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Woolfest special It's too hot as I write this to think about wearing anything too woolly but it is ideal for taking your spinning and knitting outdoors. Do you pack knitting or some spinning? There are some ideas this month which may inspire you to take your spindle with you. Babies arrive all year round, and this month's free patterns include two projects for newborns. Did you travel to Cockermouth, Cumbria for Woolfest? Many did and I've picked some blog posts on the subject. There's so much spinning going on at the moment as a result of the Tour de Fleece which is a spinning event to accompany some other current sporting event. I've been reading many blog posts relating to this event but as the event is still going on as I write this, I'll save the best of those for a TdF special next month. So read on for all of this month's twisty treats. (photo above right: WoolandChocolate's 'Coutu baby II'. Cover photo: my own Sisterhood Cowl being worked in Yummy Yarns 'Posh Frock')
Top Stories Woolfest 2013
It's that time of year again Images and reviews. Read more
It's shearing time and 80% of the wool grown on Shetland is processed by Jamieson and Smith. A fascinating glimpse behind the scenes. Read more
Contents WoolFest 2013 Images and reviews News and articles from around the web Handspun yarn magic for Tajikistan women, Patron Goddess of spinners and weavers, It's that time of year again, Skein length From the blogosphere Needle felted dryer balls, Summer spinning, Raspberry , Dyeing to.... Wine and Debauch, Handspun Dreambird Shawl, Do you separate fleece or blend it? Weld Dye from Plant to Wool, Colours to dye for, DIY blending hackle, Spinning dog fur, Light-up yarn Gallery Showing off some of the best images I've found this month Free patterns A selection of free patterns which will work well with handspun yarn Events Some dates for your diary Courses and tuition Where to go for a day, weekend or a week to learn or improve your skills
WoolFest Woolfest A lovely selection of images here courtesy of Louise from KnitBritish. Louise rates Woolfest as "a wool enthusiasts dream - a wonderfully woolly maze of natural & rainbow colours". She bought so much of that woolly maze that she couldn't fit it into her case and had to mail it home to herself by Special Delivery! http://www.knitbritish.net/woolfest/
No really, it was work! Kat of Slugs on the Refrigerator gives us some lovely photographs from the day and felt very lucky to be there in the name of work. http://slugsontherefrigerator.com/woolfest-no-really-it-was-work/
Cumbria and Woolfest Anniken, a self-confessed yarn-addict, combined her trip to Woolfest with a visit to the Lake Windermere and Stott Park Bobbin Mill which looks well worth a visit. She also explains the challenge of displaying as many shawls as possible and transforming a cattle pen into a beautiful display, which she seems to have managed well. http://annisknittingblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/cumbria-woolfest-2013.html
Herdy I don't usually feature commercial items, but hey, they're my rules to break... Thanks to Katie of HilltopCloud whose beautiful dyed fibre and yarn you will have seen at any of the major shows. She spotted these new designs from Herdy at Woolfest. The mugs feature some appealing designs showing shearing, grading, scouring, carding, spinning, weaving, knitting and wearing. There's a mediaeval woodcut look to the artwork but with some modern twists in the designs. http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/blog/13849500
discuss any of this
News, resources and articles from around the web Handspun yarn magic for Tajikistan women Liba Brent works on development projects in Central Asia, training women in remote rural areas to make luxury yarn and products. The women have started weaving and dyeing mohair yarn into blankets and knitting socks and sweaters. As the women's standard of spinning has improved, so has their confidence and social standing. http://www.clothroads.com/handspun-yarn-magic-for-tajikistan-women/
Patron Goddess of spinners and weavers Frigg is the Norse Goddess of the sky, marriage, motherhood, love, fertility, and the domestic arts. She is the patron Goddess of spinners and weavers, and she spins the clouds in the sky. Thank you to The Cottage for sharing the beautiful picture and to Sheila who thinks that the Goddess sometimes works too hard where she lives. http://www.goddessaday.com/norse/frigg
It's that time of year again Shetland wool has a beautiful handle and bounce and the well-known 'halo'. It's shearing time and 80% of the wool grown on Shetland is processed by Jamieson and Smith ready for products from fine lace through to carpets. In this blog post we get a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes and more information about this famous wool. Shared by Perfect weather for spinning and knitting who's looking forward to Shetland Wool Week - see the Events listing for details. http://jamiesonandsmith.wordpress.com/2013/06/28/its-that-time-of-year-again/
Skein length There have been many posts about measuring your skein but here Katie of Hilltop Cloud makes an important point about the length of your skein vs the length of your niddy noddy. Well worth reading and bearing in mind. http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/blog/13838283/
discuss any of this
From the blogosphere Needle felted dryer balls If, like me, you've managed to acquire fleece that you're not sure you'll ever spin, here's an idea that will quickly turn some of that fleece into something useful. Cheryl the Compulsive Spinner has formed these balls using needle felting and then used the washer to wet-felt them. The result is a set of dryer balls, which are said to reduce drying time and reduce wrinkles in the fabric. http://cherylharper14.blogspot.co.uk/
Summer spinning It's the best time of year for taking your craft outdoors. Is it your knitting you pack or a spindle? Liz Good, editor of Spin-Off magazine, has enjoyed a resurgence of spindle spinning after buying this container; actually made for a completely different purpose but ideal for carrying fibre and her small spindle without fear of breakage or felting. Click through for more details and a beautiful crocheted spindle holder (pattern in upcoming Spin-Off). http://nls.interweave.com/t/bfbbbEWV8QASM8EJZ...
Raspberry Katie of Hilltop Cloud has just finished this beautiful crescent-shaped shawl using a BFL / Ramie blend. As a bonus, Katie explains fractal spinning in the most simple and understandable way that I've heard. She spun her yarn this way despite her dyeing being fairly solid. The subtle stripes are beautiful - click through for more pictures and to see this effect. http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/blog/13841305
Dyeing to.... It's great to see people's inspiration and how it leads to the finished result. In the run-up to Woolfest, Freyalyn found time to post the wonderful picture of Haifoss in Iceland alongside her finished dyed yarn. She's captured the colours beautifully and is rightly very pleased with the result. Click through to see inspiration and dyed fibre together. http://freyalyn.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/run-up-to-woolfest.html
Wine and Debauch Grace, the Knitting Goddess says that she's still practising with her spinning but it looks great to me. As well as the beautiful colours that she's spun, something that really interests me in this post is that she plied most of the yarn 2-ply but found herself with quite a bit of singles left on one bobbin (yes, Grace that's not too weird). I usually make an Andean bracelet of what's left, join the spare end of single with a spit join and continue 2-plying. I'm really pleased that Grace decided to navajo ply what she had left because we now have a great example side-by-side of how the plying methods make the same singles look so different. Navajo concentrates the colour, 2-plying mixes them up. Click through to see the comparison close-up.
http://knittinggoddesswithacat.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/stash-enhancement-daybreak-dyeworks/
Finished project: handspun Dreambird Shawl Not a free pattern, but it does look fantastic here in knitsnthings' hand dyed and hand spun yarn. Like Leftie it looks ideal for using smaller amounts of handspun yarn. I do like the graduated effect achieved here. http://knitsnthings.wordpress.com/2013/07/05/dreambird-shawl-in-handspun-yarn/
Do you separate fleece or blend it? I had a conversation recently with my friend / teacher about fleece characteristics varying from one individual sheep to another, even within a family. The characteristics vary greatly within a single fleece too - you'll find coarse and kempy (hairy) wool in certain areas and finer and crimpier wool in others. Amelia of Ask the Bellwether discusses the pros and cons of separating these different areas or blending them together. http://askthebellwether.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/do-you-separate-fleece-or-blend-it.html
Weld Dye from Plant to Wool I've noticed a 'growing' number of blog posts this year about growing and using dyeplants. Fran has been posting entertaining and informative articles about various home-grown brews. Weld grows wild here in the UK and gives a very strong and light-fast colour. Unable to find any, Fran has grown some and here she gives us her tips for growing, harvesting and using the plant. http://wooltribulations.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/making-weld-dye-from-plant-to-wool.html
Colours to dye for Also in natural dyeing news and once again demonstrating that natural dyes don't just give dull colours, Goldilox of Dyeing to Spin has been busy. These four lumps were dyed using madder, walnut husks, chamomile and onion skins. http://goldyspinner.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/colours-to-dye-for.html
DIY blending hackle I've been in the market for a while for a hackle and pair of combs.They're expensive and not so easy to find. I have featured home-made combs before which were a much more involved process. In contrast AnnaB has made a working hackle costing just a few pounds. It seems to have been successful - a couple of episodes further on she is spinning the fibre that she's blended using the hackle. The page at the link below allows you to listen to AnnaB's podcast but she has also posted some stepby-step pictures and and an eBay link for buying the same metal-toothed afro combs that she used. http://2bannab.com/2013/06/17/episode12/
Spinning dog fur Rebecca from ChemKnits received some dog fur as a gift and treated it as practice as she's planning to spin the fur from her own dog in the future. She says "I love the softness and the halo of this yarn" http://www.chemknits.com/2013/06/spinning-misc-dog-fur.html
Handspun circuit - light-up yarn Making feathers and other add-ins seem workaday, this handspun yarn includes LED lights. Christa doesn't give any details of her process, but she says "After many prototypes I have a good working process down - just a few lights, 5-7 yards, small 3 volt battery" Click through to see a picture of the lights within the yarn. http://nerdgirlyarns.com/blog/e-textiles-handspun-circuit/ discuss any of this
Keeping this wheel spinning Your news here Are you a pattern designer, supplier, dyer? Would you like to be associated with Hand Spinning News and at the same time reach the growing readership of thousands of hand spinners? Read more
Gallery Sometimes just a picture is enough
Yarn hair Spinning Wheel Studio supplied the yarn and shared this picture of artist Hilary Emerson Lay who often braids thick and thin yarn into her hair. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hilaryemersonlay/9156068022/
Lego spinning wheel Michael Jasper has made this beautifully-detailed model from Lego. With thanks to Tabs of Rosy Retro for the image. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mijasper/8652391708/ discuss any of this
Free patterns A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Wrist warmers in lace pattern It's too hot to think about wearing anything too substantial but how about a light and lacy scarf and wristwarmer set to slip on late of an evening? As part of my own Tour de Fleece I've been spindle-spinning some angora purchased at Wonderwool. I had thought about using it for lace wristwarmers and I think I have the perfect pattern here. They're by DROPS design with a reasonably low difficulty rating. In laceweight and 3.5 mm needles. http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/pattern.php?id=3771&lang=en
Coutu baby II Another lovely series of pictures from fibre to finished object, with a free baby pattern thrown into the bargain. WoolandChocolate devised the pattern - "a onesie with frills and a balloony butt" and gives us the pattern on her Ravelry project page (follow her link within the text) http://woolandchocolate.com/2013/07/02/baby-girl-knitting/
Handspun Newborn Beanie One for the crocheters with a new baby in their life. The pattern for this seamless hat suggests using a bought skein of handspun yarn. To spin your own, it looks like a skein of thick and thin singles, with an 85 yarn skein making two hats. http://cre8tioncrochet.com/2013/07/handspun-newborn-beanie/ I also selected free knit and crochet patterns over at HSN's sister publication, Purl Two Together. The new issue will be available very shortly. discuss any of this
Events 2013 Fibre East [NB - updated date and venue] 27 and 28 July 2013, Redbourne Community College, Flitwick Road, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2NU The third Fibre East, those in the Eastern, Midlands and Southern Regions an opportunity to join in an event which aims to encourage and promote British wool and natural fibres. Note the change of venue and date. The new venue is inside. www.fibre-east.co.uk
Glastonbury Wool Fair 24 & 25 August, Glastonbury, Somerset A weekend of sheep related entertainment! The sheep and alpaca run is on Saturday and everyone is invited to make woollen hats to wear on Sunday - the more outrageous the better. They would also appreciate volunteers. glastonburywoolfestival.co.uk
Yarndale 28 and 29 September Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire For you if you love yarn and are passionate about all things woolly. It aims to celebrate the beauty and diversity of wool, cotton, linen and silk fibres in all their forms yarndale.co.uk
Shetland Wool Week 7 - 13 October 2013 A busy weekend dedicated to celebrating Shetland wool and textile heritage. The full events list includes workshops, demonstrations, open studios, spinning, knitting, weaving and Britain's most northerly sheep. www.shetlandwoolweek.com
Fibre Flurry - 26 and 27 October, Bournville, Birmingham The third year promises to be the best year yet. Workshops and exhibitors over two days http://www.fibreflurry.co.uk
Courses and tuition Please let me know if you are or you know a tutor with a calendar of events. Cornwall: Audrey Durrant is heavily involved with the Cornwall Guild and works with the Rare Breed Survival Trust. She teaches spinning, basic weaving, is a hand dyer and gives talks and demonstrations. Find out more at www.hawthornfibres.co.uk Derbyshire: Alison Daykin offers week and weekend courses and also has a less formal groups three evenings a week: spinningandweaving.weebly.com Dumfries and Galloway: Sue Macniven offers Residential Courses or one to one workshops in Twynholm or at your own venue http://www.handspun-exotics.co.uk/workavail.html Hampshire: Spinning and wool workshops at The Old Dairy, Westover Farm, Nr Andover. For more details go to www.urbancottage.co.uk/courses or call Nichola 07905167922
Hampshire: Spinning workshops at fibre craft studio Beaker Button, the Fairground Craft and Design centre, Weyhill. Free spinning taster sessions. For more details contact 07738 534164 or http://www.beakerbutton.co.uk Lancashire: Spinning workshops at Knit-Wise. All materials included for ÂŁ40, contact Cathy (lazykate) on 01695 580590 www.knit-wise.co.uk for dates. Lancashire: Carol and Pete Leonard run a regular monthly workshop for hand and wheel spinners where students can either follow the 'topic of the month' or work on their own project guided by Carol and Pete. They also run a residential weekend each year. These are held at Alston Hall, a conference and adult education centre based in the Ribble Valley close to the M6 motorway. For further information please ring 01772 784661 or visit their website www.alstonhall.com London: Weaving, spinning, dyeing, tapestry weaving, and other yarn and fibre crafts workshops at The Handweavers Studio & Gallery. See the website for dates and details. www.handweavers.co.uk/shop/Workshops_Classes.html South Lincs: Single-day one-to-one spinning courses with all equipment supplied. http://www.alpacathingz.co.uk/(external link to AlpacaThingz website) Manchester:Spinning courses with Dee Sayce. also sewing, felt making, weaving, dyeing, batik and silk painting (external link to beetlefelt) http://www.beetlefelt.co.uk/workshop_spinning.html Northamptonshire: Long Draw Spinning Tuition with Pam Austins, Spinning School. Pam is on a mission to teach longdraw. Most classes are held in Stoke Albany. http://www.spinningschool.blogspot.co.uk/p/calendar.html (external link to Spinning School's calendar) Nottinghamshire: Spinning courses with Juliet Hill www.handspinning.org.uk/index.html (external link to Juliet Hill Handspinning) Norfolk: Single-day spinning courses www.norfolkyarn.co.uk/Homepage/News/tabid/77/Default.aspx(external link to Norfolk Yarn website) Scotland - Perthshire (and Italy): workshops on spinning (beginners or more advanced), fibre preparation and blending, felting, dyeing and knitting. See the Workshops tab on http://www.perfectweatherforspinningandknitting.blogspot.com/ for updated details of forthcoming workshops by Deborah Gray e-mail deborah.gray7@btinternet.com Sheffield: Tuition and Demonstrations by Diane Fisher, the Murmuring Wheel http://www.murmuringwheel.co.uk/events.html (external link to Diane Fisher's calendar) Sussex: Weald and Downland Museum in Singleton sometimes has courses on spinning http://www.wealddown.co.uk/Traditional-Rural-Trades-and-Crafts/Textiles/ (external link to Weald and Downland Museum's calendar) Mid-Wales: Workshops with HilltopCloud's Katie Weston mostly focus on colour blending, full details at http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/HilltopCloud/Workshops.html Yorkshire: Spinning courses with Ruth Gough, various workshops for individuals or groups, at Wentworth or your venue http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/content/15-courses (external link to Wingham Wool Work) Yorkshire: Rivers MEET Craft CafĂŠ, Methley, Leeds, West Yorkshire is now running an Introduction to spinning using a drop spindle workshop with Paula Edgintgon. For more details tel: 01977 279729 or see www.riversmeetcraftcafe.co.uk discuss any of this Happy spinning and don't be a stranger! Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator shiela@hand-spinning-news.com If you're reading this newsletter on the web and would like it delivered to your email inbox for free every month, just fill in your email address in the box somewhere up there on the right. If you've reading this in your inbox and would prefer not to receive any more, just use the Mailchimp 'unsubscribe' link at the foot of the email.
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