by Long Thread Media
The artists and artisans of the fiber world come to you in The Long Thread Podcast. Each episode features interviews with your favorite spinners, weavers, needleworkers, and fiber artists from across the globe. Get the inspiration, practical advice, and personal stories of experts as we follow the long thread.
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Publishing Since
4/17/2020
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April 19, 2025
<p>Knitting and wool are so essential in the Faroe Islands that in the early 1800s, exports of sweaters and socks made up about half of the economy. Today, the nation of about 55,000 people has 8+ knitwear brands, 2 active spinning mills, and 70,000 ewes. Sissal Kristiansen, the owner of knitwear company Shisa Brand, started an initiative called The Wool Islands to celebrate the heritage and potential of Faroese fiber. “We owe it to our past and our future to utilise the natural resources that we have, and on the Faroe Islands, that is wool,” she says.</p> <p>The first project of the Wool Islands was a 15-minute documentary that takes viewers on a sweeping journey through the Faroese landscape, meeting shepherds, knitters, and of course sheep. Available to watch free on YouTube and the project’s website, the film welcomes you to the small country, which is located in the North Atlantic between Shetland and Iceland. Today, the economy of the Faroe Islands relies on tourism; the film shows how enticing a destination it is for knitters, spinners, and textile lovers. Sheep and knitting are everywhere in the Faroe Islands, but maintaining the quality and value of the local wool depends on visitors, locals, knitters, and consumers to recognize its unique importance. </p> <p>Drawing on the natural colors produced by the native sheep, Faroese knitting patterns are characterized by graphic, highly contrasting stranded patterns that generally carry floats over less than five stitches. Sissal’s designs for Shisa Brand feature bold traditional motifs in contemporary silhouettes and scales. Some of Shisa Brand’s iconic garments feature black-and-white geometric patterns, and the ready-to-wear items are handmade by local handknitters using Faroese wool. Undeterred by wool’s reputation for scratchiness next to the skin, she celebrates the lofty texture, warmth, and silkiness of the dual-coated fleece.</p> <p>Hearing Sissal speak about her home and her passion for Faroese wool will leave you yearning to wear Faroese knitwear, knit with Faroese yarn, and visit the country’s wool islands.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <p>Shisa Brand <a href="https://www.shisabrand.com/" rel="nofollow">website</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/shisabrand" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a><br><br> Find The Wool Islands film and resources about wool in the Faroe Islands at the program’s <a href="https://www.thewoolislands.com/" rel="nofollow">website</a><br><br> Watch a <a href="https://youtu.be/O07UJxisLeg?si=mUwdb82UIJfXW4gk" rel="nofollow">panel</a> moderated by Isabella Rossellini featuring Sissal and other Faroese designers and producers, hosted by the Scandinavia House in April 2024<br><br> Read Sissal’s “Legacy of Wool: Faroese Gold” in <a href="https://farmfiberknits.com/legacy-of-wool-faroese-gold/" rel="nofollow">Farm & Fiber Knits</a></p> <p>Føroysk Bindingarmynstur (Faroese Knitting Patterns), the collection of Faroese knitting motifs documented by Hans Marius Debes, is available from <a href="https://www.navia.fo/en/knitting-patterns/1151-foroysk-bindingarmynstur.html" rel="nofollow">Navia.</a><br><br> Yarn grown in the Faroe Islands is available from Navia (distributed in the US by <a href="https://kelbournewoolens.com/collections/navia" rel="nofollow">Kelbourne Woolens.</a><br><br> <a href="https://kyrra.fo/pages/about-us" rel="nofollow">Spinnaríið við ánna (Spinnery by the River)</a> produces 100% Faroese yarns at a family-owned micro mill. <br> <a href="https://snaldan.fo/" rel="nofollow">Snaeldan</a> mill produces yarn and knitwear in the Faroe Islands.<br> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/siignabogardur" rel="nofollow">Signabøgarður tógv</a> offers 100% Faroese wool yarn.</p> <h4>This episode is brought to you by:</h4> <p><strong>Treenway Silks</strong> is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at <a href="https://www.treenwaysilks.com/" rel="nofollow">TreenwaySilks.com</a>. You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. </p> <p>If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. </p> <p><strong>KnitPicks.com</strong> has been serving the knitting community for over 20 years and believes knitting is for everyone, which is why they work hard to make knitting accessible, affordable, and approachable. Knit Picks responsibly sources its fiber to create an extensive selection of affordable yarns like High Desert from Shaniko Wool Company in Oregon. Are you looking for an ethical, eco-friendly yarn to try? Look no further than Knit Picks’ Eco yarn line. Need needles? Knit Picks makes a selection for knitters right at their Vancouver, Washington headquarters. </p> <p><a href="https://www.knitpicks.com/" rel="nofollow">KnitPicks.com</a>—a place for every knitter. </p>
April 5, 2025
<p>When young Shay Pendray told the head of her school that she wanted to learn to sew, he had a prerequisite: He would give her a lamb, and she would learn to process the wool, spin it into yarn, and weave it into cloth, and then she could learn to sew. It was an extraordinary home ec class, but the administrator in question was Henry Ford. Shay was one of the students in Greenfield Village, a living museum on the grounds of what is now the Henry Ford Museum. Shay has combined curiosity, hard work, good fortune, and a passion for needle arts ever since. </p> <p>Many fiber artists will remember Shay from the Needle Arts Studio with Shay Pendray. Wanting to share her knowledge of needlework, she developed a television series that ran on PBS stations for years. Before finding a national television audience, Shay opened successful needlework shops, studied embroidery in Japan, China, and Britain, and wrote several books. After decades as a business owner, television pioneer, and teacher, Shay finds great joy in sitting down with needlework every day, reveling in the variety of threads, materials, and information available to stitchers.</p> <p>Besides needle arts, Shay’s other passion is for horses. She loves to ride her horse in the open spaces of Wyoming, admiring the value of the greens and golds in the landscape. Not long before we spoke, <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/10/15/85-year-old-michigan-cowgirl-still-drives-cattle-across-wyoming/" rel="nofollow">USA Today wrote</a> about her: “This 85-year-old cowgirl is still herding cattle across Wyoming: ‘We will age together.’” </p> <p>This episode marks the fifth anniversary of the Long Thread Podcast, which was first released in April 2020. I’ve thought so fondly of this conversation, our first podcast to release, and was excited to revisit it. </p> <h4>This episode is brought to you by:</h4> <p><strong>Treenway Silks</strong> is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at <a href="https://www.treenwaysilks.com/" rel="nofollow">TreenwaySilks.com</a>. You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. </p> <p>If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. </p> <p>Sustainability and regenerative ranching have been a way of life for the ranches of <strong>Shaniko Wool Company</strong> for decades. They are the first “farm group” in the U.S. to achieve certification to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA Regenerative. Shaniko ranches raise Merino/Rambouillet sheep in the Western United States, delivering a fully traceable wool supply that gives back to the Earth and its ecosystems. To learn more, and discover Shaniko’s yarn partners, visit <a href="https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com/" rel="nofollow">ShanikoWoolCompany.com.</a> </p> <p>Tapestry weaving’s simple structure lets you weave almost any image you can dream up. <strong>Rebecca Mezoff,</strong> author of the bestseller The Art of Tapestry Weaving, will teach you how to weave your own ideas, designs, and adventures. Join Rebecca online to learn all about the magic of making pictures with yarn in the fiber technique of tapestry weaving. Find out more at <a href="https://rebeccamezoff.com/" rel="nofollow">tapestryweaving.com</a>.</p>
March 22, 2025
<p>Some shepherds research extensively and choose the breed that best matches their needs. Others come across an animal or a whole flock and everything falls into place—it becomes clear that these are the sheep they’ve been waiting for. Robin Lynde had a farm with a few sheep in the mix, but when a local shepherd decided to sell her Jacob sheep, Robin jumped at the opportunity to own a flock of black-and-white-spotted, two-to-four-horned heritage-breed sheep. </p> <p>Although the flock lives full-time between Sacramento and the Bay Area, Meridian Jacobs get around—digitally, at least. When Robin started fielding inquiries about visiting the sheep and the farm, she came up with the idea for a Farm Club, which invites members to develop a relationship with the flock, by helping on designated Farm Days, keeping up with their photos and videos, and purchasing a share of fiber as a fleece or as yarn. You can find her photogenic sheep on her webite, social media, and YouTube. “I take pictures of everything,” she says—and with sheep so cute, who could blame her? </p> <p>In addition to caring for her sheep, Robin immerses herself in the fiber world through writing and designing handwoven projects. She’s held a weekly study group for weavers for years, first in person and now online. She has designed for both Handwoven and Little Looms magazines, with a particular specialty in weaving with wool. She teaches at a number of events and presents at guild events. </p> <p>Just don’t ask her to go anywhere during lambing, when you’ll find her in the barn with those irresistible Jacobs.</p> <h3>Links</h3> <ul> <li>Meridian Jacobs <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/" rel="nofollow">website</a><br></li> <li>Learn about Meridian Jacobs’s <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/farm-club" rel="nofollow">Farm Club</a> and see a <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/farmclubgallery" rel="nofollow">photo gallery</a> of activities<br></li> <li>Find Robin’s blog on <a href="https://meridianjacobs.blog/" rel="nofollow">WordPress</a> and the main <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/meridian-jacobs-blog" rel="nofollow">website</a><br></li> <li>Purchase Meridian Jacobs <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/wool-fiber" rel="nofollow">fleece</a>, <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/yarn-kits" rel="nofollow">yarn</a>, and Robin’s <a href="https://www.meridianjacobs.com/handwovens" rel="nofollow">handwovens</a> on their website<br></li> <li>The Meridian Jacobs <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@meridianjacobs" rel="nofollow">YouTube</a> features videos about shearing, weaving, and other wooly subjects </li> <li>Farm & Fiber Knits subscribers can read Robin’s article <a href="https://farmfiberknits.com/how-to-source-yarn-directly-from-a-farm/" rel="nofollow">How to Source Wool Directly from a Farm”</a><br></li> <li>Learn more about Jacob sheep in <a href="https://spinoffmagazine.com/meet-the-jacob-robin-lynde-in-black-and-white-and-lilac/" rel="nofollow">“Meet the Jacob: Robin Lynde in Black and White (and Lilac)”</a><br></li> <li>Robin’s article on <a href="https://littlelooms.com/clasped-warp-weaving/" rel="nofollow">clasped-warp weaving</a>, which appeared originally in Little Looms magazine, is available online<br></li> <li>Robin designs frequently for <a href="https://littlelooms.com/author/robin-lynde" rel="nofollow">Little Looms,</a> and <a href="https://handwovenmagazine.com/library/?dato_ltm_library_hw%5Bquery%5D=robin%20lynde" rel="nofollow">Handwoven</a></li> </ul> <h4>This episode is brought to you by:</h4> <p><strong>Treenway Silks</strong> is where weavers, spinners, knitters and stitchers find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at <a href="https://www.treenwaysilks.com/" rel="nofollow">TreenwaySilks.com</a>. You’ll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway’s array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. </p> <p>If you love silk, you’ll love Treenway Silks, where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed. </p> <p>Susan Bateman started <strong>the Yarn Barn of Kansas</strong> back in 1971. She says, “Since the beginning, it's been important to us to teach the crafts we love—weaving, knitting, crochet, and spinning. Last year, we had nearly a thousand enrollments in our classes. We answered questions in store, by phone, and through email.” </p> <p>When you order from The Yarn Barn of Kansas, you aren’t just ordering materials. You're supporting a business that can support you when you need help. Visit <a href="https://www.yarnbarn-ks.com/" rel="nofollow">yarnbarn-ks.com.</a></p> <p>Sustainability and regenerative ranching have been a way of life for the ranches of <strong>Shaniko Wool Company</strong> for decades. They are the first “farm group” in the U.S. to achieve certification to the rigorous international Responsible Wool Standard and NATIVA Regenerative. Shaniko ranches raise Merino/Rambouillet sheep in the Western United States, delivering a fully traceable wool supply that gives back to the Earth and its ecosystems. To learn more, and discover Shaniko’s yarn partners, visit <a href="https://www.shanikowoolcompany.com/" rel="nofollow">ShanikoWoolCompany.com.</a> </p>
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