Exploring Ancient Skills

Turn rocks into pieces of art by wrapping them using Japanese weaving and basketry techniques.
Wrapping materials and stones will be provided but students are welcome to bring their own supplies too.

This workshop is all about Shibori Stitched Tie Dye methods.

How to stitch fabric to achieve various effects when dyeing.

Students would not be doing any dyeing at the workshop – this will just be a preparation workshop – instructions will be given on how to dye at home.

Discover the basics of mosaic knitting, a form of slipped stitch knitting. Mosaic knitting is a way to create geometric patterns by slipping stitches. An easy way of knitting with two or more colours.

• Granny Squares – An old favourite for modern times!
  
• Master basic crochet stitches
  
• Crochet a basic Granny Square
  
• Crochet a small version to make original jewellery items
  
• Learn to stitch or sew squares together
  
• Learn to use different-sized squares to make fashionable clothing or household items
  
• Explore more complicated square and how to find free useful lessons and courses on the Internet.
• Basic colour theory and how to apply it to your item

Everything you need will be included in the course fee but do bring your own crochet hooks and any yarn you feel comfortable with.

You will be using size 3.00mm, 3.50mm, and 4.00mm hooks and sport and double-knitting yarn.

BONUS: I offer a no-charge follow-up workshop to ensure that you can catch up on the basics and be able to finish your item to your satisfaction.

Using Mohair and other lovely fibres we will create yarn paper. This could be stitched on, framed or used in other creative ways.

The materials will be provided for this workshop

What to bring
Surgical Gloves
Apron
Any fabulous fibres you have you would like to include

Dorset buttons are buttons sewn with thread or yarn. They originate in Dorset in England and were manufactured on a large scale between the 1600s and 1850 when button-making machines were invented.

Today Dorset buttons can be the functional, simple, elegant textile buttons they were back in the day, or elaborate, colourful tapestry artworks and anything in between. For weaving, knitting and crochet projects custom made Dorset buttons are a nice finish.
There are a few different traditional Dorset button types. We will learn to make two types; Dorset cartwheel buttons and birds-eye buttons. Cartwheel buttons are worked onto a ring and birds-eye buttons are worked with thread only creating a firm but flexible button. A precursor to modern-day rugby-shirt buttons made of rubber.
All materials will be supplied but you are welcome to bring your own yarns or embroidery floss if you like.

Suitable for participants age 12 and up.

Kavelfrans meaning ’rolling-pin fringe’ is a versatile Nordic pile fringe traditionally used to embellish garments, cushions and blankets. Typically kavelfrans is made with woollen yarn, but other fibres can work just as well giving a different visual effect.

A fringe added to the edge of a textile protects the edge and looks pretty. Because you can work with relatively short ends a kavelfrans fringe is a perfect way of upcycling thrums and short left-over yarn scraps.
We will be looking at two different ways of making kavelfrans . Yarns and tools will be supplied, but you are very welcome to bring your own yarns or yarn ends if you like.
Suitable for participants age 14 and up.

What the course entails:
• Start off with the care and proper fitment of a wheel, i.e. alignment, correct drive band and break band fitments.
• Rhythm, basic coordination and comfortable introduction to spinning.
• Continuous spinning, progressing to singles / plying / Navajo plying
• The understanding of various fibres
• Carding fibre – with hand carders and a drum carder
Students would be advised to source their own raw sheep’s wool. It has to be well prepared (washed / lanolin removed) and workable. If students have any other fibre available, it would be of an advantage to bring that along.
Students have to indicate if they have their own spinning wheels available > it is preferred that they bring their own. It’s preferable that students bring standard Ashford wheels to work on.
Students have to bring their own hand carders. If they have drum carders, that would also be to an advantage. They should also bring their own extra bobbins and threading hooks.

Learn to create your own ikukho (a small sedge mat) with master amaXhosa weavers.
In this introductory class, you will learn the stories behind this ancient craft as well as the materials used to make it.

We look at the traditional knowledge that goes into harvesting and preparing the plant used in this type of weaving.
All equipment and material provided.

You will be provided with your backing fabric and your roving to create a lovely lightweight scarf for the in-between weather.

What to bring:
Apron
Small towel
Kitchen cloth
A small basin to take your work home
If you have natural yarns or kid mohair or sari silk bring it along to include in your scarf.

Come explore, play with and discover an Indigo vat. The richness and depth of this magical colour will have you mesmerized.

You will need to bring along cotton fabric, linen fabric, cheese cloth any natural fibre.

Fabrics need to be laundered first. Do not add any fabric softener to the washed and rinsed fabric.

Fabric should be roughly 50cm x50cm.

Please bring:
Gloves
Apron
Bucket/plastic basin
Old hand towel
Sharp pair of scissors
Needles of different sizes
Sewing thread
Quick unpick
String in various thickness

If you have:
G-clamps
Elastic bands
Small rigid shapes in triangles, squares or circles (to form a resist when folding fabric

Wear old clothes as you could get dirty.

Card weaving (aka tablet weaving) is a very ancient way of making strong, decorative bands. Examples have been discovered in archaeological diggings in many different parts of the world.
These bands had a variety of uses such as camel girths. Beautiful, very long ones would be laced between the struts of the nomads yurts. Before cardboard, bone or stiff leather
would have been used to make the tablets. This course is for beginners and will include 12 cards and the required yarn will be supplied. Once you’ve mastered the technique you will be able to experiment with a never ending variety of patterns.

Weave a variety of lace techniques as a wall hanging on a rigid heddle loom.’

Students need to bring 300g 4 ply or thinner cotton, wool or bamboo in 2 similar shades of colour. No fuzzy yarns.

Hours: weekdays 10:00-15:00, weekends 9:00-15:00

Come and join our creative sock knitting workshop where you will learn the following techniques on a baby sock. This will enable you to use these skills for an adult sock. You will learn the following:
– How to knit with the Magic Loop
– The Long Tail cast on
– Heel Flap
– Turn Heel
– Gusset
– Measurement of Foot
– Toe Sharping
– Kitchner Stitch

PLEASE NOTE: This is an intermediate knitting course and basic knowledge of knitting and purling skills are required.
The course will involve three 3-hour lessons on Monday 24th April, Wednesday 26th April and Saturday 29th April, starting at 10:00 and finishing at 13:00.

Venue: Richard Crowie Hall at Kirstenbosch

Price including
– Addi 80cm circular lace needle 2.75cm
– 25gmrs of sock yarn
– Baby and Adult sock pattern
– entrance to Kirstenbosch for those 3 days:

The rigid heddle loom is ideal to begin weaving on. It’s light, easily transportable, easy to warp and set up, and you can use it for a wide variety of projects. Plus, it’s relatively inexpensive.

For this beginner’s course, you will learn all the basics. You will learn how to calculate yarn quantities, warp up and put stripes into the warp, thread the heddle and tie on the warp. You will learn to weave an evenly woven fabric with straight selvages and you will learn how to change colours as you weave.

You will learn Soumak and Leno as two decorative edgings, and to add some decoration, you will learn in-lay.

During the two days you will weave fabric for a scarf, bag, or table runner.

Participants will learn all the basics to start weaving on their own:

• Planning and making a warp on a warping board
• Beaming the warp using a raddle
• Drawing in (threading the heddles)
• Sleying the reed
• Tying on the warp
• Reading drafts (lift plans)
• Winding pirn and stick shuttles
• Troubleshooting at the loom, broken warp ends etc.
• Finishing of final cloth
Students will weave a product, and afterward, should time permit do an experimental sampler of various weaving structures.

The technique is off-loom bead weaving

Difficulty level: Intermediate Suitable for an enthusiastic beginner

Bring scissors, paper for notes and colouring pencils

Additional kits available for sale

Not suitable for children under the age of 10 years

Children between the age of 10 and 14 to be accompanied by an adult

Price including kit (beads, needles, thread and sterling silver earring wires and thread), pattern, and entry to Kirstenbosch