HGB October 2021 Programs – D Robson
Deb Robson – Author of The Fleece & Fiber Source Book
Handweavers Guild of Boulder
October 2021 Day & Evening Program
You will be mesmerized listening to Deb Robson share with you her journey as she spent four years spinning every fiber-grown-by-an-animal that she could get her hands on, and working with livestock expert Carol Ekarius to write The Fleece & Fiber Source Book, and later The Field Guide to Fleece. These books complete the circle of breeds and their wool for fiber lovers.
Understanding the origins and characteristics of the animals that produce your favorite fibers enhances your experience as you spin, knit, weave, and dye, adding depth and meaning to the crafts you love. Deb began spinning in the 1970s and began noticing that hand spinners valued breeds that were often listed as “at risk of extinction” by the livestock conservation groups.
Robson has been a free-lance editor working both fiction and nonfiction, including a dozen years as editor of Spin-Off magazine, was born and raised in the Midwest, has lived across the US from New England to the Pacific Northwest, and currently lives in Fort Collins. She is featured in a set of instructional DVDs called Handspinning Rare Wools, and presents hands-on workshops. You can sign up for Deb’s on line newsletter to hear more about her adventures with wool.
• The Magic of Wool: You Can’t Make Anything Like It in a Lab Learn why wool’s properties are almost unbelievable – and not quite predictable. And why it is one of the foundations of civilization and why Deb believes it can be one of its salvations. Deb suggests that when we push the boundaries of what we know about wool, we also push the boundaries of what we think our crafts are, or can be.
• Rare Sheep and Their Wool: Treasures We Can’t Afford to Lose Deb will talk about who decides that a breed is rare (and how), and what breeds (and categories) of breeds are rare (and why). And then she will discuss why we need to keep these breeds around – both as fiber artisans and as members of human civilization. If time permits, she’ll also cover the different channels for processing wool and what to expect from each (large-scale industry, small-scale mechanical, and hand processing).
More of Deb’s work can be viewed at independentstitch.com
More details on the HGB website
- October 11, 2021 – Day Guild Meeting 10:00 am
The Magic of Wool: You Can’t Make Anything Like It in a Lab
Email president@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information - October 12, 2021 – Night Guild Meeting 7:00 pm
Rare Sheep and Their Wool: Treasures We Can’t Afford to Lose
Email eveningchair@handweaversofboulder.org for Zoom access information - Handweavers Guild of Boulder monthly meetings are open to the public – non-members please email the appropriate contact link for Zoom access information.
