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Two months ago I put out a challenge to spinners everywhere to enter our “ All Wrapped Up in Natural Fiber ” contest to create a scarf made with natural fiber and perhaps even with fiber they raised themselves. You’d be amazed at what arrived in our office! We had a great response and...
Posted to
Amy's Blog
by
Amy Clarke Moore
on
Jun 10, 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Natural Fiber, Handspun, Spindle Spinning, Spinning Wheels, Drop Spindle, Spin-Off Magazine, Your Yarn, Types of Yarn, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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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...
Posted to
Linda Ligon's Blog
by
Linda Ligon
on
Jun 3, 2009
Filed under:
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
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When we learned that 2009 was to be the United Nations’ Year of Natural Fiber , our first thought was, “Wow! What can we do that’s really special?” Our second thought was, “Wait a minute—we’re about natural fiber EVERY year! What’s special about that?”...
Posted to
Linda Ligon's Blog
by
Linda Ligon
on
May 27, 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: handwoven, Plying, Natural Fiber, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Handspun, Spinning Silk, Types of Yarn, Spinning, Processing Fiber
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The last time I was in Peru – last year, in fact – I saw a spinner in one of the villages, and I just can’t get her out of my mind. It was early morning in Chinchero, near Cusco. The streets were still empty and quiet, the roosters still crowing. Down the cobbled street came a young...
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Spindling in the car (while her husband drives) has become one of the favorite activities for Anita Deen, a member of the Rocky Mountain Weaver’s Guild (Colorado) . She creates spindle-spun projects to work on only in the car when she rides as a passenger. Tanya Swegler, another member, finds spindle...
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On the Cover: Top or Bottom Whorl, What's Best? page 44. 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 Clun Forest Set by Carol Huebscher Rhoades Spinning for Needlepoint...
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Last post, I was asking the world at large whether men of the Guatemalan highlands still spin wool on drop spindles, as they did when Olive and Harry Linder visited there in the late 1970s. Having spent several days chasing the answer, I have to say it’s a qualified “no.” Of course...
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Hello, and welcome to Spin-Off's new and improved home on the web! We've been working on this new site for quite a while, and we hope you like it! I'm feeling a lot of pressure while I sit here trying to write my first blog post - I'm not going to be witty or smart enough and no one will...
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A special member of the Spinners’ Flock (Michigan) was in need of some clothing—a handspun, handknitted doll with needlefelted facial features and stuffed with wool. All her measurements were posted in the group’s newsletter with a list of the essential clothes and accessories she would...
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I was looking back, waaay back, the other day, at the second issue of Spin-Off (Fall 1978). This popped out at me: a short article written by Harry and Olive Linder, one of the shining lights and great teachers of the spinning community back in the day. Harry and his wife, Olive, had just traveled in...
Posted to
Linda Ligon's Blog
by
Linda Ligon
on
Jan 22, 2009
Filed under:
Filed under: Wool Processing, Spinning Wheels, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Handspun, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Spin-Off Magazine, How-To, Spinning
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Spinning may leave us with our hands full, but we can still make merry while doing it. The start of the New Year signals a time for doing just that in many groups. A traditional holiday celebrating spinning is St. Distaff’s Day, the Monday following Epiphany (January 6 or Twelfth Night), a date...
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On the Cover: Handpainted bombyx silk, page 44. 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 Swoopy Skirts by Kathryn Alexander Fiber Basics: South America’s Wild...
Posted to
Spin-Off Magazine
by
Spin-Off
on
Dec 9, 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Dyeing, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Spin-Off Magazine, Handspun, Plying, Natural Dyes, Spinning Fiber, Spinning Wheels, Spinning Silk, Spinning, Dyeing Yarn
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The Spindle & Dyepot Guild (Wisconsin) took a field trip to The Blackberry Ridge Woolen Mill to view the process of taking raw fiber through the steps of finished spinning, plying, and dyeing of the yarn. Of special interest was the washing procedure used with skirted but dirty wool. A top-loading...
Posted to
Spinner's Connection
by
Peggy Coffey
on
Oct 20, 2008
Filed under:
Filed under: Dyeing, Natural Dyes, Spindle Spinning, Drop Spindle, Handspun, Wool Processing, Plying, Spinning Wool, Merino Wool, Spinning, Dyeing Yarn
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Are you starting to pack for SOAR? Make sure to consult the materials list here to make sure you have everything you need for your classes. Those of you who are enrolled in Nilda Callanuapa Alvarez's class--Andean Spinning--should have received this info when you were confirmed in the class--but...
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Monday, June 9, 2008 The Acadian Weavers and Spinners (Louisiana) took part in the Ville Platte Cotton Festival in October. The community of Ville Platte has one of the oldest festivals in Louisiana, and the 2007 King Cotton was Jimmy C. Newman , a Nashville country singer originally from Big Mamou,...