From Wool to Waulking: Spinning Wool and Creating Cloth with Norman Kennedy Online Workshop

Following his passion for weaving and spinning, Norman Kennedy has traveled around the world, watching traditional artisans create textiles as they have for generations. By listening to their stories and learning their craft, Norman has preserved skills that were on the verge of disappearing.

In this online workshop, Norman shares stories, songs, and fascinating historical tidbits as he teaches a new generation of spinners about:

• Oiling wool for carding;
• Using hand cards to prepare rolls and batts;
• Dressing and spinning with a distaff;
• Creating Shetland-style lace yarn;
• Successfully spinning wool with a spindle, a treadle wheel, a great wheel, and an electric spinner.

The workshop culminates in a waulking, a communal method for fulling cloth by hand, led and accompanied by Norman's singing in a variety of traditional work songs.

Lesson Outline:

• Introduction
• About Norman Kennedy
• Spinning with a Purpose
• Sorting & Washing Fleece
• Cleaning & Picking Wool
• Carding Batts
• Carding Rolls
• The Treadle Wheel
• Spinning for Lace
• The Great Wheel
• Using the Electric Spinner
• Plying
• Weaving Blankets
• Waulking

Techniques Covered: Sorting, cleaning, and preparing fleece; carding wool; spinning on a variety of spindles and wheels; plying; tips for weaving; waulking (fulling) cloth.

Skill Level: Any level will benefit from this online workshop. While this workshop assumes you are familiar with basic spinning techniques, even beginners will be entertained and enlightened by the history of the craft.

Materials Needed: None. Wool fleece, hand cards, spindle(s) or wheel are all optional.

In this Online Workshop:

• Access your videos anytime, anywhere, with a computer, tablet or smartphone
• Watch videos at your own time and pace
• Get videos, downloads, and interactive content designed for a better learning experience
• Length of video: 170 minutes

About the Instructor:

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, Norman Kennedy has traveled around the world in pursuit of traditional knowledge of fiber arts. He served as Master Weaver at Colonial Williamsburg and founded the Marshfield School of Weaving. An accomplished singer, he performed at the landmark 1965 Newport Folk Festival. The National Endowment for the Arts recognized Norman’s remarkable preservation of folk tradition, naming him a National Heritage Fellow in 2003. He lives in Vermont.