Write for PLY

Whether you’re a seasoned writer/designer or putting fingers to keyboard for the first time, we absolutely know you can write for PLY! We want real spinners, authentic voices, strong narratives, great stories, practical advice, passionate words.

Feel like you’re not the best writer in the world? We don’t care! It’s easy to help with writing but it’s not easy to find somebody that knows what you know. We want your voice, your story, your spinning. We want you. That’s right, our goal is to get as many voices in this magazine as possible.

Feel like you don’t know enough about a particular topic? We still want you. While it’s true that we have dense and heavy topics that require lots of knowledge and years of experience, we also have experimentation articles, learn as you go write-ups, spin it articles, spinner profiles, guild pieces, tip jar tips etc. There is something for each and every spinner (to both read and write!).

Each issue has a theme and everything in the issue relates to that theme. The mood board (see below submission form for moodboard) will explain the theme, give you some ideas of what we’re looking for, show you the color palette, and tell you the proposal due date and when you’ll hear a yes or no.

Won’t you write for us? I promise we’ll do everything we can to make it an easy and gratifying experience. Plus, it pays and because we value the creative process, we only borrow the rights to your work. Twelve months after publication, the work reverts back to you and you’re free to do whatever you like with it.

Wanna be notified each time we put out a new call for submissions to PLY ? Sign up here for our e-mail list!

View Current Moodboard

Spring 2026 – Experimental

Let’s break out those lab coats and safety goggles and try out all those spinning “what ifs” you’ve always wondered about. This issue is about experimentation, and we want you to explore the possibilities within fiber and spinning that you’ve always wanted to examine. This isn’t a time for writing about what you already know – it’s a time to test hypotheses and see what happens.

What parts of spinning have you always wanted to delve into? Maybe you’ve wondered how much ply twist can go into a yarn before it starts to bias or when a singles yarn biases. Or maybe you want to test the strength or abrasion of woolen vs worsted yarns or between different numbers of or types of plies.

Does pre-drafting really make your yarn less consistent? If you tear a batt into rolags, does that have the same effect as making individual rolags? Is it possible to card really long fibers? What’s the minimal length of fiber that makes sense for combing? How far gone can a braid of fiber be before it can’t be spun?

Is spinning woolen yarn really faster than spinning worsted yarn? Does the length of the fiber impact chainplying? Is there a difference in spinning from the tip or the butt of a lock? Does the weight of the spindle actually impact the diameter of the yarn you spin? Is EZ Spin cotton actually easier to spin? How much difference does it make for a worsted yarn if you spin short backward vs short forward? How does plying from both ends of a ball impact the yarn?

Do cabled yarns really make cables pop? Does 2-ply yarn really make more lacey lace? Do chain-plied yarns really abrade quicker because one ply is going in the opposite direction? Is tension setting your yarn actually bad when using it for knitting, crochet, or weaving? Is a hard finish really better for woolen yarn? Does steaming your top actually reactivate the crimp? Does steaming yarns work as well as wet-finishing?

We can’t wait to hear what experiments you want to try out!

Article and project proposals due by March 1, 2025.

You’ll hear back from us in April 2025.

Final articles, samples, and projects due by September 1, 2025.

The last few mood boards are here:

Winter 2025: Long Draw

Autumn 2025: Plants

Summer 2025: Tension

Spring 2025: Hue

Write for PLY

Write for PLY

Spring 2026 – Experimental

Cookie and Privacy Settings