Spinning Daily

A Guide to Spinning Flax: Linen Spun from Flax Fibers

Liz Good — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:21:19 GMT

In this new free eBook, you will about flax from seed to fiber. By using traditional hand methods, it's quite possible to plant, raise, harvest, and process small quantities of flax for spinning. The process is quite laborious, but you'll find the transformation is very exciting and the end product very beautiful.

2013, Spring: Green yarn

Liz Good — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:53:24 GMT

Green yarns! In our Fall 2012 issue, we challenged readers to the very open task of creating green yarn. It was fun to see the variations that can be created while keeping yarn green.

2012, Fall: Recycled yarn

Liz Good — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 22:48:37 GMT

Recycled yarn! In our Spring 2012 issue, we featured two articles about harvesting yarn from existing garments. We challenged you to use what you learned to reinvent something from your closet (or local thrift store).

Wet Finishes for Yarn by Judith MacKenzie

Liz Good — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 21:42:24 GMT

Wet Finishes for Yarn: Or , it all comes out in the wash . . . by Judith MacKenzie originally published in Spin-Off Summer 2007 and also referenced in Judith's book The Intentional Spinner.

Natural Fiber, A Spin-Off Directory, 2013

Liz Good — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 18:35:32 GMT

This special advertising section is a one-stop, easy-to-take-with-you listing of fiber resources from around the world. These listings are important, not only for you, as you're searching for the perfect fleece for your next project, but also, for the spinning community as a whole. Supporting the shepherds, farmers, and horticulturists who preserve the rare breeds of sheep, cultivate shades of natural-colored cotton, and nurture the silkworms means that we will continue to have choices when it comes time to select a fiber for a project. Enjoy poring over these listings and fantasizing about your next foray into the land of natural fiber.

Wool Combing and Carding: How to Use Hand Carders, Wool Combs, and Drum Carders

Liz Good — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 20:05:32 GMT

In this new free eBook, you will learn the ins and outs of combing and carding. Learn how to comb and card your wool so that it is ready to spin. Find tips for how to hold your handcards, set up your wool combs, and feed your fiber into the licker-in of your drumcarder.

Dodec Spinning Wheel Plans by Porter Threads

Spin-Off — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 15:48:15 GMT

These are the plans for the DODEC Spinning Wheel created by Scott Porter of www.porterthreads.com that was featured in the Fall 2012 issue of Spin-Off.

Guide to Dyeing Yarn: Learn How to Dye Yarn Using Natural Dyeing Techniques

Liz Good — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 15:37:56 GMT

In this new free eBook, you will learn the ins and outs of natural dyes, explore dyeing with black walnuts as well as using a natural hot springs to supply mineral mordants (the "glue" that holds the dye to the fiber), and get instructions for making a solar dyeing oven.

A Guide to Handspun Yarn: Types of Yarn and How to Spin Them

Liz Good — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:01:22 GMT

In this free eBook, discover the numerous types of yarn you can create and the techniques and methods for spinning them. With the help from the editors at Spinning Daily, you can continue to build on techniques and methods that work for the yarn you're trying to achieve when spinning.

Note: On page 13 of the original eBooklet, the photo for step 3 was labeled incorrectly. The file was updated on December 18, 2012. While we work hard to avoid errors, sometimes something gets past us. We apologize for any inconvenience this might have caused.

How to Ply Yarn: From Plying on a Drop Spindle to Creating Plied Yarn on a Wheel

Liz Good — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 22:26:49 GMT

This fascinating eBook from the experts at Spinning Daily uncovers all of the opportunities, benefits, methods, techniques, and the art of plying yarn. Don’t wait; download your free guide today!

*This is an updated version as of March 2013. There are corrections to the twist directions in the captions on page 13.

Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Spinners

tiffwarble — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 23:25:03 GMT

How Much Do You Know About Copyright?

Spinning Daily and the staff at Interweave have released a new free eBook Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Spinners to help raise awareness of the issues surrounding copyright and give credit to the talented writers, designers, artists, photographers, and innovators who work with us to share their products and ideas with our readers.

This guide to the basics of copyright is for anyone and everyone: designers and makers, crafters, retailers, library staff, educators, and more.

"Most people think of pirated movies or music when they hear about copyright violations," says Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits magazine. "But we answer questions about copyright for crafters, artists, designers, and authors every day—copyright and other intellectual property issues are a big deal in the DIY marketplace, where the "I can do that!" spirit and respect for original, independent design and authorship need to coexist peacefully."

This free resource addresses topics such as:

What is copyright?
How does copyright work?
What is copyright infringement?
Plus other pressing topics from simple questions to more complex issues, such as:
- Can I resell a pattern/magazine/book/DVD I own? What about purchases of my digital downloads?
- Can I make and sell projects I found in a book or magazine?
- Where can I find more instructions for projects that I can make and sell?
- How can I tell if a work is in the public domain?
- Do I always retain copyright as the original author of a piece?
- What do I do if someone’s violating my copyright?
- And much more.

"Ultimately, copyright is about protecting the creative process, ensuring that the creator of a work can benefit from that work," adds Jang. "Our goal at Interweave is to educate our consumers about what copyright is, and why it matters—and to give authors, artists, and designers everywhere the tools they need to protect their own rights so they can continue to create new works and share them with the public."

2012, Spring: Barber poles and mud

Liz Good — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:42:14 GMT

Barber poles and mud! We challenged readers to explore these two often maligned traits in handspun. We were surprised at the broad spectrum of yarn we received and at how many readers were able to combine barber poles and mud into one yarn!

2011, Fall: Paper

Liz Good — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:38:27 GMT

Paper! In our Spring 2011 issue, Judith MacKenzie shared her experiences spinning with sewing-pattern paper. We hope it got your creative juices flowing to start your own experiments!

All About Spinning Cotton: A Guide to Cotton Spinning + Free Naturally Colored Cotton Patterns

Liz Good — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:38:11 GMT

This eBook is filled with great tips about spinning cotton from spinners who love working with cotton and know how to get just the results they are looking for. Learn about the naturally occurring colors of cotton and some of the history of colored cotton available to handspinners and then try out your handspun cotton by weaving dishtowels, knitting a sweater, or crocheting a small bag.

Natural Fiber, A Spin-Off Directory, 2011

Liz Good — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:27:18 GMT

A Guide to Spinning Silk Fibers + Free Knitting, Weaving, Crochet, and Embroidery Projects Using Silk Fiber

Liz Good — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:57:18 GMT

In this free eBook you'll learn how to spin silk for knitting, weaving, crochet, and embroidery projects guided by experts Mary Spanos, Carol Rhoades, and Dodie Rush.

Once you've learned how to spin, and you feel pretty comfortable spinning wool, you might start looking around for other fibers to try. Silk is one of the luxury fibers that new spinners are likely to try first—it is so seductively beautiful with its incredible luster and ability to take color. But spinning silk is a little trickier than spinning wool and it is really nice to have a couple (or three!) expert spinners by your side as you try it out.

A Guide to Spinning Wool: Learn How to Spin Wool from Rare Sheep Breeds and Other Wool Fibers

Liz Good — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:41:37 GMT

Want to learn more about spinning wool? We’ve compiled some of our best content from the pages of Spin-Off magazine focusing on three sheep breeds, Border Leister, Wensleydale Longwool, and Jacob. Learn about the sheep, the wool, and see how the wool is used for handspinning in a project for each. (Note: The original eBook, posted 10/31, was missing the Project Notes for A Border Leicester Christmas Stocking by Robin Russo. It is now included. Sorry for any inconvenience.)

Spin-Off Index 2001-2011

Liz Good — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:21:08 GMT

Download a pdf of the Spin-Off 2001-2010 Index and search for articles published in Spin-Off.

A Guide to Processing Wool to Make Wool Roving: Washing Wool, Carding Wool, and Combing Wool

Liz Good — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 21:10:40 GMT

Considering processing our own fibers? We’ve compiled some of our best content from the pages of Spin-Off for you that should make the process of getting started easy and fun.

An Introduction to Spinning Wheels: How to Use and How to Choose a Spinning Wheel

Liz Good — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:17:58 GMT

Learning how to spin your own yarn is pretty easy and straight forward, especially if you have access to great teachers. To make this free eBook, we pulled from some of our best content from the pages of Spin-Off.

This updated version includes Denise Jackson's article on troubleshooting for your wheel.

Correction for Annukka Socks page 89 Interweave Knit&Spin 2011

Amy Clarke Moore — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:50:48 GMT

We're very sorry that the Annukka Socks—Cable Cuff Chart on page 89 of Interweave Knit&Spin is missing a cable. Please download this pdf of the page that contains the corrected chart.

Drop Spindle Spinning: Learn How to Spin with Drop Spindles

Liz Good — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:51:23 GMT

This updated version of the free eBook has additional material about top and bottom whorl spindles.

Interweave Felt 2007 Staff Projects: Passport Wallet, Vicki Yost

Liz Good — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:18:29 GMT

I purchased a sweater at a thrift store, hoping inspiration (and luck in my case!) would enable me to actually make something out of it. Honestly, the label said 100% wool. So I tossed it in the washing machine set on hot water and cotton cycle. When it finished, I had a slightly misshapen sweater and a bunch of fiber in my machine. Okay, try again. Same results. I then went back to the store and found another sweater that said 100% wool. Using the same procedure, my sweater felted! It was going to be a handbag, but there wasn’t enough material. A passport wallet was born.

Vicki Yost, Advertising Manager

Interweave Felt 2007 Staff Project: Yoga Mat Bag, Annie Bakken

Liz Good — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:15:48 GMT

I knew I wanted to create a bag for my yoga mat, but I wasn’t sure that my idea would work until I tested out my techniques on a minibag (suitable for a drop spindle) that I gifted to a coworker. Upon its enthusiastic receipt, I began work on my recycled masterpiece.

Annie Bakken, Marketing Manager

Interweave Felt 2007 Staff Project: Mysterious Messenger Bag, Michelle Mach

Liz Good — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:12:23 GMT

This casual bag was inspired by my love of mystery novels. The embroidery on the flap—Locus Delicti—is Latin for “scene of the crime.” The embroidery inside the flap (“Move along, nothing to see here”) covers the back of my stitching and reinforces the mystery theme.

Michelle Mach, Editor, Beading Daily