As I’ve gained practice and experience with knitting, I’ve tried many different tools, and I’m starting to settle on my favorites. In this first of two videos, I wanted to review interchangeable knitting needle sets in particular, and share some observations, complaints, and personal recommendations for the features and...
Fiery Foliage scarf captures the colors of autumn
Continuing with my interest (obsession?) with sequence knitting, as well as a deep appreciation for the work of Karida Collins, owner of Neighborhood Fiber Company, I developed this large scarf with another one of the NFC gradient packs. The fun pompons are decorative as well as functional, providing weight to...
Don’t Wait Up: a versatile shawl, scarf, and poncho in one
After months of experimenting with colors and textures, Don’t Wait Up is finally ready for you to knit for yourself. This versatile and large-yet-lightweight piece of fabric can be styled in many different ways. Wear it as a wrap, poncho, scarf, or hooded cape. Based on my experiments with...
Bethel Socks: new knitting pattern for warm feet this winter
I just love the Vermont Sock Yarn from Wing & A Prayer Farm, so when Tammy let me design another pattern for socks I jumped in with both feet (literally and figuratively). The Bethel Socks are based on my popular hat and mitts pattern, and the cushy texture makes...
Field Trip to Scratch Supply Co. and LolaBean Yarn Co. Trunk Show
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Tamara and I headed across the border to New Hampshire for a party with Scratch Supply Company for their third year, and a trunk show with Adella of LolaBean Yarn Company. It was great to celebrate independent businesses, women entrepreneurs, and, of...
Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival: Sheep, yarn, and fiber friends.
We had a great time at our first Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival, an event with a small-town and agricultural focus. Big thanks to everyone who came by to say hello and chat with us – it’s nice to be able to do that at some of these...
Overdye effects: depth of shades vary by starting tone.
By a change of mind, or by accident, sometimes we end up with yarns that we no longer like the color of. Often, this can be a great opportunity to create a new custom color. In a previous post I discussed over-dyeing a variegated yarn to unify the color...
Eco-printing on sock blanks: direct dyeing with plant parts
Eco-printing is a method for directly transferring the shape and color of whole plant materials to fabric or paper. I’ve tried this technique in the past, but only on cotton fabric. I knew it must work on wool as well, and immediately thought of using sock blanks as a...
Dyeing wool with black hollyhocks: blue made easy
This year has afforded several opportunities to try new-to-me natural dyes, and this week I’m discussing my first trial dyeing with black hollyhocks. The flowers resemble a very dark purple, verging on black in the center of the flowers. Use the petals only for dyeing. If you want to...
How to dye yarn with Black-eyed Susans
For a while now I’ve been aware that Black-eyed Susan flowers can be used for natural dyeing, and they’re specifically used to achieve a pale or sage green. But I admit, I’ve been skeptical. Green is a difficult color to dye on it’s own, and past attempts on my...