Meagan Condon

Call for Blog Submissions: Plants

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While the Plants issue of PLY is already in the works (and it looks like another great one!) we are looking for quality related posts for the blog! Did you have an idea you didn’t submit? Or did you miss the submission window?

The blog process is much simpler than the magazine process (which involves contracts and samples sent in, photographs, tech editing, etc.) Instead, you’ll need to send your own photos, and your post will go through a copy edit but no other part of the magazine article process. If your blog submission is accepted and published, we’ll send you a $50 honorarium via PayPal.

Submit your blog proposal here!

Please submit your blog post proposal by July 11, 2025. If your post proposal is accepted, we’ll need your words and photos by September 1, 2025. We’ll be posting the Plant posts on the blog in September, October, or November 2025.

Find the mood board below!

PLY Autumn 2025 – Plants (Blog posts)

If it grows in the earth and you can spin it, we want it!  

Let’s look at growing and preparation, blending and dyeing, drafting and plying, finishing and projects! We would love for you to contribute your knowledge, experiments, and projects. 

Which plant fibers are easiest to spin for someone new to the world of cellulose? How do they compare and relate to fibers spinners are more familiar with? Why would you choose plants over other fibers? Can you compare and contrast plant fibers, identifying what they are wonderful for and the ways they can be spun? Are some plant fibers better than other plant fibers for certain things? 

What do you know about plant fibers that have to go through a manufacturing process, like bamboo? How does it affect the environment, the spin, the finished yarn? 

What preparations work the best for plant fibers? What should a spinner look for in a commercial preparation? Which dyes and methods work the best for you? Can you use natural dyes with plant fibers? What happens when you dye a cellulose/wool blend? Talk to us about the tools for plants: which are the same as wool, which are for plants only? Can you use blending boards? Handcards? Combs? What is the benefit of blending these fibers with protein fibers? What is the best percentage of plant and wool, and what are the best plants and breeds to use together? 

Tell us about using spindles, charkhas, walking wheels, e-spinners, and treadle wheels. Are there ones that work and don’t work with these fibers? Do cellulose fibers have to be worsted drafted? Can you spin them woolen? What happens if you do? How much twist is enough, and how much is too much? What tips do you have for plying plant fibers, the number of plies, the twist angle? How do you get a smooth chain ply with plants? What about different ply structures? Can you use these fibers in textured yarns? 

Tell us about the methods you use to finish plant fibers. How do you make sure the twist is set? Do you belong to a fibershed that includes cotton or flax, and can you tell us how you are working toward their sustainable future? Do you make and use cordage from plants in your garden or on your travels? Can you teach us how and what you make with it?  

Meagan Condon

Call for Blog Submissions: Tension

/in , /by

While the Tension issue of PLY is already in the works (and it looks like another great one!) we are looking for quality related posts for the blog! Did you have an idea you didn’t submit? Or did you miss the submission window?

The blog process is much simpler than the magazine process (which involves contracts and samples sent in, photographs, tech editing, etc.) Instead, you’ll need to send your own photos, and your post will go through a copy edit but no other part of the magazine article process. If your blog submission is accepted and published, we’ll send you a $50 honorarium via PayPal.

Submit your blog proposal here!

Please submit your blog post proposal by March 15, 2025. If your post proposal is accepted, we’ll need your words and photos by May 1, 2025. We’ll be posting the Tension posts on the blog in June, July, and August 2025.

Find the mood board below! (Note: We’ve changed the colors for the issue from the ones on this mood board to something more “summery” so don’t feel limited to the colors here.)

PLY Summer 2025 – Tension (Blog posts)

Tension is one of those elements we use all the time while we spin. Think about all the ways tension figures into and impacts your spinning. We want to hear about all of them! 

Wheel tension and wheel systems: how do they work and which works best for what type of yarn? Is there a reason spinners might like this one over that one? How about drive bands and brake bands? How often should you change them, and what considerations go into the types of materials that are you favorites? What about e-spinners? 

It’s often confusing to keep track of the amount of tension while spinning. Do you have great tips on notating and measuring your take-up? 

Crosslacing is a fantastic technique for decreasing tension. When do you use it and how do you do it on different wheels. Do you have any other methods to reduce the tension? 

Tensile strength is all about how much tension a fiber can be put under before it breaks. Which fibers are the strongest? Which breeds? When prepping fibers, the amount of tension used often results in unwanted neps. Do you have tips for reducing or eliminating them on hand cards, a blending board, or a drum carder? 

Can the right amount of tension make or break the consistency while plying yarn? Why do we need tension to ply? What tips do you have to use tension to ply a consistent yarn? Is tension the key to reducing bumps in chain-ply yarns? What can you tell us about the different styles of kates and their tensioning systems and when you might use a particular type for both wheels and spindles? When do you apply more tension; when do you just let your bobbins spin? 

What about textured and art yarns? Bouclé, spirals, coils, beehives, core spun, and other textured yarns rely on differential tension while plying. Tell us how you determine how much and how little tension make the best textured yarns. How do you control the mixed tension and still keep a yarn tidy? Is there a yarn that uses no tension? 

How about color? Why do some colors seem to vibrate and explode when they are next to each other? Is there a way to make it happen or lessen the visual tension? 

What about the release of tension? How do you plan, spin, and weave a structure that collapses on itself? What about knitting? Releasing the tension in high-twist singles can create sculptural effects. Can you teach us about it?