Spin-Off Summer 2019

All my life, I have seized any opportunity to pack a bag and head out into the world. The thrill of learning and challenging my perspectives never fades. When I connected with the Spin Off community in the early 2000s, I was amazed to meet so many like-minded fiber fellows. Spinners are often deeply curious about flora and fauna, traditions and cultures, creativity and technique. For more than four decades, Spin Off has allowed us to explore the confluence of all these things, and I am grateful. As I write to you about the Woolly Wanderlust issue, I am on a plane, peering down at the Rocky Mountains. My own woolly wanderlust carries me from coast to coast each year as I visit spinning retreats, guilds, and conferences. Forever a…

EDITORIAL EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, YARN & FIBER Anne Merrow EDITOR Kate Larson MANAGING EDITOR Laura Hulslander ASSISTANT EDITOR Elizabeth Prose TECHNICAL EDITORS Deanna Deeds, Karen Frisa, Andrea Mielke Schroer COPY EDITOR Katie Bright PROOFREADER Nancy Arndt EDITORS EMERITAE Anne Bliss, Anne Merrow, Amy Clarke Moore, Deborah Robson MARKETING & ADVERTISING ADVERTISING MANAGER Stephanie Griess AD TRAFFICKER Cari Ullom SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER Jessi Rodriguez CREATIVE SERVICES GROUP ART DIRECTOR, CRAFT Emily Simpson ART DIRECTOR Kit Kinseth PRODUCTION DESIGNER Mark Dobroth PHOTOGRAPHER George Boe VISUAL STYLIST & ILLUSTRATOR Ann Sabin Swanson FOUNDER Linda Ligon DIRECTOR OF CONTENT, CRAFT Tiff any Warble MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR Julie Macdonald DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Kim Greenlee CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Gregory J. Osberg SVP, GENERAL MANAGER, F+W CRAFTS GROUP David Pyle MANAGING DIRECTOR, F+W INTERNATIONAL James Woollam VP, CONSUMER…

Deeper Than Indigo: Tracing Thomas Machell, Forgotten Explorer By Jenny Balfour Paul Researcher Jenny Balfour Paul transports readers on a journey through time and over land and sea to India and points east in her newest book. The focus of her investigations: indigo. The object of her fascination: a nineteenth-century explorer who recorded his adventures in handwritten journals, which Paul discovered tucked away in a British library. In this illustrated travelogue, she encounters pirates and more as she parallels Thomas Machell’s expeditions and embarks on her own trek to uncover more about his fate. Surbiton, England: Medina Publishing, 2017. Paperback, 326 pages, $12.99. ISBN: 978-1909339569. www.medinapublishing.com. Scour Wool Like a Boss: Take Charge of Your Wool By Mary Egbert Mary Egbert of Camaj Fiber Arts has compiled her years of…

The Merino name may have cachet, but ask a handspinner, “What’s your favorite wool to spin?” and you’ll often hear Polwarth. Dyed in shades of vivid orange by indie dyer Neighborhood Fiber Co., this fine-crimp fiber with next-to-skin softness becomes drool-worthy. Shown in the Bolton Hill colorway. $20/4 oz. Neighborhood Fiber Co., 700 N. Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. (410) 989-3770; info@neighborhoodfiberco.com; www.neighborhood-fiber-co.myshopify.com. The generous eight-ounce hand-dyed braids from Interlacements provide plenty of fiber for sampling and medium-sized projects without a fear of running out. Colorways are available on both regular and superwash wool, so it’s perfect for a wet-felting project or a handspun pair of woolly socks or mittens. Shown in the Gill’s Rock colorway on Falkland Island Merino combed top. $35/8 oz. Interlacements. (920) 826-5970; tracey_schuh@hotmail.com; www.interlacementsyarns.com. Blends…

Chapped hands be gone! Love + Leche’s Lotion Bars soothe the rough spots to keep your fiber flowing smoothly through your fingers. Each hand-poured bar is made in New Mexico from pure beeswax, coconut oil, and almond oil, and scented with essential oils. Shown in Citrus Rose. $15/2.5 oz. Love + Leche. www.loveandleche.com. Have you heard the buzz? Wrist Ruler now makes a vegan-friendly silicone version of their popular leather wristband. Wear the waterproof bracelet while washing fleece with no fear of ruining it. It comes engraved with both inches and centimeters; one size fits most. Shown in white, yellow, and black. $10. Wrist Ruler. www.wristruler.com. Add the nøstepinne from Knitter’s Pride to your store of handspinner’s aids. The traditional portable tool makes winding center-pull balls a snap, and this…

Meet the University of Wyoming’s (UW) resident sheep guy, fleece-judging coach, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, and UW Extension Sheep Specialist Whit Stewart. UW hadn’t had a fleece-judging team for 16 years, but the team recently competed in the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) in Denver, Colorado. One of their teams won the competition, and one team member won overall champion. Spin Off (SO): How did you get started judging sheep’s fleeces? How long have you been judging? Whit Stewart (WS): I grew up on a cattle and sheep farm in western New York. We specialized in selling lamb. I became involved with wool judging as an extension educator in northeast Wyoming with University of Wyoming in 2011, where I coached the county 4-H team. When I…