Stefanie's Blog

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

Demolition Man

stefanie berganini — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:33:00 GMT

Somehow I have never seen Demolition Man, even though cheesy futuristic sci-fi and/or post-apocalyptic movies are totally my thing. It was on tv last night and there was a part that made me laugh so hard I thought I had to share it. (Although it's...(read more)

Respect the Spindle! Q&A with Abby Franquemont

stefanie berganini — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:15:00 GMT

I did my first spinning on a handspindle. Like many spinners, after I got my feet wet I moved up to a wheel, and there I remained for a long time. I felt that while the spindle was a fun first step, it was just a stepping stone on the way to wheel spinning...(read more)

Live from SOAR!

stefanie berganini — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:27:00 GMT

I'm writing to you this week from the middle of a beautiful Oregon forest. The Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) is well underway, and as usual it is a sight to behold. The beautiful Sunriver Resort has been taken over by 300 spinners, weavers, and felters...(read more)

Holiday Spinning and the Downtown Scarf Project

stefanie berganini — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:28:00 GMT

I don't know how time flew by so quickly, but somehow October is here! For those of us at Interweave's home office in Loveland, Colorado, that means we've begun carrying coats to work—even if it's 70 degrees when we leave home—because...(read more)

The New Spinning Project Store Debuts with Anu Kotli’s Estonian Hand Puppets!

stefanie berganini — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:43:00 GMT

When it comes to projects and patterns, spinners are unique. Like the Renaissance master painters who mixed their own paints, we spin our yarn before we begin a project. And while we can make our best guess at yarn substitution based on the notes in a...(read more)

The Magic of Socks

stefanie berganini — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:58:00 GMT

I’m not quite sure what happened (maybe I’ve been living under a rock?), but somehow I’ve missed out on the craze that surrounds sock knitting. There are so many people who are fervently obsessed with socks, yet for some reason I’ve...(read more)

Transform Your Spinning with Maggie Casey

stefanie berganini — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:17:00 GMT

When you first start at a new job, there is usually some sort of training involved. Sometimes it’s just an overview on how to set up your voicemail, when to take lunch, etc. But when I started working at Spin-Off , part of my job training involved...(read more)

Knitting with Handspun: An Adventure in Duplicating Commercial Yarn

stefanie berganini — Wed, 13 May 2009 14:32:00 GMT

In my last post , I talked about my belated New Year’s fiber resolution—conscious spinning. I’ve been making an effort to plan out my yarn before spinning instead of just falling into my comfort zone and taking whatever my wheel wants...(read more)

Spin Control and Conscious Spinning

stefanie berganini — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:07:00 GMT

Aside from the fact that I get to play with yarn and fiber everyday, there are some moments when I realize that my job is really, really cool. Enter Exhibit A (at left), a super advance copy of Spin Control , the upcoming Interweave book by Amy King of...(read more)

Extreme Sheep LED Art

stefanie berganini — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:57:00 GMT

Amy just forwarded me the link to this video - talk about creative shepherding! This must have taken an extreme degree of planning and coordination. Those herding dogs sure are talented! I also like how nerdily over-dramatic the credits are. (Please visit...(read more)

Celebrate spinning during National Craft Month!

stefanie berganini — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:42:00 GMT

While most of us have fiber on the mind all year long, this month provides a special opportunity to honor spinning and other crafty endeavors because March is National Craft Month. As a dabbler in many areas of the crafty world (in addition to spinning...(read more)