Spin-Off

Green Spinning

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:23:00 GMT

If you have ever attended our Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR), you know the sweet anticipation that precedes the release of the Spring 2010 issue of Spin-Off and the announcement of the workshops and mentors. Of course, now that we have a website, those announcements don't have to wait for the Spring issue (don't worry—it will be there, too—but it is also online here, www.interweavesoar.com ). What does this have to do with green spinning? Well, a number of this year's classes...(read more)

Beehives and halos and coils, oh my!

stefanie berganini — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:59:00 GMT

I decided to get a little bit experimental with my spinning this past weekend and try my hand at art yarn. I really like the way art yarn looks, and I love the spontaneity that goes into making it, but I've been focused on getting my fundamentals down and haven't tried to make any myself yet. The Interweave store has recently started carrying Jacey Boggs' Sit and Spin DVD (you may remember Jacey's fabulous coils from the cover of the Winter 2009 Spin-Off ), so I took a copy home this...(read more)

Tips in Motion

Linda Ligon — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:32:00 GMT

What I love about spinning is the generosity of the process. Spinning is not like making TNT, where the steps and proportions have to be perfectly precise (or else), or like computer programming, where every step has to be in logical order. With spinning, you can improvise. You can problem-solve. You can have a three-way conversation with your wheel or spindle and your fiber. You can invent. Spinners are awfully good at inventing. I almost laughed the first time I heard Margaret Stove describe washing...(read more)

Treasure Box

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:10:00 GMT

Most knitting magazines today are to a large extent about style—lovely models, this season's new yarns, this year's fashion looks. I love them for their freshness, inspiration, and inventiveness—I get some really good ideas from them. But for me personally, knitting is really about heritage, family, things lovingly made for the ones we love. I love garments that are going to stand the test of time. I am lucky to have inherited a "treasure box" full of knitted, crocheted...(read more)

Popular Wheel Mechanics, The DVD

Linda Ligon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:50:00 GMT

I taught myself to spin in 1971. I didn't have a book. I'm not sure I'd ever even watched anybody spin on a wheel. I did have a 15-minute tutorial on using a drop spindle (emphasis on "drop"). My wheel was an old upright Swiss table wheel loaned to me by a friend. It still bore traces of the aqua paint she had stripped off it, and the red paint below that. Somehow I managed to make yarn eventually. I made quite a lot of yarn on that old wheel, actually. But I can't say I...(read more)

A Heart For You

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:26:00 GMT

I have my Spin-Off 2010 Calendar hanging right next to my desk; the image for February is one I put together for the calendar when we designed it last summer. February is a fun month for our family because we have a lot of birthdays to celebrate—and to top it off, my mom's birthday is on Valentine's Day. She always made it a special holiday for our family when I was growing up—decking out the house with paper hearts and doilies, heart-shaped cookies, dishes filled with candied...(read more)

SOAR Scholarship applications due March 5th!

Amy Clarke Moore — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:49:00 GMT

We've just posted the 2010 SOAR Scholarship guidelines and application at www.interweavesoar.com . The deadline for receiving applications is Friday March 5, 2010. We've also changed the process--so now there is an online form to fill out and all applications must be submitted electronically via email. We did this to streamline the review process. SOAR Scholarship In 1995, Interweave Press established a scholarship program as a way of supporting fiber students to expand their interest in...(read more)

Spin-Off 2008 Compilation CD

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:28:00 GMT

There's something wonderful about how a craft as basic and transcendental as spinning flourishes in this age of iPads, Blackberries, and Netbooks—and, in fact, is sometimes enhanced by the technology that often seems the antithesis of spinning. Stefanie Berganini, Spin-Off' s assistant editor who is a lot more tech-savvy than I am, recently introduced me to the iTouch applications for spinning. By far our favorite app was the iSpin Toolkit, a spinner's tool kit with wraps per inch...(read more)

Happy 1-Year Anniversary, Spinoffmagazine.com

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:21:00 GMT

Can you believe that it's been a year already since we launched spinoffmagazine.com —amazing how quickly time passes when you're having fun, isn't it? We have more than 18,500 users (hey, that's a lot of spinners all in one place!), there are 1,437 threads (well, we know that there are many more threads, but in this context I mean conversations, rather than, you know, yarn) and 3,281 posts. One-hundred forty-six photos and videos have been uploaded and shared; photos of completed...(read more)

New Year, New Resolutions

stefanie berganini — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:39:00 GMT

I find myself saying this over and over, and you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I can't believe how fast time goes! I'm still getting used to 2009 and suddenly I'm struggling to remember to put a "10" instead of "09" on my checks. Although it crept up on me, the new year still brings a really exciting sense of possibility. Each year I think back about what I did last year, and get excited about what I'm going to do this year. And of course, the new...(read more)

Every Thread Has a Story

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:37:00 GMT

The 2009 Maiwa Textile Symposium “Every Thread Has a Story . . .” was held in October, bringing together individuals who are devoted to preserving and reviving traditional textile techniques. Presenters came from India, Cambodia, Peru, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom as well as the United States. In a recent issue of the Greater Vancouver Weavers’ & Spinners’ Guild (Canada) newsletter, volunteer Toby Smith shared two of the many reasons she supports its goals. She...(read more)

Knitting Traditions

Linda Ligon — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:08:00 GMT

I'll never forget my first encounter with Richard Rutt's wonderful book, The History of Handknitting . I was attending the Frankfurt Book Fair for the first time, and was pretty overwhelmed by its vastness, variety, verbal hubbub (and my lack of German and stolen passport, but that's another story). The British publisher of Bishop Rutt's book gave me a set of unbound galleys. "Do you think you might want to publish this in North America?" he asked. Well, I took it back to...(read more)

Weavers Guild of Minnesota

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:35:00 GMT

In 1940, the Weavers Guild of Minnesota was founded to educate and support its members and the community and to advance the arts of weaving, spinning, and dyeing. Today it is one of the largest communities of weavers, spinners, and dyers in the country with a motto of “weaving our past, spinning our present, and creating our future.” The group offers one-day classes for beginners or the curious called “Try It!” that include Spin on a Spinning Wheel, Kumihimo To Go, Paint a...(read more)

Thank-You Cards

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:10:00 GMT

Recently, I received a thank-you card for my thank-you card. It made me smile (can you imagine the spiral of thank-yous that could occur—I mean—when do you stop?). I guess handwritten thank-you notes are going out of fashion. Or maybe not. Maybe it is just like spinning—no longer necessary, but very enjoyable. In the corner of my living room where my spinning wheel lives (along with baskets of fiber and bins of tools), there is also an antique writing desk that I bought at a neighbor's...(read more)

What are your plans for Roc Day?

Amy Clarke Moore — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:27:00 GMT

Happy New Year! Roc Day or St. Distaff's day is coming up--January 7th. It is traditionally the day that women returned to work (ie spinning) after the feast of the Ephiphany and the twelve days of Christmas. Ironically, today is the day that I put down my spindle to return to work after a nice week-long vacation. Some guilds celebrate the day with contests and pranks (also traditional fare for Roc Day). Do you celebrate it? What do you do?...(read more)

Collaborating with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 12:29:00 GMT

The Rocky Mountain Weavers Guild (Colorado) is collaborating for the second time with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to view and analyze textiles from Latin America. The Museum is the steward of more than 700 pieces of ethnographic material showing local styles from Maya groups representing thirty villages from Guatemala and Mexico, and Cuna material from Panama, Bolivia, and Peru. Guild members with knowledge of color, expertise in embroidery, and understanding of weave structures were...(read more)

Guild working together to benefit charities

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:28:00 GMT

A diverse group of weavers, spinners, and knitters brought together by their common interest in the fiber arts form the Champaign Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild (Illinois). Members are using their talents and skills to make items for women and children in central Illinois who are in need or are victims of domestic abuse. Slippers, shawls, afghans, baby blankets, sweaters, and handmade toys are some of the items they offer to three recipient agencies....(read more)

Celebrating the International Year of Natural Fibres

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:17:00 GMT

The Michigan League of Handweavers celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with workshops and a conference at Hope College, in Holland in early August. The Ontario Handweavers and Spinners sponsored a juried show entitled “Fibre Unleashed: Pushing the Limits” at their biennial conference in Alliston in May. The Whonnock Weavers and Spinners (Canada) and several Lower Mainland weaving and spinning guilds organized a Country Fest “to re-connect traditional fiber arts with today’s...(read more)

Taking the Stress Out of Holiday Shopping

stefanie berganini — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:54:00 GMT

There are so many things that I like about the winter holiday season—twinkling lights, baking cookies, fresh snow—but holiday shopping is one thing that can be quite a downer. I went out last Saturday to pick up some gifts. I drove around town for over three hours and wasn't able to cross a single thing off my list! Long lines, stores that don't carry the thing you need, slogging through the slush and busy parking lots—yuck! Saturday was one of those days that really tested...(read more)

The Windy City Knitting Guild

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:13:00 GMT

The Windy City Knitting Guild hosted the fair’s first garment competition at this summer’s Midwest Fibers & Folk Art Fair with original entries being modeled on stage by their creators. “Polly Ester,” a soft-sculpture doll who is a traveling companion of the guild, stood on a table near the lobby inviting passersby to sit at her feet and add a few stitches to her wardrobe of handspun, handknitted, and crocheted garments. Visitor Ellen Liebner from Chicago stopped in surprise...(read more)

Respect the Spindle

Amy Clarke Moore — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:08:00 GMT

This past June, the Spin-Off office had a special treat. Abby Franquemont flew out to Colorado from her fiber-filled house in Ohio to spend a couple days filming footage for two videos ( the first one is already available ). Stefanie Berganini and I were asked to be the audience—to give Abby someone to talk to while she explained the ins and outs of spindle spinning . On these kinds of days, I have to resist the urge to jump up and shout, "I love my job!" Our creative director, Linda...(read more)

The Handweavers Guild of America educational opportunities

Peggy Coffey — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:05:00 GMT

The Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) offers educational opportunities that depend on countless unnamed members of local spinning and weaving guilds. As a nonprofit, international organization, HGA’s mission is “to encourage excellence, inspire creativity and preserve fiber traditions through education.” One of the vital keys to fulfilling this mission is guild support of the endeavors they sponsor. Here are some recent examples. • Contemporary small-scale artworks in fiber...(read more)

Experience alive in your guild

Peggy Coffey — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 23:54:00 GMT

We count on our spinning groups to be there for us when we need them. Think how many years of learning and living are represented in your guild! So much knowledge is held within the minds and hands of its members. We depend on this when an unknown fleece shows up on our doorstep and we wonder whether to pitch it or process it. We rely on that special person who can make a cantankerous wheel cooperate during a demonstration. We hope an experienced member will help turn a major mistake into a masterpiece...(read more)

How Big is Your Yarn? It Depends.

Linda Ligon — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:31:00 GMT

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 for Spin-Off fifteen or so years ago about measuring yarn. The conventional wisdom is that this is easy—just wrap your yarn on a 2-yard niddy noddy and count your wraps—voilà! Multiply...(read more)

Snuggle up with Winter Spin-Off

stefanie berganini — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Winter might be my favorite season—snowmen, cuddling up with a book and some hot chocolate, lots of time with family and friends, and, of course, holiday gift making! The Winter 2009 issue of Spin-Off is on its way to mailboxes and newsstands right now, and I think it's a pretty exciting one. There are lots of great tidbits to keep you company as you sit by the fire and watch the snow fall. While every issue of Spin-Off is educational, this one really has a lot to teach. There's a fabulous...(read more)