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PLY Winter 2022 The Neck and Shoulders Issue
When the weather turns chilly, it’s time to keep our neck and shoulders warm! For spinners, that means handspun scarves, cowls, and shawls. Small projects that can be quick and easy, drapey and delicate, warm and cozy, light and flowy, intricate and luxurious. No matter which you create, they all really show off handspun yarns.
When you spin for these accessories, what do you think about: loft, drape, warmth, color? Scarves and cowls touch some of our most sensitive skin. How do you spin for softness, beyond picking a soft breed. Is there a fiber, prep, draft, structure, or finish you like best? Why?
Merino is the name that always comes up when spinners think of soft. What other breeds do you use when you want something to be luxuriously soft? Do you use blends? If so, which ones work best for what purposes? Shawls sometimes need drape, from a little sway to a full-on swing. How do you build a yarn with drape? How do you build a yarn that’s warm, how do you build one that’s soft but can keep the cold wind out? Is it about fiber or draft? Is it about cloth structure? Knit, crochet, weaving? We want to know it all!
How do you prep your fiber for these small pieces? Blending boards are a great way to play with color for small accessories. Do you have favorite ways to blend color and fibers on a blending board? Perhaps you like to handcard your fiber for these pieces. Why and what makes that special?
A little goes a long way, right? Is this true when blending luxury fibers into wool for these smaller projects? How little? How much luxury fiber do you need to be able to notice it in your final fabric, and what do different luxury fibers do to the drape, loft, warmth of cloth?
What about texture? Accessories are great for using heavily textured yarn which can be heavy. How do you deal with this? How about the great lace debate: singles, 2-ply, 3-ply, more plies, or something else entirely? What makes the best lace fabric? What about fiber type? Are there some fibers that really shine when used for lace? Are there some that don’t? Spinning for a fine lace shawl is a perfect spindle project. Do you have a method that you think works best or any tips for getting all of that yardage spun?
Handspun and woven scarves make great gifts. How do you plan and weave multiple scarves on a single rigid heddle warp? Do you embellish your scarves, shawls, and cowls? What tips to you have for fringe, pom poms, tassels, and embroidery on knitted and woven cloth?
Cowls are a great way to use yarns that would pill in other projects. Do you know the secrets to spinning low twist, high loft, chunky Merino singles? What about math? How do you know what can be made from your one special skein of yarn?
We want to know everything about spinning these yarns, if you’ve got an idea of an article, experiment, or project.
Submit your ideas here: https://plymagazine.com/contribute/write-for-ply/
Proposals of articles and projects are due by Dec. 1, 2021. We’ll get back to you in January, and final pieces are due June 1, 2022.
The last few moodboards are here:
Autumn 2022: Loft
Summer 2022: Mix
Spring 2022: Goats
Winter 2021: Heads and Hands
Autumn 2021: Consistency
