Beginner Drop Spinning — Friday Morning

Nov 13, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Instructor: Justin Near

Learn how to spin your own yarn from natural fibers without the hassle and cost of a spinning wheel. In this class, we will learn the basics of drop spindles and how to spin on them, working in pairs and breaking down each movement required into smaller, more digestible bits. All attendees will go home with handspun yarn that they have made and a drop spindle to keep.

Skill Level: Beginner

Class Size: 2–12 students

Meet Your Instructor: Justin Near​ is a Nashville, TN fiber artist and homeschooler who has a passion for sustainability and supporting local and regional communities and economies. In recent years, Justin has become a regular instructor at regional fiber festivals, is an occasional writer with Ply magazine, and is developing an annual fiber industry conference with Souther Fiber. Growing up, Justin was surrounded by crocheting, knitting, embroidery, and sewing, and dabbled in many of those as well as closely related fiber arts. As an adult, not long after beginning their homeschool journey, a door into the fiber world was reopened at a young child’s birthday party where wool and spindles were the theme. In her day job, Justin builds, manages, and supports websites and has a strong love for learning new technology. This carries into the fiber arts world, which is very closely related to the sciences – dyeing and chemistry, spinning and physics, design and engineering, and weaving and programming – so Justin feels quite at home here and hopes to pass on that love and passion to as many people as possible so that they, too, can experience the magic and beauty of working with raw, natural materials.