Spin-Off

editor’s letter

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one fiber tool, what would it be? Soon after I first learned to spin, I moved into a tiny cabin on a farm in northern Vermont with my husband. In our 12' square unplumbed cabin, we made space for my most important possession: a new Ashford Traveller spinning wheel. I adored that wheel and still do; it’s the wheel that made me a spinner. In the Desert Island Tool issue, we asked what you just couldn’t do without or leave behind. Authors from around the world answered this question in many ways. Amy Tyler and Emily Wohlscheid both shared ways they are adapting their favorite blending tools to expand the fiber effects they can create. A beloved “tool” can manifest in…

spin-off

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, YARN & FIBER Anne Merrow EDITOR Kate Larson MANAGING EDITOR Laura Hulslander ASSISTANT EDITOR Elizabeth Prose TECHNICAL EDITOR Karen Frisa COPY EDITOR Katie Bright PROOFREADER Nancy Arndt EDITORS EMERITAE Anne Bliss, Anne Merrow, Amy Clarke Moore, Deborah Robson MARKETING & ADVERTISING ADVERTISING MANAGER Stephanie Griess AD TRAFFICKER Cari Ullom SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER Jessi Rodriguez CREATIVE SERVICES GROUP ART DIRECTOR, CRAFT Emily Simpson ART DIRECTOR Kit Kinseth PRODUCTION DESIGNER Mark Dobroth PHOTOGRAPHER Matt Graves VISUAL STYLIST & ILLUSTRATOR Ann Sabin Swanson FOUNDER Linda Ligon DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, CRAFT Tiff any Warble MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR Julie Macdonald DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Kim Greenlee CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Gregory J. Osberg SVP, GENERAL MANAGER, F+W CRAFTS GROUP David Pyle MANAGING DIRECTOR, F+W INTERNATIONAL James Woollam VP, CONSUMER MARKETING John Phelan…

reviews

Raw Material: Working Wool in the West By Stephany Wilkes Sheep-shearing demonstrations always draw a crowd at local fiber festivals, but few fiber lovers attempt this backbreaking feat themselves, even if they entertain dreams of owning their own sheep. Meet Stephany Wilkes, a certified sheep shearer who left a career in the tech industry after completing a University of California Extension course in shearing. As Wilkes’s own story unfolds, she gives readers a peek into the American wool industry. Following the many steps that transform a shorn fleece into a sustainable skein on a local yarn shop shelf, she introduces us to a cast of characters, including unpredictable sheep, small-scale producers, ranchers, local mill operators, government bureaucrats, and many more. Corvallis, Oregon: Oregon State University Press, 2018. Paperback, 312 pages, $18.95. ISBN 978-0-87071-951-6.…

majacraft

USA ARIZONA Grandma’s Spinning Wheel 6544 E. Tanque Verde #150 Tucson, AZ 85715 Ph 520 290-3738 spinningramma@aol.com www.grandmasspinningwheel.com CALIFORNIA The Village Spinning & Weaving 425-B Alisal Rd Solvang, CA 93463 Ph 888 686-1192 Toll Free villagespinweave@mac.com www.villagespinweave.com COLORADO Bountiful 211 Green Mountain Dr Livermore, CO 80536 Ph 970 482-7746 Toll-free 877 586-9332 info@bountifulspinweave.com www.bountifulspinweave.com Blazing Star Ranch 3424 S. Broadway Englewood, CO 80113 Ph 303 514-8780 blazingstarranch@gmail.com www.blazingstarranch.com CONNECTICUT The Wheel Thing 454 Wells Hill Rd Lakeville, CT 06039 Ph 860 435-2626 jlynn4540@gmail.com www.the-wheel-thing.com IDAHO The Sheep Shed 76 N. Robinson Rd Nampa ID 83687 sheepshed@q.com Ph 2084664365 ILLINOIS The Fold 3316 Millstream Rd Marengo, IL60152 Ph 815 568-0165 thefold@mc.net www.thefoldatmc.net INDIANA The Trading Post for Fiber Arts 8833 S. 5O W. Pendleton, IN 46064 Ph 765 778-3642 tradingpostfiber@aol.com www.tradingpostfiber.com KENTUCKY The Woolery 859 E Main St STE 1A Frankfort, KY 40601 Ph 502 352-9800 info@woolery.com www.thewoolery.com LOUISIANA Weavin’ Place 79434 Deluane Rd Folsom, LA 70437 Ph 985 796-8048 cheryl@weavinplace.com www.weaveinplace.com MAINE Halcyon Yam 12 School St Bath, ME 04530 Ph 1-800-341-0282 purchasing@halcyonyarn.com www.halcyon.com MICHIGAN Heritage Spinning & Weaving 47 E. Flint St Lake Orion, Ml 48362 Ph 248 693-3690 joan@heritagespinning.com www.heritagespinning.com MINNESOTA Detta’s Spindle 209 9th st NW, Buffalo, MN 55313 Ph 763 682 4389 dettasspindle@yahoo.com www.dettasspindle.net Yesterday’s Crafts 315 Basswood Ave Burtrum, MN 56318 Ph 320 573-5566 baaahacres@msn.com yesterdayscraft.com OHIO Three Sheep Gallery 164 Wolcott Dr Boardman, OH 44512 Ph 330…

master of color

Relax—there’s no need to split these braids lengthwise to spin a two-ply gradient. Welcome to the palindrome! Allons-y Fiber Arts hand-dyes combed top so that it can be split in half widthwise. The shorter color repeats in a palindrome-dyed braid (instead of a traditional gradient) make this a good choice for smaller projects. Shown in Plato’s Cave on 80% organic Polwarth/20% mulberry silk. $30.77/5.35 oz. Allons-y Fiber Arts. www.allonsyfiberarts.com. Embrace the potential of white in a hand-dyed braid of fiber. In its Fade-to-White series, Essential Fiber explores tint, a color to which white has been added. In this case, the white is provided by the natural color of the Targhee/silk/bamboo combed top. Each of these fibers reacts differently to the acid dye, adding to the depth of color. Spin from one end…

spot-on tools

Akerworks offers the Butterfly Kate, a lightweight, versatile tool created with on-the-go spinners, knitters, and crocheters in mind. If you open the wings and add a full bobbin, it acts as a tensioned lazy kate for plying. Add a ball of yarn and thread the end through the yarn guide, and your yarn won’t go astray as you stitch. Shown in European beech; also available in American black cherry, maple, and black walnut. $61–67. Akerworks. www.akerworks.com. Made in Michigan, Indian Lake Artisans’ circular needles feature a patented hexagonal shape that allows the yarn to lie on the outer edges of the needle, which aids in keeping knitting tension even and helps you slip the tip of the needle into a stitch. The wooden needles smoothly connect to the cable with a swiveling…