What could a jar of dried and wizened black walnuts possibly suggest about its owner? A desire to embark on a journey into Natural Dyeing Perhaps? Absolutely ! Natural Dyeing is something I’ve long wanted to try, hence the jar of wizened walnuts, a classic natural dye material. I fed this interest by taking a course with … More Embarking on new journeys without leaving home: Natural Dyeing
Whether it be a complete brightening up, a bit of overdyeing, or trying to blend with an existing yarn, a bit of DIY yarn dyeing can turn what you already have but don’t love into something you do, and that you can’t wait to use. It can enliven your stash making it more flexible and … More A Little Colourplay: Brightening lockdown life
There has been considerable debate in recent weeks about what the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd tell us about how people of colour daily experience the world we live in, and they disproportionately prematurely die in. Their deaths have caused us yet again to question the deep inequities and structural racism that exist … More No More Water, The Fire this Time
Well I don’t know about you but I feel like I’ve been catapulted into this new year, or as everyone keeps emphasising, new decade, and rather than having any grand plans or dare I say it ‘resolutions’, I’m still trying to get my arms and legs in order and rub that bruise on my arse … More New Year: Old Mittens & New Socks
Ever since I joined Instagram in 2012 it seems that each Christmas I’ve posted a picture of my homemade fudge. You could almost call it a ‘tradition’. I’ve been making fudge on an off for over 30 years. As a teenager I would make large elaborate selections of sweets for aunts and uncles and family friends. … More Holidays mean Fudge: A Recipe
Before the ‘big move’ I was lucky enough to be involved in the development of Susan Crawford‘s new yarn ‘Barn‘. Interesting though the process certainly was, the yarn that emerged is truly amazing. I am thrilled to join Susan herself and Julie (of Julie Knits in Paris) in designing a pattern for this wonderful new … More Tyto Alba: A new design for a fabulous new yarn…
One of challenges about moving to a country that has reliably hot summers is knowing what to knit in the summer months, or in fact whether you can knit at all. As we move into what here in the northern hemisphere is being referred to as ‘sweater weather’ and ‘sweater season’, I thought it would be … More The Sunny Side of Working with Linen… mainly
Today I’m taking a little time to look back over my garment knitting. There has been much talk recently about elitism in knitting industry and who that serves to exclude. I raised this in a previous post and started to link to the yarn used in the hats I’d knitted to demonstrate how beautiful designs … More Yarniflections and a Sweater Parade
Following on the heels of my make it up as you go along yoked cardigan which I’ve worn so much because it filled that ‘wardrobe staple go with anything’ remit, I decided another such cardigan was required. Again in fingering yarn, of which I have rather a lot. It’s mostly vintage and woollen spun and … More Winging it with Afterthought Pockets
Wow. It’s just as well that returning to this post 4 months after I started it, and 5 and a half months after the events I’m talking about, that I can still laugh at the hubris with which I started this post, and yes, I’m leaving it as it was so you too can laugh … More Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2019: Vignettes