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When I was little, I remember sitting on the couch listening to the whirl of the wheel as my mom spun. She let me try my hand at the wheel and patiently helped me keep my drop spindle going. The spinning bug didn't really bite though until many years later when I came to work at Interweave. Again...
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Nicole's enthusiasm for spinning is contagious! Alpaca skeins spun by the farm school kids ready for dyeing. The magical surface of an indigo-dye vat. Indigo magic As I've mentioned before, I volunteer regularly in the junior high classroom at a pre-K through 12th grade Montessori school where...
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Working toward our common goal How often do you spin in public? I find myself doing it more and more as I have spinning that I want to do, but fewer blocks of time in which to do it. I've been hauling my spinning wheel to the local coffee shop when I meet up with my knitting group because I've...
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The students spin up alpaca yarn that was sheared from the two school alpacas, Manny and Dotsero, last spring. A first skein from Manny. I asked Carol Rhoades to help me get the wheels up and running when she was visiting last December. Bekah, the teacher, is also learning how to spin. Why it is good...
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A trip down memory lane I just received a copy of the Spin-Off 2000 Collection CD, and seeing it brought back a flood of memories—it is the year I transitioned from assistant editor to guest editor, to editor, represented in the Spring, Summer, and Fall issues. It was all so new to me—every...
Posted to
Amy's Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Jan 18, 2012
Filed under:
Filed under: Handspun, Rare Wools, Spinning Cotton, Spindle Spinning, Spinning Wheels, Drop Spindle, How To Spin, Spin-Off Magazine, Spinning Silk, Spinning, Alpaca Wool
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The fabric of our lives Most spinners learn how to spin with wool—it is easy to learn with and is widely available as a spinning fiber. Sometimes not knowing that something is challenging can be a good thing. For instance, I learned how to spin by spinning cotton. I was a college student studying...
Posted to
Amy's Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Dec 29, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Natural Fiber, Handspun, Spinning Cotton, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, How To Spin, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Handwoven, Spinning Fiber, Wool Processing, Types of Yarn, Spinning
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Liz demonstrates spinning unsuccessfully at the Estes Park Wool Market in 2004. Ed Franquemont skillfully demonstrates Andean spinning in his 1983 article. Sarah Natani deftly demonstrates Navajo spinning in Donna Muller's 1995 article. On the shoulders of giants When I learned to spin it was, as...
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Merino fiber that has about twelve crimps per inch. Romney fiber that has about six crimps per inch. Lincoln fiber that has about three crimps per inch. Locks of Potential What is it that brings you to spinning? I imagine we come to spinning for a whole host of reasons—as diverse as we are as spinners...
Posted to
Amy's Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Dec 7, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Natural Fiber, How To Spin, Spin-Off Magazine, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Wool Processing, Your Yarn, Types of Yarn, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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Maggie Casey teaching Spinning 101 at SOAR 2011 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Judith MacKenzie teaching her Spinning for Color workshop at SOAR 2011 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Deb Menz teaching her From Swatch to Scarf workshop at SOAR 2011 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Bringing the Spin-Off Autumn...
Posted to
Liz's Blog
by
Liz Good
on
Nov 23, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Dyeing, SOAR, Drum Carder, Spin-Off Magazine, Plying, How To Spin, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, How-To, Natural Dyes, Carding and Combing, Dyeing Yarn, Spinning
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What were your thoughts and feelings when that first spinning wheel came into your life? Did you sit down for a trial spin on it at a fiber festival where it followed you home? Did its silhouette catch your eyes at a garage sale and become your one and only purchase of the day? Was it a brand-spanking...
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Wool—so common, yet so unique We're in the middle of going to press with the Winter issue of Spin-Off, and this issue is all about fiber. We're looking at it closeup this time—really closeup—by examining crimp and diameter in detail to understand why fiber does what it does...
Posted to
Amy's Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Oct 31, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: Rare Wools, Spinning Wheels, How To Spin, Spin-Off Magazine, Spinning Wool, Wool Processing, Your Yarn, Types of Yarn, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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Master making textural art yarn Jacey Boggs is a spinning powerhouse. A frequent contributor to Spin-Off and SOAR mentor, she has made a name for herself with her analytical thoughtful approach to making novelty yarns that aren't only fun but also functional. Later this year, Jacey will be releasing...
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I have quickly become addicted to spinning. On cool evenings, you can find me excitedly watching the magic of twist convert fluffy fiber into sturdy yarn. I am still fascinated with the transformation. But spinning has been a home-based-only hobby. My spinning wheel is not portable. It doesn't fit...
Posted to
Guest Blog
by
Toni Rexroat
on
Aug 24, 2011
Filed under:
Filed under: How To Spin, Spinning Wheels, Plying, Drum Carder, Handspun, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, How-To, Carding and Combing, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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Amy behind the scenes at the video shoot. Maggie Casey on the set spinning effortlessly. Liz sitting in to test out the framing of the shot. Is Maggie Casey the Wind Beneath Your Wings? My brother, in addition to his day job (well, night job) of delivering milk and being an artist, has also been working...
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Toni Rexroat is the Editor of Crochet M e I tried my hand at spinning for the first time when I was in my mid teens. My mother had been spinning for a few months, and as I watched her I thought, "That doesn't look that hard." After fifteen minutes of attempting to transform roving into...