Cotton: From the Wheel to the Loom

Kathleen Huntington Waln
Fiber Artist/Costume Historian
211 E. Virginia Ave. Glendora, CA 91741

khwaln@hotmail.com
626-963-7192

Recommendation for Joan Ruane

It is a pleasure to offer an assessment of Joan Ruane’s three-day workshop, Cotton from the Wheel to the Loom for my guild, Saturday Spinners. Before I go into detail, let me give you some idea of my background. I hold a MFA in Costume Design from the University of Texas at Austin and served as Professor and Chairperson at the university level for seventeen years before I gave up that career to devote full time to weaving and spinning.

Joan’s manner is delightful, open and relaxed. Her spinning skill is obviously exceptional and her ability to teach technique is first-rate. I was impressed with how she began the workshop, having us spin the moment we arrived and easing us into instruction and discussion.

Our guild has members from throughout the greater Los Angles area and while none of the participants were rank beginners, there was a wide range of experience represented. Joan deftly addressed this diverse group as a whole, as well as fulfilling individual needs. She was able to take each of us, (even several using low ratio wheels) and make us successful cotton spinners. Many members went from the “inch worm” to the long draw, effectively, in the first hour of the workshop.

The first day was devoted to spinning and plying for balanced yarns, carding & blending colors. On the second day we used our hand spun yarn and design a scarf on our warping board, then dressed the loom, as well spinning on the Takli and Charka. The third day allowed us to practice and perfect the techniques to which we had been introduced and we achieved a great sense of accomplishment with the completion of the weaving of our scarf that we had spun and designed only two days before.

The reader may examine Joan’s class syllabus in more detail, but it should be clear that her goals were ambitious and she accomplished them with relative ease. In my experience, this aspect is what is so impressive about her, for the atmosphere of a three day intensive can often degenerate as the participants feel overwhelmed by the time constrains and new techniques to which they have been exposed.

It is a testament to Joan’s talent that if anything, our group was more relaxed and energized and ready for more. It left us planning projects, wanting to try dyeing, inventing little tools, and ordering more cotton fibers. None of the guild members are going to avoid cotton because we are afraid of it being hard; she gave us so many tricks and so much more confidence. We all appreciate each other’s talents more because Joan brought out the best in each spinner.
Three weeks have passed and we are still talking about the workshop and hoping to have Joan back again next year.

The Saturday Spinners highly recommend Joan Ruane and her workshop Cotton from the Wheel to the Loom. In closing let say that if any one wishes to contact me personally, I will be glad to go into further detail, but suffice it to say that any guild looking for an enlightening and delightful spinning and weaving experience will do well to contact Joan.

Kathleen Waln