Spindle Obsession

Just out this month is a new book from Lisa Lloyd: A Fine Fleece: Knitting with Handspun Yarns. This book is not a “how to spin book” - instead, it covers a topic that in my opinion hasn’t been covered all that thoroughly before: what to knit with your handspun yarns.

The book starts out with a discussion of the general characteristics of wool and the characteristics of the wool produced by the specific breeds that are showcased in the book. There is also a bit of information here on the fibers of other animals used in the book: mohair, alpaca, and llama. The first chapter also covers the topics of blending and dyeing fiber and gives some really valuable information about how to decide what fiber or fiber blends to use based on the project you have in mind.

The knitted projects in the sections that follow are what really make the book. Most of the patterns are fairly classic but still manage to be unique. And the wonderful part is that each project is shown knit with both a handspun yarn and a commercial yarn, with details given about the blend used to make the handspun version. I haven’t yet had the chance to knit any of the projects in the book, but in reading through some of the patterns, I’ve found them to be well written and easy to follow. Levels of difficulty of the patterns range from “intermediate beginner” to “experienced”.

In short, A Fine Fleece: Knitting with Handspun Yarns is a wonderful book for any spinner who wants to get some ideas about what to make with their handspun yarns, or a knitter who wants to learn more about what types of yarn work well in what projects.

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Here are a few upcoming spinning and fiber-related events I’ve come across recently:

The Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival

Location: Howard County Fairgrounds, West Friendship, MD
Dates: May 3-4, 2008
Highlights include:

• Workshops, including a beginning spinning and comprehensive spinning workshop
• Various contests and demonstrations
• A vendor marketplace and a fleece show and sale

You’ll find more information about this festival at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival web site.

Upper Valley Fiber Festival

Location: Miami County Fairgrounds, Troy, OH
Dates: May 10, 2008
Highlights include:

• A vendor marketplace - wool, mohair, alpaca and llama fiber and felting, spinning and weaving equipment will be available
• A sheep dog herding demonstration

Visit the Upper Valley Fiber Festival web site for more information.

The Pagosa Fiber Festival

Location: Pagosa Springs Town Park, Pagosa Springs, CO
Dates: May 24-25, 2008
Highlights include:

• A fiber arts competition, with categories for weaving, knitting, crochet and felting
• A handspun yarn competition
• A variety of workshops, including a beginning spinning workshop
• A vendor marketplace

You’ll find more information at the Pagosa Fiber Festival web site.

Middle Tennessee Sheep, Wool and Fiber Festival

Location: Dickson, Tennessee
Dates: May 23-24, 2008
Highlights include:

• A fiber arts competition, with categories for knitting, crochet, felting and weaving, with both handspun and commercial yarns
• A skein competition
• A variety of workshops, including workshops on processing and spinning raw wool and washed locks, using combs, hand cards, and drumcarders, and beginning spinning
• A vendor marketplace

You’ll find more information at the Middle Tennessee Sheep, Wool and Fiber Festival web site.

If you’ve never been to a fiber festival before, and one of these is in your area, I would encourage you to attend. You’re sure to pick up some wonderful information from the demonstrations or workshops, and it’s just plain fun to see all of the fiber animals and beautiful spinning tools!

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