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 […]

Great trick for beginner spinners! Here I’m working with an irregular thick and thin handspun, it looks a tad bit like a lot of beginner’s handspun, but plying with a commercial can lead to a glitzy finished look for your yarn as beautiful as any practiced spinner. Yarn spun thick and thin showcase the visual […]

Foremost these are guidelines, PLEASE knit your swatches! You don’t know what your piece will look like unless you play around a little with the gauge. Here is where I have to admit that I am a spinner who sometimes knits, everything I do is wraps per inch. I rarely knit unlike many of the […]

Southdown are the breed in which all others in the “Down Family” can cite in their back round. A relatively smaller sheep in comparison to some, it is a duel breed known today for mostly meat. There are technically 3 different types of Southdowns: American, Babydoll, and Miniature. American Southdown are larger than their English […]

Ever wonder where the fleeces of sheep raised for meat go? Into the wool pool! Don’t imagine a pool of wool but rather bales of wool compressed into 400 lbs per bag! For Washington State the lovely home of the Paradise Family, Pendleton Woolen Mills buys the bulk of fiber collected for the wool pool. […]

Congratulations to the Corriedale! This year is the 100 year anniversary of the Corriedale in the US. Introduced to the US in 1914 as a duel breed that would have a high yield in both fiber and meat. Corriedale is one of the oldest established cross breeds developed for Australia and New Zealand’s underused dryer […]

How to… Arm Knit If you know how to knit this will come really easy to you, but if not this is a great way to learn it’s very intuitive. I have to admit to being skeptical about arm knitting when I first read about it; however, the moment I connected it to art yarns, […]