Balance in spinning is intensely personal, so to help you find your balance, this issue is full of tips from spinners who have found ways to spin balanced yarns of all kinds—and even some that are intentionally unbalanced! Join us as we dive into the rich history of antique flax and the vibrant global spinning community that has grown around it. Find helpful articles that will help you balance your yarn, no matter what you want to spin, plus a comprehensive guide on how to troubleshoot your twist when things don’t go quite as expected.

You’ll also:

• Learn ways to spin beyond the braid.
• Find out why nepps happen, how to prevent them, and what to do when you find them in your fiber.
• Discover the spinning measurements that really matter when it comes to spinning a balanced yarn.
• Use up leftover handspun yarns with quick and easy rigid heddle overshot and kumihimo braiding projects.
• Spin the perfect yarn for a drapey lace cowl.

Articles:

• Balance Basics: A Troubleshooting Guide by Kate Larson
• Plying Your Craft by Alden Amos
• More than WPI: Using Yarn Measurements to Become a More Balanced Spinner by VanessaBjerreskov
• Never Say Never: Learning to Love Wool, Silk & Flax Blends by Pamela K. Schultz
• Gathering Flax, Sharing Stories: How Antique Flax Can Connect Us to the Past by Christiane Seufferlein
• “Ugly” Braid, Beautiful Skein by Ladianne Henderson
• From Braid to Blend by Greta Cornejo
• Overplying, That’s the Point by Amelia Garripoli
• Nepps and Milling Breakage: A Lesson on Imperfection by Lisa Mitchell

Projects:

• Pearl Lace Cowl by Inna Voltchkova and Vanessa Bjerreskov
• Blue Diamond Braid by Angela K. Schneider
• Even Your Odds: A Rigid-Heddle Overshot Project for Handspun Odds and Ends by Andrea Deck
• Energized Singles: Texture, Shape & Woven Cloth by Christina Chisholm

Magazine published in May 2025 by Long Thread Media LLC

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