Spin Smarter: Fine Tuning Your Yarn Making Skills
About Spin Smarter: Fine Tuning Your Yarn Making Skills
This workshop is designed for spinners who want more from the yarn they create: more consistency, more control, and a deeper understanding of how technique shapes your handspun.
In this course, we’ll explore the characteristics of worsted and woollen yarns and how your choice of fleece, fibre preparation, spinning draft, and wet finishing influences the final result. Rather than asking you to abandon your natural or “signature” spinning style, we’ll work with it. I will help you make subtle adjustments that improve consistency while still feeling comfortable and intuitive.
Together we’ll examine how small changes to drafting, wheel setup, and fibre preparation can dramatically affect your yarn.
Through hands-on exploration and guided practice, you’ll develop a better understanding of:
- Worsted and woollen yarn structures and characteristics - Fibre preparation and how it affects spinning - Wheel adjustments for improved control - Refining your signature spinning style - Plying and ply structure - Wet finishing techniques and their effect on yarn characteristics - Techniques for creating smoother, more consistent handspun yarns Whether you’re looking to fine tune your current skills or expand your spinning repertoire, this workshop will help you spin with greater intention and confidence.
For this hands-on class it is helpful if you set up your phone, computer or ipad so I have a clear view of your hands and feet while you spin.
There are two homework assignments before the class starts. 1) Research the maintenance requirements and ratios for your spinning wheel. 2) Complete a short questionnaire regarding your Signature Spinning Style. The questionnaire will be posted in “Class Materials” on Lessonface.
Level: Participants must be able to spin a continuous yarn and have a solid working knowledge of their spinning wheels.
The capacity for this class is 25 students.
Class Materials
Students should provide:
Students provide their own fibre.
Spinning wheel and accessories.
Fibre preparation equipment: whatever you normally use to prepare fibre.
Notetaking supplies, including index cards or paper, along with scissors or tape to attach samples.
Skill Level
Intermediate - Comfortable with equipment, experienced in a variety of techniques, able to plan, draft, and design work
Contact the Teacher
Send a direct message from the teacher's profile page with any questions you might have about the class.
When
The class will meet for two weekly 3-hour live online sessions.
Enrolled students receive 30-day access to the video recordings of the classes.
How It Works
Enroll above to save your spot in the class. Lessonface will send you a confirmation right away, and a Zoom link 24 hours before each session's start time. You can log into your Lessonface dashboard to access class materials, communicate with your instructor, join the live Zoom session, and access the class recordings and chat transcript afterward. Contact us with any questions. This class, and all lessons and classes on Lessonface, are covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
Kim McKenna
Driven by curiosity and colour, Kim is a dedicated fibre artist and educator who brings a rich blend of science, skill, and creativity to her teaching. Her approach is to first help students examine and understand their unique “signature” spinning style.
MAFA - The MidAtlantic Fiber Association
The MidAtlantic Fiber Association (MAFA) represents and supports a community of fiber arts guilds in the greater Mid-Atlantic region.
Back to MAFAAbout Lessonface, PBC
Lessonface's mission is to help students achieve their goals while treating teachers equitably. Since 2012, we've hosted more than 30,000 students and 2,000 teachers for over 500,000 music, language, and arts lessons and classes online.