!

images on this page (c) 2007-2015 Roo Kline and Mary's Alpaca
triloom woven shawls and photos (c) Vicki Ramsey and Roo Kline