Learn (Teaching Schedule)
Events listed here are those that have been confirmed; others are still in discussion, and will be updated as soon as they're settled. Many folks have been asking for workshops on rare-breed wools, so there's an emphasis on those here. The environments, pacing, amount of material covered, and costs will vary depending on the parameters set by the sponsoring organizations. No matter where or when I teach, we have a good time, learn a lot, and go home with lots of ideas to explore further (that includes me!).
Assuming that all the events that are in the works end up on the calendar, 2012 is full and I'm booking for 2013. I limit the numbers of events in a year, as well as how close together they are in both dates and geography. I love teaching! If you'd like me to visit your area, drop an e-mail to deb (at) drobson (dot) info.
Explore 4
Friday Harbor, WA
March 11–16, 2012
A four-day workshop exploring four varied breeds in more depth than is possible in a survey. I'm gathering special fleeces for this workshop, which will involve lots of experimentation, alternating intense learning with more relaxed exploration time. Mornings: information, group work, and intensity. Afternoons: personal fiber experiments (may involve whatever textile tools you want to bring), walk and/or nap, resting and playing. Evenings: coming back together for social time, to share discoveries and thoughts. I don't know what wools we'll have yet, but I do know they'll offer diverse opportunities. The location supports creative work and the food will be home-made, local, and delightful. Suitable for people with very basic spinning skills (can spin singles and make a two-ply) or for those who are proficient; you can learn at your own pace and level.
For details e-mail deb (at) drobson (dot) info, subject line: Explore 4 Spring 2012.
Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival
West Friendship MD
May 3–6, 2012
A two-day workshop on "An In-Depth Look at Rare Wools." On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I’ll also be doing half-day walk-arounds in the barns! (The Sunday one will end in time for the Parade of Breeds, which I don’t want to miss, either!)
Olds College Fibre Week 2012
Olds, Alberta, Canada
June 22–26, 2012
Friday/Saturday, a two-day workshop for spinners, breed-specific wools.
Sunday, a half-day workshop on assessing a fleece from a spinner's point of view.
Lots of today's spinners have had access to a bounty of prepared fibers, both natural and dyed, and have never bought a freshly shorn
fleece. They are missing one of the craft's most profound delights: working with fibers that have not been mechanically processed. And
they don't know how to begin! Come learn how to evaluate a fleece, including the technical aspects of telling whether it's one
you'll want to spend your time on and the etiquette involved in doing your assessment.
Monday/Tuesday, a two-day workshop on animal fibers for knitters.
Day 1 a sampling of breed-specific wools and day 2 a sampling of other animal fibers (camelids,
goats, whatever else we collect, looking for variety and fun).
Convergence (Handweavers Guild of America)
Long Beach CA
July 18–21, 2012
Convergence is the big, biennial weaving conference, and they’ve asked me to run two two-day workshops on rare-breed wools. (This will be the same workshop offered twice.) We’ll cover a lot of territory in that time! I’ve been a weaver for decades, and got serious about spinning and weaving at the same time, so it will be great to teach in this environment.
Weavers Guild of Minnesota
Minneapolis MN
July 26–29, 2012
I’ll be doing an evening program and a three-day workshop on rare-breed wools at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Weaving with handspun is one of life’s great pleasures. The Minnesota guild offers fantastic resources and educational experiences and we’ll have a full three days with a bunch of rare wools.
The Spinning Loft
Howell MI
September 21–24, 2012
Owner Beth Smith and I are working on ideas for the topic for this workshop or set of classes. If you think you might like to attend and have ideas for what you’d like to learn (that I can teach—!), feel free to send us your thoughts and we’ll put them on our brainstorming sheet!