Are you a spinner that likes to spin with a knitting goal in mind? Do you have a competitive nature? Do you love being part of a team, especially a fiber-related one? Would you like to raise awareness of hand spinning? Then Spinzilla is for you!
Spinzilla is a community-wide challenge hosted by The National NeedleArts Association (TNNA) Spinning and Weaving Group (SWG) during National Spinning and Weaving Week – Oct 7 thru 13. Teams are hosted by TNNA and SWG members and compete to see who can spin the most yarn during the sanctioned week.
What really sets this event apart from a lot of other team-based fiber competitions is that one of its main goals is education. Almost all the proceeds from registration fees are going to establish a spinning curriculum for the NeedleArts Mentoring Program (NAMP). The curriculum can be used for after school programs, youth groups, scout troops, and K-12 art teachers. Instructors will be supplied with materials, fiber and spindles in order to teach the curriculum. “We want to grow more spinners!” said Rita Petteys, chair of Spinzilla and owner of Yarn Hollow.
And if that isn’t fun enough, there are prizes (yes, some are Knitspot gift certificates) for Spinzilla participants too! Think you want to compete for some spinning bragging rights? Signups to join a team are until Sept 23 and details can be found here.
Once you’ve done your mad spinning for the contest, you can knit up your handspun goodness into
hat, mitts, and cowl, or do some planning ahead of time and get a head start on spinning the yarn for your own
There are LOTS of Knitspot designs that can be used for handspun. I’ve only named a handful and here’s a few more to ponder: Hourglass Throw, Snug Cap for All Sizes, Fartlek, Barrel o’ Monkey, Stocking Cap for All Sizes, Handsies, Cornrows, Hot Waffles, Two-Needle-Mittens, High Peaks, Tabata, Oktober Zest, Woodcutters Toque, Sticks and Stones.
If you’re jazzed about joining a team, but need a little help executing the plan, check out Jillian Moreno’s post “Yarn Vision and What’s Your Spinzilla Team?” here.
Please, please share your handspun Knitspot plans, progress and finished objects with us on facebook, twitter, and ravelry. We would love to see your beauties!
2 thoughts on “Spinzilla: Spinning for Knitspot Designs”
Well-what a fun thing to kick off the beginning of Fall. Just a little note to add that I knit Aztec Mazes from my handspun. It’s a great pattern for handspun. Thanks!
I love using my handspun for knitspot knits, it makes them even more special and unique!
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