Grazing Hills Fiber Arts Festival ~ INSTRUCTOR BIO's

Moscow, ID
Mary is returning to the Grazing Hills Fiber Festival for the FOURTH year to teach Spinning Classes!

I love fiber and have been spinning for many years. I want others to love spinning as much as I do! I enjoy spinning all different types of fiber but am especially drawn to the “soft and luxurious” alpaca as in what is produced here at Grazing Hills. I live in Moscow with my husband of 37 years, Dave, and our beloved golden retriever, Dillon. I have 3 children, 2 daughter-in-laws, one son-in-law, and 8 grandkids!

When I am not trying to keep up with all of life’s responsibilities, I enjoy sitting at my spinning wheel immersed in the different fibers that make their way into my wheel. I find spinning a very rewarding and relaxing craft and am continually fascinated by the process of turning raw material into a beautiful finished project through the process of spinning.  I look forward to sharing the wonderful process with you.

See you in class!

Mary will be teaching:

-Beginning Spinning
https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/beginning-spinning-sat-9-30am-12-30pm

- Intermediate Spinning
https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/intermediate-spinning-sat-1-30-4-30pm

Lincoln, MT

Tammy is returning for her 4th year at the GHFF! We always enjoy her wide range of classes and talents that she's able to share with us!

Tammy is a fourth-generation fiber artist who enjoys sharing her passion with everyone she meets. She has a fiber-arts business, Goldieknots Montana, specializing in Montana-grown wool, yarn, spinning fiber, and Made in Montana gift items.

 Prior to moving to Montana, she lived in Southern California and the Pocono Mountains where she was a former Humane Education specialist for the SPCA. Her teaching style is fun, creative, and interactive. 

When she’s not on the road teaching or in her studio creating, spinning, knitting, or felting, you can find her spending time with her dogs, sheep, horses, and other barnyard critters.

Tammy will be teaching:

- Woolen Watercolors

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/woolen-watercolors-sat-9-30am-12-30pm

-Chain- Plying Essentials

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/chain-plying-essentials-sunday-9-00am-12-00pm

-Turkish Drop Spindle

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/turkish-drop-spindle-101-sunday-12-00pm-3-00pm

SUPERIOR, MT

Anna is another one of our favorite instructors that is returning again for more fun at GHFF! She has a plethora of skills and workshops she's able to teach and we love having her back!

Anna Anderson lives in Superior, Montana with her husband on a hobby farm. 

She raises Pygora and Angora goats, and has several rescued fiber animals, a few horses, chickens, cats, and dogs. Anna has been involved in the fiber art community since 2006 and has taught classes since 2010. This year she plans to add a studio to the farm where she can teach classes, locally. 

She enjoys sharing her skills and passion for fiber arts in the fun and unique classes that she offers.

Anna will be teaching:

-Felt A Mug Rug

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/felt-a-mug-rug-potholder-sunday-12-30-2-30pm

-Needle Felted Flowers, Fairies, & Friends

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/felted-flowers-fairies-friends-sunday-9-00am-12-00pm

-Needle Felted Longwool Sheep

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/needle-felted-longwool-sheep-or-angora-goat-sat-1-30-4-30p

Couer d'Alene, ID

This is Lori's first year teaching at GHFF, but, her 4th year being a vendor! Her stuff is beautiful and we know you will love taking her class!

I learned to knit, sew, crochet, quilt, and embroider as a small girl, using the traditional methods handed down by the women of my family. Building on that foundation, I studied fiber arts in an academic setting at the University of Idaho, and I continue my study working with master artists in classes and workshops, at fiber art festivals and conferences, across the Northwest. The apparent alchemy of knitting—using sticks and string to transform thousands of stitches into a single piece of fabric—bewitches me, and I never weary of my craft.  My materials of choice are luxurious natural fibers, locally sourced from artisan producers. Merino wool, silk, alpaca, qiviut, yak, cashmere, linen, and cotton: the materials I select must appeal to the hand as well as the eye. I also use some vintage and salvaged yarns, blending a long family tradition of “making do” with a contemporary, green sensibility.  At its most basic, knitting creates flat, two-dimensional rectangles, but our bodies are rounded, and the challenge of coaxing fabric which wants to lay flat to instead curve smoothly around a lush, three-dimensional form fascinates me. My designs stem from the tactile experience of handling yarn, playing with its drape and weight. The fiber guides me as I work, and I fine-tune my ideas through trial and error, testing to see if the fiber will yield to the picture in my mind.   Like generations of women before me, I focus on functional, wearable art. I believe the mindful creation and use of everyday objects can transform how we think about the world around us, tangibly connecting us to our history and the resources upon which we rely. I hope my work builds appreciation for a slow process which results in heirloom objects that remain beautiful and useful for generations, celebrating the time, dedication, and commitment required to master those arts traditionally—and often dismissively—labeled as “women’s work.”

Lori will be teaching:

-Beginning Knitting

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/beginning-knitting-sat-1-00pm-4-00pm

Kalispell, MT

We are excited to have Sylvia joing us at GHFF this year! She has a huge variety of fiber art skills and so she has quite a few classes you can choose from!

Sylvia Smith has been spinning for around 30 years and is currently working her way through the Master Spinner program at Olds College. 

She's very active in her local Guild and teaches spinning and fiber prep classes at a local yarn shop. She's also an occasional contributor to "Spin Off" and "PLY" magazines.  

She lives in northwest Montana with her husband and cat, with one being an enabler of her fiber pursuits while the other is an occasional obstacle.

Sylvia will be teaching:

-Beginning Spindle

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/beginning-spindle-spinning-sunday-9-00am-12-00pm

-Fiber Prep

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/fiber-prep-sat-9-00am-1-00pm

-Handy with Hand Carders

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/handy-with-hand-carders-sunday-12-00pm-3-00pm

Pasco, WA

Karen is coming for her 1st year of teaching, but, her 2nd year as a vendor! We are so happy to have her teach crochet this year!

Karen Whooley is an award-winning, internationally-known

crochet designer, author, and instructor. She develops patterns

and teaches classes for crocheters who want simplicity and

elegance wrapped up in adventure.

Karen is the author of Modern Italian Lace Crochet, Coastal

Crochet, and 24 other books as well as many patterns published in

books and magazines. Her classes both online and live are some of

the most sought after in the crochet genre. Crochet is her passion

and she wants to take that passion and inspire her students in any

way she can. Most importantly, Karen wants to bring each student

self-confidence and enable her students to take what they have

learned so that they can happily create whatever spurs their

crochet passion.

Find Karen at http://www.KarenWhooley.com

Karen will be teaching:

-Tunisian Crochet

https://ghfiberfest.com/take-a-class-1/ols/products/tunisian-crochet-sat-12-30pm-2-30pm

Northport, WA

Michelle joins us for the first time! 

We are branching" out with this class and excited to offer something different this year! It sounds so fun!

"

Michelle Andrus is a seasoned animal raiser, farmer, and skilled crafter based in Northeast Washington. Together with her husband, own and operate Andrus Farms LLC, where they specialize in breeding and raising alpacas, llamas, sheep and goats for fiber production. 

Michelle has over four decades of experience raising and breeding animals and in the past seven years, she has incorporated Alpacas and Llamas into the farm.  Aside from fiber production, Andrus Farms also offers farm consulting, breeding, tours, workshops, and handmade items for sale. 

Michelle is particularly passionate about fiber spinning and loves to demonstrate and share her knowledge with others. Her workshops on basket weaving and soap making are also very popular, as they showcase different heritage arts that are wonderful examples of “remembering the past” and learning from it. Michelle's talent and love for crafting have been evident from a young age when she joined a local 4-H club and completed her first Log Cabin quilt. Her passion for curating beautiful and useful items has continued for over 40 years, and she is still thriving and learning new artistries. 

Michelle's personal philosophy is to live life in a way that leaves the world a better place, which she accomplishes by sharing knowledge and experiences and spreading kindness to all. Her biggest passion lies in all things "Homegrown and Handmade," which is evident in the products she creates and the experiences she shares with guests during farm tours and Festivals.

Michelle will be teaching:

-Round Reed Basket Weaving

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/round-reed-basket-weaving-sunday-9-00am-3-00pm

BOISE, ID

Tara joins us for the first time this year, as well! Her MIL is a seasoned vendor of ours and encouraged her teach this fun class for us! Excited to have her!

My name is Tara Dial, and I am the owner and creator behind lost little things and the Little Studio Collective. I design and produce wood puzzles, DIY and play kits, games, mementos and everyday gifts. I was born and raised in Idaho and went to school at the University of Idaho where I received degrees in Architecture and Interior Design. My husband and I met at the university while going to school, and we currently reside in Boise, Idaho with our two boys.

I fell in love with fiber arts at a young age, starting with my mom and grandmother teaching me how to knit, needlepoint stockings and embroider. I continued to learn new techniques all through college, and in 2018, after I bought my first laser cutting and engraving machine, I started using my knitting scraps combined with wood plaques to weave custom wall hangings. The combination of my skills and passions later grew into a wonderful collaboration with local artists The Lost & Found to design my own portable weaving kit, the Yarn Buddy. 

Tara will be teaching:

-Small Loom Weaving 

(2 different times)

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/small-loom-weaving-sat-9-00am-11-00am

https://ghfiberfest.com/register-for-a-class/ols/products/small-loom-weaving-sat-3-00pm-5-00pm