Spin Off Magazine Winter 2011

It's About Making Yarn By Hand

In this issue, we’re looking at fiber close-up—really close-up—by examining crimp and diameter in detail to understand why fiber does what it does. Beth Smith has written a great article about spinning to the crimp—it’s a pretty straightforward concept and a wonderful place to start when you’re deciding how to spin your yarn. Deb Robson has written a really fascinating article about fiber diameter—she sent samples to a lab to look at the diameter of fiber from rare breeds of sheep (in addition to some that are not so rare). She walks us through the scans in a very logical way, explaining what the findings mean for spinners. And Judith MacKenzie examines the difference between hair and fiber with her wonderful ability to ask big questions and then answer them in lyrical ways.

Our fiber basic focus is on yaks. And our developing your skills department takes a look at purchasing and sorting a fleece. This issue also includes our largest ever special pull out Natural Fiber Directory full of suppliers and mills from across the United States and around the world.