Friday - Carolina FiberFest

Workshops

Friday
March 13, 2020

An Introduction to Stranded Knitting
with Kim Garnett $62

Friday March 13, 2020 4:00-7:00 pm

This class is for knitters who would like to venture into two-color knitting. We will begin work on a cowl using only two colors on a circular needle. Techniques included in the workshop are: yarn dominance; knitting with a color in each hand; corrugated ribbing; catching yarns to reduce snagging; reading charts.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $2
Minimum Age: 16
Required Skills: Students must be comfortable with knitting, purling and knitting in the round. Some familiarity with reading charts is helpful.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring 2 colors of worsted weight yarn (~150 yards of each color), 24 inch circular needle, US Size 7, or size need to achieve gauge and stitch markers. Materials fee covers colorwork cowl pattern.
Homework: none

Beginning Wheel Spinning on a Spinning Wheel with Julie Wilson $68

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-11:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm
Saturday March 14, 2020 8:00-11:00 am and 4:00-7:00 pm

Do you ever wonder how yarn is made? Twist the fibers and you will make yarn.. Guaranteed! Learn the basics of a spinning wheel (double treadle Lendrums wheels will be provided for you in class). Learn how to draft the fibers and allow the twisted fibers to slide through your fingers onto the spool. Learn how to change spools, spin more fiber onto a second spool and then ply the two spools of singles together. You will make yarn. You will learn how to measure your finished yarn on a NIddy Noddy. Take home your first homespun skein of yarn and enjoy. All you need to bring is patience and a smile.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $8
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: none
Materials students should bring: Nothing to bring. Materials fee covers fiber, use of wheel and handouts.
Homework: none

Beginning Spinning on Drop Spindle
with Chelsea Fehskens $65

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-10:00 am and 2:00-4:00 pm

Here is your chance to learn the centuries-old art of creating yarn on a wood drop spindle. Step-by-step process ensures understanding and success. We’ll also cover some basics of wool types and preparation. Each student will leave with a finished mini skein, Spindle, and extra wool roving so you can keep spinning!

Class fee: $40
Materials fee: $25
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: none
Materials students should bring: Nothing to bring. Materials fee covers hand dyed roving, drop spindle and handouts.
Homework: none

Bind Off at Both Ends with Jolie Elder $20

Friday March 13, 2020 4:00-5:00 pm

We’ve all seen the instruction: Bind off # of stitches, work to end, turn, bind off same # of stitches. But then one edge of the work is one row taller! Eliminate that extra row by learning how to bind off at the end of the row.

Class fee: $20
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 14
Required Skills: Knowledge of how to trap a carried yarn in stranded color knitting is advantageous.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring class yarn (smooth, non-splitting, light or bright or medium color), needles to work that yarn and waste yarn to practice trapping.
Homework: none

Brioche Rosetta Stone with Jolie Elder $60

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-3:00 pm

It seems brioche is having a moment, especially in the work of Stephen West or Nancy Marchant. Do the directions look like Greek to you? How do I “bark” or “burp” in knitting? What does it mean to work the right-side twice without turning? What’s knitting in the stitch below? Students will leave ready to work brioche patterns regardless of how they are described.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 14
Required Skills: Students should already know knit, purl, slip, and yarn over. Experience with the column pattern from Elise Duvekot Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics (Sioux Falls, SD: XRX Inc. 2008) is advantageous, but not required.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring class yarn (smooth, non-splitting, light or bright or medium color) in at least 2 contrasting colors, long dpns or circular needles to work that yarn (you need tips at both ends — regular knitting pins will not work) one size smaller than what you would usually use to work this yarn, another needle a size larger than what you would usually use (just for casting on). Note: As this is an awkward technique at first, I’ll be asking everyone to knit simultaneously and please wait for everyone to catch up before going on to the next row. If waiting makes you twitchy, please bring some “tv knitting” you can pick up and put down.
Homework: none

Easy Dye Silk Scarves with Theresa Brown $85

Friday March 13, 2020 2:30 – 5:30 pm

Create your own beautiful abstract designs on silk! No need to steam or heat set with the specially formulated, safe dyes. You’ll leave with 2 ready to wear pure silk scarves and 1 silk handkerchief that you designed using the techniques learned in the workshop. Suitable for ages 12 and up.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $25
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: none
Materials students should bring: Nothing to bring. All the dyes, instruction and 2 silk scarves and 1 silk handkerchief are covered by materials fees.
Homework: none

Design the Socks You Crave with Kim Garnett $63

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-3:00 pm

Whether you like your socks quirky or classic – make socks that fit your feet and your style! Learn how to bring different patterns and pieces together into a complete sock design. During class, we’ll discuss how to design a sock using the stitch patterns you want (along with the math needed). Then we’ll discuss how to put your creations down on paper. Then we’ll discuss how to adjust your socks to make them fit like a dream.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $3
Minimum Age: 16
Required Skills: Students should have a good understanding of the basic knitting techniques – knitting, purling, increasing, decreasing, and picking up stitches. Some experience with sock knitting is required.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring graph paper and pencils, calculator, measuring tape and some worsted weight yarn and size 6 needles for swatching. Materials fee covers class handouts, pattern and sock recipe.
Homework: Look around for a stitch pattern to use for your sock. Look for one that’s not to large. A 6 or 8-stitch repeat works well. If you don’t find one, there will be several to choose from in class.

Felted Soap with Vicki Clontz $50

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-2:00 pm

Have fun wet-felting soap with wool and silk fibers for a pretty and practical addition to your washroom – it’s like a built-in loofah sponge! Felt 2 bars of soap in your choice of colors – 1 to keep, and 1 for a gift. A fun and easy class for everyone!

Class fee: $40
Materials fee: $10
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: none
Materials students should bring: Students should bring knee-high stocking, towel, apron or old shirt for wet-felting, couple of paper towels. Materials fee covers 2 bars of soap, fibers, and use of instructor’s felting supplies.
Homework: none

A Knitter’s Guide to Fixing Mistakes with Kim Garnett $60

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-11:00 am

The biggest difference between an experienced knitter and a newbie, is the ease with which their mistakes can be fixed. In this class we explore how to fix those mistakes. We will begin to learn how to read our knitting and then discuss the most common errors made in our knitting and hopefully learn how to fix them in ways that do not involve ripping out all the way back to where the mistake occurred.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 14
Required Skills: Student must be able to knit, purl, work yarnovers and work in the round.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring Worsted weight wool, light color and not variegated. 2 sets US 7 needles, straight or circular, 1 set US 6 or 7 double pointed needles.
Homework: Class syllabus with homework will be provided.

(Saori) Free-Form Weaving with Dawn Hummer $70

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-3:00 pm

Rigid heddle table looms are the perfect way to begin your weaving journey. Enjoy the ease and comfort of weaving free-form style! This “no rules” style of weaving allows for designing in the reed, meaning you will create without a plan and design as you go – freestyle! Focus on color, texture, spontaneity and experimentation, resulting in a completely unique scarf, table runner or wall hanging. All looms will be pre-warped and ready for you to create a masterpiece!

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $10
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: none Materials students should bring: Students should bring scissors, tapestry needle and yarn stash if desired. Materials fee covers 8 feet of warp, prewarped on each loom, and a whole range of colorful and textural fibers.
Homework: none

Fleece Handling: Basics and Beyond with Elaina Kenyon $60

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-11:00 am

This class will cover how to select and prepare for processing the fleeces of sheep, alpaca, angora goats and angora rabbits. We’ll cover how to select a fleece that is both high quality and appropriate for specific types of project. This class emphasizes hands on evaluation of wool, alpaca, mohair and angora. Students will have the opportunity to handle and evaluate multiple types of fiber. Handouts and samples will be provided.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: none Materials students should bring: Nothing to bring except the desire to learn and lots questions.
Homework: none

Hairpin Lace: Making a Simple Loom and Starting a First Project with Nancy Gaines $65

Friday March 13, 2020 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Hair pin lace crochet is one of those things that falls in and out of popularity. A Victorian favorite it has had revivals most recently in the 50s and 70s. The technique is actually fairly simple, works up quickly, and creates a light airy finished product that is unlike any other crochet you might do. Take some time to explore this vintage favorite and add a new technique to your crochet arsenal.

Class fee: $50
Materials fee: $15
Minimum Age: 16
Required Skills: Some basic familiarity with crochet is useful, but not necessary as all the stitches you will need will be taught as part of the workshop.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring scissors. Materials fee covers materials for loom, crochet hook, yarn, yarn needle.
Homework: none

Gettin’ Batty with It: Art-Batt Tools & Techniques with Lisa Q Wirtz $75

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-3:00 pm

Interactive workshop on the whys and hows of art-batt creation. What is an art batt? What can you do with it – and why would you want to? We’ll answer those questions and more! Class participants will come away with the basic skills needed to create art batts, knowledge of what tools are useful for that creative process (and a set of mini-carders to keep), and three variously sized batts they’ve designed using ingredients from our Batt Buffet and created using hand carders, blending boards, and drum carders. Yes, we ARE batty for batts – and we think you will be as well. All materials and tools provided. Bring questions (if you have any), clothing you don’t mind getting bits of fibery goodness on, and chocolate (not required, but always welcome).

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $15
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: Students don’t need any prior knowledge of fiber prep in general or carding in particular to take this workshop, which is geared towards the beginner. Students will probably enjoy themselves more if they spin, weave, or felt, so that when they design and create their own art batt they’re doing so with a use for that batt in mind.
Materials students should bring: Students are not required to bring anything whatsoever. If they own a blending board or hand carders in good condition, they’re welcome to bring those with them; if not, the instructor will provide tools for use. Materials fee covers equipment use in class and use of the instructor’s Batt Buffet and drum carders to design and create an art batt to keep. If time permits, students may pay an additional fee in class to make a second batt for their use.
Homework: none

Holding Yarns w/ Two Hands for Stranded Colorwork Knitting with Varian Brandon $20

Friday March 13, 2020 2:00-3:00 pm

If you have always wanted to learn how to carry your yarns in two hands when knitting Fair Isle designs…but do not have much time for classes…then this 1 hour class will take the mystery out of this traditional way to manage your yarns. Two-handed stranded colorwork also helps keep your yarns from twisting so you will not lose time straightening everything out. We will also talk about several methods for creating a swatch for colorwork.

Class fee: $20
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: Knit stitch, Purl stitch, familiar with two color knitting Materials students should bring: Students should bring 2 colors of solid color DK weight yarn, 40 yds, US 4 needles.
Homework: none

German Short Rows; Eins, Zwei, Drei with Laura Barker $60

Friday March 13, 2020 4:00-7:00 pm

German Short Rows involve no wraps, pins, or other accessories. At the short row turn, the yarn is slipped to create a double stitch. This double stitch is a real ugly duckling, visibly bigger than all the surrounding stitches. However, just as the ugly duckling transformed into a beautiful swan, the double stitch, when worked in a subsequent row, transforms, filling the short row gap beautifully on the front and back of your work. Learn to work German Short Rows in stockinette and garter stitch as you make a coffee koozie. Learn how to fix them if the unthinkable happens and your double stitch goes rogue. Finally, the class will also cover places to use German short rows, how they compare to other short row methods, and how to substitute them in patterns.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: knitting, purling, some experience with short rows helpful Materials students should bring: Students should bring 60 yards of worsted/aran yarn, optional 8 yards of contrasting colored yarn, and appropriate needles, not too blunt, lace points preferred.
Homework: none

Inside Out, Casting On in the Center with Laura Barker $60

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-3:00 pm

Some projects are worked best from the inside out, and we’ll look at several ways to cast on in the middle of your work. The Pinhole Cast-on, worked into a slip knot, is perfect for when just a few stitches are needed at the very center of a project. The provisional cord cast-on (PCCO), creates stitches, directly onto your needle(s), for working in both directions. Judy’s Magic Cast-on is truly magic, and may often replace the PCCO and other cast-ons. The crochet cast-on is very versatile; it mirrors a standard bind-off for a polished edge, it is easily added mid project where a long-tail cast-on is not an option, and when worked with waste yarn unzips later to reveal provisional stitches. We will cover the crochet cast-on for lefties and righties. Class will involve a small amount of knitting in the round, but it is not necessary to learn cast-ons.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: knitting, purling, using circular needles
Homework: none

Knit Faster with Combination Knitting with Jolie Elder $60

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-11:00 am

Do you dread 1×1 ribbing? Are your ssk decreases less tidy than your k2tog? Are you a continental knitter who hates purling? Do you have trouble working make1-left and make1-right? Learn how to combination knit and when to use it to make your knitting both more pleasant to do and more beautiful as a finished product.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 14
Required Skills: Students need to be able to work in the round, make decreases, and not fear a basic chart.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring 2 homework swatches in class yarn (smooth, non-splitting, light or bright or medium color) needles to work both flat and in the round, possibly extra sizes of needles. Note: We will be working flat first, then the separate swatch in the round, then back to the flat swatch.
Homework: Two swatches with live stitches ready to go in class (1) in class yarn and appropriate needles:cast on 24 stitches and work back and forth a few rows to establish stockinette fabric (RS knit, WS purl) and (2) with class yarn and appropriate needles for working in the round, cast on an even number of stitches and establish a few rounds of 1×1 ribbing.

Needle Felting Intro with Alesia Moore $50

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-10:00 am

Needle felting is a fun, creative and inexpensive fiber craft in which wool fleece or roving is sculpted, using special barbed needles. In this class, you will learn a variety of needle felting techniques, create your very own original piece and go home with all the materials you need to continue felting! These techniques can then be used to create many different items including 3-D sculptures, wool paintings, jewelry, ornaments, embellishments and more. You can also use needle felting techniques to appliqué wool onto your favorite projects including bags, hats, scarves, and other items.

Class fee: $25
Materials fee: $25
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: No experience necessary.
Materials students should bring: Materials fee covers needle felting kit and wool roving.
Homework: none

Peg Loom Weaving with Alesia Moore $50

Friday March 13, 2020 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Peg loom weaving is a fun, easy to learn technique and great for all ages and abilities. It is a basic and ancient form of weaving. While no one knows for sure when these popular and simple looms were first used, some believe that peg loom weaving is a technique used by the early Vikings and European settlers. Peg Looms are so simple to use that anyone can create beautiful and useful woven items, including rugs, doormats, wall hangings, scarves, bags, baskets, blankets, wearable art and more. It is an ideal way to use a variety of yarns, fleece and roving; or up-cycle recycled fabric, t-shirts, and even plastic bags. In this workshop you will learn how to plan your project, warp the loom, the basic weaving technique of tabby or plain weave and how to change colors or materials. You will also learn how to remove your work from the loom and how to finish the ends in different ways. At the end of the workshop you will have a finished homemade item to take away with you. After taking this class your imagination will be the only boundaries of your creativity.

Class fee: $25
Materials fee: $25
Minimum Age: 10
Required Skills: No experience necessary.
Materials students should bring: Materials fee covers corespun yarn and warp to weave project.
Homework: none

Learn to spin on a drop spindle- for kids! with Chellie LaPointe $60

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-10:00 am

Learn to spin your own yarn! In this class, we will learn to draft and spin fiber by hand and then move to working on drop spindles. We’ll talk about all the different woolly creatures that produce fiber and how twist is the magical ingredient that turns wool fiber into yarn. Each student will leave with a drop spindle and additional roving for practice.

Class fee: $40
Materials fee: $20
Minimum Age: 8
Required Skills: None! Spinning just takes patience and persistence.
Materials students should bring: Students are welcome to bring roving they’ve collected or purchased at the festival. Materials fee covers wooden drop spindle and roving.
Homework: none

Short Row Smorgasbord with Laura Barker $60

Friday March 13, 2020 8:00-11:00 am

Short Row Methods have expanded way beyond w&t sock heels. Learn why knitters need short rows. Examine the differences between wrapped, lifted, and double stitch (German) short rows. Practice a few options, and discover how one method might be substituted for another. Finally, look at popular places to insert/substitute short rows, like shoulder shaping, to elevate the appearance of your knitting.

Class fee: $60
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: Knitting, purling, increases, decreases
Materials students should bring: Students should bring 50 yds of worsted yarn, not too dark or tending to split; size 8 needles with relatively pointed tips; several removable stitch markers.
Homework: none

Tension and Catching Long Floats for Stranded Colorwork Knitting with Varian Brandon $20

Friday March 13, 2020 noon-1:00 pm

In this 1-hour class, we will look at ways to manage long floats along the back your stranded colorwork knitting. Controlling these strands will help even the tension in your knitting as well as eliminating the possibility of catching fingers or jewelry when putting on your finished garment.

Class fee: $20
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 12
Required Skills: Knit stitch, Purl stitch, familiarity with two color knitting Materials students should bring: Students should bring 2 colors of solid color DK weight yarn, 40 yds, US 4 needles for the preferred method of knitting small circumferences, i.e. Magic Loop, 2-circs, dpns, etc.
Homework: none

Unexpectedly Angular with Connie Lee Lynch $50

Friday March 13, 2020 4:00 – 6:30 pm

Come join me to get started on or to work on Unexpectedly Angular, the 2020 Craft-Along Crochet pattern! We’ll compare and discuss different yarn options, including modifications for different weights, as well how to customize it to be a cowl, scarf, or wrap – the possibilities with this versatile design are literally endless!

Class fee: $50
Materials fee: $0
Minimum Age: 9
Required Skills: Some experience crocheting recommended.
Materials students should bring: Students should bring copy of pattern, printed or digital; yarn(s) of choice and appropriate hook(s); stitch markers. Button(s) or other closures of choice are optional!
Homework: Optional homework: work a 6″ swatch following pattern to get precise help with gauge and yardage calculations. If you have already started (or even finished one) please bring your work for show and tell!

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