Reviews for The Spinning Barn

This was a delightful way to spend a weekend. The atmosphere in the spinning barn was warm, friendly and relaxed. This provided an excellent learning environment for all of us,Theresa is knowledgeable and is happy to share all her knowledge and experience. She is an excellent teacher and has endless patience, she tailored her approach to our individual needs and nothing was too much trouble. This approach meant that we all felt valued and we went away proud of what we had achieved and very keen to build on this.
In addition the refreshments provided were excellent.

The course was excellent and I would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn to spin or as a refresher. Theresa spent time with each of us and went at our pace making learning relaxing and enjoyable. It was lovely to see the process through from fleece to yarn. Theresa has such a passion for her rare breed sheep (and her other animals) and her craft and her passion is infectious.

Her workshop is a credit to her and husband James and both made us feel so welcoming; nothing was any trouble. Great cake too... what more can you want.

I would recommend to anyone, give it a go.

The course is well structured and thoroughly enjoyable. You start by meeting the sheep, then look at fleeces, talk about how to wash the wool, and then card and comb some before learning to spin. I had previously done the one-day course at The Spinning Barn, and found it really helpful to follow it with this one. This course goes into more detail, and I was able to absorb a lot more. Theresa and James were also really helpful getting my wheel (which I obtained second hand between the two courses) working properly. The barn you learn in is warm and cosy, Theresa is really patient, and also explains things very clearly. And on top of all that, a delicious lunch is provided each day! I can't recommend this course enough!

Theresa is an enthusiastic and encouraging tutor who obviously knows her subject in great depth but has designed a one-day course that gets you started on the basics without leaving you overwhelmed. It was all great fun in her little workshop, warmed by a wood burning stove and well supplied with hot drinks and cake. The day was perfectly timed so that we carded, spun and plied our wool and were able to get it into skeins and wash it, ready to take away with us at the end. I loved it and would recommend it to any beginner or to anyone who wants a refresher course.

I can't recommend Theresa and her courses highly enough.
I arrived with a whole host of bad habits and preconceptions, having fought my wheel for a number of years.
But Theresa is so calming and patient, she's so positive and encouraging that I came away with a new love for my wheel, and desperate to get started on new projects.
We were a perfectly-sized group so we got lots of feedback, support and encouragement, Theresa spots as soon as you go wrong, steps in and gets you sorted in a flash. We were a mixture of past spinners and newbies and she tailored the weekend to accommodate all of us and our needs.
The location is perfect, gorgeous refreshments/lunches and you get to meet her lovely sheep.
I can't believe how much I learned in one weekend but didn't feel overwhelmed at any point
Perfect :)

Loved every minute of the two day workshop - and can't wait for Theresa to do another, and this time a longer one, please! It's taken me a bit of time to catch up since the workshop, hence the delay in writing my review. I found it so helpful to have two consecutive days devoted to learning more about sheep and fleeces, about the variety of spinning wheels we were using, and of course then the spinning. Having a good few hours to practice was phenomenally useful - and the time we spent sorting out our wheels and the hiccups with spinning has meant that I've felt confident to continue practising at home every day since then. Just the best and to find that it really is a peaceful-making experience, even when things go wrong, and the discovering that I can rather put them to rights again.

Theresa is a very good teacher - showing us step by baby step to help get us comfortable with some very basic skills, and with these it's felt possible to build confidence little by little. She is wonderfully and widely knowledgeable, always happy to share - with delight and great humour. I also loved working alongside the other group members. I found them such interesting and delightful people - a terrific experience altogether. Which makes me very much hope that Theresa will want to add a four-day workshop or a week's retreat soon in the new year. This would be fantastic! Please, can we do that?!! And thank you - it was such a special weekend. I can't wait to come again.

This was an excellent weekend. I wasn't sure that I would be able to go from being a complete novice to producing a skein of yarn, but I did! Theresa is an excellent teacher, breaking down the process into simple steps that made sense, and combining them gradually together. She was able to give each of us individual attention, and help everyone at the level that they needed. There was plenty of time to try out different wheels, and to find the one that suited you best. I have now bought myself a spinning wheel, and hold Theresa entirely responsible!!!
Theresa looked after us brilliantly - there was always food and drink there, and the weekend flew by. I would wholeheartedly recommend this course, and any others that she runs - I am sure that you will not be disappointed. I feel that this may not be my last visit to The Spinning Barn.
Thank you Theresa for your help, your patience and your expertise!

I had spun before but not for about 30 years and felt in need of a 'refresher' before taking it up again. Theresa was very welcoming to all 5 of us and the course proceeded very much according to the plan as described in the booking details. The atmosphere throughout was friendly and informal but nonetheless Theresa was a great teacher. She showed us the different new techniques and answered all our various questions with much patience and we had time to assimilate and practice at each stage. We had the chance to try out different types of wheels and also handle different fleeces and yarns. Tea and coffee flowed freely and we had some delicious cake and very warming soup. Above all it was a very informative, happy and enjoyable weekend. I most certainly look forward to visiting the Spinning Barn again.
(In addition to the above, James went beyond the call of duty and very kindly attempted to revive my very neglected elderly spinning wheel.!)

So so so glad that I booked the spinning course with Theresa as a birthday present for my mum and sister. We couldn't have had a better day with her! Theresa has so much patience, knowledge and a genuine, beautiful passion for wool, spinning and her sheep. From the moment we were greeted by James and welcomed into the cosy spinning barn with Theresa and Teddy, I knew it would be a fabulous day.

It started with learning the basics of preparing wool, carding our own piece of North Ronaldsey wool and then spinning it into our very own skein in the afternoon. The course was well planned with plenty of time to practice at the spinning wheel. Theresa's delicious Victoria sponge was an added bonus. I would definitely recommend this course for anyone who has an interest in spinning, it's an inspiring experience. We all couldn't stop admiring our skeins! Thank you Theresa x

What a great day ! I have wanted to learn to spin for many years & decided that I needed to do something about it, I found Theresa’s work shops which was close to where I lived so booked up. All the way through Theresa was so helpful she has so much knowledge about spinning, wool different sheep breeds etc & a great way of teaching making it easy to understand.
I would recommend Theresa’s workshops to anyone who wants to learn to spin it’s a great way to spend a day & learn a new skill.

Really enjoyed the day - Theresa was very helpful and friendly and went through all the stages clearly without giving us too much information as she obviously has a tremendous knowledge of the subject.It was lovely to see the sheep out in the field and then card, spin and ply the wool to give us a skein to take home with us at the end of the day.I would definitely like to do more spinning very soon although work may get in the way for the next few months so I may have to do another course once I've bought a wheel - I would thoroughly recommend this course to anyone wishing to give hand spinning a try.