Yarnspinners Tales's Podcast

Latest Episodes:

YST Episode 166 Book Review Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

The book Spinning Wool beyond the Basics is by Anne Field. This podcast is a review of the book.

There are two editions of this book. The first, published in 2010 by Trafalgar Square Publishing is shown here on Ebay. Google book link is here.

The second edition was published by A & C Black Publishers. It seems to be the same book and information, although I have not seen an actual copy of the book yet. It is shown in this link at Alibris.

I talk about her differentiating between four ways to spin, woolen, semi woolen, worsted, and semi worsted. The preparation of the fiber and the actual way it is spun, determines which type of yarn you are spinning.

YST Episode 165 Herding the Stash Nov 03, 2019

Show notes

This podcast continues from episode 164, for Oct 2019. I talk about a few problems I had to solve during the Spin Together, with my wheel and spinning.

The strange title of this podcast. is all about a major reorganization I did of my fiber.

The 100 year shawl along I mention, can be found as a group on Facebook. That is also true of the other group I am in called 52 Weeks of Sheep.

One of the breeds this group recently studied was Babydoll Southdown, and I talk some in the podcast about this breed's information.

The fiber fair I went to and talk about in this podcast has a web page here, if you want to plan to go next October.

My wonderful door prize at the fiber fair, came from Rock and String Creations.

YST Episode 164 Oct 2019 part 1 Oct 29, 2019

Show notes

So much happening on the spinning front for me this month, that I needed two podcasts to talk about it all. So this is the first one, and Episode 165 will continue with more spinning goodness.

As promised, some links to people mentioned in the podcast:

A lovely squishy package arrived at my house one day full of Baby Doll South down fiber. It was processed and mixed with lovely mohair and a tiny bit of nylon. The ewe's name is Lily and was white. The ram's name is Ray, and is a lovely silver gray.

This fiber is from Teresa at SpinHistory.com

Wooly Knob Fiber Mill, is only on FaceBook, search for them there.

Fall Apart Farm, McArthur, Ohio has purebreed registered Icelandic sheep. They also can be found on Face

Dream Weaver Fiber Arts where I met Kathy at the Wool Gathering and bought a lovely turkish spindle.

Alpaca Pines Fiber and Mill is the source of the beautiful alpaca I spun during Spin Together. They are in Illinois.

The Spin Together Group on Facebook is now a good choice for replacing Spinzilla, spinning during the first week of Oct. Check it out for next year's spinning.

YST Episode 163 A review of the video World Spinning Techniques Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

This podcast is very different and so you have a choice.

There is a library based video website called Kanopy. I found a very interesting video on spinning throughout the world. I wanted other spinners to see it too, but they may not have access unless their library card (and their library system) grants access to Kanopy. The reason I do not include a link here, is because it is best to access it from your library's website.

So first, if you have a current library card,go to their website and look for Kanopy, click through to it and set up a free account. Then search and watch the video World Spinning Techniques. If you do watch the video, you really do not need to listen to the podcast. If you can not access the video, then there is a detailed, albeit,verbal description from when I watched the video.

Or do both, I would love to have you listen in to my reactions to all the amazing things I saw in the video.

The picture connected with this podcast has just slight relevance, it is three sample skeins of the alpaca fiber I have been spinning lately. Alpaca is the first fiber talked about in the video.

YST Episode 162 TdF2019 part 2 Aug 25, 2019

Show notes

I was able to do so much during this Tour de Fleece, it took two podcasts to tell you all about it. See the previous podcast for part one of this two part series.

The first fiber I talk about spinning is called Fake Cashmere, due to it softness. It is however, 100% nylon. I bought my fiber from a dyer whose business is Jazz Turtle.

It seems most people like to spin this fiber blended with other fibers, but I enjoyed spinning it on it's own. Another source for the fiber is Paradise Fibers

The next fiber I worked with was a dyed merino silk batt in the colors purple and green. Listen as I explain how I made color sequencing work for the 2 ply yarn.

On the TdF challenge day, I got out the book charka, not something I have much skill with. I was able to set it up and spin some single on it for my challenge.

I spent many days during the Tdf dyeing fiber, both in locks and in big pots full of fiber. I had the amazing once in a life time experience of dyeing a color I will never be able to repeat, calico locks. This podcast tells you how that happened.

Finally for the state fair entries, I needed an art yarn and chose to spin locks into a yarn. It was a learning experience and I share all I learned to make this yarn.

At the beginning of the podcast I talk about how there will be no Spinzilla this year, but TNNA has provided these two links for spinning fund raisers: Britspin also Spin Her Free and The owner of Purple Lamb Fibers is doing a Spin Together Oct 6 through Oct 12, 2019

Lots and lots of information in this podcast, grab a big chunk of fiber, your spinning tool of choice, and join me.

YST Episode 161 TdF 2019 part 1 Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

This is the first of a two part podcast, because I had so many projects to tell you about for the Tour de Fleece.

In this podcast I talk about spinning cotton sliver on the Majacraft Aura, not a very traditional way to spin cotton. My challenge day project was finally achieving those beautiful tight rolags on my blending board.

I also completed two skeins. The first was a dyed polworth from Yarn Hollow

The second skein was a gray Horned Dorset fiber, which I got from Dyed in the Wool. I talk a little about the breed too.

I suggest checking out Hilltop Cloud, to get an idea of the type of rolags I was making on the blending board, but when I checked the website they are not currently in stock. A quick search of Etsy brought up these, and these.

YST Episode 160 Spindle Spinning From Novice to Expert Jul 02, 2019

Show notes

Here is the first of the book review only podcasts I mentioned in a previous podcast. After years of podcasting, I realized that the book reviews will be easier to find if in their own individual podcast.

This podcast reviews the book Spindle Spinning from Novice to Expert by Connie Delaney.

Links to possible sources for this book can be found on Abe Books

Also seen listed on Ebay here

In both cases, the exact listings may no longer be available, but it serves for you to see the book and description, and know how to search for it in those websites.

One last link is to the fiber I talk about in the review, kenaf. The Wiki page for it is here.

YST Episode 159 June 2019 Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

It's that time of year, and the tents are up and the vendors hopeful as the cycle of yearly fiber fairs continue. I mention in the podcast my 'blue sky' dream of hitting them nationwide some year. A van full of fiber to sell, and be replaced by purchases, sounds just right!

The photo for this podcast shows the Pegosa alpaca fiber I am currently spinning by the lock on my Roberta.

There are lots of links for the podcast, for everyone that I mentioned, be sure to check out the webpages.

The Woolery, which you can find at fiber fairs and their storefront.

Dyed in the Wool. I owe Sandy Ferguson an apology for not mentioning in the podcast, her as an owner of this business too!

The Alien Encounter sock pattern can be found on Ravelry, here.

The Stoltman Family farm only has a FaceBook page, here.

Ohio Valley Natural Fibers is the fiber processing mill I talk about.

Yarn Geek Fibers has this page of dyed yarn and fibers for sale.

Punkin Patch is Equinox Farm home of the crazy sheep lady. There's a good blog on that website, where you can get you fill of photos and good writing. This is the farm from whom I purchased Bullwinkle's fleece.

This blog had one post that showed Bullwinkle, he's the white sheep.

This farm is also part of the breed conservancy program, Shave 'em to Save 'em, for rare breed sheep.

YST Episode 158 May 2019 May 15, 2019

Show notes

I realize that is an unusual subtitle for a postcast. I recently had a total knee replacement surgery, and for the first 15 minutes or so of this podcast, I do talk about how the healing process delayed my spinning and fiber work for several weeks.

But once the spinning wheels got going again, I had two WIP to talk about, the Pegosa alpaca project was continued and I finished spinning two fibers I had used for a project back in Sept. a babydoll Southdown and a Polworth.

As promised I did one book review at the end of this podcast. It is Creative Spinning, a creative combination of two authors, Alison Daykin and Jane Deane.

The Polworth fiber I spun is from MohairandMore.

The episode of this podcast where I review the breed Babydoll Southdown is here, episode 37.

Please see a separate non podcast page on the blog for a listing of episodes of this podcast that contain book reviews. That way I can list the episode number, and the book title, and keep it updated.

Photo shown with this episode is of the southdown/polworth skeins I finished and talked about in the podcast.

YST Episode 157 The Pegosa Project Mar 18, 2019

Show notes

It's official! I have joined the ranks of retirees. Now it is time to 'spend' my stash, or as I have decided to call it, my retirement 'fund'.

We start this with a very large blanket of alpaca fiber from an alpaca named Pegosa. The first pound is washed, but not completely processed as I am using it to test various processing methods. This podcast talks about combing with handheld combs, and the yarn that I spun from that top.

Needless to say there will be plenty more to podcast about Pegosa's fiber in the next few months. However I have talked about alpaca in past podcasts too. If you are interested, here is a list of episodes with links:

Episode 35 Washing alpaca

Episode 101 Machine washing alpaca

Episode 102 Spinning alpaca

Episode 108 Dyeing alpaca

Episode 123 Alpaca in the dyepots

One other spinning project completed since the last podcast was fiber from Homestead Hobbyist, a lovely polworth/silk blend.