Most fiber artists I know have a stash of loose ends, remaining half-balls of yarn from knitting projects or piles of thrums too beautiful to throw away.
Woolen-spun yarn is often a soft single with comparatively more ply twist, so once your skein is pulled off of the niddy noddy, it will look like a mess.
Have you tried spinning flax? I love opening a new strick and imagining all of the textile possibilities for the long, lustrous fibers.
How do you create the shading and shifting gradients that make Fair Isle knitting so irresistible? You can start with fibers that are all exactly the color you need, or you can blend them yourself!
Have you ever tried spinning for inkle weaving? I was inspired to give it a go after seeing an abundance of beautiful, handwoven bands during my travels in Estonia and Norway.
This roving reporter has just returned from Baltimore, Maryland, stuffed with crabcakes and carrying burgeoning suitcases stuffed with spinning fiber.
In the dozen or so fiber-laden vendor halls I visit each year, I love seeing spinners encounter yak/silk combed tops for the first time.
I had the great good fortune to visit the Shetland Isles several years ago. When I returned, I was anxious to start knitting my first Shetland hap. These knitted shawls were commonly worn by generations of women who lived and worked on Shetland.
As I worked on my Moonflower Dolman knitted from my own handspun yarn this summer, I was determined to have it ready to wear to the Madison Knitters’ Guild in. It was a close call, but don’t worry-—this is a happy sweater ending!
Spinzilla challenges us to spin as many yards as possible in one week, but beyond that, what fiber we use or what gauge we spin is up to us. Have you made a plan or created a queue of tempting fiber options to help you treadle your way to the finish line?
