What: The Journey Though Creative Spinning- From Prep to Ply Two-Day Workshop
Who: Esther Rodgers
When: August 27 & 28, Saturday & Sunday
How Much: $230. Includes lunch each day
Materials fee to be paid to instructor
How: Send an email to workshops@glasg.org.
Email subject line: GLASG Workshop Registration
Include your name, email, PayPal email and phone number in the body of the email.
You will receive a PayPal invoice from us. Once that is paid, we’ll send you a confirmation of registration email. Note you must be an active paid member of the Guild to participate in workshops.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
In this workshop we will take the journey to creating different textured and creatively spun yarns. We’ll start at the beginning with different fiber preps- with drum carders and blending boards we’ll card batts, rolags and roving, and with a hackle we’ll blend top in different color progressions. . We’ll talk about the different styles of spinning and how they relate to different preps and textures.
Then we’ll move onto spinning- stepping outside the box with techniques that create unique texture, while also focusing on spinning a sound and functional yarn. We’ll work on corespinning while adding elements into yarns (halos, beehives, knots and different physical add in’s like sequins, feathers,fabrics and anything else the students want to challenge themselves with) and tailspinning. Then we’ll move onto plying- using traditional plying techniques to create untraditional yarns- Spiral plies, supercoils, stacks, twists and extreme chain plying. We’ll finish the day with the concepts of architectural layered plying, and if time (and orifice size) permits, students will create their own extreme cable or crepe.
We’ll finish the workshop by pulling everything together!! Students will start with a concept or inspiration and working through the design process to creating a finished yarn. Students will figure out how to prep the fiber and combine techniques to spin a yarn that embraces their inspiration or concept. Students are asked to bring some inspiration photos or sketches to pull ideas from, as well as materials/ elements to spin into the yarn.
ABOUT ESTHER RODGERS:
Esther is a full-time fiber artist from Mebane NC, and heads Woven Heart SAORI Studio. She is known for her creative art yarns, and her unique fiber preparation, while constantly innovating her spinning techniques to create new textures and is on the cutting edge in terms of yarn design. She loves to design and spin concept yarns from an inspiration and tell stories with her yarns. Esther is also a SAORI weaver and creative knitter which gives her the perspective of how these extra special yarns can be used. She challenges herself by creating garments and other items out of her yarns and woven cloth.
Esther is very conscious of where her fiber comes from, sourcing her wool from local and friendly farms, directly from wonderful shepherds with happy animals, and is often seen lugging, pulling and otherwise schlepping as many bags as she can manage from the fleece shows she visits. She is a master of packing fleeces into suitcases, boxes and otherwise figuring out how to get it all home since she “never plans to buy any”.
Esther is an enthusiastic and patient teacher, possessing both national and international teaching experience. She enjoys the adventure of traveling around, sharing her techniques and fun. Some of the events she has taught at include Iceland spinners group, MAFA, John C Campbell Folk School, Interweave YarnFest, PlyAway, New York Sheep and Wool (Rhinebeck), Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival (SAFF), Stitches South and Stitches Midwest and for both Ashford Wheels and Looms and Majacraft Camp in New Zealand. She loves to challenge her students to embrace their design elements rather than “mistakes” and to learn from each new spin.
Esther has 2 streaming videos out through Long Thread Media, Expressive Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom and Coloblending the Spectrum, along with 2 downloadable Interweave videos- How to Spin Art Yarn and Carding and Combing wool for Color progressions, . She also has a Craftsy class on Fiber Preparation for Spinning. Esther is a regular contributor to PLY, Spin Off, and was included in Ashley Martineau’s 2013 book, “Spinning and Dyeing yarn” and, Lexi Boeger’s 2012 book “Handspun, New Spins on Traditional Techniques.
You can find Esther’s workshop schedule and peruse her tutorials and general chatter at www.jazzturtle.com. She also sells her yarn and fiber at www.jazzturtle.etsy.com.