Linda Shelhamer One or more day Workshops DYEING Dyeing Self-Striping yarns—Not for Socks only Natural Dyeing for vibrant results-- If you have been disappointed in your natural dyed fabrics and yarns or if you do pretty well with wool but want to move to more challenging fibers on which to get intense colors, this is the class for you. We will use both gathered dye and purchased natural dyes to get intense color. Linda brings premordanted yarn or fiber. Dye cotton fabric using historical natural dyes. Dye 2 yards of fabric using 5 different methods and natural dyes including indigo (plant based for blue), cochineal (red from dried bugs), and dyes from wood and other plants. Learn Shibori and other traditional Asian resist techniques for patterning. Learn the basics of natural dyeing including mordants, dye plants. Supplies required apron or old clothes, scissors, rubber gloves, sharpee type pen, masking tape, several sandwich and gallon Ziploc baggies. PUNCH NEEDLE EMBROIDERY SPINNING Spinning for lace and embroidery—Learn to spin strong fine yarns for lace knitting, weaving or embroidery. Also see how to use not so fine yarns for these uses. Not Your Usual Fiber Students spin what is new, exciting and not commonly spun. Fibers included will be flax, hemp, ramie; rare sheep breeds; bamboo, tencel, or rayon; soy silk, dyed mohair locks, unusual blends and others based availability of new fibers. We also will explore methods of using space dyed fibers to cause the yarns to sing. Spindle Spinning 101—Conquer Fear of Spindling Spindle spinning is SO portable, affordable and fun to show others, learn to do it with ease. Bring that spindle sitting in your closet, and learn to use it well and how to actually accomplish whole projects from your spindle. Learn how to pick or prepare fiber for spindle spinning, choose spindles, and how to complete projects using a spindle. From sweaters to warp, learn spindle spinning using a variety of fibers. Luxury Fiber to Bookmark in a day Spin a fancy yarn or colorful yarn and create a bookmark in a day. After spinning proceed onto to create a bookmark in kumihimo, weaving, knitting or crocheting. Incorporate beads if you wish. The ultimate in fun--bring minimal equipment, spin a little and go home with a completed project and learn some new techniques for little projects. Novice Spinning—Small classes (maximum 8) for spinners who can spin a little, but not much or who never really had a class and need all of the main points covered. We will focus on a checkup on your wheels, spinning different fibers, appropriate plying, a little novelty yarn, basic dyeing, and other topics depending on the classes desire. Beginning Spinning—Small classes (maximum 5) for wantabee spinners. Students will explore all the basics of spinning. We will first start out on spindles for first 2 hours. Then on to wheels. A basic dyeing demonstration will also be included. No spinning wheel required. Hand spindles students can take home will be provided for each student. Students will use Linda’s wheels unless they already own one. (Note for classes outside of my driving radius, guild must provide wheels for students to use that day.) Fiber Blending-- Color and Fiber Blending for Wonderful yarns. With 50+ color wool fibers and several fibers, explore carding to its fullest and have fun spinning. Design colorful yarn using split complimentary, triad, and analogous schemes and pleasing proportions. KNITTING Introduction to Lace—Bookmark: Learn all about lace knitting from provisional cast on, reading charts, safety lines, various decreases, reading your lace, sideways edgings, blocking lace and also complete a pretty bookmark. Half day seminars New or unusual fibers—Spin several of the newest fibers plus some oldies that aren’t commonly spun. We’ll spin 5-6 of the latest new fibers including hemp, ramie; rare sheep breeds; bamboo, tencel, or rayon; soy silk, dyed mohair locks, unusual blends. Unspun fleece knitting or crocheting—make a small bag for a cell phone or other small use using unspun roving. Have more roving than you know what to do with or just want to try working with wool fiber rather than yarn. You will get a good start on this in the class with easy finishing directions for at home. Each student will pick either the knit or crochet pattern. Roving provided. Introduction to Lace Knitting—Learn all about lace knitting from provisional cast on, reading charts, safety lines, various decreases, reading your lace, sideways edgings, blocking lace and complete a sampler in fingering weight yarn. Faux Hard Knitting--Students preview the various stitches in Linda’s future book. In the half day version, we either do a circular version or a flat version. Students will work samplers that has faux hard stitches that look complicated but you can memorize it in just a few minutes. Some of the patterns create diagonals and other shapes just be playing with cast on numbers and stitch patterns. We will also learn stitches that maximize those variegated yarns. With these stitches you can move on past garter and stockinette stitch, but yet do these projects while talking, watching tv, and in the car etc. with no charts to follow Mosaic or slip stitch knitting—Learn this easy and flexible way to create color and texture yet only have to use one color per row. With slip stitch you can combine different yarns. Learn to design your own patterns and much more. Dye Silk ribbons along with various silk threads to use in embroidery, quilt embellishment, pinweaving, punch needle embroidery and other uses. Using over 60 colors of premixed dyes, students will explore dyeing techniques to make those one-of-a-kind threads and ribbons for a fraction of the price these colorful embellishments. Students will go home with many threads and ribbons. Core spinning and other easy novelty yarns--Learn to spin easy designer yarns that highlight wonderful fibers such as hand dyed mohair locks and others. Before you know it you will have enough spun for a scarf, hat etc to highlight these beautiful yarns. Students will learn how to make easy to spin designer yarns and then explore some easy patterns to high light these yarns. Approachable Color—No more theory lets get started. Bring yarn from home (or use teacher’s), and pick 6 other colors using the color wheel and common strategies. Pick from over a hundred yarn colors provided by teacher to design for your weaving, knitting, or other projects. Using color recipes and only one base yarn, put together successful color schemes including those sparkle colors. Complete color wrappings using your yarn in proper proportion with other colors to enhance it. Learn Kumihimo a traditional Japanese braiding technique--Learn this traditional braiding technique to make square, round, hollow, or spiraling braids. These braids are great for embellishments, trims for garments, jewelry, straps, etc. This technique makes complicated looking braids which can range from thin for jewelry or thick such as for home decorating tassels. We’ll make a 8 strand braid. Stretch the boundaries with Kumihimo--Today’s great variety of yarns, ribbons, and fabrics provide a vast new ground for Kumihimo. From lycra yarn, steel yarns, faux suede, fabric strips and more , we will explore ways to create unusual braids and bands with today’s materials. Beaded Kumihimo Bookmark Using a new style square Kumhimo plate, make a beaded braided bookmark. This square plate creates flat traditional Japanese braids and is different from Linda’s other Kumihimo classes. Punch needle embroidery—Using yarns dyed by Linda learn the “new” technique of punch needle embroidery. Pick one of four weaving , spinning or other fiber art related designs and make a pin to wear, an emblem to appliqué, or a framed art piece. Recent design improvements in needles have made this a very easy on your hands technique for pictorial and graphic designs. Leave with a completed item Color Blending for Wonderful yarns. With 50+ color wool fibers, explore carding to its fullest and have fun spinning. Design colorful yarn using split complimentary, triad, and analogous schemes and pleasing proportions. Contact: |