Wool n' Spinning Radio

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On Wool n' Spinning Radio. Rachel and Rebecca sat down with Melissa Littlefield to discuss how she got into knitting, spinning, and blogging, and how online and local fiber communities have evolved. Melissa spends time explaining the origins and research behind her book, Reinventing Wool, focusing on how wool was transformed and marketed in the mid-20th century, the rise of synthetic detergents, mothproofing, Superwash, and the cultural narratives that framed wool as a problem to be “improved” by science. We talk about the global dimensions of wool production, the roles of Australia, the UK, and Germany, and parallels with other fibers like cotton. We reflect on the loss of generational knowledge, the impact of convenience and marketing, and the persistence of “natural vs. synthetic” dichotomies. Finally, we touch on the current state and future prospects of the wool industry, the importance of community and advocacy, and the value of longer-form content and grassroots knowledge sharing. Melissa recommends some further reading and resources, and shares where her book could be purchased, which is linked in the shownotes below.

To Melissa, thank you for sharing this journey with us this month. It was an absolute pleasure speaking to you about the book and your research journey. To the larger fibre arts community, this is a must-read book. There are nuggets throughout the book that we can all relate to, from a moth infested fleece to a shrunken article of clothing mistakenly thrown in the washing machine. There are some bittersweet truths about what the wool industry has become and some hope for the future. Whether you use superwash yarn for socks or hardy Down-breeds blended with silk, we are all part of a larger story about industry, science and technology, advancement and tradition. I hope you enjoy the epsiode.

Full episode shownotes available here.

To get in touch with Melissa, here are a few places to check:

Visit Melissa's website @ http://knittingthestash.com

Shop the Flock Farm Yarn Store @ http://flockfarmyarn.com

Watch the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/knittingthestash

Friend Melissa on Ravelry: knittingthestash

Send Melissa a message: [email protected]

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On Wool n' Spinning Radio. Dionne, Rebecca and Rachel sat down with long-time member Rebecka Roy, known to all of us as Becca, to chat through a post-mortem of her Spinning Certicate of Achievement. Through questions and general discussion, Becca shared her experience completing a UK-based spinning certificate program, which took 5.5 years to complete.

Part of the discussion that people may find particuarly helpful was around the program's structure, which requires spinning specific fibers including wool, cotton, silk, and flax, along with blended yarns and textured techniques, culminating in a final project. The program is self-directed and while she faced some challenges, including COVID-related disruptions, life, and the need to redo some of her early work, Becca would recommend the program to others despite the difficulties.

There are always considerations when thinking about a program such as this, including balancing personal life and personal goals. There is always the need to present work to evaluators and ensure communication is clear. Through all of this, Becca remains very positive about her experience and offers some advice to others thinking about embarking on a similar journey.

Becca can be found on the WnS Slack channel as #bethy40 and IG as @twistanddraw

Extended shownotes available here.

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On Wool n' Spinning Radio. We sat down togeher towards the end of Tour de Fleece to recap how the tour had gone, plans for finshing strong and looking forward to Tour de Fleece Femmes. Wool n' Spinning has fielded a Wildcard Team for Tour de Fleece, which runs through the same dates with Challenge and Rest days, with Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes. We're wondering how the Tour has gone for you? Many of us set goals for ourselves through the Tour. Did you accomplish those goals? And finally, do you have plans for how to attack the Tour next year?

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show - it really helps the Radio show be discovered! Thank you.

Patreon Post here (with photos)

Patreon Radio Collection here

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Today. On Wool n' Spinning Radio. We wanted to welcome Ève from Knitting with Ève on YouTube for quite a long time, and Dionne, Rebecca and I were able to sit down with her and have an absolutely lovely conversation earlier this spring. Thank you to Ève for being so forthcoming, for sharing her spinning journey and for being here with us today. We chatted about her being a relatively new spinner, her explorations and her deep dive into understanding wool, as well as the Longway Homestead breed study. I hope you guys enjoy our conversation. As always, you are most welcome here.

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show - it really helps the Radio show be discovered! Thank you.

Shownotes here

START HERE GUIDE --> here

To find Ève, you can follow her on Instagram @knittingwitheve

YouTube: Knitting with Ève

Ève mentioned her fleece --> finished sweater spin, specifically the Mabel Meadow Cardigan. You can find her Ravelry Project Page here and the sweater design here. There is also a vest version of the pattern, which I know many of us love.

***

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On Wool n' Spinning Radio. Dionne, Rebecca and I sat down to chat about Summer Spinning and Knitting. We wanted to clarify terms and discuss what we mean when we talk about summer knits, particularly when we're talking about blends and add-ins. Depending on where in the world you are listening to this, it might not apply at this time! But for those of us who are looking for some lighter garments, whether from warm bodies or warm temperatures, this is the episode for you! Dionne talks specifically about a bin that she created to keep track of all her fibres she wants to spin into garments for lightweight wear and Rebecca, living in the North of Canada finds she is often reaching for the same thing day-after-day. Rachel is somewhere in between the two - finding the warmth of her current environment affecting her knitwear choices and looking for ways to use her yarns in weaving. Whether you are looking to learn to spin alternative-to-wool fibres or wanting some lighter knitwear, reach out if you are struggling and need a helping hand. We are here to help!

Contribute to the Summer Knits to Spin For Bundle on our Ravelry group here.

More shownotes with photos on Patreon here

Links to help you navigate some of the topics discussed in the epsiode:

Previous Discussions about Blending & Porosity:

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On WnS Radio. This is Part II of Rebecca and my conversation with sat down to chat Aaron Goulet, discussing his experience to date with learning to shear. Aaron talked a lot in our conversation about working with the animals, empathy and visiting smaller farms where the animals are treated more like pets, rather than large farming operations that we often think of when agriculture conversations come up. He discussed visiting the farmers who are learning themselves, fielding questions about their animals and coming home with gems from his shearing jobs.

Because we had a longer conversation with Aaron, we broke the interview into parts - last month, we heard about how Aaron came to shearing, his initial experience and wanting to quite. This month, hear all about injury prevention, ticks and more!

Full shownotes & to learn more about the podcast, check here.

Find Aaron on Instragram @agoulz

For Aaron in action, in Vlogmas 2025, I included some videos that Melissa, Aaron's wife, had shared with me for Hands in the Wool, episode 2, here.

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show - it really helps the Radio show be discovered! Thank you.

***

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Dear Spinning Circle,

Today. On WnS Radio. Rebecca and I sat down to chat with Aaron Goulet to discuss his experience to date with learning to shear. Aaron saw a demonstration of sheep shearing a couple of years ago, leading him to begin looking into learning the trade himself and enrolled in a shearing school in California. Following that experience, Aaron began working and gaining experience. He has since completed three more weeks of formal training, both at the school in California and in the prairie province of Saskatchewan, and continues to learn as he takes on jobs throughout British Columbia. Already in two short years, Aaron has learned a ton about the sheep, people and farms he visits.

Because we had a longer conversation with Aaron, we broke the interview into parts - this month, enjoy the initial part of our conversation and next month, hear all about injury prevention, ticks and more!

Full shownotes & to learn more about the podcast, check here.

Find Aaron on Instragram @agoulz

For Aaron in action, in Vlogmas 2025, I included some videos that Melissa, Aaron's wife, had shared with me for Hands in the Wool, episode 2, here.

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show - it really helps the Radio show be discovered! Thank you.

***

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Today. On WnS Radio. Dionne, Rebecca and I had the opportunity to sit down with Crystal Hesser, @spin_up_girl on Instagram, once again. We always love having Crystal on the show! Today, we talked about her process and background in design, what she wants to create and say through her textured yarns, and finally, as Rebecca finishes up tail spinning through the month of February, some tips and tricks for tail spinning.

Find Crystal on Instagram @spin_up_girl

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show.

***

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube at youtube.com/c/RachelSmith. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven.

Episode shownotes & pictures available here.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Rachel

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Today. On WnS Radio. Dionne, Rebecca and I were feeling very punchy after the holiday season in Early January. We brainstormed some silly questions to ask each other, and they didn’t disappoint in this packed episode! This episode is all about celebrating our absurd, relatable and delightfully nerdy questions that hand spinners (and any fibre people listening along) will instantly recognize.

For the list of questions we were working from, please use the link in the down bar to access the show notes on Patreon. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

Patreon Show Notes here

I hope you enjoy our conversation and of course, don't forget to like and subscribe wherever you listen to the show. 

***

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube at youtube.com/c/RachelSmith. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven. Links to the website, Instagram and more are available in the show notes and at Patreon.com/woolnspinning.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out to Rachel [at] welfordpurls [dot] com.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Today. On Wool n’ Spinning Radio. Rebecca, Dionne and Rachel sat down to discuss how the year went. We reflected on some end-of-the-year maker questions, spending some time looking back on the year. Because I didn’t want to get too mired down in only looking backward, we included some discussions about what we want more of in our making in the coming year and what we are each consciously wanting to let go of. It was a fun conversation and I hope you enjoy it. 

Show notes are available here.

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Buy Migraineur softcover book on Amazon.ca (also available in other Amazon marketplaces)

If you want a complimentaryebook with your purchase of a physical book, forward your receipt to [email protected] with your ravelry name. Offer good untill December 31.

Buy Migraineur ebook on Ravelry If buying ebook only, use code WOOLNSPINNING to receive 30% off until December 31st. 

If you want the ebook but do not use ravelry, contact me at [email protected] for more information.

For more details, photos, and inspiration for each pattern, visit my blog: osbornfiber.com

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I hope you enjoyed our conversation. If this is your first time tuning into Wool n’ Spinning Radio, welcome. This audio podcast is a spin-off from the original podcast available on YouTube at youtube.com/c/RachelSmith. Rachel has been podcasting since 2014, talking about handspinning and making yarn. Her passion is working with her handspun yarns in projects, both knit and woven. Links to the website, Instagram and more are available in the show notes and at Patreon.com/woolnspinning.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out to Rachel [at] welfordpurls [dot] com.

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!

Previous Episodes of Wool n' Spinning Radio here.

I hope you enjoyed our conversation. Be sure to like and subscribe and leaving a review really does help the show be found by others. Share it with your friends. Think about putting a plug for the Radio show into your Guild newsletter. Thank you for taking the time to do that.

***

Thank you for listening! If you would like to be a guest on Wool n' Spinning Radio, please reach out below, in the comments, or send an email to [email protected].

Until next month, keep wool close and your spindles closer!