Category Archives: Spinning

Skein competition how-to

Formal competition has been a big theme on the blog lately, and pretty much reflects what I’ve been up to in fiber arts this year. An injury I’m still recovering from has kept me from knitting or spinning for almost … Continue reading

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Change is good

Last weekend I taught a beginning spinning class at Wabi Sabi and decided to vary my normal routine a bit. Usually I give all my students a few ounces of combed Corriedale or BFL top to use the duration of … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, teaching, yarn stores | 2 Comments

Win at MDSW

One of my goals this year was to enter a few skeins in various competitions around North America. There’s not much in the way of competitions in Canada, but many in the States accept mailed-in entries. One of the largest, … Continue reading

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Fifteen minutes

The new issue of Spin Off features my first contribution to the magazine, in the form of an Armchair Traveler article on the fiber arts attractions in and around Montreal. You can see more about the issue here. I’ve got … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, travel | 3 Comments

Spinning horsehair

For a lot longer than I’ve been spinning, knitting, or doing anything else creative with textiles, I’ve been riding horses. This is my horse, Siân (her registered name–ie, the one on the papers–is Morning Theft, and if you know where … Continue reading

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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

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