Knitting

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The Intentional Spinner by Judith MacKenzie McCuin

by

intentional

 Attention spinners! If you are interested in exploring the infinite possibilities of making your own yarns, veteran spinner and teacher Judith MacKenzie McCuin offers insight, understanding, and invaluable information about your craft in The Intentional Spinner.The Intentional Spinner is a compendium of spinning wisdom, with a fun blend of technical knowledge, history, tips, and gently opinionated narrative. Yarn making is approached in three fundamental areas.

  • Understanding Fibers: Compare the rich historic traditions of plant and animal fibers with the fascinating scientific advances in synthesizing fibers.
  • Managing Yarn Structure: step-by-step instructions and photographs demonstrate the range of possibilities in yarn, from sturdy plied yarns to playful novelty yarns.
  • Practical Uses: learn how to make yarns that precisely match your needs with decision making and planning to create the exact project you want from the beginning.

The Intentional Spinner also includes four projects that demonstrate how handspun can be used in weaving and knitting. The projects explain how to choose material, techniques, and finish the processes.

Blending technical expertise and fascinating lore, The Intentional Spinner is a must-read for every spinner.

Who wants this book? I’ve got one copy to give away, leave a comment telling me why you wanted to start spinning!

 

Comments

  1. Ooo! Because I just got an Ashford Traveller and I desperately need more educational resources! I don’t even have one book, let alone this cool one. 😉 *wink wink* This looks like a great read.

  3. I started spinning because i fell in love with knitting and wanted to learn every aspect! (from shearing, dying, spinning) I still feel like i am learning and plan to seek someone out to try and fine tune things this winter! But a resource book would be wonderful!

  4. When I learn something new I usually jump into the deep end and either drown or come up sputtering. I’m just learning to spin with spindles, and hope to move to a wheel. Maybe this book would be like a life preserver? I hpe so!

  5. I always wanted a spinning wheel and my brother knew this. So when the old lady living near him was down sizing, with a beautiful spinning wheel to sell, he bought it as a gift for me as a thank you for my help with my disabled sister in law (now deceased )So I am now in possession of this beautiful machine and can’t use it yet.

    Thank you

    Jean Cly

  6. I always wanted a spinning wheel and my brother knew this. So when the old lady living near him was down sizing, with a beautiful spinning wheel to sell, he bought it as a gift for me as a thank you for my help with my disabled sister in law (now deceased )So I am now in possession of this beautiful machine and can’t use it yet.

    Thank you

    Jean Clay

  7. I have been fascinated with spinning ever since I learned to knit and crochet. Plus, I just found a local source for natural fibers that I could spin myself. This would be a great resource!

  8. I learned to use a drop spindle because a wonderful friend kept pushing and pushing until I finally gave in. Of course I knew part of the motive was all the roving for sale in the shop, but I’m still glad I learned.

  9. I am interested in that book because of friend of mine is a farmer and she doesnt know how to use sheep wool practically. so together we can learn something useful and new.

Have you read?

Classic Dishcloth Knitting Patterns

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use. 

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make. 

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!). 

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn. 

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart. 

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern. 

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.