Skeins of yarn have a beauty all their own, yet in my humble opinion, they don't really come to life until they're used in a project. In addition, that final…
True confession: I am not a designer or an artist. I make stuff from other people's patterns. My training didn't happen in art school; it comes from a few spinning…
Have you ever fallen in love with a braid of hand-dyed fiber and then wondered what on earth to do next? I have experienced this phenomenon more times than I…
I was thrilled when the folks at Schacht asked me to participate in Schacht’s 50th anniversary fun with a blog post, and even more excited when I learned I’d be…
When people ask me what I like about spinning, I tell them that I love having complete control over the whole process, and that I can make any yarn that…
If you’ve avoided spinning cotton on your wheel because of the fiber’s reputed need for special equipment or you’ve heard that it’s a difficult spin, have I got news for…
After my last post on spinning fractal yarn, I wasn't quite happy with the idea. The premise of the technique is sound, but it isn't truly a fractal in the…
I can’t think of a better summer project than a handspun, handwoven, and handstitched lavender sachet. All of the pieces are small and portable; you don’t need much yarn, and…
I can’t get enough color in my life! My favorite thing is to spin hand-dyed top because there are so many different ways the colors can play out. I’ve been…
Storage bobbins make my yarn better. I’ve been using storage bobbins and a bobbin winder for years, but only recently realized how indispensable they have become to my spinning. Having…
To fix noisy bobbins use white grease lubricant (available at most hardware stores). Place the bobbin on the flyer shaft. Then place a small amount of white grease on either…
First check to see if there is a 1/16" - 1/8" gap between the lip of the flyer and the orifice bearing. If there isn't a gap: Release the front…
This year marks five years since I began spinning. Over the years I have progressed (as most spinners do) from spinning chunky and uneven yarns to finer and more consistent…
You're at the fiber show, and you see a braid of fiber that has to come home with you. You get it home and look at it and realize…
When Krysten from Gherkin's Bucket showed me the new colorway she dyed up for this collaboration, I was floored! The stunning blues, greens, greys, and browns are a perfect way…
For our fiber collaboration this month, I had the pleasure of working with Into the Whirled (bio below). This month, I wanted to try my hand at spinning beaded yarn. There are…
Want to spin art yarn? Want to Navajo Ply? Want to spin really fat yarn? Want to ply a lot of yarn onto a bigger bobbin? Then, the Bulky Plyer…
Clean and oil your wheel. This is a good rule for any project, but especially when you want to spin a fine yarn. Take the bobbin off your flyer and…
Beth Smith and Jillian Moreno live about 30 minutes from each other and spend a lot of spinning time together, trading ideas and cheering each other on. Recently, the two…
Beth Smith and Jillian Moreno live about 30 minutes from each other and spend a lot of spinning time together, trading ideas and cheering each other on. Recently, the two…
Beth Smith and Jillian Moreno live about 30 minutes from each other and spend a lot of spinning time together, trading ideas and cheering each other on. Recently, the two…
Here at Schacht Spindle Company, we are no strangers to using handspun yarn in our projects. For many of us in the office, we rarely buy yarn, because our handspun…
Beth Smith and Jillian Moreno live about 30 minutes from each other, and spend a lot of spinning time together, trading ideas and cheering each other on. Recently, the two…
Though I know summer is just around the corner, it is still chilly here and has been wet (which is actually lovely for this time of year), but soon it will…
Recently Rebecca Mezoff and I went sheep shearing. This is one of my favorite times of year. The coats of the sheep are big and fluffy around their pregnant bellies.…
When we weave and spin, we create something new. From nature, we gather that which appears to be formless and apply the uniquely human work of our hearts, hands, and…
Pam spinning at the Denver Art Museum during Spinzilla The opportunity to work at Schacht Spindle Company presented itself to me this summer, and two weeks before starting, Jane Patrick…
It is almost always intimidating to me to work with handspun. Whether it's mine or spun by somebody else, I find myself paralyzed with anxiety. After the immediate fear of…
With Spinzilla a month behind us, I finally have found time to explain how I managed to blend two colors of bamboo fiber into a five-hue shift ombre yarn. Ombre and…
A guide to fine-tuning your tension to make the yarn you want. Your treadle speed, your drive ratio, and your tension all contribute to being able to spin different fibers into different yarns…
