Sep 15, 20234 min read

Daedalus Fly-In Retreat 2024 Teacher Spotlight - Julie Drogsvold

Julie has been raising fiber animals since middle school. Her college studies focused on Secondary Education and costume design. Raising fiber naturally led to spinning and weaving and then into teaching. Julie’s ranch, Tangled Yarn Farms, nestled in the Sky Islands of southern Arizona, specializes in Navajo heritage Angora goats, Angora rabbits and heirloom cottons. Her teaching style reflects her love of natural luxury fibers and joy in learning.

Julie is endorsed by Joan Ruane, the "cotton queen", international instructor and cotton expert.

I have known Julie Drogsvold for about 10 years. The very first time I showed Julie how to spin cotton, she took to it like a duck to water. She is both a natural spinner and teacher. She is young and both creative and ambitious. Julie Is a good mother and wife. Besides working, she also raises angora rabbits and goats and even grows cotton in her garden in the summer. I have hired her to teach at local fiber festivals and she has been loved by her students and done an excellent job of teaching. Several times I have had her assist me in my workshops and she has been able to reach out to students who have been having problems grasping certain aspects of spinning cotton. I have been very impressed by her calm teaching skills. As I am semi-retiring from “travel teaching”, I am proud to have Julie taking on the task of promoting and teaching cotton spinning workshops for me.

Sincerely, Joan Ruane www.cottonspinning.com

Classes

Cotton Spinning Is Easy, and Made Easier with an E-spinner

Full-Day $20 materials fee

Overview: Students will learn how to set-up their wheel for cotton, they will learn to make punis, and then spin cotton from multiple preparations. Specifics: Spinning cotton can be fast and easy, and learning how is a lot of fun. Students will learn how to adjust their wheel of choice for short staple cellulose fibers and how to use the long draw to spin the best cotton singles. Students will learn to card ginned lint cotton into punis and spin multiple preparations of cotton (seed, punis and sliver) provided by the instructor. The workshop will also cover plying, and blending color and other fibers into your cotton to produce wildly unique yarns. Throughout will be helpful tips and tricks to build confidence in cotton spinning as well as information for care and use of your handspun cotton yarns. Instruction will also include a discussion of the cotton plant, its structure and growth, as well as its history that stretches at least 7,000 years into humanity’s past. Students will also learn about its current commercial uses and its future outlook as part of a more eco-friendly environment. Students will be provided with enough fiber to continue their cotton spinning journey after class, with a take-home manual to reference as needed. Level of Spinning: Students should have a good working relationship with their wheel and be capable of spinning a consistent single. Students should bring:

Falcon or Sparrow (Preferably)
At least 3 bobbins
Lazy Kate
Niddy Noddy
Tags and marking pen for labeling
Hand Cards(cotton preferred by wool will do)
Optional: favorite spinning chair, pillow for back support, charkha, support spindle or Takli, and ball winder

Supplies Provided by Instructor: cotton bolls, cotton lint, cotton sliver in natural and dyed colors

Flick It and Spin It (From the Fold)

3 hours $15 materials fee

Overview: This class will cover how to flick open fibers to prep them for spinning. Students will then spin their prepped fibers from the fold.

Specifics: We have all had that fleece we really wanted to buy, but didn’t want to get bogged down in a lengthy prep process with countless steps and lots of maybes and unknowns. In this workshop, students will be able to use just two skills to turn a raw fleece into a hand spun yarn.

Students will leave this workshop ready to take the plunge the next time they see that fleece too good to walk away from.

Level of Spinning: Students should have a good working relationship with their wheel and be capable of spinning a consistent single.

Students should bring: 

A spinning wheel in good working condition
At least 3 bobbins
Lazy Kate
Niddy Noddy

Supplies Provided by Instructor: fiber for class use

Natural Colored Cotton Celebration

3 hours $20 materials fee

Overview: Students will explore and spin a number of naturally grown colors of cotton, including greens, browns, and reds.

Specifics: Cotton isn't just white. Cotton is grown in many varieties, and grows a rainbow of natural colors. Enjoy this half-day class that immerses itself in the King of Fibers, Cotton.

Level of Spinning: Beginner

Students should bring: 

Joy & Happiness
Falcon or Sparrow (Preferably)
At least 3 bobbins
Lazy Kate
Niddy Noddy
Tags and marking pen for labeling
Hand Cards(cotton preferred by wool will do)
Optional: favorite spinning chair, pillow for back support, charkha, support spindle or Takli, and ball winder