Hemp is a truly amazing plant. It grows fast, requires very little water and is easily grown without pesticides. Different parts of the plant can be used for soaps, paper, building materials, and, most importantly for us, textiles.
You also see the word woolgathering, which describes the distracted action of the woolgatherer.
Yes, weavers have access to a lot these days, but they don’t have nearly as many choices as handspinners. Handspinners who weave can create the most personal of textiles and weave that which no one else can.
One of the spinning world’s ultimate endurance tests is Spinzilla, where spinners challenge themselves to spin as many yards (or meters) as they can in seven days.
If you’re looking to add a more consistent handspinning practice to your lifestyle but think you’ve got no time for even a few minutes each day?
The day after chocolate-covered Valentine’s Day comes Singles Appreciation Day, when uncoupled people celebrate or commiserate their solo status. Most yarns are also in a relationship—that is, plied.
Head on over to the Spin Off Hapalong thread on Ravelry, and you’ll be met with a lively exchange between handspinners of all skill levels who are united in a common goal: to spin and knit a hap.
Revolutionary War reenactor Terri Drouin-Guerette shares some of her experiences showing people how to spin yarn at Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, in the Spring 2018 issue of Spin Off.
While you're weaving today, think of the Chinese New Year. Yesterday was the Chinese New Year’s Eve, which makes today the first day of the Year of the Pig.
When I first began work on the January/February 2019 issue of Handwoven on yarn blends, I couldn’t help but think about the vegetable lamb of Tartary.