PLY article index

The author describes spinning a gradient yarn that incorporates the colors of a favorite sunset picture using BFL/silk fiber from Neighborhood Fiber Company.

Weaving pattern for a table runner using a gradient yarn for the warp and a twill structure to highlight the gradient.

This article describes Wool Circle, a group that aims to create “fully traceable Yorkshire [UK] yarn from rare breed sheep.” It describes several people involved in the group: Zoe Fletcher, researcher of sheep breeds; Edward and Laura Sutcliffe, shepherds of Lonk and some Whiteface Woodland sheep; and Nic Corrigan, knitwear designer and machine knitter.

The article describes the author’s journey to learn more about byssus (sea silk) and how it is collected and spun, including personal experience of the process.

The author describes her time as artist-in-residence at the Icelandic Textile Center, especially using Icelandic wool for tapestry weaving.

This article describes the author’s month-long experience in Menetue, Chile as part of the Colby Global Fellowship, where she was apprenticed to master Mapuche weaver and natural dyer Patricia “Paty” Ayelef.

This article describes ways to make your long draw yarn more consistent, especially when spinning a finer yarn.

This article describes the history of stranded knitting from the island of Fair Isle (part of Shetland), including how the patterns spread in the UK in the early 20th century.

This article discusses how to plan the yarn for a fair isle project (a pattern included in this issue). It describes prepping the fleece, from blending to dyeing, and spinning the yarn (2-ply sport weight woolen yarn).

Knitting pattern for a cowl and cuffs set using Fair Isle colorwork and a star pattern.

This article describes the timber used at Majacraft to build their wheels, the Dacrydium cupressinum, commonly known as Rimu, which is found only in New Zealand.

This article describes how to develop a spinning project using inspiration from travel photos and works through the process using a specific photo as an example.

This article explains what a plyback is, why you might want to use it, and where you should take your plyback from and why it makes a difference.

This article explains the process of creating a notebook to keep track of your spinning projects and notes, with step-by-step instructions.

This article introduces readers to Yumiko Alexander designer of yarn and patterns for DanDoh, a company that creates chain-plied linen yarns from Japan.

The most technologically advanced material on the planet wasn’t created in a lab; it was made by a sheep. Learn all about wool’s incredible natural properties in this article.

The introduction of spinning wheels gave spinners the opportunity to better control the rate of twist they were making. In this article, get more familiar with these numbers and how to make them work for you.

Does rewinding bobbins before plying make a difference? This experimental article aims to find out.

Plying from a center-pull ball seems like a convenient solution to a variety of logistical spinning obstacles—but how might it affect your final yarn? Find out in this experiment.

We often work from garbled, meager, incomplete information when trying to achieve a target yarn. This article introduces how you can get more (and more accurate!) data on your yarn.

Why do some sheep shed? This article dives into the details of what shedding looks like on an Icelandic flock.

There are a whole host of fibers available on the modern market, including some from unexpected sources. Dive in to the science behind them in the following articles.

Regenerated fibers are formed when some form of biomass is chemically processed and spun. Learn about regenerated cellulose and protein fibers here.

Learn about the spinning, dyeing, blending, and weaving behaviors of the science fibers SeaCell and pearl.

What is Tencel, and how does it behave as a fiber? Find out in this exploratory article.