Yarnspinners Tales's Podcast

Sitting and spinning just seems to go along with sitting and chatting.  So today's podcast is three different sections, all on topics that I love to talk about. First segment is a fiber review of carbonized bamboo. It's what I am spinning while recording the podcast.  The next section is about my plans for the Tour de Fleece spinning challenge.  If you are not familiar with this, more information can be found on Ravelry.   The idea is to challenge yourself as a spinner during the time that those bikers are spinning their wheels in the Tour de France. I took the challenge to spin some everyday.  Pictured here is the dyed polworth roving that is one of my major projects during this challenge. The last topic was a request, and is a bit of history on my three spinning wheels, how I got them and why. In between is some wonderful music from the podsafe music network.  The first song is Black Coffee.d by Stephanie J Hager.  Next is Limerick Rake by Celtic Reboot . And yes, your ears do not deceive you, I played this

Throwing dye and wet fiber into a dye pot can be fun, and is certainly one way to color your fiber.  But if you are like me and end up with many different rovings, dyestuffs and techniques, a bit of planning before the dye day will help.  That's the topic of today's podcast, as I get ready for a big dye day of my own. The music in this podcast is from the podsafe music network. The interlude melody is Everything Begins by Dan O. The closing song is by Sunburn in Cyprus and is called In the Sunshine, Lazy Hammock instrumental. Also as a reminder, Yarnspinnerstales Spin In group on ravelry has a tour de fleece group.  Come join us and spin every day while the Tour de France is on. Until later....happy spinning!  

Book reviews!  Three books on dyeing with natural dyes are reviewed in this podcast.  And since it is a spin in, there a yarnspinnerstale as well. As promised, here are the links, thanks for your patience! Jenny Dean is the author of two of the books I review, The Craft of Natural Dyeing, and Colours from Nature, A Dyer's Handbook.  Her blog is full of her natural dyeing projects and her books and dyestuff are available at D & K Crafts. The second book reviewed is Dyes from American Native Plants, A Practical Guide by Lynne Richards and Ronald J. Tyrl.  Here's a link for it on Amazon (if the link ever goes away just search for the book title). The music used in today's podcast was found by searching the podsafe music network for the word 'everyday' the theme of the yarnspinnerstale.  Interlude music was Same Lunch Everyday by this group. The closing song Every Day gets Better is by the Smith Bros.   Until later, happy listening and happy spinning!

Spinning tools:  Do you have them?  Do you need them?  For this podcast I talk about the tools needed for three areas of the yarn creation process, tools for fiber prep, tools for spinning yarn, and tools to handle that yarn. The wonderful music for today's podcast is from the podsafe music network. Interlude music is by Celtic Reboot and is called Aufbruch/Am Feuer. The closing song is by David Wilcox  and is Open Hand the title track to his album. I used three books from my library as references in this podcast: Alden Amos  Big Book of Spinning Carol Kroll  The Whole Craft of Spinning Paula Simmons  Turning Wool into a Cottage Industry Thank you to these authors for their great books.  

Coopworth and Polypay are two sheep breeds reviewed in this podcast.  And since spring is here in all it's glory, the spin in is held on the front porch.  Grab your MP3 player, fiber and favorite spinning tool and join me for some spinning without a purpose, spinning, just because. A big thank you to the Milk and Honey Farm for the use of their adorable picture of polypay lambs on this blog and the Itunes photo. All music is from the podsafe music network.  A special thank you to Wren Ross for her wonderful It had to be Ewe. The interlude is by Triple6fusion and is call First Day of Spring. The closing song is by the Dust Rhinos and is called Breathe a Little Slower.

Fiber Fairs!  My true first sign that spring is here.  In this podcast I talk about both sides of those events, attending as a buyer, and also as a seller. And if you don't have the chance to go to a local fiber fair, and have the urge to shop after listening, check out my Artfire store at Zavagant Studio. Music today is from the podsafe music network and includes Bonny Morgan's wonderful version of Scarborough Fair Dorchester Fair by The Legendary Ten Seconds Happy Spring and happy spinning!

An unplannned spinning sabatical while my day to day life gets rearranged.  During this time I will be taking care of a post surgery husband, looking for part time work in my old career and in general not finding the time to spin.  Since a podcast often takes 8-10 hours of my time, I have decided to take a three month break from podcasting.  But I will be thinking about the podcast, and evaluating if it will come back in the same format or use this time for creating a new format. Meanwhile, a big thank you to all the listeners worldwide, for your time over these two years.  Your comments have been the incentive to not only keep podcasting, but find it fun.  As a thank you to Clare Dowling for the use of her Spinning Wheel in bits and pieces over these years, I have ended the podcast with the song in its entirety.  Her music and all music I have used over these years can be found at the podcast music network. Until later,  happy spinning!

Thawing the ice of spinner's block, or any block to the creative energy takes different things for different people.  What helps you get back to spinning, when it's been way too long?  I discuss a few of my ideas in the first part of this podcast. The second segment is a review of a great spinning DVD by Insubordiknit called Sit and Spin.  Ah, but she teaches so much more than just spinning plain old yarn, as she covers various techniques for creating artyarns.  You can (and should) find her DVD here on her website for purchase. Music in the podcast is from the podsafe music network and was picked with the theme creative energy.  The interlude music was  by DJOC and is Sean Boyle's Creative Burst. The closing song is by Charlie Bobus and is called Creative Energy

Two spinning wheels and the same experiment, spinning a specific diameter of yarn by changing only the tension on the wheel.  The first wheel used is the Roberta electric spinning wheel and I talk about that experience in the first part of this podcast.  In the second part I record the experiment as I am trying it on my Haldane spinning wheel.  In both cases I found that it really does work, and can change the way you look at your spinning wheels' capabilities. Photos of the samples spun on both spinning wheels can be seen on my blog.  And if you want to try it yourself, the same fiber is for sale at my artfire store, Zavagantstudio as well as other wonderful fibers for spinners and handspun yarns for knitters. And it's Christmas, well almost and I can not pass by the opportunity to share some of the music I found and loved for the season.  All music comes from the podsafe music network Music Alley and is full of the season's wonderful sounds. Opening song is Carol of the Bells by Inner Splendor Celtic Christ

Got grist?  If not, this podcast will help you understand just what this spinning term means, how it is figured and why it's an important part of spinning a specific yarn. This episode continues the discussion of spinning a certain type of yarn, regardless of the fiber you choose.  This time we are not going to just copy a commercial yarn, but start from nothing but the idea of spinning yarn for socks. A very important link on the web was mentioned in the podcast and it can be found here.  It is the work of Llyn Payne, and is a listing the the characteristics such as YPP and WPI of commercial yarns using the standard numeric system available on ball bands. From this information we can find the target range of these figures to use in our calculations for creating similiar yarns. I would like to take a moment to explain a calculation that I mention in the podcast that did not get enough explanation.  The discussion was covering how to determine the amount of fiber needed to spin a project (in our example we wer

It was suppose to be yarn for socks, but....  How often do we say that as spinners.  If you have found a specific project that you want to make from hand spun yarn, and you want some tips on how to spin the yarn the right size, listen to this podcast. My blog can be found here. I now have a website studio on Artfire which is called ZavagantStudio.  I have lovely fibers ready to spin, and even a sampler box of fibers, that allow you to spin a variety of fibers.  And for the knitters and weavers that listen in who haven't learn to spin yet, I have my handspun yarn for sale.  Please take a few minutes to check the studio and my products. All music today is from Mevio's Music Alley  formerly the Podsafe Music Network. The wonderful interlude music is by Alimagne and is called Solo. The closing song, Let's Eat Home is by Linda Baker

This podcast continues the discussion of how to buy fibers for spinning and then store them.  I first talk about what to look for when purchasing the non wool fibers, like alpaca, mohair and angora.  The second part goes into how to store your fibers until you are ready to wash the fleece or spin them. I have more photos of a recent fleece that I was prepping for storage on my blog. I could not ignore the holiday though, and since it is Halloween, my yarnspinner tale is an original ghost story I tell just for this podcast.  It is called The Haunting of Sara Jane. A big thank you to Clare Dowling for her Spinning song used in the podcast intro.  All music is from the podsafe music network now known as music alley.  Musicians in today's podcast include: New Band demos  with Halloween the delicate art of noise pollution  with Spooky Funk If you are a spinner or knitter and would like to support this podcast please check out my Artfire studio.  I have fibers for spinners, and handspun yarn for knitters available

Buying a fleece straight from the sheep is the true starting point for many spinners.  In this podcast I talk about thinking through the process before you actually go shopping, and then what to look for when you are finally ready to buy. I would like to include references to two books that I mention in this podcast: Turning Wool into a Cottage Industry  by Paula Simmons In Sheep's Clothing by Nola and Jane Fournier Music is from the podsafe music network  and was the instrumental Change of Autumn by Brian Turner.   As promised: a listing of sheep breed based on the softest possible micron count (the number listed after the name of the sheep): Sheep breeds softest to roughest listing Reference  In Sheep's Clothing  by Nola and Jane Fournier Fine wools                                                                                                       Merino 18   Rambouillet 19               CVM 21                                                                                     Cormo 21                    

The wonderful fluffy sheep is one of the breeds I talk about in today's spin in podcast, the Polworth.  I also discuss the Southdown sheep breed. I've put in a small segment for beginner spinners on just how I fiddle with my spinning wheel when starting to spin a new to me fiber. And if it is a spin-in then there must be a story, and today's yarnspinnertale is about sense of humor. Here's the promised links! Here's a good link for more information about the Polworth sheep. I have a group on Ravelry, listed as yarnspinnerstales spin-in.  Search in the groups box and come join the group. I have a fiber sampler box of 10 different fibers for sale in my Artfire store, ZavagantStudio.  Check it out now and then, I will continue to add items for sale there over the next two months. All music is from Mevio's Music Alley (formerly the Podsafe Music Network). Today's theme:  Humor! The first song is by Marc Gunn, a podcaster of Celtic Music (The Celtic Music Podcast Show) and writer of very funny songs, often about ca

It's like a spinning studio, in a book size box.  That's how the charkha spinning wheel is described in the podcast.  Along with many fun stories involving spinning on this unique spinning tool, we also try to give you specifics on just how to spin on one yourself. Every now and then it seems that the pictures really will speak louder than the words, so to help you understand just what we are talking about we have posted a video on Youtube.  Here's a direct link for it.  You have to pick which to do first, listen to the podcast, or watch the video...just don't do them both at the same time! I have lots of links about charkhas. You can find lots more through Google I am sure.  If you want to join the discussion, come on over to Ravelry and join the Yarnspinnerstales group there.  We'd love to hear from you. Thank you to Elaine Benfatto for her DVD Charkha Spinning: Tips and Techniques, which I review in the podcast. Thank you to Jonathon Bosworth, for making not only the charkha we talk about, but many other l

It's July and the spinning is easy.  Grab your fiber and favorite spinning tool and listen in as I talk about washing alpaca fiber, keeping angora bunnies cool in the heat.   Music used in today's podcast in from Music Alley, formerly the podsafe music network.  A big thank you to all the musicians that put there music out there for us to hear, we love you for it! Summerfeeling is the name of the interlude music and it's by Dreamweaver. Triple6fusion played Night of the Dancing Guitars. The wonderful closing song for the podcast is by John Voorhees. Don't forget to check out my new Artfire store Zavagantstudio. Fibers with lots of luxury for spinning are currently available. There are not really any photos for this podcast, but feel free to check out my blog anyway. Happy spinning!

This podcast talks about carding with handcarders, or a drumcarder.  Not only is it a wonderful way to get your fiber ready to spin, it is also a very useful tool for blending fibers or colors. Carding with handcards is shown on this video. We made this video when we were podcasting about cotton, but the concept of carding is the same, and I thought it would be good to include the link again. There was a big announcement quietly made in this podcast: My new online shop! This shop will be a place for selling fibers and other creative pursuits that catch my fancy.  You can find it at  ZavagantStudios at the Artfire website. If you want to see other carding that I have been doing, check out my blog.  The music used in today's podcast is from a podsafe music network, mevio (formally the podsafe music network site). The interlude music is Summer by General Fuzz.  The closing song is Midsummer Night by Robert Walker. And as always a big thank you to Clare Dowling for the spinning song that I use as my podcast the

It's Spin in time, grab your fiber and listen in as the podcast reviews two spinning books and later a yarnspinnerstale about best friends. The books in the review this podcast are Spinning Designer Yarns by Diane Varney, and the newly released book by Judith Mackenzie McCuin. I have a group on Ravelry now, come join us!  Here's a direct link, or you can go to Ravelry, click the groups tab and search for yarnspinnerstales, you should get a link to connect to the group. It seems that the Podsafe Music Network now has a new name (and probably new owner).  Although it will be hard not to call it that, because that's been it's name forever.  However when you go to the home page you will see it is now called Mevio.  Whatever it's called, the music is still available to podcaster's and therefore for your listening pleasure also. Summer is officially here, and so the music has summer as it's theme.  Peaches in the Summertime is by Iona Leigh a repeat artist for the podcast. Summer with a New Piano is the lovely ins

Spinning non wool fibers, part two.  The protein non wool fibers are the topic of today's podcast which includes silkworm silk, soysilk, and milk fiber.  The photo shown here is dyed soysilk. Some more photos of the fibers we talk about are on the blog here. Music today is from the Podsafe Music Network and includes the following musicians: Opening song:  If Everybody Loved the Blues by Mean Gene Kelton and the Die Hards. The interlude music was a portion of Chris Harper's Deep Blue Sky. Closing song was What More Do You Want? by Maria Daines Bonus track is Cowboys and Aliens by Jeff Ronay

Bamboo and Tencel, those shiny, slippery, shiny, ecofriendly, shiny, nonwool, shiny fibers (did I tell you that they are shiny?) are the topic of today's podcast.  Another spinner joins me today to talk about why these and other non wool fibers are all she spins.  If you have wanted to try these fibers (did I tell you that they are shiny?)  this is the podcast to help get you started. We refer to lots of things on the internet, so here's a listing of what I hope is all the links: The youtube video of spinning tencel can be found here. Digitaldurga has a non wool fiber group on Ravelry called Garden Spinning.  Join her there if you want to discuss anything about today's podcast, or anything relating to these fibers. Cotton was not included in today's podcast even though it is a cellulose fiber because there are three podcasts that cover cotton.  You can find those podcasts under the names:  Cotton Dye Day (episode 12), Dyeing Cotton Naturally (episode 13), and Spinning Cotton (episode 15). The Bamboo, Tencel a