Updated 2015: check out my overall “Getting Started” advice! Getting started with handspinning does not require a huge investment. Although there’s no reason you can’t spend as much as you like, and start right out with expensive equipment and materials, it’s not required at all. The next set of instructions is for making the cheapest, […]

For those of you who have been wondering about Batt Club, and if there’ll be another, and what you have to do to get in, here’s a quick update. First, I have decided to do Batt Club again for Winter 2007. Maybe I should have called it Fall 2007 — but perhaps, with another day […]

I’m hearing a lot of new spinners talking about what kind of wool fiber they’ve been told is the right thing to start out with, and then relating to that, what problems they’re having as they branch out to other types of wool. The more I read about the issues folks are encountering, the more […]

Here we go with round one of my series tackling some of the classic debates in the handspinning arena. A few of you laughingly commented this might be an odd choice of timing to go picking fights, what with absurd heat waves going around and how that affects temperaments — but then again, perhaps a […]

That’s about all the useful content I have for now; I’m too slammed with back-to-school prep and trying to keep all balls in play, to be able to pull together anything really cogent. “Spindle vs. Wheel” is in final editing stages; hopefully tomorrow. The break in the weather has windows finally open and a little […]

Things finally cooled off a bit yesterday, assuming that it’s really reasonable to consider “about 90F” to be “cool,” which I suppose it is, in context. Clearly, all you Australians would find that quite pleasant in summer, hrmmm? That’s around 33C. Personally, I find 27-28C to be about the perfect temperature. Well, anyway, I did […]

Freshly updated, now with more questions answered, Fri Aug 10 09:02:08 EDT 2007! It’s common nowadays for a lot of folks in the fiber world to use the word “roving” to rever to any unspun fiber. The thing is, this isn’t really accurate and doesn’t give a clear sense of what the preparation really is […]

Well, the last of Batt Club shipments finally made it out the door yesterday after a lengthy manual data entry project necessitated by (clearly sub-standard) shipping software. And I’m a big girl: I’ll admit it. It was slowed down terribly by one simple, terrible mistake on my part. It involved my longhand-numbered list, which went […]

Well, the good news is, round 2 of Batt Club is nearing completion and is absolutely stunning, if I say so myself. In fact, the truth is, it’s one my most favourite blends, I’ve been remembering how much I love this blend, and loving every single batt that’s coming off Cardzilla as I go. The […]

Well, I had to give Cardzilla a good cleaning after a tweed blend I just finished up, so I figured I’d document the process for all to see. You can really tell the poor guy needs a cleaning. Look at all this trash on the main drum! And the lickerin drum — stuff piles up […]