Monthly Archives: August 2010

Advice to myself, about four years ago

Once I really got the hang of spinning, I wanted to spin everything. In my effort to spin as many different fibres as possible, I bought a wide variety to try out. Rather than buy project-sized amounts of one or … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, tips | 8 Comments

Don’t thank me, really

Every year my alma mater, Wellesley College, hits me up for money in their annual giving drive. And every year since my Wellesley degree has led to a decent income, I’ve given a (very) small donation. It’s something I’m happy … Continue reading

Posted in sustainability | 1 Comment

Silica crystals continued, or yarn weight and humidity

It’s a week since I decided to test how much moisture could be pulled out of a skein of yarn by sealing it up with desiccant. Today I pulled out the skein and weighed it, and it was right at … Continue reading

Posted in competition, jacob, Spinning | Leave a comment

My visit to Laurentian Alpacas

It was just about a year ago that I took my camera, checkbook, and a printout from Google maps and headed for the Laurentian Mountains in Québec. I was starting to get the idea for my Spin Off article, and … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, travel, writing | 3 Comments

The many uses of silica crystals

I wanted to enter a skein at Taos this year, specifically the second skein of Jacob wool that didn’t turn out quite the same as the first. The two skeins, with the slightly finer-spun one in front. I was quite … Continue reading

Posted in competition, jacob, Spinning | 4 Comments

ParcoDon #13

Like many cities, Montreal has recently stopped using traditional parking meters in favour of a “Pay and Go” system. Denver and San Francisco use their old parking meters as a way to collect funds for charities that benefit the homeless … Continue reading

Posted in charity | Leave a comment

Sheep to shawl in Dunvegan

Looking back through archived newsletters from the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners, I see that a number of smaller guilds in the province have closed or merged in recent years due to dwindling membership. In most cases it’s a case of … Continue reading

Posted in competition, Spinning, teaching | 1 Comment