The idea for this book started when Rachel and Catrina (Reading) were having a conversation about colours and hand-painted fibre and how great it would be if there were a reference type book, similar to a ‘learning atlas’ for how to spin colour. Both Catrina and Rachel have careers in the field of science, but for those not in the know, think of a series of microscope slides printed one after the other in a column with a simple explanation of what one is seeing in the slide, that is essentially what a learning atlas is. Rachel then reached out to Katrina (Stewart), who happens to be a professional photographer and an enthusiastic handspinner, about collaborating to bring this book to fruition. And so the journey began.