Rare Breed Trek

Teacher: Amy Ross Manko
Website: The Ross Farm

Dates: July 12-13, 2025 (Saturday-Sunday)
Total Cost: $325  ($60 of this fee includes the fibers for you to try)
Location: Guild House

Note: Only Guild members can sign up by logging in, before October 20.  After that, registration will be open to non-members. If the class fills up, we might be able to expand the class if we get enough people on the waitlist. So please contact  workshops@weavehouston.org after Oct. 20 to get on the waiting list if full.

Class description: Ever wanted to experience ALL the rare breeds ALL AT ONCE? This class will come close! We will start with the finer of the rare breeds and “trek” through the primitive, the medium and the longwools, while discussing their history and applications for today. We will discover new breeds we’ve not worked with before, as well as some new favorites and some fleece that is just begging to be blended with silk or camelid to make an awesome yarn. Our goal is to journey together to explore new-to-you breeds and find a few fiber ‘destinations’ you’d like to revisit!

Amy will provide a lot of different wool breeds to try!

Class level: Students must have prior experience in spinning or demonstrate the ability to spin to enroll in this class

Required Equipment:

• A functional wheel or spindles with multiple bobbins for sampling
• Basic fiber prep tools (combs, cards, flicker, dog comb/brush - whatever you have)
• Niddy noddy
• Notetaking equipment

About the Teacher: Amy Ross Manko travels the country (and now the world) teaching, researching and writing about her favorite topic – Rare Breed Sheep! You may know her from her feature series in PLY Magazine too – “Sheep on the Edge” or her breed profiles in the U.K’s KnitNow magazine. When she’s not on the road, spreading the gospel of critically endangered livestock, she’s managing her historic farm with her son Drew, which raises 9 breeds of heritage and rare breed sheep, as well as cattle, draft horses, mini-donkeys and poultry. She is the owner of Ross Farm Mercantile Inc and provides love and shelter to homeless fiber equipment in her small fiber studio in Hudson, Ohio.