the illusion of progress
I was very pleased when Sonja of Blacker Yarns offered to send me sample skeins of their new Lyonesse yarn to review, and I'm delighted to share a review with you. I was given two samples to play with: One icy blue Aquamarine in DK and a shimmery Ruby in 4 ply. I have to… Continue reading Yarn review: Lyonesse by Blacker Yarns a linen-wool blend
With the Euro having reached parity with the USD and today being St Patrick's Day, I'm hoping some knitters are considering a trip to Ireland. One of the most active threads on the Ireland Ravelry group is regarding info for visiting knitters. People also want to know where they can get their hands on an… Continue reading An Irish yarn for St Patrick’s Day
I have LOTS of fleece to wash, and if I don't get it all washed by Fibre East, I'm not allowed another one for a whole year. (My rules!) So I want to get it done quickly, effectively and create as little waste as possible. I've come across people saying they use dish washing liquid… Continue reading Power scour v Dish washing detergent for washing fleece
Deb Robson's 2-day Introduction to Wool Types at Fibre East was fantastic. It wasn't exactly a beginner class, but I was helped and encouraged to keep pace and gained some great skills. After all, I only learned spinning so I could take this class! Everyone else there was an experienced spinner and most brought their… Continue reading Fibrary from Fibre East
This pattern, Lightfrost by Louise Zass-Bangham, alternates silky stripes with translucent stripes. My recent attempts at other knitting projects reminded me I'm still very much a beginner. So I decided to try this super simple triangle shawl. The graphic effect of the stripes is a good pay off for something rather simple. I've also learned… Continue reading Lightfrost shawl in all Fyberspates yarn
I'm very excited about attending my first actual fibre festival. As far as I can tell, there don't seem to be any events like them in Ireland, which is sad. Good thing is Fibre East is really easy to get to from Luton airport nearby. And so it's a short hop for me from Belfast… Continue reading Going to Fibre East: I need to learn how to spin wool?! Uh oh…
On our trip to Scotland recently, my husband and I visited Kilbarchan Weaver's Cottage. The area used to house over 800 individual weavers. This is one preserved cottage because there was someone living there until the 1960s. Here is the beautiful lintel over the door. "Builded Anno 1723"Famous people work here!I recognized the name of… Continue reading Learning about weaving traditions in Scotland
Right now, on Blacker Yarns site, they have some sampler packs of their wool. You can choose natural or dyed, dk, aran, etc. Like they say, this is like getting a mixed case of wine. You can try loads of different ones! I've been buying one off balls so this, to me, looks like a… Continue reading Yarn review: Jacob/ Mohair 50/50 DK by Blacker Yarns
I had been reading so much about how madelinetosh yarns are so lovely. I started dreaming that a friend visiting from the US soon would be able to bring me some, and I'd save money from imports/shipping etc. I wanted to get a "sweater quantity" because I do dream of being able to knit a… Continue reading Today I learned: Why superwash wool grows
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