Choice of workshops throughout the day:

10.00am - Distaff Spinning

11.00am - Needle Felt a Sheep

10.00am - Wet Felting part 1

LUNCHTIME

2pm - Wet Felting - part 2

1:30pm - Natural Dye Workshop

2.30pm - Tuffet weaving

Throughout the day:

• Sit & Spin in the Shearing Shed (free) - simply turn up with your own wheel / spindle & spin in company of sheep, shearers, fleeces & folks here on the day

• Demo (free) - Fancy Art Yarn spinning with Sue Kimber from Farm Crafts - Location TBC

Please note - £10pp for each workshop covers set up and delivery costs

Please contact us for accessibility discounts - suitable for students etc as we aim to make everyone welcome to our events and educational programmes

Workshop details:

10am - 1.00pm - distaff spinning with Jane Hunt

This 3 hour workshop is being held in a ground floor, private, heated workshop room we call the Saloon and teas and coffee with easy access to the toilets and café

This workshop is aimed specifically at those who can already spin and have a basic understanding of how yarn is made.

The distaff and spindle is a frequent sight in historical illustrations over many centuries, with the long distaff in particular being used for spinning wool, as well as flax, from at least the 12th century right up until the Industrial Revolution. At a time when all yarn was spun by hand, efficiency was important and this particular hand spindle technique is capable of producing 100m/hr+ once proficiency is achieved.

In this workshop the tutor, Jane Hunt of A Distaff Spinners Diary, will show you how she dresses her distaff with hand combed wool, before teaching the in-hand spinning technique followed by the short suspension technique, using a medieval style spindle.

We will also look at using wool combs to prep fibre for worsted spinning from the distaff.

All tools and fibre will be provided on the day and distaffs and spindles will be available for sale (£25-£30) at the end of the workshop.

Examples of distaff spinning can be seen here:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571256551754

https://www.instagram.com/granny.jane/

10.00am - 1.00 - Wet Felting Laani Takaha - wild wool collar workshop - part 1

Learn from Laani, a felt maker from Dartmoor - the ancient craft of wet felting with freshly shorn Fernhill fleece and curls, where we will make a wild wool collar

Using wet felt and needle felt techniques, craft yourself a collar in whatever size and fleece you choose

The workshop will be 10am - 4pm with a lunch break in the middle -

This workshop is being held in the Hay Shed, next to the Saloon workshop room, café and toilets

Instagram is: @hamamacrafts www.hamamacrafts.co.uk

11am - 12.30pm - needle felt a sheep with Lesley Hill Textiles

Needle felt a sheep workshop is a 1.5 hour workshop in a small group setting in the main Horseshoe Barn, where Leslie will take the whole group* step by step through to the creation of a sheep - ideal for beginners, these sheep will be felted purely from washed wool and decorated with washed curly locks - no wires will be used in this short workshop and sheep will be lying down and fit inside a Human hand

Please note, Sheep in this photo is creamy white - we will be updating with all our native shades asap - all colours will be available here on the day

Not suitable for anyone under 12 years thanks

Sheep make ideal shelf ornament or participants can turn them into key rings if they wish to do so - keep away from pets

The workshop is priced at £35 per person, which includes washed fleece from the farm, plus a small contribution to the farm for administration and delivery

*If we fill all these spaces we will run this workshop again in the afternoon so please do let us know if you wish to book and spaces are limited / not available thanks

LUNCH TIME

1.30pm - 4pm - natural dyes with Ria Burns

This 2.5 hour workshop is being held in a ground floor, private, heated workshop room we call the Saloon and includes access to teas and coffee with easy access to the toilets and café

We’ll use natural dye plants gathered on the farm, plus fresh flowers from Ria’s Bristol garden to dye Fernhill wool yarns in a range of vibrant colours, using a variety of different natural dye techniques

The workshop is priced at £50per person, which includes 60g of yarn to dye (in the form of 6 x 10g mini skeins)

2pm - 4pm Wet Felting with Laani Takahata - wild wool collar workshop - part 2

Finishing your wild wool collar, using wet felt and needle felt techniques

The workshop will be 10am - 4pm with a lunch break in the middle - lunch is not provided

This workshop is being held in the Hay Shed, next to the Saloon workshop room, café and toilets

Instagram is: @hamamacrafts www.hamamacrafts.co.uk

2.30pm - 4pm Peg-loom tuffets with Lesley Hill Textiles

Taking place in the Sheep Shearing Shed, suitable for every age and ability

This simple form of weaving uses our raw fleece to create a textured tuffet that can be used as a cushion for sitting by a campfire or on a picnic. Use our naturally coloured fleece to create patterns of stripes or gradients

Using fleece from our sheep's wool to make a tuffet on a peg loom, and you can still be amongst some of the sheep that provide the wool and see how and where they're shorn

Full Fibre Experience event details here: Fernhill Fibre Experience — Fernhill Fibre