Posts

Call for Blog Submissions: Long Draw

While the Long Draw issue of PLY is already in the works (and it looks like another great one!) we are looking for quality related posts for the blog! Did you have an idea for this topic that you didn’t submit? Or did you miss the submission window? The blog process is much simpler than […]

Third Thursdays Guild Tip

Tonight is the PLY Spinners Guild Third Thursday foundational spin-in! Here’s a tip to tide you over until the spin-in!  After you’ve jogged for two and a half hours and you’ve exhausted your muscles, what do your legs feel like the next day? Are they sore? Do they feel weak? How about when you’ve been […]

Ask Jacey: Should I spin and ply with the same whorl?

Hello, I would like to know if plying of yarn should be done with the same whorl that spinning was done. Do you recommend to ply at the same tension and twist, or do you recommend to add more twist or tension when plying? Thank you! ~ Tatiana  Hi Tatiana,   What a great question!   The […]

Passing the Torch: How Michael Pauly Built SpinOlution and Continues with SpinPerfect 

It all began when Michael Pauly’s wife bought a handmade wheel from a local craftsman. “I looked at it and said, ‘I can do better than that,’” he recalls. What started as a hobby quickly became a full-fledged pursuit. His first wheel was, by his own admission, “really terrible,” but he kept refining. Over time, […]

Rainbow Yarn

by Kat Pong I love rainbows. My first rainbow yarn was a long gradient. I took rainbow-dyed Three Feet of Sheep braids from Frabjous Fibers, spun them end to end, then chain plied. When I knit a scarf from the yarn, it created long rainbows, big chunks of color gently fading from one to the […]

Wool in School: Creativity, Heritage, and Hands-on Learning 

The Wool in School project, based in Ireland and founded by fiber artist and educator Lorna McCormack, is a fantastic program that brings the story of wool into classrooms. It is all about connecting students to nature, tradition, and wool as a renewable material.  One of the main offerings of the program is the Wool2Ewe […]

It’s a Wrap! Tour de Fleece 2025

As the 2025 Tour de Fleece (otherwise known as TdF) draws to a close in a few days, spinners from around the world will reflect on the past three weeks of creativity, camaraderie, and craftsmanship. I hope they all have a chance to take a breath! The event, which runs parallel to the Tour de […]

Dizzing Three Ways

I am an incredibly lazy spinner. If I can do it without digging the specialized tool out of storage for it, I will! Sometimes that makes more work for myself, though I don’t like to admit it. For the longest time, I would create roving or top without a diz, just drafting it out with […]

The Goldilocks Problem: Staple Length Matters 

Staple length—the average length of individual fibers in a fiber preparation—is one of the most important characteristics to consider when preparing and spinning fiber by hand with a worsted technique. Whether you’re spinning Merino or a longwool like Wensleydale, understanding staple length helps you to control your drafting technique and create the yarn you intend.  […]