Spinning Wool: Beyond the basics - Softcover

Anne Field

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0908704275 ISBN 13: 9780908704279

Publisher: Shoal Bay Press, 2002

Synopsis

Spinning has changed since its upsurge in popularity some 15 or 20 years ago. Spinners want to know more than how to spin an adequate yarn; they want to know how to extend the range of yarns they can produce, what is happening as they spin, and something about the raw materials they turn into yarn. Spinning wheel manufacturers are responding to the more inquiring spinner by making wheels that can spin a wider range of yarns. But spinning books have not fully catered to this need for more detailed information. And spinners still rely on farming manuals and books by wool-classers for knowledge about wool, because little has been written from a spinner s point of view. This book is intended for spinners who have mastered the basic spinning techniques explored in Anne Field's Ashford Book of Spinning. It builds on those basics to further extend spinning techniques, to teach spinners to analyze fleeces with their end purpose in mind, and to help them get the best out of their spinning wheels. The first two chapters cover wool in detail, with many examples of fleece types from all over the world. Next, the functions of bobbin and flyer wheels are discussed in detail, and how to make the most of each wheel type. In the yarn design section, spinners are taken step-by-step through the process of spinning yarns of a pre-determined size and twist count, with this knowledge related back to the properties of the chosen fleece. There are detailed explanations of different spinning methods. Yarn on its own cannot achieve much; it needs to be knitted or woven into garments, rugs or fabrics. The book includes woven and knitted projects that suggest suitable and uses for handspun yarn. Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics is an essential addition to the library of all spinners who want to get the best out of their craft.

About this title

About the Author:

Anne Field has been a weaver and spinner for more than 45 years whose work has been exhibited in many countries. She is an international teacher and the author of more than six books, including The Ashford Book of Spinning, Collapse Weave, Devore, and Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics.

From Booklist:

Is 15 years a long enough time period to warrant a revision-update of a classic how-to-spin-part-two book? Though sheep dont change much in a decade and a half, equipment does, as do clothing styles and trends. So New Zealand weaver-spinner Field (The Ashford Book of Spinning, 1987) builds on her initial book, adding color photographs (especially important when differentiating between and among Romneys or Merinos or Lincolns), updating equipment types, and featuring 10 projects with flair enough for contemporary stitchers. What doesnt change? The wealth of information packed into the narrative and sidebars, from an enumeration of the properties of wool and the advantages and disadvantages of sheep coats to clear notes about the appropriate uses of various fleeces. Best yet is Fields sense of humor. Who could argue with Analyzing a fleece is rather like following the clues in a detective novel? Classification of New Zealand wools, wool analysis chart, drive ratio and twists per inches, and spinning to match the crimp are appended. --Barbara Jacobs

About this edition

• Publisher: Shoal Bay Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0908704275
• ISBN 13: 9780908704279
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 156