Hand Spinning News
Our crafting is labour-intensive. Is the time well-spent? Felicia was only able to spend ten hours on her Tour de Fleece spinning and ponders this question. Christina has also asked the same question about handwoven pet accessories.
Another theme that has emerged this month is natural dyeing; mordants, natural dyes and mud dyes.
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 September 2024.
Find out how to receive the full version of Hand Spinning News in your inbox, earlier than the free edition appears online.
Cover photo: Mississippi Mills Museum by gretta vosper on Unsplash.
Contents
In the media
Handspun stories
A shared walking wheel
This is the story of a walking wheel that Josefin and a relative managed to buy for a price that was "an insult to the wheel".
They have done a little refurbishment to the wheel and spent some time using "Beata Sophia", as they christened her.
waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/a-shared-walking-wheel
Ooooh, colours!
Hunter used a natural dye kit to turn some white napkins into coloured napkins. Over two or three blog posts she emphasises that it was a lengthy process.
Her cochineal, osage, logwood and madder have produced cheerful colours that you may not immediately associate with natural dyes.
tinynonsense.com...ooooh-colors
The Longest Yarn coming to Southwell Minster
In June we learned about The Longest Yarn exhibition which is a 3D depiction of the D-day landings. It will be on display at Southwell Minster for most of September. This article contains a little more background about the work.
www.englishcathedrals.co.uk...the-longest-yarn-southwell-minster
How protection for Harris Tweed was woven into the fabric of Scots law
Harris Tweed is the only cloth in the world governed by its own Act of Parliament. A judgement was made 60 years ago which says that the name can only be used for cloth that is made of pure virgin Scottish wool which had been dyed, spun, and finished in the islands of the Outer Hebrides and hand-woven by the islanders at their homes.
www.scottishlegal.com...harris-tweed-was-woven-into-the-fabric-of-the-law
Turning wool into pellets
we have seen a couple of stories recently about entrepreneurs having low-quality wool turned into soil-improving pellets for gardeners.
Taproot, a community farming organisation in Nova Scotia, is planning to install a pellet machine to give local farmers another revenue stream.
ca.news.yahoo.com/turning-wool-pellets-could-keep-090000581.html
Coffee cloth
Sarah has long been turning her used coffee filters into yarn but here she tries a different tack. Layered and sewn together they make a sturdy but flexible fabric.
sarahcswett.substack.com/p/coffee-cloth
Weaving for dogs: a waste of effort, or a perfect opportunity?
Christina Garton suggests three ideas for dog-related woven projects. She considers the question of whether this is a useful way to spend time.
handwovenmagazine.com/weaving-for-dogs
Recent and current events
Tips and tutorials
Grafting genius
If you have trouble remembering the moves for grafting or Kitchener stitch, this may help.
I must confess that I've read this through a couple of times and still don't understand but maybe this will work for you.
www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/grafting-genius
How to knit slip-stitch colorwork
This is an introduction to slip-stitch colourwork. If you've never done colourwork before, this is an easy way in because you still only need to hold one colour per row.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpUdPABpC8g
How to knit cables without a cable needle
If you haven't seen this before then it's a useful thing to have in your toolkit. As Kathleen demonstrates here, it is a very efficient way to make a 2x2 cross. I don't think I've seen this used to cross more than two stitches, I imagine it could work but may be more tricky to correctly catch the stitches that are briefly off the needles.
youtu.be/bkE6vNM6Zf0?si=CR3_jauxRVK604-R
Products and Reviews
The Mushroom Color Atlas by Julie Beeler
Artist Julie Beeler has published The Mushroom Color Atlas, a beautifully-illustrated how-to guide. It contains 500 colour swatches and a guide to identifying, harvesting, and distilling the hues.
This is Colossal's review.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/08/mushroom-color-atlas/
Technology
A chip off the old rug
At first glance this may look like an abstract pattern but if you're into electronics you may recognise it as a microscopic view of a microprocessor die, specifically an Intel Pentium. The Navajo weaver, Marilou Schultz, created the artwork in 1994 using traditional materials and techniques. It was commissioned by Intel themselves as a gift for the American Indian Science & Engineering Society.
www.hackster.io...a-chip-off-the-old-rug...
Oyster shells repurposed as magic 'Seawool'
Seawool is a patented fabric made from oyster shells.
The shells have low thermal conductivity and make a "magical yarn". Eddie Wang has developed a low-carbon process that turns a "waste product into gold".
uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/waste-gold-oyster-shells....
e-textiles can be electronic musical instruments
Dr. Sophie Skach and Dr. Victor Shepardson have devised a set of smart fabrics that can produce musical sounds when touched, stroked or scrunched.
https://www.designboom.com...e-textiles-sounds-electronic-musical-instruments
Waste textiles turned into sweets
fabrics like cotton that are cellulose-based can be broken down into glucose and a small amount of residue. designer Jinghan Li wants people to consider waste as a resource for food. It's just one of the opportunities to create a closed loop.
With thanks to Pamela for the link.
www.dezeen.com...jinghan-li-fabricandy-cental-saint-martins
Potato yarn breakthrough
UK company Fibe have developed processes to make fibre from the above-ground parts of a potato that are usually a problem for the farmer.
The strong and soft fibres are said to have similar properties to cotton.
www.fibe.uk/media
Gallery
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Starfall Shawl
The gradient in Emilia Vasnin's shawl is beautiful so it's unsurprising that she says "gradients are my thing". Her favourite part was watching the colours blend into a gradient, and then watching the knitting change as she worked.
spinoffmagazine.com/your-finished-object-starfall-shawl
Fibre artist meets her subjects through her work
Artist Faith Humphrey Hill draws portraits of strangers, scans them and uses software to knit the images using vintage knitting machines that are hacked to be driven by her computer.
She enjoys drawing people that she didn't know and meeting them through her work.
www.thebeacon.net/fiber-artist-meets-her-subjects-through-her-work
Languishing WIP
These felted slippers have been 14 years in the making. woolandfabric started making them when her daughter was 4 and she has now turned 18.
www.instagram.com/p/C4hsfWJgYVC
Hand blended and handspun alpaca mix
This is a jumper adapted from a cardigan pattern. It's made from a "hand blended and handspun alpaca mix".
www.instagram.com/p/C-kDq_AIgaf
Free patterns and projects
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Zoom Loom Eclectic Art Bag by Margaret Stump
This design is intended for "those extra Zoom Loom squares that somehow didn't get turned into a project", says Margaret.
The bag plan is based on a traditional Japanese rice bag, traditionally made from scrap fabric, called a komebukuro.
schachtspindle.com/blogs/projects/zoom-loom-eclectic-art-bag
Pattern and project suggestions
Wirlie Burn hat by Hazel Tindall
Hazel wrote this pattern for twelve colours but after being asked for the pattern, rewrote it for five colours. The pattern includes both the five and twelve colour versions.
It can be made in a wide variety of sizes, and there are instructions for making it shorter.
www.lovecrafts.com/en-gb/p/wirlie-burn-hat...
Bricker by Anne Hanson
Bricker has a 'robust' brickwork knit/purl pattern that can be read in reverse if, like me, you prefer toe-up. The pattern has four sizes.
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bricker
But is it art...?
Martinez Studio rings in 30 years of weaving
Wenceslao Martinez opened Martinez Studio to the public on 21 August to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
The artist weaves wool-on-wool tapestries using naturally-dyed handspun Churro wool. His weaving is rooted in ancient Zapotec processes and designs.
doorcountypulse.com/martinez-studio-rings-in-30-years-of-weaving
At 94, the pioneering Lee ShinJa weaves a new tradition
Lee ShinJa's New York show, Weaving the Dawn, "showcases several decades' worth of tapestries that challenge the boundaries of the art form".
www.thisiscolossal.com...lee-shinja-tapestries
UK Events
2024
Yarndale
28 - 29 September 2024, Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire
Over 180 makers, craft workers, retailers, and artisans in the picturesque market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire.
yarndale.co.uk
Spinning a Yarn
'Spinning a Yarn' opens at Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury from 14 September to 30 November
An exhibition in the Mapstone Gallery will feature historic collections alongside work by contemporary artists whose work uses wool. The Nicola Turner and Trevor Pitt commissions in the Abbey Barn will close on 2 November.
The project aims to tell the story of wool in Somerset.
swheritage.org.uk/news/spinning-a-yarn
The Wool Event, Masham Sheep Fair
28 - 29 September 2024, 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.
www.mashamsheepfair.com
Shetland Wool Week
29 September - 5 October 2024
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.
shetlandwoolweek.com
West Wales Wool Show
Saturday 12 October 2024, 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.
westwaleswoolshow.weebly.com
Kelly House Woollyl Weekend
12 - 13 October 2024, Kelly House, Lifton, Devon
Many exhibitors from around the South-West and further afield, producers of the finest woollen yarn to felt makers.
www.woollyweekend.co.uk
Bakewell Wool Gathering
19 - 20 October 2024 Bakewell Agricultural Centre
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.
bakewellwool.co.uk
The Glasgow School of Yarn
18 - 20 October 2024, 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.
www.glasgowschoolofyarn.co.uk
The Big Textile Show
26-27 October 2024 Leicester Racecourse, Oadby, Leicester LE2 4AL
30+ trade stalls, 30+ courses, food and free parking.
thebigtextileshow.co.uk
Stitch Fest
2 and 3 November 2024, 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.
www.stitchfest.co.uk
The Knitting and Stitching Show, Harrogate
21 - 24 November 2024, 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.
www.theknittingandstitchingshow.com/harrogate
 
All that remains is for me to thank everyone who blogs, writes articles or posts pictures on the subject of spinning, knitting, crochet or weaving. This newsletter wouldn't exist without them.
Nor would it exist without your support, so thank you for that.
Please share a link to hand-spinning-news.com with anyone who may be interested.
It's always good to hear from readers for any reason and I'd particularly like tip-offs about about any relevant stories, websites or social media accounts that I should be following.
Happy spinning!
Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator
shiela@hand-spinning-news.com
A PeacockMedia publication