Spin Off Summer 2017: Challenge Accepted!

As we put the finishing touches on the Summer 2016 issue of Spin Off, I wished we’d planned better for the upcoming summer and fall spinning challenges. What if we devoted an issue to getting ready for and participating in ambitious handspinning endeavors? The Summer 2017 issue of Spin Off magazine does just that: offers advice and inspiration for achieving your spinning goals from world-record-setting to personal in scope.

Dare to Spin

When we first chose the theme for the Summer 2017 issue of Spin Off, we had competitions such as Spinzilla and Tour de Fleece in mind: organized but friendly challenges to spin more. As we explored, the theme took on extra facets. Skein competitions offer formal critique and sometimes even a cash prize. Serious competitors in the International Back to Back Wool Challenge train throughout the year. Almost every crafter can feel the urgency of Joan Ruane’s quest to finish a project on time in her article “A Wild Ride Through Cotton,” Joan’s account of her rush against the clock to spin and weave a dress for her granddaughter’s wedding.

Those of us who dread the pressure of a formal contest can take a different view of challenge. Instead of striving for an impressive outcome, I can push the limits of my creativity, as Esther Rodgers suggests in “Are You Spinning Your Wheels?” I can plan to spin every day, or even once per week. I can deliberately spin the cashmere that’s been lurking in my stash for years. I can view “challenge” as any force that moves me out of my comfort zone (or my rut) toward happier spinning.

Spin confidently in the direction of your dreams!

—Anne

Featured Image: Projects from the Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins Rock Day Challenge 2017 featuring fiber from The Hummingbird Moon. Photo by George Boe.

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