Yarnspinners Tales's Podcast

The first section of the podcast is a review of the Katahdan breed, also called the hair sheep.  Because these fleeces contain a large amount of hair like fiber, I also discuss the process known as dehairing.  Carolina Homespun is one of the mills that currently has a machine to do this process, and they show it being done in this Youtube video. I mentioned previously talking about pygora, and that I would list the episode link, but right now I can not find that I actually did talk about this fiber....I may have to remedy that soon! Music is from MusicAlley  The new theme song is Spin-A Song for Children of all ages by Jon Caspi and the First Guns.  Ordinary Day is sung by Great Big Sea  The closing song, to get us all in the holiday spirit is The Christmas Song, in a very special way by the Limey Birds

This podcast is the five year mark for the Yarnspinnerstales podcast.  In this episode I review some of it's history and also some of it's future. To celebrate this anniversary, I have started using a brand new theme song found on Music Alley  by Jon Caspi and The First Gun  It is called Spin..a song for children...of all ages. I also play Spinning by The Fast Sails. YST has taken a big jump into 'the future is now' and now is available on the Stitcher app for your smart phone or Ipad

Today's episode talks about putting a positive spin on that fiber stash we all own. The yarn in today's photo is some I spun from Natural Obsession.  I talk about the final process of plying this yarn in the episode also. Two links for finding things I mention in the podcast.  My blog is here  and here is the Spinners Journal, the book I created to help you keep track of all the process of creating your hand spun yarn. Music is from Music Alley  and features Whitney Kelly with Autumn Air and at the close Jack Jezzro Autumn Leaves.

Two more breeds' fleeces are reviewed in this podcast that were part of my Ravellenic challenges for 2012.  The first is Ryeland and the second, not really a breed at all but a location, is Salish.  Both wools turned out to be wonderful for spinning woolen with carded batts. Pictures of the resulting yarns are on my blog, for Ryeland  and for Salish. If you are interested in the many breeds of rare sheep a good website is the OK EDU website. Cowichan Knitting is from the Vancouver Island area and was originated by the decendents of the Salish First Nation people of the area.  A good article on the history is found in Wikipedia here This video shows a spinner spinning in the traditional style for Cowichan knitting. If that link doesn't work, go to Ravelry, sign in, and then go to groups.  Search groups for Cowichan Inspired.  In that group go to the thread 'Spinning Yarn for sweater WIP' and post 30 has the video embedded in it. Music is from Music Alley.  Wren Ross does Baa Baa Black Sheep and Guardian Mind M

New name but old event that Ravelry has done this for years.  The idea is to challenge yourself with goals to start at the beginning of the Olympics and finish with the close.  I chose to join the spinning team and selected five projects to complete.  I was able to finish four of them and review two of those in this podcast. Each required washing of raw fiber, processing by combing/carding and then spinning a skein to review.  The first is a rare breed I have not reviewed before, California Red Sheep.  The second was a different type of challenge, I took CVM and combed the fiber with two different methods to see if it made a difference in the skeins. If you would like to listen to the rare breed review of CVM it can be found in episode 18 of this podcast. If you would like to see the pictures of these two and the next podcast's two projects they can be found on my blog. Music in the podcast is provided by Wren Ross through Music Alley.

It's the podcast for the finish line of the 2012 Tour de Fleece!  A short but very satisfying recap for all of our spinning during the tour. Music is from Music Alley and is a very appropiately named The Finish Line by Steve Parsons.

This is the third and final week of the Tour de Fleece, and I must say there's not much finished yarn in my projects, but there definately is for Digitaldurga. I also discuss the technique of splitting and spinning dyed roving called fractal spinning.  Here's a link to a discussion of the technique in Knitty. Music is by the artist Will Kriski and is called Kerrys Jig, found on Music Alley. 

I started these frequent updates on the Tour de Fleece spinning projects, and found I was so chatty in most of them that I have used up my allotted storage space.  Not to worry though, for the MB archive thirty days from when they are uploaded.  After Aug 1st, I will start having space open up again, and Digitaldurga and I will continue with the updates. I do apologize to the team for not crossing the finish line with them in these podcasts, but be assured I will be along shortly.  Meanwhile, carry on with all the wonderful spinning! Thank you to Green Druid for the music which is called Night Dance and can be found on Music Alley.

How do decide just how a fiber should be spun?  I talk about this and the continuing Tour De Fleece spinning projects in this podcast.   In today's music you hear the usual podcast intro and at the end the rest of the song, Spinning Wheels by Clare Dowling, found on Music Alley.  A big thank you to her for sharing this song, so appropiate for the podcasts' intro music!

We are more then half way through the Tour de Fleece, and so it seems time to make some yarn from all those singles we have been spinning.  In this podcast two types of plying are described, chain (navajo) plying and working with a plying ball. Music is by the artist Caledonix  and is called Braveheart-Came Ye Oer Frae France.  The music was provided by the artist on Music Alley.

The Tour de Fleece spinners have been spinning ten days now and are looking forward to the day of rest.  This update covers the three days right before that. The music is from Music Alley and is by the group Great Big Sea (who have lots of songs on Music Alley for you to buy and support these great musicians.)  Today's song is French Shore.

This is the third installment of the daily updates for the Tour de Fleece spinning event. Be sure to check out the different threads posted on Ravelry to see my fibers and yarns as well as many others by all the great spinners. Music is from Music Alley (which seems to be working again) and is Jillian LaDage Midsummer Night.

Here's the second Tour de Fleece update podcast.  Today Digitaldurga (ravelry name) joins me with her updates too. Mohair I talk about is from Majora Acres Natural Obsessions fiber can be found here Music is from Music Alley and is the song Feather Lullaby by Tangential Cold

Daily Tour de Fleece updates, that is the new experiment I am doing for this podcast.  All during the Tour de France cycling event, Ravelry members, especially spinners, get out their spinning wheels, set goals for themselves, and keep those wheels spinning as much as possible.  I love this event and use it to challenge myself back into spinning something everyday.  This year I decided to add the goal of short podcasts about each day's spinning, combining several together into a podcast.  So here we go go go.... I mentioned past podcasts and to find those go to the archives on this page, find the date and episode number, if you'd like to listen to them again.   The big dye days are in Aug and Sept 2010 and are episodes 50,51 and 52.  The spinning woolen episode is number 67 and is found in the Oct. 2011 archive. Music today is from MusicAlley  and the interlude music is the instrumental version of Lullaby for a Weary World, by Julia Ecklar

Straight from the meet up at a fiber festival we have interviews of three phat fiber folks.  Don't know about Phat Fiber?  Listen in to learn, and then go to their website or find the Ravelry group by searching groups for phat fiber sampler box.  The indie dyer in the meet up is found at NaturalObsessions fiber and is a wonderful source for non wool fibers.  The fiber producer of the group is found at her Etsy shop or at Fluffington Farms blogspot site.  The fiber festival I went to is the Indiana Fiber and Music Fest.  The fiber I was spinning was from The Painted Tiger. The music in today's podcast is from the podsafe music site MusicAlley.  The first song is Rumba Lullaby by Hathead.  The second song was Lullaby in Loveland by Boho Chapeau.  The closing song is Lullabyes Baby by Zaccheri Gray.

Two sections of the post for support spindles, a book review and a discussion of my recent experience spinning angora on my three support spindles. The book Fleegle Spins Supported is available here. A YouTube video of me spinning cotton on the Royale Hare brass support spindle is found here and the spindle is available to order from her Etsy shop here.  I apologize for saying on the podcast that the spindle was not readily available, I did not look up the link until after I did the recording, my bad! The music in today's podcast is by singer/songwriter Emma Wallace who I found on MusicAlley.  The piano piece is called Interlude, and the closing song is Support for my Argument. My blog with photos can be found here. Finally the Spinners Journal, a place to record all the processes of any of your spinning projects can be purchased here.  Thanks for your support of this podcast by purchasing the journal! 

OK so I'm playing on words with today's podcast title.  I do two sheep breed reviews, Columbia and Rambouilette.  Then I talk about the explosion of spinning information going digital.  Hence, digital sheep. A few links:  Closing song is by Triple6RFusioN  and is called First Day of Spring.  You can find this and other music played on the podcast at Music Alley. My blog is here  and if you are looking to buy the Spinner's Journal, click here. Spinning daily is where you will find all the good digital stuff.

It's actually magic, taking washed but clumped fiber, putting it through the drum carder and getting fluffy batts ready to spin.  It's a spinning project I only do now and then, after accumulating those piles of fleeces and other fibers ready to blend.  Then I spend several months, in an hour here and there, creating the batts.  After that, the fun begins, as I get to spin them and see what those blends will look like in yarn. In today's podcast, I talk about my recent drumcarding projects, as well as some information for those spinners that may want to buy a carder, or have one that they still haven't worked up the nerve to use. I will be putting pictures of the fiber, before and after on my blog.  Music in the podcast is from Music Alley  and includes Proof of Love by Old Man Luedecke,  also February by The Distants. The Spinners Journal, a book I wrote to help you to document your carding or any spinning project is available to buy at this site.

There are four reviews in today's podcast, two rare sheep breed's fiber, a spinning DVD and my trip to Stitches East. The Oklahoma State University's website is a good place to start if you are looking for information on any animal including rare breed sheep:Breeds of sheep There are many wonderful resources for sale at the Interweave press website, books, ebooks, DVD, videos, books and magazines.Interweave pressThe specific DVD I review in this podcast "Spinning for Lace" by Margaret Stove is found at this link:Margaret Stove DVD linkFor information for your own trip to a Stitches convention, check out the Knitting Universe website:The Knitting UniversePrism yarns  is also available at many yarn storesTeacher at Stitches Creative Director at Prism yarns is Laura Militzer Bryant and she taught the class on Intentional Patterning with Hand dyed Yarns.The spindle like the trindle I bought can be found at this Etsy store:  TrindlemanNeed to get your spinning projects organized?  Then my Spinner's Journal  is jus

Janilee and Chris are both post graduate students at the Manchester England college.  Both are spinners and weavers, but have two different concepts for their doctorial thesis.  I was able to interview each and had a wonderful time talking to them.  Listen in, and learn about early weavers and spinners, and the modern day archeological study of them. Interlude music in today's podcast is from Music Alley and is by the group Celtic Stone.  The title is Drowsy Maggie. Looking for a link to buy my Spinner's Journal?  It's on Lulu here.