Be sure to sign up early for this class! Registration will close the first week of August so blending boards can be ordered for all the students.
Join Rowan for a weekend immersive into blending wool! Learn how to make beautiful rolags, batts, and include special effects like gradients into your yarn spinning.
Blending tools offer infinite variety to the spinner. This course covers the basics of several popular blending tools: blending boards, drum carders, hand carders, and viking combs. You'll learn which tools you can use to suit your purpose, materials, and style.
Day One will be devoted to assembling and learning to use your own blending board - a portable, affordable and satisfying blending tool perfect for making one of a kind rolags or small batts. You will take home your own handmade blending board and accessories and learn how to use it for less than the price of purchasing one new.
Day Two will be an introduction to several other blending tools including handcarders, a drum carder, and viking combs. You'll get to try your hand at all of them and learn how we use these different tools for making woolen vs worsted preparations, add and blend colors for subtle or dramatic effects.
Experience and comfort with spinning on either spindle or wheel is a must as we will be spinning some of our preparations. Please bring your favorite device for spinning or you may use one of the school's Ashford Traditional wheels. Students will leave class with several batts, rolags, and other wool preparations, their own blending board, and a list of resources to help them continue their journey.
Students should wear comfortable clothes that can get a little wooly, and bring a beverage, snack, or money to purchase lunch during our lunch break.
