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Metaphors & Rainbows … Whatever: A Juicy Vermont IPA

Metaphors & Rainbows … Whatever is our first attempt at a Vermont IPA. We’ve brewed IPAs in the past, but never one with the distinct haze, orange color, and big, fruity flavors associated with the Green Mountain State — and adopted by the rest of New England. The most well-known of the commercial versions are

Sheep to Sweater – Part 3: Washing fleece with a pre-rinse

As I read more about fleece preparation, I realize there are many options and variables in the process, particularly in washing or cleaning a fleece. Temperature, time, type of detergent, number of rinses, and other variables can be combined in different ways depending on the type of fleece to be cleaned, how dirty it is,

Sheep to Sweater – Part 2: Washing fleece with hot water and detergent

After skirting, the next step of fleece prep is washing. There are many techniques for washing a fleece, but the objectives are the same: remove dirt, manure, urine residue, sweat, debris, and excess lanolin from the fleece, while maintaining the integrity of the wool and without felting it. In this episode I share my process

Sheep to Sweater – Part 1: Skirting Fleece

I’m excited to start a project that I’ve imagined for several years: taking a freshly-shorn fleece from one of our sheep and cleaning it, spinning it into yarn, and knitting a sweater. The first steps are to grow and harvest the wool, and I’ve already made a few blog posts and a video with advice

Knitting Needle Review, Part 2: Fixed circulars and DPNs

It’s time for Part 2 of my knitting needle review, this time focusing on fixed circulars and double-points (DPNs). Once again, there is no affiliation or sponsorship at play here – all the needles that I use I’ve either purchased myself or received as a gift that was purchased. I like to knit the bulk

Knitting Needle Review, Part 1: Circular interchangeable sets

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 brands that I like the best.

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 the ends of the piece that

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 both hand-spinning random colors and playing