Spinning for Colour Using Blended Tops With Tiny Fibre Studio
This workshop is part of our Mill Open Weekend celebrations.
Colourful blended tops like ours can present a conundrum for spinners. Their vibrant assortment of colours are visually appealing but one of the most common questions from our customers is “how does this fibre look when it’s spun into yarn?”
There are near-limitless possibilities from fully blended to striped and more. This workshop will equip you with the skills and knowledge to achieve the colour effects you want in your yarn… and all without fibre preparation tools.
We’ll discuss how to assess the colour and blending in your tops, empowering you to make informed decisions about how to spin it. Then we’ll spin our way through a range of samples from the most blended, through semi-solids to self-striping and see how ply structure changes the colours. We’ll also explore more complex options like fractals and gradients.
Along the way Becks will focus on three key techniques (no prior experience necessary)— spinning from the fold (also a great technique for spinning slippery blends), chain plying and fibre splitting — that will grant you complete control over the colours in your finished yarn.
You’ll leave with a set of reference samples and the confidence to assess, prepare, spin and ply blended tops to create yarn with the colour effects you want.
If you click the link below then you will be taken to our booking system on Eventbrite to complete your booking. You’re also more then welcome to give us a bell (+44 (0)1769 579861) and book over the phone if you would prefer. Thanks!
Skill Level Information: This class is aimed at spinners who are comfortable with spinning and plying a (relatively!) consistent yarn on their wheel/e-spinner.
What is included? 150g of tops and a set of sample cards for recording your experiments. You will also receive a complimentary voucher for a beverage from the pop-up MOW café.
What do students need to bring? A working spinning wheel or e-spinner, at least two bobbins, a lazy Kate (not one built into the wheel—a shoebox lazy Kate is fine, a tensioned one is preferable), a sample niddy noddy if you have one, a pen, note-taking supplies.
Time: 12:00pm to 15:00pm – 3 hours. Please arrive 30 mins before event starts, to check in.
Date: Sunday 9th June, 2024
Location: The Courtroom, South Molton Town Hall, EX36 3AB
For more information about our Mill Open Weekend celebrations please visit our website.
We are so looking forward to throwing our doors open and inviting you inside for our MOW celebrations!
– The Mill Folk x
Tutor Bio: After a rather disastrous encounter with a drop spindle, Becks started spinning on a wheel in 2011 while living in a tiny apartment in Manchester. Being an urban spinner, she had no room (or budget) for fibre prep tools and fleeces were few and far between, so she turned to spinning from commercially-prepared fibre, including colourful blended tops, which have held a special fascination ever since.
An educator by trade with a background in film and television, Becks combined her professional experience and love of fibre arts in 2017 with the launch of her YouTube channel, Tiny Fibre Studio. There she shares the projects she’s working on and provides instructional content for other spinners. She also teaches in-person and online spinning classes.
Website: tinyfibrestudio.com | Youtube: YouTube.com/tinyfibrestudio | Instagram: @tinyfibrestudio
