Yarn Maker

I got my second issue of Yarn Maker earlier this week. The first issue of the new British spinning magazine was distributed at Spin Night during UK KnitCamp in August this year. Mr Oliver Henry of Shetland Wool Brokers and Jamieson and Smith showed us the fabulous Shetland wool at Spin Night, here you can see him on the front page in the wool shed in Lerwick.

I like Spin Off Magazine, but there are seldom articles about spinning in Europe in it, so Yarn Maker fills a big gap. As UK is the leading wool country in Europe, with long traditions, lots of sheep breeds, and equipment for spinning, there is also much knowledge and people with skills. The first two issues of Yarn Maker are promising. The only thing I would wish is at least one long, penetrating article in each issue. I hope that will be possible.

One of the articles in the October issue describes what alum does to the colors when dyeing. There are good photos that show the differences in color when using alum as mordant compared to not using it. Another article tells about Shetland wool. You can also read about wool pickers, dyeing with onion skin, a Gaelic wool fest, the history of sheep shearing, yarn in ancient times, sheep breeding for color. There is a list of events. Fiber tourism, fun fun! There is much more in UK than Woolfest. And there is a competition in which you can win a book about dyeing: the revised edition of Jenny Dean's "Wild Color".

I hope more small businesses will find the magazine and advertise in it. Already there are many interesting companies telling about their products. Shipping and tolls from USA to Europe is expensive, and prevents at least me from buying anything expensive from that country. Buying from another EU country is very tempting.

Interested? The site is here: Yarn Maker