Chatter can be heard amongst spinners worldwide in anticipation of Stage 1 of the annual Tour de Fleece (TdF) spin-along that coincides with the Tour de France bicycle race, kicking off from Barcelona on July 4th! I am gearing up for my 12th year of participation. In the Spin Off Ravelry group, we are preparing by sharing our spinning plans and photos of the fiber in our stash that is speaking the loudest to us, many of us seeking inspiration from the pages of Spin Off Magazine.
I will be traveling some this year during the TdF—by car, not bicycle!—so I am refamiliarizing myself with my tiny Electric Eel Wheel Nano for while I’m away from my Schacht Ladybug wheel. The Nano is very compact and travel-friendly. I hope to finish my mini-skein of paco-vicuña started on a TdF challenge day in 2025. I don’t think I’ll like spinning as a passenger in a car, so I’ve decided to start a knitting project with the subtle marled yarn that I spun as a challenge during the 2025 TdF to stay connected to handspinning.
Can’t spin every day? That’s okay! Stefanie plans to knit up some of the yarns spun in last year’s challenge.
The other challenge I am excited about relates to an article by Melanie Shelton from the Summer 2026 issue of Spin Off: Bounce Back: Can Opposing Plies Add Elasticity to Inelastic Fibers? I’m looking for other spinners to join me in the challenge to spin opposing-ply Angora yarns if you’re looking for a challenge buddy! My sister and I dyed some Angora fiber together last fall with plants from my dye garden that I plan to spin up into a 3-ply fingering-weight yarn.
Stefanie’s hand-dyed angora fiber.
If the term “challenge” intimidates you, think of it as experimentation! Learning by doing can be very rewarding, even if the outcomes are not what you expect. I find the challenge days help me to break out of my comfort zone–trying new fibers, yarn construction methods, and using the multitude of tools I have amassed as a spinner, rather than only my favorites. It gets me back to spinning after a busy spring of participating in outdoor activities and hobbies.
This year, there is a little break between the TdF and the TdF Femmes (Saturday, August 1, 2026 through Sunday, August 9, 2026), but we’ll be spinning along for the women’s race as well. It’s never too late to join us; our Ravelry group is active throughout the year with spin-alongs, challenges, handspun eye-candy, and project sharing. Exercise your creativity alongside us with your spinning this TdF!
Resources
- Find Spin Off's Tour de Fleece group on Ravelry.
- Find Melanie Shelton’s article, “Bounce Back,” in the Summer 2026 issue of Spin Off.