Thanks to the scholarship from the guild, I took advantage of the classes offered by Deb Robson at Lamms End Studio this past January. It was really terrific, not the least of which was, due to the very cold temps, the viewing of all the lovely handknits. The sweaters and shawls were out in full force.
The first day covered fiber prep and spinning of a "tasting menu" of fleece. Deb gave us samples of various types of clean wools, including medium, long, fine and double-coated, in lock form. We used hand cards, flick carders, pop-locks, and combs to work with each type, then spent time spinning. I had not ever prepped or spun double-coated before, as it is very mysterious, and also having so many other wools to work with. I was surprised there isn't any real trick to it!
The second day was a breed study on Cheviots. I had no idea how interesting and varied Cheviot is! Deb started with the history of the breed, where and how it developed, while giving us samples of Border Cheviot, North Country Cheviot, Brecknock Cheviot, and American Miniature Cheviot to prepare and spin samples.
So much information! To remember it all, she gave us several handouts that I will keep to refer back to often.
