One of the best parts of my position with the Spin Off team is getting to check the mail. I am the first person to see, touch and feel all of the amazing projects and products that we get to share with all of you. It has made me realize how vast the spinning world is and how much more there is to learn beyond my beloved support spindles and silk! Here are five things you may have missed this year that I personally am looking forward to exploring more in my own spinning.
Blending color
What is this medieval-looking device? Find out in Tips for Blending Color on a Hackle
Photo by Suzy Brown
More than Merino
There are so many varieties of sheep! Learn about a few of them from Martha Owen!
My Life with Shetlands: For Sanity and Curiousity, Surely!
Photo courtesy of Martha Owen
Plants make good material too
What a great story about making connections in the fiber community.
Berta's Flax Travels the World
Photo courtesy of Christiane Seufferlein
Not just sheep
So many animals to choose from and each with unique qualities in their fiber. Can you guess the origin of this fiber? Read Fiber Basics: Bactrian Camel
Photo by Joe Coca
Different techniques
Having come from a lace background, most of my spinning is thin and then plied with a similar weight commercial silk to extend the length. I never would have thought of combining different weights in a single skein, as shown here:
Uncoiling the Spiral of Gimp Yarns
Photo by Matt Graves
Here's to closing out a blessed 2021 and learning so much more in 2022!
Katrina King just keeps learning in craft and life. Along with lace knitting, she also has crochet, weaving, spinning laceweight yarn, embroidery, and tatting in her tool bag. You can follow her craft adventures at Threaded Dream Studio. When she’s not crafting, she can be found teaching at her local yarn shops, reading epic fantasy novels, and chasing her daughters to various activities in and around Fort Collins, Colorado.