| The Academy of Spinsters Encampment, WY |
| Hello! I'm Carol Lee of Encampment, Wyoming. I own and operate The Academy of Spinsters. I have been teaching Carding, Spinning, Weaving and Natural Dyeing since 1971. I was taught the basics of spinning by a friend, and with a group from the Magazine BITTERSWEET, I learned the basics of Natural Dyeing. Spinning Bees, Workshops, and Seminars across the country continued my education in the above arts. I went to THE LITTLE LOOMHOUSE in Louisville, Kentucky to study with Sarah Bailey, a beautiful little mountain woman who had been spinning since the age of 6. While there I also studied with Brother Kim Mallory, a Franciscan Monk. I have studied at Brekkepark, Skein, Norway, Bygdoy, Oslo, Norway, The Weaver's House, Flam, Norway. I attended a Precious Fibers Seminar at Berea College in Kentucky where I was able to study with Paula Simmons. The Natures Dye Forum in Colorado netted me a great class with Miriam Rice and furthered my study of Mushrooms for color. In 2002 I attended, lectured and taught a workshop at The Colour Congress 2002 at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. 23 countries were represented here and Natural Dye knowledge was massive. In 2002 I also published both a book, FLEECEWEAVING, and a natural dye video/DVD, WHAT'S IN THE POT? In 2003 a second book called SAMMY'S SHAWL was published. 2006 has seen MUSHROOMS ARE TO DYE FOR in publication and ready to be shipped. More fiber related books are slated for the future. |
| I have given demonstrations, classes, and workshops for shows, fairs, schools, churches, nursing homes, civic groups, festivals, University textile classes, home education groups, television programs, international conferences and symposiums and video education. My family and I put on demonstrations for 8 years of shearing, carding, spinning, dyeing, and weaving for Silver Dollar City festivals in Branson, Missouri. Originally, I worked from our farm near Eldridge, Missouri. When we sold the farm, I operated a shop called The Sheep Shed in Walnut Grove, Missouri. We were there for almost 8 years. We offered classes, supplies, fibers, repair, books, and handcrafted items. Carl has been building and repairing Spinning Wheels since 1971. We often have a few wheels and looms for sale as well. We are a dealer for Ashford Wheels and have been for many years. We offer good prices on the wheels and as layaway plan as well. Looms in our studio number around 15-20. While in Missouri, I worked with the Apprentice Program in conjunction with the Missouri Council of Arts and the National Council of Arts. I highly recommend this program, if it is still out there. I was presented with the title of Master in the Art of Spinning by the Councils for the work done in the program. |
| In the spring of 1991, Missouri's heat and humididty had finally gotten too much for me. We went in search of cooler places and decided on Encampment, Wyoming. We bought the old Grand Encampment school building that had been built in 1900. I had hopes of having the building completely remodeled and ready to open that summer of 1992. What a head in the clouds that dream was. I doubt if it will ever be completely finished. We continue to work, inside and out, and have at present 10 bedrooms, 2 kitchens (with a third planned for spring of 2009), 5 living room/sitting areas, my huge studio areas, and a large woodworking shop. In 2000 we built a Dye Kitchen in the backyard. It had a good porch for sitting and spinning but that has been remodeled into the Brown Sheep Mill Ends Roving storage, sorting, and shipping room. The dye kitchen is on the move into the carding shed. There is a fish pond close by to listen to the soothing sounds of running water. We continue to work with pine logs and rough cut lumber. It is very rustic and quiet, especially since we have begun re-siding the outside with the logs and cedar siding. |
| 2005 saw the north end of the house being re-sided, a new balcony off the third floor, and the first of the flower beds in. |
| Wyoming's sun and wind require re-staining the house every few years. |
| Our town is small, and has some interesting places to visit. Our museum is a walk back in time. Bring your swim suit if you would like to visit the free outdoor hot pool in Saratoga. It is 20 miles away. Hiking trails, 4 wheel drive trails, scenic drives, floating, fishing, fall hunting, skiing, sledding, and snowmobiling are all available at some time during the year. Easy living is generally the norm out here. We are located side by side with the smaller town of Riverside. We are just 40 miles south of the junction of Hwy 230 and Hwy 70 in South Central Wyoming. We are 185 miles North of Denver, Colorado, and 50 miles North of Walden, Colorado. We are 85 miles West-Southwest of Laramie, Wyoming, and 40 miles South of Exit 235 (Walcott Junction) on I-80. The nearest town is Saratoga, Wyoming, some 20 miles North of Encampment. Encampment is nestled in the foothills between the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madre Mountains of Southern Wyoming. The town itself sits at 7,400 feet. Huge tracts of land surrounding the area are BLM and National Forest Lands. The area is full of sparkling, splashing creeks and beaver ponds. The weather is great all year long. June and July are spectacular with wildflowers everywhere. August brings fall like weather and the mushrooms begin to pop up. September is autumn at its' best, and October tells us winter is on the way. Allow plenty of time to go to the mountains and see the sights. We did manage to open the doors of the Academy of Spinsters in the summer of 1993. Since then, we have had guests from all over the country, and quite a few from outside the country as well. |
Click to visit
The Sheep Shed Studio
The Sheep Shed Studio
Click to visit my Brown Sheep
Mill End Rovings page.
Mill End Rovings page.
Click to see Encampment
River Pebble Rugs
River Pebble Rugs
| We have five llamas that live in the backyard and come to look in the windows of our sun room. Sedona is a small llama and comes to talk to the cats who live in the house. The llamas love workshop weekends and wander among the fiber folk supervising the business at hand. |
This was our dye kitchen where we have held massive dye workshops. The
Gathering in September saw the kitchen full of dyers. We also have a large area
of wood fired pots.......a copper kettle on a tripod, a iron kettle on the grate along
with a tin boiler. A new huge 55 gal stainless steel pot will have its own fire pit
along side the 20 gal stainless tank. Lots of fibers go through these pots every
year. The dye kitchen is moving into the Carding Trailer and the Picking and
Carding machine will move into the Shipping Shed. Year round heat and hot water
in the trailer was the deciding force to move the dye kitchen. Our yarn showroom
will move into the main part of what was the former dye kitchen.
Gathering in September saw the kitchen full of dyers. We also have a large area
of wood fired pots.......a copper kettle on a tripod, a iron kettle on the grate along
with a tin boiler. A new huge 55 gal stainless steel pot will have its own fire pit
along side the 20 gal stainless tank. Lots of fibers go through these pots every
year. The dye kitchen is moving into the Carding Trailer and the Picking and
Carding machine will move into the Shipping Shed. Year round heat and hot water
in the trailer was the deciding force to move the dye kitchen. Our yarn showroom
will move into the main part of what was the former dye kitchen.
| The last weekend of September we hold The Gathering. It is a wooly weekend for fiber friends and we spin, weave, knit, crochet and dye for two merry days. You bring sleeping bag, pillow, food for pot luck, drinks, fibers, spinning wheel or whatever fibery endeavor you wish to pursue. I have the dyepots going, and appreciate any extra mordants and dyestuffs, or a donation to the cost of the dye materials. |
| This indigo pot was a success. It lasted for most of the day with much fiber dyed. |
