I do enjoy watching (and sharing!) videos I find of old handicrafts, and the older the video the better. This one was filmed in 1978 in Kilcar and Carrick, towns in County Donegal, Ireland. It begins with a sheep-buying market which is fascinating in itself, but if you want to skip to the parts on … Continue reading Wool-working in Ireland, 1978
spinning
Bits and pieces
1. Summer is not my favorite season, which is a shame since where I live it makes up 2/3 of the year. Perhaps living in the Deep South most of my life is responsible, although you'd think that would confer some kind of immunity. When I first checked the conditions this morning (depressingly early, thanks … Continue reading Bits and pieces
Nettle Fiber
This is a fascinating demonstration of harvesting and working nettle to prepare it for spinning. https://vimeo.com/225183045 In addition I found another video demonstration by Allan Brown, this one focusing more on flax preparation. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0SFRIZqkfE
Sewing Room
We've spent the last two days doing some rearranging. The blue-green yarn featured I just picked up this afternoon! It took them 6 weeks to find and order it. Now I can finally start the sweater I said I was going to start back in May!
Cooler Weather and Wool Projects
Today we finally have truly cooler weather! Hooray! Except for the fact that the lawns are an emerald green and the trees are all fully leafed (and green), it's almost like fall! Cooler weather always makes me more enthusiastic about fiber arts. The other day when I was sitting out on the porch carding wool, … Continue reading Cooler Weather and Wool Projects
Yarn Along: Cross Blanket
This week I'm featuring yet another commissioned project. (Don't worry, A.! I just got the yarn for your project today.) This will be a baptismal blanket for a baby due to be baptized in October. It's going much faster than I had worried it would; this is less than 3 days worth of work. I … Continue reading Yarn Along: Cross Blanket
First Spinning
A sweet friend from Ravelry sent me some roving in the mail a few days ago. I had been reading some information online and viewing videos over the past week. This evening I took a deep breath, dusted the spinning wheel, and got started.This looks kind of icky all pulled apart, but it was in … Continue reading First Spinning