Spinning How-To

Name Views Downloads Comments
Finding Balance
Mar 10, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Spinning is a combination of art and science, philosophy and physics, intuition and logic. We’re taught to...
6,561 1,715 6
Low Tech, High Satisfaction Spinning Brochure
Feb 13, 2009 posted by Amy Clarke Moore
Free Spinning Brochures Spin•Off magazine provides two brochures to teach you how to spin, and inform you...
8,613 2,169 2
Introduction to Spinning Brochure
Jan 29, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Free Spinning Brochures Spin•Off magazine provides the following two brochures to teach you how to spin, and...
7,220 2,067 6
Saving a PDF File to Your Computer
Jan 29, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Saving a PDF File to Your Computer Use the following instructions (either Windows or Macintosh) to save a PDF file...
1,266
Help with Adobe Reader Files
Jan 29, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Help with Adobe PDF Files Some of the files on this website are saved as Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) files...
978
Fiber Basics: Bactrian Camel
Jan 28, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
THE FIRST TIME a box of camel fiber arrived in the mail for me, I opened the box, stuck my hand into the middle...
1,454 345 1
Making Dreams Come True: Building a Little Great Wheel by...
Jan 27, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
For the members of the Peachtree Handspinners Guild, our dreams of owning a great wheel were fulfilled when we...
3,632 1,366 1
Twists Per Inch by Amanda Berka
Jan 27, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Twist is what holds fiber together. We use it every time we spin, and still twist perplexes us. Some (or maybe...
2,025 873
Plying Chained Singles by Dodie Rush
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Commonly known among spinners as “Navajo-plying,” plying chained singles produces a three-ply yarn...
1,583 697
Plying on a Spindle by Maggie Casey
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Plying on a spindle is easy! In fact, there are many ways to do it: Andean plying, multiple spindles, center-pull...
2,359 969 3
What are Roving, Top, and Sliver? by Abby Franquemont
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
It’s common nowadays for a lot of folks in the fiber world to use the word “roving” to refer...
3,864 1,278
How to Use a McMorran Balance by Amy Clarke Moore
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Most spinners spin yarn and use it without measuring it—and there is nothing wrong with that. But you may...
1,219 382
Wraps per Inch by Amanda Berka
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Regardless of how you spin or what equipment you use, wraps per inch (wpi) can be measured for most yarns. Wpi...
1,294 530
Worsted, Woolen, or Semi-something by Rudy Amann
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Do you spin worsted or woolen yarn? Don’t worry if you don’t know—many spinners do not know what...
1,930 838 3
Tying a 2-Yard Skein by Pat Noah
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
I’m often asked, “What is the proper way to tie a skein?” It is a good question—because...
1,349 503
Blending Colors at the Wheel by Amy Tyler
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
With the current multitude of fiber arts events and access to fibers on the Internet, it is an easy task to find...
2,174 731 1
Managing Your Yarn by Carol Huebscher Rhoades
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
After you’ve spun a singles yarn onto a bobbin or spindle, you have to decide how to manage it so that you...
1,302 574
Working with Silk Hankies by Amanda Berka and Amy Clarke...
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Chances are you already have a couple of dyed silk hankies tucked away in your stash—perhaps they were too...
1,418 486 1
Drafting for Worsted and Woolen Style Yarns on a Spindle...
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Spinning on a spindle doesn’t mean that you are limited to one type of yarn. It’s the same working...
2,057 851
The Long Draw by Carol Huebscher Rhoades
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Woolen spinning makes a lofty, insulating yarn, with long and short fibers intersecting randomly to create air...
1,432 672
Flick Carding by Carol Huebscher Rhoades
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
A flick card (sometimes called a flicker) looks like a small flat-back handcard with a smaller surface for the...
1,240 464
Spindle Spinning by Maggie Casey
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Several years ago at Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR), a friend and I took Rita Buchanan’s drop spindle retreat...
2,030 960
The Effects of Twist in Plying by Abby Franquemont
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
To produce a desired yarn, many factors must be considered. The look and feel of a yarn can be greatly affected...
1,520 664 1
The Art of Plying by Judith MacKenzie McCuin
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Why ply? Plying, as many spinning teachers will tell you, covers a multitude of sins—at least of the textile...
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The Short Draw by Carol Huebscher Rhoades
Jan 15, 2009 posted by Spin-Off
Worsted spinning makes a smooth, dense, and lustrous yarn, with the fibers lying parallel to each other along the...
1,259 555