Tag: writing

In just over six months my book Listen to the Wool – a Why-to Guide for Joyful Spinning will be published. It feels unreal, terrifying and wonderful.

If you are a patron (or want to become one) you can watch a my April 2025 video postcard.

Back in January I got my manuscript back from my acquisitions editor and worked with the changes she suggested for a couple of weeks. After I had returned the slimmed manuscript I got an email from my production editor, who gave me a timeline: The copyedited manuscript would come to me in early April and the proof would come in late May.

A solo writing retreat

So, the second week of April I took the train to a cozy B&B in Varberg on the Swedish west coast for a solo writing retreat to focus on editing. The house was built in 1913 and seems to have kept the original decoration and furnishing. A fascinating place with paintings, furniture and books everywhere. Quite a few of the paintings were of women reading or writing, and in my room one with a woman sewing. I felt very welcomed!

I made a strict day-to-day schedule for myself – up at 5.30, practice yoga, edit, have breakfast, go for a bath in the ocean, edit, have a lunch break, and then edit until 3 pm, with some pauses to move between the editing sessions.

Going on a writing retreat like this does so much for the creative flow. There was nothing to bother me, nobody that needed my attention and I could focus all my energy on the book. This was my third writing retreat for this book (and all in all), and it helped me get so much done.

You can read about my previous writing retreats in Falun in April 2024 and in Stockholm in September 2024. Last week I wrote an essay on Substack about this writing retreat.

Playtime

From 3 until dinner I had playtime and usually explored the town or the coast. Of course I went to the fortress, the big landmark of the town, but I also took my rental bike down the coast. Having access to the bike was such a joy. I especially loved going down the coast on the wide and luxurious pedestrian and bike path with not a car in sight. Only the coastal landscape and the big blue sea.

There is something about the ocean that touches me deep in my bones. Looking at the horizon with nothing man-made to distract the view, apart from a lighthouse or two. That is what I long for in a place like this, the vastness, the silence and the grandeur of nature. And on some occasions, chocolate cake. All nourishing for the writing soul.

I had some lovely baths too. A couple of days in a calm sea, and on the last morning a very spirited one. I had to hold tight to the ladder rails not to be thrown into the waves.

A design sample

I also got a design sample of the book from my acquisitions editor, and it is oh, so beautiful! The colours, the fonts and the way the design of the book takes the reader by the hand through the sections really show that the designer had read the manuscript and understood in what spirit I wrote the book. They had also made my husband Dan’s photos even more beautiful than they already were. I can’t wait for you to read it!

The book will go to the printer’s in early August and hopefully be published in November.

Happy spinning!

You can find me in several social media:

• This blog is my main spinning channel. This is where I write weekly posts, mainly about spinning. Do subscribe!
• I share essay-style writing on Substack a couple of times a month. Come and have a look!
• I am writing a book! In November 2025 Listen to the wool: A why-to guide for joyful spinning will be available. Read more about the book here.
• I run an online spinning school, welcome to join a course! You can also check out my course page for courses in Sweden or to book me for a lecture.
• On Patreon you can get early access to new videos and other Patreon only benefits. The contributions from my patrons are an important way to cover the costs, time and energy I put into the videos and blog posts I create. You can read more about my Patreon page here.
• Follow me on Instagram.  I announce new blog posts, share images from behind the scenes and post lots of woolliness.
• My youtube channel is where I release a lot of my videos. Subscribe to be sure not to miss anything!
• I have a facebook page where I link to all my blog posts, you are welcome to follow me there.
• Read the book Knit (spin) Sweden! by Sara Wolf. I am a co-author and write in the fleece section about how I spin yarn from Swedish sheep breeds.
• In all the social media I offer, you are more than welcome to contact me. Interacting with you helps me make better content. My private Facebook page, however, will remain private.
• I support Centro de textiles tradicionales del Cusco, a group of talented textile artists in Cusco, Peru who dedicate their work to the empowerment of weavers through the revitalization and sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region. Please consider supporting their work by donating to their causes.

When I got my manuscript back from my editor I had the delicate task of reducing my word count by a third. I was helped by looking for giraffes. Read the whole piece on Substack.

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You can find me in several social media:

• This blog is my main channel. This is where I write weekly posts, mainly about spinning. Do subscribe!
• I share essay-style writing on Substack. Come and have a look!
• I am writing a book! In the later half of 2025 Listen to the wool: A why-to guide for joyful spinning will be available. Read more about the book here.
• My youtube channel is where I release a lot of my videos. Subscribe to be sure not to miss anything!
• I have a facebook page where I link to all my blog posts, you are welcome to follow me there.
• I run an online spinning school, welcome to join a course! You can also check out my course page for courses in Sweden or to book me for a lecture.
• On Patreon you can get early access to new videos and other Patreon only benefits. The contributions from my patrons are an important way to cover the costs, time and energy I put into the videos and blog posts I create. You can read more about my Patreon page here.
• Follow me on Instagram.  I announce new blog posts, share images from behind the scenes and post lots of woolliness.
• Read the book Knit (spin) Sweden! by Sara Wolf. I am a co-author and write in the fleece section about how I spin yarn from Swedish sheep breeds.
• In all the social media I offer, you are more than welcome to contact me. Interacting with you helps me make better content. My private Facebook page, however, will remain private.
• I support Centro de textiles tradicionales del Cusco, a group of talented textile artists in Cusco, Peru who dedicate their work to the empowerment of weavers through the revitalization and sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region. Please consider supporting their work by donating to their causes.

This week my husband Dan took the last two photos for my upcoming book, Listen to the wool. Two days later I finished the last of the 20 chapters in the book. There is still lots left to do, but 130+ photos and 20 chapters are pinch-me-in-the-arm real.

In a Substack essay a few weeks ago I wrote about all that lies behind a photo – the people we meet and the experiences we have. There is so much to be grateful for that will never be shared with the world, at least not in the book. Today I share some of what has been going on behind the scenes of writing and photo shoots.

Lace curtains and nectarines

We have been taking photos for the book since last October. In the beginning mostly of sheep on road trips to sheep farms, but in the summer all the other photos. We rented a log cabin for ten days and took a lot of photos there. The surroundings offer lots of different settings and backgrounds. I was set on taking all the photos outdoors, and we succeded. Apart from one motif that was and should be indoors.

The light in the Swedish summer is magical, even though the weather can be quite challenging sometimes. Dan prefers to take his photos in overcast weather – the contrast between light and shadow can get too sharp in the sun. So, on sunny days I have shielded the photo objects with cardboards, blankets and lace curtains. Wind may be a challenge too, the same curtains have been used as wind protection too. It takes some imagination to find these solutions at home and even more in rented cabins.

We took some photos in a nearby national park where we like to hike. I wanted a photo of spinning and preparing wool on a rock in the forest and Dan was up for it. I saved an empty plastic trough for nectarines from the recycling bin, it was perfect for transporting prepared wool without squishing it in my backpack!

Backgrounds, clothes and hair

To have some variation in the photos we looked for different backgrounds. Trees, fields, barns and wooden floors worked perfect. Sometimes Dan wasn’t happy with a fence or a tree that would annoy in the picture, so we worked a lot with placing the photo objects higher. I have sat on a folding chair on top of a lounge chair and we have raised tables onto yoga blocks. I have carried spinning wheels around the photo locations a lot!

I also wanted different clothes in the pictures I was in. Not out of vanity, but rather for the variation in the photos. Also in case Dan wasn’t satisfied with the contrast between the yarn and my top. I walked around with different sets of clothes and a few options of hair pins and scrunchies in my pockets to be able to quickly change. Anything for the arts!

At home we took a lot of photos on our balcony. It is large and convenient when it comes to carrying props around. We have a foldable photo studio that we have used a lot. It worked surprisingly well. In it we could angle the objects for a comfortable position for Dan and pin them up on various props for a variety of backgrounds.

Pins! I wanted to cut fabric for a sewing project at the cabin, so I brought the necessary fabrics and tools from home. And I am so grateful for the pins. Lots of wool has been pinned onto log cabin walls, cushions, fabrics and blankets to avoid wind disasters and cranky backs and knees.

Planning

I kept an image chart where I noted what images I wanted for the book and what the point of each image was. I had ideas of how I wanted the pictures to look. Mostly it worked, sometimes we found a better solution together, in some cases we ended up with an unplanned photo instead of the one I had prepared for. We abandoned only one of my ideas, since it would require a camera Dan didn’t have a access to, but the one we chose instead was an unplanned one, and a lot better.

In the book I describe the main breeds whose wool is used for spinning. I wanted to have all of these represented in at least one photo – of the breed itself or as wool in one of the steps from fleece to textiles. I had it all noted in my image chart. When I realized I had succeeded I was so pleased. Until someone mentioned a particular breed and I realized I had missed it. I contacted an owned of the breed and she quickly sent me a tuft of wool so I could include it in a photo.

Working together

We have had so much fun together! Dan is such a star when it comes to taking photos of my spinning and he knows what I want. I am the client and he the artist, while at the same time I am the artist too, and object in some of the shots. During the more still life style motifs (things not moving) I am his assistant and advisor while he lets me know what is possible.

We have played a lot with angles, props, backgrounds and contrasts and always found the best solution together. I may have an idea of a picture and Dan know what is possible technically and artistically from his perspective and with the equipment and skills he has.

After the photo sessions we have sat down together to look through the images, narrow them down and pick a favourite for each shot. I tell Dan what is most important to focus on in each picture and he tells me what he wants to convey artistically. Just talking through the choices helps me a lot in deepening my understanding of what needs to be clear in the pictures.

Writing

Ever since I wrote my book proposal I have been writing before work on the 2–3 days a week I worked from home, plus on weekends. I took an extra long vacation this summer and have been writing between two and three hours every morning. In seven weeks I have written the last six chapters.

Some writing sessions have been smooth and exhilarating, others more towards exhausting. Words have flowed, got stuck, I have danced, meditated and walked through blocks and conundrums. The chapter summaries I wrote for my book proposal have been the backbone of the whole project. Every time I have finished a chapter, a sweet summary has been waiting for me with lots of links, ideas and stuff to elaborate. This has been, and is still, a beatiful ride.

I will keep editing and tweaking until my deadline on October 1st. After that I will hand my book baby to my publisher with trembling hands and await their verdict. I have no idea what will happen next, but I believe I am in good hands. I am very proud of this book!

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Happy spinning!

You can find me in several social media:

• This blog is my main channel. This is where I write weekly posts, mainly about spinning. Do subscribe!
• I share essay-style writing on Substack. Come and have a look!
• My youtube channel is where I release a lot of my videos. Subscribe to be sure not to miss anything!
• I have a facebook page where I link to all my blog posts, you are welcome to follow me there.
• I run an online spinning school, welcome to join a course! You can also check out my course page for courses in Sweden or to book me for a lecture.
• On Patreon you can get early access to new videos and other Patreon only benefits. The contributions from my patrons are an important way to cover the costs, time and energy I put into the videos and blog posts I create. You can read more about my Patreon page here.
• Follow me on Instagram.  I announce new blog posts, share images from behind the scenes and post lots of woolliness.
• Read the book Knit (spin) Sweden! by Sara Wolf. I am a co-author and write in the fleece section about how I spin yarn from Swedish sheep breeds.
• I am writing a book! In the later half of 2025 Listen to the wool: A why-to guide for mindful spinning will be available. Read more about the book here.
• In all the social media I offer, you are more than welcome to contact me. Interacting with you helps me make better content. My private Facebook page, however, will remain private.
• I support Centro de textiles tradicionales del Cusco, a group of talented textile artists in Cusco, Peru who dedicate their work to the empowerment of weavers through the revitalization and sustainable practice of Peruvian ancestral textiles in the Cusco region. Please consider supporting their work by donating to their causes.