Hand Spinning News
The lead story this month is Allan Brown's nettle dress project. We've learned about his endeavours before but the documentary film of his story has now been released to cinemas and it has attracted a lot of media attention. One highlight is the Long Thread Media podcast. Anne Merrow's conversation with Allan is an extremely good listen.
3D printing is more accessible than ever and so it's no surprise to see the topic popping up. For example, Jacey looks at the pros and cons of modern 3d-printed bobbins and we see a circular sock knitting machine that you could make for yourself.
As you'd expect at this time of the year, pattern suggestions include warmer garments, in particular a good selection of cowls. There's also some last-minute Halloween knitting.
Read on for more news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the free edition for October 2023.
Find out how to receive the full version of Hand Spinning News in your inbox, earlier than the free edition appears online.
Cover photo: Alisia Luther via Shutterstock.
Contents
In the media
Cowichan sweater film documents a traditional garment and the knitters who make them
Director Mary Galloway has made a documentary for TV that explores the history of the sweaters in the Cowichan and Saanich territories on Vancouver Island and the traditional knitters from these communities.
Mary's grandfather wore a Cowichan sweater and one of her goals was to research that sweater. She found the person who has the pattern and they were able to recreate it.
If you're outside the areas that the film is shown, this page has a lot of information.
windspeaker.com...film-documents-legacy-traditional-garment...
Recent events
Warm welcome for Shetland Wool Week at Clickimin
Shetland Wool Week ran from 23 September to 1 October. The opening ceremony was held at Clickimin with a local band kicking off a week of woolly workshops, tours and stalls.
Makers met at Shetland Museum where a new exhibition, "Casting On" is running through October. It is a celebration of all the designs from this year's Shetland Wool Week Annual, as well as the stories, heritage and connections behind each piece.
www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2023/09/25/warm-welcome-for-wool-week-at-clickimin
Petulia Shawl launched at Yarndale
Kath Andrews designed the Petulia shawl for RiverKnits. They launched the pattern with their yarn at Yarndale on 23 and 24 September. It's said to be "super cosy".
I don't know when and where the pattern will be available but I'll be looking out for it.
kathandrewsdesigns.com/2023/09/26/launch
What in the wool is the Golden Shears World Championship?
The Golden Shears Shearing and Woolhandling Competition is an international event held at various locations every 2-4 years.
The Championships were first held in England in 1977 and most recently in June at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
www.interweave.com/article/knitting/golden-shears-2023
Handspun stories
Finger-manipulated weaving techniques
Finger-manipulated is a group of weaving techniques where the weaver's fingers or a pick-up stick manipulates the threads.
This series is a fascinating and inspiring look at leno and Mexican lace, Spanish Lace, Brooks Bouquet and in this final part, Danish Medallions.
This post has links at the top to the other three parts in the series.
florafiber.live/blog/finger-manipulated-weaves-part-4
What's the best way to estimate yardage for mystery yarn? Six techniques tested
For 'mystery yarn' you could read 'handspun yarn' because that of course never comes with a label stating the yardage.
Fiber Sprite Pamela has made an in-depth analysis of six methods of measuring your yarn and rates them for accuracy, ease of use and maths required.
The page contains a 15 minute video as well as all of the information in text, pictures and tables.
www.fibersprite.com...yardage-for-mystery-yarn-6-techniques-tested
What do yarn numbers mean?
Following on beautifully from that story and also featuring the McMorran balance is this article from Amy Tyler which looks at the more common ways to measure yarn; grist, wraps per inch and weight / plies.
spinoffmagazine.com/measuring-knitting-yarn
Water retting
Retting is the process of removing the fibres from the woody flax stem.
Josefin usually uses dew-retting but that has its perils. This time she tried water retting her flax harvest in a 'fake creek' made from a kiddy pool.
waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/water-retting
Celebrating the black sheep of the yarn world
"Colour variations can result in some very interesting yarns without the aid of a dyepot", says Jennifer Johnson of Whispering Pines Farm.
Historically, white sheep have been most prized but despite the selective breeding over the years, there are many natural colours, more usually processed by smaller mills.
farmfiberknits.com/celebrating-the-black-sheep-of-the-yarn-world
What do you do when you see red?
It's a surprising fact that although we associate the colour green with nature, it's one of the most difficult colours to achieve with natural dyes.
Anne Merrow presents this and some other surprising natural dye facts.
spinoffmagazine.com/what-do-you-do-when-you-see-red
Holiday knitting and charity shop bargains
Thanks to Sue for this post which may inspire you to visit Devon.
Sue found time for some outdoor spinning (until bad weather stopped play) and knitting handspun yarn during her holiday. She also made some good finds at the lace museum, other shops and charity shops; books, kits and decorated plates, all of which she shows here.
travelfibreandthread.blogspot.com...holiday-knitting-and-charity-shop.html
Spooky Spin
This is the special colourway Season of the Witch from the1764shepherdess. It's no longer available but you may like to join me in following the hashtag #spookyspin15in23 to see the yarn that participants spin from it.
www.instagram.com/explore/tags/spookyspin15in23
To thwack or not to thwack
Suzy published an article about the benefits (or not) of thwacking yarns in the May 2023 tinyStudio magazine. It's a subject that provokes discussion and so she has published the article here on her blog.
She takes an experimental approach, spinning samples of different breeds and a blend, and then thwacked one skein of each while simply hanging the other up to dry.
If the topic is new to you, she also explains how to thwack your yarn.
www.fiberygoodness.com/2023/10/to-thwack-or-not-to-thwack
Tips and tutorials
Hand carding specialty rolags
Jacqueline Harp demonstrates that you can use hand carders to make speciality yarns.
This free guide is a downloadable pdf and explains how to make rolags for tweed, for gradient yarn and art yarn.
resources.schachtspindle.com/news/august-2023
Pick up and knit or just pick up: what's the difference?
I confess that I've been using one of these two methods without realising that there's an alternative.
Sandi Rosner explains both techniques, compares the results and answers the question of which one you use if the pattern doesn't make it clear.
www.interweave.com/article/knitting/pick-up-and-knit-vs-just-pick-up
Choosing your first spinning wheel
If you're still relatively new to spinning and are considering your first wheel, then this will be a useful read.
Debbie Held says that there is no "best wheel for new spinners" and that you may feel overwhelmed with the choice.
She sets out the things that you should consider with plenty of advice.
www.schoolofsweetgeorgia.com/choosing-your-first-spinning-wheel
Products and Reviews
The Lost Flock by Jane Cooper
The Lost Flock: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman's Journey to Save Scotland's Original Sheep is reviewed here by Jillian Moreno, who calls it an Indiana Jones-style adventure for wool people who like research.
Since Jane first learned about Boreray sheep, she has moved to Orkney, set up a smallholding and the sheep have become her life. She learned that some of her sheep were historically significant and her goal has been to save this rare breed.
I couldn't link directly to the book review on this page, so you'll need to scroll down.
knitty.com/ISSUEdf23/FEATdf23CS/FEATdf23CS.php
Video and audio
Technology
Building a string art machine
Paul MH has made a robot that creates string art from photos. He even tried dyeing the thread as it passed through the machine for multicoloured images. In this video he takes us through the development process. It's fascinating to see the problems he encountered and how he solved them.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPYEd50j3s0
3D printing a sock knitting machine
Joshua De Lisle has designed a circular sock knitting machine that you can 3D print.
The video shows his development of the machine which is fascinating.
There's still work to do because he wasn't able to turn the heel but the design is open so that others can contribute and improve it.
He mentions the low value of freshly shorn wool and speculates about how this situation could be improved.
For the first few minutes he's reviewing a new printer, so my link includes a timecode to skip that.
youtu.be/2y1gakl4IEw?si=rvEKBbTIfz1Hea4M&t=135
Turning wood into clothes
Janne Poranen has developed a technique to convert wood fibres into fibre that can be spun into yarn.
Unlike some of the cellulose fibres that we're familiar with, Spinnova is mechanically processing the wood without dissolving the material. The process uses much less water and has lower CO2 emissions than cotton.
physicsworld.com...physicists-turning-wood-into-clothes
Gallery
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Handspun Confetti Cowl
woolandfabric has made this cowl from her own handspun yarns and says that "it is lovely".
The pattern is called Confetti Cowl. However, I've found a number of patterns with that name and can't identify the right one. Please let me know if you know.
www.instagram.com/p/CxPguYmtjI7
Desert road
This wall hanging was based on a road in the Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.
It's one of five recent pieces by Adrienne Lee of Painted Sky Textiles.
My main link goes to Instagram where you can see lots of pictures of these works in progress.
www.instagram.com/p/Cxs8rWgOJ9f/
Jacob and company
The realisation that a heathered yarn wasn't something that could be dyed, but had to be spun was a game-changer for Karen Hoover.
She started to sample wool in natural colours and this soon turned into a blanket project.
The story with photographs is here on Ply magazine's site.
plymagazine.com/2023/10/jacob-company
Local moorland
Janet's Cardy represents her area. The Lleyn fleece is dyed to represent her local moorland: heath, heather, lichen, rusty ironstone, earth and peat. The sheep are made from Northumberland Portland and Shetland flocks.
www.instagram.com/p/Cvo9liSoBeh
Cartridge belt rib cardigan
VancouverRobin looks happy with her cardigan but says "I still feel as though it's a bit of a dull, boring sweater". However, she does call the
John Arbon Yarnadelic Tops in Black Gold of the Sun "a terrific JAT colourway".
The pattern is her own.
www.ravelry.com...hand-spun-falklands-cartridge-belt-rib-cardigan...
Free patterns and projects
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
Brielle by Debbie West
The Knitty magazine for 'deep fall' 2023 is out. The spinning content has been cut back recently so I'm pleased to see such an attractive pattern this time that's specifically designed for handspun yarn.
Brielle is a close-fitting, shaped V-neck jumper. It's fairly plain and has a cable down the centre to add just enough interest.
It's made top-down, allowing to you try it on as you go and adjust accordingly.
The suggested fibre is Coopworth wool roving but the pattern says that "any DK-weight wool or wool blend will work nicely". You'll need to spin 800 - 1970 yards of 13WPI yarn depending on size. The pattern shows the jumper in two different colours.
knitty.com/ISSUEdf23/PATTbrielle/PATTbrielle.php
35+ fast and unique crochet coaster patterns
Coasters are a quick and easy stashbuster.
Jess has collected a surprising variety of over 35 patterns.
makeanddocrew.com/crochet-coasters
Ruffled Cravat Socks by Kate Sawatsky
These socks have a heavier texture to trap warmth. They're made with fingering-weight yarn on 2.75mm needles.
They only have one size, which I guess you can adjust to some extent with gauge.
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ruffled-cravat-socks
Pattern and project suggestions
Happy To See Ewe by Simone Van Iderstine
This delightful pattern is written with two options; three colours per round or two colours per round and the addition of the third colour with duplicate stitch.
It uses 477 - 573 yards altogether of DK-weight (11 wpi) yarn.
As an introductory offer, this pattern has 20% off until 22 September, no coupon required.
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happy-to-see-ewe
The 'Flat Out Woolly' range
In collaboration with her partner Tom, Woolly has begun releasing a range of patterns for accessories which match her hats.
These patterns are worked flat and allow you to try out some of Wooly's techniques and distinctive designs without worrying too much about gauge or fit.
payhip.com/WoollyWormhead/collection/flat-out-woolly-range
Fairlee by Tabetha Hedrick
This top is perfect for autumn, It looks summery and has an attractive shape but has cables using worsted-weight yarn, so will be cosy.
It'll need 1000 - 1800 yards depending on size, which goes from 35 - 65 inch bust.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com/shop/fairlee
glasstower by Anne Hanson
This handsome cowl is mosaic-knitted in DK-weight yarn.
The pattern has two sizes which use 120 or 300 yards of main colour and 80 or 200 yards of contrast colour.
www.barenakedwools.com/products/glasstower
Raffle by Anne Hanson
Raffle is a unisex cowl or scarf pattern with a knit/purl stitch pattern which makes a deep texture.
It has three sizes and is designed for fingering-weight yarn
www.barenakedwools.com/products/raffle
Funnel Vision Cowl by Sarah Jordan
Funnel Vision is a cozy brioche-stitch cowl with a flare that can sit neatly on the shoulders.
It closes the gap between cowl and coat and gives the appearance of a turtleneck sweater.
Sarah says that it's the "perfect pattern if you've mastered basic brioche and want to expand your skills a bit".
It requires 137 - 274 yards of a bulky (7 wpi) yarn.
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/funnel-vision-cowl
Easy Weaving with Little Looms Winter 2023
The winter issue of Easy Weaving with Little Looms is now available in print or digital download and has a fairy tale theme.
There are 18 enticing patterns and five features including wet finishing and warping with linen without tears.
littlelooms.com/an-enchanting-issue-winter-2023
But is it art...?
Zoë Buckman
Tended is an exhibition of large embroidered works by Zoë Buckman. She works from photographs of personal moments.
This is an interview with Zoë and includes pictures of several of the works.
www.thisiscolossal.com/interviews/zoe-buckman
Miguel Arzabe's woven bestiaries
At first I thought 'acrylic' referred to yarn but the artist is first reproducing a pair of modernist paintings which he cuts into strips to weave with, leaving the original images unrecognisable and creating new images containing fantastic creatures.
www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/09/miguel-arzabe-animales-familiares
Amber Griffiths anatomical embroidery art
Amber Griffiths makes anatomical embroidery art. This is her digestive system. The video I'm linking to is a mesmerising timelapse showing the process.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ct1sxcYvssO/
The 100 Year Climate Yarn
The 100 Year Climate Yarn is a project by artist Sandra Lepore. She has spent two years crocheting and embroidering 100 years of Adelaide's daily maximum temperature in 100 percent Australian yarn.
There is a lot of information, including comments from Sandra on the City of Adelaide's website.
The piece is currently on show at the City of Burnside's Civic Centre Atrium, alongside a show of Native Animal Textile Wall Art by Neva Jones.
My main link goes to the 100 Year Climate Yarn Facebook group where there are lots of photographs.
www.facebook.com/MyClimateYarn
UK Events
2023
Bakewell Wool Gathering
14 - 15 October 2023 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
Kelly House Woollyl Weekend
14 - 15 October 2023, 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
The Glasgow School of Yarn
20 - 22 October 2023, 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
Kendal Wool Gathering
Last weekend of October 2023, Kendal Town Hall
Kendal Wool Gathering mixes demonstrations, fun activities and displays, all connected to the cloth on which the town's wealth was built.
All things woolly - exhibitions, patterns, demonstrations.
www.kendalwoolgathering.co.uk
Stitch Fest
4 and 5 November, 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
Yorkshire Yarn Fest
26 November 2023, 10 - 4, Sandburn Hall, York YO60 7SG
This is a one day festival on Sunday 26 November. There are timed ticket entrance slots but once in you can stay all day.
In three rooms with a lift to first floor room and workshops.
www.yorkshireyarnfest.com
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.
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
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