from source to FOs organic cotton and bamboo

Fiber Focus: Bamboo Yarn

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, Fiber Focus, Q&A, Yarn 4 Comments

Fiber Focus: The Good, The Bad, & The Eco… Bamboo
With the shine and shimmer of silk, but with a different touch, Bamboo is the new kid in fiber. First developed as a yarn (mixed with wool) patented in 1881 (1), bamboo stayed quiet in the fiber industry until it was “rediscovered” at Beijing University in the early 2000s (2). Since then, bamboo yarns began to pop up in indie dyers and commercial ventures alike. A recent trend towards the name Bamboo Viscose (or Viscose from Bamboo) reveals much about this fiber. Let’s dig deeper into bamboo to discover the good, the bad, and the eco!

Festival display Whispering Woodturner

Whispering with The Whispering Woodturner

Lindsay Lewchuk Air Bender MKAL, Announcements, eco world, MKALs, Pattern Related, Q&A 4 Comments

What are the chances two people living States apart in the US would meet in the upstairs knitting attic of a (non-closed) yarn shop along historical Mainstreet in Unionville, Ontario, Canada? That’s just how I met Janette, wife of The Whispering Woodturner! When it came to finding a prize for Air Bender MKAL, she popped to mind as Whispering was one of the potential name ideas ?. Let’s get to know our generous prize donor a little better. Please welcome Janette and hubby, Steve, to our event!

Mora Cast On

Fiber Focus: Silk Yarn

Lindsay Lewchuk Announcements, eco world, Fiber Focus, How-Tos, Pattern Related, Puddles, Q&A, Yarn 1 Comment

Foreword: Are silk worms animals? If you answer “yes,” best skip this blog and avoid silk yarn.
A Tale of Two Princesses
Legend holds that a princess was enjoying a cup of tea in the garden when a silk cocoon dropped into her cup. The warm tea loosened the cocoon “glue” and as she pulled it out, she was first to see the lustrous and strong fiber that comprised it.