Tour de Fleece 2026
It’s Tour de Fleece time, aka the annual spinning of the wool that kicks off with the Tour de France cycling competition. Spinners join teams on social media, at their local guilds, or just follow along at home and try to spin each day of the Tour. For some, it’s an annual event with specially purchased braids or batts just for the event. For others, it’s a chance to stash bust some of that fiber that’s been piling up. For me, this year, it’s been a focus on spinning small farm fibers.
I’m only about three years into spinning. I still find batts intimidating, especially those beautiful art batts. I’m almost able to spin a fingering weight yarn. My intent this tour is to explore more small farm spinning fibers, and what I can say is I have already learned a LOT so far.
Working with small farm fibers has made my spinning more adaptable. You wanted to spin a sport weight? This fiber wants to puff up to worsted post washing and instead of sport you get the most squishable, bouncy skein and fall in love with it. You want more of that fiber? Heartbreak: that fleece was a one and one. Small farm products often mean very limited runs, so you learn to appreciate what you have (and also to maybe buy more next time).
As I mentioned, I’m still learning, so spinning forces me to really stay present, even more so than knitting for the most part. While it is meditative, if you are aiming for any consistency you have to pay attention to your hands: how they are moving, how the fiber moves through them, if you need to treadle faster or slower. Spinning is actually a really embodied experience.
Learning anything new is intimidating, and trying new techniques within a loved hobby can be scary, too. What if I mangle this lovely roving? What if I don’t spin the weight I want for this project? I’m trying to approach my spins with an attitude I’ve heard designer Andrea Mowry discuss about her own spinning: “buy the ticket, enjoy the ride.” Listen to the fiber, spin it up as it wants to go, and be playful with your projects. This is all supposed to be fun, after all!