Frontpage Article – PLY Magazine

Innovation at Bam Fiber Works

December 12, 2024/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, News /by Meagan Condon

When we think about fiber tools, we think about tens of thousands of years of progress and the history of innovation. We imagine the slow roll of progress bringing us to today, where we’ve obviously got everything figured out, right? This is as good as it gets! After all, we’re working in the slow arts, and we don’t need more than a stick to make some yarn. Some of us take joy in being able to prove that all we need is a stick!

Well, sometimes we like to make it a little easier on ourselves. Sometimes it isn’t about proving we can so much as getting the work done. The truth is innovation is happening every day in our fiber world. We have a strong community of toolmakers who are constantly looking to improve the tools we use. One of those toolmakers is Baruch with Bam Fiber Works.

Bam Fiber Works has designed an incredible new feature for a workshop staple and is now offering a self-cleaning drum carder. You read that right! SELF-CLEANING. This patent-pending device is already on backorder through January 2025 as of the writing of this article.

The project to develop an improved drum carder started in 2016. “We wanted to create a drum carder that offered cool features that weren’t already offered in another drum carder on the market. We couldn’t quite put a finger on it, though,” Baruch told me. “The feedback we got again and again was to make the carder easier to clean.”

I personally felt that feedback in my soul. It had recently taken over an hour to deconstruct and deep clean the drum carder in my own workshop; work that needed to be done but that I took no pleasure from. I could have spent that time spinning… or at least catching up on some good television.

Baruch began by testing the concept of some sort of doffing cloth that could be used to remove fiber from the drum. Following many prototypes, he still wasn’t happy with how it performed. Then the magic happened. After a brainstorming session with his brother, Baruch discovered that a drum mounted on two pieces of scrap wood did a superior job. And he didn’t stop there. He wanted to make sure that his tool wouldn’t cause additional wear and tear on the carder itself. “We did over 1000 test cleanings. We filmed as we did it,” he said.

On top of the self-cleaning drum, the Bam Fiber Works drum carder features a number of unique features. Everything – clamps, doffing hook, cleaning brush – all store conveniently in the front tray of the drum carder. It has a magnetic pin lock system that allows pulleys, drums, and handle to be quickly removed, making it “crazy easy to clean.” And parts are designed to be used interchangeable amongst their entire product line.

“We wanted to take the unenjoyable parts out of carding,” Baruch added. “Take away the ‘I dread this’ part so that carding becomes more enjoyable on its own.”

That’s not all. While it is not yet available, Baruch and his team have a patent pending on a handheld version of the drum cleaner that could work with any drum carder. “There’s still a lot of testing to do,” he said. “Other brands have a variety of types of carding cloth in different weights. We want to make sure it works well and doesn’t damage people’s existing equipment.”

We in the fiber community have that to look forward to! In the meantime, readers can get on the pre-order list for this self-cleaning drum carder through the Bam Fiber Works website.

Knitting with Dog Hair: New Edition!

December 3, 2024/in Frontpage Article, News /by Meagan Condon

In 1997, the first edition of Knitting with Dog Hair by Kendall Crolius made its way onto shelves. I remember my horrified fascination (a misplaced psychological reaction) the first time I picked it up with all my preconceived notions about what could and should be spun. This book was an absolute eye-opener for me, and it has helped me cope with the loss of some of my furry family members!

Now on its third revision and printing, you can get the updated book just in time for the giving season. To celebrate its latest release on December 3, I had the thrilling opportunity to interview Kendall.

Thank you for taking the time to share a little bit about yourself and your book. There are many in the PLY community who have benefited from your work.

Q: Before you were the world’s leading authority on dog hair knitting, how did you first start spinning?

A: My beloved husband gave me a spinning workshop for my birthday – at a fiber arts store in our neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. My spinning teacher mentioned “you don’t have to limit yourself to sheep wool – you can spin anything, even dog hair.” I had a sheddy Golden Retriever at the time and started spinning her fuzz.

Q: What drove you to write about working with dog hair?

A: Writing about it wasn’t my idea! I had dear friends, Barbara Binswanger and Jim Charlton, who were book packagers. They had a Great Pyrenees, Ollie, and brought me Ollie fuzz every time we got together. One weekend, I decided to spin it to make them mittens and ended up with enough yarn to make a sweater for Barbara and a vest for Jim. Jim said, “This would be a great book.” And great visionary that I am, I said, “No it wouldn’t – that’s ridiculous.” Jim and Barb wrote it up as a book proposal and pitched it for TEN YEARS before St. Martins decided to publish the original edition.

Q: What are the benefits of working with dog hair and which breeds are the easiest to spin?

A: The most important benefit is having a garment from a beloved pet. For many breeds, the yarn itself is superior to wool. Any dog that sheds is an ideal candidate. My preferred breeds are Samoyed, Great Pyrenees, and Golden Retriever but that’s because I have specific dogs I love.

Q: Before you were a writer, you had an incredible career leading the G100 Leadership Network, and before that, in businesses like Forbes and McCann-Erickson. Can you tell me a little bit about your career and how that impacted your choices when writing Knitting with Dog Hair?

A: This is great question! My career and my interest in dog knitting don’t have a lot of intersections. I can say that writing this book has solidified my reputation as an eccentric and a creative thinker. I spent the last 15 years of my business career running a program that helped prepare very senior executives to be the next CEO of their company. When the participants googled me, of course the first thing that popped up was Knitting with Dog Hair – it was a great icebreaker when I onboarded new participants. The leadership lesson is be who you are and bring all of you to your business career.

Q: What is your favorite part of the book to write?

A: I have loved writing about the people who have created cottage industries focused on spinning yarn from beloved pets. With this edition, it was much easier to connect with artisans simply because of the internet. I have formed real friendships with the fabulous people who have adopted this craft.

Q: You are now on the third revision of your book. What has the journey through this all looked like for you?

A: I am so gratified to have connected with people who have embraced this craft. There are so many people who have created businesses spinning dog yarn for dog lovers who want to create a memento of a beloved pet.

For those who have read the book before, what updates should readers keep their eyes out for?

I have updated the list of “Spinners Guide to Dog Breeds” with data on breeds that were not recognized in the nineties, including the “designer dogs” like LabraDoodles that were not included in the original edition.

For more than twenty-five years, Kendall Crolius has inspired us to boldly experiment with pet fiber. Her unique insights have expanded the domain of fiber artists everywhere and helped create a niche community of spinners who help dog lovers celebrate their furry family members.

The revised copy of Knitting with Dog Hair is now available. If you don’t already have a copy, now is a great time to pick one up!

Alpaca Wool: A Misnomer

November 19, 2024/in Frontpage Article /by Meagan Condon

How many times have you heard someone selling their alpaca wool? Or touting their alpaca wool scarf? The only problem is that it isn’t wool. Let me explain!

Fibers can be categorized into a few different classes, including hair, wool, and fur (excluding kemp and guard hair for the moment).

Let’s check out Meagan’s handy chart to get us started.

FIBER TYPE	QUALITIES
FIBER TYPE	CUTICLE	MEDULATION	GROWTH	DENSITY	SEBUM
FUR	Scales overlap, forming as many as 10 layers	Generally present and pronounced	Reaches a maximum length and then sheds	Higher than 60,000 follicles/sq inch	Limited quantity of sebum
HAIR	Scales overlap, forming as many as 10 layers	Generally present and pronounced	Continuous growth, but sheds	500 follicles/sq inch Only 100-200 active follicles at a time	Limited quantity of sebum
WOOL	In fine wools, scales overlap, usually forming 1-2 layers. Scales are barbed	Generally absent or almost absent	Continuous, if not sheared	Up to 60,000 follicles/sq inch	Lanolin in varying quantities

Alpaca is actually a hair fiber, like our own hair. Like us, they shed a small amount of their fiber, but it continues to grow and get longer if we don’t cut it. Because of this continuous growth, alpacas have to be sheared regularly for their health.

Check out this microscopic view of alpaca fibers. The first thing you might notice is the dark line going down the center of each fiber. This is the hollow medulla.

Air = Warmth

Any time there is air trapped in a fiber, it contributes to it being a warmer fiber. Air is an insulator. Wool does not have a hollow center, which is one of the reasons why alpaca is so much warmer than wool.

The keratin structures in alpaca fiber are different than the structures in high-memory wool. As a result, the fiber has almost no memory. That means it will not return to its original shape once it has been stretched out. This is great for drape, but not great for anything that requires stretch, like socks or mittens. We often blend wool with alpaca to compensate for its lack of stretch.

While it may be tempting to call alpaca wool because it is so squishy and wool-like, there are some fundamental differences that mean that the fibers behave differently. Are the spinning police going to come after you if you call alpaca wool? No way! Still, it is sometimes helpful to have that scientific distinction to help guide your creative process.

wool from different breeds of sheep demonstrating different lengths of fiber

Three Tips for Making Consistent Yarn

October 29, 2024/in Frontpage Article, News, Spinning /by Meagan Condon

Maybe you’ve just learned how to spin and now you are struggling to create consistent yarn. Or perhaps you’ve been spinning for a long time and are ready to refine your technique. These tips will help you create a more consistent yarn.

Tip One: Know Your Staple

examples of different breeds of wool showing different lengths of locks from short to long

If you are experiencing problems with inconsistent yarn, it is often related to drafting. Whether you’re a new spinner or an old hand, it is always valuable to go back and check the staple of your fiber and adjust your hands. For newer spinners, it is a question of building up muscle memory. For experienced spinners, it is easy to fall into hand habits and default movements.

Remember, aim to hold your hands roughly 1 to 1.5x the staple length. If your hands are too far apart, you will wind up with thin spots where your fiber drafted too much. If your hands are too close together, you might be wearing out your hands by fighting to draft your fiber from both ends. This can result in thick sections in your yarn.

Also try to reach the same distance into your fiber supply each time you draw fibers into the draft zone. The deeper into your fiber supply you pull from, the more fibers in your drafting zone and the thicker yarn you will make.

Tip Two: Rhythm, Rhythm, Rhythm

Rhythm is everything in spinning. Consistent yarn requires the same number of twists in a particular length of yarn, throughout an entire skein. If you’re like me, rhythm doesn’t come naturally.

First, try to practice treadling your wheel with nothing on it; no fiber, no yarn. Treadle while watching a movie. Treadle while having a conversation. The more you practice treadling, the more regular you will become, even if you don’t have a strong internal sense of rhythm. When you practice treadling, you are increasing your muscle memory and reinforcing the neural network. The less you have to consciously think about treadling, the easier it is to find rhythm.

If all else fails and you can’t find a natural rhythm, don’t give up. You can always count. You read that right. Count your treadles for each time you draft. Even if you can’t keep a steady treadle, you can make sure you’re still getting the same amount of twist each time you draft. A funny thing happens when you manually count treadles; often, your rhythm and your muscle memory kick in when you least expect it.

Tip Three: Sleep on It

All this practice sounds fantastic, but there’s one more thing you need to bring it all together – a good night’s sleep. Research has shown that sleep is necessary for the consolidation of information. Basically, during sleep, the brain retraces the neural pathways used for a particular task and determines which pathways are the most efficient. By reinforcing certain pathways, the same information is more likely to travel along those pathways, saving the brain resources. If you’re feeling frustrated after a spinning session, set your work aside and come back to it the next day. You’ll be amazed at the difference it can make.

So You Wanna Learn to Spin

July 15, 2024/in Frontpage Article, News /by Guest Blogger

Hello! If you have found your way to this little corner of the internet, I take it that you are at least somewhat interested in learning how to spin yarn. Well, new friend, you have come to the right place!