The Sheepspot Podcast offers quick, actionable tips that you can use right away to make better yarn, use that yarn in ways that delight you, or otherwise enrich your practice as a fiber artist by deepening your knowledge of spinning techniques or materials.
Episodes
Feb 19, 2021
Feb 19, 2021
40 min
In this episode, Sasha talks with student and Sheepspotters’ Society member Sandy Silver about her spinning journey.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Stripes, by Andrea Mowry
- Carson Cooper’s beautiful spinning wheels. Carson’s studio was destroyed last year in the massive CZU Lightning Complex fires in the Santa Cruz mountains. Please click here if you can donate toward helping him rebuild.
- The Sheepspotters’ Society
- Swatch Mitts, by Clara Parkes
Feb 12, 2021
Feb 12, 2021
17 min
In this episode, Sasha talks about five beginner-friendly wools that new spinners can use to build their spinning skills.
Mentioned in the episode:
-
The Sheepspot Podcast, Episodes 56 and 57 (My Spinning Story)
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The Sheepspot Podcast, Episode 44 (Meet the Down Breeds)
Check out The Flock, our free online community for inquisitive handspinners!
Feb 5, 2021
Feb 5, 2021
15 min
The audio podcast is back! In this episode Sasha talks about three tips to help self-taught spinners find community, get their questions answered, and make more yarns they love.
Plus: some catching up, a new freebie, and info about our free online community, The Flock.
Mentioned in the episode:
Sheepspot’s Journal of the Plague Year videos
The Sheepspot Podcast, video version
The Flock: Join us here!
Apr 10, 2020
Apr 10, 2020
11 min
In this episode Sasha offers some resources for those of you wanting to make the most of this time to improve your spinning--as well as lots of love to those of you still working!
Mentioned in the episode:
I’m live on Instagram weekdays at 1
You can still #groomyourstash. Find all the resources here.
You can access all the spinning and weaving resources at Long Thread Media (formerly Interweave) and get a subscription to Spin-Off for $99 USD. Here’s my (affiliate) link: https://bit.ly/2yJcDdM.
The Sheepspotters’ Society will be open to new members from April 20-April 23, and we’ve retained January’s price of $29/month. Sign up here for more information and a reminder.
Mar 27, 2020
Mar 27, 2020
18 min
In this episode, Sasha talks about how your knitting style affects your ply twist when you’re knitting with your handspun yarns.
Mentioned in the episode:
The Crafting With Compassion Podcast
Esther Rodgers, Expressive Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Sheepspot’s #groomyourstash Challenge
Follow Sasha on Instagram
Jillian Moreno, Picking and Grinning
Jillian Moreno, Yarn Detective: Twist And Knitting Style, Part 2
Mar 20, 2020
Mar 20, 2020
16 min
In this episode, Sasha talks about a great way to use your handspun yarn stash and learn something new at the same time.
Mentioned in the episode:
Jane Patrick, The Weaver’s Idea Book
Jane Patrick, Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom (video download)
Liz Gipson, Weaving Made Easy: 17 Projects Using a Simple Loom
Esther Rodgers, Expressive Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom (video download)
Schacht Spindle Company’s Cricket Loom
Schacht Spindle Company’s Flip Loom
Sign up for the #groomyourstash challenge, March 30-April 3.
Feb 7, 2020
Feb 7, 2020
10 min
In this episode, Sasha suggests a small shift in how you think about fiber that can really help your spinning.
Mentioned in the episode:
Episode 44: Meet the Down (And Down-like) Breeds
Episode 9: Breed Spotlight: Rambouillet
Jan 24, 2020
Jan 24, 2020
16 min
In this episode, Sasha tells the amazing story of North Ronaldsay sheep, a story encompassing everything from boom to bust (in the potash industry) and from war to wool. Mostly, though, it’s the story of some very resilient sheep and the similarly resilient people with whom they share a tiny island in the North Sea.
Mentioned in the episode:
The Rare Breeds Survival Trust
The Orkney Sheep Foundation, dedicated to “securing the future of the native seaweed-eating sheep on the foreshore of North Ronaldsay”
Jan 17, 2020
Jan 17, 2020
22 min
In this episode, Sasha talks about breeds of sheep that produce wonderfully useful and complex fleeces: the multi-coated breeds.
Mentioned in the episode:
Episode 18, on washing fleece
Jan 10, 2020
Jan 10, 2020
21 min
In this episode, Sasha reviews Kate Larson’s video on finishing handspun yarns, Finishing Up.
Mentioned in the episode:
Kate Larson, Finishing Up (digital download)
Diane Palme, “The Mystery of the Disappearing Twist,” Ply 5 (Summer, 2014)
Stephenie Gausted, “Managing Twist,” Ply 5 (Summer, 2014) The Sheepspotters’ Society