Do you want to learn how to work with unprocessed wool? Do you want to support local farmers raising beautiful sheep? Did you buy a fleece at an auction and have no idea what to do with it? Join the Vancouver Fibreshed, a working group of EartHand Gleaners in our fall program, Sheep to Swatch!

This 2-day workshop led by VFS leadership will guide you through the process of turning a raw sheep’s fleece into spinnable fibre and yarn.

Day 1 (Sunday, November 22, 2-5PM, Trillium Park): Skirting and scouring, plus time to talk about what to look for in a fleece, where to get fleece, and how to store it. This portion of the workshop will take place outside, in a covered space. Tea included.

Day 2 (Monday, November 30, 6-9 PM, Soft Spot Studio): Picking, carding, and spinning, with time for questions, troubleshooting, and knowledge-sharing. This portion of the workshop will take place inside. Please note that Soft Spot Studio is accessible only by stairs.

If you join us, you will take home ~30-60 grams of fibre, the confidence to work with your own fleeces, and join a community of like-minded wool lovers interested in local fibre.

This event reflects EartHand’s commitment to working with local materials, shared skills, and low‑impact making, and the VFS’s goals of revitalizing our local fibre economy. We look forward to sharing this work with you!

Tickets are available at a sliding scale, which helps us cover the price of materials, space rental, instruction, and raise money for future programming. If cost is a barrier to your participation, please reach out to thevancouverfibreshed@gmail.com

Instructors: Maddy Prevost, Mhicaella Lopez, and Vanessa Ferronato

Payment options: $100, $75, $50

Dates: Two-day workshop (November 22, 2-5pm and November 30, 6-9pm)

We are exploring ways to bridge the space between learning more formally in our workshops and the impromptu sharing that happens over drop-in sessions.
The creation of these focused co-learning pods is intended to be a a place for folx with a limited amount of experience in the area, already ‘in’ a project looking for a focused supportive group to stay on track towards project completion with those UFO’s, or those wishing to further hone one’s skill within a community of fellow makers. Each Pod has a different schedule, a Slack conversation space to stay connected between gathering times and maximum size that feels right for the person stepping into hosting that Pod.

Join in to show and tell about your recent spinning, get tips or tricks and problem solve. Participants who share the love of spinning will be encouraged to try new styles and methods while spending time spinning together.

Thursday nights on zoom 7:00 – 8:30pm
May 7
May 11
July 9
July 23
Oct 1
Oct 8
Oct 22
Oct 29 and every Thursday concluding on Dec 10

max of 10 participants

Facilitator: Heather Cameron

Payment Options: $90, $60, $30