Your life is filled with textiles made from various spun threads and yarn. Come deepen those connections with the fibers that are deeply woven into many aspects of our lives by trying your hand at one of the earliest ways to handspin yarn using a drop spindle. Join us for a fun, educational and meditative day of learning the top whirl dropspindle, and maybe some other styles as welll. We will prepare, card and spin raw wool fleece to create yarn on a drop spindle. You may have time to try different types of fibers and even different types of spindles. You will get to take home your first handspun yarn, as well as a drop spindle to continue exploring this new skill.

Jamie Sparks is a multidisciplinary artist and educator with over 30 years of experience teaching learners of all ages. She has spent more than two decades working with natural fibers, specializing in spinning and felting, and has taught throughout the southeastern U.S., including the John C. Campbell Folk School, Tryon Arts and Crafts School, assisting at Penland School of Crafts and numerous arts councils. Her fiber arts instruction emphasizes the transformation of raw fleece into finished pieces, combining traditional techniques with an accessible, hands-on approach. Jamie holds an Associates in Metalsmithing from Haywood Community College, where she developed her skills in metalwork and design. Prior to her work in the arts, she focused life as a herbal educator and plant biologist with a focus on the relationship between humans and plants—a passion that continues to influence her creative practice.