Wild Yarns

Spinning raw fleece to yarn

Spinning is ancient. Humans began spinning 30,000 years ago and using a drop spindle 9,000 years ago and the high altitude herding cultures of the Andes began working with their alpaca and llama fleeces 6,000 years ago.

We have long known how to make clothes from the fibres we find around us and the fibres we harvest from our animals. The alchemy of turning pasture and water into fabric. The ultimate in sustainable fabrics and slow fashion.

And yet somewhere along the line we lost our way and started making clothes out of plastic. And then the farmers started having to burn their fleece harvests because there was no market for it.

More and more people are becoming interested in how their fabrics are sourced and how their clothes and textiles are made. We're getting pretty tired of plastic clothes and fast fashion.

Over a few generations we've shifted from a knowledge of working with fibres to make our own clothes to fast fashion and little connection to the makers.

There are farmers all over the country who are producing beautiful raw fibres from their goats, rabbits, alpacas, llamas and sheep. Buying their fleeces not only helps to pay for shearing costs but it also starts to improve the value of natural fibres again.

Spinning your own yarn is a step towards making greater use of local and sustainable fibres when making our textiles and clothes.

I think we're ready to go back in time, to reconnect with the Earth and her creatures and to reawaken the dormant ancient skills within us.

I think we're yearning for wilder yarns.

Workshops

How I found spinning

I spent a decade facilitating women's yoga and circles of women in nature and a further two managing an alpaca farm and the herd.

We produced 36 fleeces a year and I needed to start making my way through them, so I began spinning as a way of processing the fleeces we produced and continued as a way of processing my mind and emotions.

And over time I've found something very special happens when we gather together as women to spin yarn as we have for thousands of years.

I travelled to spinners and weavers guilds and hunted around for someone to teach me but no one was willing to teach me using alpaca. They all told me it was too hard and would need blending.

I kept thinking of the high altitude herding families who have been spinning pure alpaca by hand for 6,000 years. So I headed to the books and I discovered how the women of the Andes span their fleeces. I taught myself their hand based methods and I have never looked back.

It is these methods I offer in my workshop with the option of spinning alpaca or sheep depending on your interest and what you'd like to make.

My workshops

I offer workshops and individual tuition at my home and in various locations around Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire.

The details:

A cosy one day workshop where you will learn how to process a whole fleece and spin it into homemade skeins of yarn.

We will explore entirely hand based techniques that have been used by herders for thousands of years.

An informal low pressure environment where you can learn at your own pace, take your time and enjoy learning a new skill!

Time for a homemade lunch and lots of tea/coffee and home baked goods. A roaring fire if it's cold and time outdoors if it's warm.

Absolutely no experience or skill with crafts needed!

In this workshop you will be introduced to the basic techniques of:

Skirting a fleece (preparing it for use)
Carding (encouraging all of the fibres to move in the same direction)
Creating rolags (preparing the carded fibres for spinning)
Spinning (using a drop spindle to hand spin the fibre into a single thread)
Plying (strengthening the threads by plying them together using a traditional hand method)
Winding a skein (finalising your yarn using a traditional no tools method)

Included in the price of the workshop:

Drop spindle to use during the workshop and take home with you
Carders to use during the workshop
Fleece to take home to continue your spinning
A massive discount on entire raw fleece blankets if you wish to buy your own for future projects
Home cooked lunch and home baked goods
Unlimited hot drinks

Numbers are limited to ensure enough attention for each attendee.

'What a wonderful day! I wanted to learn how to hand spin but got so much more from the whole experience. Carly was a fantastic teacher and learning in such a relaxed, friendly atmosphere in a small group made it a day to remember. I learnt so much during the day; choosing raw fleece, skirting, carding, making rolags and then hand spinning using a drop spindle! I even learnt how to create single and double ply yarn! I am completely hooked now and have continued practicing at home, thank you Carly for sparking off this new hobby of mine! I will be looking out for more workshops with you!' - Joanne

''Such a great space to absorb yourself in and enjoy the process. Carly is lovely and we had interesting conversations. Really recommend this workshop as it teaches you more than spinning and you get to meet the alpacas and choose your fleece too! The workshop was broken down and led you through the process with the objectives clearly demonstrated. I was very happy with what I achieved.' - Sara