Anne Merrow


Long Thread Podcast: Jess Zafarris, Author & Etymologist

Season 9, Episode 8: As fiber crafters, we put textiles at the center of our lives. Is it any surprise to find fiber, cloth, and yarn at the center of our language?

Combing Wool with Milk (yes, it’s a thing)

Among the things that make it easier to comb wool are starting with well-scoured locks and adding a lubricant. Find a recipe to make your own!

Following Fiber to the Source

You are most likely familiar with a CSA, a community-supported agriculture group, which provides members with fresh produce. But have you heard of a fiber CSA?

Learning to Spin? Avoid These 5 Mistakes

There isn’t one right or wrong way to spin, but if you’re teaching a beginning spinner, here are a few things you might want to avoid.

Long Thread Podcast: Alissa Allen, Mycopigments

Season 9, Episode 3: The most surprising and beautiful sources of natural color may be the ones beneath your feet. Naturalist and forager Alissa Allen relishes the rainbows she can find in mushroom and lichen dyeing—and wants to teach you to find your own.

Long Thread Podcast: Sally Fox

Season 9, Episode 2: With curiosity about the potential for organic agriculture and perseverance in the face of formidable skeptics, the founder of Vreseis and Foxfibre continues to transform our understanding of cotton.

The Most Surprising Natural Fiber You Can Spin Yourself

So who first thought of nettles as natural fiber?

What Is Saint Distaff’s Day? (And what does it have to do with rocks?)

Learn what a distaff is and the history behind Saint Distaff’s Day.

Long Thread Podcast: Stephany Wilkes, Sheep Shearer & Author

Season 8, Episode 6: Seeing a need for sheep shearers in her region, Stephany Wilkes picked up clippers and learned one of the most demanding—and necessary—trades in agriculture.

Holiday Gifts for My Spinning Tools

When I was growing up, my mother told me about the legend of the animals that would talk at the stroke of midnight on Christmas. I never checked what our old horses might say; it was too cold to go to the barn at midnight.