Spin to Knit

I was planning to have an interview with Shannon Okey, the author of Spin to Knit: The Knitter's Guide to Making Yarn on my blog today, but she's traveling on her book signing tour and we weren't able to connect.  So, I thought I would give you my usual book review as a consolation prize  :)

First let me say that I think there are not nearly enough spinning books out there.  (I've talked a little bit about some of the available books on episode 4 of my podcast.)  So when I first heard about Shannon's book, I was pretty excited.  And it does not disappoint! 

The first part of the book is filled with lots of good information on spinning and includes tons of photos -- yeah!  I think this would be incredibly useful to any new spinner and I wish that I had this book when I was getting started.  It covers both spindle and wheel spinning -- which I also liked.

Then there are the projects.  There is quite a bit of variety -- from small to large projects using everything from lace to bulky weight yarns.  Shannon has also visited quite a few spinners and people in the spinning business and highlights them in the book -- sometimes including patterns from them which adds to the variety. 

So I guess you can tell that I am really enjoying this book.  I've actually picked it up and looked through it several times -- always finding something new (just noticed dishwasher dyeing!)

If you want to hear more, take a look at the other stops on the Spin to Knit blog tour! 

*** Update ***
Shannon & I were able to get in touch this morning and I am happy to bring you the interview. . .

How long have you been a knitter?  How about a spinner?

I've known how to knit since I was a teenager. However, knowing how and actually doing, let alone doing well, are two different things! I started knitting again in 2001, knitting seriously in 2002 and spinning in 2002. By "knitting seriously," I mean finishing an actual project -- the first thing I ever tried to knit was a scarf and it bored me so much I ripped it out a million times. That yarn's still in my stash, actually.

What made you decide to write this book?

Interweave asked me if I'd be interested while we were discussing another book I wanted to do, and I jumped at the chance. I love everything they do!

What’s your favorite project from the book?

The Laurabelle Swedish Heart shrug, which is named after my (Swedish) grandmother. Although I think the next time I knit one, I'm going to make the body yarn something lighter-weight, maybe even a Cascade 220 or Tahki Donegal Tweed...or, the Elsbeth Lavold Silky Tweed I just bought this week...gorgeous stuff!

What’s your favorite fiber to spin?

Wool, hands down. It's so versatile!

What is your best piece of advice for a knitter who wants to start spinning?

Just do it! If you start with a spindle, the investment is minimal, and if you end up loving it, you can always branch out with more equipment, etc. Don't worry about what's coming off the wheel or spindle at first, because the learning curve is a lot less steep than with knitting, in my opinion. I noticed that I picked up spinning much, much faster than knitting, because if you sit down and think about just what exactly you're trying to do, it makes a lot of sense. Broken down, it's: pull the fiber into a thinner strand that can be twisted and wound onto the spinning implement until there's enough of it to ply or knit! Simpler than all the needle-in-yarn-around-needle-through-pull-it-off-ing you need to master just for knitting stockinette, no?

Comments

[Rain]

Interesting, I should hunt this book down. Thanks for the review. Been trying to what all the hoo-haa about spinning has been about and want to get into it myself and so I guess this is the way to get started =)

ps. I signed up for Socktober fest TOO. After you talked about Socktoberfest in your prev post, I decided that it might be precisely what I need to get started on sock knitting (I'm a newbie). And well...YAY...we're on the list wooooot!

[Kelly]

Great interview! I'm glad to hear you liked the book. My copy should be coming pretty soon!

[Shannon]

Thanks again! So glad to hear everyone's liking the book, too! Now all I need are pictures of projects, so get knitting! :) I spotted my first Orangina in the wild last week in Philadelphia...