Learn to Spin with Pia Skaarer Nielsen
Join delightful fibre artist and sheep farmer Pia Skaarer Nielsen for an introduction to the ancient and satisfying craft of making your own unique handspun yarn. You will learn about different types of fibre and spindle styles, how to keep your spindle spinning, and how to ply your beautiful singles into yarn. This class is for beginners who want to explore an easy, affordable, portable and relaxing way to make yarn.
Prerequisites: None
Instructor: Pia Skaarer-Nielsen
Sunday, March 18th, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Fee: $70 (includes a drop spindle and 1/4 lb/125g of fibre)
Pia describes her fondness for this method of spinning:
I love to use a drop spindle.
It puts me at ease and relaxes my head and my body.
When one is working with a drop spindle, the best way to make it work is to be relaxed and go with the flow–-or shall we say twist.
Learning how to use a drop spindle challenges our eye/hand coordination and the way our eyes measure our progress in the world. Knowing when to draw out more fleece comes easily when the brain and the body both are relaxed and joyful at the prospect of the yarn to come.
Babies crawl before they walk and run and when we learn how to use a drop spindle (which will fall to the floor, otherwise it wouldn't be a drop spindle!) we go slow at first, do a lot of 'parking', drafting and pre-elongation of the fibres.
I will touch on fibre preparation and the multitude of fibres available to the avid handspinner.
Pia Skaarer-Nielsen is a self-taught spinner and weaver. She moved to Nova Scotia in 1989 with her family from Copenhagen, Denmark. Her first spindle ever, purchased in Copenhagen in 1986, now has many siblings.
Pia is involved in exploring and growing fibre, and in sharing her knowledge with anyone interested. Since she acquired a loom and eventually also a spinning wheel, each day has been an entanglement of twisted and warped pleasure-filled discoveries.
Pia has participated in weaving workshops in Scandinavia and Nova Scotia and has been actively involved with spinning workshops and retreats in the Maritimes for the last 10 years.
Pia lives with her family in an old farmhouse and has recently renovated her weaving studio for teaching anyone interested in working with a loom and piles of wondrous yarn.