Fleece to Fabric with Donna Kay (JUN 18-20)
*OPTIONAL BOARDING HOUSE ROOM RESERVATION (THIS HOLDS YOUR SPOT, ROOM FEES + TAX DUE AT THE END OF YOUR STAY)
June 18 - 20 (THURS-SAT, 9 AM–4 PM)
In this hands-on 3-day workshop, you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of the qualities and characteristic wool types and their use in yarns. You’ll use hand cards, wool combs and a drum carder to create rolags, combed top and batts from washed fleeces of several sheep breeds. At your wheel, you’ll spin your prepared wools into several different yarns, smooth and textured, singles and plied. Learn to analyze your yarns to determine what wools and preparations are best suited for your knit, crochet or woven projects. Time will be spent sampling your yarns as part of the process. As time allows, we will play with blending wools with silks, mohair and alpaca. You’ll leave this colorful, fiber-filled class with an understanding of how wool types, preparation methods and spinning come together to create yarns that work well for your craft!
Skill Level: Advanced beginner. Must be able to spin a continuous yarn without assistance. Suitable for spindle spinners. No experience with hand tools needed.
Materials List: A spinning wheel in good working condition, 3 bobbins, lazy kate and a niddy noddy. If you are a spindle spinner bring a few spindles of different weights. Please bring a pen or pencil for notes, the crafting tools of your choice for sampling (knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc), a small ruler or measuring tape.
*Hand carders, wool combs, drum carder, notebook, handouts, small sample looms will be provided. Feel free to bring any tools you may have for your personal use. There is no need to buy any for the workshop.
*If you reserve a room in the Boarding House, your room fee is due at the end of your stay. Please scroll down to read more important information about the Cheshire Mills Boarding House.
Cancellation Deadline: 4/24/2026
MEET YOUR TEACHER
DONNA KAY, a knitting instructor and designer for over thirty years, is also an accomplished handspinner. Known for her patient teaching manner, she delights in sharing her knowledge and passion for "folk" knitting with her students. Donna is also a freelance knitwear designer and author for publications such as Interweave Knits, Spin Off, PLY, and her company, Tree of Life Designs. She resides on a farm in New Hampshire with her husband, horses, a flock of sheep, and a growing herd of spinning wheels.
Cancellation and Refund Policy
Please note our 2026 cancellation and refund policy includes a non-refundable $100.00 registration fee per workshop. In the case you must withdraw, you have 8 weeks prior to class for a full tuition refund, less the registration fee. After this date all payments are non-refundable, no exceptions. Thank you for your understanding!
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.
Single Rooms, $70 Per Night
Alternative Dining & Housing
Students may bring groceries from home when staying at the boarding house. In addition, Harrisville General Store is conveniently located in the heart of our small village. A quick walk from both the boarding house and Harrisville Designs Retail Store & Studio, it offers a variety groceries, pre-made local food options and a short order menu available 8am-2 pm for breakfast and lunch sandwiches, burgers, BLTs, etc.
Harrisville is a short drive from Peterborough (15 minutes away) and Keene (20-25 minutes away); both offer a nice variety of grocery stores, hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Additional accommodations in Harrisville are available at Aldworth Manor and the Harrisville Inn and at local Airbnb’s including the Harrisville Guest Suite. Peterborough accommodations are available at Cranberry Meadow Farm, the Riverhouse Hotel, and the Little River Bed and Breakfast. Options in Keene include the Carriage Barn Inn, the Best Western Plus, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Express, the Courtyard by Marriott, and Days Inn. We also suggest searching Airbnb and Vrbo.
Location
About Our Workshops
Nestled in the heart of a historic textile village, workshops at Harrisville Designs take place in the Bethuel Harris Mill. Built in the 1830s as a spinning mill for locally raised wool and located at the end of the canal, it originally operated on water power. Today, it’s home to our first-floor retail store and spacious second-floor workshop studio. Year after year students are greeted by sunlit windows, fresh air, and tranquil views of the mill pond and preserved industrial brick buildings.
Workshops vary in skill levels and lengths. Enrollment is limited to ensure each student is immersed in the atmosphere of a working studio rather than a classroom. Most scheduled classes meet from 9 am to 4 pm; however, the studio is open to students 24 hours a day while their class is in session. Looms are provided in the weaving classes, and woolen yarn and other materials are included unless otherwise noted in the materials lists online. While taking a class, students receive a 10% discount on HD items in our store, including looms! (Excludes sale and consignment items)
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Email hdretail@harrisville.com.