How to spin with a drop spindle basics Glossary Getting Started Common problems when drafting Common problem when adding twist Spinning of any kind is simply the addition of twist to fiber to create strength, you can see this with any non-braided rope or steel cables for bridges- same idea many fibers or strands locked […]

Muskox is the most misleading name for creatures in the fiber world. Named “Musk” for the distinctive smell of associated with them; they have no musk glands. Nor are Muskox closely related to oxen or cattle of any kind they are more closely related to sheep and goats. They are the largest Caprinae (species including […]

I have to say that sheep have some of the best names, my favorites including “Dorper” (door-per). Never heard of Dorper before? That may be because some of you might be older than the breed. Developed in the 1950’s Dorper are a hair sheep not often seen in the wool world, while they have a […]

There are two types of fiber producing goats, goats that produce Cashmere and Angora goats that produce Mohair. All domestic goats came from a single breed of goat still living today the Bezoar Ibex which produces Cashmere, or the down of the goat, in a near unusable amounts of fiber. Bezoar was domesticated by Neolithic […]

Knitting with Mohair I’m brain storming, now in the cold weather time as I imagine the warmth of summer, I want handmade garments for summer. I have decided to start with a late spring/summer evening project: Mohair shawl Everyone has told me that knitting with mohair is difficult and I have likewise discovered this as […]

How to… Create Stacks When Plying First you need two singles with enough twist to ply, that are of a comparable thickness, you could have different sizes but the effect would be limited by the variations. Here I’m plying from a center pull ball of handspun Grey Perendale-Romney on the Paradise Revolution Jumbo system. A stack […]

If you’ve ever seen sheep that look like goats, you might have seen a hair sheep… Hair sheep generally refer to sheep that look as if they have no wool, sometimes they are called “naked sheep” but some sheep that just look like “normal” sheep are likewise hair sheep. All sheep have two types of […]

Cormo Sheep: The science experiment that worked brilliantly and paid off well. The name Cormo is from the names of two of the parent breeds, Corriedale and Merino, the breed was developed in Tasmania by Ian Downie. He developed a new breed of sheep strictly by scientific methods and empirical data to develop his ideal […]

Here’s a really quick breakdown of how different wheel’s tensions work. All spinning wheels, as simple machines, require tension within the system. The system can be divided into: Double Drive, Scotch tension, and Irish Brake. Double drive tension is the only all positive tension system, as the drive band and the bobbin are attached with […]

Every so often the world of spinning gets something spectacular and new, and I found it with Ply Magazine. Funded with a Kickstarter Ply founded it self on what spinners in the community want to read. The magazine takes a unique approach to the seasonal magazine publications focusing on a single subject that defines that […]

The differences between Unicorn Fiber’s Power Scour, Fiber Wash and Fiber Rinse: Power Scour– is used for fiber that is hard to wash either because of lanolin/grease, wax and suint found in sheep and goat fibers. It is also suggested for extremely dirty fibers that need to be scrubbed to come clean. Fiber Wash– is […]

YAK about YAK! Did you know that Yak’s don’t moo (aka bovine lowing)? They grunt, in fact, the scientific name of Yak is Bos grunniens or “grunting ox” named by Linnaeus in 1766. There are technically two subgenus of Yak domesticated “grunting” and wild “muted” Yak. Yaks are connected to the Pleistocene epoch more than […]