THURSDAY

Thursday Night's Swap & Shop.

We'll be offering a shuttle from the Kansas City (time & capacity TBA). There's limited space, so please reserve in advance and, book a flight accordingly; or if you want more freedom, or you'd like to explore the beautiful Flint Hills, you can rent a car.

At checkin, you'll be assigned a locker stocked with a goodies in a dandy Yarn School project tote, plus TWO POUNDS of undyed wool fiber to dye in the lab and take home with you!

New this year: Bring your favorite handspun yarn or FOs to deck out our Handspun Gallery. And if you still have that first, awkward yarn you ever spun, bring that along, too. We'll have a special display for those (to encourage the newbies)!

Thursday evening, we'll have a hors d'oeuvres supper/cocktail hour so you can mix and mingle with your fellow students. Our fiber library will be on display for your perusal/inspiration.

And if you have a destashing resolution, be sure to cull your stash for yarn, fiber, or tools from home for a Stash Swap & Shop. We'll have tables and tags for anyone who wants to participate. You can swap, sell, or just give it away (orphaned yarn will go into this). You can also buy dyed and luxury spinning fiber or additional undyed fiber to dye and take home, and additional undyed fiber or yarn for dyeing.

FRIDAY

After breakfast, we'll break into two groups. Half will hit the Dye Lab (in the schools' old Home Ec/Science room), and the other half will hit the Fiber Stations in the Gym.

The Dye Lab is stocked with a rainbow of acid and Kool Aid dyes, crock pots, roasters, and microwaves. You'll learn some color theory and acid dyeing basics, get a demonstration of several dyeing methods, including immersion, painting, microwave, and crockpot dyeing. Afterwards, you'll dye up your undyed wool into a big stash of spinning fiber to take home.

The Fiber Stations include drum carding, hand carding, and combing (with an expanded selection this year). You'll get hands-on demonstrations of hand-carding, drum carding, combing, and drop spindling, then you'll get to try out all the techniques yourself.

We'll have a huge assortment of fibers for your to process to your liking, from washed wool locks and fleece to brightly dyed tops to yarn bits, sparkle, sari silk, and feathers! Spin the results on Saturday or take them home.

We'll break for lunch with a field trip to a local alpaca ranch, Alpacas in Wildcat Hollow, where you'll get to meet some alpacas and purchase fiber if you wish. Marta has promised to order even more roving this year!

For the afternoon session, our groups will rotate. After dinner, you can spin, knit, card up some more fiber, or just relax and chat.

SATURDAY

Saturday will focus on spinning. We'll start with a fiber primer and wheel spinning basics, then split into two groups (beginnners and intermediate/advanced) and jump right in with plenty of guided hands-on practice.

Weather permitting, our lunch break will be outdoors and will include a special visit from some local fiber critters!

Optional mini-workshops will focus on planning your yarn, washing raw fleece, plying, navajo ply, and spinning luxury fibers.

After dinner, you can spin, knit, prep more fiber, or just relax. We'll have patterns for bigger projects and have handspun projects on display--bring your own to share!

SUNDAY

We'll wrap up the workshop with more spinning. Work on your fundamentals, get feedback on your progress, or try your hand at some wilder techniques.

Mini-workshops will include specialty plying with thread, spinning in locks and lumps, and yarn presentation. We'll have swifts, skein winders, tags and string for skeining and labeling your yarn.

We'll say our goodbyes, and finish with lunch (box lunch for shuttle riders). Hooray yarn!

MONDAY & BEYOND

You can extend your stay with a Guided Dye Lab Extension ($120/day includes your room & meals, plus a 4-hour slot in the dyelab with Adrian, and fiber, yarn, or a combo to dye).

Regular add-on days are $60, including your meals.