Table of contents for Spring 2018 in Spin-Off

“Geek” used to be a bad thing. Not anymore. What does geekiness mean, anyway? Is it obsession with our favorite subject? Or wanting to talk about it to anyone who will listen? It’s time to say it loud & proud: I’m a spinning geek! The single-minded focus that might have gotten us teased in elementary school now gives us the patience to practice new skills and try new fibers. Our eagerness to share what we know about our craft gives us a community of spinners and other fiber artisans. In this issue, Spin Off celebrates our spinning geekiness by digging deeply into specialized subjects. Understand wool fibers on a microscopic level, explore the three-dimensional effects of twist energy, and take a peek into the world of spinners who re-create the…

My first attempt at a sized warp committed me to a few lively hours. Sources consulted in my research directed me to stretch the singles warp out full-length between two sticks and brush the sticky size onto it, combing it so that it would not adhere to itself as it dried. That sounded simple. Brush it on, comb it out, let it dry. Check. The size began to dry immediately, but only on the ends. I ran back and forth between “beginning” and “end” of a rapidly drying 7-yard warp. (Make no small plans!) It was at this moment I realized that 21 feet of sodden wool was heavy and could “belly.” The size, becoming stickier by the minute, slid to the midpoint and in that spot took hours to…

As a creative spinner, I often get the question, “How do I use highly textured yarns?” Art yarns are generally textured, whether they be bulky or thin. These yarns include special elements—materials, twists, and compositions—that yearn to be celebrated. Many skeins of art yarn come with much less yardage than your average skein of sock yarn. How do I answer this most-asked question? Weaving. Weaving is an amazing way to use handspun art yarn. Weaving showcases the texture of art yarn without losing anything in the stitches, as you would with knitting or crochet because of how the yarn is stitched. Some part of the yarn is always hidden in a loop. By contrast, weaving allows the yarn to really sing. WARP Art yarns have a huge effect when used…

Editor’s note: Some spinners work by feel and only grudgingly measure or record their yarn. Others crave a precise, methodical approach. Legendary spinning teacher and writer Mabel Ross is the patron saint of the technical, even mathematical, handspinner, but any spinner can learn from her, especially with the recent reissue of The Essentials of Handspinning. The path of a handspinner is often filled with color, texture, and history. But when you’re tracing the footsteps of Mabel Ross, you have to add precision. I never knew Mabel Ross, but on a recent trip to Scotland, I was able to study her journals, notebooks, and working papers at the National Library of Scotland and visit Crook of Devon, the tranquil village where she lived and taught spinning from her home studio when…

SECRETS OF SPINNING, WEAVING, AND KNITTING IN THE PERUVIAN HIGHLANDS by Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez and the Weavers of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco Known primarily as weavers, many Andean artisans learn to spin (and spin copiously!) at an early age, shift their focus to weaving and other employment during midlife, and rededicate themselves to spinning in their later years. Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez’s new book reveals the secrets of Cusqueñan artisans and makes Andean textile traditions accessible to a global audience. Step-by-step instructions and detailed photographs showcase handspinning techniques including suspended and supported spinning on a pushka (spindle), fiber preparation and management, and skeining and plying yarn. Hints and tips, plus technique variations practiced by different Andean communities, provide depth and prove that there’s more than one way to…

USA ARIZONA Grandma’s Spinning Wheel 6544 E. Tanque Verde #150 Tucson, AZ 85715 Ph 520 290-3738 spinningramma@aol.com www.grandmasspinningwheel.com CALIFORNIA Carolina Homespun 455 Lisbon St San Francisco, CA 94112 Ph 800 450-7786 fibergypsy@carolinahomespun.com www.carolinahomespun.com The Village Spinning & Weaving 425-B Alisal Rd Solvang, CA 93463 Ph 888 686-1192 Toll Free villagespinweave@earthlink.net www.villagespinweave.com COLORADO Bountiful 211 Green Mountain Or Livermore, CO 80536 Ph 970 482-7746 Toll-free 877 586-9332 fibergypsy@carolinahomespun.com www.bountifulspinweave.com Blazing Star Ranch 3424 S. Broadway Englewood, CO 80113 Ph 303 514-8780 blazingstarranch@gmail.com www.blazingstarranch.com CONNECTICUT The Wheel Thing 454 Wells Hill Rd Lakeville, CT 06039 Ph 860 435-2626 janetjynn@sbcglobal.net www.the-wheel-thing.com FLORIDA Woodland Hills Alpaca & Fiber Mill 6190 Soffel Drive Brooksville, FL34602 Ph 352 799-3234 woodlandhillsalpacas@tampabay.rr.com IDAHO The Sheep Shed 76N Robinson Rd Nampa, ID 83687 Ph 208 466-4365 sheepshed@q.com ILLINOIS The…

When you have spun and skeined a sufficient yardage of handspun singles, it is time to size the skeins. 1. Apply the size to the yarn in skein form. 2. Wind the wet, sized skein onto a blocking reel to dry. 3. When the size is dry, wind the stiff, sized yarn onto a bobbin. 4. With the bobbin on a lazy kate or a handheld pirn pin, wind the warp on a warping board. If warping a rigid-heddle loom, work from the lazy kate, pull a loop through each slot for the desired width, wind the warp onto the warp beam, and sley the holes before you tie onto the cloth beam. (For more on warping a rigid-heddle loom, see Liz Gipson’s video Slots and Holes, available from Interweave.)…

While buried deep inside Vesterheim Norwegian- American Museum’s textile storage area, I opened a drawer of woven, patterned bands that took my breath away. I had seen similarly patterned bands while traveling in Estonia and Finland that all seemed impossibly complex to my knitter’s eye. Only when I was able to peer closely at the bands in the quiet of the textile storage did I understood that the woven structure of the bands is actually quite simple. By varying the size of the warp threads as well as the fiber, texture, and color, bandweavers can create incredible patterns with a technique called pickup. This made me revisit the few pearl cotton inkle bands I had woven and wonder... How would they look in handspun? What if I varied fibers within…

People have always shared their crafting knowledge, traditionally through guilds and other in-person gatherings. As we have moved from a society in which traditional techniques were essential for survival to one in which crafting skills are not necessary to the same extent, crafting groups still exist—just in new forms. A new fellowship has emerged and blossomed: the community of social media. In a modern world, where the knowledge you seek may not be available in your physical environment, you can find it in a virtual community. A beauty lies in the happy marriage between ancient crafting techniques and modern technology. People share information about a crafting problem or solution through written posts in many online communities, but there is something special about someone showing you the ropes: you can see…

I still remember my excitement when I started knitting with unplied singles. Sitting in a workshop with Rita Buchanan in 2003, my head practically exploded with ideas. I had read Kathryn Alexander’s 2002 article “Knitting with Singles,” and I was ready to dive into the world of what she aptly called energized singles. These are singles that are not “balanced”; instead, they have active twist. That twist produces marvelous effects in knitted fabrics. Kathryn took advantage of these effects by combining Z-spun singles with S-spun singles to get amazing textures. She also incorporated loads of colors, entrelac knitting techniques, I-cord, and triangular shaping to create eye-popping, fantastical projects. And she did all this while working primarily with stockinette stitch. I have explored in a different direction, sticking with just Z-spun…

The British Isles (including the English Channel) Shetland: The breed against which all others were measured and probably the best-known NEST breed. Very variable in color and texture. Often doublecoated, but the down layer is usually soft and lofty. Manx Loaghtan: My sample was very short-stapled but downy and lofty. Loaghtan means “mouse colored.” (To learn more about the Manx Loaghtan breed, see “Manx Loaghtan and Their Wool” by Deborah Robson, page 84.) North Ronaldsay: A white sample was similar to a nice Shetland, while the dark sample was hairy and coarse. Soay: Slightly double-coated, but the hair coat was almost the same length as the down coat. Castlemilk Moorit: Very shortstapled and crimpy, with no apparent hair. Very similar to Manx Loaghtan in both color and texture. Ouessant: From…

Now, choose your goo... In addition to these recipes, sizes can be made from rice flour, corn starch, potato water, sesame “milk,” linseed “milk,” tapioca, or cassava. Will they work for you? Only you can discover that. Do a test run with yarn for a scarf or towel. Boiled Flour Yield: 1 pint ½ cup all-purpose flour2 cups water To insure smooth texture, make a paste with a small portion of the water, then stir the full amount of water into the paste. Heat the mixture in a double boiler over moderate heat, then boil it, stirring constantly, for 10 –20 minutes. Nonfat Dry Milk Yield: 1 pint 1 cup (1 premeasured packet, to mix 1 quart) instant nonfat dry milk2 cups water Stir until smooth. Gelatin Yield: 1 pint…

I find a singular joy in textile work that is mobile— work that moves with me through the world. Handspinning, knitting, and small-loom weaving can move around your house as sunlight and mood shift. You can take them to the park and work while you chat with a friend. Or jump on a plane, travel to the other side of the world, and pick up your project where you left off. While this is all very romantic, it does often leave one saying, “Now, where did I leave my spinningwheel oil?” Since the beginning of my bandweaving adventures, I have often hung finished bands from my spinning wheels. It’s nice to spin while contemplating your next band project, but it can also be a helpful way to identify your wheel…

I’m here to stand up for the oft overlooked and underappreciated unplied singles yarn. A yarn spun and left as singles is elegant. When spun from a handpainted, color-repeating top, a singles yarn dares to carry the burden of color distribution all on its own. And let’s not overlook the fact that it’s a darned quick and satisfying spin. Spin your singles from a wool and silk blend, and the resulting yarn will surprise you with its strength, luminance, and drape. Miffed by a seasoned spinner’s offhand comment that handspun singles yarns are “unattractive,” I warped my rigid-heddle loom with my most recently spun singles yarn, a Merino and silk blend spun from a space-dyed handpainted top, using it for both warp and weft. I was all in. Once I…

I love the gentle texture that results from knitting certain simple knit-purl stitch patterns with energized singles, and I’m always on the lookout for stitch patterns that produce such an effect. I recently used stitch pattern #20 from The New Knitting Stitch Library by Lesley Stanfield and realized that, with some tweaking, it might create interesting texture when knitted from energized singles. I named the tweaked stitch pattern Cinder Blocks and used it in this cowl. The structure of the cowl is simple to keep the stitch pattern as the main attraction. I knitted a rectangle, then used a three-needle bind-off to create a flap that looks like a ruffle because of the texture of the knitted fabric. Spinning Notes • I split the combed top into bits, predrafted these…