51 Yarns To Spin Before You Cast Off

Up for a challenge? 51 Yarns is a fun, detailed list of spinning adventures every spinner should embark on. Packed for the long haul with vital information, tips, tricks, and trivia, it¿s an essential travel companion for your fiber trek across a lush topography of breeds, techniques, materials, and approaches. Map your trail or just ride along ¿ 51 Yarns is the journey; being a happy, well-rounded spinner is the destination!At 5.5 x 8.5 inches, it¿s big enough to contain 51 formidable feats but small enough to throw in your spinning basket. And we¿ve printed it on paper hearty enough to withstand trips to spinning circles and guild meetings, transcontinental hikes, vine swings, late-night spelunks, or to just sit in your library awaiting the next endeavor.

Expert Beth Smith teaches you everything you need to know to spin your own yarn, from choosing a spinning wheel to every stage of preparing your fiber, plying, winding off, and finishing. Fully illustrated step-by-step instructions make it simple and easy!

For knitters, crocheters, and weavers ready to make their own yarn, this handy guide provides detailed instructions for spinning both on a spindle and a wheel, and offers a special section devoted to troubleshooting and wheel maintenance that keeps projects on track. It offers a comprehensive look at the various available fiber options, choosing and preparing each type of fiber for use, and crafting these materials into ready-to-work pieces. A final chapter on the various uses of spun yarn focuses on project planning, with definitions and context for measuring wraps per inch, determining yards for specific projects, and choosing a yarn size.

Jacey Boggs helps you bring textured and novelty yarns to the next level in Spin Art. Inside you'll learn all the secrets behind her exciting new fusion of traditional spinning and envelope-pushing creativity. The yarn styles explored in this comprehensive spinning guide are as well made as they are inventive. Jacey walks you through each of her techniques, with a refreshing mixture of quirky, fanciful, and unexpected designs that are always skillfully constructed. Inside you'll discover: • How to create innovative, eye-catching single and plied yarn styles, including wraps, beehives, bumps, racing stripes, loops, bubblewrap, multiplied, and more. • Detailed technical instruction with step-by-step photos with finished yarn and swatch close-ups. • Jacey's bright personality and motivational tips to inspire all spinning enthusiasts to unleash their creative spirit. Traditional spinners will love Jacey's adventurous spirit and attention to expert technique, while textured-yarn spinners will love Jacey's wild designs and solid construction. As a bonus, the instructional DVD provides additional handspinning demonstration and commentary to complement the techniques in the book. Jacey has bottled the energy and expertise of her highly sought after workshops into a personal, at-home workshop experience for you.

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.

Create sensational crochet throws and accessories with this indispensable guide to mosaic crochet. Mosaic crochet is a cutting-edge technique that allows you to work two-colour patterns without having to change yarns in one row. You simply skip stitches in one row and connect them by filling in with the alternate colour two rows later. This produces incredible modern geometric patterns that look amazing as throws, blankets, afghans, pillows, rugs, bags and other accessories – using a much easier method than other crochet colourwork techniques. One crochet hook and two balls of yarn are all you need to get started. While it might look complex, mosaic crochet is actually incredibly straightforward once you learn the basic techniques. If you can work a chain, a double crochet (US single crochet) and a treble crochet (US double crochet), then you can mosaic crochet (...and if you can't, don't worry, all the stitches you need are covered in the book). And what's even better is that there are minimal ends to sew in because it works on a two-row method with the yarn carried up the side of the work. In the only book on the subject, crochet designer Esme Crick of Red Sparrow Crochet, shows you how to make 12 bold, statement throws and then how to use the same pattern to create a further 12 spin-off designs for smaller projects, showing how using different yarn colours with the same pattern can create completely different results. In Mosaic Crochet Workshop, Esme shares her skills, passion and gentle humour with you, so that you too can create beautiful throws and stylish homewares whatever your crochet level. And it's not just about slavishly following a pattern, but about building your confidence to make these designs your own, exploring the possibilities of colour and being inspired to start your own design adventures along the way. With full step-by-step guidance on the mosaic stitch, charts for all the mosaic crochet patterns, and 24 projects to make with full written patterns, this stylish modern crochet book will change the way you approach crochet colourwork forever and give you a wealth of beautiful throws and accessories for your home.

What the heck is a heck? In A Spinner's Dozen, Stephanie Gaustad shines a light on tools for fiber and yarn management that will make your yarn more consistent and spinning more productive. Drawing on her decades-long passion for spinning, she guides you through the what, why, and how-to of tools she finds invaluable. Using her own hand-drawn illustrations, and spinning stories, Stephanie relates the wisdom and practicality of tools that have been used for generations, and are still darn useful today.

Provides easy to follow step-by-step tutorials for preparing, dyeing, and spinning different fibers.