Dear Chris, Well, it doesn’t get any easier. Today, you would be 70. Five years ago today was the last time I wished you a happy birthday, and the last time anybody heard from Molly. I spend a lot of March 9ths bursting into tears suddenly, and today’s really no exception. And yeah, to be […]

Dear Ed, You would have turned 71 today, man.  As for me, welp.  I’m 44. Where were you when you were 44? That seems like the sort of thing you’d tell me if I called you on your birthday. Well, damn, I was 17. So we were living in Tsukuba then, where we were when […]

Dear Molly, 40 years ago today, I was over at our great-grandmother’s house, and she had a few friends over sitting on the couch. I got to watch TV, and Planet of the Apes was on. You always hated when I told you that was something I remembered so vividly about the day, so, you […]

Abby’s Spinning Gift Guide 2014 Do you have a spinner in your life for whom you’d like to buy a gift, but you aren’t sure what he or she would like? I’ve pulled together a list of some favourite items in various price ranges to help, followed by a few tips on shopping for spinners […]

It’s been a long year. Like, a really really long year. The kind of year I wouldn’t wish on anyone ever, actually — a year that has really tested and tried my ability to stay calm and keep things together. It’s been the kind of year where I’ve stopped thinking “At least this must be […]

Yesterday morning five months ago, my mother got off a plane in Cusco, Peru. I can’t begin to guess how many times in her life my mother had done just that, or how many times — just like this one — she was met at the airport by Nilda and her husband Paulino. I was […]

…is coming! Watch this space for more info to be released throughout the weekend, and registrations starting sometime next week, the week of February 13-17th. Here’s what I can tell you right now. What is Stringtopia? Back by popular demand, Stringtopia this year is a 3-day event with a spinning focus, along with some weaving […]

…the more they stay the same. From the pages of the magazine “English Mechanic and the World Of Science,” we have this letter regarding something published in a prior issue: COTTON SPINNING Sir — “Harmonious Cotton Spinner” has not penetrated very deeply into the mysteries of cotton spinning if he has not yet discovered a […]

We just can’t thank you all enough for your tremendous support for Stringtopia. We are so lucky to be part of such a wonderful community. So we wanted to take a minute to start saying thanks to some of the fine folks who are donating door prizes and treats for the goodie bags. In no […]

The Question: You’re working with industrially-produced Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) top, and you find that the yarn you’re producing makes a stiff, dense yarn. Is there any way to make it loftier? The Short Answer: Probably. Many spinners — some people would even say most, these days — default to a drafting method that tends […]