All you need to spin your dreams
Once again we were so lucky to have the opportunity to gather together for three days of spinning, learning, chatting, and sharing at this years Majacraft Camp! We were all delighted to see so many old and new friends, and we hope all those attending […]
We really enjoy creating custom wheels, each one is unique, and it is always an interesting exercise to turn a customer’s ideas and designs into something that will work on wood, and fit the shape of one of our wheels. This is the story of […]
UPDATE: Due to Covid, Majacraft Camp 2022 has been postponed until 6-8 May 2022 – see you there!
We are pleased to announce our upcoming retreat in 2022. We have chosen the theme: “Spinning a World of Fibre” and throughout the three days we will delve into the wonderful world of interesting and rare fibres to learn about their complexities and characteristics. Together we will explore silk, known best for its luxuriousness and strength, and cotton, known for its breathability and softness. We will get in-depth with two of Aotearoa New Zealand’s heritage breeds with their fine micron and curious textures, plus there will be a brush-up session on using the tools for fibre preparation. As we did with our 2021 event, we will also link up with an overseas teacher via the magic of the internet. In 2022 it will be our pleasure to connect you all with Debbie Held (USA) via our big screen for an interactive class on “Combi Spinning”, a fun technique that we know you will enjoy.
(Please scroll down for a link to your downloadable Registration form)
Pat’s classes are always very informative and hands on, and she is a wealth of information on every aspect of creating yarn from start to finish. In this class, participants will spin a textured cotton yarn from punis that they have created from cotton lint on hand cards, and then spin beautiful Australian upland cotton sliver. Cotton yarns are wonderful for summer knits and fun to spin.
Suzy will share different ways to prepare and spin silk hankies. Silk is a protein fibre that, when added into any kind of fibre blend, will bring its natural qualities of sheen, durability, and drape. Silk hankies are generally easy to find and not terribly expensive compared to silk ’top’ or Mulberry silk, and in the hankie form, a little can go a long way! During the class we will prepare and spin hankies without blending them at all, exploring ways to create traditional and artistic yarns while making the spinning easy on the hands and fun to spin.
Join Annette for some speed dating with different tools. Annette will support you in experiencing our Majacraft range of fibre preparation equipment, spinning wheels, and accessories. This is a great chance to get hands on and try everything out. Annette will show you some great tips and tricks for getting the best out of your tools, and you will be able to try out the ‘High Speed Head’, “Overdrive’ and Stylus attachments for our spinning wheels, and the different wheels themselves. You will also be able to play with combs, hackles, handcards, drum carders, and blending boards.
Sunday’s Zoom program features U.S. author, freelance writer, and spinning instructor Debbie Held, as she leads a long-distance class on the topic of combination spinning, also called combo spinning or mashup spinning. Combo spinning is a method for taking several braids of unrelated, hand-painted fibres from your stash and spinning them together to form a cohesive, one-of-a-kind, colourway—typically for garment knitting.
The method was first introduced publicly by German podcaster Tracy Lew, whose video and Passioknit Spinner podcast may be found on YouTube. Debbie interviewed Tracy about the method for a Winter 2017 Spin Off magazine article on the same subject. In the ensuing years, combo spinning has only gained in popularity. Debbie has spent time studying the method and has applied her own tweaks and best practices. She most recently taught a version of this class in the UK in 2019, at The Wheel Ewe retreat near Manchester.
Our program will include Debbie’s tips for yielding the best results in your own mashup spinning. Students will receive a sampling of fiber for practice. This program will forever change the way you look at your stash!
Debbie Held is a freelance writer, author, and fiber arts educator. She’s a recurring contributor to Spin Off magazine and its website, PLY, the SweetGeorgia Yarns blog, and more, and she’s the writer behind the Interweave column, Her Handspun Habit. A truly contented spinster, Debbie lives on an urban farm in Atlanta, Georgia, with an enormous Persian cat named Stanley. Both enjoy watching the spinner’s flock of Shetland sheep living in the yard below their windows. Meet to them (all) at www.debbieheld.com. (Don’t miss the coupon codes on Debbies page for the online classes at the School of SweetGeorgia!)
____________________________________________________________________________________
We will be running this retreat differently due to Covid19 still being about. There is a possibility of restrictions and precautions, and also a possible lockdown. Nobody knows what’s on the horizon. We will monitor Government directives closer to the time so we can update you on what will be required.
In light of this fact, we have decided not to do a payment plan again – we would like to ask for a deposit, with the balance of the payment in March. However should Covid19 “throw the cat amongst the pigeons” and cancel our event, then we will definitely be offering full refunds. We do ask however, that your deposit is still non-refundable for anything else other than Covid19 related.
The all inclusive cost for the 2022 Majacraft Magic Retreat is $425 – this includes: all accommodation (including bedding/towels), all meals (by our favourite chef Kendell & team), and all class materials/fibres etc. Just turn up with your suitcase and spinning wheel and enjoy!
Non-refundable Deposit $60 Due 30th November 2021
Special dietary requirements *$30 Due 30th November 2021 *please specify what your requirements are on your Registration Form attached.
Balance for Retreat $365 Due 20th March 2022
As we have limited space and places on our well loved retreat always fill up fast, please make sure you download and fill out the registration form and return it via email (support@majacraft.co.nz) or post with your deposit as soon as possible.
By Suzy Brown (This article was first published in Issue 9 of tinyStudio Creative Life Magazine) Over the years I have had the privilege of being able to test new products as they come out of Majacraft’s workshop. Most recently, there has been a […]
We are pleased to announce that the upcoming retreat in 2021 is going to be “Living in the Moment with Majacraft.” Throughout this retreat we are going to focus on mindfulness and simplicity through our handcrafts. In our ever-changing world, I think it’s more important […]
|
|||||||||||
|
I would like to share with you something I have developed that I think is new and exciting, this is my super duper colour management system for use with the Hackle – one of my favourite Majacraft tools! I started developing this system in mid […]
Did you guess which of our wheels these pretty pedals belong to? They DO look like Rose pedals, or Suzies, or even Aura’s, they could be Pioneer feet but these are Rimu not Ash, so whose can they be? Yes! Our updated Little Gem has […]
A short time ago we released the new updated version of the Pioneer, our entry level spinning wheel. The update has quite a few changes, such as the super handy handle in the stem, the nicer shaped pedals, and the harder wood (moved from Pine to American Oak). This has resulted in a prettier wheel now known as the Pioneer X! One more change we have made, is to now also offer an ‘unfinished’ version (at a slightly lower price) that is ready for you to make your own! You can stain it, paint it, or do what I did and turn it into an artwork 🙂
I would like to share with you two wheels that I have painted up, perhaps this will inspire you! These are both older model Pioneers, but I am looking forward to a much easier job of preparing and painting with the new Pioneer X Creative!
The first wheel I painted was the Galaxy wheel, this is a very simple paint project and I also made a speed video of the entire process. I would encourage anyone to try this, just practice a bit first on some cardboard or scrap wood. I used acrylic paints, and started with a base layer of black. Onto the black I splurged a mix of blues, a touch of fuchsia, and blending in dabs of white. You need to do this while the paints are wet to get the blend. Then I splattered white for the stars.
The second wheel I did was a bit more complicated in the painting. I was very inspired to do something in rich deep greens and the ocean theme seemed perfect for that, and of course how could I resist adding in a mermaid? My Song of the Siren wheel was born! And I thought it was appropriate, how many of us hear the musical call of our spinning wheels even when we are far away? and then we get lost in the depths as the wheel swirls and turns and transports us to another realm 🙂
I again used acrylics for this wheel, which I choose for lightfastness (they don’t fade) and durability. Once completed I also spray varnished both these wheels, the Cosmic Wheel with satin finish and the Siren wheel with high gloss (to glisten like the ocean!). I also made a short video on the progress with this one, it was a much slower creation than the Cosmic wheel due to the amount of detail.
I hope you feel inspired to customise your own wheel! Or if you are looking for a new wheel to make your own (and not take to your beautiful Rose or Aura with sandpaper!) you can’t go past the Pioneer X Creative, you get all the smoothness and top quality spinning experience with this wheel as you do with any of the more expensive Majacraft wheels, plus you have the freedom to make it as unique as you are! Please feel free to ask me any questions about the process or the materials! I am always happy to help 🙂
Suzy Brown
Here we are with Majacraft camp news! We are all set for a new venue next year (Papamoa) with great space, excellent catering, and the beach too! Our tutors are ready for action and are bringing some wonderful and exciting classes for you to enjoy. […]
