I am so excited to finally share this project—a fully handspun, handknit sweater! This project took me a full year to complete—from spinning the yarn to knitting the sweater.
Fiber Friends, don’t be fooled by the short blog post. This project took me many many many hours to complete. I did my best to clearly but quickly explain the whole process in this post and on YouTube—from planning to spinning and finally to knitting. I also give some tips for planning a large knitting project and keeping your colors organized.Read More
Blog
Historical Textiles-
Spinning-
Spinning History
From Wool to Cloth: Using a Historical Weaving Technique on my Wildwool Farms Rolag Box
So many people have been buzzing about Wildwool Farms and their incredible rolag boxes — so I had to try one!
The rolag box was a surprise because I didn't pick out specific colors or fibers. I was going to try to spin and weave whatever was in the box. My goal for this project was just to have fun, embrace the challenge, and try to make a beautiful, historically inspired woven cloth out of it.Read More
Spinning
5 Spinning Books I Will Always Have on my Shelf
A big resource in my spinning journey has been my spinning library. I have bookshelves with piles of books about spinning, and I was thinking—heaven forbid this should ever happen—If I were to wake up and my bookshelf had magically disappeared, what books would I immediately run out and replace?
So, I’ve curated a list of five (plus one) spinning books that I can't live without because they are essential, and I still use them to this day.Read More
Spinning-
Spinning History-
Wool-
Yarn
From Fleece to Fabric — An American Tunis Breed Study
Just as there are many dog breeds that come in different sizes, colors, and coat types — there is a wide variety of sheep breeds. Each sheep breed has been bred throughout history to produce wools with different characteristics.
So how do you choose the right breed for your project? Breed studies can be immensely helpful for understanding this.
I generously received a gifted sample of some American Tunis wool. So, I am going to walk through a miniature breed study, from raw wool to finished yarn, with American Tunis.Read More
Spinning-
Spinning Wheels-
Wool
Choose Your Tools – How to Start Spinning Wool for Beginners
As you might have noticed, I talk about all things spinning (products, fibers, techniques, you name it!) on my blog and YouTube channel. With all this information out there, it can seem intimidating to get started spinning.
So, people often ask me how to get started if you are a beginner. Getting started doesn’t have to be that complicated or scary. That’s why I want to give you a very bare-bones breakdown of the basic things that you need to get started spinning.
I am going to share all my tips for getting started spinning, plus I'm really excited to partner with SkillShare, the sponsor for this post, to help you elevate your spinning education.Read More
Evie Gets Dressed-
Intentional Wardrobe-
Spinning-
Yarn
How to Prevent Wool Moths and Other Pests from Getting in Spinning Fibers and Hand Knits
I have a lot of wool in my home, including things like my spinning fibers, rugs, and hand knits. With all that wool, it is important that I store it properly to avoid any pest problems.
It can be kind of gross or scary to talk about (I truly hate moths!), but pests are a real risk.
So, let's walk through the different possible kinds of pests to watch out for, how to store your fibers and wool to prevent any pest problems, and how to deal with them if you do get an infestation.Read More
Historical Textiles-
Spinning-
Spinning History-
Yarn
Using Medieval Spindles to Ply Historically Inspired Yarn
I love spinning yarn with my medieval-style spindles but I struggle to ply from them since they don't fit in my Lazy Kate. So, I investigated what tools medieval people could have used to ply their yarn. I also provide some thoughts on historical accuracy.Read More
Evie Gets Dressed-
Intentional Wardrobe-
Knitting-
Spinning History-
Tutorial
Spinning Angora Rabbit Fiber to Knit a Vintage 1960s Hat Pattern
I’ve always loved the look of mid-century vintage beret hats — especially the ones that have an angora halo. There's just something about that iconic angora halo that gives the hat such a romantic feel, and I love it! So, I decided to make one!
For this project, I’ll be spinning angora rabbit fiber with merino wool to replicate a discontinued yarn and knit a vintage hat pattern from the 1960s. I walk through the process from carding, spinning, and dyeing the yarn, to knitting a beautiful beret with a classic angora halo.Read More
Spinning-
Yarn
8-Ply Handspun Yarn — A Cabled Crepe Adventure
While I love spinning large batches of consistent yarn for specific projects, I also really love pushing my skills and trying different yarn constructions and textures. So, for this project, I wanted to experiment with creating a fun, structured, and technical yarn.
I started this project by creating a chain ply, which became a crepe yarn, then a cable ply, and finally it ended up as an 8-ply handspun yarn made from a merino and yak blend. It was quite a journey, so let's get spinning!Read More
Spinning-
Wool-
Yarn
How to Spin Combed Top to Create Self Striping Yarn
Multicolored combed tops can create really beautiful yarns, but it can be a bit tricky to control how the colors present in the yarn. A beautiful multicolored combed top can turn into a disappointing yarn if the colors become muddy during the spinning.
In this blog, I experiment with different methods to control the color in a combed top when spinning. Plus, I’ll show my favorite method to create a self-striping yarn with fantastic, long color repeats from a combed top using rolags.Read More