We know what it means to pour your heart and soul into a functional piece Unknown Navajo Artist, Blanket, Chief’s Style–Third Phase, 1860s. Wool and dye. Denver Art Museum; Native Arts acquisition funds. The textile community in Colorado has been buzzing for the last several months about...
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...
Spinning Through the Ages We've invited Anne Merrow, Interweave spinning and knitting video producer and eMag editor, to share some exciting details about our upcoming workshop video with Norman Kennedy. Norman has spent his life travelling the world and learning traditional spinning and weaving...
Yarn spinning is the act of drawing out fibers (drafting) and adding twist to make yarn. You can make yarn on a simple tool like a drop spindle [link] or you can use a spinning wheel. Spinning wheels have been in use for thousands of years and have evolved over time to adapt to the needs of the spinner...
Silk is one of the luxury fibers that new spinners are likely to try first after they've mastered wool—it is so seductively beautiful with its incredible luster and ability to take color. There are many different characteristics of yarn spun from bombyx silk and tussah silk fibers and the steps...
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
What better way to say "thanks" than with handspun silk? I love this time of year—I love crisp air, frosty window panes, and steaming cups of tea. I love rolling out dough and cutting out cookies with my girls. I love taking a bit of time to relax, make things, and be thankful. And I'm...
Just a small sample of the cotton fiber Linda loves. Rita Buchanan spinning cotton while reading a book, from her DVD How I Spin . Stephenie Gaustad demonstrating one of her cotton spinning techniques in her upcoming DVD Spinning Cotton . Can I conquer cottonphobia? Read on. Here's the truth: I have...
I can hardly believe it’s been four months since I was there. But I’ve had that trip on my mind a lot, and for good reason. Spin-Off is planning to publish a wall calendar for 2010, photography is happening today, and a beautiful supported spindle with handspun natural brown cotton on it...
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...