November 4, 2023, 1:00-3:30-ish

Join Sara Rakow of Michigan’s own WheelyCool Fiber to explore the world of animal fiber, from alpaca to zwartbles.  She’ll discuss the many varieties of fiber, their characteristics, and their uses in yarns and crafting.  Why choose Falkland?  Merino?  Shetland?  BFL?  How do superwash treatments alter animal fleece?  Special emphasis will be given to different sheep breeds and the importance of breed diversity.

Tuition:  $ 45 (includes samples and a copy of the book, “A Field Guide to Fleece“)

Sara Rakow started her fiber arts career working for Knit-A-Round Yarn (Ann Arbor) for 10 years. There, she taught various classes including Learn to Knit and Beginning Fair Isle.  She got into spinning when a friend needed more people for her Spinzilla team. It was true love from that moment forward!  She developed a passion for all things wool and a fascination with the many breeds of sheep, the individual characteristics of their wool, and how to preserve and make use of those characteristics after spinning or milling.  In her day job, Sara is working to save the world’s bee population.  She is also part owner of WheelyCoolFiber where she is Head Dyer.  She is also responsible for the procurement of wool.