Anne Merrow

Anne Merrow


Begin the Great Aspinneration!

Do you know someone whom you want to drag along to a fiber festival? Someone who needs the peace and creativity that spinning can bring? Now’s your chance for total aspinneration.

Revive Your Fiber Stash

Your fiber stash—do you love it or fear it?

5 Ways a Busy Spinner Can Rock Spinzilla

Last week, I signed up for my sixth Spinzilla (on Team Spin Off, of course!). The next day, I signed up for a 3-day conference during Spinzilla week—taking place on the other side of the country. While some spinners are gathering in groups or binge-watc

Welcome Spin Off Magazine’s New Editor, Kate Larson

About 13 years ago, at my first Spin Off Autumn Retreat, I met a fellow first-timer. Kate Larson, a young scholarship recipient, was already such an accomplished spinner that she’d been hired as a spinning model for a book!

Natural Dyes and Where to Find Them

Before the invention of the first synthetic dye, every color of yarn or fabric got its hue from natural dyes—vegetable, mineral, and yes, even animal. Here are a few favorites that are easy for home dyers to find and use.

Natural Dyes and More: Local Color in Spin Off

The scenery in Teotitlán del Valle, Mexico, is a study in tan, but the color I remember most vividly from my visit is red. The bold scarlet of cochineal insects, one of the world’s most important natural dyes, colors the rugs for which the village near

Spinning Books That Bite Back

Everyone has some favorite how-to-spin books. But what are the books no one should use to spin?

In the Craftermath: Picking Up the Pieces

I’ve invented a new type of disaster. It's the Craftermath, and every spinner has seen one.

A Spinner’s View of Cotton Crochet Thread

Understanding your yarn is the first step toward a happy yarn/project pairing. I love thinking about yarn, so I offered to turn my spinner’s eye to cotton crochet thread.

How Can You Tell a Handspinner?

You may have heard of the knitter’s (or weaver’s) handshake: instead of greeting someone by the hand, you reach over to examine and stroke the handmade piece they’re wearing.