The Extraordinary Wheel Collection at the Marshfield School of Weaving

While putting together the Winter 2023 issue of Spin Off, we found some amazing examples of Canadian Production Wheels (CPWs) in the Marshfield School of Weaving Study Collection. We’d love for you to see them, too.

What Do You Love about Your E-Spinner?

While happily drifting among the many booths at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, Kate tried two different e-spinner models.

Churro, Downs, and Dyestuffs: Meet 4 SOAR Instructors Focused on Materials

These instructors make beautiful use of materials with histories that become integral to the finished textiles. Join these makers at SOAR 2023 to learn about their process from the ground up!

Meet the Jacob: Robin Lynde in Black and White (and Lilac)

Meet the Jacob sheep, a rare breed known for its spotted fleece and multiple horns, producing soft and lofty fiber that’s favored by handspinners.

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Your Guide to Silk with Karen Selk

In her quest to understand all aspects of silk, Karen Selk has focused her life’s journey on both the lustrous fibers and the communities that produce it. This 5-part mini-series taps into her decades of experience and enduring love for all things silk.

Long Thread Podcast: Peggy Orenstein, Author of Unraveling

Season 6, Episode 5: Life lessons are where you find them. Peggy Orenstein found them in her quest to build a sweater from scratch.

Green Dye and Death

This St. Patrick’s Day, let’s talk about the color green, specifically, the emerald-green dye put out by the Wilhelm Dye and White Lead Company.

VM Is Not the End: Save That Fleece with Handcards

Vegetable matter (VM)—the chaff, twigs, and burrs that can become embedded in our fleeces—is considered a flaw. But how much VM is too much? It’s a matter of opinion.

Collecting Cashmere in Kyrgyzstan

Comb, shed, or shear? The advantages of hand-combing the extraordinary goats of Kyrgyzstan is explored here.

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Inspired by Speckles: Adding Easy Bursts of Color to Your Handspun

Hand-dyed speckle yarns inspired Joanna Johnson to try adding small streaks of color to her handspun. Learn two methods for adding these bursts of color with our step-by-step tutorial.

Color Play with Plant-Dyed Tops

Peek inside one spinner‘s process of using natural dyes gathered from his homeland in Australia to create nearly 150 dye extractions and over 15 pounds of colorful fiber to spin and knit to his heart's content.

Color Scheme: Spin Off Spring 2023

Just in time for spring, Spin Off contributors share their experiences dyeing, blending, spinning, and more in pursuit of the perfect palette.

Las Golondrinas: Santa Fe's Living History Museum

What began as a rest stop along the Camino Real is now a living history museum where visitors can learn about sheep shearing, spinning and weaving, and caring for a dye garden, plus see first-hand what life was like on the frontier.

Dyeing Flammegarn: Saxon Blue for Socks with a Twist

Speckled hand-dyed yarns are all the rage, but our love for sprinkles and speckles of color isn't new. Kate fell head over handknitted heels for traditional Norwegian flammegarn and had to give it a try.

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