Dear Spinning Circle, I am so excited to finally announce our latest Breed & Colour Study for us to explore together! This time round, we are looking at carded fibre, which we always do in the second half of the year. Our breed this time? Charollais! Charollais originate in eastern central France and their fleece usually weighs between 2 and 2.5 kg (4.4 and 5.5 lb) and has a staple length of 4 to 6 cm (1.6 to 2.4 in). The wool is medium grade and measures 56 to 60 on the Bradford count , wit...
Jul 01, 2020•33 min•Ep. 56
Dear Spinning Circle, I wanted to publish a thank you episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio because today is my birthday and since it has been such a whirlwind year for many, many people, I thought a wonderful way to share my gratitude would be to release an episode! We will also be Live Streaming later today so I look forward to "seeing" everyone then! This BONUS episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio is a little supplement of the conversation that we had in the Queries &Explorations group session i...
Jun 14, 2020•28 min•Ep. 55
Dear Spinning Circle, Gratitude quote: At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has a cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. - Albert Schweitzer - Some of the links that Katrina and I talked about: Crafty Jaks Giving Back here Katrina's colourway, Ann-mazing Nebula here Made with Love Along thread here I hope you enjoy the show! Warmly, Rachel...
Jun 01, 2020•43 min•Ep. 54
Dear Spinning Circle, Thank you for joining us this month! I have the absolute pleasure of introducing you to Diane, @kniterested on Slack, this month. I am so pleased to share this chat with you - Diane is a very gentle, kind soul who has made our community infinitely richer for her contributions. I hope you enjoy our conversation - it was such a pleasure to learn more about her & their life in rural Oregon! Shave 'em to Save 'em link here . Patreon Link here Until next time, Rachel...
May 03, 2020•55 min•Ep. 53
Dear Spinning Circle, Please note, there is a couple of times when Zoom dropped our call and there are pauses - I'm sorry! I think it only happens twice! This month's Wool n' Spinning Radio is a conversation with my friend, Becca (@bethy40), of our Patreon community! Becca is a thoughtful, reflective person who loves all things spindle spinning. I remember when she joined the community and said she'd probably never own a wheel -- but she's the proud owner of a Schacht Flatiron and again, spins b...
Apr 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 52
Dear Spinning Circle, While Rebecca was here and visiting, we were able to record an episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio to reflect upon the time that she spent here with me! We sat quietly and spoke about the event cancellation, some of our activities and thoughts about the week overall. We are quite quiet during our chat, reserved and both deep in thought about our own reflections. Throughout our conversation, we were spinning on my wheels: The Majacraft and Lendrum so you will hear them startin...
Mar 20, 2020•56 min•Ep. 51
Dear Spinning Circle, This month on Wool n' Spinning Radio, Katrina and Sera sat down with me to chat about their experiences this time round of the Breed & Colour Study we are just winding down and completing. What fun to chat with both about their process, inspiration and thoughts for the future. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Thank you also to Sera, @Sera on Slack and @SeraSonja on Ravelry, for taking the time to chat with us - it was an absolute pleasur...
Mar 01, 2020•48 min•Ep. 50
Dear Spinning Circle, This month's bonus episode is brought to you by our Attentive Spinner tier here on Patreon. These amazing people have an opportunity to come on Wool n' Spinning Radio, sharing some of their story with us, and building friendships across the globe. Pretty cool! This month, Erica (@Jahanara on Slack) and Eve (@ollycob) joined me for a Word Prompt episode. We've recorded these in the past but for those new to these episodes, I use a random word generator to spark our discussio...
Feb 18, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 49
Dear Spinning Circle, Welcome to a new episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio! This month, Katrina and I get on the phone and chat about the push and pull of wanting to hibernate at this time of year versus getting after our goals. We discuss this tug, as well as some goal setting that Katrina has been working on lately. Lululemon 10-year Worksheets here Patreon Link here I hope you enjoy our conversation! Until next time, Rachel...
Feb 01, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 48
Happy New Year, Spinning Circle! As we welcome the new year, Katrina and I sat down to continue our conversation from last month about reflecting on where we've been and where we are going. In a totally organic way, we began discussing how we cultivate happiness and contentedness in this world that we live in. We chat about finding our tribe and fostering face-to-face interactions after connecting online. One of the milestones we are working on within our community is meeting in person, through ...
Jan 02, 2020•44 min•Ep. 47
Dear Spinning Circle ~ This month, I was so pleased to be able to get on the phone with Sarah of Sarah Elizabeth Fibre Works from Rossland, BC . Sarah is increbibly passionate about her business, building it and loving it, as well as her making and role as a parent. I really enjoyed listening to her ideas, thoughts and reflections. She's a pleasure to chat with and I hope you enjoy our conversation! To find more about Sarah, please check out her website here and her Instagram feed here . Music u...
Dec 15, 2019•49 min•Ep. 46
Dear Spinning Circle, This month, Katrina and I take a deep dive into looking back on the year, as well as looking forward. We chat about what it means to look after ourselves and fill our own buckets so that we can fill others, as well as how we see our making unfolding in the new year. Katrina has a very specific goal she wants to fulfill, which she shares and I wish her all the best as she embarks on this next step in her personal making! It will be so exciting to see her learn, grow and achi...
Dec 01, 2019•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 45
Dear Spinning Circle, This month we have a special episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio! There have been several requests to bring back Word Prompt episodes on the podcast so I decided to delve back in to these awesome episodes with Becca and Kelly this month. We used a random word generator and were lucky enough to get the word, "favour". For those who have listened to these episodes before, you will remember that we allow the conversation to go wherever it goes -- I hope you enjoy following along...
Nov 15, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 44
Dear Spinning Circle, Welcome! This month on Wool n' Spinning Radio, Katrina and I chat about our most recent festival that was hosted here in Vancouver, BC, namely Knit City. It is a large knit-centric event that many of us look forward to throughout the year. This year, Rachel was able to attend as a patron and she reflects on that experience, while Katrina was vending and she shares how the weekend unfolded for her. Together, we reflect on what festivals are for, the marathon of the weekend a...
Nov 01, 2019•49 min•Ep. 43
Dear Spinning Circle, Welcome to another bonus episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio! I was going to hold this episode back for November or December but I just felt so inspired by Emonie's enthusiasm and process that I couldn't not share this episode with you sooner! Her joy for the fibre arts is infectious and I hope you learn as much as I did -- as well as want to get onto your wheel or loom ASAP after listening! Thank you to Emonie for taking the time to chat - I really appreciate everyone's time...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 42
Dear Spinning Circle, This month, Katrina and I decided to mix things up for you and I am so pleased with the results - so much in fact, that I am excited to share this with our entire Patreon community a little bit early! Katrina and I got together to record our regular Wool n' Spinning Radio episode and I surprised her by asking if she'd be willing to 'sit under the lights' with the camera on. She is such a good sport and said, yes. If you would prefer to watch the episode, rather than listen,...
Oct 01, 2019•45 min•Ep. 41
Thank you for joining us this month as Becca, Katrina and I reflect on this most recent Breed & Colour Study. We studied Dorset Horn and I personally loved this spin, as I reflected upon in both the How I Spin Vlogs and PDFs throughout the past few months. Becca chose to spin her Dorset in 3-ply yarns, which can be seen here . They are beautiful. And the inspiration photo is shown above that was submitted by Charlette (@carlotta). Thank you both and to everyone who participated in this study...
Sep 01, 2019•57 min•Ep. 40
Dear Spinning Circle - Thank you for listening in to Wool n' Spinning Radio this month! I am really excited about this episode because we are being joined by Erica Jones of Weavolution. Erica has been instrumental in my own new weaving journey, offering knowledge and kindness throughout my early learning process. We first got talking when she helped me understand the differences between 'harness' and 'shaft' looms, how to refer to them and got me really thinking about weaving in general. On this...
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 39
Thank you for joining Katrina and I in the second part of our discussion that started last month while we were signing books. We had begun to move into a conversation about discomfort in our making. We thought we'd keep the microphone on (which was my phone so that sound quality is not what it normally is), continue talking and share it with you! It is not an easy conversation sometimes and we get pretty deep and personal about some of the things we've been thinking about in our making, as well ...
Jun 01, 2019•59 min•Ep. 38
This month, we have some really exciting news: The books are finished, printed and ready to be shipped! We talked about doing a Live Stream while we were signing the books but logistically, it just wasn't going to work. Instead, we bring you along for a stream-of-consciousness episode that we recorded on the last day of April (yesterday for some of you) while we signed and packaged the books. There's no real topic of conversation but we share a lot about how the last couple of weeks unfolded, ex...
May 01, 2019•49 min•Ep. 37
Dear Spinning Circle ~ This month, Katrina and I got on the phone to discuss the newest Breed & Colour Study - full disclosure: I am really excited about this one!! These are totally my colours! Patreon Link here Warmly, Rachel
Apr 01, 2019•29 min•Ep. 36
Dear Spinning Circle ~ BIG NEWS! I am so pleased to be writing this post and welcoming you to another episode of Wool n' Spinning Radio because we have finished the book! If you have't heard, Katrina and I have been working on a book in the background for the past couple of years. We have sent it to the publisher and have the proof-in-hand. If you are local, we will have it at Fibres West with us! In order to order the copies and ensure an adequate number of copies for everyone, we will begin ta...
Mar 20, 2019•34 min•Ep. 35
It's hard to believe that another Breed & Colour Study has come to an end! This month marks the wrapping up of this amazing study. Continue to post and chat about your yarns, projects and learning in both the Ravelry group and Slack channel. Ravelry group ongoing chatter thread Ravelry group Finished Objects thread (chatter-free) Usually, I feel bittersweet when these studies conclude. On one hand, I am excited by the yarns I have made, the learning I have done and the reflections I have had...
Mar 01, 2019•54 min•Ep. 34
Thank you for joining us this month! I was so pleased to finally be able to sit down with my friend, Diana, and chat with her about her process, teaching workshops in fibre arts, our experimental learning and more. Thank you to Diana for taking time out of her day to chat with me! Some links to find Diana on the interwebs: 1. Her blog is here , 2. Instagram is here , and 3. Find her on Ravelry here . Patreon Link here Thank you again! Until next time, -r....
Feb 06, 2019•57 min•Ep. 33
Happy New Year, Spinning Circle! I hope you have begun to ring in the new year with enthusiasm and excitement for the year ahead. The big question is have you made some resolutions and if so, care to share in the comments? Katrina and I continue chatting from last month but switch directions to discuss our fitness and health journeys respectively. I had an injury in Crossfit back in August, which has really changed my view about how I want to proceed. Katrina has made some amazing changes in the...
Jan 01, 2019•59 min•Ep. 32
We decided to get together for another conversation since we had so many topics we left in our last conversation! This is Part II of my conversation with Kai and Becca, two very active members of our Patreon community. If you missed Part I, please check it out here . This time, we chatted about slow cloth, slow living and railing against our fast-paced world to remember to value how things are made, the true cost of items that surround us in our everyday world and moving forward mindful of these...
Dec 17, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 31
Thank you for joining us this month! Katrina and I sat down in my kitchen to spend some time together, knitting and chatting about the current breed and colour studies. We discussed the colours, the inspiration and Katrina's process. Thank you to everyone who participated this time round in the study - we really appreciated it. It was an amazing experience and while completely overwhelming, energizing at the same time. Now, it's time to start spinning! Patreon Link here Happy Holidays, Rachel...
Dec 01, 2018•43 min•Ep. 30
This month, I wanted to post a bonus episode that would take the form of some of our previous episodes with a random word generator but at the last moment, I decided to explore some key topics instead. We talked about men in spinning, transitioning from spindles to wheels and back again, spinning in the world at the moment and other ideas. We wanted to get to some other topics as well but ran out of time! We hope to record a follow-up conversation soon. I hope you enjoy the conversation! If you'...
Nov 15, 2018•58 min•Ep. 29
Welcome to Wool n' Spinning Radio! This month, Katrina and I chat about our long-term spinning aspirations. We get into a discussion about spinning thicker yarn, a concept of learning to spin across a continuum, and how to continue to seek out those who support your improvement as a spinner. We discuss future plans, our hopes and dreams, and what we would like to accomplish. Please comment below if you have any thoughts, ideas or questions about anything we talked about this month. If you have a...
Nov 01, 2018•38 min•Ep. 28
Hi Spinning Circle, It's that time again -- are you as excited as I am to have something on the horizon to challenge you? Push you out of your comfort zone? Just spin, spin, spin away at your wheel as the weather changes? Me too. Because this episode is more of an announcement episode, and we really need action as quickly as possible so that Katrina can start dyeing, I'm releasing this episode to everyone rather than the usual early release. I hope the excitement of freshly dyed fibre makes up f...
Oct 01, 2018•1 hr•Ep. 27
