Spin Off Winter 2024

Deep Roots

This special issue delves into the long history of our natural fibers, allowing us to look deep into the past while spinning into the future. Explore how Finnish weaver Hannnele Köngäs uses high-twist yarns and rare wool to create textured textiles. Be transported to a Moroccan village to see a tradition called twiza—the art of working wool together—and share a Diné shepherd’s history of the Navajo-Churro. Learn to blend Southdown with flax for a knitted shawl, work two half-hitch methods for a smoother spindle technique, and crochet an ever-useful rare-breed case for your fave device. This natural-fiber issue will have you searching for silky suri fleeces, Shaniko wool, and more!

Contents

• Finnish Woven Waves: Hannele Köngäs Explores High-Twist Yarns by Kate Larson
• Desi Oon: Spinning India's Indigenous Wool by Chitra Balasubramaniam
• East Prussian Skudden: The World of Wool by A. Sabine Schröder-Gravendyck
• T’aa dibé (The First Sheep): A Diné Shepherd’s History of the Navajo-Churro by Nikyle Begay
• Unspun: Exploring Traditional Asia-Pacific Textiles through Foraged Fibers by Emily Robison
• Plant-Based Spinning: Back to the Basics by Dr. Annamarie Hatcher
• Spirit of Cooperation: Twiza in the Mountains of Morocco by Karen Elting Brock
• Beginner Basics: (Half) Hitch in Your Drop-Spindle Technique? by Kate Larson
• Shaniko Wool: From the Ground Up, A Sustainable Future for Traditional Wools by Jeanne Carver
• Suri Alpaca: Select, Prep, and Spin a Silken Fleece by Jacqueline Harp
• The Endlessly Adaptable Woolly Case by A. Sabine Schröder-Gravendyck
• The Atlantic Shawl by Barbara Kelly-Landry