Yarnspinners Tales's Podcast

There's a misconception in the spinning community that if you know how to spin a yarn, you know how to ply.  In this episode I talk all about the whys and ways of putting single strands of handspun yarn into complex yarns. I would like to thank the following authors for writing their books and thus helping me pass along what I learned from them in my podcast: Alden Amos:  Big Book of Handspinning Margaret Stove:  Handspinning Dyeing & Working with Merino and Superfine Wools Diane Varney  Spinning Designer Yarns Music in the podcast is from the Podsafe Music Network The interlude music is by Kelvin Bear and is called The Mist The ending song is by Iona Leigh and is called Blackbird As always a big thank you to Claire Dowling for the spinning song I use as the intro to the podcast.

Road Trip!  In the yarnspinners tale today I talk all about a trip to visit the wonderful spinning and weaving store The Woolery. Speaking of traveling, one of today's sheep breeds is all the way from Norway.  Spaelsau is an old Norweigen breed with a double coated fleece and I have the opportunity to work with some of the fiber.  Close in nature to that breed and more readily obtainable, I also talk about the Icelandic breed in today's review of sheep breed fleeces. If you want to visit the Woolery's website, you can find it here. Pictures of the yarns I spun, and of the friction wheel I saw at the Woolery can be found on my blog. All music today was provided by Marc Gunn and found on the podsafe music network.  As a podcast listener, I also enjoy Marc's podcast, The Irish and Celtic Music podcast.  You can find that on ITunes. Thanks for listening!  

Dipping in the dyepots, because I am in the mood for color.  But there's a second reason and I talk all about what to do if you have a yellow and discolored fleece.  Dye it of course! I have posted a number of photos on my blog that show the original fleece, the dyed fiber and even a few batts carded from the fiber.  Be sure to take a look. The music comes again from the podsafe music network.  If you like what you heard, click on the links for the musicians and support them.  Thank you also to Claire Dowling for her Spinning Song used as my opening theme music. The Sugar People  with In the Color Blue was the snippet opening music for the dyeing discussion. Sandro G Masoni provided the interlude music during the show with Soft Spring Rain Ax did a lovely short instrumental piece called Pure Romantic Spring Feelings And the podcast closes with a song from the group bobby blue call Sunshine Ode to Spring. And so we have safely sung spring into my part of the world again.  Soon it will be time for podcasting fr

Spring is fickle and comes and goes, but the spinning goes on anyway.  Today's podcast has discussions on two rare breeds of sheep, the Tunis and the Karakul.  And later, as I spin on some cashgora, I talk about the unnamed spinners and her influence in my fiber life. All music today has a spring theme and is from the podsafe music network. Sounding for all the world like a 1940's tune, Tom Waits sings You Can Never Hold Back Spring. The interlude music between the yarnspinner tale today is Steps to Spring by Ishmail Abatay. The podcast closes with the song Winterspring by the Ampersands. Of course, I must thank Wren Ross for Baa Baa Black Sheep, and Clare Dowling for the Spinning Song.

Woolen spun or worsted spun, as spinners we hear the terms all the time.  But do you really know the difference?  If someone put fiber in your hand and asked you to spin it into a worsted yarn, could you?  Listen in on this podcast as I explain the difference, and actual techniques. Edit to add list of books: I realized I mention several books in the podcast as sources of my information and that I should probably give the names of the books here for your reference. Merino  Handspinning Dyeing and Working with Merino and Superfine Wools  by Margaret Stove. The Alden Amos Big book of Handspinning The Whole Craft of Spinning  by Carol Kroll And of course there is music, bouncy enough to make you toes tap.  All music is from the Podsafe Music network, and I want to send a specific thank you to the following musicians for sharing there songs on that site. Opening music is by Cubaxd  and is called A Folk Song without a Name. Kurveball gives us lovely musical advice to let go and Leave It Behind. And to close, for a

It's a good day for snuggling up with some warm fiber and spinning.  In today's podcast I talk about an unusual fiber cashgora.  And later, while spinning this fiber, I have my yarnspinner tale about balance. All music in the podcast today has the theme of snow, and I would like to give a big thank you to the following musicians for sharing their songs with us on the Podsafe Music Network. Snow  by The Standalone Snowman by the Egerton Boys Snow by Comfortable Snow Angel by Laura Hughes And a final thank you to Clare Dowling for the Spinning Song and Wren Ross for BaaBaa Black Sheep.

Slick and shiny top, or interesting and challenging hankies, whatever form of silk fiber you have can be spun and dyed into wonderful yarn.  Today's podcast talk's all about my experiences with spinning and dyeing silk. I refer to a number of links online during the podcast, so here they are, all conveniently gathered for you in one post. Sources of fiber and dyes: Tweenway Silks Cheryl Kolander with peace silks (Aurora silk) Silk Things for the instant silk 'teacup' dyes Paradise Fibers for country classic dyes (or google country classic dyes) YouTube videos: Preparing a silk hanky to spin  demonstrated by me An interesting video of cocoons being reeled A page of the well known WormSpit silk blog, showing how silk hankies are made Last but not at all the least, the music in today's podcast.  All music is from the Podsafe music network. Songs in order of appearance are: Silk Route by Satya Coffee by Liveloop Changka by Don't be a Stranger    

Happy Holidays listeners!  The main part of this podcast is all about drop spindles.  I talk through the basics of how to spin with one, and then talk about the different spindles I have, and what fibers they spin well. There's a yarnspinner tale too, although it's an indulgent list crossing off session of holiday happenings.  As always, there's music to bebop along with as you work or drive, with a holiday theme.  I hope you find the music as enjoyable as I did. All music is from the Podsafe Music Network.  Today's podcast opens with, What Child Is This? - Greensleeves - classical guitar Christmas instrumental by Derek K Miller. Next Winzenried a.k.a. Hollywood Drunks gives us an upbeat version of Carol of the Bells. Pink Christmas by The Moneyshot Cosmonauts is between the segments and the podcast is closed by Hipcola with Winter Wonderland. OK so it's a cliche...but talk to you next year!  Thanks for listening.

My first year anniversary podcast!  For this spin in, the fiber animal is, for once, not a sheep.  Instead alpaca fiber is discussed. Also, a bit of audio indexing, as the year of podcasting here is reviewed.  Finally, spinning really did happen, and all day.  Hear all about a day at a fiber fair. Music for this podcast is from the podsafe music network.  There is lots of wonderful music in this podcast.  Check out these websites and give them your support, for sharing their music with the world. Interlude music is Talking by rob Great vocal song by Sarah Donner  called Suffragette Lovely background music called Autumn Stream by Adam Zampino Closing female vocalist Caren Kennedy with Just Talking Closing male vocalist Dropkick with Listen to You. Thanks for listening!  Today, all last year, and the year to come.

           Felting fleece is something we spinners fear right?  Not always.  What if you think outside of the box, and felt fleece to your advantage? The photo shows one time Yarnspinner thought outside of that fear of felting a fleece.  Listen to the podcast to learn all about how a non spinnable fleece was felted into a lovely wool pelt. On the more practical side, fleece batts can be shape felted into anything, as long as you have a form to serve for shaping.  The next example talked about in the podcast is a felted hat. There are many more photos on this blog, be sure to take a look at those photos of the process explained in the podcast. All the music in the podcast is from the podsafe music network.  Since it is so close to Halloween, the tunes are intentional a bit spooky.  A big thank you to all the musicians that shared their music.  Be sure to check out links for the websites of those that you like. Vampire Organ by  Jeff Rosiana was the spooky intro. Spooky Fractal Magic by Embertime  and Spooky by

The September Spin In podcast continues with two more rare breeds of sheep, the Navajo Churro and the Jacob breeds. And Yarnspinner talks about just why there is so much stash! Pictures of the sheep breed samples can be found on the blog. And be sure to check out the new way to contact Yarnspinner, at the new site drop.io. Music is from the Podsafe music network.  This podcast has an autumnal theme, with A Taste of Autumn by Ensemble Variable, and Autumn Colors by Ritchie Hernandez. Thanks for listening!

Do you really know how your spinning wheel works?  Knowing how it works will help you spin the yarn you want, instead of just spinning whatever happens type of yarn. It's September, and that means back to school.  So we hit the books and learn about three different types of flyer bobbin systems used in spinning wheels.  Once you figure out what type of wheel you are using, you can then understand how to make your wheel work for you. There's lots of information on this podcast, so to give us a bit of a break, I am using music from the group CatzintheHatz.  Here's a link to their music: http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=b588c2cc09c7fe6855202a2901643905 And to close the podcast, there's a wonderful parody song, Wake Me up When this Math Class is Done, by the group fump: http://www.thefump.com/ As always all music is from the podsafe music network. Thanks for listening!

Summer is slipping away, and so this month's Yarnspinners Tale is about summer memories.  But there's lots more in the podcast, as I review two rare breeds of sheep, the CVM and Maine Island Sheep. All music is from the podsafe music network.  I used five different musicians this podcast, all with music around the theme of summer. The opening song, that said goodbye to summer is by Danny Fong. The interlude music for the sheep breed discussion is a song called Sweet Summer Memories by Steven Cravis. A wonderfully summer song, Fireflies, is sung by JJ Grey and Mofro. The wonderful guitar strumming behind my recap is by Tripple6fusioN (who I have played before)  with Picking Memories. And last, and best of all for the wonderful female vocals, is The Simple Things with The Moon is Torn. The photo above is the pink superwash yarn that I have been spinning over the last several months of podcast spin-ins.  It really is lovely, and I still have about 2/3 of a pound of fiber left.  Lots more of that yarn to spin. Ph

Ribbons and not medals are what you win when you let your yarn be judged.  In keeping with the spirit of the Summer Olympics in one segment of this podcast I talk about how to find competitions to enter your spinning and how to prepare the skeins to be judged. Three other segments also share some of the hints and tips I have after several weeks of experimenting with different techniques.  One segment talks about what to do when you end up with singles on one bobbin and you want to ply that yarn.  The method is called Andean plying and is easier to do than to explain! A third segment talks about picking a fleece.  Now this is not talking about the actual selection of a fleece, but the process that allows the locks of washed fiber to be opened so that vegetable matter or short nubs of fiber can be removed.  It makes a big difference in the yarn you spin when you take the time to do this step, as I relearned this week. And finally, the biggest challenge of all to many experienced spinners: spinning a bulky yarn

Spinning and the Summer Olympics, an unexpected pairing.  Unless of course you have been hanging out on Ravelry and have heard all about the knitting olympics.  Yarnspinner takes on the challenge and tells you all about it in this podcast. Also there are two breed fleece reviews, the well known Romney, and the unfamiliar, but very American Targhee. All music is from the podsafe music network.  Providing the interlude with a jazzy summer feel is Boom Boom Beckett.  Since the musicians website is in Italian, here is a link on the music network that will allow you to buy their music. The music closing the podcast is provided by Douglas Spotted Eagle.  He has a website on My Space, or you can go to the music network for his music here. Thanks for listening!   

Episode 15 is all about preparing and spinning cotton. Joining me in the podcast are some of my spinning friends with some very good explanations of just how they do this.  And also something new to the show this time:  videos! First as promised a very special spinning movie.  Currently it is on YouTube, to save me some MB storage space here.  The  Spinning Movie is set to music from Kelvin Bear, who I found on the Podsafe Music Network.  This artist does not seem to have a website, so here's a link to his music.  Now for some instructional videos.  These are for folks with DSL access. Carding cotton and making punis   Support spindle spinning cotton  Setting up a charkha and spinning   Here are the same videos, at reduced bandwidths for dialup: Carding cotton and making punis  Support spindle spinning cotton  Setting up a charkha and spinning cotton This is all a grand experiment for me, and you may find that because I had to use Windows Movie Maker for editing, that they will only play in Windows Med

Spinning on my front porch, means cool morning air, birdsong and the occasional cow mooing in the background.  But the topic of the yarnspinnerstale this month is very cool, as I tell all about my recent cruise to Alaska with Seasocks 08. Before that though, I discuss two sheep breeds from my rare breed sampler:  Cormo and Montadale.  The photo is from some of the cormo spun from combed top pulled through a diz. Music for this podcast is from the Podsafe Music Network.  New music artists include: Janet Spahr  with Rosemary Damh the Bard with Lady of the Silver Wheel And special thanks to Wren Ross for letting me use Baa Baa Black sheep with the sheep fleece reviews, and to Clare Dowling for the opening Spinning song. A few links I said I would include are: Amy Singer   her webpage is here.  Amy taught a shawl Plug and Play class on the cruise. Crissy Gardner, and Heather Ordover  each taught in the Heels, Heels, Heels classes. And Brenda Dayne, talking all about her experiences podcasting, was the highlight o

Part 2 of the cotton dyeing discusses how I dyed the roving using a natural dyestuff.  And a very unusual dyestuff too. There are photos, and a detailed description of the process on my blog. I've included two songs in today's podcast, both from the podsafe music network.  Be sure and check out the musicians webpages if you like the songs. Copper Box  played Need a Little Squeezin   It's a great tune, and is featured on their website too. Clare Dowling  of Moot Music opens every podcast for me with her spinning song, and for this podcast, closes with Go With the Flow. Hope you have enjoyed these two podcasts of dyeing cotton. Comments are always welcomed here or on my blog.  And if you use Itunes, and could look me up there, searching under Yarnspinners Tales, leave a review.  It'll help more spinners find me. Until next time, hope all you fiber colors are wonderul.

Dyeing Cotton Part one. In today's podcast I am joined by my local spinners/knitters for a day of dyepots, fiber and fun.  Cotton fiber, specifically and the project was all for a fiber swap starting in the Ravelry group, Garden Spinning. Please be sure to check out the blogs for each of the dyers, for lots of pictures. Anita, Andrea, and Viki.   Yarnspinners blog is here. Here's a few key points about what we learned: Cotton needs to be soaked very thoroughly in soda ash water, to take up the dye well.  Dyes created specifically for cotton need to be used.  These are the old formula Cushings union dyes or any dye specifically created for tie dyeing. Solar heating or low tech variations with a heating pad work well to set the dyes.  Temperatures need to be around 100 degrees. Cotton takes a very long time to dry, needs lots of dry heat or breeze to dry and looks pretty compacted until it does dry. A good thumping on the cotton, once it is dry will fluff it up and make it ready to spin. There's lots more on t

A bit of change in the format this time, change is good, right? In this episode I review three books that include spinning information, and I share with you about a real live outside spin-in that I joined.  Since this is not a hands on, technical podcast this time, just think of this as time to catch up on your spinning projects.  The podcast will be back to its usual format in a couple weeks.  Meanwhile, enjoy the chat and music of this show. All music is from the podsafe music network. The interlude music, Blacksmiths Dance  is by Eastern Blok The ending song is Coffee Man by Calvin Owens Until later, happy spinning!