Black Sheep Gathering

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Friday, June 18th ~ Morning Classes

Care & Feeding of Your Spinning Wheel
   Judie Overbeek
   Friday, June 18, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $5 materials fee for handouts and fiber
   This half-day class is designed to acquaint you more thoroughly with your spinning wheel. What do you need to do to keep it running smoothly? How do you work the tension on the scotch brake for best results? What are ratios? Where do you put the oil? How do you know when something needs to be adjusted? Who is in charge, anyway?
   Spinning level: Beginner
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; maintenance supplies and tools.

Whorled Exploration
   Janis Thompson
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-12:30pm
   Cost: $55 plus $12 materials fee for fiber used in class
Get to know your Spinning Wheel, its whorls, why’s and wherefore’s.
Yarn design from fine singles to cabled yarn and everything in between.
Lots of tips about how to get your wheel to work WITH you.
   Experience: Confident beginner
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; all whorls, bobbins, lazy kate and any other accessories.

Spindle Spinning for Beginners -- Class FILLED
   Jeane deCoster
   Friday, June 18, 8:30-11:30a.m.
   Cost: $40 plus $25 materials fee for spindles and fiber
Learn the magic of making your own yarn, no experience necessary! In this class we will take a stick with a weight on it and use it to turn a pile of fluffy soft wool into yarn. Students will learn about drafting, twist, and how to drop spindle without dropping the spindle (well, at least not much). Once you try this relaxing and ancient craft, you’ll want to make all your own yarn!
   Experience: Beginner
   Materials to bring: none

Hook Hocus-Pocus
   JC Briar
   Friday, June 18, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $2 materials fee for comprehensive handouts
   Maybe you’ve used a crochet hook to bind off, or to pick up a dropped stitch. But have you used one to join pieces together? To cast on provisionally? Or to stabilize an edge and provide a place from which to pick up stitches? Learn all of these techniques, plus embellishment, decorative edgings, and more.
   Experience: Basic knitting experience required (no crochet experience required)
   Materials to bring: Smooth, plain, light colored, worsted-weight yarn: US size 7 (4.5 mm) needles, or size needed to obtain guage of 20 sts = 4” measured over stockinette; Crochet hook US G/6 (4mm).

Entangled Web: Intro to Machine Needle Felting -- Class FILLED
   Nadine Sanders
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-12:30pm
   Cost: $55 plus $10 materials fee for foundation fabric, design fiber and supplies for samples and projects.
   If you like to work with fiber, you will love this approach to creating. Dedicated needle-felting machines open up a new world for the fiber artist. Whether you spin, knit, weave, wet felt, quilt, sew, embroider, make jewelry or surface design, learn the possibilities of using a needle felting machine to embellish, construct or recycle your work. The machine does the felting labor and opens the door to unleash your creativity to endless possibilities.
   A PowerPoint presentation introduces the wide variety of work that can be achieved with the machine. Then sit down at the machine to learn techniques and how to embellish, construct or recycle wool, silk, cotton, and synthetic fabric and fiber. Students will create 3 small projects and a card on machines supplied by the instructor.
   Experience: Beginner
   Materials to bring: Fabric scissors; fabric, yarns or roving that you want to try.

Friday, June 18th ~All Day Classes

Spinning Cotton (It’s not that difficult!)
   Paula Shull
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $12 materials fee for all fibers that are covered in class
Contrary to what you have heard, cotton is surprisingly simple to spin…it’s simply a different approach from the handspinner’s usual bag of ticks. Come let me show you the ins and out of cotton; preparation techniques, spinning how-tos, and finishing tips. Plus, you’ll leave with the confidence that when you can spin cotton you can spin any of the fine, expensive, exotic fibers (think cashmere, qiviut, and vicuna).
   Experience: Participants should be able to spin a continuous yarn on the wheel.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; note-taking and sample-labeling supplies. Optional: cotton cards and any cotton in your stash you may have questions about.

Nuno Felting -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Carin Engen
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $55 materials fee covers a hand-painted silk scarf, fibers and embellishments.
   This class will explore making a felted fabric scarf using natural fibers including wool, mohair and silk. You will learn to felt these fibers into a base of silk gauze. It’s like painting with fibers!
   Experience: All levels welcome
   Materials to bring: Please bring an old towel or two.
   Note: If you wish to purchase rolling tools after the workshop, additional cost is $20.

Re-Use, Recycle & Re-Love -- CANCELLED
   Susan Forsyth
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $30 materials fee for all fibers and fabric to complete a vest garment, an original felted vest design by Susan Forsyth.
   Most of us at one time or another have done a wash with a hidden errant garment. Sometime it is a colored sock in the white wash and once in a while it is a little more tragic. Just what does one do with a well loved sweater, which by mistake went into a hot water wash with a cold rinse—and is now felted beyond wearing? Is it a disaster?…not at all. With a little effort we can make it a wearable work of art!
   Experience: All levels welcome
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel or drop spindle in good working condition. Any felting tools; scissors; pins; darning needle; wool combs and/or carders; flicker. Any fiber you want to use or blend in. Optional: a steam iron you don’t mind sharing; table-top ironing board or an old towel to press on.

ABC’s of Color Blending—Drum Carding Workshop
   Jill Laski
   Friday, June 18, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $15 materials fee for all fibers and handouts
   Starting with only 3 primary colors and simple geometric shapes, we will combine and drum card all the colors needed to represent a complete solid-colored color wheel and a multi-colored triangle. Students will gain a basic understanding of color relationships and learn how to create any color.
   Experience: All levels welcome
   Materials to bring: Drum or hand cards; bag and tags for batts; spinning wheel in good working order or drop spindle. Optional: color wheel.

Friday, June 18th, Afternoon Classes

How to Warp a Loom
   Judie Overbeek
   Friday, June 18, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $3 materials fee to cover all handouts
   If you are just learning to weave, this might be your first question. This class will demonstrate how to wind a warp using either a warping board, a warping mill or chairs! You will observe the process of securing all those strings and getting them properly aligned on the loom. During these demonstrations there will be some opportunity for you to have your hands on the process.
   In addition we will take a close look at a weaving draft and demystify the secret code of weavers.
   Experience: You should be able to go home and warp without tears!
   Materials to bring: note-taking supplies. Optional: camera

How to Feed Minerals & Vitamins
   Woody Lane
   Friday, June 18, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $9 materials fee
   This is a practical workshop on feeding minerals and vitamins to sheep, goats, alpacas and other livestock. We’ll discuss mineral and vitamin requirements, interactions between these minerals, and common nutritional problems. You’ll learn how to choose mineral and vitamin mixtures that meet your animals’ needs, what to look for in mineral mixtures, some do’s and don’ts about feeding minerals, typical symptoms of mineral problems, and what to do if problems occur. We’ll cover the latest information about selenium, copper, iodine, and others. You’ll learn how to read feed tags. We will also reserve time for discussing your specific concerns about nutrition.
  Woody Lane is a nationally known livestock nutritionist from Roseburg, Oregon. He owns and operates an independent con-sulting firm “Lane Livestock Services”, teaches courses in for-ages and livestock nutrition to ranchers in the area, facilitates three forage study groups for farmers, and writes a popular monthly column “From the Feed Trough...” for The Shepherd magazine. Woody is a popular speaker across the United States and Canada, and over the past few years, has helped develop the well-known SID Sheep Production Handbook. Woody earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University.
   Materials to bring: feedtags and forage reports from your own farm.

Spinning Long Draw for Beginners -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Jeane deCoster
   Friday, June 18, 1:30-4:30p.m.
   Cost: $40 plus $18 materials fee to cover fiber used in class
   Learn this fast, relaxed method for spinning soft, lofty yarns! Once you learn the long draw you won’t want to go back to any other method. We will discuss the difference between worsted and woolen techniques, how to set up your spinning wheel to get the yarn you want, and semi-worsted and semi-woolen methods. Amaze your friends with your newly-acquired one-handed spinning technique!
   Experience: Students should be able to spin a continuous thread. Not suitable for spindles.
   Materials to bring: Students should bring a spinning wheel with all working parts, 3 empty bobbins and a tensioned kate.

My First Sock
   Angela Davis
   Friday, June 18, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40
   In this fun and lively class, you will learn the basics of knitting socks on double-pointed needles while completing a mini-sock using all of the techniques necessary to knit most any sock you’d like. We will discuss how to translate the techniques to make adult sized socks with a perfect fit.
   Experience: Intermediate knitting skills required. Participants must be able to cast on, knit, purl, K2tog, SSK and bind off.
    Materials to bring: US size 7 (4.50 mm) DPN’s; fist-sized ball of light colored, smooth, worsted weight wool; scissors; locking stich markers or coilless saftey pins; small ruler or tape measure; tapestry needle; small crochet hook (just in case); your sense of humor (this will be fun!)
Optional: one ore more skeins of sock yarn from a Black Sheep Gathering vendor you just couldn’t resist. We can have a little show and drool – I mean show and tell.

Registration Closed
Check availability at BSG

Saturday, June 19th, Morning Classes

Lace Knitting: Beginnings & Endings
   Cynthia Heeren
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $10 materials fee which includes yarn and notions for class projects and project book
   Take the terror out of knitting lace. This course will cover the basics of knitting lace: the materials needed, basic stitch tech-niques, reading the patterns, tips and tricks to help you along the way, finishing techniques and the mysteries of blocking. Gain the tools to knit the heirloom masterpiece you’ve always dreamed of!
   Experience: Participants must be able to comfortably work the following stitches: knit, purl, yarn over, ssk, k2tog, cast-on and bind off.
    Materials to bring: US size 4 (3.5 mm) and US size 8 (5.00 mm) knitting needles either circular or straight. Bamboo or wood needles are preferred if you have them.

Meet the Ply Brothers -- Class FILLED
   Lynn Ruggles
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 No materials fee
   You’ve heard them talked about, but aren’t quite sure how to go about making their acquaintance. In this class you will meet Navajo plying, whose specialty is making a 3-ply yarn using one bobbin of singles. He’s a versatile guy and has a few more tricks up his sleeve and you will also learn his secrets for making a 4-ply yarn and an easy novelty yarn. You will also be introduced to Andean plying, an easy technique for plying short amounts of yarn into a 2-ply yarn without assistance from their sister, Lazy Kate.
   Experience: All levels of spinners welcome.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working order; lazy kate; 1 empty bobbin; 2 bobbins at least half-full of spun singles of any weight (need not match) Optional: niddy-noddy would be useful.

Cast-on Cornucopia
   JC Briar
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $2 materials fee for comprehensive handouts
   Dozens of cast-on techniques exist: one-strand or two-strand; loose and flowing or elastic and springy; invisible or decorative. Review your options in this class—try variations on old favor-ites, and discover entirely new options. Best of all, gain the familiarity you need to choose just the right cast-on for your next project.
   Experience: Basic knitting experience required.
   Materials to bring: Smooth, light-colored, worsted-weight yarn; needles of a size appropriate for your yarn, including a set of double-pointed needles or two circulars; needles two sizes smaller than you would normally use with your yarn. A crochet hook, roughly the samle size as your larger needles; smooth, tightly twisted waste yarn in a contrasting color.

Sampling a Fleece in a Flash
   Judie Overbeek
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $7 materials fee which covers fibers and organizers.
   For a spinner, buying a fleece can be a peak experience. But at some point you need to do something with it. How best to use that fleece can be determined by doing a series of quick samples to see how it behaves with different preparations and spinning tech-niques. You can have a very good snapshot of the possibilities in a short time with the methods used in this class. We’ll look at three very different fleeces: merino, corriedale and shetland. You will end up with about 15 samples of yarn for each of these in 3 hours. Time permitting, you may be able to spin enough of your favorite yarn to nit a swatch. Sampling is time well spent and this technique makes it efficient and quick.
   Experience: Intermediate. Students must be able to spin a continuous thread and be familiar with their wheel.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; maintenace kit; note-taking supplies; knitting needles for worsted weight yarn.

Beyond Plaid: Waulking Around Scotland
   Nadine Sanders
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 No materials fee.
   In a country where there are more sheep than people, fiber is still an important aspect of everyday life. Interest in Celtic music, culture, spirituality, imagery, dance, Shetland sheep, and the Gaelic language has been growing worldwide in recent years. This montage of music, images and cloth will introduce you to fiber artists in Scotland using their rich, cultural heritage and influence to produce work: plaid and beyond.
  The multi-media introduction sets the scene for waulking handwoven cloth. Experience the fun, camaraderie and wonder-ful results of finishing cloth by hand while Nadine fiddles and we all sing!
   Experience: All levels welcome.
   Materials to bring: If you have handwoven yardage or want to weave yardage to be waulked, please contact Nadine for details: nadine@singingweaver.com

Natural Dyeing with Mushrooms -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Marika Banyacski
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-12:30pm
   Cost: $55 plus $10 materials fee for mordants, mushrooms, yarn, roving, photocopies of information and resources
   There is a magical world of color out there in the most amazing places! Come explore the magic and delight of dyeing with mushrooms! Our workshop begins with learning how to properly prepare animal fibers with the most environmentally friendly mordants in order to be dyed with mushrooms. Each participant will have the opportunity to prepare a small skein of wool and some roving for the day’s dye baths. We will then learn about some common and easy to identify mushrooms that can be used for dyeing and then the magic begins. We will prepare and cook up some dye baths with mushrooms and let the color begin to flow. Each participant will have a small skein of wool to take home with them as well as a length of roving with the day’s dye results.
   Experience: All levels welcome.
   Materials to bring: Clothes you can get dirty; apron; rubber gloves; note-taking supplies.

Saturday, June 19th, All Day Classes

Rigid Heddle Weaving
   Suzie Liles
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $15 materials fee for enough yarn for a scarf
   Rigid Heddle weaving is a great way to learn how to weave. It is a wonderful way to use those handspun yarns. You will learn to warp and weave on a rigid heddle loom in one day. You will warp and weave a scarf in one day. I will provide looms for anyone that does not have one.
   Experience: Beginner
   Materials to bring: Tapestry needle, note-taking materials, tape measure, treading hook if you have one, rigid heddle loom if you have one.
   Note: Please contact the instructor at suzie@eugenetextilecenter.com if you need to borrow a loom

Beginning Spinning: I Really Want to Spin Straw Into Gold -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Laurie Weinsoft
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $10 materials fee for fiber
   Do you want to learn how to spin? Laurie brings her popular class for beginning spinners to the Black Sheep Gathering. The class will expose the new spinner to the spinning wheel, how it works and how to keep it spinning. We will explore and use a broad spectrum of spinning fibers starting with a variety of wools. We will learn how to pick out a hand spinning fleece as well as how to wash and prepare the wool for spinning. We will move forward as the class and your skills improve to spinning silks, mohair and blends of these fibers. The drum carder and hand cards will be available to try as time allows.
   Experience: Beginner
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; at least 3 bobbins.

Berets & Bags
   Loyce Ericson
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $25 materials fee includes all wool, reusable plastic pattern and written instructions
   A matching felted set, so fast and so fun. Make this jaunty beret and matching one-piece felted bag. A unique and colorful beret, make it with one, none or many “doodles” on top. And the bag, one-piece construction makes it easy. Sleek, smart and the handle is the closure. No sewing, no knitting, no prior felting experience, immediate gratification at its fiber best. We will work with a plastic resist and fine wool accenting our pieces with silk, yarn, lace or wool locks. No felting experience needed.
   Experience: All levels welcome
   Materials to bring: Couple of old towels, clothes you can get dirty/wet.

Womankind in Wool
   Ayala Talpai
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $5 materials fee for instructions, 2 felting needles, a special long armature needle, sturdy yarn for armature, choice of curly locks for hair, and various oddments at whim of Instructress.
   Nothing like wool and a felting needle for expressing the Volup-tuous— we’ll be dealing with goddess proportions here, no beanpoles allowed! And in an all-day workshop, there is plenty of time for detail work, whether your babe is fully or partly clothed, or twined in flower tattoos. We’ll leave in the company of our best girlfriend or alter ego.
   Experience: none
   Materials to bring: 3x6x6” soft foam for working surface; scissor; 4 oz structural stuffing wool (any old stuff as long as it’s washed and carded); 2 oz skin-colored wool; tufts and fluffs of various wools you like for decoration; any hairy or softspun yarn for embellishment.

The Shepherd’s Rug—A Braided Rug from Roving -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Letty Klein
   Saturday, June 19, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $15 materials fee for equipment kit which contains everything needed to complete the project except for the roving
   Do you have a closet full of fiber or are you a shepherd wishing to make something unique and useful from your fiber animals? Then this day-long workshop is for you. Students will learn how to braid roving, felt the braids, and sew the braids into a beautiful, functional rug. In this class students will complete a simple chair pad using minimal equipment or it could be the start of a rug. We will braid in the morning. The instructor will go to a laundromat over lunch to felt and dry the braids. The afternoon will be spent sewing. Throughout the day we will talk about rug designs, fiber and color options, as well as tips and other techniques. The techniques learned can then be used to create their own beautiful rugs at home.
   Experience: none
   Materials to bring: 1 lb roving in 2-3 colors or shades. Long staples are easiest to braid, but any roving will work. Alpaca, llama, mohair and dog hair is best blended with about 20% sheep wool.
   Note: Roving can be purchased from the instuctor. Instructor will have copies of her book The Shepher’s Rug available for purchase. For more information go to www.plfkarakuls.com/book.html

Saturday, June 19th, Afternoon Classes

Spinning Cashmere
   Cynthia Heeren
   Saturday, June 19, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $17.50 materials fee for handouts and cash mere to spin
   Learn to spin the heavenly fiber-cashmere. This workshop will explore the properties of the fiber, what to look for when purchasing, how to tune your wheel for the best results, techniques to prepare and how to spin the fiber.
   Experience: Basic spinning and plying abilities required.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; at least one empty bobbin; spinning oil. Optional: Fast Flyer or whorls; three empty bobbins; lazy kate.

Spinning Shetland for Lace -- Class FILLED
   Lynn Ruggles
   Saturday, June 19, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $5 materials fee for handouts, sample card of Shetland yarns and Shetland fiber for spinning
   Shetland is well known for its hap shawls (worn for warmth) and its wedding ring shawls, knit from very fine spun Shetland yarn. This class will include a discussion of the Shetland breed, and the history of lace making in Shetland. We will look at commercial samples of Shetland lace-weight yarn and knitted samples of hap shawls and cobweb lace to understand how the yarns behave and how to reproduce them. In this class you will learn to spin a 2-ply lace-weight yarn and a singles cobweb yarn, suitable for knitting a fine lace shawl.
   Experience: Students should be able to spin an even, continuous thread.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working order; 3 bobbins; lazy kate. Optional: laceweight flyer and bobbin if you have them (don’t go buy if you don’t have); flick carder or hand cards.

Bind-off Bonanza
   JC Briar
   Saturday, June 19, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $2 materials fee for comprehensive handouts
   Creating a firm and sturdy bind-off edge is child’s play: you just keep a secure grip on the yarn as you bind off. But what if you need some other kind of bind-off edge? Take this class and learn about supple and seamless bind-offs for sock tops, bind-offs that blend into ribbing, and decorative bind-offs.
   Experience: Basic knitting experience required.
   Materials to bring: Plain, smooth, light colored, worsted weight yarn; needles appropriate for your yarn, needles two sizes smaller than the first set, a crochet hook, roughly US size G/6 (4mm); a tapestry needle.

Registration Closed
Check availability at BSG

Sunday, June 20th, Morning Classes

Somewhere Over the Rainbow -- Class FILLED
   Laurie Weinsoft
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost: $40 plus $20 materials fee for rainbow rovings and special threads used during class
   Welcome to the world of color and experimentation. We have those wonderful spaced dyed rovings we bought and brought home to spin because we just loved the colors. Then we find them more difficult to spin than the fluffy undyed wool used in your beginning spinning class. Or you really loved the roving but there was only a small amount available in the color you wanted and no more is available. This class will take you down the road to successful rainbow spinning, starting with the basics of opening and spinning this wonderful roving, even picking the colors as you go. We will play with plying including Navaho plying, for the best use of the color in your final garment or yarn. Finally we will run those rovings through the drum carder and see how carding and adding other fibers to your roving will change the final yarn and increase the amount of fiber you have to spin. We will use “rainbow” rovings in many different colors and fibers along with silk, mohair, alpaca, angora and flash.
   Experience: Students should be able to spin a continuous thread without stopping.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition; three bobbins; lazy kate.

Shearing On Your Own
   Susie Wilson
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-12:30pm
   Cost $55 plus $4 materials fee for handouts
Note: This class will meet in the sheep barn at the Fairgrounds.
  This is one of the most popular classes for the would-be shearer. Susie guides you through the intricacies and fun of shearing your own animals. Learn how someone without previous experience can quickly learn to shear a sheep or goat. You’ll learn technique and shearing patterns using hand and/or electric clippers.
*Susie advises taking this class before you buy any clippers.*
   Materials to bring: none

Spinning Primitive Breeds -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Judith Mackenzie-McCuin
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40 plus $10 materials fee
   This class will explore primitive breeds such as Icelandic, Shetland and Navajo Churro. Learn about their wide range of wool characteristics, the best use of each type, and how to prepare and spin these wonderful fleeces.
   Experience: All levels welcome
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition and all its parts.

Inkle Weaving -- Class FILLED
   Suzie Liles
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-12:30pm
   Cost $55 plus $5 materials fee for yarn for a belt or sash
   Learn the process of warping and weaving on an Inkle Loom. These looms are great for belts, bands and embellishing strips. An inkle loom is one you can take with you on trips. This is a fun and rewarding class for all age groups and levels of experience. I will provide looms for anyone who does not have one.
   Experience: No experience required.
   Materials to bring: Tape measure, note-taking materials, inkle loom if you have one.
   Note: Please contact the instructor at suzie@eugenetextilecenter.com if you need to borrow a loom.

Paint Your Toes! Stranded Colorwork for Socks
   Janel Laidman
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40 plus $5 materials fee for handouts and knitting thimble
   Knitting stranded colorwork for socks (Fair Isle technique) can be tricky, because it is a less elastic fabric than a regular knit. In this class, we will discuss strategies for compensating for this lack of elasticity and how to keep your tension even. In addition, we will discuss how to design your own colorwork sock, shaping considerations, color choices, and color effects. Each participant will receive an original design pattern, and we will make a miniature sock in class. Students will begin the pattern in class and will be able to finish the sock on their own. We will look at various techniques for knitting with two colors, including carry-ing both yarns in the same hand, carrying the yarns with both hands, knitting inside out and others.
   Experience: Students should be familiar with sock construction.
   Materials to bring: Two contrasting colors of sock yarn, preferably the same brand; preferred needles for sock knitting (DPN’s or circulars) in a size appropriate for your yarn.

The Razor’s Edge
   Dan Wilson
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40 plus $8 materials fee for handouts
   Can’t trim feet because the hoof trimmers are too dull? Strug-gling with hand shears until blisters appear? Come to this workshop and learn how to get a perfectly sharp edge on all the dull surfaces in your life. Learn the theory of a sharp edge and get some hands-on experience sharpening your tools under the watchful eye of this expert sharpener. After this workshop, your trimming, shearing, cutting, chopping, slicing, dicing and prun-ing life will never be the same!
   Experience: None required
   Materials to bring: One tool to sharpen

Sock Block
   Janis Thompson
   Sunday, June 21, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40 plus $12 materials fee
Have a blast dyeing your own self striping or WILD design yarn for socks. Knitted/Undyed blocks and dyes included.
   Experience: None required
   Materials to bring: One roll of plastic wrap, apron and rubber gloves.

Wrapped, Rolled & Gorgeous Felt Accouterments -- Class FILLED
   Loyce Ericson
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40 plus $12 materials fee
   Turn a shell, pebble or twig into a felt wrapped wonder, add a felted cord and some seed beads and it is a personal expression of beauty. Take wools of many colors and roll it in your moistened palm to create a unique bead. Cords, beads, buttons, broaches, we will explore small felted shapes that we can drape dangle or wrap around ourselves.
   Experience: None required
   Materials to bring: A couple of old towels, clothes you can get dirty/wet.

Judging Angora Goats
   Fred Speck
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30-11:30am
   Cost $40
   Note: This class will meet in the goat ring at the Fairgrounds.
   Want to know more about how judges decide how to place a class of goats, what to look for, how to make quick decisions? Fred Speck will share his judging expertise and participants will have the opportunity to test their judging skills. There will be lots of tips and information for all levels of experience.
   Experience: Familiarity with angora judging scorecards will be helpful.
   Materials to bring: none

Sunday, June 20th, All Day Classes

Cables, Toes and Intarsia on Circular Sock Machines -- CANCELLED
   Susan Forsyth
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $20 materials fee includes all yarns used in class, patterns, and paperwork
   In this class, we will expand upon our sock machine skills. We will learn to knit wide cables that run up the side of your leg. We will also experiment with a secondary color to create diamonds or lines—all done with only the cylinder. For those who like the ribber or want to learn how to use one, we can try that too. We will go through the basics and beyond, so if you are new to the CSM world or just want to expand your knowledge, this workshop will cover it all.
   Experience: All levels welcome.
   Materials to bring: Sock knitting machine in good working order including all your tools. Optional: Extra lighting, spectacles for close-up work.
Note: A trouble-shooting workshop can be organized before class if needed. Contact instructor for more details.

Introduction to Knitting Lace Shawls
   Angela Davis
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $4 materials fee for handouts and treats for tea time
   Come learn a circular cast-on and begin knitting a Pi Shawl using fingering weight or sport weight wool. We will progress to simple eyelets, then on to a diamond lace pattern. We will discuss lace basics, how to use stitch markers and lifelines, how to customize lace sections and how to read lace charts. The after   noon session features knitting the rapidly expanding shawl, planning the next lace section and having a lovely afternoon tea in honor of Pi Shawl designer Elizabeth Zimmerman while we explore knitted lace edgings!
   Experience: Intermediate knitting skills required. Students must be able to cast on, knit, purl, yarn over, K2tog and SSK.
   Materials to bring: 1400 yards of Fingering or Sport weight wool; 16” and 24” circular needles US size 6-9 (4.00mm – 5.50mm) with a smooth join. Choose your needles based on yarn weight and personal knitting style. One set of DPN’s the same size as your circulars. 48 stitch markers to fit your chosen needles (small, plain rings work best); basic notions (scissors, small crochet hook, tape measure); point protectors.

Nature’s Color Palette
   Jill Laski
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $15 materials fee includes all fibers, handouts and pictures.
   Using the inspiration from nature we will blend colors to create a yarn that represents the colors in the photo. This color blending class will develop the students eye for color and composition. Each student will receive a photo and colored fibers. Yarns will be created using different color blending techniques.
   Experience: Students must be able to spin a continuous yarn.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working order; 3 bobbins; lazy kate.

Primitive Rug Hooking for Beginners
   Marijo Taylor
   Sunday, June 20, 8:30am-4:30pm
   Cost: $80 plus $50 materials fee for kit which includes 6x6 pattern on linen, cut wool, hook and how-to booklet. Also, rug hooking frame made with gripper strips—$60, or limited use frame—$20
   Our grandmothers fashioned rugs using their families’ worn out clothing out of necessity along with the need for imaginative self-expression. We will learn to make primitive folk-art style rugs using new and recycled wool fabric — “as is” or over-dyed — to make stunningly beautiful rugs. Using a simple beginner’s rug hooking kit students will learn basic rug hooking techniques, how to use color for a time-worn look, primitive pattern design and several rug finishing techniques.
   Experience: No experience necessary.
   Materials to bring: Small sharp sewing scissors; note-taking supplies. Optional: ott light if you own one.

Sunday, June 20th, Afternoon Classes

Spinning Angora -- Class FILLED, Wait List FILLED
   Judith MacKenzie-McCuin
   Sunday, June 20, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $10 material fee
   This class will cover the different Angora rabbit breeds and their fiber. We will learn about the characteristics of Angora fiber and explore blending and plying techniques. This is your opportunity to discover the beauty and potential of this luxuriously soft fiber.
   Experience: Students must be able to spin a continuous yarn.
   Materials to bring: Spinning wheel in good working condition and all its parts.

Pocket Dragons -- Class FILLED
   Ayala Talpai
   Sunday, June 20, 1:30-4:30pm
   Cost: $40 plus $5 materials fee which covers full instructions, 2 felting needles, wing and skeletal armatures, flaming curly locks plus any etc., that occurs to the instructor
   A needle felted version built with wool over a flexible wire armature, of course with wings, grabby claws that’ll hold things, and a tail to hang by (rear-view mirror?) or sit upon.
   Experience: No experience required, only interest! We regularly deal with folks who’ve never heard of or touched WOOL before.
   Materials to bring: 3x6x6” soft foam for working surface; scissors; an ounce or so of structural stuffing wool (carded); equally small amount of carded wool in dragon skin colors.

Black Sheep Gathering, Inc.
PO Box 51092, Eugene, OR 97405
Phone: 503-804-0014
blacksheepgathering@gmail.com

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