Socktober + Spin Together

So, it is October… a busy, busy month in terms of spinning, weaving and the fibre arts. And today I want to share with you a little bit about what is going on in terms of Socktober, Spin Together and spinning & weaving week!

Every year, the first full week of October is designated as spinning and weaving week by the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc (HGA). This week is filled with a lot of conversation and activities devoted to celebrating spinning and weaving, and trying to get people started in these crafts. As part of this week, I had the chance to speak with Deb Gerish at the Schacht Spindle Company. We talked about spinning and making time for spinning, and you can find the conversation on their YouTube channel.

Around the same time, Spin Together, a team-based spinning competition, also takes place, encouraging more people to participate in spinning. We have a SweetGeorgia team participating for 2020, and on the vlog I share more about all that’s been taking place for this week-long event.

We also have our own SweetGeorgia Socktober celebration taking place, celebrating all things handknit socks! With a new Custom Top Down Sock Knitting course taught by Tabetha Hedrick on the School of SweetGeorgia, a Socktober SALE with 30% off our favourite fingering-weight yarns, and a Socktober giveaway (enter below).

Join me on today’s Taking Back Friday vlog to hear more about all of these celebrations, events, what I’ve been spinning, knitting and also for a spinning demonstration on how I set up my wheel when spinning.

I would also love to hear from you – are you knitting anything for Socktober? Are you spinning yarn for socks, or are you spinning for Spin Together? I’d love to hear what you’re making!

IN THIS EPISODE

• what I’m talking about today: Today I share what I’m currently spinning. The fibre I’m spinning on my Ashford E-Spinner 3 is a Polwarth+Silk custom colourway, Rocky Mountain Meadow, dyed by us for Schacht Spindle Company, (They also have hand-dyed skeins of yarn available in the same colourway!) On my Lendrum Saxony wheel, I’m spinning up Pigeonroof Studios fibre from my stash (no longer available) – a Polwarth, Silk and Mohair blend in Fairytale and Intensity.
• what I also mention in today’s video: Here is info and links to a couple of conversations I mention in the vlog…
  • I had a great time speaking with with Deb and Janine of the Skein Sisters in Sydney, Australia. They are participating in Sydney Craft Week, and we had a conversation about colour and yarn, and choosing and blending colours. Find the conversation here.
  • Then taking place tomorrow, Saturday, October 10 at 11am PDT, I will be participating in a YouTube livestream celebrating the Operation Sock Drawer book that will be coming out on October 20 by the Knitmore Girls. There are a whole bunch of designers who contributed sock patterns to this excellent book, including myself! Join us at the virtual knit-in livestream October 10!
• want to learn more about spinning? We have many spinning courses to help with that at the School of SweetGeorgia! From starting Spinning From Scratch, working with suspended or supported spindles, or learning about how to spin yarn for a specific project such as our Spin to Knit Socks course, taught by Rachel Smith. Explore the world of spinning with us at the SOS site!