Spinning for Weavers

I love spinning and I love weaving, so I thought, why not try both?

Two challenges I have with this: first, I’m not an advanced spinner. I would dub myself a beginner-intermediate sort (some may disagree in either direction). Second, I didn’t really know where to begin.

At Yarn Fest this year, one of the vendors was selling a beautiful roving in my favorite color scheme, grays, black, and red. I couldn’t pass it up. My initial thought was that the variegated color would look lovely in a handwoven scarf, so I also bought a semi-solid gray yarn in the same material (a Merino/Silk blend).

I got these wonderful products, but I wasn’t sure what to do.

However, I remembered Sara Lamb gave a multitude of tips, tricks, and inspiration for spinning yarns for weaving in Spin to Weave. There’s a wealth of information as well as great ideas throughout, no matter if you are using the video or the book version.

Now, with my little rigid-heddle loom and my spindle, I’ve been busy making singles for weaving (yes, singles—Sara Lamb will get you comfortable with spinning singles for weaving, both the warp and the weft) and have started a pretty scarf. Because I have not mastered spinning perfectly even yarns on a spindle yet, my scarf has some texture and variation in the weaving. But you know what? That makes it all the more better.

If you’ve ever thought about taking your handspun and using it for weaving, I highly recommend Sara Lamb’s Spin to Weave book or video. It’s not just a how-to, but a guide on how to think about your handspun yarn in a completely different way. And from now until July 10, they’re an absolute steal—just $4.99 for the book and $7 for the DVD!

~Whitney