Finishing touches are in focus this month; Carly has written about finishing handwoven cloth with a sewing machine and Laura Fry says that when weaving you're not limited to hems and fringes.
If you're knitting, you could use a picot folded hem in place of your ribbing or other decorative border.
When you've made your finishing touches you'll want to wash with care, Larissa Gibson and Kate Atherley both have advice this month on the subject.
So without further ado, read on for more news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the free round-up for June 2025.
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Cover photo by Caroline Legg,
Footfall on the Snowdon national park's footpaths is higher than ever. Combined with changing weather, this is bad news for its footpaths.
A Roman technique using local fleeces has been used to rebuild a path up a boggy side of Snowdon. It's labour-intensive work but is more eco-friendly than plastic membrane.
This is rare-breed farmer Caz Rimmer with some of her dyed and raw fleece. She has her fleeces spun at a local mill and then dyes the yarn herself. She's encouraging people to move from synthetics to real wool.
In June last year, Josefin wrote an article with pictures about a grand day out she had at a fulling mill, where she and members of her group took handwoven fabric to be fulled.
I hadn't appreciated exactly how the fulling was performed, imagining that it was being churned around in water rather than a 'stomping action'. The magic of video gives us a view of exactly how this vintage machinery works.
waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/new-video-at-the-fulling-mill
This is a collection of beautiful images which tell an optimistic story of Harris Tweed production, which is enjoying a resurgence with more than 580,000 metres of tweed produced in 2024.
Claudia has written about her feelings after discovering a jumper that she believes that she made her mother in a bag of clothes destined for charity.
She didn't mind at all and feels that it's a good thing to be more practical than sentimental.
She was happy to be able to take the jumper and recycle it into a new one for herself.
Freyalyn asked organisers of a local medieval event whether they'd like a spinster wandering around and they were delighted. She wrote this post ahead of the event and details a hood that she made especially.
I'm not familiar with the stuff that ewespecial has unearthed from her closet. It appears to be woven, possibly on the bias and is sold as 'knitting tape'.
She has cast on a hat.
Pamela advocates spinning fleece that you've processed yourself because you'll learn - sometimes the hard way - about how the breeds differ and what characteristics suit you as a spinner.
There has been a change of ownership at Schacht Spindle Company. The new owner and CEO is Paul Vervoorn who recently also became the owner and CEO of Louët and Venne.
The statement from Schacht says that all three companies will retain their own identities, and Schacht will continue with employees in place at the same facilities. Barry Schacht has retired but family members will keep minority ownership. it's mentioned that Schacht will benefit from 'updates to systems' from Louët.
Tour de Fleece is open for sign-ups. The purpose is to challenge yourself and have fun.
Spinners will be spinning each day that the cyclists ride, resting when they rest and spinning something challenging on the challenge days.
This year the the Tour de France starts on Saturday, July 05, 2025 and runs until Sunday, July 27, 2025 and the Tour's women's race, Tour de France Femmes starts on Saturday, July 26, 2025 and runs until Sunday, August 3, 2025.
If you've not taken part before, there is an FAQ page here.
This is a fascinating look at the 2.5 end-per-inch heddle and how it can be used to weave art yarn into a large and cosy throw,
saorisantacruz used her 48" ashford loom fitted with freedom roller. This post has many pictures of the process.
the1764shepherdess has made these three greens using plants gathered from her own property. As cheap and as local as it gets!
The thing about 'truly random' is that it doesn't necessarily look very pleasing or look the way that we think random should look.
Christina is choosing random colours for a warp but I think this applies to any project with random colour selection.
She had to introduce some other rules, such as a 'rule of three' and the power to veto a random selection if she didn't feel that it worked.
littlelooms.com/adventures-in-random-warping-the-rule-of-three-towels
araignee calls this 'wonky yarn' and in this post explains how that's made.
She says that "it's about as mindless as it gets and the resulting yarn sure looks like it".
When stuck for a weft material, Sarah turned to a bag of stained and aged ancient family napkins and hankies. She even had to dye some that were too white. She waxes lyrical about the history ingrained in these items that she clearly found exciting to make use of.
Bluefaced Leicester has some attractive properties. Pamela has listed five reasons why you may want to spin to knit BFL.
Linda Ligon questions some 'old wives tales' about using handspun and particularly handspun singles for your warp. Pre-industrial revolution all cloth was woven with handspun yarn. Using singles saves time and it's perfectly possible to warp with them if they're consistent, strong and smooth.
She adds a simple sizing recipe which is helpful.
You've probably heard that the earliest purple dye came from sea snails. The tradition survives in Mexico. Andrzej Rybak met Mauro Habacuc Avendaño Luis and his son and learned how to find and milk the snails.
The dye is extremely fast, claimed to outlast the clothes it colours.
Carson says that ignoring discomfort is like sleeping through a fire alarm. Here's what you can do about it.
www.moderndailyknitting.com...knitting-comfortably-simple-stretches
We've been following Rebecca's sock science experiments - basically spinning for socks in different ways and then wearing them out to see what works best.
In this update, she has spun for three different pair of socks on the same fibre, with different ply structures and different colour management.
She discusses 4-ply opposing-ply, 4-ply hawser and crepe.
Raw fleece, particularly the skirted stuff that you won't spin, contains a large number of substances that benefit your garden and plants and also acts as a mulch which will hold moisture and create a barrier.
We've recently been hearing about sheep farmers turning their wool into pellets for the garden. This is an option if you don't process raw fleece or if you want to support those small farms.
There are some fancy tools available to spinners; inch gauges, control cards, twist angle gauges and combinations of these.
Pamela's article explains the benefits of these and how to use them.
Spinning teacher Amy Tyler recommends making a plyback sample and referring to it frequently. Here's how.
If you happen to have a sewing machine, you can quickly secure your woven edges.
This post is part of a larger lesson.
handweavingacademy.com/finishing-handwoven-cloth-with-a-sewing-machine
Some countries predominantly use imperial measurements, some metric. Here in the UK it's messy.
Tabetha attempts to clarify and gives some tips on conversion.
If you use a Zoom Loom-type pin loom, you'll know that the last row is tighter than the first and even when you're experienced, may be a difficult row to weave.
This tip allows you to weave that last row in seconds and even more easily than the first.
Jillian says that parallel drafting is one of her favourite techniques but it wasn't easy to learn.
Here are her tips which she hopes will be helpful.
The spinning wheel is seductive but there's still something fascinating about making yarn with something as simple as a stick. The process can be more meditative as well as more portable than wheel spinning.
Diana discusses these points and gives her advice about choosing your first spindles (you won't stop at one) in a short video and in the text on this page.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com/choosing-your-first-supported-spindle...
craftmehappy has published this tutorial for making knitted beads. They look especially nice in acorn cups but I'm sure they have a variety of uses and are a fun way to use oddments of feltable yarn.
They are to be used in a wreath, shown in this later post.
Leigh finds it a problem to crawl under her countermarch loom for treadle tie-up, but has discovered some resources explaining how to tie-up from the top.
In this post she lists a number of videos and articles about this, and in two more recent blog post, Leigh goes into the preparation for this technique.
leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com...treadle-tie-up-from-top...
Laura Fry has made this round-up of finishing methods. There are other options besides fringe and hem, and choosing before you start your project has advantages.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com/finishing-touches-hems-fringe-for-handwoven-projects
Using your own yarn to make a colourwork jumper is exciting but there are some challenges. This article looks at some important things that you need to keep in mind, including matching your yarn to the commercial yarn used in the pattern and the best way to spin your yarn.
Unless you're new to fibre crafts, there isn't very much that's new in this article, but you may find a useful tip among the many that Kate lists.
There is a lot more information in this article by Larissa Gibson.
Alternating skeins is a way to mitigate colour differences and avoid colour pooling in hand-dyed yarn.
Here Patty talks about alternating three skeins and carrying the yarn up your work.
Angela says that a little bit of handspun yarn and a simple disc gets you big results. She has a 'getting started' tutorial and tips for achieving a nice even braid.
A folded picot hem is a decorative border that can be used in place of ribbing or any other kind of decorative border, where elasticity isn't important.
Sandi has step-by-step instructions.
I know that some people are squeamish about spitting into their hand but you can use this technique with a glass of clean water for moistening the join. It can make a near-invisible join with no ends to weave in.
When teaching, Kate has often been asked to help with this unfortunate scenario.
Her remedy involves unplying the yarn. She has some tips for doing that, and suggestions for what to do with each of the singles.
I have to be honest and say that I find the skein of yarn (an opposing-ply-2-ply?) to be quite attractive and I'd be tempted to use it in a project.
spinoffmagazine.com/plying-help-singles-spun-in-the-wrong-direction
John Arbon have announced their Mill Open Weekend Specials. As the name suggests, this is a limited-edition range, blended especially for their in-person Mill Open Weekend which was 7-8 June.
While stocks last, the range will be available through select stockists from 5 July.
The range is called Mineralogy, it's a blend of Corriedale, Grey Exmoor Blueface and Romney that is soft and buttery and "drafts like a dream".
This is a selection of books about machine embroidery by machine embroidery artists Alison Holt, Katie Essam, Meredith Woolnough, Amanda Hislop and Bisa Butler.
Highland Heffalump has made this mesmerising timelapse video in which she makes one of her seascape lampshades.
In the past we've seen projects that look very similar to these but were presented as art. These particular projects (there are many more worth exploring) present themselves as research into human interaction with plants.
The video on this page shows seeds being incorporated into yarn, which is then sewn or woven into wearable textiles. The wearer can care for the plants and in some cases interact with them via electronics.
This furniture is clad in tiles which are coloured using specially-grown algae.
Besides the greens we associate with algae, the right growing conditions can produce reds, yellows and blues.
Japanese firm We+ hope that this may become a a sustainable source of vivid natural pigments.
This is a round-up of some recent announcements in the world of hi-tech textiles, ranging from recycled plastics to a wool/cotton blend.
au.fashionnetwork.com...groundbreaking-textile-developments...
I think this is an entirely different project to the one responsible for the wool / cotton blend mentioned above.
Here is a description of low-value locks being processed and blended to produce a 100% natural stretch fabric suitable for clothing.
Underwear brand Shapellx have unveiled a new range called OceanHug, made from Oyster Shells.
They claim the perfect balance of style, comfort, and sustainability, and that the fabric is breathable, moisture-wicking and has antibacterial properties.
Sometimes just a picture is enough
This handspun, knitted-jersey shirt is a very special milestone birthday present. Micki spun the yarn, machine-knitted sheets of fabric, cut pattern pieces and machine-stitched them into the polo shirt.
This isn't a handspun project but the photos are beautiful and I'm awestruck by the design. I can't recommend Season of Darkness and Winter Light unless you're looking for a knitting challenge that will take a lot of time and a lot of yarn, so I give lots of kudos to those who have risen to the challenge such as Linda Marveng who made this one.
Squall is a very pretty half-hexagon lace shawl and it was intriguing to find that a large number of knitters had made this in a specific colour of handspun yarn, bought from New Hue Handspuns. It turns out that Anne featured the pattern and the yarn in some kind of club deal in 2012.
The pattern is here, it requires 400 - 800 yards of laceweight yarn.
This may or may not be handspun yarn but the fibre or yarn was from Vanessa Ewing, the designer of the pattern which is The Worst Witch.
jemart calls this her Fuggly Snuggly because she used handspun oddments and "odd or unloved colours".
The pattern is free, it's Hexaparty by Berroco. Jemart calls it a "fantastic wearable blanket coat".
Jean has been posting in-progress pictures of this recently which you can find in her previous posts. She made it from handspun and natural dyed wool with a simple tapestry loom and basic tools.
Joanne spun this hand-dyed fibre two different ways - regular 3-ply and chain ply. The latter keeps the colours clear, while the former blends them. She then made striped socks from the two skeins.
She saw this idea in the Spin to Knit Socks group. There are many pictures of the yarn and socks plus more details on her project page.
lovestoswatch has made this beautiful blanket using commercial cotton yarn and a pattern by Jane Crowfoot which was previously a crochet-a-long and is now free.
Highland Heffalump has finished these tablet-woven shoelaces. She thinks that they 'lean towards Minnie Mouse'. I think they look fabulous.
The pattern is Flat shoelace 1 from TwistedThreads.org. There's a picture of the weaving in progress in this previous post.
highlandheffalump.com/2025/06/01/yop14-week-48-52-shoelaces-fo
Jean took this beautiful photo while spinning a sheet of Japanese paper that she found. The dried beans are to stop the strips from tangling in the bowl.
The Leonida Sweater is designed for two heathered yarns but Crafty Yarnster had some self-striping yarn and used it for a much more colourful meteor shower with northern lights suggested too.
I think it looks great and it's a shame that it doesn't fit her.
The handspun yarn used here is quite a blend of Rambouillet/mohair/CVM/tussah silk/silk noil. There's a lovely graduation from pink to gold. The pattern is Zuzu's Petals by Carina Spencer, another one popular with handspinners.
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
This woven band incorporates the triforce from the Legend of Zelda games, but once sketched out it reminded Catherine of an early iron age design known as Hallstatt 123.
www.tabletweavingintheoryandpractice.co.uk...hallstatt-triforce.html
This pattern is available for free at the time of writing but for a limited and unspecified time.
It's 'one size fits most' and uses 1220 yards of sport-weight (12 wpi) yarn. Chandi says "Ideal for solid or tonal yarns, but use any that light your heart on fire".
It's a more advanced pattern, but she also adds that it looks more complicated than it is.
I've suggested this pattern before but I'm doing so again since Peony has recently had something to say about it after seeing a younger Youtuber list it as a 'cursed pattern'. She disagrees strongly with that and gives her own reasons for liking it.
Peony also says that it "lends itself perfectly to use self-striping yarns, hand dyed yarns, unicoloured yarns, handspun yarns". (Pictured is Bethann's Clapotis in handspun yarn).
This practical and eye-catching bag is based on a woven birch bark bag that Martin found.
It uses Tunisian crochet stitches, but on a regular crochet hook. The pattern includes written instructions and 11 videos.
martinupnorth.com/2025/05/23/the-basket-case-tunisian-crochet-bag
This is Kay's favourite pattern from the new MDK Field Guide.
She says that she's learned a lesson in humility. Her Waffle Pullover was going well until she noticed a problem with the raglan increases, which raised questions about whether you live with or try to fix such problems. She grasped the nettle and ripped out a week's work.
This heavily-textured jumper is knitted from DK-weight yarn in two colours.
This month Ann has also written about the very floaty Floating Squares Wrap from the same Field Guide.
www.moderndailyknitting.com/shop/mdk-field-guide-no-29-mosaic/
I'm surprised to see that this large wrap is made using les than 250g of fibre.
Light fingering yarn on 5mm needles makes it very airy.
shop.hedgehogfibres.com/collections/patterns/products/wildspun-wrap
I love the stitch pattern here. This is designed for an alpaca/silk yarn which will feel nice against the skin, although it will probably need to be worn over something else.
It has the widest range of sizes; newborn to 6XL,
This new release from Anne Hanson also has an openwork body and solid sleeves. The sleeves can be long, short or given the elbow entirely. The body can be long or short and there are eleven sizes.
It requires a sport-weight / 12 wpi yarn.
The selling point for this pattern is that it's swatchless, which will appeal to a lot of people. "Want to cast on right away without any prep? Cast on today, no swatching required" says that blurb.
There are plenty of examples in handspun yarn (SkinnyBird's pictured). It requires 130 - 610 yards of 4-ply-weight (14 wpi) yarn and you could knit stripes or let colour-changing yarn speak for itself.
The interesting thing about the Sidelong Tee is that you knit it sideways. There's a two-part article about Knitting a Sweater from Side to Side here.
It has an easy difficulty, there are just a few things to know about sideways knitting, such as needing a circular needle to accommodate the large number of stitches.
www.interweave.com/product/sidelong-tee-knitting-pattern-download
Isabelle D crochets forms evocative of coral, sea sponges, anemones, flowers, molds, spores, and more from silk, cotton, viscose and other fibres.
Élise Peroi's etherial textile sculptures are displayed on wooden frames that add another dimension. The pieces in her exhibition For Thirsting Flowers are arranged so that you can walk around and between them to experience the forms and the changing light.
Kandy G. Lopez embroiders large-scale portraits of people from historically marginalised communities onto colourful mesh.
Although the article says 'woven', I'm sure these are knit stitches, and so beautifully made.
The forms are organic and for me, reminiscent of brass musical instruments.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2025/05/caio-marcolini-metal-sculptures
In Jessica Grady's work, even the embellishments are embellished.
21 - 22 June 2025, J36 Rural Auction Centre, Cumbria
A gathering of people with a love for wool and yarn, and the associated crafts. The first Cumbrian Wool Gathering is organised by the same team responsible for Bakewell Wool Gathering and Buxton Wool Gathering.
5 - 6 July 2025, Winter Gardens, Weston-super-Mare
A new Summer yarn show by the sea!
Expect a fantastic selection of premium exhibitors, hands-on workshops, and exciting demos all wrapped up in a wonderful seaside atmosphere.
26 - 27 July 2025 Redborne School, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, MK45 2NU
100 of the very best stalls from all over the country, a great range of workshops, a street food area, lots of room to sit and chat, free demonstrations and advice from several local guilds.
Picks up where Fibre East left off.
26 - 27 July 2025 Whithorn Roundhouse, Dumfries & Galloway
A new event to promote and showcase wool and wool-related crafts.
9 - 10 August 2025, Newcastle Racecourse
90 amazing stalls plus a great range of workshops. cafe, demonstrations.
16 August 2025, Hulme Hall, 23 Bolton Rd, Bebington, Wirral
A selection of vendors selling everything from hand dyed yarns and fibres to felting kits and needles
Entry £4 per person, available on the door or online.
30 - 31 August 2025, Newbury Racecourse, Berkshire
A festival of woolly goodies. The perfect event for all lovers of knitting, crochet, feltmaking, weaving, spinning, dyeing, and all things woolly!
30 - 31 August 2025 at Perth Concert Hall
The Scottish Yarn Festival is the new name for Perth Festival of Yarn.
The Vendors' Gallery Marketplace is the place to find materials and inspiration for your future crafting projects, the chance to meet and talk with the makers behind your favourite independent brands, to indulge in a little celebrity spotting.
Past tutors and lecturers have included Jeanette Sloan, Françoise Danoy, Andre de Castro, Di Gilpin, and Amy Palko
A fringe programme of social events has included books signings, gala dinners and fashions shows, and Perthshire gin flights
12 - 13 September 2025, Farnham Maltings
unravel... autumn is a celebration of all things yarn making from knitting and crochet to spinning and weaving
At the core of unravel... autumn is the curated marketplace which showcases independent producers, well established makers alongside first-time yarn show exhibitors from around the UK. In addition, on each day of the festival, there is an inspiring programme of bookable workshops.
20 - 21 September 2025, the centre of Llandovery
A weekend celebration of rural crafts, food, entertainment and of course, sheep farming.
27 - 28 September 2025, Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire
Over 180 makers, craft workers, retailers, and artisans in the picturesque market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire.
27 - 28 September 2025, 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.
28 September - 4 October 2025
Shetland Wool Week is a world renowned celebration of Britain's most northerly native sheep, the Shetland textile industry and the rural farming community on these islands.
Includes classes, talks, drop-ins, art. See website for the full events listing.
Saturday 4 October 2025, Queen's Hall and Plas Hyfryd Hotel, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
A celebration of all things woolly. From beautifully hand crafted items, clothing and footwear to knitting wool, fleece and all the equipment needed to make at home. Demonstrations run throughout the day with stall holders sharing their skills and knowledge with visitors plus wool skill workshops such as felting.
Sat 4 - Sun 5 October 2025 The Corn Hall, Cirencester
A two-day celebration of all things wool and yarn, including stalls, talks, demonstrations and workshops
Tickets available online now.
9 - 12 October 2025, Alexandra Palace, London
17 - 19 October 2025, The Trades Hall, Glasgow
Scotland's longest running yarn festival, championing local and innovative makers since 2011.
GSoY has an abundance of beautiful yarns, fibres, and accessories for every crafter.
18 - 19 October 2025 Staffordshire County Showground
Bakewell Wool Gathering has moved to Stafford. More details tbc
1 - 2 November 2025, Newton Abbot Racecourse.
Since 2016, Stitch Fest has moved to bigger venues and is now held under one roof at Newton Abbot Racecourse, showcasing some of the best independent makers, dyers, spinners and designers and a fabulous workshop and demonstration timetable.
8 - 9 November 2025, Sandburn Hall, York YO60 7RB
More details to follow
20 - 23 November 2025, Harrogate Convention Centre
Meet up with like-minded crafters, discuss ideas, learn new skills and shop for your annual craft supplies, including wool, beads and beyond from household name brands and special suppliers alike including Fabric Godmother, Toft and more.
I'm Shiela Dixon, I've been doing this for around sixteen years in order to promote and encourage spinning and related crafts.
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Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator
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