Spinning on a Drop Spindle - February 23, 2025

February 23, 2025

9am-4pm

Historically, plant and animal fibers have been twisted to make cordage and spun fiber for innumerable uses. From carpets to tapestries, socks to ship sails, these materials have been used for artistic and utilitarian pursuits through the ages. 

In this class we will discuss the methods (thigh rolling and drop spindle) that led up to the spinning wheel, and the vast array of fibers that can be spun. Students will begin by learning the basics- how to draft wool for different thicknesses of yarn, how to add twist for strength or loft, and ingenious ways to ply with no equipment.  Each student will go home with a spindle and fiber to continue on. The skills learned are excellent on their own, or are perfect preparation for the upcoming class, Spinning on a Wheel.

Tuition: $105

Materials: $20

This course is for students 16+.

Your Instructor

Josie Cooke

Josie is enamored with all things craft since childhood, when she attended programs at the local nature center making sumacade and wild blackberry jam with churn butter. In her twenties, an inordinate amount of time was spent in the pursuit of wild edibles and wild wine making, joined shortly thereafter by an insatiable interest for all things baskets. Throughout this, fiber has been the constant companion, a compendium of knowledge and experience on a slow boil. In backwards fashion, from knitting to fiber studies, to growing her own flax, the journey continues. Craft in all forms is the path to a greater connection with the earth, ourselves, and each other, all of which could use greater unity.

Each year she teaches at the Lake Superior Traditional Ways Gathering, and taught/assisted classes as an intern at North House Folk School. Currently, she occasionally renovates turn of the century houses and endeavors to have a life full of learning, teaching, and creating craft.