The Kingston Handloom Weavers & Spinners

The Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners (KHWS) guild has been in existence since 1948

KHWS is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes the teaching of weaving, spinning and other related crafts in both their historic, contemporary and technical context to interested community members of all ages. The guild is the only one of its kind in the Kingston area and currently has over 100 members drawn from over a 100 Km. radius.  The learn to weave and spin organization is run entirely by volunteers. In addition to monthly meetings (7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month from September through June), the KHWS gives numerous workshops throughout the year to both members and non-members (including children) from the community. Each November we present a Weaving and Spinning Sale, featuring unique, quality items created by KHWS.

From 1973 onwards the guild had a meeting room and studio in the J.K. Tett Centre which was closed for renovation in 2010 by the City of Kingston. We moved back to the Tett Centre in 2013 once the renovations are completed.

Visit KHWS

KHWS has open studio hours on Thursdays between 10AM–12PM. They also offer open studio hours on Tueday evenings (6:30–8:30PM) approximately twice per month, and occasional weekend sessions. Members of the public are welcome to visit during open studio hours to learn about KHWS, pick up some weaving and/or spinning skills, and try out some equipment.

Learning to Spin Wool

One key component of the renovation of the KHWS studio is a safe area with a fume hood, sinks and equipment for the dyeing of yarn and fabrics. This dye station, which will be the only such facility in southeastern Ontario, will be equipped with safety features to comply with City regulations. Other fibre related groups from the region (fabric artists, quilters, other weaving guilds etc.) will be welcome to reserve the use of the dye station at a reasonable rental cost.

Eastern Ontario Spinning Guild

The Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners (KHWS) welcomes everyone from all around Eastern Ontario and beyond.  What makes our guild so unique is the diversity of our members.  We draw in members from as far as 100km such as Harrowsmith, Yarker, Napanee, and Brockville.