Yarnspinners Tales's Podcast

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.    

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.

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!  

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.

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

This podcast is the third on lichen dyeing and concludes the project for me.  I talk about the ammonia extraction method and dyeing wool with the extract.  I also tried a contact dyeing method on some silk and talk about that.  The fiber is lovely and I am looking forward to spinning with it next year. The photo shows the corriedale roving dyed with the ammonia extraction method. Need a special holiday gift, for a friend or yourself?  The Spinners Daily spinning journal found on Lulu is a special present and helps support my archiving of all the podcast episodes.  Thank you for your support! Look for my group on Ravelry by searching for yarnspinnerstales spin in group.  All are welcome, come and join the conversations. Happy Spinning!

I had a wonderful week, focused on spinning as much yardage as I could.  I talk about all those yards in this podcast, plus a few thoughts on spinning on the electric Roberta and also what to do about fiber with high vegetable matter in it. Looking for a way to keep track of your spinning projects?  I have created the Spinners' Journal to help you with that.  It was done at Lulu.com, and is a reasonable 12.50 plus shipping.  Your purchases help me pay the cost of keeping yarnspinnerstales podcasts archived.  Thank-you!   If you have any questions or comments about this or any of the podcasts, join us at the group on Ravelry, Yarnspinnerstales Spin In. Happy Spinning!

This podcast has a review of my experience using Akerworks drop spindle tool called the Sprindle Crane.  They were a prize sponsor in the Tour de Fleece 2017 on Ravelry, and I had the very good fortune to win this prize! Akerworks website for further information. I promised a few links, here's the easiest to find on Youtube. There is a difference between how the spinner in this video uses the spindle crane, and what I experienced.  I did not get the twist to go past the plastic threader when I worked with it.  I also used a hanging spindle instead of a supported spindle, although I do want to try the support spindle with it next. You have to be signed into Ravelry before clicking this link, but once you are it will take you to the thread in my group for discussion of the spindle crane.  

This podcast talks about the boiling water method of lichen dyeing.  I used the dye pot twice and dye fiber and fabric.  

I have started the fun project of a lichen dye pot and in today's podcast I talk a little about the history of lichen dyeing, and how and where I collected my lichens. There's also a TdF2017 update at the end of the podcast. I had four books in my spinning library to use as references for this information.  The main sources were from the same author, Karen Casselman.  The books are: Craft of the Dyer Colour from Plants and Lichens and Lichen Dyes The New Source Book both published by Dover Press. Two other books that mention dyeing with lichens are: Your Yarn Dyeing by Elsie G Davenport Natural Dyes for Spinners & Weavers by Hetty Wickens

Today's podcast talks about how to achieve even, consistent 2 ply yarn by counting your treadle movements.  Near the end I do talk about the start of the Tour De Fleece and what I hope to spin during it. If you want to join our discussions and sharing with the YST Team on Ravelry, the best way to find the group is to search under groups for Yarnspinnerstales Spin In.  Hope to see you there!  

Welcome to the newly redesigned web page.  If you are looking for previous episodes, look in the upper right hand corner and click on episodes.  The quickest way to the most recent and then later, is to click on 'category' and then podcasts.  They will load with the new easier to use player. In the podcast,after a sabbatical from spinning, I am glad to be back.  I update the spinning and knitting projects from the past few months, and then have a lovely recorded conversation with my daughter, about why we as humans experience various emotions.  We both agree that the meditative experiences of spinning, knitting and weaving are often a way to help in these times.

There is a saying in our family for many years: 'Life is too much with us now'.  As it implies, I have to step aside from podcasting for a few months, while I deal with family life. During that time, I am researching dyeing with lichens, and I hope to get some dye baths started.  That will be the topic of the podcast, when I return.   Thanks for your patience and Happy Spinning!

Happy 2017! It's a new year and that always makes me think about my spinning goals.  Along the way, I discovered some specifics about three ply yarn, and plying in general. I close the podcast with a review of the book, Yarn i tec ture by Jillian Moreno.

This podcast closes the 2016 year, with details on my Spinzilla 2016 spinning.  Since one of the fibers I spun during that was dyed with natural dyes and the mordants tin and alum, I did a bit of research on those mordants.  I end this podcast with that discussion.  These are links to some of the things mentioned in the podcast. The original dye day for the columbia roving was Episode 52. The Jacob roving I spun was from the Ross Family Farm in Pa. One good blog post I referenced in the natural dye mordant discussion was written by Alpenglow yarns. A second post I read and referenced is by Cheryl Kolander of Aurora Silk.

In the first part of this podcast I explain just what is this thing called ravellenics.  Then I go into the details of what I did for the event. First is spinning, and after that, the next knit with hand spun yarn project, the Oslo Shawl.   In the second part of the podcast, I talked about the seven items I took to my state's fair for the spinning category. A few links for sources of the fiber I used to spin the yarns: The Painted Tiger Yarn Hollow fibers Kundart Spindles  The spindle shown on this website is exactly like the one I got! Photos of what I entered in the state fair can be seen here.      

Final podcast about what I did during Tour de Fleece this year.  I talk about some yarn spun, including two breed studies, Romeldale and Racka.  I also dyed two different shetland fleeces, and an unknown breed ewe lamb fleece. The Romeldale fiber was purchased at DyedintheWool, The wash and dye product I used while dyeing is available at woolshampoo. The shop I purchased the drum carder cloth from is no longer in business.  However, there are other sources available on Etsy.  Just got to that website and search from drum carder cloth. To see photos of all of my TdF16 projects, sign into Ravelry first and then click this link.  

This is the 2nd TdF16 podcasts, there will be one more. I talk about washing alpaca fiber, dyeing shetland and lamb's wool fiber, and as my challenge day project, spinning banana fiber. All of the links below are information I found on the internet about banana fiber. Home processing (something so unavailable to most of us!) is shown in a youtube video by Rix Jennings. Commercial processing (and very poor audio, sorry) is shown here. A non verbal commercial processing video. It is long, but if you only have time for one video, I recommend it be this one. A video of felted banana cloth being made. I only found one blog that talked about banana fiber, it is Fiber of my Being. There's part 1 and part 2. Here's on crochet project I found for the yarn (lots of pop ups and ads, sorry). Finally, Darn Good Yarn, shows banana yarn available on their website.

Let the spinning begin. I have the Tour de France on my DVR and fiber ready, it could only be the tour de fleece! I do much more than spinning, as usual.  I have alpaca blanket washing, fiber dyeing, a challenge fiber and challenge processing planned all during these three weeks. This is the first of three podcasts relating to this year's Tdf. All information on the sheep breeds that I review are from the book Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius. The Devon fiber was purchased at Laughing Lamb Fibers. The 3D printed flat pack bobbins for spinning wheels are available at Akerworks.

It's tour time again, no not the spinning rock band, but the Tour de France.  And that means Tour de Fleece is rolling too.  In this podcast I give a synopsis of what I hope to accomplish during the next three weeks. I also was in a wonderful fiber swap, and I talk all about the box I sent, and the box I got. A few links for things I mention in this podcast: My blog is here. I will try a link to my Ravelry group, please be logged into Ravelry before clicking the link, then it should work.  It is yarnspinnerstales spin in, if you want to search groups.  It's a very good way to access a listing of past episodes, and I tell you how to find that in the podcast. The Clouds of Luxury fibers came from Sericin on the Etsy store.  You may have to special request the item. I will be recording podcasts during the TdF but will not be releasing them until after the tour.  This will give me time to do more of the spinning I want to do during the tour. See you in August!