WORKSHOP LIST for 2008/2009

WOVEN AND KNITTED DÉVORÉ

Length of workshop: 2 days

DÉVORÉ is a technique which we are familiar with when it is applied to velvet. With hand-woven and machine or hand knitted dévoré, students will make cloth containing both plant and animal/synthetic fibres. Then the plant content is dissolved, using stencils, leaving transparent areas. This technique can be used for scarves, wraps, clothing fabric, and also window and wall hangings.

BOUND WEAVE AND WEFT_FACE WORKSHOP

Length of workshop: 2 days.

These techniques weave a strong fabric, where the warp is a support structure but does not show on the surface. This workshop will cover techniques suitable for bags, floor rugs, hanging, in fact any articles where a firm, strong, hard-wearing surface is needed. Each student will bring their own loom, threaded following instructions they will be given beforehand. The warp will be quick and easy to put on. All these techniques can be done on the same threading, so the participants will remain working on their own loom for the entire workshop.

SPINNING WOOL BEYOND THE BASICS

Length of workshop: 2 or 3 day

This workshop is based on my book, SPINNING WOOL BEYOND THE BASICS. It will cover how to spin wool from different breeds of sheep. EG. - yarn spun from an English Leicester sheep (a relatively coarse breed), should be spun differently from a finer breed, such as Corriedale. Different breeds will be analysed, then fine, medium and bulky fleeces will be spun, plyed, and washed, with the size and twist of the finished yarn relating to the original fibre size and drive ratio. Students will learn worsted, semi-worsted, semi-wollen and woollen methods of wool preparation and spinning (3 day workshop only) The end use of the yarns, for both knitting and weaving will be fully discussed, as students will be taught how to spin wool to specific requirements. By the end of the workshop, students will understand their own spinning wheel, and its range and will be able to fully utilise each wheel. The expertise gained in this workshop will be useful to those spinners who want to spin a variety of yarns with different sizes and twists per inch.

COLLAPSE WEAVE: THE MAGIC OF WOOL

Length of workshop: 2 or 3 days.

In this workshop students will weave and finish several samples to gain an understanding of the structure of collapse weave.
For the two day workshop, students will come along with their looms already warped, then various samples will be woven and discussions on the relative values of active and passive yarns will lead to an understanding of why and when collapse happens. Students will then choose whether to continue sampling, or to weave a scarf.
For the three day workshop on the first day students will warp their looms, back-to-front, with pre-wound warps which I will supply. The next two days will follow the same structure as the two day workshop.
All weft yarns will be provided

ADVANCED COLLAPSE WEAVE

Length of workshop: 3 days

This workshop is for students who have attended my collapse weave workshop but want to learn more advanced techniques. Experienced weavers who are familiar with looms with eight or more shafts will also be able to take this workshop. It will be a round robin workshop, where each student will pre-thread their loom, (not all will be 8 shaft, some will be 4) with warps I will send over to the organizers 1 month beforehand. There will be 6 techniques with two looms threaded in each technique.

The techniques will be:

Spaced warp

*Deflected Double weave

*3/1 and 1/3 twill pleats

Silk/lycra blocks

*Supplementary warp

Overshot weave

*These require an 8 shaft loom

SPINNING WORSTED AND WOOLLEN YARN

Length of workshop: 2 days

This workshop will cover the preparation and spinning of worsted and woollen yarn and the most suitable fleece types to use. The end uses of these yarns, for both knitting and weaving, will be covered . Spinners will need to have covered the basic techniques only before they take this workshop, and do not need to be experienced spinners. The first day will cover worsted spinning, the second day woollen spinning so participants can attend one or both days.
For a 1 day workshop, worsted spinning will be covered in the morning and woollen in the afternoon.

SPINNING OTHER FIBRES

Length of workshop: 1 or 2 days

The fibres covered will be silk, alpaca and mohair If the organizers would like to cover other fibres, contact me for details.

We will begin with observing and discussing the qualities of the fibres and compare those to the qualities we want in the spun yarn. Different preparation and spinning techniques, from worsted through to woollen will be taught to make the yarn reflect the look of the original fibre and the end use. Several different techniques can be used with each fibre, depending on the required appearance and end use. Small sample skeins will be spun and washed, then analysed.

On a 1 day workshop, already prepared fibres will be used, because of time restraints. For a 2 day workshop some of the fibres can be prepared in class.

Overseas workshop organizers will need to provide the fibres according to instructions I will send.

COLOUR AND WEAVE.

Length of workshop: 2 or 3 days

Students will bring along a four-shaft loom, already threaded following instructions sent prior to the workshop. Students will be concentrating on the use of colour in weaving. We will experiment with different colour combinations in yarns, firstly planning and sampling colours, using colour wheels as aids, then weaving pieces which reflect each weavers' personal choices. In the process of discovering colour, we will also be learning such techniques as stripes and blocks, pattern weft-face, boundweaving, flamepoint, linked weft, weaving curved shapes, chaining and crocheting, and rya. Students should be able to thread their own loom, and have done some basic weaves, such as tabby and twill.

THE WIDE WORLD OF WEAVING.

Length of workshop: 3 days

This workshop is for weavers who have done some basic weaving and want to extend their knowledge of a wide range of techniques. Students will move from loom to loom, weaving samples, throughout the workshop. Looms will be threaded up in a variety of techniques, following instructions which will be sent out prior to the workshop. The woven techniques taught can be chosen from:

* Fleece weaving for rugs.
* Weft-face weaves.
* Pattern weft-face weaves.
* Supplementary wefts, including twill inlay, surface weave, reversible weave.
* Double weave, including pick up techniques.
* * Supplementary warps.
* Pick-up overshot
* * Eight-shaft block weave.
* Tartan.
* Theo Morman.
* Summer & Winter
* Crackle weave.
* * Eight-shaft network drafting.
 

** These require an 8 shaft loom.

FEE: negotiable.

Travel costs: negotiable If 2 or more workshops can be arranged in the same area, and transport provided between the workshops (or if they are held in the same place where no transport is necessary), then only one travel cost for all the workshops in that area will be necessary.

ACCOMMODATION: I prefer to be home hosted by the organisers. This also keeps the workshop costs down.

Tutor: Anne Field, . 37 Rhodes St, Christchurch 8001, NZ.
ph home (03) 3799 553 (evenings) Ph studio (03) 366 2085 (daytime)

Qualifications: Author of seven books on weaving and spinning, including `Weaving With the Rigid Heddle loom' (1980), `An Introduction to Weaving, The Four-Shaft Table Loom'(1986), `The Ashford Book of Spinning' (1986), `The Ashford Book Of Weaving' (1991) `Spinning Wool Beyond the Basics', (1995). 'The Ashford Book of Four-Shaft Weaving' (2007), 'Collapse Weave. Creating three-dimensional cloth' (2008), “Dévoré for Weavers and Knitters” (due out in 2009). Writer and presenter of a video on spinning. Certificate of Continuing Education at Canterbury University 1985, and BA.Hons. (Education and Art History), 1997. Has taught spinning and weaving for 30 years, both in New Zealand and overseas. Woven large and small commissions for public buildings and private collections