Immerse yourself in a full day of wooly goodness and the wonderful world of farm and fiber! Spend the morning at a local sheep farm meeting new lambs! Then in the afternoon, learn how to spin your own handmade yarn!
We will start the day at Rulland Creek Farm in Viroqua, where you can meet some Cormo and CVM sheep and their new lambs!! See up-close examples of wool on the hoof, shorn fleeces, skirting, cleaning, scouring and prepping for mill carding or hand carding, and spinning. Visit with sheep being raised on rotationally grazed pastures and learn a bit about raising happy, healthy sheep and fiber.
In the afternoon, we will gather indoors in town to learn how to spin yarn using a drop spindle and continue learning about how to prepare raw wool for spinning– washing, carding, storage, etc. Participants will become familiar with the amazing variety of fibers that can be spun and the work, time and care needed to go from animal to finished garment or product.
This class will be a great introduction to cover the basics of drop spinning. If you can whirl a top, you can spin your own yarn using a drop spindle! A very traditional and ancient craft, this spinning technique has been around for a LONG time – some of the earliest man-made artifacts are spindle whorls- made from wood, bone, and stone! A drop spindle is a versatile and portable spinning tool that with a little patience and a flick of the wrist can create exquisitely unique, handmade yarn. Using prepared wool roving and a top whorl spindle, we’ll work on putting the spindle in motion, drafting the fiber, and putting twist into the fiber.
The class will include lots of hands-on learning. Various different types of spinning wheels and wool processing equipment such as hand carders, pickers, blending boards, and drum carders will be available for students to try and become familiar with.
Date: Saturday, May 10
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Lunch will be provided.
Ages: Adults only
Location: Viroqua, WI
Materials Fees: $20
Students will receive a kit of a handmade drop spindle and 2 oz of local WI wool roving
Instructions: Please come prepared to spend the morning outdoors on a working farm - wearing close-toed shoes and dressing for the weather is recommended. The afternoon will be spent indoors, so you may want to choose layers you can easily shed. Feel free to bring a water bottle or snacks as you desire.
Sliding Scale Course Fee Guidelines (not including Materials Fees)
Supporter Level Ticket: $135
If you move through the world with financial ease and the means to fulfill many of your wants as well as your needs – you are able to eat out when you want, abundantly meet your needs through employment or can comfortably not work, have access to family wealth, own property, etc. – consider paying at this level, which will help us ensure the long term sustainability of our programs while keeping our offerings accessible to those with access to fewer resources.
Sustainer Level Ticket: $110
If you are able to meet your needs with relative ease while budgeting your educational and entertainment spending – for instance, you are able to take classes and eat out occasionally as long as you are mindful – consider paying at this level, which will help sustain the work of the Folk School at a modest level.
Supported Level Ticket: $85
If you struggle to fund your basic needs and have limited access to resources in your family and community, or if you would not be able to access this offering without a discounted payment option, consider paying at this level. We value your presence and contributions to our community and do not want any economic circumstances to be a barrier to attendance!
Instructor Bio — Ellie Barbeau
Ellie has never met a craft she didn't like. With a background in Anthropology and Archaeology, Culinary Arts, Massage Therapy, Library work, and Art she is still trying to make her mind up about what she wants to be when she grows up. For now, she is the mother of 2 children, a passionate knitter, enthusiastic crafter, and constant dabbler, keeper of chickens, bees, and a wild garden. You will find her living with her family, happily nested among tall pine trees that are filled with birds and squirrels in Wisconsin, discovering the magic in the mundane.
Follow Ellie on Instagram: @littlefernfibers
Instructor Bio — Sara Freedman
Sara has spent the past 18 years raising all manner of critters on her small farm outside Viroqua. In addition to being the shepherdess of her flock of fiber sheep, Sara and her wife are restoring an abandoned farm with an emphasis on regenerative farming, rotational grazing and conservation practices that protect and support the watershed. Sara also works off farm as a Nurse Practitioner and is passionate about improving access to quality healthcare in rural communities.