The Intentional Spinner w/DVD: A Holistic Approach to Making Yarn
"Of course it's good! What did you expect? Judith MacKenzie-McCuin + Interweave = spinny goodness."  - Knitty.com"In this complete overview of the art and science of creating hand-spun yarn, McCuin covers characteristics of different types of fiber, techniques for spinning yarns, and caring for hand-spun yarn and includes a few basic projects." -Library Journal"5 out of 5 stars. Fascinating reading. This is an excellent, detailed book with lots of technical information."  -Knitting News"If the words 'warp' and 'weft' spark off a dream of sitting by a spinning wheel on a wintry afternoon, this book can make your dreams come true. It explains everything you need to know about fibre types and how to spin, and includes several start-to-finish spin-and-knit projects." - AllAboutYou.comWhen I first picked up [this book] I would never have guessed that this relatively small, slim volume held so much information. But then, to design and produce a yarn with the properties you intended, a holistic approach, considering all the factors contributing to a yarn's properties, is desirable. And that's a lot of information. Before moving on to yarn design, this book covers the qualities of many protein, cellulose and manufactured fibres (spider silk, anyone?), methods for analysing existing yarns, and spinning techniques from fibre preparation to singles creation, plying and cabling. The spinning techniques covered in the second part of the book are simply inspirational. The drafting methods alone will keep an improving spinner happily practising for hours, and the wheel adjustment flowchart is definitely a go-to reference. The plying, cabling and design section is so rich, so detailed, that a single reading (or two, or three) simply isn't enough to absorb all it has to offer. Techniques are described clearly and illustrated with step-by-step photographs. Four projects complete the book nicely, each requiring a particular type of handspun yarn, designed to encourage you to put the principles of the book into practice... Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking to improve their spinning repertoire, and I feel it is destined to become a well-thumbed addition to many spinners' bookshelves." Alison Barker (Online Guild) -Journal for Weavers Spinners & Dyers"If you're a wheel spinner with some experience who wants to take a more intellectual and scientific approach to yarn making,The Intentional Spinneris full of information that can help you take your spinning to the next level." - Sarah E. White, About.com Guide"If you're interested in the history and theory of spinning as well as the practice, there's plenty of in-depth information to be absorbed." -Inside Crochet"The Intentional Spinnerhas a lot to offer spinners wanting to make their yarns more consistent, more like what they envision, or just more fun, you won't want to pass by this book." -- Cindy K,Knitcircus"Novices will appreciate the easy-to-follow directions, while content on fiber preparation and novelty yarns will attract intermediate and advanced spinners." -Library Journal"Not just a collection of information, but to a large extent a collection of wisdom. It has taken me 2 years of self taught spinning to gather just a fraction of the wisdom that she has jotted down in her book." - CastOn.com Podcast"Judith MacKenzie McCuin is practically a legend in spinning circles. As in, she spins circles around everyone else. If you spin even a little, run, don't walk to your nearest bookstore or library to take a look at this book." - KnittingScholar.com"Fascinating reading.  This is an excellent, detailed book with lots of technical information." -Knitting News"If there's any reason to criticize Judith MacKenzie McCuin'sThe Intentional Spinner, it would be because there's so much detail in t