Tiwtor / Tutor: Katie Weston from @hilltopkatie

Costiau / Cost: £85

For this masterclass spinning workshop with Katie Weston from @hilltopcloud you will be exploring the magic of spinning silk. This includes looking at the various ways to spin this fibre and how it changes the finished yarn. We will also explore the different types of silk to gain an understanding of how they are produced, where they come from and how these production elements influence the characteristics of your final spun yarn. 

Exploring silk spinning will allow you to spin medium to fine yarns for making a variety of garments from woven cloth to knitted lace shawls. Join us on this masterclass with Katie to spin silk!

You can spin these yarns on any wheel with a standard orifice, though if you have a choice of wheels then one with higher ratios will make things easier. A standard Ashford flyer works fine. This workshop is not suitable for complete beginners, but anyone who can spin a skein of 2-ply yarn will be able to manage these techniques. 

Materials provided: all fibres.

Equipment to bring: spinning wheel, 3 empty bobbins, stand-alone lazy kate.

Please make sure your wheel is in good working order before we start the workshop. Time we spend getting drive bands mended, scotch tension fixed etc. is time we can’t spend on the technical aspects of the workshop. You will get more out of the workshop if you have done some spinning recently. Time spent doing some maintenance on your spinning wheel is always a good thing! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_F9JZmFgOE&t=594s