Guest Blogger

Planning Your Crafting Year 

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The beginning of the year is the perfect time for planning your crafting year – all the things you want to accomplish in your creative life before the next calendar year arrives. The first thing I want you to consider is your Why. 

Why do you want to plan your crafting year? We all have different reasons. Perhaps you want to prepare handcrafted gifts for a family event or holiday. Maybe you’re ready to replace parts of your wardrobe with unique, handspun pieces. Or perhaps you want to improve certain skills to become a more proficient spinner. Understanding your Why will help you plan and adjust your year. Plan your year so your crafting reflects your Why and maintain flexibility for any life changes. 

Spinning is a unique hobby because the end product, yarn, is just the raw material for another textile craft. As a multicraftual maker, I include using beautiful handspun yarn in my crafting year. As a spinner who enjoys working from raw fleece, my crafting includes picking and scouring fleece, fiber preparation, and sometimes dyeing. 

Make a wish list 

I use two tools for planning my projects: a wish list and make nine. Grab a notebook, pencil, and your favorite beverage. If you already follow a bullet journal practice, as described by Katherine Mead in the “Journaling to Grow” article, reserve a place in your journal for your crafting/creative wish list. This allows you to add items as they come to you and review them when planning your year. 

Some examples of a wish list: 

  • Create a winter wardrobe for me 
  • Create a summer wardrobe for a significant other 
  • Spin a collection of 2-ply handspun yarns in the same weight (sport, DK, worsted) for use in various projects 
  • Create warp and weft yarn for two stoles 
  • Spin the box of summer dyeing fiber 
  • Spin full commercial hand-dyed braids (fractal, gradient, rill, raindrop, and marled) 
  • Spin complementary colors for a colorwork sweater to be knit with commercial yarn 
  • Spin two braids of fiber for an accessory 
  • Become proficient with the dizzing-off-the-hand-carder technique using five different commercial braids or wool breeds 
  • Prep fiber and spin the pound/half a kilo of scoured fleece from last summer 
  • Spin with my spindles at least 15 minutes every day 
  • Practice fiber preparation with the Lock Pop and drum carder 
  • Scour one or two pails of raw fleece from the last fleece auction 
  • Spin through the Fiber Club braids received every three months 

Adding items to your wish list doesn’t mean you’ll tackle them all this year. This is just the first step. 

Choose a theme 

Along with your Why, choose a theme for your crafting year, such as His Wardrobe, My Summer Wardrobe, or Intentional Learning from Stash – whatever resonates with you. 

Draw a grid with nine spaces and title it with your chosen theme. Fill your make nine grid using your Why and wish list to guide your decisions. Here’s an example of my planning for the next 12 months: 

I want to spin beautiful yarns compatible with colorwork projects, improve my proficiency with fiber tools like the drum carder and the Lock Pop, and keep practicing my fiber prep skills with hand cards and blending boards. My make nine projects align with these interests and the crafting I enjoy. Note that I’ve included three works-in-progress. As spinners know, our craft is slow, and projects often carry over from the previous year. I also left one square open for any inspiring project or make-along I encounter during the year. 

Find your tasks 

Filling the make nine grid with attractive projects is satisfying, but it won’t become a reality if you keep it tucked away. New projects will fill your time if you let them. 

List all the tasks needed to make your crafting list a reality. Identify the roadblocks for each project. For example, scouring fleece or fiber dyeing may be seasonal tasks best done in warmer months. Account for fiber prep time before spinning the singles or sampling time if that’s a roadblock for you. Add each task to a checklist you can mark off as you complete them. 

Once I have my grid and checklist, I print the page and add it to my bullet journal. You might choose to stick it in your crafting area. Place it somewhere visible where you can check off tasks as you tackle them. 

Craft your year! 

For critical roadblock tasks, I schedule them on my calendar as I would a work meeting, ensuring I reserve time for them. I also add monthly tasks to my journal to stay on track with project progress. I enjoy photographing the process and sharing moments on social media. Reviewing these photos later inspires me and helps me remember successful processes. 

Two or three months before the end of the year, I reassess my crafting progress and celebrate my successes. I also reflect on any projects left unfinished and consider whether I was too ambitious, failed to account for roadblocks, or got distracted by new patterns or spin-alongs. I include this reflection in planning the upcoming year to better align with how I like to spend my crafting time. 

Planning my crafting year helps me be intentional with my projects, crafting garments that complement my daily life and ensuring I incorporate learning into my making. I hope what I’ve shared helps you start planning your crafting year too! 

Greta lives in the Greater Vancouver area, Canada. She enjoys sampling and planning her crafting time. She loves being the Education Program Coordinator for the School of SweetGeorgia, where she is lucky to make a career of her passion. She shares life with her husband, five kids and a house full of wool, good food, coffee and tea. She may be found at the SOS forums, knitting, spinning, or walking with her family. 

Words and photos by Greta Cornejo 

Guest Blogger

The “World’s Cutest Sheep” in Colorado 

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On a dusty road, halfway between Denver and Fort Collins, sits the thirty-five acre farm of Davis Family Livestock, with stunning views of Long’s Peak to the west and the piercing blue sky overhead. My focus, however, is much closer to the ground: on the new lambs chewing on my shoelaces. Affectionately called “the world’s cutest sheep,” the Valais Blacknose are the showstoppers of the Davis farm. The breed originated in the Valais region of Switzerland, and though endangered, it has grown in popularity though Europe, Australia, and the United States in recent years. While many breeds of sheep tend to be wary of people other than their shepherds, the Valais eagerly demand attention from everyone.  

The Davis family began breeding Valais Blacknose sheep in a roundabout way. A friend of Anne’s had told her about a British show with the cutest sheep, and it piqued Anne’s interest. After much research and discussion, Rob and Anne decided that the Valais Blacknose sheep would be the perfect animal to start their farm because the Valais have to be marketed differently than other breeds. Due to their rarity, newness, and novelty, one doesn’t need to run thousands of heads on massive acreage to make money. Plus, at the time, no one else in Colorado was raising the breed.

“There’s no mystery on how to raise sheep,” Anne told me. “We’ve been doing it for thousands of years.” But breeding Valais Blacknose does come with some unique challenges. The USDA does not allow the live import of sheep or goats. The only way to introduce new breeds of sheep to the U.S. is through imported semen and embryos, which go through rigorous genetic testing. Additionally, breeders want semen from rams that meet the Swiss standards for size, quality of fiber, and coloring. It takes a long time to meet all these requirements. In 2016, New Zealand was the first country to export Valais Blacknose semen to the U.S., with embryos following later. A couple years ago, the UK began exporting semen, and in 2024 began exporting embryos as well.  

Then it’s a matter of time and careful breeding. By the fifth generation of lambs, both ewes and rams are U.S. purebred Valais Blacknose sheep. The Davis family began their breed-up program with several Scottish Blackface sheep, and some first- and second-generation Valais sheep. They were purchased from a woman in Idaho who had started the program on her farm but had to stop due to some personal health challenges. The Davis family bought her sheep and continued the work she started. Anne told me that the two of them are friends to this day.   

Rob and Anne Davis purchased their 35-acre farm in 2020, the same year they began breeding Valais Blacknose sheep. Both come from agriculture backgrounds, Rob from a ranch in Colorado, and Anne from a fruit and vegetable farm in Oregon, and when Rob retired in 2017, the family began considering their next steps. Rob has a PhD in Agriculture Economics and Anne holds a master’s degree in Plant Pathology, but both wanted something more tangible to leave as a legacy for their two children. Their daughter Maddie has a passion for livestock and plans to take over the farm in the future. 

Higher education has been a significant part of the life of the Davis family, and they highly value the role that education plays in communities and relationships. Tours of the Davis farm are always free because Rob and Anne want their farm to be as accessible as possible. During the 2024 lambing season, they gave several tours a week, with lambs being delivered during a couple of the tours! Their tours typically begin with a walk around the farm to meet all the animals. In addition to the Valais Blacknose sheep, the Davis farm currently has Scottish Blackface sheep, Rambouillet sheep, a guard llama and alpaca, and several horses. The tour wraps up in the barn where Anne has put together an in-depth display of the fleece-to-product process. The display includes raw fleeces, a skirting table, handspinning tools, a dye pot, looms, and felting tools. I’ve led several handspinning demonstrations for tours, which allows visitors to watch and learn to spin yarn from Valais wool. In 2024, the Davises also bought an authentic sheep herder wagon from the early 1900s to add to the tour!   

Anne and Rob want their farm to be a resource for people of all backgrounds. They also mentor other breed-up programs. Anyone who buys sheep from the Davis family and has questions about breeding is welcome to give Anne a call, and she will help in any way she can. They are transparent with everything they do. “This is a small enough breed where we need to be supporting and working together,” Anne told me. “We need to be cooperating instead of competing.” The Davis family was the first to bring the Valais Blacknose breed to Colorado and produced the first purebred Valais ram in the state. They are proud to have led the way and now get to celebrate the success of other breed-up programs in Colorado. 

The farm invites CSU vet students to gain experience by watching procedures, and in the summer of 2024, the Davis family welcomed their first intern: a local high schooler interested in studying large animal veterinary science in college. Her work on the farm will also gain her school credit, so the program benefits both the Davis family and students interested in exploring agricultural vocations. There is always plenty of work to be done on the farm, and while Rob and Anne’s children, Roy and Maddie, help out when they are available, both currently have other jobs away from the farm.  

The last time Anne and I met for coffee, I asked her about the biggest challenges in running their farm. She didn’t hesitate. “The physical demands. Especially the heat.” The summer heat on the high plains isn’t just difficult for farmers, it can also be hard on the sheep. Colorado is so dusty that the dust irritates the sheep’s lungs and can lead to dust pneumonia. The Davises monitor their sheep closely to prevent pneumonia. To breed and raise healthy sheep, the farmer needs to be familiar with the environmental and climate factors that affect their livestock. But Anne isn’t discouraged by these challenges. To the Davis family, being close to the land and having a purpose is incredibly rewarding for them. The family gets to see new life and watch their animals grow and thrive. They get to see the joy on the faces of young children visiting a farm for the first time and the memories that are brought back for older visitors who haven’t been on a farm in years. Anne told me she especially loves when people come back for return visits. “If you think we are cool enough that you want to take your time to come back, that’s pretty special.”  

Anyone interested in touring Davis Family Livestock is welcome to contact Anne through the contact page on their farm website: https://www.davisfamilylivestock.com/contact 

Rowena Zuercher is a freelance editor and researcher who dedicates most of her free time to fiber and textiles. She lives in Aurora, Colorado with her husband Ryan and their turtle, ball python, and aquarium of fish. You can learn about her many heritage craft explorations on Instagram @homesaponified. 

Words and photos by Rowena Zuercher (except Davis family photo, which is from Anne Davis) 

Meagan Condon

A Spinner’s Spreadsheet

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by Jolie A. Elder 

While spinning need not be heavily mathematical, in some situations math can be helpful. If you are math-averse, having these calculations in a reference spreadsheet can be a big help. 

Disclosure: I have minimal skills at Excel. While my final spreadsheet is not the most elegant, it works. Also, Excel is very sensitive. When it wants “ (straight quotes), it does not want “ (smart quotes). If you are accustomed to word processing software that autocorrects and anticipates your needs, be forewarned that is not Excel. Excel is specific, accurate, and detailed, and expects the same from its users. Human beware! 

Convert between yards and meters 

Let’s start with a very simple calculation – converting between yards and meters. The conversion numbers are as follows: 

1 yard = 0.9144 meters 

1 meter = 1.0936133 yards 

I start by writing “Length Converter” in cell A1. I use “Merge and Center” to give me a nice title. Then I write “yards” and “meters” in cells A2 and B2.

Since I want to convert from yards to meters, in cell B3 I type 

=A3*0.9144 

then tap the <return> key. I’ve told Excel to multiply the number in cell A3 by 0.9144, the conversion factor from yards to meters. 

Type a number in cell A3 and tap <return>. Success! We can convert yards to meters. 

For a double-check, I type “1” in cell A3. I should get “0.9144” in cell B3.

Screenshot

Upon further investigation, I discovered Excel has a convert function already in it! Sweet! The formula is: 

=CONVERT(number,”yd”,”m”)

As an alternative, into cell B3 I can type the formula:

=CONVERT(A3,”yd”,”m”) 

Then hit <return>. I don’t even need to know or understand the conversion factor. 

If you are accustomed to translation software, you might expect to type a number into cell B3 and have Excel translate meters to yards in cell A3. Sadly, Excel does not work this way, unless you know how to program it in VBA. Since we would rather spin than write spreadsheets, let’s not go there. This is why we have friends who are professional engineers. (Thank you to my friend Larry Acuff for confirming that yes, you can upgrade this spreadsheet with VBA code.) 

Since I’d like to convert in either direction, I’ll add a few more cells to my spreadsheet. Into cell A5 I write 

=CONVERT(B5,”m”,”yd”) 

Now I can put a measurement in meters into cell B5 and get the yard equivalent in cell A5. 

You may notice rows 3 and 5 are not equivalent numbers. They are two completely separate equations. It would be nice to type either yards or meters into row 3 and have row 5 give me both answers. Can I do that? 

This is where we go a wee bit past Excel basics. Time to use the IF function. 

I delete all the data in cells A3, B3, A5, and B5. Bye, bye, formulas! 

Here’s my thought process. If I enter yards in cell A3, then I want cell A5 to copy that information. But if I left cell A3 blank and instead entered meters in cell B3, then I want Excel to convert those meters to yards. Similarly, I want cell B5 to have meters, whether copied directly from cell B3 or calculated from yards entered in cell A3. 

The magic formula for cell A5 is 

=IF(TRUE=ISBLANK(A3),CONVERT(B3,”m”,”yd”),A3) 

In human-speak that sentence means the following: If it is true that cell A3 is blank, then convert the number in cell B3 from meters to yards; otherwise, copy the number from cell A3. 

A rewrite of that formula goes into cell B5 

=IF(TRUE=ISBLANK(B3),CONVERT(A3,”yd”,”m”),B3) 

Give it a try. I know 6 yards is a little less than 6 meters. What happens when I put 6 in cell A3 and tap <return>? 

Cell B3 stays empty. But cell B5 now says 5.4864. That would be a little less than 6. The yard and meter equivalents are both on row 5. More success! 

Try clearing A3 and putting a number in B3 instead. I still get yards and meters, but this time the yards were converted and the meters were copied. 

Convert between ounces and grams 

Wouldn’t it be nice to convert ounces and grams the same way? 

I’ll repeat what I just did. I copy cells A1 through B5 and paste them over cells C1 through D5. I change the text to “Mass Converter,” “Ounces,” and “Grams.” Then I change the formulas. All I have to do is put “g” and “ozm” in place of “m” and “yd”. The formulas for C5 and D5 are as follows: 

=IF(TRUE=ISBLANK(C3),CONVERT(D3,”g”,”ozm”),C3) 

=IF(TRUE=ISBLANK(D3),CONVERT(C3,”ozm”,”g”),D3) 

Try playing with it. In my example, I know it is typical for me to spin 100 grams but measure length in yards. 

Grist 

Since I now have both length and weight on row 5, I could do another calculation – grist. 

Grist is a length of yarn per mass of yarn. It is usually expressed as yards per pound, but you could use meters per kilogram, or even bastard units such as yards per gram or meters per ounce. You could even try furlongs per stone or parsecs per solar mass. 😉 

For my spreadsheet, I’ll make a grist calculator that gives me yards per pound, yards per kilogram, meters per pound, and meters per kilogram. 

I write “Grist Calculator” in cell A6, then I merge and center cells A6 through D6. I write “yards” in cells A8 and B8, “meters” in cells C8 and D8, “pounds” in cells A10 and C10, and “kilograms” in cells B10 and D10. 

I want to copy the appropriate measurements into my grist calculator. My yards measurement is in cell A5. I enter 

=A5 

into cells A7 and B7. For meters I enter 

=B5 

into cells C7 and D7. 

I’ll need to do some conversions for pounds and kilograms. The pound cells are A9 and C9. I’m back to using the convert function: 

=CONVERT(C5,”ozm”,”lbm”) 

Finally, cells B9 and D9 convert grams to kilograms: 

=CONVERT(D5,”g”,”kg”) 

I have all the numbers where I need them. I just need to do some division. 

Cell A11 is going to be yards per pound. I enter 

=A7/A9 

That gives me a number representing yards per pound. If I copy and paste cell A11 into cells B11, C11, and D11, Excel thoughtfully realizes the division I want. I now have grist expressed four different ways in row 11. 

I could use row 12 to write “yds/lb,” “yds/kg,” “m/lb,” and “m/kg.” But if I want to be fancy, there are a couple things I can do. First, grist is rarely expressed in decimals. It is nearly always rounded to a whole number. Second, it would be nice to have the units in the box right next to the answer. I highlight A11. In the Format menu I choose “Cells…” or hit ⌘1. From “Number” I go to the bottom and choose “Custom”. In the box I type 

0 “yds/lb” 

and click <OK>. 

Now A11 gives me a whole number in yds/lb! 

Repeat this approach for cells B12, C12, and D12, giving each the correct units. 

Other notes 

At the end, I draw thick box borders around each section of the spreadsheet. I haven’t added background color to any cells, but I could do that if I wanted to clarify where to input data or to highlight the answers. 

To use this spreadsheet, I merely empty all the cells in row 3. 

Screenshot

There are some error messages. Excel does not like to divide by 0. And this spreadsheet is not idiot-proof. I should enter only one number in either A3 or B3, not both. Similarly, I enter only one number in C3 or D3, not both. 

There are ways to refine this spreadsheet using more advanced skills in Excel. For example, there are ways to hide the zeros or prevent Excel from attempting to divide by zero. But for most of us, saving this as a spinner’s spreadsheet or a grist calculator will work just fine. 

Jolie

Jolie Elder has explored a wide range of needle arts after learning to cross stitch at age four. Her cleverest unvention is a method for working stockinette-based laces reversibly. You can view her experiments at jolieaelder.blogspot.com and the YouTube channel Jolie knits. 

Shilo Weir
Karen Robinson

A Handspinner’s Go-Bag: The ultimate tool kit for wheel spinners on the move

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words and photos by Shilo Weir

I taught myself to spin in 2010. Since then, I have learned a lot through trial and error. One of the most memorable errors was attending my first in-person spinning class at Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and feeling completely overwhelmed because, frankly, I was unprepared. About 45 minutes into a 4-hour class, my scotch tension brake cord broke, and I had no idea how I was going to continue. I muddled through and found a way to keep going, but this was the point I decided I needed to be more prepared.

It is easier to overcome spinning setbacks when you are working in your home studio – all your tools and supplies are there, and if a part needs to be replaced, generally there are items you can use as temporary substitutions. However, when you are a spinner on the go, preparation can go a long way. Over the years I have perfected my handspinner’s go-bag to be ready for just about anything when I am spinning out and about.

What is a go-bag?

Go-Bags are bags – or boxes, cases, etc. – that are always packed and ready to grab when it’s time to head out. You may have heard of go-bags in the context of natural disasters or emergency situations, but this isn’t the only time they serve a purpose. Many professionals, such as emergency responders, photographers, and military members, have go-bags so they can respond quickly.

Spinning emergencies aren’t life or death, but they can be frustrating and overwhelming. A well-stocked go-bag can help you respond to the unexpected. I fill my go-bag with essential items I can use to fix my wheel and a few personal comfort extras. Whether I am spinning in public for the afternoon or at a week-long retreat, my go-bag makes it easy to overcome issues that arise.

My ultimate goal in putting my go-bag together was to make sure I can fix problems quickly so the spinning doesn’t have to stop. The essentials for your on-the-go spinning come down to three categories: parts, tools, and personal comfort.

Parts

Every spinning wheel is a little different. Often, you can get back-up parts to carry with you just in case. For example, I carry spare drive bands and tension kits for most of my antique Louet travel wheels. They are often available through online retail stores and don’t take up much space.

Alternatively, there are some basic materials you may have around the house that can temporarily replace broken parts:

  • Yarn or thread: A sturdy cotton or nylon yarn or thread can replace a drive band in a pinch. The same holds true for replacing tension cords. It is an inexpensive alternative to maintaining a stock of manufacturer replacement parts. Cut a section at least twice as long as you think you might need and wrap it in a butterfly.
  • Fishing line: A light to medium weight fishing line can easily substitute for a tension brake, and a thicker, heavy weight line can replace a drive band. These packages can be stowed in the same way as cotton thread for easy transport.
  • Spare springs: Tension springs are often extension springs with loops at both ends so they can be attached between the wheel and the tension brake cord. Most hardware stores offer assortment packs of extension springs for less than $10, so finding the right one for your wheel is easy.
  • Elastic band: Many styles of elastic hair bands can substitute for a tension system spring that has lost its stretch or broken with age.

Tools

Even on a well-maintained spinning wheel, parts shake loose with use. Screws and bolts may need to be tightened, or wires and strings may need to be shortened. Essential tools for addressing these types of issues include the following:

  • Screwdriver: Choose a small screwdriver that matches the heads of the screws holding your wheel together (i.e., Phillips, slotted, Allen, hex, etc.).
  • Wrench: Some wheels have bolts, and a wrench can tighten those when loose.
  • Pliers: A pair of pliers can provide extra leverage when repairing or replacing springs, bands, tensioning systems, etc.
  • Scissors: It’s always a good idea to have something to cut with on hand when spinning. A small pair of scissors or other cutting device will also help with repairs if something goes wrong.

Personal comfort

If you have filled your go-bag with the essentials and kept things compact, here are some extras to consider throwing in:

  • Adhesive bandages: Sometimes you need to cover a spot on your hands that gets irritated by the friction of spinning and plying. I find this most helpful in the winter months when no amount of lotion helps keep my hands moisturized.
  • Writing utensil and a small notebook: Taking notes and tracking progress is always helpful and it’s nice to have these items at the ready.
  • Small ruler: Handy for measuring twists per inch and wraps per inch.
  • Snacks: I throw in a bar or small packet of trail mix. If I get hangry, all will be lost.
  • NSAIDs: I get achy – especially during longer outings. A small container of my preferred pain killer or anti-inflammatory is a great addition to my go-bag.

This may seem like a lot of stuff to put in one bag. The key to building a great handspinners go-bag is maximizing utility while minimizing the size of the items you pack. I can’t say enough about the value of the multitool for keeping things manageable. Multitools are compact and versatile and will help with getting all these items into a small- to medium-size cosmetic style bag. Most basic multitools include at least two sizes of screwdriver, a plier head, and a cutting implement or two. One of my favorite multi-purpose tools is my fancy pencil with built-in ruler and screwdriver.

And, as an aside, I try to carry a multitool with a built-in corkscrew and bottle opener because, well, you never know when you are going to be out of town with your spinning friends for a Rock Day celebration and the Airbnb isn’t well-equipped.

A well-stocked go-bag can save the day when you are a handspinner on the go. I have learned how to pack a compact set of tools and essentials to keep my spinning going in unusual situations. From the obvious to the unexpected, my little go-bag of tricks is pretty fantastic.

Shilo Weir is a spinner, knitter and fiber craft enthusiast who has shared a bit of herself with the community through her blog and podcast for the past 13 years. She retired from her first career and is still trying to decide what she wants to do when she grows up. Share her adventures on Instagram: @ForeverHandmade.

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October Vlog with Jacey and Jillian

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Jillian starts by sharing the businesses who contributed tools and fiber to the Consistency issue (listed on Independent Spinner page and below) and then explores her favorite parts of this issue. Jacey shared several videos illustrating some of the techniques used in the issue. Jillian explains and shows her favorite spinning tools from HipStrings—WPI tools and twist angle gauges. Jacey asserts the importance of measuring yarn (such as twist angle) before it is finished so it is easier to re-create that yarn. Jacey gives a preview of the upcoming Winter issue—Head and Hands—and discusses plans for PLYAway 2022. Finally, Jillian and Jacey encourage everyone to submit ideas for writing for PLY, especially for experiment-type articles where you don’t have to know any answers beforehand and just take the readers through your experiment and conclusions. 

Specific information about PLYAway!  

PLY Away 2022 
April 19th-23rd, 2022 
Plyaway.com 

It’s happening, it’s really happening! After much stressing and debating, PA22 is on! For everyone’s safety, health, and feeling of security, we will be requiring all teachers, attendees, and vendors to be fully vaccinated. If there are changes in the Covid-19 situation, we will adapt and change as well. 

Because of all of this, there has been some juggling and shuffling. On October 18th, the full list of teachers was posted on the website. All the fiber-rific classes were revealed on October 20th. Registration will open Oct. 30th at 11am Central for everyone who was registered for PA20 (you’ll get an email and registration code) and on Oct. 31st at 11am Central, registration will be open to all. 

If you were set to vend at PA20, we’ll be reaching out about PA22. 

Finally, we’re always looking for fibery goodies for the PA goodie bags (we are thrilled to exchange bazaar ads for goodie bag items). Silent auction items and door prizes are also welcome! Everyone gets mentioned in the PA program too! Get in touch with Jess.cook@plymagazine.com for more details. 

Links mentioned in this quarter’s video:

Camaj Fiber Arts 

Akerworks  

Nancy’s Knit Knacks  

Cynthia Wood Spinner 

HipStrings  

Mielke’s Fiber Arts 

Brookmoore Creations  

Middle Brook Fiberworks 

Essential Fiber 

Jenkins Yarn Tools 

Wheels 

Daedalus Sparrow and Magpie 

HansenCrafts miniSpinner 

Majacraft Rose 

Louet S10 and S10C 

Ashford Wee Peggy 

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PLY Magazine believes that Black lives matter, as well as LBGTQI+ lives. Those most vulnerable and persecuted in our communities deserve our love and support. Please be good to each other.

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Book Review: Pastoral Song: A Farmer’s Journey

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book by James Rebanks

reviewed by Jillian Moreno

I’ve read this book twice, first when it was released in England last year, and just recently I listened to the audiobook. My first read told me it was important information, but I let myself be carried along, entranced by the storytelling.

The deeper information about farming and how farming has changed hooked me, subtly but deeply. I started reading more about farming and sustainability as articles came across my various feeds.

When I listened to the book for my second read, the importance of sustainably growing food and raising animals is all I heard.

James Rebanks is an excellent writer; he can put you squarely in a moment or a place. He currently farms and raises sheep and cows with his family. This land in the Lake District in the north of England has been in his family for 600 years, and he gives it the respect it deserves.

The book is divided into three sections.

Nostalgia presents the type of farming he remembers from his youth, how his grandparents farmed. It is rotational farming, working with and preserving the land.

Progress is the farming he saw in his teens and twenties, his father’s farm. The farming focused on increased production at the cost of everything else; the health of the land, the animals, the farmers, and the consumers can be damned as long as inexpensive food is on the shelves. This is the era of giant tractors, pesticides, growth hormones, and single crop farms. Much of the world still farms this way.

Utopia closes the book. This is the farming Rebanks and his family currently practice. It’s mostly back to the ways of his grandfather, with modern “progress” only where it makes sense to the bigger environmental picture.

He doesn’t sugarcoat how hard this type of farming is. He works with environmental agencies and receives subsidies to farm in favor of the land and animals, to restore and maintain the biodiversity of his land, but he still has to do work away from the farm to make ends meet.

This is the type of farming we should be striving toward, and this book gives me hope it can happen if we respect and focus on the well-being of the land, animals, the farmers, and our own health.

James Rebanks gives me hope for the future of farming and our environment.

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PLY Magazine believes that Black lives matter, as well as LBGTQI+ lives. Those most vulnerable and persecuted in our communities deserve our love and support. Please be good to each other.

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Scales and Arpeggios Spinning Exercises to Help Make Your Spinning More Consistent

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Michelle Boyd

If you’re faithful to your daily practicing,

You will find your progress is encouraging

Do mi so mi do mi fa la, so it goes

Practicing your scales and your arpeggios.

              -The Aristocats          

When I was a student in Olds College’s Master Spinner Program, I struggled with making consistent singles, just like everyone else who has ever taken that course. I just couldn’t get a good rhythm going and keep my drafting even. Then one day, I had a conversation with my daughter’s piano teacher that gave me an idea.

She said practice makes perfect, but practice works best when it is focussed. She had assigned my daughter a set of specific exercises that seemed simple and repetitive but were intended to teach muscle memory to make her playing easier, almost unconscious. I realized I could do the same with my spinning, and I came up with some simple exercises to focus on my drafting. Just like piano practice, I did these little drills every day for 15 or 20 minutes and before long, I found that my singles were smooth and consistent. Because I was inspired by piano practice, I called it “doing my scales.” And since I’ve always loved the song from Disney’s Aristocats, I came to think of them as my scales and arpeggios.

These exercises are designed to focus your spinning practice on one area at a time to help you build muscle memory and gain consistency in spinning your singles. You may want to try practicing one of these exercises each day for 15 minutes, or you can sit down and run through all of the exercises once a week. These exercises are intended as basic guides to the drafting styles, and with practice and observation, you may find that small adjustments in the rhythm or procedures work better for you and your body mechanics. In time, you will find that you can spin smooth singles with ease.

When you practice spinning, make sure that you are seated in a comfortable chair that supports your back and shoulders. Sit back from the orifice of your spinning wheel, leaving at least 10 cm (4 inches) between your front hand and the orifice.

Exercise 1: Short Forward Draw

This exercise is intended to improve the coordination of your draft and your treadling to help you achieve a more consistent distribution of twist for each draft. With practice, you will learn to make a smoother single and reduce the number of slubs and thin spots.

Using a top or sliver preparation and the largest whorl on your flyer, attach your fibre to a leader. As you treadle downward, draft your fibre forward from the fibre source. As your foot comes back up, draw your drafting hand back to smooth the twist into the attenuated fibre. With the next treadle, use your drafting hand to simultaneously feed your spun singles forward and draft the next length of fibre forward. As your foot comes back up, smooth the twist in. Practice keeping your back hand stationary and only moving your front hand as you draft and smooth to ensure a regular drafting length.

Your rhythm will be foot down/draft forward, foot up/smooth back.

(Note: If you are spinning on a wheel with double treadles, choose one foot as your treadling foot to coordinate the draft with and count only that foot. You can adjust your rhythm to R foot down/draft forward, L foot down/smooth back, or vice versa if you are more comfortable starting with your left foot. This applies to Exercise 2 as well.)

Exercise 2: Short Backward Draw

This exercise it the companion to the Short Forward Draw above, using the same treadling and drafting rhythm, but drafting with your back hand and smoothing with your front hand.

Using a top of sliver preparation and the largest whorl on your flyer, attach your fibre to a leader. As you treadle downward, pinch the fibre at the leader with your front hand and draft a short distance back with your back hand, allowing the fibres between your two hands to thin and straighten. As your foot comes back up, smooth the twist back with your front hand until it meets your back hand. With your next treadle, repeat the process with your back hand moving as you treadle down, front hand moving as your foot comes up. After 3 or 4 drafts backward, you will find that your back hand is a distance from the orifice of your wheel and it is time to feed forward. Pinching the fibre source at the tip of your drafting zone with your back hand, allow the take-up of your wheel to pull the single forward onto the bobbin, smoothing the single with your front hand.

Your rhythm will be foot down/draft back, foot up/smooth back (3-4 times), treadle down/feed forward/treadle up.

Exercise 3: Supported Long Draw

This exercise is designed to make you more comfortable with a long draw drafting style. This is by no means the only way to achieve a long draw but will provide a foundation for the skills that are needed for all long draw drafting styles.

Using a roving or rolag preparation and the largest whorl on your wheel, attach your fibre to the leader. With your front hand, pinch the fibre at the leader. This hand will remain stationary and pinch and open to control the twist as it enters the fibre, so ensure it is in a comfortable position that does not strain your wrist, elbow, or shoulder. Treadle a few times to build up the twist ahead of your front hand. Continue to treadle steadily as you begin to draft – if you are a haphazard treadler, you might want to use a metronome app to help you find a steady rhythm, too.

Starting with your fibre held in your back hand close to your front hand, draw the fibre source back with your back hand to thin and straighten the fibres. Open the fingers of your front hand, allowing the twist to catch and twist the attenuated fibres. When you feel the pull of the twist opposing your draft, use the finger and thumb of your back hand to clamp down near the tip of your drafting triangle and allow the twist to come up to that point. Move your back hand forward to allow the single to be pulled onto the bobbin. Pinch the twisted single with your front hand again, leaving 2–3 inches (2.5–4 cm) of twisted single behind your front hand. Draft the fibre source backward again, and repeat.

Your rhythm will be pinch front, pull back, pinch back, feed forward.

When you feel confident with this drafting method, try removing the front hand (pinch front) from the process. Without that front hand pinching to control the twist as you draft, this becomes an unsupported long draw.

Though at first it seems as though it doesn’t show,

Like a tree, ability will bloom and grow

If you’re smart you’ll learn by heart what every artist knows

You must sing your scales

And your ar-pe-eee-ggios.

~The Aristocats

(Music and lyrics by Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman)

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Virtual Shetland Wool Week 2021

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Shetland Wool Week is online this year so you can enjoy the offerings from the comfort of your home. (Though I’m sure we’d all much rather be able to see the sheep and feel the fiber in person!) From their website: “For nine days from 25 September – 3 October, we’ll be bringing Shetland Wool Week to you. There will be films, talks, tours and classes – some pre-recorded and others live, as well as music and a market.”

If you purchase a SWW membership, you’ll gain access to a film series with videos such as the following: Carol Christiansen on “A Guide to Rooing,” Sue Arthur on Preparing Shetland Fleece for Handspinning, and Bunchy Casey on “A Shetland Dye Garden.”

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PLY Magazine believes that Black lives matter, as well as LBGTQI+ lives. Those most vulnerable and persecuted in our communities deserve our love and support. Please be good to each other.

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Tweaking My E-Spinner for Angora

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words and photos by Terry Clemo

“I’m not new at this spinning thing,” I think to myself. “Why am I having such a strange beginner experience with my new Ashford E-3 electric spinner?” After setting up my new machine, I start to play with some dyed wool. I didn’t think changing from a manual, foot-driven spinning wheel to a little electric spinner would be such a challenge. But it has been, and not for the reasons one might think. I’m not missing the treadling; in fact, I’m so happy to be able to put my legs up. I’m so much more comfortable now – hey, I can spin in bed!

“So what’s your problem,” you might ask. Well, I’m having trouble getting my spun yarn to wind on, and when I stop, the bobbin keeps turning and the single wraps around the bobbin and is going the wrong way. Ugh, now to unwind and correct the path of my spun single. I’ve not ever had the bobbin on my double treadle Lendrum do that before. “Hmmm, Lendrum bobbins are so little looking compared to the jumbo bobbins that came with the new E-3.” I’m not used to their weight turning around with the flyer either. So I slightly tighten up the Scotch tension to make a bit more resistance on the bobbin and try again. Same thing happens, so I add a tiny bit more tension, and the draw in of the single is starting to work, but just barely. Okay, now maybe I can get somewhere.

At the same time I’m playing with the speed controller of the flyer to see how it reacts with my takeup. It’s adding another variable to my dilemma. In comparison, both spinners are flyer-led and have Scotch tension, but why are they behaving so differently? Time for a cocktail. The DT Lendrum has the drive band on the flyer, and when I press the treadle I get the immediate response of the flyer turning. The E-3 has the centre spindle of the flyer resting in a keyed bushing that is the centre hub of the motor, so I have to turn up the speed dial to get it turning. As I’m playing with the speed control, I find it needs to be turned up almost to 15–20% to get the flyer to move when I have some resistance on the single and so that there is some torque force to be able to pull the single so it wants to wind on.

By now I’m using more flyer speed and more tension, and the bobbin stops after spinning. But now there’s too much pull for my liking and I can’t get the amount of twist into my single that I need before it wants to be swallowed by the orifice. Normally, I would back off the tension, but I can’t really; there doesn’t seem to be a sweet spot. I can’t fine tune this setup with the original heavy, stiff fishing line that came with the machine. And I’m not spinning with a grabby fibre or a short draw, which might help get this spinner working well.

Side journey through angora spinning

You see, my spinning journey flourished at the same time my love of very fuzzy rabbits was fulfilled. My first angora was an English that I named Flurry. She was “fur in a hurry”! Needless to say, pretty much all of my spinning has something to do with angora from rabbits.

My favorite thing is to spin angora from a cloud (which is basically a fluffed up, or carded, small handful of airy angora fibre, which can be organized or not); it can be so magical. I especially like how the tips of the individual fibres protrude and spiral out from the centre of the single when they are drawn out and not smoothed down. It’s exactly what blooming spun angora should look like. This texture is accentuated by the long draw.

Angora is a finicky fibre; the more you fuss with it – try to handcard it or blend it with itself or other fibres – the more likely you are to put more nepps in it than it had from off the rabbit. Since angora is so fine (in the range from 7–8 microns to mid-teens, with an average of 10–12 microns), it easily tangles. Also, the average staple length is 4–7 inches for the blanket of the rabbit, the longest fur from their back, and unless its harvested correctly, it can get new tangles in it. Angora bunnies also have some lovely textured fur on their chest, belly, and legs; it’s shorter at 2–3 inches or so and it’s not as dark as the top side colour, mostly. As you spin their fibre, there will be colour changes as you go because the colour varies on the bunny. This colour changing ability is quite beautiful and gives angora yarns their character.

Some angora spinners don’t mix the two basic types, mostly because of the length difference, but colour differences can be the main reason. For some of my spinning projects, having both can make the yarn more textured, and it will be fuzzier. My favourite way to spin is straight from the storage box, loose and fluffy whatever comes so I may end up with some shorter fibres mixed with longer silkier ones. So I try to fluff up and mix the two so I hold a couple of staple lengths at the base with my thumbs and fingers and I pull apart from so it separates into one layer in each hand. I lay it back on top of the other layer, hold the base end, pull it apart, and this time I put the new layer on the bottom. I’ll put many of these little bundles aside in a smooth container to spin later.

I like my angora spun with tiny slubs and uneven blending, and with a long draw technique that lends to loose airy preparations. So with my long draw technique, I need some tension to pull against to draft out the fibres as the twist is holding everything together just enough to be a thread.

Back to the e-spinner

So my secret is out, I’m a long draw girl. Now I get to play around with my new toy and translate this style of long draw to the e-spinner. I need to have very little take-up tension while I’m drafting so my single doesn’t prematurely feed onto the bobbin before it gets sufficient twist. The single when using short draft is basically always moving through the orifice, but not with a long draw. My long draw draft is about 14–16 inches, so there’s a lag in time before I can wind on. I don’t want the flyer to pull too hard and pull apart the newly forming single. I like to use a supported long draw. My right hand helps me control twist to the cloud of fiber and gives me something to pull (draft) against. I stop drafting to let my twist come into the single and I visually check for my chosen angle of twist and then slowly push the thread into the orifice, and the bobbin starts to wind the single and it seems to gather a bit of momentum till I stop. Leaving my leader out with extra twist building up in it and again having very little draw in, I start drafting out again.

So after all this is said, remember that I’m spinning Angora at 100 percent or about 20–25 percent in a blend with very fine wool (22 microns or less) and silk or maybe some alpaca or other fine fibres. Angora is very slippery, hence the very light takeup on the bobbin, and it lets me get more twist in my single. I usually spin from laceweight to fingering weight, so I’m spinning fine. My plies for my yarns are made of one or two singles of angora and the others are a blend of dyed wools, silks, and angora or dyed wool, all the while playing with colours. Depending on the project and how much angora I want, I can use different combinations of these, but I usually stick to 2 or 3 plies per yarn.

How do I fix my dilemma as to how to make this machine work the way I need it to?

Planning my attack, depending on how and what I wanted to spin, I could use cords of different materials for the brake band to give more slipperiness. I might try a finer nylon filament or the plastic coated stainless steel jewellery wire, some nylon threads, or high end fishing lines made of plies from titanium or other advanced materials. I also wanted to try adding a bit more drag to increase tension and help with spin-on of the bobbin, so I’ve tried cords that were a bit rough like hemp (thin and thick) and whatever else I could think of. I’ve even tried something similar to the traditional cotton. I tried the string that sealed the rabbit feed bags, which seemed to be more slippery than the usual cotton. It’s probably a form of polyester, which is more durable than the cotton. The diameter of a cord also comes into play. I need to be able to quickly snap different brake bands into place to find my favourite band.

I realized that if I wanted to experiment with different bands it wasn’t going to be so easy to untie knots attached to the springs. I decided to make different quick-connect brake bands. I used small lobster clasps approximately 10mm and crimps beads or tubes, 1.5mm size. I also had foldover crimp ends (with connector eye) in various sizes, which would close better with crimpers.

So far, my favourite band over the rabbit feed bag string was the plastic coated multi-filament beading wire. It’s quite fine and seems to give me varying degrees of tension that I didn’t have before. Like any journey, I’m still playing around with different cords and different fibre blends. There’s not enough time in a day or a week for that matter to ever have enough spinning time.

Terry Clemo has had soft spot for fuzzy animals from a very young age. It seemed to follow that her interests spanned to other fibre arts like knitting and sewing and other textural crafts while still a child. Her mother was an expert machine knitter and told her she needed to hand knit before she would give her any machine knitting lessons. With the lessons came a toolbox of techniques that opened up the door to designing her own knitting patterns. Working with her luscious angora, Terry makes batts, handspun yarns, and semi-precious beaded wire knitting jewellery such as shawl pins. You can find Terry on Facebook and Instagram and at various fibre events.

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PLY Magazine believes that Black lives matter, as well as LBGTQI+ lives. Those most vulnerable and persecuted in our communities deserve our love and support. Please be good to each other.