Intentional Wardrobe-

Knitting-

Spinning-

Wool-

Yarn

My Handspun Tin Can Knits “Flax” Sweater

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

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

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

Knitting-

Spinning-

Yarn

Blending Alpaca with Wool

I've heard people say that blending alpaca and wool is essential to having an alpaca yarn that will keep its shape in a garment. But is it truth or myth that alpaca must be blended with wool? I wanted to test some alpaca wool blends to see what the difference is for knitting. So, I did an experiment where I carded four batts using my Brother drum carder. Keep reading to see the results!Read More