New Home Forums Course Ideas & Outlines Wool types, pondering themes

19 replies, 4 voices Last updated by  Bradley Morris 8 years, 11 months ago
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 20 total)
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  • #16546

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    I’m wandering about in theme-land. The topic is types of wool, which are infinitely variable and suited to different applications. The potential audience consists of people who work with fibers, vocationally or avocationally, as handspinners (people who make yarn), knitters, weavers, and so on. Primary group is the spinners.

    As I go through the material, I keep thinking about relationship, because the way I think about fibers and these activities is at its core about connections, both the immediate and the obvious (person + fiber) and the more abstract (humans and animals from domestication to today). I think that is the BIG theme that will connect ALL my courses.

    An overall theme of my in-person workshops (and identity) is exploration, as in trying things and experimenting and learning-by-doing: knowing what the “rules” are and then doing that, plus the opposite to see what happens.

    The question, though, is about whether each individual component (e.g., course), will also have an individual theme (I think it will) and then how to blend those themes together.

    Here’s where I start having scattered ideas.

    One involves looking at the technical aspects from a slightly different perspective–a science-y approach, although I am not a scientist and I love making sense of science for others who aren’t, either.

    • Tie-dye lab coat – https://www.scientificsonline.com/product/rainbow-tiedye-lab-coat-small
    • Scrubs – https://www.etsy.com/listing/238162526/new-susybees-lewes-balloons-all-over , http://www.scrubsandbeyond.com/Whtie-Cross-Sheep-To-Sheep-print-scrub-top.-333170.html?color=
    • I can also sew, once the repetitive stress injuries calm down, so am not limited in styles or fabrics for lab coat(s) and/or scrubs.

    Other things running through my head involve video and stills relating to visiting sheep-y environments. I have a bunch of this stuff, both with and without me in the picture(s). I’d need more, but I have enough to start with.

     

     

     

    #16644

    Bradley Morris
    Mountain Guide
    @bradleytmorris

    That definitely sounds fun to me Deb @robson. I like the idea of you being a Scientist in a tie dyed lab coat. That could be great!

    Another visual that came to my mind is making it look like you’re in back in the 1800’s for some of your history components. You can do this with your background and different kinds of video ‘filters’ when editing.

    #16653

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    Loving this idea of time, @bradleytmorris. Over a series of courses, the time references can go back 10,000 years and everywhere in between then and now.

    The 1800s are relatively contemporary {grin}.

    #16670

    Andy Freist
    Mountain Guide
    @andyfreist

    The Wool Types Timemachine! I love it!

    You’re like a mad scientist that goes back in time to teach about the infinite depths of wool 😀

    #16702

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    @andyfreist, not exactly a mad scientist, but somewhere in that range. The time traveling thing is really resonating. Dr. Who comes to mind. I don’t exactly want to play off that, but am wondering if there’s an appropriate Tardis around (or if there even needs to be). . . .

    Sally Hogshead’s personality schema has given me some interesting insights into how I can most effectively present myself in public. I discovered it through work with Jeffrey Davis. I came out of the analysis as an “architect,” with traits to emphasize as being “skillful, restrained, polished.” Within that, though, I want to infuse a sense of playfulness and color.

    That’s a bit of a different direction than mad scientist–an interesting line to tread. Noodling on these ideas.

    Sally Hogshead’s stuff (the PDF of types comes up rotated 90 degrees):
    http://www.howtofascinate.com/the-fascinate-system/The-49-personality-archetypes

    #18334

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    I’m having some challenges with the theme–I think because it’s both expanding a little and shifting. (I’m also up to my ears in prep for a week-long teaching gig 1200 miles from home that’s happening in 2 weeks, and medical stuff relating to repetitive stress injuries. Slowing me down, unfortunately.)

    I think my course has trimmed back to two major units and a “bonus.” The other lessons need to become, I think, another course or two.

    What I have now is:

    1 – Miniature miracles—an introduction to wool fibers
    Understands that wool fibers are nearly infinitely variable, and that each type has qualities that suit it to different uses.

      overview of fleeces
      picking out a lock (top? fleece?)
      evaluating crimp, length
      what about fiber diameter?
      the basics of fiber structure—how can there be so many wools that are so different from each other?

    2 – Camisoles to carpets—to camel halters?: the right fleece in the right place
    Understands that there are categories of wool, with clusters of similar characteristics, and that each category has typical ways of preparing, spinning, and using the fibers.

      introduction to the right wool in the right application
      typical ways of preparing, spinning, using
      fine wools
      medium wools
      longwools
      fleeces with multiple fiber types

    Bonus: What about the lost souls? (unidentified wools)

    I’d been thinking lab coat, but as I plug ideas into specific lessons, I’m finding I may have four different approaches here, and that “relationship,” which I thought was a primary theme here, is actually the theme for the next class. . . .

    So what I’m coming up with as persona/approach/themes are:

      Lab: lab coat
      Testing: scrubs
      Detective
      Explorer

    I’ve located fabric to make the lab coat and two types of scrubs. The detective and explorer just arrived on the scene (uninvited) and I don’t know what to do with them–!

    The white fabric is the lab coat. The red/black and blue are scrubs. As soon as my hands are working and I can sew again. . . .

    #18337

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    I tried to attach a file with the fabrics. The system said it was not the right file format, although it’s a JPG at about 800K, so should be okay.

    #18353

    Andy Freist
    Mountain Guide
    @andyfreist

    Strange… ill look into the image thing.. perhaps give it another try – i dont see why it wouldnt work if its a .jpg…

    As for your theme, can you provide some insight as to the quirks and personality traits of your ideal student? Some clarity in that department would be really helpful for working out the intricacies of your theme 🙂

    So far though, I really dig the science geek idea considering it fits so well. You are drilling down into such detail on an otherwise mundane topic that tends to get taken for granted.

    I had no idea wool goes this deep 😛

    #18390

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    @andyfreist, wool goes WAY deep. . . . This is just the teaser course!

    __

    The people who come to my workshops:

    Intelligent, curious, generous, a little bit unsure of themselves, with more ideas than time and more vision than they have skill to manifest (yet). They’d rather be doing something else with their lives, instead of or in addition to their jobs, so this is a way to add a creative component to their days. They may be balancing work or finding a personal “corner” around parenting. OR they are shepherds wanting to know more about the fibers their animals produce. I get doctors, lawyers, engineers, real estate brokers, professors–and shepherds. There’s a bit of entrepreneurial spirit in them all.

    They feel a bit overwhelmed in the fiber world (because there are so many choices), definitely confused, looking for the “rules” to follow, and definitely curious. They’re here because they have made something that doesn’t work the way they wanted it to; they’ve realized that they’re stuck in their job for the time being and that it’s not enough; and/or they feel like they need to have a connection to others, and to have a positive impact on the world. They care about the environment and other people and the daily quality of their own lives.

    ETA: I take for granted that they have a somewhat pragmatic bent, and while they like to relax, they like to feel productive even when they’re relaxing. They don’t do much television–! (Or if they do, for family harmony, they’re spinning or knitting at the same time.)

    #18394

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    Trying the file attachment again. The blue bar shows it loading/loaded. The preview is a gray, generic square. Again. I suspect it will fail again. Still a JPG, about 775KB, but the error message I get says “File not supported. Supported file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp & file size: 15mb”

    I’m going to upload an image of the stats of the file I’m working with, @andyfreist, in case *that* will work. [It didn’t.]

    #18398

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    I was in Chrome. Trying Firefox to see if that’s better. “File not supported. Supported file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp & file size: 15mb”

    It is seriously a JPG much smaller than that.

    Converted to PNG and trying again.
    “File not supported. Supported file types: jpg, jpeg, gif, png, bmp & file size: 15mb”

    Out of time for trying other things.

    #18499

    Penny Claringbull
    Adventurer
    @pennyclaringbull

    @robson This may be off track or too holistic a view, but when I think of wool and fibre I think of history, place, rich traditions and connection to landscape. Morphing into science and high tech but from that base.

    So I think of a transition from natural colours and plant dyes, bleached timber, worn stones, unique landscapes and the animals, cultures and people that live in them. Crofters, weavers and spinners.

    Then I think of synthetic dyes, Japanese merino buyers, elite designs and materials and new technologies. I guess I see a journey through time and technology with wool as the central ‘thread’ (shoot me now!).

    I gather that the course is practical rather than a history lesson, but maybe that sense of tradition and transition could give it a context. Just a thought. It’s what fantasy novelists do when they allude to an ancient civilisation or crumbling ruins in their city. They don’t have to develop it, it’s just a backdrop that gives resonance. Hope that makes sense.

    #18509

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    @pennyclaringbull, it makes a lot of sense. I don’t go a lot into the modern materials and technologies for ecological reasons (although I do mention them), but yes, that’s what I’m about.

    I don’t think I can attach a PDF here, but if you’re interested in the kinds of “handouts” I put together for my workshops, one that I’m developing now for a session I’m teaching in a couple of weeks can be accessed here (it’s 99% done):
    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6603131/Karakul-Magcloud-2016-02-23-small.pdf

    (That’s a reduced file–about 600K–rather than the one I’ll print from. So if there’s any fuzziness, that’s why. I think the lower quality is only really noticeable on one image.)

    #18511

    Penny Claringbull
    Adventurer
    @pennyclaringbull

    @debrobson What beautifully written and researched material! Once upon a time I was an editor in a small publishing company and this is better than a lot of the content we were sent. Your course will be wonderful. Did you use Adobe and how did you get the pics/permissions?

    #18513

    Deb Robson
    Adventurer
    @robson

    Thanks, @pennyclaringbull. I’ve been an editor and book designer for a number of years –scholarly, literary, *and* trade (although freelance entirely since 2000). I’m a bear for fact-checking, and this is off being given a read by someone who has filing cabinets of information on *this* breed and is a librarian as well (cares as much as I do about accuracy).

    Yes, I work in Adobe InDesign, with supplementary work in Illustrator and Photoshop.

    Pics/permissions: lots of searching on stock photo sites (which often have insanely wrong keywords for sheep breeds–you’ve got to know what you’re looking *at* as well as *for*), and paying usage fees (generally I get rights to use for up to 500,000 impressions, which is enough for my purposes {grin}). Sometimes I contact shepherds directly–that’s where I’m getting images for the breed I started working on yesterday. It’s such a rare one that there’s only *one* stock image (and I was kind of surprised to find that many!). . . . And I have collected a lot of my own photos.

    Thanks for looking at the PDF!

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