Is it worsted? Is it woolen? Is it something in between? You start spinning in earnest and suddenly you are making yarn! It's a great feeling—that fiber magically transforming right before your eyes in your hands. As you gain confidence in your ability to make a yarn that both sticks together...
Woolly comfort or implements of the unknown? Discover new uses for handcards and tahklis. Photo by Jason Reid. Michael Cook walks you through a traditional Lao method of reeling silk. Photo by Michael Cook. The Columbia Mitts by Star Athena are the essence of winter comfort. Photo by Joe Coca. Finding...
Three swatches knitted in seed rib pattern using single, two-ply, and three-ply yarns When you ply your spun singles do you prefer two-ply, three-ply, or four-ply yarns? Or perhaps you prefer to work with singles and skip the plying all together? In the Fall 2001 issue of Spin-Off Rita Buchanan shared...
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Guest Blog
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Toni Rexroat
on
Oct 11, 2011
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Filed under: Spin-Off Magazine, Spinning Wheels, Wool Processing, Plying, Worsted, Spinning Wool, Dyeing, Merino Wool, Mohair, Types of Yarn, Natural Dyes, Your Yarn, Spinning, Dyeing Yarn
Wensley and Dale, Spin-Off Winter 2000 Years ago, my mother spotted a newborn lamb with large black and white splotches, making him look more like a miniature Holstein calf than a Columbia lamb. He was only hours old when my Mom claimed his yet ungrown fleece. Months later, she spun the beautiful black...
Are you one of those spinners who wants everything to be precise? Who believes all yarn is either woolen or worsted, nothing in between? Who believes an inch is an inch, and that's the end of the story? Do not read further. I've just been reviewing a collection of articles Rita Buchanan wrote...
I've known Rita Buchanan for many, many years, and she's always surprised me. There was the Peace Corps time working on water projects in Africa. The year in southwestern Colorado, growing and living off native plants. The acknowledgment in her splendid book, A Weaver's Garden , to her "tireless...
I’ve rattled on for years about how hard it is to put spinning instruction in print. It’s such a dynamic, process-intensive craft—so hard to capture in one-shot increments. For all my carrying on, though, I think we’ve done a pretty good job. Thirty-two years of Spin-Off , and...
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Linda Ligon's Blog
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Linda Ligon
on
Jun 3, 2009
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Filed under: Worsted, Plying, How To Spin, Wool Processing, Spinning Wheels, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Spin-Off Magazine, Types of Yarn, Spinning
On the Cover: Sarah Swett designed a sweater for next-to-the-skin, everyday use, page 52. Departments Editor's Page Letters As the Whorl Spins by Stefanie Berganini Reviews Get This! by Stefanie Berganini Abbreviations Calendar Classified Ads Advertiser's Index Angela’s Wedding Shawl by...
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Spin-Off Magazine
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Spin-Off
on
Sep 16, 2008
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Filed under: Spin-Off Magazine, Wool Processing, Handspun, Spinning Wool, Worsted, Spinning Wheels, Merino Wool, Your Yarn, Types of Yarn, Spinning
On the cover : Loom Blooms can add a festive quality to anything—from hair barrettes to flip flops! Features Behind the Scenes: At Vermont Spindle Company by Cindy Ellen Hill Spinning True to Oneself by Randy Chelsey In Hot Water by Glenna Dean Handspun Gallery of Ponchos A Passion for Fiber by...
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Spin-Off Magazine
by
Spin-Off
on
Nov 28, 2005
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Filed under: Spindle Spinning, How-To, Drop Spindle, Spin-Off Magazine, Wool Processing, Handspun, Spinning Wool, Worsted, Merino Wool, Your Yarn, Types of Yarn, Spinning