Anne Merrow

Anne Merrow


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.

Long Thread Podcast: Jane Cooper, The Lost Flock

Season 8, Episode 3: Following her love for knitting with wool and curiosity about heritage sheep, Jane Cooper and her husband left their suburban life to move to Orkney and steward a flock of one of the rarest breeds in Britain, the Boreray.

The Accidental Ewe

Meet Sheepish, the little lamb who grew up believing she was a goat.

Spinning Gradient Yarn (and Knitting It, Too!)

Knitting with gradient yarn keeps your needles clicking as you race for the next color in the yarn.

Long Thread Podcast: Allan Brown, The Nettle Dress

Season 10 Episode 9: Foraging for plants in the woods near home, a novice textile artist took on a major project: to transform stinging nettles to a handmade dress.

What do you do when you see red?

You may be surprised by the unlikely hues that result from these sources of natural dye.

The Shop Window Spinner

Long before she was a knitwear design luminary, Kristin Nicholas showed off her spinning skills in a holiday window display.