'On The Bobbin' Your Monthly Newsletter
- The Spinning Barn
- Jul 2
- 9 min read
The Spinning Barn Newsletter 001 June 2025
Hello and a warm welcome to the very first edition of our monthly newsletter!
I’m so excited to connect with you, our wonderful community of spinners and share a mix of helpful, inspiring, and fun content each month.
In every issue, you can look forward to:
Spinning inspiration and tips
A spotlight on a sheep breed
Upcoming workshop news
The Spinner’s Spotlight – where one of you shares your spinning story with the rest of us
So, let’s dive into Issue No. 1 and get those wheels turning!
Theresa
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What's Happening at The Spinning Barn
It's busy as always here with so much going on. My North Ronaldsay and Icelandic sheep are definitely getting ready to be shorn in early June. They are rubbing their necks along the fences and it has started to naturally come away, so you can imagine my panic as I hope to save every bit of their beautiful fleeces, but I can't stop them doing what comes naturally can I!
Inside the studio I have been so busy preparing for an article I am writing for PLY magazine which is due out in Spring 2026 (if they accept it!) so I have wool everywhere in all stages of preparation but more on that another day.
PLY is a fantastic magazine for spinners and I tend to use it as a library resource. Each edition has one focus so if you need to look something up later you will know exactly which issue to find it in. You can subscribe or just choose the issues that you specifically want. I'll leave a link to PLY below.
I am also preparing for a really exciting trip to the Faroes in August where I shall have the real privilege of teaching a week-long retreat for a fascinating project on the islands. I shall definitely write a whole review of that week all about the spinning, the sheep, the islands and the people later in the year so please stay tuned for more. James will be accompanying me on the trip so while I am working I shall send him out to explore and take lots of photos!
I am also thrilled to tell you that my Flax project is up and running as a group on the website called Flax to Fabric. Anyone with an interest in flax is welcome to join. The aim is to share knowledge, learn and support each other as we nurture our seedlings into tall, delicate and elegant plants ready for harvesting and preparing and finally onto spinning and weaving. All of the information will be updated periodically throughout the growing season.
I really look forward to welcoming you to our group too.
Spinspiration Tip of the Month
Let your singles rest.
This is a topic which creates much debate so let's start by considering why we would leave our bobbins of yarn to rest.
It helps if one thinks of the twist we create in our yarns as energy which just keeps moving. It likes to wiggle itself around and find that comfortable spot to finally settle into. One of the problems we encounter however is if our yarns are not absolutely consistent, with the occasional thick and thin spot for example which can cause the twist to be more prominent in the thin areas leaving softer areas where the yarn is thicker.
Or it may be that you are a relatively new spinner or just testing out a new fibre and you find that your twist isn't really evenly distributed. It may be that your treadling is not consistent causing inconsistent twist in the yarn.
Whatever the reason there may be a way to help rectify the amount of twist somewhat, although I don't suggest that one relies on this tip rather than correcting the issue in the first place. You know my mantra - test, test, test - but I believe that everything has its place.
Resting the singles for 24 hours really can just give the twist time to relax and settle into itself creating less tight spots which really will make your plying more relaxed and comfortable resulting in a more consistent yarn and a happy spinner! It can also help to have your lazy kate with bobbins positioned further away from your wheel so that the twist then has a greater distance over which to travel and redistribute.
Is this something you already do? Have you tried it yet? I would love to know if you found it helpful.
Breed Focus: The Ryeland
I was lucky enough to be gifted (Thank you Julie!) the most gorgeous, dark brown Coloured Ryeland fleece so it was my obvious choice for our first breed focus. The sheep in the photo below shows the small flock, one of whom kindly donated their fleece to me! And did you know that Queen Elizabeth 1 preferred her stockings to be made of Ryeland above any other wool? Well you do now and that fact fills me with hope!
The Ryeland is one of the oldest English sheep breeds going back seven centuries when the monks of Leominster in Herefordshire bred sheep and grazed them on the rye pastures, giving them their name.
I have researched this information form the The Field Guide to Fleece book by Deborah Robson and Carol Ekarius and also the Ryeland Breed Society, both of which offer a wealth of information.
The points as spinners we like to know are:
Colours - White, silver, shades of brown and black.
Staple length - 2" - 5"
Micron - 25 - 32
Characteristics - dense, blocky locks, good amount of crimp. Does not felt easily. Generally kemp free.
As this fibre is generally blocky, lofty and crimpy it suggests the best preparation and spinning technique to be a true woollen ie carded into rolags and spun longdraw to create a lofty and elastic yarn. However if you have a fleece with the longer staple of 5" then that could easily lend itself to being combed and spun worsted for a more durable and drapey yarn. I like the fact that it offers these choices and I would be experimenting with this to determine the best process for the fleece I have and the project I may have in mind.
My particular fleece is just delightful and I can't wait to get started on it. Have you spun Ryeland? Are you tempted to give it a go? Do let me know, I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
I have placed a link to the breed society below too so you can read much more about this fabulous, and very cute looking sheep breed.
Upcoming Workshops
It’s always nice to have something to look forward to, so here’s a quick look at the workshops that still have spaces available over the next couple of months—perfect for planning ahead.
If you like to be extra organised, you’ll find my full workshop calendar on the Workshops page of my website. There really is something for everyone!
And remember, if you’re looking for a specific workshop that’s not currently listed, I’d love to hear from you. Your suggestions often shape what I offer, and I’m always happy to add alternative dates where possible. Just drop me a message and we’ll make it happen.
What's coming up:
Hand Spinning for Beginners - June 14th & 19th, July 5th & 20th.
Spin to Keep the Colours - July 23rd
Get Creative with Art Yarns - July 12th
Fleece Preparation - June 29th July 13th
Woollen Longdraw Spinning - June 25th July 24th
Worsted Spinning - July 6th
Hand Spinner Spotlight
I’m thrilled to launch a brand-new feature in our newsletter: each month, we’ll shine a spotlight on a different spinner from our community. Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience behind you, your story matters—and we’d love to hear it!
If you’d like to be featured, simply get in touch and I’ll send over a short guide to help you shape your piece. This is a celebration of all stages of the spinning journey, and a chance for us to support, inspire, and learn from one another.
Don’t be shy—your voice could be the one that encourages someone else to pick up their wheel!
This month I am delighted to introduce Lynn who you may know from social media as Fleece to Feet. Here is her inspiring story.
This piece was not meant to be about me. It was meant to be about the joys of spinning. However, it’s so very difficult to separate one from the other as they are so intrinsically linked. Without boring you with the details, let’s just say that a terrible accident befell me in 2014 in which I broke my back, from then on life has not been the same.
As a child, from the age of around 7, I was a knitter, taught by my mother. The family joke was, “Oh no, look out, the knitting needles are out again.” The things I produced seem to take on a life of their own, they were never perfect. As time progressed I like to think that, by now, I am a fairly good knitter. That brings with it issues. Wool, wool and more wool. How expensive is wool? I mean real wool, not acrylic or polyester or a mixture, but the real stuff. The body responsive kind, the kind of wool that allows your body to breathe.
Well then there’s one way of sorting that issue out, produce it yourself. Easy, surely? Ahem, NOT! There’s the fleece to source, there’s the fleece to skirt, there’s the fleece to scour, there’s the mordanting to be done, there’s the dying to be done, there’s the blending, then there’s the carding or combing, there’s the equipment to buy, there’s the wheel to be set up, there’s the ratios to sort out. Phew, I’m running out of breath here and we haven’t even spun an inch yet! So, you see, that word ‘easy’ well, forget it. There’s a huge amount of work. Now we know why real wool costs so much. It’s not the fleece per se, (in fact the sheep farmers make so meagre profit from it) it’s the amount of work it takes to get it into a useable state.
Theresa at The Spinning Barn had me for a day to merely scratch the surface of how to produce wool and thence to become a spinner. Her lessons were invaluable, although at the time I remember thinking why is she telling me all this, when all I wanted to do was to sit at the wheel and learn to spin. Now I know that one thing follows another, I have learned to slow down, I have learned to appreciate each stage of the process and, secretly, I do get just a little bit excited when finally ply day comes along. All those hours of work and when ply day arrives you finally get to see what the yarn will look like.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. The yarn will need to be washed to set the twist and for the yarn to relax. Or, indeed, the dying could take place at this stage. Once you have your lovely ball of useable yarn it then takes absolutely ages to knit with it. So, as something else to do, I am now attempting to learn how to weave.
I have used social media extensively to learn intricate details. To learn about the different spinning wheels available, different breeds of sheep and the qualities of their different fleeces. The best way to prep different fleeces as in the virtues of combing as opposed to carding. What to do with alpaca, and mohair and cashmere. Even a little foray into the world of flax, for my sins. The American site A Spinner’s Study has been a great help in the early stages of learning to spin.
So, what has this journey given me? It’s given me a place to go when I can no longer be doing the physical activity that I so used to love. I can put my mind into a job that I am doing which helps me to forget about the pain.
We have visited several woolly shows in various parts of the country, the people you meet at these places are all so very friendly. The venues are happy, creative and inspirational places to be. I have been recognised by the stall holders for the work that I produce. This year brings forth acceptance to speak at Women’s Institute meetings - we shall see how that one goes. A work in progress you could say.
If you’re thinking of taking up this hobby, you will need plenty of patience. What it will repay you though is ten-fold what you have to put into it. As for me? Well, I like to believe that as one door closes another one opens.
Lynne
AKA ‘Fleece to Feet’
That just about wraps up our very first newsletter! I hope it’s sparked a little inspiration for your spinning, and I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and stories—let’s keep the creativity flowing and support each other along the way.
Until next time, happy spinning!
Warm wishes,Theresa
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