Explore silk--an alluring and exotic fiber for spinners! The Practical Spinner's Guide: Silk teaches spinners how to create smooth lustrous yarns from a gorgeous but tricky and sometimes intimidating fiber in this second installment in a series of fiber specific books. Author Sara Lamb discusses the various forms in which silk is available--combed top, bricks, noils, hankies, and bells--and how best to card, prep, and spin them, specifically touching on trouble spots such as drafting and adding twist. She also covers finishing yarns--cleaning and degumming, setting twist, and plying--and even touches on what dye processes are best for adding color, as well as how to blend silk into other spinning fibers. Sara includes brief discussions on spinning for both knitting and weaving, the properties of woven and knitted fabric, and what the spinner needs to take into account while creating yarn for a subsequent project.

A one-stop guide to preparing and spinning cotton, flax, and hemp! Over the last few years, focusing on specific types of fiber or spinning techniques has become more and more popular. In The Practical Spinner's Guide: Cotton, Flax, Hemp, author Stephenie Gaustad offers a detailed overview of each plant, the fiber it produces, and how to properly prepare, spin, and finish yarns made from each fiber. Cotton, flax, and hemp behave very differently from wool, and special handling is required. Stephenie discusses how each fiber behaves and how best to work with them, specifically touching on trouble spots such as drafting and adding twist. She also covers finishing yarnsâ€"cleaning, setting twist, and plying--as well as what dye processes are best for adding color. Finally, she includes a discussion of spinning for both knitting and weaving, covering fabric properties of each fiber, and what spinners need to take into account when using the yarn in a subsequent project.

With weaving enjoying a resurgence in popularity among crafters and cottage industries worldwide, this guide enables novice weavers to explore basic folk techniques and styles to produce beautiful and evocative handcrafted works of art. From creative conception to completion, aspiring fiber artists are given accessible yet in-depth instructions on hand-manipulating weaving techniques, such as soumak, twining, cut pile, cardweaving, inkle weaving, and plain weave. Containing six easy-to-follow weaving tutorials and projects for eight exquisite hand-woven bags, this manual encourages personal, creative distinctions and promotes understanding and appreciation of the color and textural components of traditional folk weaving style. Designed to instill a sense of creativity and accomplishment through the learned techniques and finished product, this delightful guide is certain to become an essential reference for those starting out in the rewarding and inspirational field of fiber arts.

Discover the satisfying fun of spinning your own yarn! This step-by-step guide shows you how to create 80 distinctive yarn types, from classics like mohair bouclé to novelties like supercoils. Covering the entire spinning process, Sarah Anderson describes the unique architecture of each type of yarn and shares expert techniques for manipulating and combining fibers. Take your crafting to a new level and ensure that you have the best yarn available by spinning it yourself.

It's time to look beyond wool, with The Practical Spinner's Guide: Rare Luxury Fibers! The go-to expert for fiber artists, Judith MacKenzie shares insights into working with uncommon (but readily available) luxury downs in this comprehensive, yet practical, guide for today's spinners. With her natural voice for story telling that is both engaging and informative, she discusses the history of each of these downs, how they are used today, characteristics unique to each, and where to find them. She also dives deep into the specific spinning techniques for each fiber, knitting and weaving rare fibers, and dying them once spun. From angora to bison, camel to cashmere, there's a whole world of rare luxury fibers just waiting to be spun!

Create your dream yarn! Discover the pleasures of designing and building custom-made yarn by spinning it yourself, choosing everything from color to feel and gauge. Jillian Moreno leads you through every step of yarn construction, with detailed instructions and step-by-step photos showing you how to select the fiber you want (wool, cotton, silk, synthetic), establish a foundation, and spin a beautiful yarn with the structure, texture, and color pattern that you want. In addition to teaching you the techniques you need for success, Moreno also offers 12 delicious original patterns from prominent designers, each one showcasing hand-spun yarns.

Weaving is an age-old craft but it has boundless potential. The beauty and joy of weaving a finished piece of cloth can be enhanced by creating your own designs and using the latest ideas and techniques. This new book explains to the novice how to start weaving textiles, but also develops techniques for the more experienced so they can learn to appreciate colour, patterns and structures, and thereby design their own richly-textured cloth. As well as practical information on how to get started, Woven Textiles looks at design concepts and how to experiment with ideas, such as mark-making skills on paper and embroidery on fabric. It introduces new weave structures and suggests ways to explore colours and yarns. The author shares her passion for this craft in pages packed with inspiring ideas, exciting examples and lavish illustrations. Her own work is supported by that of other leading contemporary designers, making this book a visual treat. Aimed at all weavers, craftsmen, dyers, feltmakers and interior designers, and lavishly illustrated with 332 colour photographs.

A book on spinning basics for beginners from internationally acclaimed spinner and weaver Anne Field. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions, Anne guides the novice spinner through all they need to know to get started. She explains the spinning process and techniques, including preparation of fleeces, worsted and woolen spinning methods, plying, adjusting tension, treadling, skeining, drafting and blending as well as helpful advice about spinning wheels and how they work. A wide range of fibers suitable for spinning are featured--wool, alpaca, silk, mohair, cotton, angora, and synthetic and blended fibers--with details on the characteristics of each fiber and best spinning methods to use. Also included are many great projects with full instructions on how to use your newly spun yarns. Fully illustrated with full color photographs throughout.

Enjoying a resurgence in popularity thanks to the current trend of DIY crafts, the hand spindle remains one of the most productive, versatile, and convenient tools for creating stunning fiber arts from home, as this beautifully illustrated guide from a veteran spinner and spindle aficionado demonstrates. With step-by-step instructions, this essential manual details the basic steps of spinning and then advances to the more complicated spinning wheel, showing how to use the spindle to make specific types of yarn, explaining traditional spindle spinning techniques, and detailing five simple projects designed to instill confidence in creating a variety of yarns with this simple tool. Combining fascinating historical narratives, traditions, and cultures from around the globe with vivid photography, this all-encompassing tour of the spindle also boasts easy-to-follow, contemporary techniques and styles that affirm the tool's enduring legacy.