Workshop Schedule - Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival Oct. 4 and 5, 2003

Saturday, October 4th, 2003

Morning Workshops

Afternoon Workshops

LEARNING TO LACE:
Intro to Lace Knitting
with Cindy Hill
(9am -12 PM)
This class walks you through the basic principles of lace knitting, from an eyelet pattern, to ground lace, to a picot edging and flower embellishment. Each of these components builds lace-knitting skills in a step-by-step fashion while you complete a lovely sachet. If you can cast on, cast off, knit, and purl, you can learn to knit beautiful heirloom lace. Tips on selecting lace patterns and blocking and finishing lace items.

Materials provided include Heart's Ease Sachet pattern, #1 needles, crochet cotton, and scented sachet fill. Students with finger dexterity difficulties are welcome to bring their own larger yarn and needles. Students with scent sensitivities, contact the instructor and we'll arrange an alternative sachet for you. Fee: $30.00

LEARNING LACE:
Beautiful Borders
with Cindy Hill
(1pm -4pm)
Hand knit lace borders are the perfect heirloom finish for special projects. This class will introduce three types of lace edging: a picot edging which is adaptable to many projects of all sizes; a ribbon and scallop border perfect for edging home linens; and my own Fairy Lace pattern, which uses a short-row technique and makes a lovely bridal garter or hair scrungy. If time and interest allows, we¹ll also try beads on our border edges. Tips on selecting, finishing, and using lace edgings. This class is suitable for knitters who can comfortably cast on and cast off, knit and purl, and can be taken alone or as a follow up to the morning introductory lace knitting class.

Materials provided. Students with finger dexterity difficulties are welcome to bring larger yarn and needles. Class fee: 30.00

FLAT FELTING:
with Robin Russo
(9am - 12pm)
This is a traditional beginner felting class in which we make a felt ball and a piece of flat felt. It teaches participants about the wools used in felting, how to lay the fiber out, and how to felt it. Colored wool and embellishments are used to give the participant an opportunity to be creative and artistic.

Materials are provided with a $3.00/ person fee. Children are invited, accompanied by an adult. Fee: $30.00, or $50.00 child and adult

RUG HOOKING:
with Susan Mackey
(1pm - 3:30pm)
This class will be basic instruction of the primitive, style of rug hooking. This is a very old and beautiful craft using strips of wool fabric pulled through a backing of monk¹s cloth or burlap to make loops of wool. It has been called painting with wool It is different from needlepunch, which uses wool yarn, or latch hook, which uses short pieces of yarn and knots yarn onto a canvas.

Materials provided: A beginner kit includes hook, a simple pattern, cut wool strips, Rug Hooking Magazine, and instructions -
$30.00 Class fee: $30.00

RED DYES IN THE NATURAL WORLD:
with Jane Woodhouse
(9am -12pm)
The color red has historically been associated with royalty and wealth. Explore the range of colors from pale salmon to deep violets from natural red dyes. This hands on workshop will work with several of the natural red dyestuffs including cochineal, madder, lac, and brazilwood. Participants will have the opportunity to produce samples of varying strengths and mixes of dyestuffs. We will work with alum mordant and several rinses to shift color.

Students will receive a folder of instructional material and take home a set of samples. Materials fee: $ 15.00/ person. Class fee: 30.00

Sunday, October 5th, 2003

NEEDLE FELTING
with Carol Buskey
(10am - 1pm)
No messy soap and water required for this easy and fun dry felting technique. Learn how to create a fiber sculpture using fiber, felting needles and your imagination.

All felting materials and needles will be provided. Students should bring a piece of foam or sponge at least 3 inches thick. Class fee: 30.00

BEGINNERS SPINNING GIVE SPINNING A WHORL
with Barbara Clorite-Ventura
(10am - 1pm)
Learn how to spin wool into yarn, working with washed wool, hand spindles and basic fiber preparation tools. Participants are welcome to bring their own hand cards and spindles and learn how to use them. Fiber preparation and various sheep fleece types will be discussed in class. You will take home a hand spindle, a resource list and a package of notes on spinning.

All materials are provided. Students are encouraged to bring their own hand carders and unspun sheep, goat or llama fibers. Fee 30.00

FINISHING TECHNIQUES:
Best Way to Finish your Knitting Projects
with Lois Dansereau
(10am - 3pm with generous lunch break)
Invisible seams, 3needle bind-off for shoulders, one-row button hole, kitchener stitch, wrapping to eliminate holes, tubular cast on picking up stitches on a curve, I-cord, and any other questions you might have about finishing. We will try to cover all the necessary techniques to make your garment look the very best.

Bring to class: A sweater or whatever you are working on to put together, also Yarn and needles of your choice to practice buttonholes, and other techniques. Tapestry needle, safety pins, scissors, extra knitting needles, and double point needles. Class fee: 30.00

WOOL SKIRTING:
with Laini Fondeller
(2pm - 4pm)
Learn how to properly clean and skirt your fleece. How to keep it clean before shearing, What breeds will yeild what kind of wool for spinning. When is best to shear, and how to market your beautiful wool.

Bring to class a sheared fleece if you have one, if not, all are welcome to attend. Class fee: $10.00

Workshop Instructors

CAROL BUSKEY: Ten years ago, Carol Buskey began to explore traditional wet felting. More recently, after discovering needle felting, she has focused on this fascinating and fun technique. Carol has taught needle felting workshops in California and Pennsylvania. Her workshops in Vermont and New Hampshire's Upper Valley are very popular.

BARBARA CLORITE-VENTURA: Barbara loves to teach and has been spinning for 25 years on all types of equipment. She is a member of two spinning guilds and is a fleece and hand spun yarn judge.

LOIS DANSEREAU: A dedicated and enthusiastic knitter, Lois is a volunteer knitting instructor for the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program in the Rutland VT. Area. With over 50 years of knitting experience, Lois loves a challenge when trying a new knitting project. She is especially fond of creating her own designs to knit garments for her grandchildren.

ROBIN RUSSO: Robin lives in Bradford, Vermont where she spins, felts, dyes and raises silkworms. She has taught at numerous gatherings of spinners, and weavers, including SOAR and Convergence. She has been a fiber enthusiast for over 25 years and takes every opportunity to explore its potential.

JANE WOODHOUSE: Jane has spent the last 23 years working as a production weaver. In 1991 she earned an MFA from San Francisco State University with a concentration in textiles. She currently lives in Peacham, VT on Brigid's Farm which is home to a small flock of Border Leicester / Blueface Leicester sheep, natural colored angora goats and saanen dairy goats. Her mail order business and on-farm studio specialize in natural dyes. Jane's other interests include ethnic textiles, surface design techniques on hand woven fabrics and organic farming.

SUSAN MACKEY: Susan has been hooking since 1986, and has been a member of the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild inc, since 1988. She teaches rug hooking in Wallingford VT. And has exhibited at many rug shows. She demonstrated many years at the VT Sheep and Wool Festival.

LAINI FONDILLER: Laini has been raising Coopworth sheep since 1986, raising them for both meat and wool. With her wool she specializes in creating hand woven rugs and felted hats, slippers and vests.

CINDY HILL: Cindy has been knitting for 25 years and spinning for 15. She has a particular interest in knitted lace, and has been designing lace and teaching lace knitting for beginners for several years. She lives in Middlebury VT. With her husband and daughter and their angora rabbits.

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