Doll Can Create

100 Mile Life/Grandma Core

Category: Tour de Fleece 2026

Coming Home to the Wheel and Spindles — July 17, 2026

Coming Home to the Wheel and Spindles

/Barbara (Doll) Creelman/Leave a comment

There is something comforting about coming home.

The trailer is unpacked. Laundry is slowly finding its way back into drawers. The familiar mug is filled with coffee once again, and my knitting basket waits patiently beside my chair. After days away, it feels good to settle back into the rhythms that quietly shape my life.

My travelling spinning basket.

And waiting for me, as if it had never left, is Tour de Fleece.

For many people, Tour de Fleece is about spinning as much yarn as possible while the cyclists race across France. There are certainly goals to meet and challenges to enjoy. But over the years, I’ve discovered something even more valuable.

It’s about showing up.

One spindle.
One bobbin.
One row of knitting.
One peaceful afternoon.

Each turn of the wheel and spindle reminds me that beautiful things are rarely rushed.

As I spin, I find myself thinking less about productivity and more about presence. The yarn will eventually become socks, a sweater, or perhaps something I haven’t yet imagined. But right now, the finished object isn’t the point.

The making is.

The quiet rhythm of fibre slipping through my fingers steadies my thoughts. Knitting settles into the background like an old hymn. My breathing slows. My shoulders relax. These simple handmade moments become a kind of gentle prayer.

I’m also reminded that I don’t need new supplies or the next exciting project to feel inspired. There is deep contentment in opening the baskets I already own, rediscovering forgotten skeins, returning to unfinished projects, and simply enjoying what is already here.

Slow is enough.

This season, I’m choosing to celebrate the process more than the product. To spin because it brings joy. To knit because it calms my heart. To share the journey because community makes even solitary crafts feel wonderfully connected.

So if you’re joining me for Tour de Fleece this year, welcome. Whether you spin for five minutes or five hours, whether you’re working with a wheel, a spindle, knitting needles, or simply cheering others on, there’s a place for you here.

Let’s enjoy the rhythm together.

One day.
One thread.
One stitch at a time.

With a warm cup of tea and grateful hands,

Grannie Doll

Slow is enough. Spin, knit, create.

What Are We Really Building During Tour de Fleece? — July 4, 2026

What Are We Really Building During Tour de Fleece?

/Barbara (Doll) Creelman/Leave a comment

When people ask about Tour de Fleece, they often think we’re trying to spin the most yarn or finish the biggest project.

But I think we’re building something much more beautiful.

We’re building community.

For a few weeks each summer, spinners from around the world gather around their wheels and spindles. We may never meet face to face, yet somehow we become companions on the same journey. We cheer one another on, celebrate finished skeins, encourage each other through tangles and broken singles, and marvel at the colours emerging from simmering dye pots.

Spinning is, by nature, a quiet and often solitary craft. It is just you, the fibre, your hands, and the gentle rhythm of twist becoming yarn.

Yet when we share that process, something remarkable happens.

We become more than makers of yarn.

We become a little corner of the internet, twined together like the strands we spin and ply. A community of fibre artists, spindle spinners, wheel spinners, dyers, knitters, weavers, and curious beginners—all connected by our love of transforming fleece into something beautiful.

Life is richer when we have friends who understand why a new braid of wool is exciting, why a perfectly balanced spindle brings joy, or why we can happily spend an afternoon watching fibre draft through our fingers.

Yes, we’ll make yarn.

But we’ll also make memories.

We’ll learn from one another.

We’ll laugh over spinning mishaps.

We’ll celebrate small victories.

And perhaps, without even realizing it, we’ll weave new friendships one day at a time.

So this Tour de Fleece, don’t worry about spinning the most or keeping up with anyone else.

Simply come and enjoy the journey.

Take wool in hand.

Let the wheel turn.

Let the spindle dance.

Share your progress.

Encourage someone else.

And together, let’s build something even more lasting than yarn.

Will you join me in the frolic?

Grannie Doll says, “Come for the fibre. Stay for the friendships.”

Happy Spinning.

Let’s Get Ready for Tour de Fleece: 5 Gentle Daily Steps — June 29, 2026

Let’s Get Ready for Tour de Fleece: 5 Gentle Daily Steps

/Barbara (Doll) Creelman/Leave a comment

Every July, thousands of spinners around the world gather for one of my favourite fibre celebrations: Tour de Fleece.

Just like the cyclists in the Tour de France ride each day, we spin each day. It isn’t about spinning the most yarn or owning the fanciest wheel. It’s about showing up, building a habit, and enjoying the journey one length of fibre at a time.

As I prepare for this year’s Tour, I’ve settled into five simple daily steps that help me begin each spinning session with intention.

1. Set Up Your Hydration

Before the fibre comes out, I reach for my water.

Spinning is wonderfully absorbing. It’s easy to lose track of time and realize an hour later that you haven’t had a sip to drink.

Having water, tea, or another favourite drink beside you is a gentle reminder to care for yourself while you create.

Think of hydration as caring for the spinner—not just the spinning.

2. Set a Spinning Timer

One of the biggest myths is that you need hours to make progress.

You don’t.

I like to set a timer—sometimes just 20 or 30 minutes.

When the timer starts, all I have to do is spin. No pressure to finish a bobbin. No expectation of perfection.

Some days I’ll stop when the timer rings.

Other days I’ll keep going because I’m enjoying myself.

The timer removes the guilt and replaces it with consistency.

3. Roll the Die

This might be my favourite part.

I keep a simple die beside my spinning supplies.

Each number represents a different spinning choice:

  • a different fibre
  • a different spindle
  • a wheel session
  • plying
  • sampling
  • or even carding fibre

Rolling the die removes decision fatigue.

Instead of wondering what to work on, the decision is made for me—and it often leads to delightful surprises.

Sometimes creativity just needs permission to play.

4. Choose Your Spindle

Whether you’re spinning on a wheel or with spindles, today’s choice becomes today’s companion.

Maybe it’s your trusted favourite.

Maybe it’s the spindle that hasn’t been used in months.

Maybe it’s the beautiful handmade spindle you’ve been saving for “the right time.”

Today is the right time.

Every spindle teaches us something different, and part of the joy of Tour de Fleece is rediscovering the tools we already love.

5. Enjoy the Process

This may be the most important step of all.

Tour de Fleece isn’t really about finished skeins.

It’s about slowing down.

Feeling the fibre slip through your fingers.

Listening to the gentle hum of the wheel.

Watching singles slowly become yarn.

Celebrate the uneven yarn.

Celebrate the tiny victories.

Celebrate simply showing up.

Because every day you spend spinning is already a successful day.

See You on the Tour

This year I’m choosing progress over perfection.

One glass of water.

One timer.

One roll of the die.

One spindle.

One peaceful spinning session at a time.

I’ll be sharing my journey throughout Tour de Fleece 2026, and I’d love for you to spin along with me.

What spindle—or wheel—will you begin the Tour with?

Blessings from Grannie Doll

Living the 100 mile path one spin at a time.