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Hannah Thiessen Howard, Slow Knitting

Plus, The Unsung Delights of Polypay Wool ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

LONG THREAD PODCAST
Hannah Thiessen Howard, Slow Knitting

 

Season 8, Episode 10: More and more, knitters look to the craft for meaning as well as creativity and pleasure. Through books, magazines, and partnerships, Hannah Thiessen Howard aims to connect that purpose to practice.

By: Anne Merrow

For Hannah Thiessen Howard, slow knitting isn't about the speed of making stitches or finishing projects. Swift and leisurely knitters alike can embrace the purpose and experience of knitting and how it connects crafter to community. Selecting materials, choosing projects, and approaching your work with an open mind all contribute to a meaningful knitting life.

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The Unsung Delights of Polypay Wool

Developed as multipurpose breed, Polypay sheep are better known for lamb than fiber. We're missing out.

By: Anne Sammons

Polypay sheep: What do you know about them? If you know anything at all, it's probably as a "production" breed (what some people might call a dual-purpose or meat sheep). The American Polypay Sheep Association notes that they are well known for being great mothers who can raise multiples with less feed than a larger-framed animal. Some producers can raise three lamb crops in two years.

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SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
Broaden Your Fiber Horizons: Knitting Beyond Merino

BFL, Targhee, Dorset, and other breed-specific wool yarns each fill their own special knitwear niche.

By: Anne Merrow

Whether you're working with indie-dyed gems or big-box yarns, chances are your wool yarn labels say one of two things: wool or, more specifically, Merino. For decades, "wool" or "virgin wool" was all the detail a knitter might expect to find on the ball band. More recently, Merino wool and Merino blends have occupied most of the wooly shelves. But occasionally at first and more often now, you might see less familiar names: Targhee. Corriedale. Rambouillet. Bluefaced Leicester. Romney. Dorset. What do these wools have to offer knitters?

Continue Reading

More Stories & Patterns You'll Love

Explore your new digital source for knitting expertise, fiber stories, farm explorations, and more. Join us in exploring the world of natural fiber, must-knit designs, and the essential community of knitters. 

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
A Shepherd-Knitter Cross

Breaking out of the breed-specific mold, some shepherds crossbreed for the variety of traits they want in a fleece and yarn. Continue reading.

Small-Batch Merino Yarn: Representing Connection and Community

How does the single act of knitting a garment connect the maker and wearer to the chain of relationships among sheep, shepherd, and mill? Continue reading.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE
Beyond Superwash Wool

The author of Slow Knitting on opting out of shrinkproof yarn and falling in love with the variety of natural wools Continue reading.

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