Indice dei contenuti per Spring 2019 in Spin-Off

Like most shepherds, I spend much of spring’s lengthening days among my flock carefully watching the pregnant ewes for signs of labor. Each time I walk into the barn during these long days and late nights, the sounds, smells, and excitement of lambing season fill me with a sense of renewal. What will the new year bring? The shepherds and farmers that produce our spinning fibers have an intimate relationship with their animals and plants. Wool or alpaca, cotton or flax, the fibers that fill our stashes are the result of generations of work. When you sit down with cotton puni and tahkli or wool and wheel, you become a part of this cycle of seasons, labor, and care. In the Cool Spinning issue of Spin Off, we’ve gathered stories…

Wisconsin is known as America’s Dairyland, but spinners far and wide know this Midwestern state for its many fiber festivals, camps, knit-ins, and retreats. Here are a few you can look forward to in 2019 and 2020. Interlacements Yarns owner Tracey Schuh holds an All Fiber Arts Retreat in Door County, a region known for art galleries, wineries, and stunning fall colors. The 2018 retreat included classes on spinning, fiber blending, Tunisian crochet, knitting, and weaving on a rigid-heddle loom. In 2019, attendees can once again participate in yoga classes or sign up for a Reiki session. This retreat allows you to try several new crafts or simply relax by the lake and spin. Located just off the tip of Door County on Washington Island, Sievers School of Fiber Arts…

The way the physics of yarn works, a yarn with three or more plies produces better knitted fabric than a two-ply yarn. A three-ply and its kin, the multiple-ply yarns, also take less yarn than a twoply of the same diameter to knit the same amount of fabric. This has to do with the way the ply twist makes the yarn move in a knit structure. A two-ply yarn moves out from the center of the circle formed by the knitted stitch, leaving a hole. A yarn of three or more plies folds into the center of the circle, filling up that hole. And no, it’s not rocket science, it’s yarn science—eons older than a rocket!…

By definition, in kemp fibers the medulla [hollow core found in some fibers] takes up more than 60 percent of the fiber diameter. Kemps tend to be short and brittle and thick (high fiber diameter). For most breeds’ fleeces, they are undesirable; however, in tweed fabrics they provide characteristic, even essential, texture and color flecks. It’s often said that kemp fibers don’t take dye; they do, but because of the fiber structure, the dye is drawn inside and is likely to be unseen or only partially visible. —Deborah Robson, Spin Off, Spring 2018, “Wooltripping: What’s Inside the Not-So-Familiar Wool Fiber?”…

This is a two-step process. It utilizes alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) that is combined with a small amount of soda ash, creating a compound similar to that used in Turkey-red dyeing. It is an old recipe that was used industrially to mordant cellulose. Potassium aluminum sulfate is an inexpensive mordant and is equally effective as aluminum acetate. The tannin treatment preceding the alum makes the fiber more receptive to the cheaper potassium aluminum sulfate. STEP 1: TANNIN Ingredients: • Tannin extract (10% WOF). Procedure: Fill a plastic vessel with hot water about 100°F–120°F (40°C–50°C). Use about a 30:1 (water:goods) ratio; the efficacy of the tannin is dependent on the correct amount of water. Add tannin, stir, and then add goods. Soak the goods in the tannin bath for 1–2 hours,…

Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas are fifth-generation weavers who grew up at the fabled Two Grey Hills Trading Post. Their new book explores the lives and works of more than 30 Navajo (or Diné) master weavers, men and women who trace their lineage back to the Spider Woman. Although these artists and artisans identify themselves primarily as weavers, handspinning is at the core of their craft. This excerpt from Spider Woman’s Children touches on the sheep, wool, and yarn of today’s Navajo weavers. Featuring photographs of the wool woven into breathtaking rugs, the book offers a feast for the eyes. Find Spin Off’s review and the publication details on page 9. IT BEGINS WITH THE SHEEP The Spanish imported Churro sheep to southern Mexico in the fifteenth century, and…

ARIZONA ALPACA FIBERS OF ARIZONA—BENSON www.alpacafibers.com Large assortment of Luxury Alpaca yarns in natural and hand dyed colors. Alpaca Fleeces, rovings and hand carded bats. 15900 S. Empire Rd. (520) 586-3920 FIBER CREEK—PRESCOTT www.fibercreekprescott.com Weaving, Spinning, Knitting, Crochet, Felting, and other Fiberarts. Yarns, Equipment and Supplies. The yarn shop that has it all, we are here to help and please! info@FiberCreekPrescott.com 1046 Willow Creek Rd., Ste. 123 (928) 717-1774 CALIFORNIA MACEDO’S MINI ACRE—TURLOCK www.macedosminiacre.com ALPACA! Fleece, roving, batts and yarn - natural or dyed colors. Hats, scarves, dryer balls and more! Classes too. 11175 Golf Link Rd. (209) 648-2384 IDAHO ALPACA DIRECT—HAYDEN www.AlpacaDirect.com Huge selection of luxury yarn, roving, and knitting supplies. Classes and support. 1016 W. Hayden Ave. (208) 209-7079 (888) 306-0111 ILLINOIS WOOL, WARP & WHEEL—RICHMOND www.woolwarpandwheel.com We…

Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Your Favorite Denim & More By Katrina Rodabaugh Fiber artist and slow-fashion advocate Katrina Rodabaugh encourages those new to the craft of mending to use materials they have on hand. As handspinners, we can use our own fine, high-twist handspun to add a more personal element to any patch or repair. With a few basic tools, scraps of fabric, and simple stitches, Katrina shows not only how to extend the life of your wardrobe, but how to capture this on-trend look. Find inspiration in Japanese-style sashiko stitches; play with color, line, and scale; and tame the rips, frays, and tears that would otherwise condemn a beloved article of clothing to the rubbish pile. New York: Abrams, 2018. Hardcover, 224 pages, $24.99. ISBN: 978-1-4197-2947-0. www.abramsbooks.com.…

Silk hankies are a form of silk often referred to as mawata, where silk cocoons are soaked, then spread out on a square frame one at a time in layers. These layers can then be peeled off, stretched out, and spun into a charming silk yarn. In this mawata form, the silk fibers are disturbed only modestly, so the fibers are very long and inherently strong. These attributes, plus the gauzy or “snaggy” nature of hankies, can make for challenges in the spinning process. SPINNING SILK HANKIES Silk hankies sometimes inspire dread or bewilderment among spinners; that need not be the case. If you are careful in the peeling, predrafting, and spinning steps, silk hankies can be a comfortable pleasure to spin. Separating Hankies When starting with a stack of…

The idea of going to Shetland, Eigg, Skye, or any of the other islands for a course sounds appealing, but the logistics and cost can put off all but the most determined. Shetland Wool Week is changing that, especially as past attendees share their photos, and the event’s annual free pattern finds more and more knitters. Shetland Wool Week offers classes by Shetland tutors who share the skills they learned from their mothers and grandmothers. The appeal of traveling to Shetland to be with one’s fellow knitting nuts means that many more are making that journey. Shetland now has daily flights and a daily ferry from the mainland, and there are international tutors, talks, exhibitions, tours, and croft visits.…

Ingredients: • 1 lb (454 g) of fiber or yarn • 25 g Earthues Scour (or 5.5% WOF) • 9 g soda ash (or 2% WOF) dissolved in boiling water Procedure: Fill a pot with enough water to cover goods without crowding and heat to about 100°F (40°C). In a separate container, dissolve soda ash in boiling water. Add soda ash-solution and Earthues Scour to the pot, stir, and add goods. Raise the temperature to 180°F (82°C) over 20 minutes and hold for another 30–60 minutes. Rotate goods while heating and holding at temperature. After scouring, rinse thoroughly in warm water, then extract the excess water.…

We all have small amounts of precious yarn—bits too beautiful to get rid of but too small to complete a project. These basic crocheted fingerless mitts are a great backdrop to showcase those little bits of special yarn. You can use a combination of contrasting yarns for a variety of flora, or you can make all the foliage from a single skein for a more unified look. In this example, I used a lovely color-changing yarn from Anne Merrow’s personal stash to keep the same texture but to allow a variety of colors. These flowers and leaves will look great in varying sizes. You can use a thinner yarn (and smaller hook) to create smaller motifs; if you're using a heavier yarn for embellishment, consider making just one flower per…

In April 2017, I met a spinner from Australia at a spinning conference in Missouri. Katherine Henry told me she felt Australia was ready to embrace cotton spinning. Australia has been known for its excellent Merino sheep, but many people do not know that cotton is a growing industry there. Katherine put me in touch with two ladies who were setting up classes for the summer of 2018: Renuka Potter was located in the Melbourne area, and Elizabeth Woods was organizing Sydney summer classes. Both responded favorably, so I started planning for a trip to Australia for January and February—summer—of 2018. I already knew that Australia was growing a lot of good-quality cotton, so it seemed reasonable for them to supply the cotton to use in my classes. I first…

Like many shepherds, Colin Siegmund of Siegmund Farm in Connecticut wakes up before dawn, does chores, and manages his flock of Border Leicesters. In addition to this daily work, he shears sheep around New England. Colin works long hours, leaving little room in his schedule for marketing his sheep’s fiber to handspinners in search of fleeces. It takes a lot of time to maintain an online shop or run a booth at a local fiber festival—time that could be spent tending his animals. Author and spinning teacher Ashley Martineau prefers buying fiber from local shepherds such as Colin. She enjoys getting to know the producers, listening to their stories, and meeting the sheep. One of the first fleeces she bought was from one of Colin’s Border Leicesters, and Ashley remembers…

Sewing with fabric you have spun and woven is a joy. It is also terrifying. It takes many hours of work at each step to spin and weave a length of cloth; to then take scissors to it requires courage. My first cut of the pattern pieces was accompanied by a stomach full of butterflies, but some tips passed on to me gave me the confidence to cut and sew my fabric. • Tip #1: At the advice of everyone I spoke to who had sewn with handwoven fabric, I made a muslin of the pattern to check fit and learn the assembly. This allowed me to cut my pattern pieces confidently. This step is especially important because handwoven fabric is often narrower than the fabric that sewing patterns are…

Silk hankies are an important part of my fiber stash because they require patience and tolerance, and they make loveable, imperfect yarns that are a pleasure to wear. Yarns spun from silk hankies have no elasticity; they do not stretch. They do, however, make lovely, drapey knitted fabric. These yarns can feel cool in warm weather and warm in cool weather. The color of the silk hankies and stitch pattern I used inspired the name of the scarf. Can’t you just see a storm brewing over wild water in Lake Superior? Spinning Notes I spun the singles for this project on my Reeves castle wheel, using the smaller whorl (drive ratio of 8:1), drafting about 4 inches for every two treadles. I then plied the singles on my Louet S10-DT,…

Ingredients: • Alum acetate, 5%–8% WOF Procedure: Fill a bucket with hot tap water—about 120°F (50°C) or slightly higher is plenty hot. Using a separate container, dissolve alum in very hot water and add to the mordant bath. Stir and add goods. If needed, add more water to the pot so the yarn and fiber are not crowded. The bath should stay in the 100–120°F (40–50°C) range throughout the process. Let the fiber sit a minimum of 1–2 hours, or overnight for deeper colors.…

Because worsted-weight yarns can vary greatly in gauge and grist, this fingerless mitten pattern has been written for three possible gauges. Changing hook size will change your gauge as well, but what if you like the fabric that results from a certain hook size and the gauge doesn’t match? For example, say you made a swatch to check your gauge and found that your swatch was too small. You could use a larger size hook to obtain the given gauge, but the resulting fabric might be too loose and the gaps between your stitches too large. (See swatch A.) This is especially problematic if you are trying to make something to keep out the cold wind. On the other hand, what if you made the swatch to check your gauge…

Sheep are short-day breeders, which means that ovulation tends to occur in response to the shortening day length in autumn and winter. Gestation averages about five months, so autumn breeding results in spring lambs. Some sheep will breed “out of season,” as a shepherd might say, and have the ability to ovulate at other times of the year. There is tremendous variation from breed to breed in addition to the preferences of the shepherd regarding breeding/lambing times. See the Merck Veterinary Manual for more information.…

Note: The September/October 2018 issue of our sister publication Handwoven featured challenges undertaken by weaving guilds. In her introduction in the issue, Nancy Rimsha notes: “The South Coast Weavers and Spinners Guild in Orange County, California, has four study groups including the Weave Structures group. Over the years, the group has studied honeycomb, lace weaves, iridescence, and echo weave, among other structures. For the 2016–2017 guild year, the group chose shadow weave as its subject.” Margie Bell’s stunning ruana was featured in Handwoven, and we asked her to share it, emphasizing her perspective as a spinner. I love to spin yarn. I have realized how calming it is, and I love to feel the texture in my hands. I spin on a 130-year-old Canadian production wheel. I imagine the many…