Classes
ONSITE: Introduction to Hand Spinning
Expand your range of fiber skills and discover the meditative practice of spinning your own yarn by hand. In this class, you’ll learn how to spin your own yarn from natural wool using a suspended (drop) spindle to use in your own knitting, crochet, or weaving projects, or to gift to a textile artist in your life. We’ll cover the techniques of spinning, plying, and finishing your yarn, as well as strategies for managing your fiber supply, maintaining an even yarn consistency, and spinning with a specific type of final project in mind.
Special Notes
- Some knowledge of another yarn-related craft (knitting, crochet, or weaving) is recommended. All basic materials provided. (This includes a mid-weight top-whorl drop spindle and natural undyed wool roving.) Instructor can recommend other supplies and additional resources for students interested in working with color and with other types of fiber. Class time will consist of instruction and demonstrations, with time to work on practicing demonstrated skills. Students should plan to spend some time spinning throughout the week, between class meetings, in order to develop their skills and prepare for the next lesson. Students should plan to attend every class, if possible, in order to complete the final project (a finished skein of yarn). (Students who miss a class meeting may still be able to catch up, but may be more limited in the type of yarn they can produce, and may need to do more spinning outside of class to catch up.)
This is an On-site course. Students must follow current Covid-19 protocols, as outlined on our website. On-site courses do not come with studio access outside of class time. Paid open studio access is available through our Studio Access Program. Please visit visarts.org for more information.
About the Instructor
Lauren Miner
Lauren Miner is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned an MFA in creative writing (concentrating in poetry) and an MA in English (writing her thesis about descriptions of photographs in the poems of Larry Levis). She's led creative-writing workshops at VCU, the UVa Young Writers' Workshop, and elsewhere. Her creative interests include poetry, nonfiction, photography (both analog and digital), and comics. She currently serves as an assistant poetry editor at Four Way Review, and she is the Artist-in-Residence for the James River Park System.
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