The Long Thread Podcast

In the history of wool, Spain means Merino, the legendary finewool sheep so prized that their export fell under royal control. From their Spanish origins, Merino genetics formed the basis of wool breeds around the world. The foundations of most finewools, especially in Australia and the United States, count Merino as a major contributor. Apart from Merino, the Spanish sheep carried by colonizers to the Americas transformed those societies—consider the Spanish Churro in the vital Navajo-Churro breed. Over the last century, the wool industry in Spain has weakened, with sheep increasingly bred for meat and cheese. The once-prized Spanish wool became a burden rather than a benefit, as some wool went to compost or was even burned (sadly, a common practice in many places). In 2019, one family-owned mill that spun hearty yarn for the rug industry received a request from a handdyer looking for yarn made from Spanish wool. Seeing a new opportunity for Spanish wool, the mill’s owner decided to found Wooldreamers in 2020 to produce yarn for crafters. Wooldreamers’ line of yarns includes wool from a number of flocks: sheep that travel along traditional shepherding routes, the rare Navarra breed, some of the finest Merino available from family-owned ranches, and the sheep that produce Manchego cheese. In addition to bringing one-of-a-kind yarns to crafters around the world, Wooldreamers provides income to the ranchers who are preserving and reviving the legacy of Spanish wool. Weaver and fiber artist Bea Bonanno became part of the Wooldreamers story when her grandmother, who raises a small flock of sheep near Avila, Spain, encountered Wooldreamers in her search for a mill. Having worked at the landmark yarn shop Yarn Barn of Kansas, Bea has experience not only in using yarn but helping customers undertand the properties of their materials. Since taking on distributorship of Wooldreamers in the United States, she has relished telling the story of the company’s yarns and its impact on sheep and wool in Spain. “I've been lucky enough to find people who are just as excited about it as we are,” she says. Links Wooldreamers US (https://wooldreamersus.com/) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Brown Sheep Company is a four-generation family business bringing you high quality wool and natural fiber yarns. We spin and dye U.S.-grown wool into hundreds of vibrant colors at our mill in western Nebraska. Our mill has something to offer for every craft, from our well-known knitting and crochet yarns to wool roving for spinning and felting. We offer U.S-made needlepoint yarn as well as yarn on cones for weaving. Learn more about our company and products at BrownSheep.com (https://brownsheep.com/). Appalachian Baby Design offers U.S. sustainably sourced yarns, kits, and patterns for crafting heirloom-quality gifts for the family. Their U.S. organic cotton and Shaniko sportweight wool are soft, resilient and washable–perfect for creating lasting pieces. Whether knitting, crocheting, or weaving—for beautiful creations that will be cherished for generations, start with appalachianbaby.com. (https://appalachianbaby.com/)

This is Anne’s Book Club, a spotlight episode of the Long Thread Podcast where we share conversations about exciting new craft titles. This episode features three new books from Storey Publishing: The Stitched Landscape by Anna Hultin, The Handsewn Wardrobe by Louisa Owen Sonstroem, and Knitting Cowlettes by Safiyyah Talley. You’ll hear a conversation with each of the authors, followed by an excerpt of some of my favorite passages. I was excited to choose each of the titles to feature, and I hope you enjoy the conversations and the books as much as I have! The Stitched Landscape: An Embroidery Field Guide to the Textures, Colors, and Lines of the Natural World Anna Hultin has so much to teach you—to stitch, of course, but mostly to see. With a background in art education and a habit of looking closely at the land around her, Anna offers concrete skills as well as encouraging prompts to develop your own relationship with where you are. Her book includes step-by-step projects, detailed instructions for common plants, and techniques for sketching, stitching, and painting your own personal landscape. Her book gently pushes embroiderers who might be reluctant to consider their work as art toward creativity, exploration, adaptation, and staking their own ground, all within the frame of an embroidery hoop. From Anna’s introduction to The Stitched Landscape (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/anna-hultin/the-stitched-landscape/9781635868456/?lens=storey?lens=storey-publishing-llc&utm_source=LongThreadMedia&utm_medium=Digital&utm_campaign=AnnaHultin_TheStitchedLandscape_Pub_RetailClicks_Storey_9781635868456&utm_content=CRAFTSHOBBIES&utm_term=Interests_Podcast_craft_GenPop): This isn’t your typical embroidery book. Although it has plenty of embroidery patterns for you to follow, more than anything this book offers in-depth practice of the artistic process—from the spark of inspiration to a final piece and everything in between. I hope you will learn as much about observing the land as you do about embroidery. Whether you are picking up a needle and thread for the first time or have experience as a fiber artist, and wherever you are in the seasons of your life, my aim is to inspire you to grow in your creative practice. The projects are meant to build your skills and offer opportunities for discovery as you develop your own style and point of view. I’m excited to see how you’ll take what you learn in these pages and apply it to your own observations of the world around you. **Anna Hultin* is the artist and educator behind Olander CO Embroidery. She uses needle and thread to create contemporary embroideries that explore the often overlooked beauty of the subtle textures and colors of the Colorado landscape. Anna lives with her family in Loveland, Colorado.* The Handsewn Wardrobe: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own Clothes from Patternmaking to the Finishing Stitches To make clothes that you love, says Louisa Owen Sonstroem, pick up a pencil and paper, needle and thread, and get stitching. Trained in commercial patternmaking, she knows the strengths—and limitations—of off-the-rack clothing and pattern-envelope sewing. Her new book teaches sewists to handsew clothes that seem out of reach for today’s makers: hoodies, leggings, and even a denim jacket. If that sounds too time-consuming, skill-demanding, or slow, Louisa’s book will surprise you. The book invites you to set aside clothing designed for someone else’s body and create garments that will fit you perfectly. She calls The Handsewn Wardrobe “two books in one”: a primer on patternmaking that frees you from generic commercial patterns and a sewing book that teaches techniques for stitching garments by hand. In over 300 pages of instruction, she takes you from making a pattern for a basic tee to drafting a custom pair of jeans. For weavers and crafters with precious fabrics, handsewing lets you make the best use of precious fabric, not only by minimizing waste but also by creating garments you will wear proudly. From The Handsewn Wardrobe: (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/louisa-owen-sonstroem/the-handsewn-wardrobe/9781635866261/?lens=storey?lens=storey-publishing-llc&utm_source=LongThreadMedia&utm_medium=Digital&utm_campaign=LouisaOwenSonstroem_TheHandsewnWardrobe_Pub_RetailClicks_Storey_9781635866261&utm_content=CRAFTSHOBBIES&utm_term=Interests_Podcast_craft_GenPop) Learning how to make patterns is one of the coolest, most transformative experiences. You can make anything! Patternmaking may have a bit of a reputation as an intimidating, difficult discipline, but it needn’t be that way. There are so many more possibilities than limitations in this craft. And, by the way, no one knows everything about patternmaking—no one!—so just relax and enjoy yourself. Make note of the principles shared in this book and elsewhere, but lean into the gray areas and creative opportunities, too. You’ll learn just as much by messing around with patterns as by following anyone’s instructions. The more you try, the more you’ll learn. It’s a radical, simple act to make your own clothes by hand. The tools are few, and most are relatively inexpensive. The techniques needn’t be complicated, either—with a handful of good stitches at your command, you’ll be able to construct all manner of beautiful, sturdy garments. And if you approach your projects with a willingness to experiment, you’ll never stop learning. Empowerment, accessibility, mental stimulation, endless opportunities for growth, and a set of amazing clothes—what’s not to love? **Louisa Owen Sonstroem* studied design and patternmaking at Fashion Institute of Technology. She works in technical design and patternmaking and teaches hand sewing and patternmaking classes. She also started Patternmaking in Public Places (PIPP), an outreach project to democratize access to patternmaking skills. Louisa lives in Connecticut with her family, in a house filled with board books, dog beds, and lots of fabric.* Knitting Cowlettes: Clever Techniques for Making Custom Mini-Cowls to Elevate Any Outfit Innovative knitter Safiyyah Talley’s first book, Knit 2 Socks in 1, offered a clever new way of knitting socks. In her new book, she offers a fresh look at neckwear with a collection of cowlettes—wearable cowl/shawl hybrids. In addition to 23 patterns, the book includes methods for designing your own cowlette, finessing fit, and yarn selection. Besides the range of lovely designs, the joy of this book is the expansive view of knitting, offering patterns for any skill level and personal style. Simple and versatile, Safiyyah’s cowlettes beckon you to cast on. From Safiyyah’s introduction to Knitting Cowlettes: (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/safiyyah-talley/knitting-cowlettes/9781635868012/?lens=storey?lens=storey-publishing-llc&utm_source=LongThreadMedia&utm_medium=Digital&utm_campaign=SafiyyahTalley_KnittingCowlettes_Pub_RetailClicks_Storey_9781635868012&utm_content=CRAFTSHOBBIES&utm_term=Interests_Podcast_craft_GenPop) I like to gift cowlettes because they are quick, gender neutral, size inclusive, and very useful. There are just so many scenarios that call for one that I even gift them to myself. Wake up to a chill in the air? Pop on a cowlette. Want to dress up an outfit? Pop on a cowlette. Need to show off a knitted item at the knitting convention, and it’s a very hot and crowded July day? Say it with me now: “Pop on a cowlette!” You might be wondering, “What exactly is a cowlette?” Cowlette is a term created by innovative knitwear designer Carina Spencer and it is the lovechild of a cowl—a circular scarf—and a shawlette, or a small shawl. Cowlettes have a similar construction to a shawl, but with the wearability of a cowl. Shawls tend to slip and slide when worn, unless secured in some way with a knot or a shawl pin. Cowlettes look like shawls, but they are knit in the round, so the wearer doesn’t have to worry about them falling off. Just like shawls, cowlettes are first worked flat from the top down. Stitches are added in the form of increases until the work is large enough to fit comfortably around the wearer’s neck. The cowlette is then joined in the round and worked to the desired size and length. When searching online for cowlette patterns, you may find them under “cowls” or “shawls,” because it is a fairly new knitting term. But the very best part of making cowlettes is how customizable they are. With the help of this book, you can easily design your own. You can control the difficulty, size, yarn amount, and gauge with very little prep and only as much math as you wish! It is the perfect project for all knitters, from beginner to expert. All you need to get started is a ball of yarn, circular knitting needles, and a sense of adventure. **Safiyyah Talley* is the author of* Knit 2 Socks in 1 and creator of the popular blog The Drunk Knitter. She teaches knitting classes virtually and at knitting shows. Safiyyah lives in Indiana. This episode is brought to you by: Storey (https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/storey-craft-books-for-creative-living/) publishes craft books for makers of all skill levels, whether you’re interested in hand sewing your own clothes, embroidering outdoors, or a knitting fun new accessory. Check out our new books in knitting, crochet, weaving, quilting, sewing, soap-making, design, and more!

Sarah Pedlow was enjoying an artist’s residency in Budapest when a museum visit changed the course of her artwork and her career. In the Ethnographic Museum, displays of traditional clothing and dowry goods from Hungarian villages showed an extraordinary variety of skills. Many of the intricately embroidered pieces spoke to an earlier time—although some had been created not that long ago. One type of embroidery, írásos, particularly captured Sarah’s imagination. Using a straightforward open chain stitch in bold, graphic lines, the style was distinctively Hungarian, with Turkish-influenced motifs reflecting the region’s history. Although she didn’t speak Hungarian (a notoriously difficult language) and had no previous background in fiber art, Sarah was drawn to learn more about the embroidery. She eventually made several trips to an ethnically Hungarian region of Romania, where she met some of the few embroiderers still working in the technique and learned the stitch for herself. Within the community, this style is called “written” embroidery, and writing the patterns is respected as a distinct skill. After years of traveling in the region and studying with traditional embroiderers, Sarah decided to bring others to experience what she had learned. Working with a local guide, she began leading tours to visit the museums, shops in the markets, and learn directly from the villagers who still practice the art daily. Sarah’s fine-art work has come to incorporate stitching and textiles. Her interest in traditional fiber arts has also grown beyond írásos to include the Arraiolas stitch practiced in Portugal, another destination for her textile tours, and explorations in the embroidery of Estonia, Bulgaria, and Spain—with more destinations capturing her eye. Our conversation made me eager to pack and needle and thread and go explore the world—you may get textile wanderlust, too. Links ThreadWritten website (https://threadwritten.com/) ThreadWritten Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/threadwritten/) Sarah’s studio (https://www.instagram.com/sarahpedlowstudio/) Instagram Néprajzi Múzeum/Museum of Ethnography, (https://www.neprajz.hu/en) Budapest This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/index.php) is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. Peace Fleece began in a small Maine town with a mission: to produce a yarn that brings together parties from areas of historic conflict, transcending boundaries through the commerce of wool. From Russian farmers to the Navajo Nation, the original owners set the foundation for meaningful trade. Today, the spinning mill at Harrisville Designs continues the tradition of sourcing fine wool from Navajo farmers, combining it with US wool and a touch of mohair to create the unique Peace Fleece blend. Visit our website at peacefleece.com (https://peacefleece.com/) to learn more. Eucalan is your go-to delicate wash for the fibers you love. Whether you’re blocking a shawl, freshening up handspun, or preserving a vintage knit, Eucalan’s no-rinse formula with lanolin keeps your work clean, soft, and cared for. Biodegradable, gentle, and available in five lovely scents—because your craftsmanship deserves the best. Learn more at eucalan.com. (https://eucalan.com/)

Most of us crafters know instinctively that working with yarn, fiber, and cloth makes life better. Believing that handwork is good for our well-being has sparked memes about knitting as “the new yoga” and sold tee shirts that read, “I knit so I don’t stab people.” But feeling good while practicing fiber art is only one of the ways that working with thread adds meaning to life. As a “passionate knitter and yarn stasher, a comparably dispassionate sewist, a novice embroiderer, and a clumsy crocheter,” Nicole Nehrig has experienced this for herself. As a clinical psychologist, she used the tools of her training to examine how women have used needlework to meet their needs and enrich their lives. In stories collected from around the world and through time, she documents how women have stitched their way not only to emotional well being but also self-expression, community, and financial reward in her book, With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories. The book combines narrative nonfiction with observations about the shared experience of making meaning while making cloth. In our conversation, Nicole discusses how her loves of craft and women’s lives came together to tell the shared story of women’s handwork. Links Nicole Nehrig’s website (https://nicolenehrig.com/) With Her Own Hands: Women Weaving Their Stories (https://wwnorton.com/books/9781324074854) Elizabeth Wayland Barber, Women’s Work: The First 20,000 Years (https://mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/book/9781324076025) Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez on the Long Thread Podcast (https://spinoffmagazine.com/long-thread-podcast-nilda-callanaupa-alvarez/) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/index.php) is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Brown Sheep Company is a four-generation family business bringing you high quality wool and natural fiber yarns. We spin and dye U.S.-grown wool into hundreds of vibrant colors at our mill in western Nebraska. Our mill has something to offer for every craft, from our well-known knitting and crochet yarns to wool roving for spinning and felting. We offer U.S-made needlepoint yarn as well as yarn on cones for weaving. Learn more about our company and products at BrownSheep.com (https://brownsheep.com/). The Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival (https://www.adkwoolandarts.com/) is the perfect way to spend a weekend surrounded by over 150 craft vendors in Greenwich, New York. Discover a curated group of vendors featuring the best of wool and artisan crafters. Throughout the weekend enjoy workshops, free horse drawn wagon rides, free kid's crafts, a fiber sheep show, and a sanctioned cashmere goat show. Join us September 20 & 21, 2025, and every fall! For more information visit adkwoolandarts.com. Buy tickets now! (https://washingtoncountyfair.ticketspice.com/2025-adirondack-wool-arts-festival) Appalachian Baby Design offers U.S. sustainably sourced yarns, kits, and patterns for crafting heirloom-quality gifts for the family. Their U.S. organic cotton and Shaniko sportweight wool are soft, resilient and washable–perfect for creating lasting pieces. Whether knitting, crocheting, or weaving—for beautiful creations that will be cherished for generations, start with appalachianbaby.com. (https://appalachianbaby.com/)

Anne’s Book Club is a new series of interviews with the authors of new fiber art books that I think Long Thread Podcast listeners will love. This episode features new books by Deb Essen, a frequent contributor to Handwoven and Little Looms. Deb Essen may weave plenty of blocks and squares, but you definitely can’t put her in a box. Not many weavers would release a book about turning pin-loom squares into adorable stuffed animals just a few months before a book about a drafting method for multishaft weaving, but Deb’s curiosity about all things weaving has led her down delightful rabbit holes. (For her book Swatch Critters from the Pin Loom, she wove the whole rabbit!) In our conversation about weaving, writing, and inspiration, Deb talked about why she’s excited about both new projects. “They’re for people who just like to weave,” she says, “and they’re curious about all different kinds of weaving things.” Listen in for a chat and excerpt from the books. From Deb’s introduction: Pin looms appeared on the weaving scene in the 1930s as small wooden frames with nails around the perimeter that hold yarn to allow the weaving of small squares. The best-known brand was the “Weaveit” pin loom. Now I have to admit, previous experience with pin looms made out of wood did not make me a fan of pin loom weaving. The wooden looms can be hard to hold comfortably, the weaving needle would catch on the frame edges, and the nails are not always perfectly spaced. But Schacht Spindle Company’s Zoom Loom resolved all the issues I had with pin looms. The frame is flat plastic that is easy to hold, the pins are placed precisely and securely anchored, the inside edges of the frame are beveled so the weaving needle does not catch a sharp edge when exiting, and as a bonus, the loom frame has directional notations for winding yarn onto the pin loom. I am in love with these little looms! From Deb’s introduction: Welcome to profile drafting—a powerful weaving tool that lets us create one fabric design and translate it into many weave structures! Whether you are a beginning weaver or have been weaving for years, my intent is to open this wonderfully versatile design toolbox for you and explain how to use the tools inside. I consider profile drafts as weaving “shorthand,” where I can quickly see the overall fabric design and then plug in the treading, treadling, and tie-up for the block weave structure I want to use. I’ve taught prolife drafting for many years, and there are three big questions everyone has that I will answer in this book: Question 1: Why use a profile draft? Question 2: How do profile drafts work? Question 3: How do the squares on a profile draft translate into the threading, the treadling, and especially the tie-ups for different weave structures? This book is a sampler platter of block weave structures using profile drafts. I could literally write an entire book on each weave structure, but my intention is to answer those big questions above for each weave structure and whet your appetite for using profile drafting when designing fabrics. In the "Resources" section at the end of the book, I have listed other books that are dedicated to deeper dives into the different weave structures. All the projects can be woven on 4 or 8 shafts. If you have more shafts available on your loom, you can weave more blocks of pattern in your fabric. Deb Essen is a well-known weaving expert and a frequent contributor to Handwoven and other magazines. The owner of DJE Handwovens, Deb teaches at conferences and guilds, nationally and internationally. She lives in Victor, Montana. Deb Essen’s Books Profile Drafting for Handweavers (https://a.co/d/3bckCqX) (available November 29, 20235) Swatch Critters from the Pin Loom: Step-by-Step Instructions for Making 30 Cuddly Animals from Woven Squares (https://a.co/d/40gBOil) (available August 28, 2025) Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps: Overshot, Velvet, Shibori, and More (https://a.co/d/bx2TUMX) (available now) This episode is brought to you by: Schiffer Craft brings you the most important currents of inspiration and knowledge, helping you tap the resources of craft history and heritage to find new directions in learning and making. We publish to help energize and enlarge the craft world! Learn more at SchifferCraft.com. (https://www.schiffercraft.com/)

Some spinners and weavers picture the Schacht Spindle Company’s factory as a large-scale operation churning out equipment by the hundreds. After all, Schacht’s products are easily recognized in stores, studios, and guilds around the world. Others see the handmade touches—such as the ladybug on every Ladybug spinning wheel—and imagine Barry Schacht making every piece by himself. Although Schacht is “a tiny company in a tiny industry,” as Barry says, it has been decades since he built all the equipment himself. About four dozen employees manufacture looms, wheels, and other tools at the factory in Boulder, Colorado; some work their entire careers in the business. Barry has spent decades developing new equipment and refining old models with a new feature or a more effecient process. Many are surprised to learn that not only does author, editor, and teacher Jane Patrick work at Schacht, but she and Barry have been married for decades. As the editor of Handwoven magazine, she didn’t advertise their relationship, but when her skills were needed in marketing, sales, and design, she joined the business. In addition to her roles at Schacht, Jane has advocated for small-loom weaving on rigid-heddle, inkle, and pin looms to involve new weavers and push the boundaries of design for little looms. After 56 years, although Schacht Spindle Company is going strong, Barry and Jane decided that it was time for them to hand over the reins. Barry met Paul Vervoorn, the new owner of Louët, at Convergence in 2024, and he saw someone who would continue the family-owned, community-focused, innovation-seeking nature of the company. Barry and Jane had already visited Louët’s facilities in the Netherlands. The two companies announced in May 2025 that Louët would purchase Schacht, allowing Barry and Jane to retire. In this episode, Barry and Jane share stories from their decades at in weaving and spinning—and look at what’s next. Links Schacht Spindle Company (https://schachtspindle.com/) Louët (https://www.louet.nl/en/home) “Louët Expands Across Atlantic with Purchase of Schacht.” (https://handwovenmagazine.com/louet-purchase-of-schacht/) Lynn Rognsvoog, handwovenmagazine.com, June 17, 2025. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/index.php) is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. Appalachian Baby Design offers U.S. sustainably sourced yarns, kits, and patterns for crafting heirloom-quality gifts for the family. Their U.S. organic cotton and Shaniko sportweight wool are soft, resilient and washable–perfect for creating lasting pieces. Whether knitting, crocheting, or weaving—for beautiful creations that will be cherished for generations, start with appalachianbaby.com. (https://appalachianbaby.com/) Eucalan is your go-to delicate wash for the fibers you love. Whether you’re blocking a shawl, freshening up handspun, or preserving a vintage knit, Eucalan’s no-rinse formula with lanolin keeps your work clean, soft, and cared for. Biodegradable, gentle, and available in five lovely scents—because your craftsmanship deserves the best. Learn more at eucalan.com. (https://eucalan.com/)

Clara Parkes became many knitters’ guiding light and best friend when she launched Knitter's Review in 2000. One of the early standouts in the early online knitting landscape, the site developed a devoted following for its in-depth, objective yarn reviews and lively forums. Several years after the site's inception, she began writing books, starting with The Knitter's Book of Yarn, which was followed by The Knitter's Book of Wool and The Knitter's Book of Socks. As she explored the yarn industry, Clara carefully maintained a journalist's independence, taking readers along with her as she learned how the yarns we love come to be. After her first three books, which were large-format, full-color, and featured a number of designs, her following works have been memoirs of her literal and metaphorical travels or in-depth narratives reporting about the yarn world. In 2012, she launched the Great White Bale, a combination small-batch yarn experiment and behind-the-scenes tour of the remaining American wool industry, for which she purchased a very special bale of wool and reported on its progress through the process of becoming yarn. In recent years, she has created several online communities: The Wool Channel, which is devoted to celebrating wool, and The Daily Respite, which offers a moment of wonder and calm each morning. Clara invites knitters and readers to join her in exploring the ways in which wool is a force for good in the world, and how crafters can join in its support. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. The Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival (https://www.adkwoolandarts.com/) is the perfect way to spend a weekend surrounded by over 150 craft vendors in Greenwich, New York. Discover a curated group of vendors featuring the best of wool and artisan crafters. Throughout the weekend enjoy workshops, free horse drawn wagon rides, free kid's crafts, a fiber sheep show, and a sanctioned cashmere goat show. Join us September 20 & 21, 2025, and every fall! For more information visit adkwoolandarts.com. Buy tickets now! (https://washingtoncountyfair.ticketspice.com/2025-adirondack-wool-arts-festival) Eucalan is your go-to delicate wash for the fibers you love. Whether you’re blocking a shawl, freshening up handspun, or preserving a vintage knit, Eucalan’s no-rinse formula with lanolin keeps your work clean, soft, and cared for. Biodegradable, gentle, and available in five lovely scents—because your craftsmanship deserves the best. Learn more at eucalan.com. (https://eucalan.com/) Links Visit Clara Parkes’s website (https://claraparkes.com/) for her books, events, and latest projects. Follow Clara on Instagram @claraparkes (https://www.instagram.com/claraparkes/) The Wool Channel (https://www.thewoolchannel.com/) is a community, publication, and platform devoted to promoting and educating about the benefits of wool. The Daily Respite (https://dailyrespite.substack.com/) is Clara's Substack offering a moment of wonder and reflection each morning.

Hazel Tindall can’t remember a time before she knew how to knit. Hazel learned to knit when knitting for sale was the only way that women earned money, when a job outside the home in town was too far to travel. Although her mother found knitting a chore, Hazel liked it, not only knitting sweater yokes for sale but exploring yarns and designs from outside her local sphere. When knitting was work, knitters put down their needles on Sundays, but in time knitting became a pleasure rather than a job for Hazel. She started knitting every day of the week. Eventually she began selling for sale not just sweaters but also designs for sweaters, vests, gloves, hats, and other colorwork designs. Loving color, she avoids sludgy color combinations in favor of bright hues. One member of the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers & Dyers read about a World’s Fastest Knitter competition, and the group believed that they could do better than the current standard. Hazel was found to be the fastest knitter in the group, so off she went to the contest, winning the title. Later, she traveled to Minnesota to defend the title; to her knowledge, she hasn’t been beaten! Links Hazel Tindall’s website (https://www.hazeltindall.com/) Hazel’s patterns (https://www.hazeltindall.com/knitting-patterns) Hazel’s blog (https://www.hazeltindall.com/blog) Shetland Museum & Archives (https://www.shetlandmuseumandarchives.org.uk/) Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers & Dyers (https://shetlandguild.sumupstore.com/) Shetland Wool Week (https://www.shetlandwoolweek.com/) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/index.php) is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? **Yarn Barn of Kansas)) has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your "local yarn store" with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. The Adirondack Wool and Arts Festival (https://www.adkwoolandarts.com/) is the perfect way to spend a weekend surrounded by over 150 craft vendors in Greenwich, New York. Discover a curated group of vendors featuring the best of wool and artisan crafters. Throughout the weekend enjoy workshops, free horse drawn wagon rides, free kid's crafts, a fiber sheep show, and a sanctioned cashmere goat show. Join us September 20 & 21, 2025, and every fall! For more information visit adkwoolandarts.com.

Tamara White always has one eye on the skies. Whether she’s getting her sheep ready for shearing, welcoming visitors to classes and events on the farm, or watching over the yarn in kettles of natural dye, there isn’t a moment when the weather isn’t on her mind. Although rain and heat make hard work of tending a flock of 100+ sheep plus calves, chickens, and other livestock, Tammy sees her work as a collaboration with Mother Nature. Most yarn production farms consist of hundreds of animals of a single breed, enough to produce consistent batches of single-breed yarn. Tammy’s way is more difficult, but more fun. In addition to her original small group of Shetlands, she has an evolving mix of breeds: sometimes Clun Forest, sometimes Teeswater, and most recently Valais Blacknose, a recent Swiss import dubbed the “world’s cutest sheep.” Wing & A Prayer Farm’s yarn line includes a number of fiber blends, not only to incorporate the farm’s different wools but also to bring the best traits of various breeds together. Creating yarns this way also invites collaboration with other shepherds and a number of small mills to whom she trusts her batch of wool. The collaboration with nature continues in dyeing the yarn. A self-taught dyer, Tammy creates as many colors as she can with plants that she can grow in her garden or forage on her property. To support her farm and community, Tammy takes on a wide range of other projects: making soap and pies, selling eggs, hosting classes, and selling breeding stock to other shepherds. It’s an enormous amount of work, but Tammy talks about her farm with such joy that it hardly sounds like a chore. Links Wing & A Prayer Farm website (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/wingandaprayerfarm/), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/wingandaprayerfarm/), YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8L5mosgHz3kg3IprzfDJ8Q), and Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/join/wingandaprayerfarm) Natural dyeing, felting, soapmaking, and other scheduled workshops (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/events) Find a schedule for the farm shop (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/farm-visits) or make an appointment to visit the yarn shop and apothecary The story of Valais Blacknose sheep (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/valais-blacknose-sheep) at the farm New England Farm & Fiber Festival (https://www.newenglandfarmandfiber.com/) Find yarn, fiber, soap, and merch in the farm’s online store (https://www.wingandaprayerfarm.com/farm-visits) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Brown Sheep Company is a four-generation family business bringing you high quality wool and natural fiber yarns. We spin and dye U.S.-grown wool into hundreds of vibrant colors at our mill in western Nebraska. Our mill has something to offer for every craft, from our well-known knitting and crochet yarns to wool roving for spinning and felting. We offer U.S-made needlepoint yarn as well as yarn on cones for weaving. Learn more about our company and products at BrownSheep.com (https://brownsheep.com/). The Michigan Fiber Festival—Michigan’s largest sheep and wool festival—is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info. (michiganfiberfestival.info.)

With Madelyn van der Hoogt’s extensive knowledge of loom-controlled structures and techniques, you might be surprised to learn that the celebrated weaving teacher spent her first years as a handweaver working on a backstrap loom. On a sabbatical in Latin America from her teaching career in Oakland, Madelyn traveled from village to village looking for the style of weaving she wanted to do, then sought out a local teacher. But when she moved back to the United States and began a new life as a farmer, her backstrap weaving style hit a snag: sitting on the ground to weave under a tree is a lot less pleasant when you are the favorite meal of chiggers. Falling in love with shaft looms and the cloth she could make, Madelyn began the weaving explorations that would make her the editor of two national weaving magazine, instructor in a half dozen weaving videos, and leader of a weaving school. She now has over 30 looms in her home teaching studio, each ready to explore a different weave structure. Despite decades as a writer and editor, she doesn’t hesitate before identifying first and foremost as a teacher. Links The Weavers’ School (https://www.weaversschool.com) The Primary Structures of Fabrics: An Illustrated Classification by Irene Emery was originally published by the Textile Museum, Washington, DC; it is currently out of print. Ask Madelyn (https://handwovenmagazine.com/search/?search=ask+madelyn) includes hundreds of thoughtful replies to reader inquiries—and if you send her an email (mailto:AskMadelyn@longthreadmedia.com), she might answer yours! This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore.

When you first learned to knit, you might have wondered why certain stitches made fabric that curled, or why right-leaning and left-leaning decreases didn’t quite match, or why charts didn’t really show what the knitted fabric would look like. Knitting patterns might have seemed completely unworkable. If we stick with the craft, most knitters eventually take these oddities in stride and work around them. We learning to fudge what we can’t fix, and we figure that’s the way knitting goes. We read our stitches, let the habits of our skilled hands take over, and integrate knitting into our lives the way we ride a bicycle, make a cup of tea, or steer a car. Not Cecelia Campochiaro. With a scientific mind (trained by a PhD in physical chemistry), she approached those small curiosities as chances to investigate knitting more closely. By making small variations—holding several yarns together and creating gradual striping patterns, repeating a sequence of stitches with a slight offset, or mirroring the same stitches on both sides of the work—she has explored the nature of knitting and created extraordinary fabrics. Her latest book, Reversible Knitting, shows the differences in drape, texture, design, and color that emerge simply from removing the idea of “right” and “wrong” sides of the fabric. The richness in Cecelia’s work lies in its simplicity. Like knitting itself, the careful repetitions and variations that she presents add up to a project far greater than the sum of its parts, as pleasing to the eye as to the hand. Links Reversible Knitting (https://ceceliacampochiaro.com/reversible-knitting/) is Cecelia’s latest book. Making Marls (https://ceceliacampochiaro.com/making-marls/) explores working with strands of different colored yarns held together. Sequence Knitting (https://ceceliacampochiaro.com/sequence-knitting/) examines the surprisingly rich results of repeating a group of stitches. Parastripe Shawl (https://farmfiberknits.com/library/RSPIFfjdRk6icOdEBaAvGA) is available in the Farm & Fiber Knits Library and as part of the Creative Color Collection. (https://farmfiberknits.com/library/LuKQD_4ITWmxBc5CM5MuSg) Carson Demers’s book Knitting Comfortably (https://ergoiknit.com/) offers advice on the ergonomics of knitting. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. The Michigan Fiber Festival—Michigan’s largest sheep and wool festival—is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info. (The Michigan Fiber Festival – Michigan's largest sheep and wool festival – is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info.)

At a time when many fiber arts stores are closing, Sara C. Bixler is bucking the trend. With degrees in both fine art and education, she had developed a studio practice as well as a teaching repertoire at the Pennsylvania weaving school where her father, Tom Knisely, had taught for decades. When that store closed, she decided to take the risk of opening a brand-new fiber arts center known as Red Stone Glen. It was an audacious project: the school and accompanying store occupy a rural campus in southeastern Pennsylvania, with space for several classes and even on-site lodging for students. Beginning a few years ago, the family took another step into the fiber arts when her husband, Dustin, acquired Bluster Bay Woodworking from its founders and began producing shuttles and other weaving tools “in the Glen,” too. She had support in her project from former students and from Tom, who was delighted to have a teaching home base again. Sara also loves opening her students’ eyes to other weaving traditions, whether exploring weaving destinations overseas or preserving the legacy of American textile history in the National Museum of the American Coverlet, where she serves on the board of directors. Links Red Stone Glen (https://redstoneglen.com/) Triaxial weaving: Hex Weave & Mad Weave (https://red-stone-glen-fiber-arts-center.myshopify.com/products/hex-weave-mad-weave-an-introduction-to-triaxial-weaving?_pos=1&_sid=01e5449c8&_ss=r) by Elizabeth Harris and Charlene St. John National Museum of the American Coverlet (https://www.coverletmuseum.org/) Sara’s videos on Boutenné (https://learn.longthreadmedia.com/courses/boutenn-with-sarah-bixler) and other subjects are available from Long Thread Media. (https://learn.longthreadmedia.com/collections?q=bixler) Sara leads tours to Japan (https://opulentquiltjourneys.com/all-craft-journeys/weaving-dyeing-holidays/item/discovering-japan-and-its-textiles?category_id=61) and Switzerland (https://opulentquiltjourneys.com/all-craft-journeys/weaving-dyeing-holidays/item/switzerlands-textile-heritage-and-christmas-markets?category_id=61) with Opulent Quilt Journeys. Bluster Bay Woodworks (https://blusterbaywoodworks.com/) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. The Michigan Fiber Festival—Michigan’s largest sheep and wool festival—is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info. (The Michigan Fiber Festival – Michigan's largest sheep and wool festival – is a vibrant world of fiber arts. Discover five days of classes with nationally recognized teachers in spinning, weaving, lacemaking, dyeing, felting, and rug hooking. Enjoy three days of shopping. Delight in shearing and fiber arts demonstrations. Enjoy a truly immersive experience. Join us in August at the picturesque Allegan County Fairgrounds (you can even camp on site!) Find more details at michiganfiberfestival.info.)

You know about North Pole and the South Pole, where polar bears and penguins live. Have you heard of a third pole? West and south of the Tibetan Plateau, a mountainous area holds more glaciers than any place in the world outside the Arctic and Antarctic poles. This region has a special significance for fiber artists: it is the home and habitat of the goats that produce much of the world’s cashmere. And as at the North and South Poles, climate change is threatening the animals and people who call this region home. To bring attention to the threat to glaciers in the region, engineer Sonam Wangchuk climbed into the Himalayas of in Ladakh, India, and carried back a 7 kilogram chunk of glacier. It began a journey across two continents, wrapped in 3 kilograms of cashmere, and finally arrived at the United Nations in New York. The UN has named 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation (https://www.un-glaciers.org/en), and Wangchuk’s Travelling Glacier brought the threat of climate change to the world’s door. The cashmere covering the sample not only insulated the ice, it also demonstrates what’s at risk when glaciers melt. The animals and people living in these regions depend on glaciers for water; when the glaciers melt too abruptly, the overflow of water sweeps away whole villages and cities in devastating floods. Stories of people and animals on other continents can seem remote, abstract, and hopeless, but joining in the movement to preserve this important resource can be as near as your fingertips. Long Thread Media is joining with Wild Fibers to sponsor the Cashmere on Ice Contest (https://cashmere.longthreadmedia.com/), which invites fiber artists to make a project containing cashmere. Projects can be wearable or decorative; a special category highlights fiber grown in the Ladakh region from which Wangchuk sourced his Travelling Glacier. In this episode, celebrated storyteller and wild fiber expert Linda Cortright shares details about why she cares passionately about this crisis and what fiber artists can do to help the cause. Learn about the contest (https://cashmere.longthreadmedia.com/) and find an FAQ (https://spinoffmagazine.com/a-fiber-contest-with-global-impact) for more details. Discover the Wild Fibers (https://www.wildfibersmagazine.com/cashmereonice) resource page. Hear about the effects of glacial melt in another high-elevation fiber-producing region: the Andes. (https://spinoffmagazine.com/alpaca-for-life/)

When Tom Knisely decided to buy his first item in an antique shop, he had two strokes of luck: the spinning wheel that he chose included all the parts needed to make yarn, and he lived not far from the landmark weaving store The Mannings. There, he learned to spin and eventually to weave. Enamored with the crafts, he got a job at the store there as a teenager and eventually built a career there over 37 years. That love of antiques led Tom to accumulate a collection of historic coverlets and rag rugs, along with knowledge about the old techniques used to make such durable textiles. Students often turn to Tom to learn such traditional skills as rag-rug weaving, working with linen from plant to fabric, and weaving with counterbalance looms. Through these antique rugs and coverlets, he traces the legacy of the weavers before him—those who pursued a life in weaving centuries ago. His nine books and ten videos explore contemporary and historic techniques, structures, and tools. As much as his knowledge, Tom’s patience, enthusiasm, and warmth draw students to his classes. Named Handwoven Teacher of the Year, he loves helping students—from children who watch his living history demonstrations to dedicated weavers—develop their skills and love of spinning and weaving. His longest-lasting teaching relationship has been with Sara C. Bixler, one of his daughters, who took up the mantle to become a weaving teacher and designer herself. “I think we have an obligation to get out there and promote what we do,” he says. “You’d be surprised how much it means to other people to see this. But I guarantee you, you’ll come home with stories that are far greater than what you have put out. It’s a real reward.” Links Read about bumper looms in “Never Say Never” (Little Looms Spring 2025 (https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/easy-weaving-with-little-looms-spring-2025)) and “Never Say Never Again” (Little Looms Summer 2025 (https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/easy-weaving-with-little-looms-summer-2025). Find Tom’s classes, including How to Weave a Rag Rug and Weave a Good Rug with Tom Knisely: From Fiber to Finish, streaming (https://learn.longthreadmedia.com/collections?q=tom+knisely) and in the Handwoven online store. (https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/search?q=tom+knisely) Tom teaches frequently at his daughter Sara C. Bixler’s shop, Red Stone Glen (https://redstoneglen.com/), in York, Pennsylvania. Cracker Country (https://www.crackercountry.org/) is a living history museum in Tampa, Florida, where Tom and his wife often demonstrate spinning and weaving. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Learning how to weave but need the right shuttle? Hooked on knitting and in search of a lofty yarn? Yarn Barn of Kansas has been your partner in fiber since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from the Yarn Barn of Kansas, or around the country, they are truly your “local yarn store” with an experienced staff to answer all your fiber questions. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to shop, learn, and explore. Tapestry weaving’s simple structure lets you weave almost any image you can dream up. Rebecca Mezoff, author of the bestseller The Art of Tapestry Weaving, will teach you how to weave your own ideas, designs, and adventures. Join Rebecca online to learn all about the magic of making pictures with yarn in the fiber technique of tapestry weaving. Find out more at tapestryweaving.com (https://rebeccamezoff.com/).

A lifelong lover of fiber arts, Susan Strawn’s career in textiles began in an unexpected corner: with training as a biomedical illustrator. She found cloth far more exciting than biology, so she turned her eye for detail to illustrating PieceWork magazine. She added photostyling to her duties, bringing textile stories to life and demonstrating the steps of various needlework techniques. After a decade on the staff of the magazine, she decided to devote herself to studying and writing about textiles, earning a PhD in Textiles and Clothing. Although her initial interest was in writing, she discovered that she loved teaching. She became a Professor in the Department of Fashion at Dominican University, with a roster of classes she loved to teach (and that would make a textile lover swoon to take). Now retired from the university, she is exploring the importance of textiles, especially knitting, in her own life through essays and illustrations. With a particular interest in everyday cloth and the insight it offers into women’s lives, Susan’s hands are always busy with needle, pen, or keyboard. Links Susan Strawn’s website (https://susanstrawn.com/) Susan’s Substack (https://open.substack.com/pub/susanstrawn/p/susan-strawn-meanders-through-the?r=bitk3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true) Discover Knitting America and Susan’s other writings (https://susanstrawn.com/writing/) Knits of Yore (https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/knits-of-yore-download-in-hd) video The Gaman Mittens pattern (https://farmfiberknits.com/library/a8gLt51DTaq9lHTnogF0gA/) is available in the Farm & Fiber Knits library or in PieceWork September/October 2017. (https://shop.longthreadmedia.com/products/piecework-september-october-2017-digital-edition) Read about Susan’s visit (https://farmfiberknits.com/cotswold-sheep-and-benedictine-nuns-of-shaw-island/) to the nuns of Shaw Island and their flock of Cotswold sheep No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/104985/no-idle-hands-by-anne-l-macdonald/) by Anne L. MacDonald A History of Hand Knitting (https://archive.org/details/historyofhandkni0000rutt/) by Richard Rutt Blazing Star Journal (https://www.agarts.org/blazing-star-literary-journal-archives/) from AgArts This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed.

Knitting and wool are so essential in the Faroe Islands that in the early 1800s, exports of sweaters and socks made up about half of the economy. Today, the nation of about 55,000 people has 8+ knitwear brands, 2 active spinning mills, and 70,000 ewes. Sissal Kristiansen, the owner of knitwear company Shisa Brand, started an initiative called The Wool Islands to celebrate the heritage and potential of Faroese fiber. “We owe it to our past and our future to utilise the natural resources that we have, and on the Faroe Islands, that is wool,” she says. The first project of the Wool Islands was a 15-minute documentary that takes viewers on a sweeping journey through the Faroese landscape, meeting shepherds, knitters, and of course sheep. Available to watch free on YouTube and the project’s website, the film welcomes you to the small country, which is located in the North Atlantic between Shetland and Iceland. Today, the economy of the Faroe Islands relies on tourism; the film shows how enticing a destination it is for knitters, spinners, and textile lovers. Sheep and knitting are everywhere in the Faroe Islands, but maintaining the quality and value of the local wool depends on visitors, locals, knitters, and consumers to recognize its unique importance. Drawing on the natural colors produced by the native sheep, Faroese knitting patterns are characterized by graphic, highly contrasting stranded patterns that generally carry floats over less than five stitches. Sissal’s designs for Shisa Brand feature bold traditional motifs in contemporary silhouettes and scales. Some of Shisa Brand’s iconic garments feature black-and-white geometric patterns, and the ready-to-wear items are handmade by local handknitters using Faroese wool. Undeterred by wool’s reputation for scratchiness next to the skin, she celebrates the lofty texture, warmth, and silkiness of the dual-coated fleece. Hearing Sissal speak about her home and her passion for Faroese wool will leave you yearning to wear Faroese knitwear, knit with Faroese yarn, and visit the country’s wool islands. Links Shisa Brand website (https://www.shisabrand.com/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/shisabrand) Find The Wool Islands film and resources about wool in the Faroe Islands at the program’s website (https://www.thewoolislands.com/) Watch a panel (https://youtu.be/O07UJxisLeg?si=mUwdb82UIJfXW4gk) moderated by Isabella Rossellini featuring Sissal and other Faroese designers and producers, hosted by the Scandinavia House in April 2024 Read Sissal’s “Legacy of Wool: Faroese Gold” in Farm & Fiber Knits (https://farmfiberknits.com/legacy-of-wool-faroese-gold/) Føroysk Bindingarmynstur (Faroese Knitting Patterns), the collection of Faroese knitting motifs documented by Hans Marius Debes, is available from Navia. (https://www.navia.fo/en/knitting-patterns/1151-foroysk-bindingarmynstur.html) Yarn grown in the Faroe Islands is available from Navia (distributed in the US by Kelbourne Woolens. (https://kelbournewoolens.com/collections/navia) Spinnaríið við ánna (Spinnery by the River) (https://kyrra.fo/pages/about-us) produces 100% Faroese yarns at a family-owned micro mill. Snaeldan (https://snaldan.fo/) mill produces yarn and knitwear in the Faroe Islands. Signabøgarður tógv (https://www.facebook.com/siignabogardur) offers 100% Faroese wool yarn. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. KnitPicks.com has been serving the knitting community for over 20 years and believes knitting is for everyone, which is why they work hard to make knitting accessible, affordable, and approachable. Knit Picks responsibly sources its fiber to create an extensive selection of affordable yarns like High Desert from Shaniko Wool Company in Oregon. Are you looking for an ethical, eco-friendly yarn to try? Look no further than Knit Picks’ Eco yarn line. Need needles? Knit Picks makes a selection for knitters right at their Vancouver, Washington headquarters. KnitPicks.com (https://www.knitpicks.com/)—a place for every knitter.

When young Shay Pendray told the head of her school that she wanted to learn to sew, he had a prerequisite: He would give her a lamb, and she would learn to process the wool, spin it into yarn, and weave it into cloth, and then she could learn to sew. It was an extraordinary home ec class, but the administrator in question was Henry Ford. Shay was one of the students in Greenfield Village, a living museum on the grounds of what is now the Henry Ford Museum. Shay has combined curiosity, hard work, good fortune, and a passion for needle arts ever since. Many fiber artists will remember Shay from the Needle Arts Studio with Shay Pendray. Wanting to share her knowledge of needlework, she developed a television series that ran on PBS stations for years. Before finding a national television audience, Shay opened successful needlework shops, studied embroidery in Japan, China, and Britain, and wrote several books. After decades as a business owner, television pioneer, and teacher, Shay finds great joy in sitting down with needlework every day, reveling in the variety of threads, materials, and information available to stitchers. Besides needle arts, Shay’s other passion is for horses. She loves to ride her horse in the open spaces of Wyoming, admiring the value of the greens and golds in the landscape. Not long before we spoke, USA Today wrote (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/15/85-year-old-michigan-cowgirl-still-drives-cattle-across-wyoming/) about her: “This 85-year-old cowgirl is still herding cattle across Wyoming: ‘We will age together.’” This episode marks the fifth anniversary of the Long Thread Podcast, which was first released in April 2020. I’ve thought so fondly of this conversation, our first podcast to release, and was excited to revisit it. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Sustainability and regenerative ranching have been a way of life for the ranches of Shaniko Wool Company for decades. They are the first “farm group” in the U.S. to achieve certification to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA Regenerative. Shaniko ranches raise Merino/Rambouillet sheep in the Western United States, delivering a fully traceable wool supply that gives back to the Earth and its ecosystems. To learn more, and discover Shaniko’s yarn partners, visit ShanikoWoolCompany.com. (https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com/) Tapestry weaving’s simple structure lets you weave almost any image you can dream up. Rebecca Mezoff, author of the bestseller The Art of Tapestry Weaving, will teach you how to weave your own ideas, designs, and adventures. Join Rebecca online to learn all about the magic of making pictures with yarn in the fiber technique of tapestry weaving. Find out more at tapestryweaving.com (https://rebeccamezoff.com/).

Some shepherds research extensively and choose the breed that best matches their needs. Others come across an animal or a whole flock and everything falls into place—it becomes clear that these are the sheep they’ve been waiting for. Robin Lynde had a farm with a few sheep in the mix, but when a local shepherd decided to sell her Jacob sheep, Robin jumped at the opportunity to own a flock of black-and-white-spotted, two-to-four-horned heritage-breed sheep. Although the flock lives full-time between Sacramento and the Bay Area, Meridian Jacobs get around—digitally, at least. When Robin started fielding inquiries about visiting the sheep and the farm, she came up with the idea for a Farm Club, which invites members to develop a relationship with the flock, by helping on designated Farm Days, keeping up with their photos and videos, and purchasing a share of fiber as a fleece or as yarn. You can find her photogenic sheep on her webite, social media, and YouTube. “I take pictures of everything,” she says—and with sheep so cute, who could blame her? In addition to caring for her sheep, Robin immerses herself in the fiber world through writing and designing handwoven projects. She’s held a weekly study group for weavers for years, first in person and now online. She has designed for both Handwoven and Little Looms magazines, with a particular specialty in weaving with wool. She teaches at a number of events and presents at guild events. Just don’t ask her to go anywhere during lambing, when you’ll find her in the barn with those irresistible Jacobs. Links Meridian Jacobs website (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/) Learn about Meridian Jacobs’s Farm Club (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/farm-club) and see a photo gallery (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/farmclubgallery) of activities Find Robin’s blog on WordPress (https://meridianjacobs.blog/) and the main website (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/meridian-jacobs-blog) Purchase Meridian Jacobs fleece (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/wool-fiber), yarn (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/yarn-kits), and Robin’s handwovens (https://www.meridianjacobs.com/handwovens) on their website The Meridian Jacobs YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@meridianjacobs) features videos about shearing, weaving, and other wooly subjects Farm & Fiber Knits subscribers can read Robin’s article How to Source Wool Directly from a Farm” (https://farmfiberknits.com/how-to-source-yarn-directly-from-a-farm/) Learn more about Jacob sheep in “Meet the Jacob: Robin Lynde in Black and White (and Lilac)” (https://spinoffmagazine.com/meet-the-jacob-robin-lynde-in-black-and-white-and-lilac/) Robin’s article on clasped-warp weaving (https://littlelooms.com/clasped-warp-weaving/), which appeared originally in Little Looms magazine, is available online Robin designs frequently for Little Looms, (https://littlelooms.com/author/robin-lynde) and Handwoven (https://handwovenmagazine.com/library/?dato_ltm_library_hw%5Bquery%5D=robin%20lynde) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. Susan Bateman started the Yarn Barn of Kansas back in 1971. She says, “Since the beginning, it's been important to us to teach the crafts we love—weaving, knitting, crochet, and spinning. Last year, we had nearly a thousand enrollments in our classes. We answered questions in store, by phone, and through email.” When you order from The Yarn Barn of Kansas, you aren’t just ordering materials. You're supporting a business that can support you when you need help. Visit yarnbarn-ks.com. (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) Sustainability and regenerative ranching have been a way of life for the ranches of Shaniko Wool Company for decades. They are the first “farm group” in the U.S. to achieve certification to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA Regenerative. Shaniko ranches raise Merino/Rambouillet sheep in the Western United States, delivering a fully traceable wool supply that gives back to the Earth and its ecosystems. To learn more, and discover Shaniko’s yarn partners, visit ShanikoWoolCompany.com. (https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com/)

Listening to her college-aged daughter making calls for AmeriCorps in 2020, Laura Nelkin was surprised at how many people in her community faced food insecurity and hunger every day. A problem that had seemed far away suddenly felt much closer to home, and Laura wanted to find a way to help. She had a feeling that other knitters would want to help, too, so she dreamed up a group effort: the Knit for Food Knit-a-Thon (http://www.knitforfood.com/). In its first 4 years, the effort has raised over $1.25 million for Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry, and World Central Kitchen. 2025 is poised to be the largest event yet, with more teams and knitters joining the effort every day. How does it work? Until Saturday, April 5, 2025, crafters register to participate, either as members of a team or solo. Participants reach out to friends, loved ones, colleagues, and other contacts to make a financial pledge to support the effort. Then from 10 am to 10 pm Eastern Time on April 5, participants pick up your craft of choice and knit (or crochet or stitch or whatever you like). Some teams and local craft groups organize public meetups for support. Anyone raising at least $100 receives a link to online events including stretching and knitting ergonomics, live music, games, and presentations from the four benefiting charities. At the end of the day, you’ve enjoyed 12 hours on your favorite craft, strengthened the fellowship of crafters, and helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars that directly feed hungry people. Laura (and her saucy alter ego, Lola) develop dozens of innovative ideas every year, from original designs to bead-knitting techniques to a brilliant method for swatching to knit in the round while knitting flat. She documents her ideas and experiments on her YouTube channel, offers kits and mystery knit-alongs, and invites knitters to join her in real life on knitting-related tours and cruises each year. The Knit for Food Knit-a-Thon brings that spirit of fun and inventiveness to a much-needed cause, building the spirit of community with every stitch and donation. Links Knit for Food sign-up page (https://givebutter.com/knitforfood25) Knit for Food FAQ (http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm) Check out a list of ideas for charities (https://nelkindesigns.blogspot.com/2021/03/10-ideas-for-charity-knitting.html) for handknitters. Laura Nelkin’s website (http://www.nelkindesigns.com/) Laura’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/lauranelkin) Nelkin Designs Ravelry group (https://www.ravelry.com/groups/nelkin-designs) Nelkin Designs on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NelkinDesigns/) This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. KnitPicks.com has been serving the knitting community for over 20 years and believes knitting is for everyone, which is why they work hard to make knitting accessible, affordable, and approachable. Knit Picks responsibly sources its fiber to create an extensive selection of affordable yarns like High Desert from Shaniko Wool Company in Oregon. Are you looking for an ethical, eco-friendly yarn to try? Look no further than Knit Picks’ Eco yarn line. Need needles? Knit Picks makes a selection for knitters right at their Vancouver, Washington headquarters. KnitPicks.com (https://www.knitpicks.com/)—a place for every knitter.

One day, while waiting outside her daughter’s weaving class, Gabi van Tassell became fascinated with an old-fashioned quilt. The Grandmother’s Flower Garden pattern combines groups of paper-pieced hexagons, and Gabi found herself wondering how she could weave the shapes. An active and curious crafter, she had explored a variety of fiber crafts, though she wasn’t yet a weaver. She experimented with different approaches to the pin loom, eventually realizing that she needed a combination of plain and bias weaving in the same piece. Once she developed the method, she faced the challenge of making the looms. When she realized that she would need to build the looms herself, she decided to patent the idea while developing her manufacturing process. Although establishing her business was challenging, she knew that weavers would love the little turtle-shaped looms. Turtle Looms have the can’t-weave-just-one appeal of any pin loom, but the geometry of hexagons (and Gabi’s newer trapezoid and five-sided Jewel looms) offer a variety of design choices. In addition to making Turtle Looms, Gabi began designing projects to show the variety of projects to be made from hexagons. To her delight, weavers have adopted the looms and even create designs Gabi herself hadn’t dreamed of. Links Turtle Looms website (https://turtleloom.com/) Find Turtle Looms on Instagram @turtleloom (https://www.instagram.com/turtleloom/) The Turtle Looms thread (https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/looms-to-go/3611701) in the Ravelry group Pin Looms to Go (https://www.ravelry.com/groups/looms-to-go) offers support and inspiration. This episode is brought to you by: Treenway Silks is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at TreenwaySilks.com (https://www.treenwaysilks.com/). You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. You’re ready to start a new project but don’t have the right yarn. Or you have the yarn but not the right tool. Yarn Barn of Kansas can help! They stock a wide range of materials and equipment for knitting, weaving, spinning, and crochet. They ship all over the country, usually within a day or two of receiving the order. Plan your project this week, start working on it next week! See yarnbarn-ks.com (https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/) to get started. Sustainability and regenerative ranching have been a way of life for the ranches of Shaniko Wool Company for decades. They are the first “farm group” in the U.S. to achieve certification to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA Regenerative. Shaniko ranches raise Merino/Rambouillet sheep in the Western United States, delivering a fully traceable wool supply that gives back to the Earth and its ecosystems. To learn more, and discover Shaniko’s yarn partners, visit ShanikoWoolCompany.com. (https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com/)