Category Archives: sustainability

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

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

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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!

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Spinning for embroidery

Shortly I’ll post about my a trip I took to the Laurentians back in August, which included a stop at Laurentian Alpacas, the source of the fibre for the project in this post. For now, though, a bit about my … Continue reading

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A trip to Pine Hill Farm

A couple of weeks ago I made a visit to Pine Hill Farm in Hemmingford, Quebec, about one hour south of Montreal and close to the New York border. As part of an article I’m writing for Spin-Off, I decided … Continue reading

Posted in Spinning, sustainability, teaching, travel, yarn stores | 3 Comments

Official Blog Action Day post: Reduce our demand for animal products

As I’ve written on this blog before, I try as often as possible to buy my yarn and fibre from local, small-scale farms. I generally try to extend this to food as well, taking advantage of farmers’ markets as well … Continue reading

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