Fiber Femmes - Yarn Museum

The Yarn Museum

Article by Linda Scharf

Imagine going to a museum filled with handspun yarn, galleries full of eye candy... Ah, people who appreciate what I do, other artists experimenting with textures, colors, techniques in handspinning, you note to yourself. If you visit The Yarn Museum that is exactly what you'll see. The Yarn Museum is, initially, a virtual space that honors the beauty and artistry of handspun yarn. There is no charge to send in images of your handspun yarn, and everything sent in will be

included in the online galleries and shows.

The Yarn Museum site went live at the end of November 2006. There were a few triggers that made me want to start the museum. One was that, in a workshop I was taking with Alden Amos and Stephanie Gaustad, Mr. Amos mentioned something about all the spinning that was being done in the 1970's, with all sorts of additions being incorporated into the yarn. Though I had seen many spinning books from that time period, I really didn't have a picture of the yarns he was talking about. I realized that there was little visual documentation of the yarns spun during that period. I didn't want to look back in 20 years and realize the same thing about this period. I wanted to make sure there was a record, ideally organized and maintained by active spinners.

It is my intention that the museum be a collaborative venture, with all of us who spin creating a space for our work to be shown and appreciated within the context of work from all spinners who submit. In addition to the galleries and shows, there will be links and resources for all things spinning. Over time, there are plans for even more great things related to handspun yarn and the people who spin.

The galleries at the museum are designed so that each virtual space has a different feel. My hope is that we can slow down a bit when visiting the space to really appreciate what is before us at this moment. Some galleries scroll to the right, some have an up/down orientation. All the yarns are in color and include links to the artists who created them so that we can explore more of that spinner's work.

The current show, accepting submissions through mid-February 2007 is "Anything Goes". This inaugural show is wide open, as far as type of yarn requested. It's great to see the variety of handspinning being done in one central location, the finely spun silks mingling with the sparkly experimental yarns with little beer cans incorporated. There is variety, too, in the Circle of Advisors, spinners with a wide range of approaches to spinning. If you visit their sites and read their blogs, you will learn how we are all connected through the art of spinning. My hope is that all spinners feel welcome and accepted at The Yarn Museum, no matter what kind of yarn you like to spin.

Some ongoing gallery shows ask for images of your first skein, pictures of people spinning, finished objects, surreal depictions of handspun, and there is also a handspun yarn of the week in "Handspun Fix". Future shows ask for yarns that include or reference flowers, plied yarns, dyed yarns, natural colored yarns, yarns that were created in response to an event and many more. New shows will be added, and if you have ideas for future shows, please submit them! All shows will be archived at the site and will be available for viewing. Look forward to seeing yarns from everywhere. Please note that some shows have deadlines and some are ongoing, with no deadline. Submit to all of them if you like.

The response to the museum has been very positive. Some have said that it's so nice to know that they're not alone in their appreciation of spinning, and that they no longer feel so isolated. Many have mentioned that they love being introduced to spinners that they didn't know about. A large number of people say that they find the site to be inspirational for their own spinning.

The Muse of Handspinning seems to be very much alive in the world. There is such vitality around spinning, with the internet allowing us to connect with each other. Spinners and the people who take care of plants and animals for spinning can find each other so much easier than in the past. We can find out about and attend fiber festivals and conferences to meet each other in person. The Yarn Museum is a very alive tribute to handspinning. All of our offerings to the Muse of Handspinning can live here and we can leave a record of the joy we had while engaged in spinning.

Tell us what you think! |

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Linda Scharf is an artist and spinner in the Boston area. She creates handspun yarn and freeform crocheted hats which can be found at Stoneleafmoon.com. She is an editor at Supernaturale.com and created CrochetLab.com as well as The Yarn Museum. Her yarns are included in books, among them Craftivity from Supernaturale and Naughty Needles by Nikol Lohr, and her hats will appear on HGTV in 2007. She can be reached at linda@stoneleafmoonDOTcom.