Wellington Fibres Mill and Farm

I have spent the past year working at a “green” fibre-processing mill in Elora, ON. During my time at the mill I have been submerged in the fibre arts. I have in designed machine made and hand-spun yarn lines, I host mill and farm tours on a regular basis, work on community outreach and teaching. The wonderful owners (Lorne and Donna) also gave me a pet angora goat! His name is Rocky. I enjoy spinning his fleece very much. Here are some pics of the mill and Rocky.

Yes, Puppets and Stop Motion Animation!

I also make puppets, marionettes and enjoy shooting stop motion animations...

Some Pics of Performances

Here are a few pictures of performances I did in Tokyo. They involved being out in public in costumes handing out different handmade goodies and smashing pinatas!

Some Pics of my Artwork and Crafty Makings

Crying elves and unicorns are two of my favorite things...

Hand Spinning

Wheel Spinning


Worsted? Woolen? And what the heck is a "niddy-noddy"? Hand spinning is a great way to make the yarn you want and understand the properties of fibre and what we can do with it. Learn to make the perfect sock yarn, spin crazy art yarn, luxury yarns galore! In "wheel spinning" we'll go over the basics of your wheel and wheel maintenance. Learn to spin singles and plying techniques.

Drop Spindle Spinning


Spinning with a drop spindle is a great way to make your spinning portable. It's a great, simple technique to learn and you can make a wide variety of yarns. It's a low cost investment as well. In this class we'll learn how to spin and ply using a drop spindle.

Remember, with both classes - practice, practice, practice!!!

Darning and Reparing

Darning and Repairing

Have you ever knit a really great pair of socks then put your toe through them? A well loved sweater or pair of gloves got caught on a nail? This class will teach you some repair techniques including darning and using needle felting to repair holes in your hand made garments. Techniques such as crochet embellishments will be demonstrated as well.

Needle Felting

Needle Felting

Needle felting is a fun way to embellish your knitted wares, decorate garments and even make jewelry and sculptural items. Get the basics in this class – from here your imagination can run wild. During this class we will make a cute little sheep friend and learn to needle felt on a flat surface.

Wet Felting

Wet Felting

Let's hang out for a day of felting fun! This one day workshop will go over many different techniques for wet felting, embellishment and resist dying techniques. It is a hands-on workshop and each participant will leave with two felted scarves - utilizing many of the techniques we’ll explore.

Fibre Blending

Fibre Blending

Are you a spinner who wants to start making your own personal blends? Are you interested in learning about the properties of different fibres and why some fibres are just meant to be together, while others should never touch? This workshop will go over different types of fibres, their properties and their uses. We will spend time touching and discussing different fibers then move on to actually blending. We’ll talk about blending techniques and actually spend some time spinning our blends!

Dyeing with Weak Acid Dyes

Dyeing with Weak Acid Dyes

Have you been trying different dying techniques such as Kool Aid and cake dyes and want to move on and into acid dyes? Weak acid dyes offer colourfast and dependable results. In this workshop we will go over colour theory, the “how’s” and “why’s” of dyes, how to make stock solutions and dying techniques. This day long course will teach you all you need to know to get started having fun with dye! Each participant will leave with primary colour stock dyes and several samples of dying techniques. Please bring at least three clean, glass jars with lids for your solutions.

Choosing the Right Yarn For Your Project

Choosing the Right Yarn For Your Project

Ever purchased the softest yarn ever and knit up your favorite pattern only to find that it just didn’t work out? Not every fibre is suitable for every project. Spend a few hours in this workshop and you will be able to walk into your local yarn shop and know just what yarn will work with that new pattern you can’t wait to get started on. We will go over types of fibres and explain the properties of each, discuss blends and what types of fibres work best with what garments. We’ll also tell you ways to make that yarn you just love work with what your project plans.

Crochet

Crochet


Do you want to learn how to crochet? Crochet is a versatile, fun way to embellish your knitting projects or just to use on its own! This is a three class course and we will go over everything you need to know to get you "hooked". I'll cover the history of crochet, all the basic stitches, granny squares, embellishments, flowers and how to read a pattern.

Advanced Crochet

Let's get 3-D! Let's free form! In this class we'll make some spheres, squares and amorphous shapes. We can push it to the limits to make abstract jewelry or sculpture or we can keep in light and make some "amiguri" critters. You must know the basic stitches and be ready to get creative!

Spinning a Crazy Batt

Spinning a Crazy Batt

This class is a fun day of serendipitous spinning! Art yarns galore! We make a batt to spin out of everything under the sun: any fibre you can think of, ribbon, locks, pompoms, feathers, paper and anything else we can think up. We touch upon colour choices, making a batt that will work with your wheel and plying your crazy singles. After batts are made we spin, spin, spin! Please have some spinning experience and bring your wheel to class.