For this cheerful Summer issue of Spin Off, we chose “Handspun Handknits” to explore knitting and beyond. This issue connects you to spinners past and present working in a wide variety of fibers to create useful and beautiful cloth. Following their work helps you to explore new fibers and techniques or deepen your understanding of the familiar!
- Travel to Peru with Dr. Carrie Brezine to learn about cotton stockings left behind by sixteenth-century knitters, and spin your own pair with Devin Helmen.
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Follow Swedish spinner Josefin Waltin’s flaxen journey as she began knitting with handspun linen and made a puzzling discovery. In a surprising twist, she fixed her bias!
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Learn about Norwegian sweaters from Annemor Sundbø, and then re-create a woven pick-up band from Vesterheim National Norwegian-American Museum.
No matter your textile interests—spinning for knitting, weaving, crochet, embroidery, and more—this issue is brimming with inspiration!
Articles
- Lamb Mowers: Babydoll Southdowns in the City by Laureen Branting
- A Stocking Study: Spinning Cotton for Knitting by Devin Helmen
- Knitting with Linen by Josefin Waltin
- Treasures from a Ragpile: Norway’s Knitted Heritage by Annemor Sundbo
- Soft Stripes: A Spinner’s Recipe for Self-Striping Yarn by Kate Larson
- The Finish Line: Wool Wet-Finishing from Soaking to Thwacking by Kim McKenna
- Fly Away: Spinning for Your On-the-Go Knitting Projects by Andrea Deck
- Ooh La La Ombré: Blend, Spin & Knit Your Fade by Sylvia Smith
Projects
- Magdalena de Cao Viejo Stockings by Carrie Brezine, adapted by Devin Helmen
- On the Edge: A Pick-Up Band to Weave by Angela K. Schneider and Kate Larson
- Roundabout Shawl by Jennifer Miller Comstock
- Bari Tee by Sarah Solomon
- Au Lait Scarf by Sylvia Smith
- Woolgrowers Hat & Cowl by Sarah Pope
