Author Archives: Leslie

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

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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

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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

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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

Skein competition how-to, Part 4: Tags and mailing

Most competition require skeins to have identification tag of some kind, listing both the entrant’s contact information as well as preparation and spinning details. This serves two purposes: one is the obvious way to keep track of who submitted what … Continue reading

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Skein competition how-to, Part 3: Presentation

While the majority of points in a skein competition are reserved for technique, presentation points can mean the difference between 1st and 3rd place, or a ribbon and none at all. While it may seem picky to judge on presentation, … Continue reading

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