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SOAR scholars are asked to submit a report sharing their experiences as recipients and the impact the opportunity has had on their lives. Marianne Guckelsberger from Reykjavík, Iceland, tells us about SOAR 2012 in Lake Tahoe, California. Now that registration is open for SOAR 2013 my mind goes...
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The nuances of Andean spinning Nilda shows how yarn from two spindles is wound into a ball to be skeined for washing and dyeing before plying. It looks so simple, making yarn on a spindle. I've watched spinners in the Andes make yarn while herding sheep, climbing steep mountain paths, chasing children...
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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...
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How an issue of Spin-Off is created Falkland wool, in the Hello Yarn September 2012 club colorway, Critter. We start planning each issue of Spin-Off over a year in advance. Many parts and pieces must come together to make a successful issue and it is always fascinating to see how the initial idea changes...
Posted to
Liz's Blog
by
Liz Good
on
Apr 3, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: Dyeing, Spin-Off Magazine, Handspun, Spinning Wheels, Natural Fiber, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Handwoven, Natural Dyes, Dyeing Yarn, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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We invited Lory Widmer Hess of Chestnut Ridge, New York, to share her insights as she learned to spin on her second attempt. Lory is the Managing Editor for the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America . Realizing the potential of spinning Lory Widmer Hess My first attempt to learn to spin...
Posted to
Guest Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Feb 27, 2013
Filed under:
Filed under: How To Spin, Wool Processing, Natural Fiber, Handspun, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Dyeing, Carding and Combing, Natural Dyes, Dyeing Yarn
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We have invited Louise Young of South Range, Wisconsin, to share her vivid essay about the magic, frustrations, and joys of natural dyes. Color Louise Young enjoying a crisp autumn day. On a clear autumn morning, a strong wind blows from the north, and the sky glows with the blue worshipped by long-ago...
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Spinning the Edges Spinning connects me in those moments when I feel alone, when I wonder who I am, where I fit in and in what direction I should go. When I feel lost, I spin. At first it’s subtle. I find the way the colors are working together interesting, then slowly I become those colors intertwining...
Posted to
SOAR Scholar's Blog
by
aa.thorstenson
on
Nov 27, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Dyeing, SOAR, Spin-Off Magazine, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Plying, Spinning Wheels, Handspun, Natural Dyes, Spinning Cotton, Spinning, Dyeing Yarn, Wool Processing, How-To
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The Queensland Spinners Weavers and Fibre Artists will hold a Christmas Fair this Sunday, November 25 in Brisbane, Australia. The annual event draws several hundred visitors and is held at the guild's facility, The Fibrecraft House. Guild members will be demonstrating and selling a wide variety of...
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What I wish history class had been like Norman Kennedy demonstrating breaking up the husk of the retted flax plant to harvest the fiber. Thank goodness for those in our community who keep traditional techniques alive. Norman Kennedy is one of these treasures. We were lucky to record some of his vast...
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Once you've basked in the absolute joy that comes from learning how to spin, you might start casting around for other equally satisfying pursuits. One of those is dyeing your yarn with natural dyes. Just as ancient people learned that they could infuse their textiles with the colors of the earth...
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Making magazines, developing curriculum The classroom at Compass Montessori Farm School. There are themes, cadences to my life that swirl around—spiraling threads that emanate from my center, overlapping and touching at times. Naturally, as a mother watching my children grow and learn, my thoughts...
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The Zen of Spinning Silk Sara Lamb shares the wide variety of silk available to handspinners. The first time I tried to spin silk, I made a mess. It was a silk brick, which is basically a long, long thick batt. I didn't know to pull it into strips, or pre-draft, or anything else. I just started feeding...
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The Textile Center in Minneapolis, home to the Weavers Guild of Minnesota. Photos courtesy of The Textile Center . The Pat O'Connor Library at The Textile Center. The Textile Center Shop carries a variety of juried artwork as well as workshop materials. This summer, The Weavers Guild of Minnesota...
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Sharing what you love with people you love Hannah and the results of her dyeing experiments. It would please me to no end if my seven-year-old daughter, Hannah, was as excited about making things fibery as I am (or even as I was when I was her age). But I also remember my mom encouraging me to do things...
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The Saltbox House at Hale Farm and Village. Photos courtesy of Becky Monegan. The Medina Spinning and Weaving Guild was invited to help refurbish The Saltbox House site at Hale Farm and Village in Ohio. The Saltbox House was built in the 1830's and moved to Hale Farm in 1962. It was recently closed...