Welcome to the home of the Nutmeg Spinners Guild! Nutmeg Spinners Guild is Connecticut’s statewide guild for handspinners. The Guild has been an active part of Connecticut’s fiber arts scene for more than 20 years. Our membership is large and diverse, coming from throughout Connecticut and nearby states.
We meet five times a year on the first Saturday of the month in October, February, April and June. In December we meet the second Saturday. Meetings usually run from about 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
February 3, 2024 (Online Only)
Follow The Fleece: A Fiber Adventure
Presented by Michelle Boyd
We are surrounded by fibers, but how can we know how to spin them? The fibers are leaving us clues and all we have to do is find them! This workshop takes a playful approach to learning to “read” a fiber and decide how best to spin it. And once we have decoded the fibers, we can follow them to their end uses. We will look at three different projects and use our detective skills to determine the best fibers and spinning techniques to make the perfect yarns. In the end, we will have a notebook full of clues to help us solve even the most difficult woolly mysteries.
Topics Covered:
- Wool and fiber preparations: rovings and tops and everything in between
- Spinning style for different fibers (and why)
- Determining the right amount of twist for breed specific fibers
- The concept of “spinning to the twist” simplified
- Spinning fibers beyond wool
- Considerations for the end uses of our spinning
You will need the following:
- A spinning wheel in good operating condition. E-spinners and spindles are also welcome.
- Three or more bobbins
- Niddy-noddy (optional)
- Scissors
- Labels for samples
- Note-taking materials
Fiber kits have been distributed to guild members. If you did not receive a kit, you may have some of the following in your stash to use and follow along.
- Romney top
- Falkland top
- Cheviot sliver
- Alpaca roving
- Merino & bamboo top
- BFL & tussah silk top
- Corriedale top
- Rambouillet top
The meeting will start at 10:00 AM ET on Zoom. Zoom connection information will be sent to members in good standing the day before the meeting.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the guild, please contact membership.nutmegspinnersguild@gmail.com or sign up here.