Nottingham Yarn Expo 2018
This is one of Ellie's 'walkabout' videos which give a visitor's-eye-view of this recent event.
crafthousemagic.blogspot.com/2018/11/nottingham-yarn-expo-2018.html
The email version of this newsletter may look much better online: hand-spinning-news.com
As another year draws to a close, here is the last issue for 2018 and a look forward to the year ahead.
There are some interesting products and books available, and as we've almost arrived at 'that' day, at least one woolly character experiences a visitation from a departed friend, possibly with a warning about the consequences of her ways.
You may have heard that Pantone have revealed their colour of the year 2019 and it's "Living Coral". But how and why do they choose their colour?
Other stories include a five-year experiment to test opposing-ply yarn and a game of Monopoly that invites you to knit your money if you need it. The list of 2019 events contains the dates that are already published and there are a lot to choose from.
Read on for all of this and the rest of this month's cunning curated collection of inspirational information and entertainment for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the free issue for December 2018.
Find out how to receive a longer, ad-free version of HSN earlier in the month.
Photo right: What is differential shrinkage, asks Fiber Sprite. The cover photo is Pink Sheep, Latitude Festival, Suffolk by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Contents
- Recent events
Nottingham Yarn Expo - In the media
Pantone's colour of the year 2019, nålbinding - From Blogland
Colour and Power, 750g ball of handspun - Tips and tutorials
Rigid heddle tips, what to do with swatches, fast knitting - Technology
Avocado sock, wool coffins - Yvonne
A cartoon - Books
- Gallery
Showing off some of the best spinning images I've seen this month - Free patterns
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn - Not so free patterns
More project ideas which will work well with handspun yarn - Events
An early look at 2019 show dates - And finally...
Believe it or not...
Recent events
In the media
In news that will surprise no-one who knits and spins, an Indian study has found that spinning every day has "positive and soothing effects on the participants."
To be more specific, spinning charkha for one hour daily may improve concentration, multitasking abilities, patience and mind-body coordination of young people.
indianexpress.com...spinning-charkha-may-have-positive-effect...
How Pantone Picked 'Living Coral' as the 2019 'Color of the Year'
Who chooses the colour of the year and why?
Here's a link directly to Pantone if you'd like to wade through some possibly meaningless waffle about the colour.
For my main link I've chosen Wendy MacNaughton's article on the NY Times. She has spoken to Pantone and has some answers. Her article also contains Johan Wolfgang Von Goethe's 1809 colour wheel, used as the 'wheel of influences', some previous years' colours, some example products in Living Coral and unusually for a web article it's written in handwriting which makes mine look good.
www.nytimes.com...business/pantone-2019-color-of-the-year-living-coral.html
From the Blogosphere
Colour and power
Colour has often been associated with power, but to some, colour value (light or dark) has been more important than the hue.
In this article for Ply magazine, Katie Weston takes a look at the significance of colour in history and how these things could apply to us today.
The one-ball sweater | Combospin and embracing chaos
Yes, this is really 750g of handspun yarn wound into a single ball. Why? "I wanted to see what it would look like. It was glorious!" says Joyuna. There's more about the 'great yarnball' here.
Combospinning is popular, it's the new fractal spinning. In this post, Joyuna explains the process with pictures. It's "spinning by embracing chaos", the opposite of consistency.
blog.joyuna.com/2018/11/the-one-ball-sweater-combospin-and.html
What is differential shrinkage?
It's a scary-sounding term, says Fiber Sprite, but the principle is simple and it can be used to create interesting effects in handspun yarn and woven fabric.
A year in the making: Sparkle Cardigan
Not only is this a beautiful finished project, but Rachel has written a great blog post about the fibre, the spinning, swatching and knitting.
welfordpurls.com/2018/11/24/a-year-in-the-making-sparkle-cardigan
Sometimes, science is slow
These two skeins of yarn are identical except that one of them is opposing-ply.
That's a three-ply yarn with one of the plies spun in the same direction as the plying, which means that the odd ply has much more twist, and thus gives the yarn more strength.
You may have guessed from the title that this is an experiment to compare two socks, one made from an opposing-ply yarn. Knit/Wit made the test pair and has worn and washed them normally for five years.
In this post she documents the experiment, shows the results and shares her conclusion.
paknitwit.blogspot.com/2018/11/sometimes-science-is-slow.html
Walnut dye in September
Walnut trees grow well here. The dye that exists in the hulls and leaves is a very fast natural dye and doesn't need a mordant, says Riihivilla.
This picture showing her experiments shows some colours which are attractive as browns go.
She has some interesting comments and tips.
riihivilla.blogspot.com/2018/12/walnut-dye-in-september.html
hand driven wheel
This is a style of wheel that I've not seen before. It looks very much like a charkha, a hand-cranked spindle.
There are many comments, within those wiesensalat reveals that the wheel is from a German maker, Wollwolff, this model is number 505 in their catalogue.
The Knitcoin Edition
If you get the impression that this is a real version of the Monopoly game, it actually seems like a great idea.
If you want money, you knit it. No handouts after passing Go. This is a more accurate reflection of life through human history. I'm not so clear about the link with cryptocurrency.
This is a work of art, it is designed to encourage people to consider the consequences of the system of money for manual labour. The rest of the game remains unchanged, and apparently Monopoly was originally invented as a criticism - to demonstrate the unfairnesses of our system.
Visit at Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk
Thanks to Linda Marveng for sharing these pictures of her tour of a wool-processing mill.
This mill is Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk at Hjelmås, outside of Bergen, Norway.
If this appeals to you and you're in the UK, don't forget that John Arbon are happy to run pre-arranged tours for groups, and have an open weekend in the Spring.
www.marveng-puckett.com/wordpress/2018/12/visit-at-hillesvag-ullvarefabrikk
Tips and tutorials
Team Colors Weave-along: Tips and Tricks for Getting Started
"You have to be warped to weave" goes the saying.
The Team Colours weave-along has already started, but even if you're not taking part in the weave-along, there are four patterns here along with a number of good tips for rigid-heddle weaving.
The idea to weave team colours for sporting events such as football, but you could use colours for your favourite team in any kind of event. Or just enjoy these rigid-heddle weaving tips.
What to do with all those swatches?
Making a gauge swatch is good advice that not all of us take.
but what do you do with that 4" square when the project is finished. Here are some ideas which range from "bin it" to making bowls, coasters and other projects.
www.interweave.com/article/knitting/what-to-do-with-yarn-swatches
Five tips for faster knitting and why you shouldn't care
I'm guessing that as we approach the day that must not be named, you may well be knitting to a deadline.
Lisa Shroyer has five tips for faster and more efficient knitting (which will all apply to crochet and weaving too). She also warns that working to a deadline kills the fun, and you may not want to be a test knitter as much as you think.
www.interweave.com/article/knitting/5-tips-faster-knitting-shouldnt-care
Peter Collingwood's No Math Centering method
Thanks to Laura for sharing this tip. Using the Peter Collingwood method, you can centre your warp in your reed using a flexible tape measure and no maths.
laurasloom.blogspot.com/2018/11/peter-collingwoods-no-math-centering.html
Technology
Avocado Sock
Who knew that putting an avocado in a wool sock makes it ripen faster?
It does, according to the maker of the 'Avocado Sock' but I'm not convinced that wrapping something in wool warms it up unless it produces its own warmth.
Here are four methods of speeding up the ripening of an Avocado. If the 'avocado sock' really works, then there's a very quick and easy project - no heel to turn and no second sock syndrome!
www.thedailymeal.com...avocado-sock-and-3-other-hacks-ripen-avocados
'Cosy and warm' - the wool coffins made in Leeds
This coffin is said to be warmer and more approachable than the traditional wooden ones.
It's another British product, made by A W Hanswoth. It's 100% biodegradable and can be buried or cremated.
There is a tradition of burying people in wool which goes back to the 17th century.
Can it really take three fleeces to make one? That's a lot of wool.
www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk...the-wool-coffins-made-in-leeds...
Yvonne
A Christmas Ca-wool
"We're sheep, how could our ways possibly be foolish?!"
If you like Yvonne, click the image to find her page, you can use next and previous to explore more cartoons, and join the mailing list for a regular digest email.
Jigsaw - online
Thank you very much if you've had a go at any of these on your computer or tablet, particularly to the one or two people who've written to tell me that they've enjoyed them.
I've set them up with 35 - 50 pieces- just the right number for a coffee-break challenge and you gradually reveal the cartoon.
Keeping this wheel spinning
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Books
The definitive history of Tiverton's wool trade
It's fascinating to think that the whole population of a town, men, women and children alike, were involved in some aspect of making woollen cloth,
This book will be of interest to spinners and weavers in Devon. It charts the many and varied aspects of the history of the trade from its beginnings to its demise.
www.devonlive.com...definitive-history-tivertons-wool-trade-2276126
Gallery
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Wollyelly's teal fabric
This amazing bag is made out of a length of fabric that woollyelly wove to use up stashed yarn. The yardage included various handspun and overdyed fibres.
(Link is to Ravelry project for the cloth and has pictures of various projects made from it.)
Same model, same pattern, two interpretations
milancorinne has used the same pattern for two interpretations of this jumper. Both are handspun alpaca, "one with a touch of silk, one with a touch of Shetland".
Turkish spindle
This month's sexy spindle shot shows some beautiful threewatersfarm fibre wrapped around mrs.addy's wrist and spun singles wrapped around her fingers ahead of winding onto her Turkish spindle.
Raglan pullover
I love this picture of the bubbly Chantimanou. As is evident, she had fun during the photo session.
The fibre is Corriedale, Shetland and Polwarth, hand-dyed, spun longdraw from rolags and Navajo-plied
She used no pattern, just knit a top-down raglan.
Weaving with texture
For some, the definition of art yarn is that yarn that's made for its own sake, but I love seeing art yarn used in a finished project.
In this case, twistedmyrtle has used these cocoon-like coils to give texture to woven fabric.
Thinking About Coffee
Louisa used stash handspun yarn for this coffee-cosy, two strands held together to get the thickness required.
The pattern is Thinking about coffee by Lisa Risager. and it's free. It's knit larger than required and felted in a washing machine.
Free patterns
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Necktie by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas
This is a smart necktie, and you can see that it looks great in a yarn with some colour changes. Maybe something brightly coloured for a festive feel or something solid or semi-solid for a more formal look.
It's quite a fine knit, it calls for 300 yards of fingering weight (14 wpi).
Click through to the pattern via Knithacker who made the suggestion.
knithacker.com...handsome-necktie-makes-a-great-gift-and-the-pattern-is-free
Thrumdrum Hat by Fran Rushworth
Thrumming means knitting scraps of unspun tops into the garment to create a thick puffy and warm layer.
This is the free pattern which also appears in Fran's 2019 "Twelve Months of Plant Dyes" calendar.
wooltribulations.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-thrumdrum-hat-pattern.html
Yule Mitts by Ella Gordon
I'm including this under 'free patterns' because Ella has included a voucher code in the blog post that I'm linking to. That code is good if you already own her Einar mitts. If you don't you can add both to your basket and get the Yule ones for free.
As the mitts have a festive theme I assume that the code will be good until Christmas at least.
Not-so-free patterns
Filoplume Shawl by Bex Hopkins - A Review
What a delight to spot this handspun cashmere shawl, modelled so well, and to discover that the pattern is by friend-of-HSN Bex Hopkins (ninjabex).
Fran has documented the blending, spinning and knitting as well as her comments on the pattern.
wooltribulations.blogspot.com/2018/11/filoplume-shawl-by-bex-hopkins-review.html
Congratulations to knittingsarah on finishing this jumper. It's made from yarn that she spun during Spinzilla this year, including a large quantity of the grey. The details of the fibre and spinning are back here.
The pattern is Tecumseh by Caitlin Hunter
The Feral Shawl by Taylor E Owen
Congratulations to Taylor Owen who has published the pattern for this half-pi shawl that she made from heavy worsted weight yarn, spun from well-blended Jacob fleece.
Williamsburg Socks by Jaclyn Salem
Jaclyn designed these socks to use Harvest Hues from John Arbon. The fibre consists of dark zwartbles wool blended with dyed merino. It's now available in thirteen colours, 4-ply spun yarn as well as top for spinning.
And finally...
A Scientifically accurate hand-knit sculpture of the human brain
I'm not sure whether the colours are totally anatomically-accurate, but the parts of this brain are complex and accurate.
Dr. Karen Norberg wanted to create something "mysterious and difficult" from a cuddly material such as cotton yarn.
For some reason, the zipper in the middle amuses me very much.
The article has various views of the work alongside actual scans of a real human brain. Maybe it's not for you if you're very squeamish, but I find it all quite beautiful.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2018/12/scientifically-accurate-hand-knit-brain/
2019 events
Waltham Abbey Wool Show
Sunday 20 January 2019 10am-4pm, Marriott Hotel, Old Shire Lane, Waltham Abbey
VIP Guest for the 2019 show is LOUISE TILBROOK, knitwear designer and author of Everyday Knitter blog.
45 exhibitors, a selection of crochet, knitting, spinning and other craft workshops at a variety of levels.
Unravel
Friday 22 - Sunday 24 February 2019, Farnham Maltings, Hampshire
In its 11th year, the event will host a marketplace of over 70 quality exhibitors selling yarn & fibre accessories and feature a programme of bookable workshops, talks & demonstrations led by UK & International experts.
craft.farnhammaltings.com/portfolio/unravel-festival-knitting
Edinburgh Yarn Festival
21 - 23 March 2019, Edinburgh Corn Exchange
(Classes and Fringe events 20 - 24 March)
A celebration of all things related to yarn, wool, knitting, crochet, spinning, weaving and felting. A fantastic market place with around 100 selected vendors, great workshops and a host of other attractions
Spring into Wool
13 - 14 April 2019, Grammar School, Leeds
The perfect event for all lovers of knitting, crochet, feltmaking, weaving, spinning, dyeing, and all things woolly!
Wonderwool Wales
27 - 28 April 2019, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells
the 13th Annual Wonderwool Wales Festival. It's your chance to enjoy a fantastic range of Welsh and British artisan products and an opportunity to meet the wonderful people who made them. A great family day out with hands-on woolschool workshops and events showcasing the best in Welsh and British wool and natural fibres.
A list of accommodation and camping in the surrounding area is available on the Wonderwool website.
Leeds Wool Festival
Saturday 1 June 2019
This popular event includes a market offering a range of goods from local traders, workshops and activities, demonstrations of special techniques, tips from professional speakers, a Q&A with our Knitting Gurus, and children's crafting activities.
www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries/armleymills/leeds-wool-festival
Woollinn
14 & 15 June 2019, City North Hotel, 20 minutes north of Dublin Airport
Ireland's Festival of Yarn
Woolly Worstead
Saturday 15 - Sunday 16 June 2019, Weavers' Workshop, Dilham, Norfolk
Sheep-shearing demos, crochet, knitting, spinning, weaving, felting- demos and "have a go", alpacas and donkeys to feed and pet.
Woolfest
Fri 28 and Sat 29 June 2019, Cockermouth, Cumbria
Woolfest was founded to provide a showcase and a celebration of the best of wool and wool crafts.
The event is all about creativity and design with beautiful quality, amazing colours and skilled craftsmanship.
Yarningham
Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July 2019, Uffculme Centre, Birmingham
Fibre East
27 - 28 July 2019, Redbourne Community College, Flitwick Road, Ampthill, Bedford MK45 2NU
An annual event created to celebrate all things natural fibre and handmade, with a focus on the Best of British: supporting the finest quality British wool, made from the fleeces of British sheep, reared by British farmers.
Yarnfolk Festival of Wool
3 August 2019, Whitehead's town centre from 10am - 5pm
Whitehead in Co. Antrim will once again play host to Yarnfolk Wool Festival for the 3rd year.
British Wool Show (formerly British Wool Weekend Show)
Friday 9 and Saturday 10 August 2019, York Auction Centre, Murton Lane, Murton, York, YO19 5GF
Supporting the Campaign for Wool.
Exciting treasures to discover; wool from fleece to finished items and other items you will need to spin, weave, knit, crochet, hand dye, cross stitch, embroider or make felt.
Southern Wool Show
Saturday 31 August and 1 September 2019, Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire
The perfect event for all lovers of knitting, crochet, feltmaking, weaving, spinning, dyeing, and all things woolly!
Yarndale
28 and 29 September 2019, Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire
Stunning exhibitions, skill demonstrations and a full programme of textile workshops create a visual feast and make Yarndale a real must-visit for yarn lovers.
Shetland Wool Week
28 September - 6 October 2019
A busy week dedicated to celebrating Shetland wool and textile heritage.
Includes classes, talks, drop-ins, art. See website for the full events listing.
The Wool Event, Masham Sheep Fair
Saturday 5 and 6 Oct, 2019, Masham Town Hall
Craft market and fleece stalls, specialising in British wool to compliment the sheep-related events that fill the square of Masham over the weekend.
Bakewell Wool Gathering
Bakewell Agricultural Centre Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 October
A wool festival dedicated to the best of yarn, knitting, and crochet, in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales.
There will be exhibitors, demonstrations of fibre crafts and a fleece stand selling plenty of local fleece.
Our linen stories
Scotland is more usually associated with tartan and tweed, but linen and flax are an important part of its history
This touring exhibition aims to combine stories from the past with new works from contemporary designers.
The towns in Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands that the tour visits have their own stories and this gives the opportunity to include local designers and stories.
Support Hand Spinning News
You may be wondering, "how does Shiela spend all the time putting this together and pay the actual costs of webhosting and mailing services?"
The answer is that some lovely people choose to pay an amount that they see fit (no matter how small) and in return receive HSN earlier and receive a longer ad-free* version (approx half the number of stories again).
A final word of thanks to everyone who blogs, writes articles or posts pictures on the subject of spinning, knitting, crochet or weaving. This newsletter wouldn't exist without people writing interesting and useful things.
If you do keep a blog, or if you read a particularly interesting blog or website and you're not sure whether I already know about it, please write and tell me about it.
Have a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year.
Happy spinning!
Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator
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