Anne Merrow

Anne Merrow


Lost Sock Memorial Day: How to Avoid the Sad Solo Handspun Sock

I gave my husband a pair of handknitted socks (or at least the promise of the pair on the needles) for Christmas. He has barely worn them, but not because he doesn’t appreciate them—he’s terrified of losing one or wearing them out.

Brewing Up a Batch of Custom Hand-Dyed Wool

I was standing in Maggie Casey’s shop,Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, when she handed me a braid of hand-dyed wool with a tag that read “The Hummingbird Moon.” I gave her a skeptical look.

What to Watch While Handspinning

When spinning becomes a matter of muscle memory, I like to enjoy doing two favorite things together: enjoying my favorite shows and spinning my favorite fibers. Here are 5 favorite things to watch while handspinning.

How Fiber Prep Is Like Riding a Motorcycle

One's a scary, sexy, expensive way to get from Point A to Point B, and the other's a bike.

How to Spin Faster: 3 Ways to Up Your Handspun Yarn Output (and Why You Shouldn’t)

Looking at my fiber stash, I sometimes feel a wave of panic rise. How will I ever transform all this fiber into handspun yarn? If I have any hope of finishing the sock spin-along/knit-along I’d better get spinning.

When Spinning Teachers Disagree

Most spinners and spinning teachers are agreeable people, but it doesn’t mean that they always agree. Two famous spinning wheel makers once literally took a disagreement outside, although no blood was spilled.

Yarns On Lockdown! How to Avoid Clothes Moth Larvae

Keeping wool moths out of your stash takes as much persistence as avoiding the flu, and moths are harder to get rid of.

W Is For Warmth (and Wool): Brand-New and Rare Sheep Breeds

When I count sheep at night, I count off Targhee, Columbia, Montadale . . . and wind up in rare sheep breeds such as Manx Loaghtan and Dorset Down.

10 Insurance Tips for Crafters

Recent natural disasters have some of us in the office wondering what we’d do if it were us. Here are 10 insurance tips for crafters - take stock now!

How to Spin Yarn Like a Master Dyer

Felicia Lo, author of Dyeing to Spin & Knit, demonstrates how to spin yarn like a master dyer in this Artist Q&A with Anne Merrow.