After knitting for 10 years, I finally learned how to spin. Six months after that, I learned how to weave on a four-shaft loom. Inkle weaving, rigid-heddle weaving, and rug punching soon followed. But I needed to focus. Which craft would be narrow enough to keep me on course as I built my fiber skills, but still broad enough to maintain my interest?
In a word: Yarn. Yarn was—and is—the thing that drew me in from the start. If I could tie a new skill to something about yarn, then it was fair game. If painting was the best way for me to learn about applying color theory, and drawing could teach me a better way to compose a stranded colorwork design, that was enough of a connection for me.
Some tangents end up being a little bit far-fetched, and I never do figure out how to blend them into my fiber practice. Other crafts, such as basketry and chair rush weaving, have taught me something I didn’t know I was missing—something I can use in the future to expand my spinning skills and deepen my connection to yarn.
In this Summer Stretch issue, we invite you to expand what’s possible in your spinning practice. Whether it’s exploring how to stretch the fiber already in your stash, experimenting with yarn structures to make an inelastic fiber stretchy, or discovering new-to-you fibers and techniques, there’s always something exciting to inspire you.
Happy spinning,
Pamela
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