I edited Spin-Off for a lot of years. I *never* count my own twists per inch. I spin a bit of yarn. I test it. If I like it, I keep doing the same thing until I’m done. If not, I change part of what I’m doing. I do measure wraps per inch from time to time.

When conveying information through printed media, it can be extremely helpful to describe yarns thoroughly. There’s a lot to learn from studying yarns in detail and with a variety of measurements.

When I was working with Spin-Off, I endeavored to have photos that showed the yarns at full size. It wasn’t always possible, but that was certainly my goal, and it’s the thing I miss most in current issues of the magazine. If you can SEE and FEEL the yarn, you don’t actually need all the numbers. Printed pages can get half that information across, with photos printed at 100 percent.

The numbers, in my opinion, just work hard to make up for the limitations of the communication medium.

I may be very fortunate in having learned to spin before there were very many print resources. Elsie Davenport was my primary guide (yes, in print, and amazingly thorough information, but not numbers-oriented). Spin-Off didn’t exist yet.

Sometimes I’m very concerned that the analytical and competitive aspects that flavor the craft in this decade may put off some folks who would love it. (While I have judged spinning competitions when the organizers have been hard up for someone to fill that role, I prefer to pay attention to the creative process, rather than the product(s).)

Even when I was editing the magazine, I always spun for pleasure and relaxation. I still do. And I make yarn that I love using.

Curiosity: yes. Simple. Good.