The Long Thread Podcast

Emily Whitted, Texile Historian

A pair of silk stockings, mended again and again below the ankle, set Emily Whitted on the path of discovery that has led her through archives and museums of early American history. The stockings belonged to Philadelphia

Books off the Beaten Path: The Yarn Barn of Kansas List of Hidden Gems

Book Club Podcast: What lesser-known treasures do Yarn Barn fiber artists love to share? Susan and Melissa share some of their favorites in weaving, spinning, and knitting. Liz Gipson drops by to talk about one of her bo

Diana Wiley, Handspun Hope

With no background in fiber but a calling to help women in need, Diana Wiley built a thriving organization on handspun yarn, needlefelted gorillas, and a holistic community for over 200 women. Stepping into the Handspun

Pamela K. Schultz, Spin Off

As Spin Off nears 50 years old, editor Pamela K. Schultz sees herself as the host of a wonderful spinning party that welcomes one and all. Taking a day off from the grind of law school, Pamela Schultz visited an art fair

Reweaving Marguerite Porter Davison’s Handweaver’s Pattern Book

Among four-shaft weavers, A Handweaver's Pattern Book is commonly referred to by just the author’s name—Davison—or as “the green book,” a reference to the iconic cover of many of the book’s printings. Since Marguerite Po

Kate Larson, Farm & Fiber Knits

Editor, teacher, and shepherd Kate Larson makes the case that every knitter is already part of the farm-to-fiber story—whether they know it or not. Kate Larson is the editor of Farm & Fiber Knits and a beloved teacher of

You Need This Book! The Yarn Barn of Kansas Required Reading List

Book Club Podcast: Fiber art veterans Susan Bateman and Melissa Parsons compare notes with host Anne Merrow about the books every weaver, spinner, knitter, and crocheter should have on the bookshelf—plus big news about a

Angela Tong, Multidisciplinary Maker

Knitters and crocheters know Angela Tong as a designer with hooks and needles, while weavers recognize her work in rigid-heddle and pin looms. Visitors to galleries and artisan markets know her as a potter. Angela thinks

Amy Sadler, Knitty

Before Ravelry, before knitting podcasts, before the internet fully found its craft obsession, there was Knitty. Amy Sadler shares the inspiration and evolution of the online knitting phenomenon. In the early 2000s, as t

Coming Soon: The Yarn Barn of Kansas Book Club

What new craft books are can't-miss? Which are the classic reference books that every crafter should have on the shelf? In the Yarn Barn of Kansas Book Club, teachers and book lovers talk about the books they wouldn't be

Curtis Gregory, George Washington Carver National Monument

Best known for his work with peanuts, renowned agricultural scientist George Washington Carver had a lifelong passion for needlework. Park Ranger Curtis Gregory shares stories about Carver’s interests in handwork and nat

Heather Torgenrud, Pick-Up Bandweaving

Gudrun Johnston, The Shetland Trader

Gudrun Johnston has a deep legacy in Shetland knitting: her father’s family comes from the islands, and her mother founded a knitwear company that blended contemporary silhouettes with Fair Isle motifs, a business she ca

Christina Garton, Little Looms

Christina Garton didn’t get to be the editor of Little Looms by taking weaving too seriously. First introduced to weaving in a class post-college, she joined Handwoven as assistant editor in 2011. She developed her passi

Chick Colony, Harrisville Designs

Small textile towns were once common in New England, with stout brick buildings harnessing the power of the region’s water to mill yarn and cloth. The Colony family had been owners of a mill in Harrisville, New Hampshire

Jane Cooper, The Lost Flock (classic)

The picture of a flock of primitive-breed sheep, the last of their kind, living on an island off the northeast coast of Scotland, has a certain romance to it. Plenty of knitters, spinners, fiber artists, and citizens of

Elena Kanagy-Loux, Lacemaker & Historian (classic)

When you picture lace, what comes to mind: an old-fashioned once-white piece of Victorian embellishment? The elegant, possibly itchy decoration on a wedding gown? If you are a needleworker, you might picture an array of

Laverne Waddington, Backstrap Weaver (classic)

Laverne Waddington discovered weaving by accident—bike accident, to be precise. Recuperating from a mountain biking crash in Utah, she discovered a book on Navajo weaving and was immediately intrigued. A local exhibit of

Masey Kaplan & Jen Simonic, Loose Ends Project (classic)

When Jen Simonic and Masey Kaplan’s friend lost her mother, she had the challenge of going through her mother’s things while grieving her loss. Among her posessions was something almost every crafter has at least one of:

Amy Oxford, Oxford Punch Needle

As a college student and weaver, Amy Oxford fell in love with the punch-needle method of rug hooking almost by accident, a surprising benefit from a babysitting gig. She followed her interest from doing piece work on exi