Workshops and Lectures

Email Joan at jsruane@yahoo.com
(520) 642-3603

WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES

The following workshops can be customized to fit your needs.

CLASSIC COTTON WORKSHOPS

Six hours

Introduction to Cotton Spinning

The day will be devoted to adjusting and understanding your wheel, carding cotton, making punis and spinning the long draw . Techniques of spinning directly from the cotton seed, uncarded lint and sliver will be taught.

Intermediate Cotton Spinning

A quick review of the first day, reinforcing proper techniques. Plying cotton is simplified with a few little hints. This busy, productive day also includes an introduction to a variety of cotton slivers plus spinning on the takli.

Color and Blending

Students will be dyeing cellulose lint and sliver in both solid and “painted” colors with chemical and natural dyes. Carding and blending different cellulose fibers and colors will give students unusual and unique yarns.

Spinning Novelty Cellulose Yarns

This class is for advanced students who are accustomed to cotton spinning. Spinning novelty yarns will be taught using the following techniques: plying, color blending, and texture. The use of commercial yarns can give handspun a quick new look.

From the Wheel to the Loom
(recommended as a 3-day workshop--please see review here)

This class is for spinners already familiar with cotton. The workshop gives students skills and information to confidently use their handspun yarns in weaving and needlecrafts. A short review of basic techniques is presented followed by the students spinning for their special projects. Covered: how to design yarn, balance plied yarns, figure yardage and learn to use the yarns in weaving, knitting and crochet.

OTHER SPINNING WORKSHOPS

Two days Dyeing and Spinning Cotton

Cotton is really easy to spin when you understand the nature of the fiber and learn a few basic spinning techniques for spinning a short fiber. We will by dying the white fluffy fiber and learning how to blend dyed colored cotton as well as spinning hand painted sliver. Students will learn about their wheels, how to adjust them for a short staple fiber, and then learn good basic spinning techniques. Carding is an important part of the spinning process as it prepares the fiber for spinning and also allows you to blend colors and different fibers together. Cotton fibers and slivers will be dyed the first day and used during the two-day class. This process is simple and easy with great colors emerging from the cold-water dyes.

NwRSA

June 6-8, 2008

.........SPINNING COTTON WITH COLOR .....Willamette University .....Salem, Oregon ...From Fiber to Yarn........

Dyed Cotton Lint

Spinning Bast Fibers

This one-day workshop will include flax, ramie and hemp. We will cover some history, the properties of each, and techniques of spinning all 3 bast fibers. Dressing the distaff to finishing yarns for weaving or knitting will be covered in class.

Bio–Engineered Fibers

Open up to a new world of fiber! Learn how to spin and handle Soy Silk, Ingeo, Silk Latte, Bamboo, Sea Spun and who knows what else!! Everyone has fun.

HALF-DAY WORKSHOPS

Three hours

SUPPORT SPINDLE.. spinning cotton on a takli and other spindles.

FLAX SPINNING.. dressing the distaff and other methods of spinning flax line and roving.

HEMP.. spinning this wonderful ancient fiber, care and projects.

COLOR BLENDING COTTON.. carding solid colors to give candy stripe to heathered yarns.

LECTURES

In conjunction with the workshops, the following lectures can be presented.

COTTON IS “KING” An approximately 45-minute lecture on cotton’s history and the influence cotton has had on the United States, with an emphasis on the types of cotton grown today and their economic importance.

YARN STRUCTURE (60 minutes) This is an ideal lecture for weaving or knitting groups. It show the importance of having a good understanding of how yarn is spun and knowing the kind of fiber used, its preparation and type of ply. To have a good finished product, you must start with the right kind of yarn.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WHEEL (30 minutes) This lecture is excellent for beginning and intermediate spinning groups. The type of spinning wheels available and their differences are discussed in detail, and the importance of ratio is included as well as a demonstration of wheel care and maintenance.

WHERE HAS INDUSTRIAL HEMP GONE? (45 minutes) This lecture includes the history of hemp and the importance it played over the centuries, what is happening with hemp today and the role it is currently playing .

WEAVING CLASSES

A 3 TO 5 DAY BEGINNING FOUR HARNESS WEAVING WORKSHOP

"DOWN TO EARTH BASIC FOUR HARNESS WEAVING CLASS".. This is a real beginners class!! Joan has been teaching basic weaving since 1980 and boasts that she has never lost a student because of warping their loom. Joan has a simple "inch method" of teaching students to warp their looms. This class includes how to design and figuring out what to weave and how to read patterns. It includes the basic weaving techniques and simple tricks to make weaving fun and how to correct those occasional mistakes. Students take home a sampler and a student design piece by the end of the workshop, along with a complete set of instructions.

6 HOUR INKLE WEAVING WORKSHOP.. Learning to weave on an inkle loom is simple and fun. Students will design everything from a dog leash to shoe laces in the traditional patterns and then learn the more modern trim designs on their second piece in the afternoon.

3 HOUR "BACK TO FRONT WARPING" CLASS.. This hands on class gives students a simple step by step method of warping their loom from back to front. Starting from the warping board to the actual basic techniques of throwing the shuttle on a tied on warp. Great little class for an afternoon after a guild meeting! Set of instructional handouts are given to all the students.