Exploring the world of fiber, one draft at a time

My posting can be as frequent or infrequent as my spinning, so be as patient as that fiber, sitting in my stash.

Tuesday, October 09, 2018

YST Episode 155 Stitches Midwest


Links to vendors mentioned in the podcast:

Stitches events in general Atlanta Ga event May 30-June 2 2019 Stitches United is on that page too.

Youghiogheny Yarns Keri Fosbrink dyer

Fiberlady bamboo fiber

Buffalo Wool Co Buffalo wool yarn and fiber

Franklin Habit

Shirsty Cat Designs Merino silk fiber

2 Guys Yarn Company

Soak Flatter spray

Lost City knits Denise Bell 
Applecross Highland shawl Ravelry pattern

Knitted Knockers

knitbahpurl

Stevenbe

Vintage Lace book by Gladys Amedro

The video blogger I mentioned is Quayln Stark and he blogs on youtube.  The stitches midwest podcast can be found here

I talk about a fiber processor  but failed to mention the name. The farm business is called Alpaca Pines and their website can be found here.

There was a what I called a wood ball winder that I was unable to find online to show you. I have found out since that this item has another use, which is to hold the ball of yarn wound on to it as you knit. So the concept for it I think is to wind the yarn on it from a skein and then let it sit near you as you knit, it will rotate release the yarn. No balls of yarn rolling away from you.

I was not able to find any 1500 yard one dye lot skeins of yarn online, like I saw in the market. I think this concept is a custom dye project, so if interested contact your favorite dyer, see if they can purchase the yarn in the large skein and dye it for you.

 

 

 

 


Here's the latest episode

Monday, September 03, 2018

YST Episode 154


In this discussion of what I did during the 2018 Tour de Fleece, I talk about the wool breed Zwartbles, spinning buffalo fiber on a drop spindle and finally a very rare breed of wool, Dor Galen.

The buffalo fiber was included in the Clouds of Luxury from the Etsy store Sericin

The Dor Galen fiber was purchased at a fiber festival several years ago from Sandy Ferguson's Dyed in the Wool   

Dor Galen is no longer available, the horned dorset at the bottom of the above linked page is probably a good close substitute.

 


Here's the latest episode

Friday, August 17, 2018

YST Episode 153 TdF2018 Part 1


My favorite time of the spinning year, the Tour de Fleece event.  As promised, here is the review of what I spun this year.

This is part one of the two part podcast.

A few links.  To see photos of all of the lovely fibers and yarns I talked about, go to my group in Ravelry, yarnspinners spin in and look at the TdF2018 thread in the discussions.  You must be signed into Ravelry for the link to work.

Links to the fiber artists whose fiber I spun and talked about are:

A Star is Shorn  the Etsy store.  I spun a superwash merino 

Fellview Fibres  the source of the wool/silk rolags I spun for the first challenge day.

 

 


Here's the latest episode

Wednesday, July 04, 2018

YST Episode 152


When I find that a podcast has no specific topic, but many different stories, I call them a spin-in.  I also likened this to writing you a letter, dear listener! But mostly it feels like when we gather together with our spinning wheels and spin and talk.  One never really knows what the conversations will be.

I catch you up on my recent projects, spinning and otherwise, tell you about a few things I read online, rant a bit about books and bookcases, and end with the promise of lots of spinning to come as I participate in this years TdF on Ravelry.

I took time to update the episode list last month, so if you want to find a specific topic in a podcast, check out that list.  It will show the date the podcast was released.  Use that date to find the podcast in the archives on this website.


Here's the latest episode

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Updated Episode Listing

Epi # Topic                                Date

1 Using Combs/Shetland              10/28/07
2 Spin In General Chatter            11/13/07
3 Raising Angora Rabbits             12/01/07
4 Christmas music only                12/16/07
5 Spinning Angora                       01/18/08
6 Border Leicester and BFL           02/02/08
7 Skirting a Shetland Fleece         02/16/08
8 Cheviot and Corriedale              03/02/08
9 Washing a fleece                      04/02/08
10 Finn and Perendale                 04/22/08
11 Book reviews                          05/09/08
12 Cotton Dyeing part 1 Chemical 05/30/08
13 Cotton dyeing part 2 Natural    06/01/08
14 Cormo and Montadale              06/20/08
15 Cotton prep and spinning         07/08/08
16 Romney and Targhee               07/31/08
17 Andean Ply, Fleece Picking        08/17/08
          Spinning Bulky yarn
18 CVM and Maine Island Sheep    09/01/08
19 Wheels and how they work       09/16/08
20 Navajo Churro and Jacob          09/30/08
21 Felting a fleece, faking pelts     10/27/08
22 Alpaca                                    10/31/08
23 Drop Spindles                          12/20/08
24 Spinning and Dyeing Silk          01/25/09
25 Cashgora                                 01/31/09
26 Woolen vs Worsted spinning     02/15/09
27 Tunis and Karakul                    03/14/09
28 Dyeing wool Discolored fleece   03/30/09
29 Spaelsau and Icelandic             04/23/09
30 Plying                                     04/30/09
31 Bamboo and tencel                  05/16/09
32 Silk, Soy and Milk fibers           06/01/09
33 Dog hair,Spinning DesignerYarn 06/22/09
       Review of Intentional Spinner
34 Carding and Blending fibers      07/07/09
35 Angora rabbits and the heat     07/31/09
          Washing alpaca fiber
36 Spinning with a Charkha          08/21/09
37 Southdown,Polworth                09/13/09
          Setting up a wheel to spin
38 Selecting a wool fleece             10/10/09
39 Selecting non wool fiber,storing fiber
       An original ghost story           10/24/09
40 Spinning for a specific yarn       11/21/09
41 Discussing grist                       11/29/09
42 Changing yarn size by adjusting 12/18/09
                       tension
43 Spinners block unlocking creative 01/20/10
                     juices
44 Fiber Fairs                                04/05/10
45 Coopworth and Polypay             04/18/10
46 Spinning tools                           05/08/10
47 Natural Dyeing book reviews      05/31/10
48 Planning a dye day                    06/22/10
49 Carbonized bamboo TdF            07/12/10
            history of wheels I own
50 Saran Wrap dyeing                    08/14/10
51 Dyeing for specific colors           08/28/10
          tertiary color study
52 Natural dyeing with walnut leaves 09/28/10
53 Front porch spinning Creativity    10/23/10
54 Color Theory with digitaldurga     11/10/10
55 Color Theory part 2                    11/10/10
56 Blending the Tertiary colors        01/10/11
57 Blending Hackle                         01/29/11
58 Types of Fiber combs                  02/14/11
59 Washing and combing 5 breeds   02/28/11
60 Spinners' single study                 04/07/11
           Forsyth product review
61 A new Wheel Majacraft Aura        05/07011
62 Black Welsh Mountain Clun Forest 05/17/11
63 Lock and fold spinning                 06/02/11
64 Oogie McGuire interview BWM breed 07/22/11
65 A podcast for knitters who want to 08/20/11
           become spinners
66 Learning the Aura and beaded yarn 08/21/11
67 Spinning Woolen                           10/05/11
Special Episode Happy fourth Year YST  10/15/11
Promo podcast for The Spinners Journal 11/05/11
68 Interviews with two scholar spinners 11/16/11
69 Leicester longwool, lincoln longwool  01/07/12
         spinning DVD review and Stitches East
70 Drum Carding projects                    02/21/12
71 Digital Sheep                                  03/31/12
72 Support Spindles                            04/28/12
73 Chatting with Fiber folks                  05/26/12
74 Let the Spinning Begin                    07/02/12
                     Tour de fleece 2012
75 The Wheel Keeps Spinning TdF12     07/05/12
76 Listen to your inner spinner TdF12    07/08/12
77 Is it rest day yet? TdF12                  07/11/12
78 Two types of plying TdF12               07/15/12
79 How the fiber speaks to me TdF12   07/18/12
80 Fractal spinning and finished yarn    08/02/12
81 The finish line TdF12                       08/07/12
82 California Red and combing CVM      08/16/12
83 Ryeland and Salish                         09/17/12
84 Positive Spin YST on Stash naming  10/05/12
85 Five year anniversary podcast          10/31/12
86 Katahdan review and porch spin in   12/10/12
87 A Fresh Start Review of 2012 spinning 12/31/12
88 Exchanges, an angora spinning          01/27/13
                       exchange
89 Thin, thinner, thinnest, a froghair       02/04/13
                   spinning exchange
90 Plying with commercial yarns             03/16/13
91 The more I teach, the more I learn     04/26/13
92 Chain plying (navajo plying)               05/31/12
93 Preparing for TdF 2013                      06/25/13
94 TdF13 day 1 and 2                            07/02/13
95 TdF13 days 3 thru 5                          07/06/13
96 TdF13 days 6 thru 9                          07/09/13
97 TdF13 traveling with baby                  07/19/13
98 TdF13 final report                              07/30/13
99 Book Review Hand Designs for           09/09/13
              Spinners and Knitters
100 Finishing yarn                                 10/20/13
101 Machine Washing alpaca                  01/11/14
102 Spinning alpaca                              01/30/14
103 Norfolk Horn                                   02/11/14
104 White faced Woodland                     02/14/14
105 Portland fiber                                  02/18/14
106 Ravellenic spinning                          02/22/14
107 Manx Loaghton and Hill Radnor         03/16/14
108 Dyeing Alpaca                                 04/24/14
109 Greencastle Fiber event                   06/02/14
110 Ky Sheep and Wool Festival             06/25/14
111 Preparing for TdF14                        07/09/14
112 TdF14 Team Painted Tiger               07/16/14
113 TdF14 Team Majacraft                    07/21/14
114 TdF14 Team Farm Fiber Marketplace 07/26/14
115 TdF14 Team Support Spindlers        07/31/14
116 TdF14 Final recap                           08/10/14
117 A Wool Gathering Yellow Springs Ohio 10/04/14
118 Spinailla 2014                                11/07/14
119 Fortutous fleeces                            11/27/14
                Interview with Digitaldurga
120 Roc Day 2015                                 01/07/15
121 Wool Wash review interview with      02/03/15
                          Natalie Redding
122 Review of Norman Kennedy's DVD    03/26/15
123 Alpaca in the dyepots                      05/16/15
124 Spin In General Chatter                   06/30/15
125 TdF15 part 1                                   07/15/15
126 TdF15 part 2                                   07/23/15
127 TdF15 final update                          08/03/15
128 Washing handspun yarn                   09/13/15
129 Spinzilla 2015 Ashford spinning quill 10/22/15
130 This, that and daydreams spin in chat 11/26/15
131 New Year, New spinning                   01/07/16
132 A Hand spun hat and a mystery yarn 02/17/16
133 Review of Craftsy, and more knitting 03/30/16
                   with hand spun yarn
134 Fiber purchases, state fair prep and   06/15/16
               Tdf spinning plans
135 Pre TdF and a swap                          07/03/16
136 TdF16 podcast 1                              08/01/16
137 TdF16 podcast 2                              08/15/16
138 TdF16 podcast 3                              08/27/16
139 Ravellenics 2016 and State Fair        09/27/16
140 Spinzilla and Natural Dye mordants  12/02/16
141 Spinning New Year's resolutions       02/02/17
        Book review Yarn.i.tec.ture
A Spinning Sabatical                              03/10/17
142 Life Changes,Why Worry?                06/16/17
           A conversation with my daughter
143 Counting Treadles for even plying     07/03/17
144 Dyeing with Lichens part 1               07/14/17
145 Dyeing with Lichens part 2               08/19/17
146 Spindle Crane review                      10/01/17
147 Spinzilla 2017 Recap                       11/02/17
148 Dyeing with Lichens part 3               11/21/17
149 Ten Years of Podcasting                   01/25/18
150 Ravellenics 2018                             03/28/18
151 Episode 151 Fiber Fairs                    04/20/18


Here's the latest episode

Friday, April 20, 2018

YST Episode 151


Ahhh, tis the season of freshly shorn fleeces.  But what if your cupboard is already full?  

If you have an answer, come to the Ravelry group and search for Yanrspinnerstales spin in.  Join us there for the conversation.

A nice solution to at least organizing your fleece project is The Spinners Journal, a daily spinning book I created to sell.  Your purchase supports the archiving of my past podcasts.  Thank-You!

 


Here's the latest episode

Thursday, March 22, 2018

YST Episode 150 Ravellenics 2018


Ravellenics, for those that haven't heard the term, is an event hosted on Ravelry during the Olympics.  There are events you can enter projects, and win digital medals.  The rules state you start at the opening ceremony and finish by the closing ceremony.

I have done this many years now, every two years. Most years I do a spinning project, but the last two times I have done knitting projects with hand spun yarn.

This podcast talks about three of this years projects for Ravellenics, two completed and one still in progress.


Here's the latest episode

Thursday, January 25, 2018

YST Episode 149 Ten Years of Podcasting


It's true, I have been podcasting for 10 years now!

In the first part of today's podcast, I review the book The Weaving,Spinning and Dyeing book by Rachel Brown.

In the second part I give a little bit of the download statistics for the podcast, some listener's comments about spinning in their lives over the last 10 years, and my favorite and least favorite parts of spinning.

I was able to include music with this podcast, thanks for the website Free Music Archive. They have an archive on non traditional birthday music and I pulled the following songs from that:

Another year older  by Jazzy-J

Singing Happy Birthday to you by BackyardMusic

It must be somebody's birthday by The Pendulum Swings

I mention a breed sampler shawl made by one listener, the pattern is The Dimpsey Shawl on Ravelry (you will have to be signed into Ravelry for the link to work)

Finally go you my blog and see the medal from Feedspot, for being named number nine in the top spinning podcasts!

Looking for the Spinners Journal?  It's here at lulu.com.  Thanks for supporting this podcast, with your purchase, and listening.


Here's the latest episode

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Feedspot names Yarnspinnerstales top podcast

See my shiny medal :)   Click on it and see their listings of spinning podcasts.  I am number 9.