Spinning Wool: Beyond the Basics

Spinning has changed hugely since its upsurge in popularity in the 1970s. These days spinners want to know more than just how to spin an adequate yarn: they want to extend the range of yarns they can produce, to understand what is happening as they spin, and to learn about the raw materials they are working with. The first edition of this book gave spinners, for the first time, a fully illustrated manual that provided straightforward, authoritative advice and information on their craft, while spinning wheel manufacturers developed wheels to meet the changing needs of spinners. This revised and updated edition, now in full color, is intended for spinners who have mastered the basic spinning techniques explored in the author’s The Ashford Book of Spinning. It builds on those basics to encourage spinners to extend their skills and to teach them how to analyze fleeces with their end purpose in mind, and to help them get the best out of their spinning wheels. Part One covers what spinners need to know about wool and types of wool, analysis of a fleece, and how to store and prepare it for spinning. The chapter on wool types has been updated, with completely new samples and photographs. Part Two includes information on many of the new spinning wheels currently available. The yarn design section continues to provide thorough coverage with step-by-step instructions and photographs of the process of spinning yarns to a predetermined size and twist count, as well as detailed explanations of spinning methods, relating this information back to the properties of the chosen fleece. Finally, there are many new projects, all illustrated with full instructions, suggesting interesting and innovative ways to weave, knit or crochet your beautiful, newly spun yarn. Spinning Wool—Beyond the Basics is intended for spinners who have mastered the basic spinning techniques and will build on those basics to further expand their spinning skills. This new edition is organized in four sections—wool, spinning wheels (with up-to-date information), yarn designs featuring new color photos, and seven new projects.