It's not unusual to have a specific fibre in mind for a project before discovering that you don't quite have enough. Spin Off have tackled this topic this month. Jennifer has written about finding inspiration for 'stone soup' blending and Angelia about how far you can stretch angora and keep the halo.
Do you sometimes want to break away from the norm? How about a super-bulky yarn? For something more delicate, Judith MacKenzie shows us how to make what she calls wolf yarn. Have you tried Hawser yarn with its bonkers construction?
Read on for all of this and more news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the full round-up for June 2026.
Cover photo: Weaving Silk, Attributed to Kusakabe Kimbei, 1880s - 1890s.
A collection of tartan samples, some 200 years old, have been given to National Museums Scotland (NMS) by Stuart Paton, the great-great grandson of J&D Paton's founder.
www.scotsman.com...tartan-archive-gifted-to-the-nation-8550214
There can be only one term for the letter I in the spinner's alphabet. A classic and enduring colour.
askthebellwether.blogspot.com/2026/06/spinners-alphabet-what-begins-with-i.html
I'm linking to Amelia's 'H' separately because Indigo is so special and her H is so interesting.
Hawser yarn is a new one to me. (I do have the book she mentions, so maybe I've read about this and forgotten. Either way I've not tried it.) It has a fascinating construction.
If you've never spun cotton then this is for you. Rachel has written a thorough introduction with many useful tips.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com/spinning-cotton-a-quiet-shift-in-your-practice
Amelia has written about her approach to judging handspun yarn at shows and fairs.
askthebellwether.blogspot.com...how-is-handspun-yarn-judged-at-fairs.html
Gabi takes a look at what she feels is an underappreciated material. She discusses the two different types that you can buy and has some tips, particularly with pin looms in mind.
I found this piece of cross-stitch archaeology delightful.
On her travels, Sue found this schoolgirl sampler, stitched in wool. We know the girl's name but not much more.
travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com...is-this-old-sampler.html
Rebecca draws some parallels between knitting (I think you could apply this to spinning too) and video gaming.
They both have a stash, many works-in-progress and so on.
Stone soup means stretching your stash. Jennifer has written for Spin Off about where she finds inspiration.
spinoffmagazine.com/finding-inspiration-for-stone-soup-carding
There will never be enough articles like this for me. Like everyone else I've knitted plenty but find it difficult to wear one elegantly.
Sara has suggestions for casual and for formal.
Handwoven have started a series in which readers talk about their background. Katherine Dashner has described her introduction to spinning and how that led to weaving.
This is the start of an incredible project. Fossil Fibers wants to evaluate "numerous types of Llama and Alpaca" for hand spinning. They've gathered seven fleeces from various farms and have given them a scour and made rolags, being very careful to use measured amounts of scouring product.
This long post contains initial observations and comments on making the rolags.
fossilfibers.wordpress.com...camelid-performance-comparisons-part-i
Majacraft are asking you to vote for their bobbin colour of the year for 2026. The chosen colour will be a limited-edition bobbin for your collection.
A plait is an interesting way to finish a woven band. Durham weaver has been experimenting with plaits that have more ends, such as this, her first attempt at a seven-strand plait.
Unfortunately I find the link to the main instructional video broken, but others were easy to find.
She includes more (working) links to videos for other types of plaits as well as one for the whipping to finish the plait.
durhamweaver64.blogspot.com/2026/06/plaiting-seven-strand-plait.html
Hugs for your Head was given this vintage pattern booklet. Some of the patterns seem ridiculous now (and may have done at the time too) but some are intriguing, such as the gloves with a very interesting construction.
Claudia has written this thought-provoking piece about unconsciously body-shaming yourself when you choose pattern sizes.
quiteayarnblog has blogged her first visit with two friends to this particular show.
The second annual Flock Together festival brought together food and fibre and is more of a farm shearing open day than a wool festival.
It looks like a grand day out and a good model for other farms to follow.
Most wheels offer you a choice of flyer ratios - the number of times the flyer will turn for one turn of the drive wheel.
This helps to achieve the twists per inch that you want for your yarn.
Rudy explains how to be more intentional.
spinoffmagazine.com/choosing-the-whorl-to-make-the-yarn-you-want
Earlier we learned a little about stretching fibre ('stone soup'). Here, Angelina talks specifically about angora (rabbit) without losing that characteristic halo. This includes percentages, the type of fibre and spinning technique.
spinoffmagazine.com/how-to-stretch-angora-fiber-in-blends...
What happens if you've finished threading and realise that you've missed a heddle and need to insert one?
This method doesn't harm the new heddle and it can be removed later if necessary.
Thanks to Leigh for this tip, she linked to this instructional video.
This is quite a personal one for me, I hate a crew neck and favour a decent scoop.
These maths apply whether you want to increase a crew neck or reduce a scoop. You may want to first visit part one of this series in which Patty helps you to makes sure that your neck fits over your head in the first place.
If you lose your cross by accident or because you forgot to tie it, Handwoven has this advice.
Boundweave is a weft-faced structure and related to krokbragd. This isn't a tutorial but Lynn has advice about using colour with this weave.
If you've been involved with the guild system, you may have felt it a little dogmatic and that conformity is encouraged rather than experimentation.
Kelly says that when it comes to the 'great debate between strict traditionalism and chaotic experimentation', she falls somewhere in the middle.
Here she tries to break some 'shoulds' and 'musts'.
kellycasanovaweavinglessons.com...you-should-absolutely-break.html
In this video Sarah demonstrates a surprising technique for spinning super bulky yarn.
In the beginning, you may think it hard to spin fine and even but spinning very fat yarn evenly is harder. In this case, Sara's yarn is the thickness of her finger and she'll be using it with a peg loom to make a rug.
She also looks at some inspirational and useful books and explains her process for washing a whole fleece.
Using linen as a warp is notoriously difficult. Christina has some tips.
In this short video, Judith MacKenzie shows how she makes 'wolf yarn', her name for this boucle-like yarn. She spins a core and wraps it at the same time, making for very quick production.
Blended Plies is the fifth in Long Thread's series '5 Ways to Prep an Spin a Braid'.
By the time you read this, John Arbon's Mill Open Weekend (MOW) will be over but you can see the special fibre blends that they created for the weekend here.
The new blends are related to their Seafarer range but the theme is land-based, drawing on the legends and creatures of Dartmoor.
tinyStudio issue 31 is out. This issue focuses on self-sufficiency, tradition and sustainability. Projects lean towards weaving and using up scraps.
This is an incredibly cool idea from Hunter Hammersen. These metal tool cards have needle gauges, rulers, gauge counter and best of all, little snap-out emergency needles and hooks.
They won't be for general sale but are for her 'mail club members', I think there's still time to sign up to her 'Notable Nonsense' tier on Patreon for these as I write this, but check with Hunter first.
Suzy has revealed this pocket-sized kit to weave a 'pocket pouch'. It includes everything you need to make a pocket pouch, including the little loom! There's no sewing, they come off the loom as a complete pouch.
I enjoy Sue's photography, and my excuse for posting these is that there are clues that this double-wheel mill was once also used as a fulling mill. Details are in the blog post.
Quiteayarn visited two local yarn stores in the same week, which both sound like they give a great experience if you're in Wisconsin.
These lamps are made from a biotextile containing food waste.
Bonnie Hvillum explains that biowaste contains many fibres and particles.
This dress and one like it were made from pieces of wood from a 300-year-old shipwreck.
The wood was broken down into pulp and then transformed into cellulose fibres, spun into yarn and knit into two dresses.
The scientist called the wood "surprisingly easy to process".
The brown colour is the natural hue, undyed. The designer has created a woodgrain pattern in the knit.
www.dezeen.com...dress-wood-17th-century-shipwreck-aalto-university
Sometimes just a picture is enough
ForestYarnie made this beret from "leftover yarn from the advent swap spin". The pattern is Classic French Beret by Erika Larner.
Snoopy04 used Yarnadelic fibre from John Arbon in Badi Da. Her project page has a nice collage of the fibre and spun yarn alongside the cardy.
The pattern is Orav Cardigan by Aleks Byrd which seems to be only available in her current book.
This is another one of Sarah's vessels made from self-harvested and handspun milkweed. As usual there are many beautiful photographs in this substack post. And as usual there are many interesting details in the footnotes.
Knit/Wit has finished this Speculoos Sweater in handspun Rambouillet and a mystery wool, both from Southern Cross Fibre.
The pattern is Speculoos Sweater by Elenor Mortensen
It seems appropriate to knit a cat from yarn, in this case hand spun by SkinnyBird.
The pattern is The Parlour Cat by Sara Elizabeth Kellner.
Fitzie used hand-dyed merino cross. Pictures of the dyeing and spinning are here.
The pattern is free, Fadewalker Fingerless Mitts by Elizabeth Abate
www.ravelry.com/projects/fitzie/fadewalker-fingerless-mitts-7
Teresa Sparkman used the combo spin technique for this this pullover, mixing a number of handpainted braids from her stash into a pullover quantity of DK-weight yarn. More details about the spinning are in this article.
Highland Colours has made this chess set from knitted gnomes (gnitted gnomes?)
It's a great idea, although I don't think I could play a game with them, their roles are not very obvious. It's a shame that she didn't buy the large chess board before the reveal.
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Functional objects like this are always seasonal.
My thumbnail shows KatrinaRose's containers. She incorporated some of her handspun yarn with commercial yarn.
Handwoven editors have a few suggestions for portable projects that you can take with you when you travel.
Brèid can be worn as a kerchief or bandana. It's knit in the round and steeked. Kate says that if you're a first-time steeker, this could be the ideal project.
This is a very summery skirt. 1085 - 2585 yards (depending on size) is a lot of knitting and a lot of time at the wheel if you're spinning for it.
It's knit in the round and has twist stitch motifs. I think it looks amazing on the two models of very varying ages.
Kelly says that this pattern is her all-time best seller and in a recent article she lists it as being perfect for beginners, and introduces you to lace weaves through hand manipulation.
Jeanne Vicerial's work "taps into history and femininity". Several of her pieces will appear at various locations around Aix-en-Provence from mid-June to early October.
www.thisiscolossal.com...jeanne-vicerial-incarnation-textiles-sculpture
Batool Showghi's mixed-media work deals with identity and displacement.
Pacita Abad is well-travelled and has seen techniques and materials in over 60 countries. "For me, traveling is my art school", she says.
This collection of work was influenced by the architecture of Yemen following their civil war.
The exhibition is open in New York until 20 June.
These functional lamps are made from handwoven banana fibre. Collecting and processing the fibre is a collaborative act between the artist and local community of weavers.
Some of the works in Roda Medhat's latest exhibition are textiles themselves while others are in modern media such as neon and draw on the patterns of Kurdish rugs.
'From the Loom' was on display in Toronto during May.
eco-activist Lydia Needle uses reclaimed materials to make art with an environmental message, many featuring needle-felted bees.
www.textileartist.org/lydia-needle-a-maker-of-gentle-protests
13-14 June 2026 Magna, Magna Way, Sheffield S60 1FD
Accessible, inclusive, welcoming.
13-14 June 2026, Dilham, Norfolk, NR28 9PT
Hosted by the historic Worstead Guild.
20 - 21 June 2026, 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.
4 - 5 July 2026, 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.
11 - 12 July 2026, Wolverhampton Racecourse
70 top class exhibitors from all over the country in an accessible venue, great food, free parking, workshops, free demos from local guilds, charity magazine stall
25 - 26 July 2026 Redborne School, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, MK45 2NU
over 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.
1 Aug 2026 Whithorn Roundhouse, Dumfries & Galloway
A new event to promote and showcase wool and wool-related crafts. All proceeds to Stranraer Cancer Drop In Centre.
8 - 9 August 2026, Newcastle Racecourse
90 amazing stalls plus a great range of workshops. cafe, demonstrations.
15 August 2026, 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.
22 - 23 August 2026, 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!
12 - 13 September 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
Fri 11 - Sat 12 September 2026, 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.
Sun 20 September 2026, Daniel Owen Centre, Mold, Flintshire
Yarn O'clock & Kath Andrews Designs are delighted to be hosting Yarn Gathering once again for its fifth year.
26 - 27 September 2026, Skipton Auction Mart, North Yorkshire
Over 180 makers, craft workers, retailers, and artisans in the picturesque market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire.
26 - 27 September 2026, 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.
Sat 29 August 2026 Mossley Mill, Antrim and Newtownabbey
This celebration brings the timeless beauty of wool and linen to life through craft, storytelling, and community spirit.
27 September - 6 October 2026
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.
2 - 4 October 2026
A cosy weekend festival for crochet lovers, yarn crafters, and wool enthusiasts. Camp or visit for the day.
Saturday 3 October 2026, 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.
10 - 11 October 2026, The Briggait, 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.
17 - 18 October 2026 Staffordshire County Showground
Bakewell Wool Gathering has moved to Stafford.
Over 100 exhibitors showcasing their skills and offering everything you need. Or take part in workshops to learn and improve on your own skills.
Whether you enjoy spinning, felting, weaving, knitting, or crochet, it's an event you won't want to miss.
14 - 15 November 2026, Sandburn Hall, York YO60 7RB
More details to follow
12-15 November 2026, The Eikon Exhibition Centre
Meet up with like-minded crafters, discuss ideas, learn new skills, find inspiration and shop for your annual craft supplies, including wool, fabric and beyond from big brands and specialist suppliers.
14 - 15 November, National Conference Centre, Birmingham
80 amazing exhibitors from all over the country in a fabulous venue. Free parking, café, free demonstrations from local guilds, charity magazine stall, yarn winding service and plenty of room to sit and chat.
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.
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.
An edited-down version of this particular issue will be available online to everyone else at hand-spinning-news.com later in the month.
The best way to share may be to share a link to the new Patreon page. New readers can become a free member and receive a notification when each free issue is available. The members' page should become an archive of past issues over time. It's also an alternative way for people to become paying supporters. You're very welcome to switch to Patreon if you would prefer.
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
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All issues since January 2015 still exist but due to old and dead links making bad SEO, I had to remove them from public view.
However, Patreon is slowly becoming a new archive. Free members have access to free issues since January '25, and paying members have access to full editions since then.
