Spinning

Is there anything quite so relaxing as spinning? When you start from scratch, you have complete control over each aspect of your yarn: from the fibre, to fibre prep, to the construction. Read articles about sheep breeds, new plying techniques and preparing fleeces for spinning.

Plying on spindles

A portable pleasure

I used to ply all of my spindle spun yarn on my wheel, until I stopped to ask myself why. In this article, we explore the world of plying on spindles.

Magazine 10

Art yarn

Unleash your inner artist

One of our favourite things about handspinning is the fact that you can create yarn with the exact properties you’re after. Sometimes, though, spinning needs to just be fun. In that case, art yarn is the way to go!

Magazine 10

Learn to spin supported

Spin long draw on a spindle

Do you want to learn how to spin on a support spindle? It’s easier than you might think! We’ve broken the learning curve down into a few simple steps.

Magazine 09

Spinning wool and linen yarn

Learn how to blend wool with flax

It may be prohibited in the Hebrew Bible, but yarn made from wool and linen is actually lovely to work with! In this article, we give various tips on how to make this a sinfully pleasant spinning experience.

Magazine 09

Identify your yarn or fabric

Do a burn test or bleach test

As crafters, we’ve all been given some mystery yarn or fabric at some point. Bleach, a lighter and this article; that’s all you need to identify your yarn, fibre or fabric.

Magazine 09

Spinning wheels, explained

Tensioning systems

Scotch tension, Irish tension, double drive… Dutch tension? All of these systems are explained in detail in this article, written in collaboration with Lojan.

Magazine 08

Spinning cotton

Cotton is everywhere

Upland cotton, tree cotton, Levant or Pima cotton, sliver, cotton gins, drawing, mercerized cotton, charkhas and tahklis: cotton seems to have its own language. Discover what all of these terms mean in the article about handspinning cotton.

Magazine 08

Playing with colours

Through plying

We explored many ways to spin colourful yarns through plying. The results might surprise you: have fun spinning cable and crepe yarns.

Magazine 07

Alpaca

Warmer than wool

Have you ever wondered how to treat this camelid fibre? Or do you want to know what this animal has to do with the Incas? In this article, we dive into the history of alpacas and provide all the information you need in order to work with this wonderful fibre.

Magazine 07

Wool from the Netherlands

Many different sheep breeds

Would you know what to do with a Schoonebeeker fleece? Do you know what Zwartbles means? All of these questions and more are answered in the article on Dutch sheep breeds.

Magazine 06

Super soft fibre

With Bonus article about Project Angora

Would you like to know how to spin Angora responsibly? Read all about what to watch out for and how to ethically source Angora spinning fibre.

Magazine 06

Learn to spin

Spindle spinning: modern versus medieval

Modern and medieval spindles are very different, and so are the spinning styles! We’ve compared and analysed them, to see how we can become better spinners.

Magazine 05

A new way

Spinning yarn from scraps

Use up your yarn scraps by turning them into new yarn! A full step-by-step tutorial helps you create wonderful new yarns

Magazine 05

Spinning nettles

Gathering fibres and spinning them

Nettles are a fast-growing and easily found weed, but did you know that the fibres can be spun? We’ve tried four methods of preparing the fibres for spinning. Read about our results in magazine 4.

Magazine 04

Save water when washing fleece

Let bacteria do their thing

Want to wash fleece, but with less effort and water than the traditional soap method? Try the suint method! We’ve explained this method and compared it to the regular soap method of washing dirty fleece.

Magazine 04

Dyeing versus blending

Mixing deep colours

The wool on the left is dyed, the wool on the right is blended with the same pigments. Read the article to figure our how (not) to mix your perfect green.

Magazine 03

Continuous plying

And make more even yarn

It’s hard to find information about this ingenious technique, so we’ve taken matters into our own hands. Read all about how to save time while plying without compromising on the end result.

Magazine 03

Spinning soy fibre

Sustainable silk alternative

Waste from the soy industry can be made into gorgeous fibre. Read all about how it’s produced, how sustainable it really is and how to work with it in our second magazine.

Magazine 02

Opposing ply

Spinning stretchy cotton

Yarns spun from plant fibres is usually inflexible and can be hard on the joins when knitting with it. But if you can spin, you can avoid this issue altogether! Read all about using opposing plies to spin stretchy cotton.

Magazine 02

Leiden broadcloth

A deep dive into its history

Leiden broadcloth is responsible for a large part of Dutch wealth. Read all about the history of this fabric, how it was made and what we can learn from it today in our first magazine.

Magazine 01

Royal sheep

Special French merino wool

Read the story of Rambouillet! This interesting breed has wonderfully soft and bouncy wool, as well as a very interesting history.

Magazine 01

Spinning fractal yarn

Making yarns with incredible colour effects

You may have heard the term “fractal” before, but what does it actually mean? This article explains the theory behind the yarn and how to spin it yourself.

Magazine 01

Want to become a better knitter?

Learn to spin!

Going back to basics and making yarn by hand will teach you how to work with it in a way that simply knitting can’t do. Learn to spin and become a better knitter in the process.

Magazine 01