Spinning Wool

I am really wanting to learn to hand spin using a wheel. Is there anyone in the Tauranga area who can give me lessons??

If you have a look on the Creative Fibre website www.creativefibre.org.nz/areasgroups/categories/bay-of-plenty there should be a local group for you in BOP you can join up with.

I've just joined the Red Hill group and they have been incredibly helpful in getting me started with spinning! They set up my wheel properly and got me going and kept an eye on my progress and problems.

There is going to be a big Creative Fibre workshop & display called Woolfest being held in Auckland on 23rd May where you can watch and be involved in spinning, weaving, dyeing demonstrations, all sorts of other stuff like how to skirt fleeces - I am taking some of my Arapawa fleeces along so that the lady from the Black & Coloured Sheep breeders Assn [which I also belong to] can show me how to prepare the fleece properly for carding and ultimately spinning. Might be a good idea to see if you can go along and I may see you there!

For my sins my hubby has "volunteered" me to spin up and produce a shawl out of wool for the wife of one of our company's USA partners. I have fadges full of Arapawa wool from last years shearing which now has to be processed...... :rolleyes:

Creative Fibre has listings for tutors in spinning but you'll probably find you can ask the members at your local group to give you a hand and get you going [].

I have managed to spin quite a bit of wool since going to my first meeting last week, and did my first bit of plying in the weekend! [8D]

Now have to skein it and wash it to settle the wool down and I will be able to start crocheting the first part of the shawl.

There is a spinning group in Tauranga that meets regularly, not sure if its every week or every other week. I will ask a member and get back to you...

Okay, it seems that the group meets up a lot! Every Monday, every 2nd and 4th Thursday evening of the month and every 3rd Thursday evening of the month they meet at Zest café in Greerton to spin and have coffee! Not suer of times and other venues though.

Probably the easiest thing is to contact Majacraft (07) 5433618 (spinning wheel makers, very friendly, you might even bump into me there) and ask for Glynis. She will let you go up to them in Oropi and have a short introductory lesson and then can give you more details of the group or someone who maybe able to help further.