Author Archives: Leslie

Yarn Bombing

Maisonneuve invited me to blog about yarn bombing (knit and crochet graffiti), specifically a new book on the topic by Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore. You can read my guest post here.

Posted in Knitting | 1 Comment

First foray into weaving

I’d said for a long time that I wasn’t going to take up weaving, at least not in the near future. Although it’s a logical next step in textiles after knitting and spinning, the costs involved (full-size looms run several … Continue reading

Posted in finished object, weaving | 4 Comments

Combing with oil

Last time I combed mohair locks (again, for embroidery thread) I was frustrated with the how static made the slick fibres fly all over the place.  It was a little difficult to control, both in the combing and spinning, so … Continue reading

Posted in embroidery, Spinning, sustainability | 6 Comments

Stripes, colour matching, and lace yarn

In my post about Pine Hill Farm, I neglected to mention that the owner, Anna-Maria, is an accomplished hand-dyer. She works mostly with a merino-tencel blend that she uses for felting scarves and other objects. Before I visited her farm … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning | 1 Comment

Mohair embroidery thread

I frequently buy dyed mohair locks from a local angora goat farm, Wellington Fibres, for my intermediate spinning class. As part of my recent fascination with embroidery, I tried out the mohair as a potential material for thread, with fairly … Continue reading

Posted in embroidery, Spinning, sustainability | 2 Comments

From printing to pdfs

For all of the courses I teach, I send like to send participants home with class notes that they can reference later. I cover a lot of material and it’s easy to miss a detail or two, and it frees … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, sustainability, teaching | Leave a comment

Cashmere and climate change, again

A few weeks back, my post on cashmere and climate change was featured on the Maisonneuve blog. Thanks to the Maisy staff!

Posted in sustainability | Leave a comment