Linda Ligon's Blog

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...(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...(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...(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...(read more)

Why Spinners Weave

Linda Ligon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:35:00 GMT

I'm sitting in Sara Lamb's class at SOAR 2009 in Sun River, Oregon. Outside, the aspens are golden, the sky is hazy blue, the pines are dripping rain from last night's shower. Inside, sixteen would-be weavers are sitting, transfixed. These...(read more)

Spinner's Questions? Ask Rita Buchanan

Linda Ligon — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:42:00 GMT

My first question, when I was learning to spin many decades ago, was "why does this darn doorknob thingy keep dropping on the floor?" Well, that was a long time ago, and it really was a wooden doorknob on a dowel, and I was trying to spin grease...(read more)

A New Spinning DVD is Born

Linda Ligon — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Picture this: Spinning diva Abby Franquemont, a woodshop, a couple of aluminum ladders for props, two rowdy kittens. Add: three video cameras, a bunch of lights, a sound system, some camera guys. Result? Drafting: The Long and Short of It , an hour of...(read more)

Rita Buchanan - a woman of parts

Linda Ligon — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:27:00 GMT

I've known Rita Buchanan for many, many years, and she's always surprised me. There was the Peace Corps time working on water projects in Africa. The year in southwestern Colorado, growing and living off native plants. The acknowledgment in her...(read more)

Every Day's a Holiday!

Linda Ligon — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:21:00 GMT

Or: why spinners need their own special calendar Old hippies have their own special calendar (so they can find out on what day "A Whiter Shade of Pale" hit the top of the charts). Mathematicians have their own calendar (in case they need a reminder...(read more)

Guatemalan Woven Wealth

Linda Ligon — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:06:00 GMT

When I was in Guatemala last January, I had the good luck to travel with a group of women from Friendship Bridge . This is a microlending organization that supports the business endeavors of Guatemalan women, many of whom are weavers. The object the group...(read more)

Meanwhile, back in Guatemala . . .

Linda Ligon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:55:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Spinimation—The Maggie and Eunny Show

Linda Ligon — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:50:00 GMT

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...(read more)

All About Fiber

Linda Ligon — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:58:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Heading To Peru

Linda Ligon — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:00:00 GMT

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...(read more)

Spinning Wheel Opinionator

Linda Ligon — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:51:00 GMT

Spinners have waited for years (or longer) for one of his custom wheels. Spinners have cheered, cursed, marveled, or thrown up their hands at his vast knowledge and challenging teaching style. He has mentored one Spin-Off editor (Lee Raven) and many stellar...(read more)