Instruction and resources
if you are looking for instruction on finger weaving or sprang this is the page for you
In person classes!
Keep checking in to see where Carol will be teaching in person.
Online Classes calendar of events!
We offer three different levels of classes:
- Level 1 classes are designed for beginners, people who have very little or no experience with sprang.
- Level 2 classes, also known as focussed study classes, are designed for students who have completed the beginner class, or are familiar with the basic interlinking stitch, and are comfortable setting up the frame.
- Level 3 classes art for advanced sprang practitioners, often there will be a level two prerequisite class listed with it.
Coming up on the SprangLady class schedule:
***So you work or will be asleep during the time the class is held? Not a problem. All classes are held on Zoom and are recorded, and posted to a special web page.
Level 1 Classes
|
Intro the Sprang- 6 week online class Thursdays from 4-6pm (central time) starting on September 4th 2025
What's sprang? How does it work? Start at the beginning ... with a frame already set up. This class guides you in an exploration of the basics of sprang. We focus on the interlinking stitch which results in very stretchy cloth. The step-by-step approach makes it easy. Learn to set up your frame, flat warp and circular warp, a number of surface design possibilities, and a variety of finishing techniques. Make bags, hats, mittens and more. |
|
|
Intro to Finger Weaving- online class- Tuesdays from 6-8pm (central time) November 4th to December 9th 2025
In this online zoom class students will learn the basics of finger weaving starting with a basic friendship bracelet and progressing through several different patterns and structures found in several French-Canadian and Métis finger woven sashes. The technique is great for those who want a low-tech, easily transportable method to create a dense, warp-faced structure, suitable for bags, belts, neckscarves, and straps. |
|
|
In person class with Carol James
Explore interlacing with Carol at the Braids Conference in Cleveland, Ohio, June 15-21. Carol will teach a two-day class, June 19 and 20, showing you how to make diverse interlaced structures, 1-1 interlacing, 2-2 interlacing, horizontal ribs, vertical ribs, 3-3 interlacing with horizontal and also vertical ribs. These can be worked on a sprang frame ... or as free-end braiding, no frame needed. No experience necessary. |
|
LEVEL 2 CLASSES
|
Advanced in-person Sprang class with Carol James
Join Carol for four days of help with your individualised sprang project at the IOLI conference in Dallas/FtWorth Texas, August 3-8, 2025. Prerequisite completion of one of Carol's Intro to Sprang classes. At the IOLI conference, Carol will also offer a 1-day class introducing you to tubular sprang. |
|
|
Advanced in-person Sprang class with Carol James
Spend time with Carol in person at the MAFA conference in Millersville, PA, June 26-29, 2025. So you’ve mastered the basics of sprang, and want to take it to the next step. This class accompanies you on your exploration of sprang lace including warping methods to create a piece that is twice the length of your frame. Let Carol guide you through an exploration of lace stitches. Those who have already masted the basic lace stitches are welcome to set up a more ambitious piece ... with Carol there to hold your hand. |
|
|
Advanced in-person Sprang Retreat with Carol James
Join Carol James for a 5 day retreat where you will explore the more advanced aspects of the reciprocal textile technique, Sprang. This technique is found throughout the world in different cultures and can be used to make almost anything from belts to bags to beautiful garments. Pre-requisite, completion of one of Carol's Intro to Sprang classes |
|
LEVEL 3 CLASSES
(If there are any classes you were sad not to see please let us know, you are probably not the only person who has been asking this question and we might be able to put together a Classe focussing specifically on that topic.)
The Sprang Year-Long subscription
The year long subscription gives you a new sprang pattern on the first day of the month, for twelve months. You are invited to try out the pattern, and then make up a neck scarf (or hat or fingerless mittens). Each month you will be invited to a Zoom chat where you can ask questions and share experiences with sprangers from around the world.
The subscription works like a magazine subscription. Sign up for the current subscription, and you receive a new issue each month. If you sign up mid-year, you get the issues from January to today all at once, and then a once-a-month issue through the end of the year. Interested in a past subscription? Not a problem. The instructions from past years (2021 and 2022) subscriptions are available as a 12-month-all-at-once package.
No matter which year's subscription you order, you will be added to the list of people who are invited to the monthly Zoom meeting. Talk sprang with people from around the world. Your name will remain on that list until such a time as you ask us to remove your name from the list.
The subscription works like a magazine subscription. Sign up for the current subscription, and you receive a new issue each month. If you sign up mid-year, you get the issues from January to today all at once, and then a once-a-month issue through the end of the year. Interested in a past subscription? Not a problem. The instructions from past years (2021 and 2022) subscriptions are available as a 12-month-all-at-once package.
No matter which year's subscription you order, you will be added to the list of people who are invited to the monthly Zoom meeting. Talk sprang with people from around the world. Your name will remain on that list until such a time as you ask us to remove your name from the list.
|
2021-exploring sprang structures
This is the content from the 2021 once-a-month subscription. Each month held an invitation to make a swatch using instructions for a different stitch. Join Carol and explore 12 different sprang structures. Make 12 neckscarfs, each exploring a different sprang stitch structure. This subscription also puts your name on the list for the Monthly Zoom meetings allowing you to talk with Carol as well as with others interested in sprang from around the world. The list of stitches includes basic interlinking, 1-1 interlacing, 2-2 interlacing horizontal ribs, 2-2 interlacing vertical ribs, ropes, slits, doubles grid, transpositions, S&Z, twining on interlinking, and the intertwining stitch.... a survey of the variety of sprang. |
|
2022-Sprang Lace
The 2022 subscription gives you more than twelve different sprang lace patterns. This subscription offers the same patterns options as in 2021, a neckscarf, a pair of fingerless mittens or sprang hat. After making a sample of the sprang-lace-pattern-of-the month, you are welcome to make yourself a set of twelve scarves, or mittens, or hats, each in a different lace pattern. During testing of instructions for one of Carol's sprang lace books, one tester produced several squares that she put in her windows. We offer that as an option as well. The 2022 subscription pages include instructions on making the window squares, based on the patern-of-the month |
|
2023-S&Z
The 2023 subscription focuses on surface design variations using the S-lean and the Z-lean of the interlinking stitch (S&Z patterns). S&Z patterns can create surprising texture in the cloth, including the appearance of a basket weave (July’s theme). By reversing the twists in the yarn, S&Z patterns can also create fabric that has less of a need to curl than simple interlinking. |
|
2024 The Year of Twining
The 2024 subscription focuses on a very colourful surface design technique: twining on a background of interlinking. These motifs take inspiration from historic pieces, many of them bonnets from ancient Egypt. The technique uses a background of interlinking structure, the basic interlinking stitch. Then threads take off in pairs, wandering across the cloth, creating designs. We begin with patterns that simply move the twining pairs to the left, to the right, and then things become ever more interesting. The patterns were pilot-tested and where people had questions, we added videos and more instructions. |
|
2025 The Year of Sweater
You know how to make a sprang scarf or shawl. How would you go about making other articles of sprang clothing? How would a person make a sprang shirt or sweater? Taking ideas from knitters, you might begin at the hem and work up to the neck, or you might begin at the neck and work towards the hem, or you might make several pieces and assemble them. That's the sort of thing we will do in The Year of the Sprang Sweater. We will explore diverse approaches to sprang shirts. It is NOT expected that you make twelve adult-sized garments. What we hope to do is to show you the basics of the different approaches. Each month we will give instructions for a doll (or child) sized garment. We encourage you to go through the steps as there are a great number of shaping and finishing techniques. Indeed those shaping and finishing techniques in themselves make this year's subscription quite valuable. Should you find yourself captivated by a particular approach to a garment, and feel motivated to try an adult size garment, we will include explanations how to scale up the approach. |
The SprangLady Subscription-2025- The Year of the Sprang Sweater
CA$120.00
2025 The Year of the Sprang Sweater (or shirt or vest) You know how to make a sprang scarf or shawl. How would you go about making other articles of sprang clothing? How would a person make a sprang shirt or sweater? Taking ideas from knitters, you might begin at the hem and work up to the neck, or you might begin at the neck and work towards the hem, or you might make several pieces and assemble them. That's the sort of thing we will do in The Year of the Sprang Sweater. We will explore diverse approaches to sprang shirts. It is NOT expected that you make twelve adult-sized garments. What we hope to do is to show you the basics of the different approaches. Each month we will give instructions for a doll (or child) sized garment. We encourage you to go through the steps as there are a great number of shaping and finishing techniques. Indeed those shaping and finishing techniques in themselves make this year's subscription quite valuable. Should you find yourself captivated by a particular approach to a garment, and feel motivated to try an adult size garment, we will include explanations how to scale up the approach. This subscription began early in COVID. My daughter noted that her friends could subscribe to monthly cross-stitch patterns or sock patterns or crochet patterns. She asked if perhaps there could be a monthly sprang pattern. The subscription works like a magazine. You get a new pattern each month. You can also order "back issues" and get previous issues all at once. While the 2021 subscription offered a peek into the variety of structures compatible with sprang, the 2022 subscription delved into sprang lace, and in 2023 we explored the possibilities with S&Z, in 2024 we looked at twining on a background of interlinking. Here is a preview of this year's subscription, the Year of the Sweater. Included in the subscription we will be available for a monthly sprang chat via Zoom, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. There you can ask questions, and receive on-line support. You will also be able to meet others interested in sprang. The monthly Zoom chat will be arranged at different times of the day on a rotating cycle, to accommodate members in diverse time zones. For those of you who missed signing up in January ... this is not a problem. Even if you sign up, in, say, June, you will begin with access to all the previous information, January through June's structures ... but you will have missed out on 5 months of Zoom meetings. If you are comfortable with the basics of sprang, how to set up, how to work the basic stitches, how to read Carol's charts, and a finishing technique or two, then this subscription could be for you. Know that we will assume knowledge of -flat warp sprang -work at the top of the frame (gives you mirror-image cloth at the bottom of the frame.) -circular warp sprang (warp set up going all the way around the outside of the frame) -the interlinking stitch (looks like the structure seen in chain-link fence) -the interlacing stitch (looks like woven cloth) We will include brief written instructions on these and many related techniques as we get to them. You will find videos offering instructions on other shaping and finishing techniques. For those wanting more personalised help, we will be offering a classes on these techniques. |
|
Taproot video is an online paid resource where you can learn all sorts of various crafts. Carol uses this resource to provide you access to on-line streaming of her DVDs and digital versions of her books.
|