Category: Workshops past

Workshops past

Wellington Fibres Mill Road Trip

London District Weavers and Spinners


Sherry kindly took a bunch of pictures at Wellington Fibres Mill – the slideshow can be seen here

Donna Hancock will lead us through colour theory and a hands on over-dyeing workshop in her mill.
Bring your lunch and 2 – 25 gram skeins of coloured protein fibre yarn. (No black or dark colours)

Donna will also supply some coloured alpaca, mohair, wool, dyed yarns and the dyes.

Participants will go home with small samples of original and dyed yarns.
We will have the opportunity to meet Donna’s angora goats (mohair), maybe some kids and shop!

Members: $35. Non-members: $45

Over dye class Wellington FibresDownload

COVID protocols

    Your information will be securely sent to and stored in Google Sheets for the purpose of processing your form submission.

    • Proof of full vaccination
    • Mandatory masks for the duration of each class
    • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

    ***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

    Workshops past

    St. Distaff Day/ROC Day

    London District Weavers and Spinners

    Date: Saturday, January 7th 2023
    Time: 10:00 – 2:00
    All wheel and spindle spinners are welcome to a day of fun and games.   
    Bring your lunch, your wheel/spindles and fibre that excites you. 

    In the 17th Century, lyric poet and cleric Robert Herrick wrote of the tradition in his poem, “St Distaff’s Day or the Morrow After Twelfth Night”:

    Partly work and partly play 
    You must on St. Distaff’s Day: 
    From the plough soon free your team; 
    Then come home and fother them; 
    If the maids a-spinning go, 
    Burn the flax and fire the tow. 
    Bring in pails of water then, 
    Let the maids bewash the men. 
    Give St. Distaff all the right; 
    Then bid Christmas sport good night, 
    And next morrow every one 
    To his own vocation.

    This was an excuse to play on the twelfth night as the next day , work begins again. The boys would try to burn the flax and tow while the maids tossed buckets of water on them. Delightful for January. Brrrr….

    LDWS St Distaff Day will be much fun with games, prizes and lots of laughs. There will be time to socialize and try a few new things. It is a fund raiser for the guild.

    Fee: Members: $10 Non-members: $25

      Your information will be securely sent to and stored in Google Sheets for the purpose of processing your form submission.



      Workshops past

      Beginning Weaving Class (Jan 2023)

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      • Learn how to warp a loom
      • Discover basic weaving techniques & weave structures
      • Select appropriate yarns
      • Plan a project
      • Keep records of your projects
      • Follow instruction for projects
      • Learn weaving terminology and equipment

      Maximum of 5 students – Place is held once registration and fee is received.

      Dates: Jan 14, 21, 28 Feb 4 & 11
      Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
      Location: East Lions Community Centre – 1731 Churchill Ave, London, ON
      Instructor: Kathy Morgan
      Cost: $350 members, $380 non-members

      Preregistration is required.

      ***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

      Covid-19 protocols for in person courses:

      • COVID Protocol for classes
      • As of June 1, 2023 – Masks are welcome but not mandatory for the duration of each class
      • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

      Workshops past

      Beginning Spinning Class – Fall 2022

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      Fall Beginner’s Spinning Class

      This class is currently full. A waiting list will be created for a potential second class, (likely in 2023) or to replace a cancellation.
      If interested in a future class, please register and you’ll be notified when the next class is scheduled. Please wait until notified to pay.

      This Spinning Wheel course is for the person who would like to learn how to spin on a Spinning wheel, while having fun making your own yarn from wool fibres. 

      We will cover:

      • The working of the spinning wheel
      • How to prepare fibres for spinning
      • Spinning the yarn
      • Finishing yarn

      Location: This course will be in person, and take place at the East Lion’s Community Centre in the North Art Room

      Cost: The course fee will be $135 for LDWS Members and $150 for non-members – payable on registration . A material fee of $25 will be required to be paid on the first day of class.

      The class will have a minimum of 5 students and a maximum of 7. Spinning wheels are available for use during the class. If you have your own please indicate in the form below

      Dates: September 17, September 24 and October 1

      Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

      Covid-19 protocols for in person courses:

      • Proof of double vaccination
      • Mandatory masks for the duration of each class
      • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

      ***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

      Workshops past

      Beginning Weaving – Spring 2022

      Sue P

      ***COURSE CANCELLED – LACK OF REGISTRATION

      We are excited to be able to offer our beginner’s weaving course once again!

      Join the class and learn the basics of weaving from warping the loom to getting those edges just right. Participant’s will be guided by seasoned weaver Kathy Morgan and all required material’s will be provided.

      This course will be in person and available to only 5 participants.

      Location: East Lions Community Centre (Wavell Street, London, Ontario)

      Dates: April 23, April 30, May 7, May 14, May 28

      Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm (Classroom will be open to participant’s at 9:30am)

      Price: For member $320; For non-member $350 (Price includes use of equipment and all required materials)

      Please note: Registration is on a first-come first-serve basis, and is based on the date payment is received.

      ***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

      The LDWS Guild will still be adhering to specific Covid-19 health mearsures, please review the protocols in place for in person courses below:

      • Proof of double vaccination
      • Mandatory masks for the duration of each class
      • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre
      Workshops past

      Beginning Weaving Course – Winter 2022

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      ***UPDATE COURSE FULL

      We are excited to be able to offer the second beginner’s weaving course for the 2021-2022 year!

      Join the class and learn the basics of weaving from warping the loom to getting those edges just right. Participant’s will be guided by seasoned weaver Kathy Morgan and all required material’s will be provided.

      This course will in person and available to limited numbers of participants.

      Location: East Lions Community Centre (Wavell Street, London, Ontario)

      Dates: March 5, 12, 19, 22, and April 2, 2022 (Alternative date in case of a cancellation of one listed: April 9, 2022)

      Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm (Classroom will be open to participant’s at 9:30am)

      Price: For member $320; For non-member $350 (Price includes use of equipment and all required materials)

      Covid-19 protocools for in person courses:

      • Proof of double vaccination
      • Completed pre-screening questionnaire prior to each class
      • Mandatory masks for the duration of each class
      • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

      Please note: Registration is on a first-come first-serve basis, and is based on the date payment is received.

      Workshops past

      Beginning Weaving Course – Fall 2021

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      **UPDATE: COURSE FULL

      The beginner’s weaving course is back!

      Learn the basics of weaving from warping the loom to getting those edges just right. Participant’s will be guided by seasoned weaver Kathy Morgan and all required material’s will be provided.

      This course will in person and available to limited numbers of participants.

      Location: Boyle Community Centre (530 Charlotte Street, London, Ontario)

      Dates: October 17, 24, 31 & November 7, 14 (Alternative date in case of a cancellation of one listed: November 21, 2021)

      Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm (Classroom will be open to participant’s at 9:30am)

      Price: For member $320; For non-member $350 (Price includes use of equipment and all required materials)

      Covid-19 protocools for in person courses:

      • Proof of double vaccination
      • Completed pre-screening questionnaire prior to each class
      • Mandatory masks for the duration of each class
      • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the Boyle Community Centre
      Misc, Workshops past

      Sheep to Sock

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      Course Description

      This adventurous group will gather once a month over zoom to work through the process of taking fibre through the spinning and then the knitting of a finished pair of socks.

      1. Janice Watterworth will cover topics and include demonstrations of the types of fibres, preparations and spinning techniques to create durable and hard-wearing socks.  It will include various carding and blending methods, the spinning of 2 ply vs 3 ply and cabled yarns.  (Spinners must be able to spin a single and create a simple 2 ply yarn.)
      2. Joan Janes will teach a cuff down sock knitting class which will be appropriate for all weights of yarns. This will be designed for beginner to intermediate knitters.  (Must be able to cast on, knit and purl.)

      All classes will be virtual through Zoom.
      Live virtual classes will be on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm – Sept. 15, Oct. 20, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, Jan. 19, Feb 16, March 2, April 20
      Live sessions will be recorded and accessible to registrants for one month.           
       ‘Sheep to Sock’ includes both the spinning and knitting classes:
          $50 for members; and non-members: $65
      For non-spinners, the knitting classes are: $25 for members;
          and non-members: $35                
      Knitting Dates: Jan. 19 – Prepping for Socks, Feb. 16, and March 2.
      It may be possible to have an in-person dye class with our newly spun sock yarn in January or early February: let’s wait and see on this one!

      Materials:

      1. A working spinning wheel with 3 to 4 bobbins, a lazy kate, hand carders, niddy noddy or skein winder. 
      2. Joan’s multi-size ‘Sock Science’ pattern is included.  Use a set of 5 double pointed needles in a size that works for your handspun – this will be determined in the January class.  If you have sock knitting experience and prefer other methods such as magic loop or 2 circulars, go for it.

      Participants can source their own fibre or order a 250 gram box of
      70 wool/30 mohair blend of natural coloured roving,
      (undyed) from Wellington Fibres, near Elora.
      Cost is $35 including taxes.
      Orders must be in to Janice by June 21st.

      Misc, Workshops past

      WeaveDesign© Study Group via Zoom

      London District Weavers and Spinners

      All recordings for this workshop are available free of charge for the guild members at: Recorded Workshops

      Are you a new weaver, using weaving patterns you have found in magazines or received from instructors, but would like to progress now to making your own weaving patterns? Does this just seem tedious to do with paper and pencil or just a wee bit intimidating to do on line?  Well, we have a study group that you may want to learn about and join up with virtually this month (March 2021).

      Dan Lajoie is a long time weaver and a proficient user of the software, WeaveDesign*. Dan has offered to work with a small group of guild members to demonstrate this software and show you some of the finer points of working with WeaveDesign and get you creating your own weaving patterns.

      In this study group, you will be shown how to:

      – Create, read and save weaving patterns in this software (eg. loom patterns with straight tie ups for weaving on a rigid heddle or four harness loom patterns with straight or multiple tie ups)

      – Review and edit your design using the program’s copy, cut, repeat functions and colour palette

      – Store and retrieve your patterns both online and offline

      At the end of this study group, you will have the knowledge you need so that, after a bit of practice on your own, you will be ready to create your own weaving patterns using WeaveDesign.  For those of you who have dreamed of being proficient with Fibreworks, this will bring you closer to realizing that dream.

      Registration for this Study Group is Required.

       The study group is limited to eight (8) participants.  You need to register to participate by emailing  ldwsguild@gmail.com .  You will be notified when your registration has been confirmed (or be invited to go on a waiting list for a possible future study group).

      Registration Fee: FREE
      Please register at        ldwsguild@gmail.com
       
      Study Group Session Dates:  There will be 3 scheduled study group sessions for this group – each session will be one (1) hour in length via Zoom.
       
      Wednesdays March 17th, 24th and 31st at 10 a.m.

      * WeaveDesign is a copyright © 2002-2004 software program for creating weaving drafts and drawdowns created by Bengt Nelsom and is available as a free download off the internet.