Spinning Daily

Tina Bliss—from weaving guild to New York's Fashion Institute of Technology

Kate Larson — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:00:00 GMT

Tina was inspired by a speaker at the New York Handweavers Guild to pursue Woven Design at FIT

Spinning effortlessly and naturally

Linda Ligon — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

In our new video with Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez, shares the knowledge that she began storing up when she was only eight years old, tending sheep on the slopes around her native Chinchero, Peru, with Linda.

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Craft Daily is Here!

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 15 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

With all the great spinning workshops that Interweave keeps putting out, my video library is outgrowing my bookshelf space. Fortunately, the folks in our online education department have come up with a brilliant solution. They've just launched our new Craft Daily site! This means that I can watch any of our spinning workshops with just a click of the mouse with 24/7 streaming. What's even better, I can take these videos with me anywhere. I've invited Annie Hartman Bakken to tell you more about Craft Daily:



Watch a preview of how Craft Daily works, with Online Education Manager Laura Esposito.

CraftDaily.com

I feel like the new generation of spinning is here. Craft Daily is a video streaming site for spinners, weavers, knitters, beaders, quilters . . . all the crafts that you're currently pursuing. Whether you're a new spinner or have been spinning for years, there are videos for every skill level. Learn how to spin on a handspindle with Maggie Casey or Abby Franquemont or how to spin a complex cabled yarn with Judith MacKenzie or Jacey Boggs. It's all here.

If you've ever had the luck of attending a spinning class, the benefits of the visual spinning experience is priceless. You can see how the instructor maintains the drafting triangle and all the subtlities of spinning that are challenging to put into words and text. It all seems so easy when you see it done!



	Watch Judith MacKenzie demonstrate spinning on CraftDaily.com.

Craft Daily brings those spinning classes to practically any device that supports a strong Internet connection (Mac, PC, iOS). You can watch How to Card anytime. Let's say you're on the lightrail, and you're trying to remember exactly how Norman Kennedy holds his handcards while carding. Well, log on to Craft Daily and watch the video right on the lightrail. Yes, folks, it's that easy.

The Craft Daily site also allows you to build a library of your favorite videos, so you can keep track of those you've seen and want to watch again. The Craft Daily site is brand-new, so go check it out. You can watch previews of the videos to see if they're something that interests you. Plus, you can leave helpful comments on each video for other spinners. I'll be there. Probably for another twelve hours!

—Annie Hartman Bakken, associate producer of Knitting Daily TV and Interweave's yarn division marketing manager

Craft Daily has videos for knitters, weavers, quilters, crocheters, beaders, and even metalsmiths—so whether you're knitting, weaving, crocheting, or even making jewlery with your handspun yarn you'll find videos to help you do what you want to do, when you want to do it!

Happy Spinning!

What happens when twenty-one guilds gather?

Kate Larson — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:20:00 GMT

Fiber artists in Jackson, Tennessee, hosted the first Gathering of the Guilds in April

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Meet Lisa, the new editor of Interweave Knits magazine

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 08 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The right designs, the right yarn

We've invited Lisa Shroyer, the new editor of Interweave Knits magazine, to introduce herself and share her plans for upcoming issues.

The Midsummer Aran by Ginevra Martin is featured in the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave Knits.

Publishing a single magazine issue is no quick process. Within that six to nine months—from the first submission call to designers, through the knitting, pattern-writing, technical editing, and photo shoots, to final file production and page design—much can change in the lives of the people working behind the scenes.

In the time it took to create the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave Knits, we've had a fairly significant change on staff—Eunny Jang, the former editor, stepped down and I took her place. I am thrilled to move into this new role—it's a culmination of my years of work in the knitting industry and in publishing. Having been part of Interweave Knits for years, I can reflect on where we've been and what we've done. And now I'm ready to take us forward.

	The Open Eye Tunic by Deborah Helmke is featured in the Summer 2013 issue of Interweave Knits.

I am a lifelong knitter and maker, and come from a family steeped in the fiber crafts, including spinning and weaving. Though knitting has been my personal focus, I know too much about yarn, about sheep, about dyeing, to ever feel very far from the spinner in my life—my mom. She's always offering to lend me a wheel, with that mischievous sparkle in her eye.

Yarn will be a big part of my approach to editing Knits. Choosing the right designs, the right yarn, then the right palette are the three steps to putting together a collection. What does a woolen-spun heather add to a sweater? What feeling does it imbue the stitches with? What does a bouncy cabled Merino in a clear saturated color make you feel? Out of all the options for yarns, my job will be to pick one. Just one yarn in one color for that lace pullover, one chance to make you see the design the way I see it in my head. I hope you tune in and weigh in!

Wari-inspired textiles on the runway in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kate Larson — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:30:00 GMT

The Cleveland Museum of Art created a runway challenge in conjunction with the exhibit Wari: Lords of the Ancient Andes

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Register NOW for SOAR 2013 !

Liz Good — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Some of you have been waiting with bated breath for Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) registration to open. (And we've been looking forward to finding out who will be joining us this fall in Saint Charles, Illinois!)

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Content without the clutter

Linda Ligon — Wed, 01 May 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The beauty of magazines in electronic form, on CDs, on the internet is you can have the content without the clutter.

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Tips for SOAR registration

Amy Clarke Moore — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:49:00 GMT

Registration for SOAR 2013 opens on Thursday May 2, 2013 at 1 pm Eastern Time at www.interweavesoar.com . After you fill in your correct contact information, there are some questions that you could skip and fill in later by logging back in once you've selected your classes and received your confirmation number. This year we've changed the format of registration a little so that you can be waitlisted on a class that you want, but also be enrolled in your second choice-in order to do that,...(read more)

Spinning and Dreaming in Color

Anita Osterhaug — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Spinning and Dreaming in Color

Anita's advancing twill sample with handspun silk handkerchiefs.

I started spinning because of color. I visited a spinning shop with a friend and fell in love with a raspberry-colored bump of Lincoln roving, so I rented a wheel, signed up for lessons, and 20+ years later my love affair with fiber and color continues. (Alas, the Lincoln was too scratchy for the shawl that I planned and graces my stash to this day.) I wonder how many other spinners started by visiting a shop or gathering and catching fiber fever from piles and walls of exuberantly colored tops and rovings.

As I learned to spin, I learned that color deepens as a dyed fiber compresses into yarn. I learned to blend dyed fibers to create new colors, how to spin and ply to preserve the color changes in gorgeous space-dyed tops, how to predict and use visual blending of colors in my mostly knitted projects.

	John Mullarkey's inkle and pin-loom woven rainbow "boa" from the May/June issue of Handwoven.

When I learned to weave, I found new color possibilities. The interlacement of warp and weft create different color interactions than knitting or crocheting with a single strand of yarn. Weaving spurred new experiments in spinning. I took a stack of dyed silk handkerchiefs, cut them into long strips, spun one after another to create repeating color changes, then wove a pattern with black silk to see what would happen. I warped stripes of multi-colored handspun and solid-color yarns from my stash and wove handsome scarves. Right now, I'm plying Romeldale singles in Easter egg colors with whisper-fine white kid mohair and dreaming of a twill or lacey summer shawl.

The shawl will wait a bit because I'm also putting the finishing touches on the May/June issue of Handwoven, which is all about color. And that's fine because the issue is packed with inspiration for my future spinning and weaving projects: Nancy Roberts explains how to dye a knitting blank for weaving color effects; handspun, handwoven samples from Sarah Lamb show a few of the unique effects handspinners can create in weaving, a clever inkle and pin-loom woven rainbow "boa" by John Mullarkey cries out for handspun yarn, and myriad other projects explore the dance of color and fiber. If you're a weaving spinner, I hope you'll join me for this upcoming color adventure, and the adventures to come.

Spinners in Exeter, England, welcome IST Crafts spindle maker Ian Tait.

Kate Larson — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The Devon Weavers, Spinners, and Dyers take a behind-the-scenes look at spindle production

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Be enchanted by Judith MacKenzie

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

In our new eBook, The Judith MacKenzie Collection, you'll find practical articles to improve your spinning—but you'll also find Judith's narrative that connects the mundane with the magical

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Where in the world is Patsy Z?

Kate Larson — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Follow spinning instructor Patsy Z as she makes her way across New Zealand.

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New access to timeless information

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

The digital age has ushered many changes since 1995, thankfully new ways to get spinning information is one of them.

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FAQs you need to spin to weave

Liz Good — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Liz shares a selection of Sara Lamb's frequently asked questions from Sara's new book Spin to Weave: The Weaver's Guide to Making Yarn

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The Glorious Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Kate Larson — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:50:00 GMT

The east coast spinning community converges on West Friendship, MD, during the first weekend of May

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A love letter to linen

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

For our new free eBook A Guide to Spinning Flax: Linen Spun from Flax Fibers, we've collected some articles from past issues of Spin-Off to share with you.

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SOAR 2013 information is up!

Amy Clarke Moore — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 13:30:00 GMT

The information for SOAR 2013 has been posted to our website, www.interweavesoar.com . Registration opens on Thursday May 2, 2013 at 1 pm Eastern Time....(read more)

Springtime in the Rockies: Snake River Fiber Arts Fair

Kate Larson — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:00:00 GMT

The Weaving, Spinning, and Fiber Arts Guild of Idaho Falls prepares for its annual event

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How an issue of Spin-Off is created

Liz Good — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Oftentimes my favorite articles are a result of the problem-solving that goes into creating a well-rounded issue. Here is a little of the back story from the Spring issue.

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Explore the Textile Museum’s virtual exhibits

Kate Larson — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Can't make it to Washington, D.C.? Check out www.textilemuseum.org

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The precious resource: yarn

Anne Merrow — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:53:00 GMT

We've invited Anne Merrow, Interweave spinning and knitting video producer and eMag editor, to share some exciting details about our workshop video with Lily Chin.

Lily explains the magic length of yarn needed for the long-tail cast-on.

As a world-renowned knitter and crocheter, Lily Chin goes through a lot of yarn. It takes me a lot longer to use up my handspun than it does to spin and ply it, but Lily might be able to keep pace with my spinning wheel!

With so much yarn running through her fingers, Lily has learned a lot of tricks, which she shares in her new videos The Knitter's Toolbox: Lily Chin's Techniques and Tricks for Savvy Knitters and The Crocheter's Toolbox: Lily Chin's Techniques and Tricks for Savvy Crocheters. Some will make your life easier and some will make finished garments more polished, but my favorites are the ones that save yarn.

The Long-Enough Tail

When I have barely enough handspun to knit a project, I wind up doing the cast-on over and over— even though it makes even the best handspun look a little tired after the third try. It just seems like such a waste to have more than a few inches languishing at the end of my needles.

So when Lily showed me a little formula that helped me estimate the right amount of yarn for my long-tail cast-ons, it saved me a lot of ripping out. Lily explained that because of the geometry of a knitted stitch, I could get pretty close by multiplying the width of the cast-on edge by three and adding ten percent. Lily explains just why this trick works and shows you other uses for this rule of thumb in The Knitter's Toolbox.

By reserving yarn for seaming before the foundation chain, Lily saves yarn-and weaving in.

Seams Smart

When it comes to the end of a knitting or crochet project, I just hate to stop early in order to leave enough yarn for seaming. Instead of guessing on seaming yarn at the end, Lily has figured out how to plan for seaming yarn from the very beginning. At the beginning of the cast-on or foundation chain, she measures off enough yarn to join pieces at the end, saving yarn and also eliminating two extra tails that would need to be woven in.

I've been knitting and crocheting for years, but the new ideas in Lily's videos have changed the way I wield a hook and needles. From new ways of starting a project to clever ideas for measuring gauge, The Knitter's Toolbox and The Crocheter's Toolbox are full of terrific tips. Check them out before you start your next knitting or crochet project!

Making Connections

Kate Larson — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:07:00 GMT

Indiana's fiber network, Swift, connects fiber artists and producers with the next generation

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Time to spin cotton

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 11:00:00 GMT

If you've been avoiding spinning cotton for any reason—it is time to reconsider.

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Knitting and the Brontë sisters

Linda Ligon — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:00:00 GMT

Linda shares highlights of PieceWork's Knitting Traditions Spring 2013 issue including her musings on knitting and the Brontë sisters.

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By reserving yarn for seaming before the foundation chain, Lily saves yarn-and weaving in.

Spinning Daily

Tina Bliss—from weaving guild to New York's Fashion Institute of Technology

Spinning effortlessly and naturally

Craft Daily is Here!

What happens when twenty-one guilds gather?

Meet Lisa, the new editor of Interweave Knits magazine

The right designs, the right yarn

Wari-inspired textiles on the runway in Cleveland, Ohio.

Register NOW for SOAR 2013 !

Content without the clutter

Tips for SOAR registration

Spinning and Dreaming in Color

Spinning and Dreaming in Color

Spinners in Exeter, England, welcome IST Crafts spindle maker Ian Tait.

Be enchanted by Judith MacKenzie

Where in the world is Patsy Z?

New access to timeless information

FAQs you need to spin to weave

The Glorious Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

A love letter to linen

SOAR 2013 information is up!

Springtime in the Rockies: Snake River Fiber Arts Fair

How an issue of Spin-Off is created

Explore the Textile Museum’s virtual exhibits

The precious resource: yarn

The Long-Enough Tail

By reserving yarn for seaming before the foundation chain, Lily saves yarn-and weaving in. Seams Smart

Making Connections

Time to spin cotton

Knitting and the Brontë sisters

By reserving yarn for seaming before the foundation chain, Lily saves yarn-and weaving in.

Seams Smart