The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs: Techniques for Creating 80 Yarns

I'm a novice spinner, who still has difficulty with joins and twist, but THE SPINNER'S BOOK OF YARN DESIGNS may be the book that finally helps me graduate to an intermediate skill level! I really like the clear, step-by-step, full-color photos for long draw, short draw, spinning off the fold, and folded long draw. Although I understand each of these spinning methods in concept, I need pictures to show me what I'm doing wrong. Also, there is a whole page--with five photos!-- that illustrates "The Secret to Good Joins". The book has a chapter on "Spinning Basics", followed by nine more chapters devoted to spinning different types of yarn: (1) singles for plying, (2) stand-alone singles, (3) spiral yarns, (4) opposing plies, (5) boucles, (6) cable yarns, (7) crepe yarns, (8) core yarns, and (9) novelty yarns. These chapters not only have step-by-step photos that explain how the yarn is made, they also have photos of problem yarns. The problem yarn pages explain what went wrong with the yarn, how to fix the problem with spinning the yarn, and sometimes include suggestions for salvaging the bad yarn. Inside the back cover, there is a plastic folder filled with reference cards that you can keep with your wheel when you're making a specific yarn. The cards are printed on heavy card stock, four to a page, and are "punched" so they can be easily separated into individual cards and formed into a deck of cards. The black-and-white cards have page numbers that refer you to the color photos and relevant discussions in the main book. There is a wealth of how-to information in this book that goes far beyond my present novice spinner level. I expect to use THE SPINNER'S BOOK OF YARN DESIGNS as a reference long after I have finally mastered the basics of spinning. There is an excellent glossary, an extended bibliography of how-to books on spinning, and there are also many lovely photos of handspun yarns (similar to the photo on the book's cover).

This book is glorious, as are all the Storey line of books. Great instructions, reasoning, pictures...you name it. I am so happy with this book. I spin my yarn on a spindle and because of the explicit instructions it is so easy for me to adapt many of the yarns I would like to make to a spindle. If you use a wheel, then I don't even know how you could be without this book. I was gifted a spinning wheel recently and I may break down and use it just to make some of the lovely yarns in this book. Also, the set of portable instruction cards in the back of the book is a great idea. This is a beautiful looking book and a wonderful instructional book as well.

I suspect the only way to get more information than what's in this book is if you could go to a camp taught by some of the most skilled spinners in the same league as Judy Mackenzie, Abby Franquemont or Jacey Boggs. The teaching material begins with a solid foundation of choosing and preparing wool, carding, blending, different ways to prepare fiber for spinning and then moves in to the myriad of methods to produce many different types of yarn. All of this is great stuff fo novice spinners. Each style of yarn has photos showing what each ply looks like followed by how the yarn looks through each stage of plying to the final result, then a knitted swatch and sometimes woven swatches are also shown. I was especially impressed that Anderson knit socks made from the same fiber that was spun and plied differently and then compared the feel and durability of the sock. She even made sure she could distinguish each sock and rotated which was worn on which foot so they'd wear evenly. I cannot express how helpful I've found this book and I think it's one of those books that if you had to get rid of all your books but a few, this would be one of the ones I'd keep.

Fantastic book. After checking it out from the library a few times, decided it was easier just to buy my own. As the book clearly states in the opening pages, it is NOT a learn-how-to-spin book, but is to help people who already have a basic knowledge of spinning consistently get the results they want and how to tailor your spinning for your exact needs and desires. It breaks down 80 different types of yarn, ways to ply them, whether to use S-twist or Z-twist (or even a combination of the two!), how much twist, etc. One of my favorite features of the book is a 4-part discussion, spaced throughout the book, about spinning sock yarns--should I use 2, 3 or 4 plies; should I Navajo or cable ply; which plying method wears the best, etc. The pictures are very good and in the back of the book is a fantastic packet of flash cards to keep next to your wheel for easy reference while you are spinning.

I've already gone through this whole book and it looks like the book has a fringe! I put so many little stickies on the pages of the yarns that I am looking forward to spinning. This book is well put together, has lovely photography, and the illustrations are well put together. There are enough photos of both the component parts of each technique as well as text, and examples of the finished products to inspire the reader. There are a few techniques I would probably not spin - but that's my choice - I still have learned a lot about other things I can do from some of those very techniques that I may never actually try. Totally useful book, and I'd recommend it to any spinner. If you're a beginner there may be a bit of an intimidation factor, but don't let this stop you from using this for inspiration and ideas. There are several yarns that appear complex that are really very simple, and then there are also the ones that may seem as though you need about for hands to get through. But that's ok - go for it and learn from those yarns that you feel are"disasters" that often other people (other spinners included) then think are wonderful!

What I wanted was a book of yarn recipes, similar to a stitch library, so I could get to drool over skeins and swatches while gaining a little technical know-how. What I got in this book was so much more. It is a conversational journey through many different spinning techniques. Beginning spinning is glossed over and zany advanced techniques are given thorough explanations, but basic and intermediate yarn design techniques are the core of the book. The photos are plentiful and illustrative, but plain. This isn't what I was looking for, but it is so much more valuable! I came away feeling more excited, confident, and enchanted with spinning than I have been in a long time. Things clicked in my brain and I know why certain techniques produce certain results. Also, because the author has done such a thorough documentation of the result of techniques, from spin to swatch-- to get the yarn I want, I know exactly what techniques to use and which to avoid with a lot less sampling in between. I read this book in 2 evenings. Yet, I'm certain there will be infinite evenings that I refer to it-- whether for some fiberlicious eye-candy, for technical questions, or just to help me decide what I want to do with a particular stash fiber.

Originally I bought this book because it was the only book I could find on crepe yarns. It is so much more than that. If you can only buy one spinning book buy this one! Spinning basics chapter covers everything from how to pick out and buy a fleece, fleece processing both top and roving, How to card wool with a hand cards, drum carder,. How to comb wool. How to spin worsted and woolen and in between. Spinning off the fold. Plying ... Many different types including chain plying. There is a action on stand alone singles. Her section on novelty yarns is fantastic and helped me to spun beautiful cocoons and beehives. She breaks the techniques down into simple steps and provides wonderful tips. I am still discovering wonderful things about this book. It is one of the few books I keep in my spinning bag.

This an wonderful book. Sarah Anderson is an excellent spinner and that comes across loud and clear in this book. It is well organized and thorough and has excellent photos and written instructions. She begins with the basics, such as carding the fibers and wheel adjustments, then takes the reader through the methods for making a large variety of yarns including many "art" or "novelty" yarns. She includes samples knitted or woven from those yarns. On top of all of that, she includes 64 take along reference books. This will be a well-used book in my library.

An excellent book. So informative and easy to understand. There are even cards to match each pattern so that you don’t need to have the book in your hands when you’re spinning.

まず、内容がとてもいいです。 技の数々が惜しげもなく説明され、写真も豊富でわかりやすかったです。 最高の本を作ろうという作者の気合を感じました。 英語がほとんどわからない私ですが、Kindleだと和訳ツールがあるのでとても楽に読み進められました。

The book is everything I hoped for: great pictures, clear instructions and a pleasure to read. It's fun to look at all the possible types of yarn even if I probably won't make them. Meanwhile, it helped me understand about twist and plying in a way that I had been unable to fully understand from the few courses that I've taken. The cards in the back also make an easy reference guide for any spinner, beginner or expert. The vendor from whom I purchased the book took quite a long time to put it in the mail so I was on pins and needles for three weeks waiting for it to arrive!

Clearly written. Well laid out. Excellent instructions and photos. Once you have the basics down and you spin yarn - what could be next? Thicker or thinner yarn? More plies? This book will take you so much further. Textures, incorporated beads and so much more beautifully laid out in a perfect reference book. It’s a great recipe book for a huge variety of achievable, creative and usable yarn. Inspired me to move deeper into my spinning knowledge and practice and now I’m systematically attempting all the different yarns contained in this book. It’s like attending a Master Class. Love it! Fantastic value for money. Of all the books out there on the topic this one is tops.

Looks like it'll be useful in conjunction with the facebook pages I'm on.