Hand Spinning News
Dealing with a fleece is no small task but JoAnn has what she calls a scandalously easy technique for washing it. If that still sounds like too much work then maybe Alpaca will suit you better since it's also soft and warm but doesn't contain lanolin. Alternatively you could turn to the plant fibres. In her latest video, Jillian Eve has received some long line flax which was grown by a friend. She does some preparation, spins it into linen and we learn a lot about the fibre along the way.
If you're a spindle person then Devin has written about their love affair with the low-whorl spindle this month and Amelia reaches S in her spinner's alphabet and takes the opportunity to write about her collection.
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Read on for all of this and more news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the free round-up for November 2026.
Cover photo: The Spinster, Nicolaes Maes (pupil of Rembrandt), PD
Contents
Handspun stories
A Jane you should know
I was so happy to see long-time Team HSN member Jane Cooper featured here in Jillian's article for MDK.
Jane moved into a croft on Orkney in 2013 and thought she'd keep a few sheep for her spinning needs. That turned into a flock of rare and historically-important Boreray.
Jane's passionate about British wool and preserving and promoting this particular breed.
There's loads of information here about Jane, the sheep, her work and her book.
www.moderndailyknitting.com...jane-cooper-she-saved-the-boreray-sheep
John Southworth Prescott wheel
Spinner teakdecks bought this incredible-looking wheel at auction.
The maker is John Southworth Prescott. He made many one-off wheels; this one in 1994. Sadly he has now passed and the family auctioned a number of them.
"She spins well in my inexpert opinion", says teakdecks.
There's much chat about the auction and this wheel in the UK Spinners group, see 'For sale - chat / feedback' and 'chat thread'.
www.ravelry.com/people/teakdecks/stash/john-southworth-prescott-wheel
Colours
After accidentally buying black beans, ewespecial discovered that the water she soaked them in held a great colour. She found that she could modify it using vinegar and ended up with silk roving dyed two different colours from one pot of beans as well as a dish of rice and beans.
ewespecial.blogspot.com...colors.html
Six ways to spin alpaca fleece
Donna says that as handspinners, we have the opportunity to use each individual fleece to its best ability. Here are six ways to approach a fleece that may be less than ideal.
spinoffmagazine.com/six-ways-to-spin-alpaca-fleece
Mrs. Armstrong's amazing scrapbook
You may remember that Jeni had discovered that you can order up to five items from the V&A's collection to study.
One of the items that she booked for her last visit was a scrapbook with clues to the identity of the owner. It's dated 1844 and the owner was a Mrs Armstrong, originally of Ireland. Jeni has taken pictures of many of the fascinating items within.
www.moderndailyknitting.com...armstrongs-amazing-scrapbook
Tips and tutorials
Holding yarns together
You may hold multiple yarns together while knitting in order to create a heavier yarn but the technique can also be used to blend or marl two colours or add texture.
It's very easy to do and this page on Tin Can Knits has lots of examples and ideas.
blog.tincanknits.com...holding-yarns-together
Scandalously easy scouring
Washing a fleece is no small task. JoAnn gets back to basics and spends as little time and effort as possible.
This method may not be suitable for all fleeces but her results do look impressive.
spinoffmagazine.com...method-for-washing-wool
Switching between yarns on pin looms
After using your 3-pin-style pin loom for a while you may wonder whether you can use multiple colours in one square and the answer is yes.
Christina explains how to change colour and has some examples of the effects you can achieve.
littlelooms.com...switching-between-yarns-on-3-pin-style-pin-looms
Products and Reviews
Video and audio
My friend grew this flax
JillianEve received this long line flax which was grown by a friend. In this video she does some preparation and spins it into linen.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZtdnHlaUg8
Technology
Introducing the Garment GUI
Researchers from Singapore have revealed a garment with a touchscreen woven into the fabric of its sleeve.
They created a thin 'fibre' containing LEDs and thousands of other interconnected components. Once woven into a garment it creates a 6" x 4" touch screen that can receive voice commands and communicate over bluetooth if the video can be believed. It's claimed to work after 50 washes. There's no word about how it's powered.
www.popsci.com/technology/touchscreen-shirt
Fabric pigment created by bacteria
I don't know whether to categorise this story as technology or art, since the project was developed for designers, artists and collaborators to "create new forms of material and aesthetic expression".
Designer Neri Oxman has created a fabric dyeing concept where a bacterial solution sprayed onto fabric and left to grow produces indigo and pink pigments.
www.dezeen.com...neri-oxman-vigils-fabric-silk-pigment
Gallery
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Tweedy tani cardigan
Thanks to Thread Head Joanne for loads of detail and pictures of the yarn prep and spinning. She blended brown and white from local fleeces and made some batts that contained cut-up handspun scraps for flecks of colour and some batts that included sparkle. She spun these separately to end up with a two-ply with different inclusions in each ply.
Joanne won the pattern in Tour de Fleece '25. It's TANi by ANKESTRiCK.
She's "so happy" with the way it turned out. The yarn is softer than she expected.
joanne-threadhead.blogspot.com/2026/11/week-44-of-2026.html
Free patterns and projects
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
The Brenda Cardigan by Mary Thomas
This is a long lace cardy in worsted-weight yarn.
The pattern is available on the page that I'm linking to. Alternatively, there's a free Ravelry download.
With thanks to Peony for the suggestion.
redfiberfiend.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
Christmas cards with inkle bands
This is not so much a pattern as some instructions and suggestions for little Chrismas trees that can be used as card decorations or tree decorations.
Susan will be running a workshop in November but has provided a guide here on her blog.
durhamweaver64.blogspot.com...christmas-cards-with-inkle-bands.html
One-night hat by Susan Ashcroft
The designer notes that this knits up quickly but looks interesting. Also that it works with any handspun yarn; semi-solid, variegated, striping, gradient.
The Ravelry page contains some links to messy bun versions and a cowl.
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/one-night-hat
But is it art...?
Amine El Gotaibi
"Wind knows neither North nor South. Neither East nor West," says El Gotaibi. "It moves freely across territories, indifferent to the categories that divide them."
This is Amine El Gotaibi's first solo exhibition. It's at Southern Guild, New York.
The sculptures use wool and metal.
southernguild.com/exhibitions/wind-from-the-north
Dozens of curious artworks created with human hair
Leila Cohoon collected hairworks. She was passionate about Victorian hair art. She preserved the techniques and taught them to others. Her collection included artworks and jewellery created from human hair.
Leila passed away in 2024 and her collection has been donated to the Morbid Anatomy Library, Brooklyn.
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dozens-of-curious-artworks...
Eszter Bornemisza
Eszter Bornemisza takes inspiration from city maps, real and imagined. She has developed a process that combines traditional textile techniques with experimental approaches to paper pulp making and casting, printing, painting, cutting and machine stitching.
www.textileartist.org/eszter-bornemisza-reimagining-paper-cloth
Helen Hallows
Helen works with mixed media; paper collages, paint and stitch. More recently she's returned to using fabric.
She's inspired by nature although her work is becoming more abstract.
She has recently published her sketchbooks.
www.textileartist.org/helen-hallows-the-nurtured-artist
Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
The late Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson described the process she used for her books as RagGonNon. She used a mixture of found materials to make books, textiles and dolls.
Fort Gansevoort is showing 40 of the late artist's works later this month in an exhibition called Beaded and Bound.
www.fortgansevoort.com/exhibitions/aminah-brenda-lynn-robinson3
Knitalian: Kate Jenkins creates Italian deli
Kate Jenkins' exhibition, Kate's Knitalian, has filled Air Contemporary in Ham Yard with knitted, embroidered and crocheted food.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvze4zy3ng10o
The Living Architecture of Memory at Morocco's Venice Biennale 2026 Pavilion
For Morocco's pavilion at the Venice Biennale, artist Amina Agueznay made an installation whose name means 'ritual weaving'. It's comprised of wool, raffia and embroidered threads.
artafricamagazine.org...moroccos-venice-biennale-2026-pavilion
UK Events
2026
SAORI VIII
5 - 26 November 2026, downstairs at designermakers21, St Nicholas Street, Diss
This exhibition brings together weavers from around East Anglia showcasing hangings and wall pieces, clothing, accessories and more.
www.instagram.com/p/DfScwohkcR-
Knit + Stitch, Harrogate (previously The Knitting and Stitching Show)
19 - 22 November 2026, 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
NCCS Winter Exhibition
24 November - 6 December 2026, 10am - 4pm daily. St Margaret's Gallery, St Benedict's Street, Norwich
A selling exhibition by members of Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society with workshops and demonstrations.
www.norfolkcontemporarycraft.co.uk
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.
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Happy spinning!
Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator
shiela@hand-spinning-news.com
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