Trenchwork

“Purple Pansy”

100% Shetland, natural and hand-dyed in a tri-color blend.  The yellow on the lower edge of the bottom batt is brighter in the photo because of the reflected light; it’s actually more muted.

Is this not just the most fun ever?

I DID set up a simple Etsy storefront for the things I’ve already done, but I’ll be honest and say that I’ve no idea if I’ve got the pricing right or not, and even less whether they’ll actually sell.  Batts tend to go for 18-24usd per 4 ounces, depending on the fibers.  I’ve tried to cover the costs, but I’m not expecting any major achievements.  I would be tickled pink if I sold enough to fund a new carder, but we’ll see.  Feedback would most certainly be appreciated, and I won’t load more until I see what happens.

On other fronts, remember these–?

(Master Spinner level 1 workbook, if you’ve forgotten or never knew.)  Well, they’re back, and they now look like this:

Much neater, much more secure, and take less space. And yes, I passed the level with a 98.2.   Frankly, I think the marker was being a bit generous.  Interestingly—and not surprisingly—all but .5 point deductions came from overspinning the woolen  yarns.  That’s simply something I’ve got to work with.  Since I like a firmer yarn, I’m having a bit of a struggle to force myself to break out of that pattern now and then, and she was absolutely right; it showed in a couple of the skeins.  The other .5 points?  That was because I had a brain fart and forgot to include the end use for some of the fibers.  Seriously.  I teach.  You’d think I’d be able to remember to complete the entirety of an assignment.  Sheeesh.

But I’ve had a number of folks ask me what I thought of the program, so let me answer that in one fell swoop.  And, nothing I’m saying here is different than what I’ve told administration.

First, it’s important to understand what the program is.  There are two “master spinner” certification programs in North America.  One is the Olds College Master Spinner program out of Olds College in Olds, Canada.  The other is the Handspinning Certificate of Excellence offered by the Handweavers Guild of America.  They are similar in some ways, but radically different in others.  Neither of these are good programs for those who cannot work independently and are not good about finding answers on their own.

The HGA program has two “levels”; testing for each level occurs in the fall of every other year.  This year, handspinning will be tested, but not next year.  Next year (an even-numbered year) will see exams in dyeing and weaving.  Level 1 is comprehensive and wide-ranging (within the area); Level 2 is a specialization.  A participant must earn an 85% or better to pass the level 1, and cannot submit for level 2 without having done so.  Level 2 is a pass/fail evaluation.  The program is accomplished entirely by correspondence. You work on your own.  The price is reasonable, and there is no face-to-face (f2f) component.  You order the booklet and work your way through the submission requirements.  When you’ve done everything, you send it in for the exam.  There is a listserv support group for others who are going through the process, and you must be a member of the HGA in order to submit.  It’s a no-frills program and is very, very well focused.

For instance, the COE in handspinning focuses JUST on handspinning.  Dyeing is an entirely separate COE, as is weaving.  The Olds College program includes at least some dyeing and awareness of other uses for handspun in other areas.

The Olds College program is different in that there is a f2f component, but you still work on your own.  The f2f element is nothing fancy; it’s a one-week workshop, and that workshop is required.  This is the only college credit program in North America.  There are six levels, and you’re expected to turn in the workbook for a level within a year of registering for that level.  You can challenge the first two levels and skip the f2f workshop, but there is nothing in place for challenges of later levels.  In its own words, the program thinks of itself as an apprenticeship, but that’s actually something of a misnomer.  For an apprenticeship, you should expect to work shoulder to shoulder with a teacher and mentor and be taught the craft.  That’s not actually what happens here.  While there is a “class” for each level, and there is a listserv support group, the classes are workshop based exercises which help orient the spinner toward the assignments which will complete that level, but it is not necessarily instruction per se.  It’s orientation, familiarization, and introduction with a certain amount of feedback.  Given the amount of work the spinner is expected to accomplish in that level, the reality is that the class simply cannot be more.  It would need a full three weeks or month in order to properly teach the techniques and materials the spinner will work with in that level, and of course that cannot happen.

The levels are fairly comprehensive; by the time the last level is completed, you’ve pretty well covered at least the basics of nearly any element of spinning you might be able to think of.  Each level builds on the one which came before, for the most part.  However, they’re not as focused as I’d like.

In all honesty, I have one overriding “complaint” with the program, and that is that it isn’t on the same level as any other college or university-level course.  The manuals (note that I’ve only seen 2) are not pedagogically sound, are not fully instructive, and do need some major academic editing in order to have them be the academic documents they should be.  What’s there is good, but it needs to be—and indeed should be—better.  The quality of the text as well as the focus of each level needs to be fine-tuned.  It’s “easy” to fix; it simply needs an academic editor with sound pedagogy and academic teaching experience.  And yes, I do believe I could make a world of difference on that front.  Honestly, any academic editor could solve the problem, and the end result would be a much more professional and effective document and program.  On a positive note, I have heard rumblings that the manuals are under revision, so I’m hoping this is the direction they’re moving.

I’d love to see things overhauled in such a way that the program was installed on the university courseware so that it had a Blackboard or WebCT (or whatever) course website, with each level represented on that site and complete with discussion boards, resource sections, tutorials, chat space, whiteboard space, and so forth.  It would be a snap to incorporate webconferencing or video tutoring.  Similarly, I’d like to see the instructors receive—if they are not already teaching in academia—teacher training and teacher training support.  In other words, while it would only be on a minimal basis, I’d like to see the program extend itself so that it teaches its teachers to teach.   In other words, give it the full academic  support—and the same academic standards—of any other academic course.  Not doing so is, I think, giving it short shrift, and the reality is that it is at heart a truly worthwhile program.  It simply needs to be brought up to code, so to speak.

The program costs more than the HGA program because of that one week of class,  but generally speaking, there’s a tremendous amount of good to be said for the opportunity to come together with other spinners and explore the same topics.  Not all spinners are at the same level, or have learned the same techniques in the same ways, so the opportunity to observe or work with something in a slightly different way is huge.  And everyone I’ve met or communicated with in the process has been a pleasure.  I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on last year’s level 2 workshop for a day last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  The participants and instructor made me feel welcome, not in the least bit like an interloper and not at all stupid, and I would love the opportunity to join the group for the next workshop.  Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen; it’s the first week in June and I’ll still be involved with the uni here.  I can’t get away until 11 June, and by then the week will have been long over.

My real concern is that people go into the program thinking it will teach them how to spin in the same way that any other academic course teaches its subject, and it truly does not do that.  What the program does do is give you the opportunity and tools (and I’m using that word cautiously) for you to learn to spin.  There is a difference, and I don’t really think that distinction is clearly labeled in the program’s documentation and advertisement.  Again, were it set up in the same quality control format and with the same academic support as any other course, I think we’d be talking about an entirely different kettle of fish.

I think it’s critical that folks go into it with the right expectations, and that instructors be taught to teach if they’re not already certified for it in some other arena.  Without matching expectations and program, I truly think the students are destined to come away from it with less than they expected (less than they should receive, even), and the mismatch sets the student as well as the instructor up for failure at worst and disenchantment at best.

Do I think it’s worth it?  Despite its weak spots, absolutely Yes.  I’ve loved the people I’ve met thus far, either f2f or virtually.  I have sincerely enjoyed what I’ve done and what I’ve gained from this first level—even while I’ve gnashed my teeth at the manuals.    And I’ve been very satisfied at the way I’ve been able to begin to get an organized overview of both what I do know and what I still want to learn.  I should have level 2 completed before the summer, and I do intend to go on to level 3 even if I cannot attend the class this year.  I simply see what the program could be, and I cannot help but wish.