Learn to use hand carders to prepare clean fleece, and then how to spin the fibre into yarn using a drop (suspended) spindle. The techniques will be demonstrated by tutor Amanda Hannaford, who will take you through the processes step by step, supporting you as you go.
You will find out how to make a finished, usable yarn from the fleece you have spun, and be given a comprehensive hand out to take home for reference to help you to complete your yarn later on.
Throughout the session, you will gain a thorough knowledge of how to take a raw fleece and turn it into useful yarn suitable for many other crafts. Once mastered, handspinning can be a very therapeutic and relaxing traditional hobby.
Tutor: Amanda Hannaford has been spinning for over forty years, and dyeing for nearly as long. She holds the National Association of Guilds’ Certificates of Achievement in spinning and dyeing, and has a City & Guilds Stage 1 teaching certificate.
Amanda is a member of Liskeard Spinners, Somerset, Peter Tavy and the Online Guilds and has had work selected for several Association Exhibitions. She teaches across the UK and in Europe, and has been a regular teacher at the Association Summer Schools since 2007. In 2015 Amanda was invited to teach for two weeks in Kabul; in 2016 she spent five weeks teaching in a textile workshop in Tibet and was invited back in 2018 for a further three weeks.
Amanda has also just had her first book published,
The Handspinner’s Companion.
Location and arrival information: The workshop will take place in the Peter Buckley Learning Centre. Please allow 15 minutes to park in the main visitor car park, enter the garden and get to the Learning Centre.
Catering: Tea / coffee and biscuits will be available in the classroom. You are welcome to visit the onsite catering before or after your workshop. Full details of the available outlets and what they offer are on the
RHS Rosemoor Food and Drink page of the RHS website.
For this workshop you will need:
- Your booking reference number to show to the team at the Garden Entrance.
- A notebook and pencil to make notes.
- Apron to protect clothing.
- Optional, if you already have your own that you would like to use, spindle hand cards or a spinning wheel.
Skill Level: General – I want to enjoy, discover or learn from this workshop, whatever what my existing skill level.
