#local yarn

[bookwyvern]

Fiber festival haul for 2024! Got a braid of roving to spin, and most the yarn for 2 sweaters. I still need to pick up a little more worsted in 2 other color ways for one of the patterns I have in mind.

This is the year I break my own personal sweater curse and finally complete one that I'm happy with.

[hibernation-fibres]

This beautiful shawl is hard to photograph because I misread the pattern increases and it doesn't lay flat 😅 BUT it's still absolutely gorgeous. Thank you to my godmother for gifting the wonderful yarn <3

Pattern: Mingling Daisies Shawl by Stephen West

Yarn: Fingering weight yarn in 'Plum Blossom' by Woollen Wytch (in 50% BFL, 25% Alpaca, 25% Bio-nylon)

[withbroombefore]

I made a thing! It's big and warm and I'm very excited to wear it everywhere.

Pattern: Portree Poncho by Bridget Pupillo

Yarn: Leaves in the Brook colorway of Making Tracks by Junction Fiber Mill

[textilefile]

From flock fiber festival in Seattle, which I attended with plans for a chartreuse sweater, not very much money, and a dream. Guess which chartreuse won!

[charliecraftsthings]

My yarn (etc) haul from the Manitoba Fibre Festival 2023. I tried to deliberately not buy a lot of yarn this year, and I think I succeeded?

From left to right:

alpaca-merino yarn (113g / 208m), hand-dyed (blue-purple-green) by SLM Alpacas

alpaca 3-ply (200g / 435m), natural (light tan) by Perimeter Alpacas

alpaca-merino-soya silk (50g / 228m), natural (heathered chocolate brown) by SLM Alpacas.

beeswax candle by Moon Dips

hand cream by JA Icelandics

Also here's me visiting the animals!

[oh-men-of-dark-and-dismal-fate]

Walking into a yarn shop like it's an art museum. Admiring all the colorways and textures of the various skeins. Nodding my head at the tasteful displays of handmade items by the local knitting/crochet group to demonstrate the different yarn brands. Talking to the owner to learn more about the local fiber art scene and learning about different dyers, and crafters in the area that I would have never found on the internet. Buying one too many skeins to continue my pursuit of creating beautiful things to bring joy into mine and others lives. My way of paying homage to this wonderland of fibrous beauty.

Fucking glorious.

[bookshelfdreams]

@hylianengineer sorry I had to make a new post, the answer got too long for replies :D

Ah, the dreaded "but wool is itchy!". Not something I can relate to (I really like it when yarn/fabric has a bit of grip and structure to it, I'm not one for the ultra-soft, fluffy wools) but let's see if I can say smth useful.

First, you're definitely not alone in finding wool scratchy! A lot of people have sensory issues regarding it. Whether it can be helped at all will depend on how sensitive you are; some people can't even handle unspun 17 mic chubut merino and at that point, wool just isn't for them. Which is fine, not everything is for everyone.

Rule of thumb: the higher quality your fibre, the softer the finished garment will be. If it's just listed as "wool", it might contain recycled fibre, wool from sheep breeds that don't have a super fine fleece, or even wool from dead animals, all of which lowers the quality.

Virgin wool (I think) refers to wool that is spun for the first time, so a yarn that has no recycled fibres in it. Lambswool is a sheep's first wool. It is finer and smoother than adult wool.

Another big impact is breed of sheep and origin of the fibre. Merinos are the go-to for high quality items, but are also kept all over the world, so look to where your wool comes from. Aotearoa and South America are well known for their high quality merino wools. Sheep that live in colder, harsher climates produce a sturdy, tougher fleece, especially if they're not merino breeds. Depending on where you are, regional wool might not be what you're looking for. Britain is famous for their wool, but Shetland wool won't be super soft. Try some BFL (Bluefaced Leicester) if you can get it; it is smoother than merino and not as springy.

Wool can be superwash treated by coating the individual fibres, so the scales on the hairs are covered. This means it won't felt and can be machine washed; it also makes it less scratchy. This process is very energy- and water-intensive. The fibres are coated in silicone, I think, which makes the finished yarn feel kinda plastic-y, and it also lowers the insulating and water-repelling qualities of the wool. (All in all, you might as well buy acrylic)

You can also try looking for sheep's wool mixed with other animal fibres. Cashmere, alpaca, and mohair are probably the most common and all have their own qualities (cashmere is shiny and drapey; alpaca is smooth and kind of dense; mohair is light, extremely fluffy and super warm). All are softer than sheep's wool and nicer to the skin.

Anyway, all that to say: Look for virgin wool, look at the breed you're getting if it's specified, look for mixes with softer fibres, look at the origin of the wool. Unfortunately, when you're sensitive, navigating the world of natural fibres can be a bit of a minefield, I know. If wool isn't for you, that's not a moral failing!

[wastelesscrafts]

Project: crocheted top

Thanks again to everyone who gave me good crochet 101 resources last year! I've been having a blast learning how to crochet.

Introduction:

I finished this top a while ago. It's kind of improvised, containing various stitches and squares I found in library books. The yarn's a beige cotton I had in my stash.

I used this project as a challenge to try out as many different techniques and stitches I could think of, making it a great learning experience.

The project:

The shape's a very simple T-shape, with buttons at the shoulders to make it easier to slip over my head. It's basically a tube body with a rectangle at the top for sleeves.

I started out by making enough squares for the bottom lace to fit around my hips. Once those were attached together into a circle, I evened out the edge with (US) single crochet stitches while also adding a tiny bit of shaping. I then started my tube for the body, which consists of a strip of lace and a double crochet flower pattern.

Once the tube reached where I wanted the sleeves to begin, I made enough squares to fit the width of the tube plus four extra squares (one for the back and front of each sleeve). I wanted to try and see if I could turn a square into a triangle, so two of those squares ended up being triangles in the front of the top.

Once all that was attached, I built up the rest of the sleeves and the neckline and worked buttonholes into the final rows.

[ID: a crocheted T-shaped top with short sleeves hanging from a wooden hanger in front of a white background. The top is made with beige cotton yarn and consists of multiple different types of floral lace and and squares. Four beige buttons sit at the top of each shoulder.]

Conclusion:

I fell in love with the versatility of crochet! It's such a cool craft if you love improvising as much as I do.

When I struggled making my first chain a year ago, I never thought I'd be creating something like this any time soon. Now when I look at this top, I can already see multiple things I would do differently next time.

That's the beauty of learning new things. If you allow yourself the time and kindness needed to practice and to learn from your mistakes, you'd be surprised by what you can do.

[disgruntled-lifeform]

Remember my TDF spin ?

She's turning into a shawl!

Bad Picture is Bad but I'm blaming the horrid red of the table for that

Pattern: Siren Shawl

[tj-crochets]

Two very different future quilt projects: the beach-themed quilt my aunt requested, and the bug-themed quilt I could not resist the fabric for when I went to the local quilt shop

[victoriaorolfoart]

It's that time of the year again where I look back on everything I crocheted over the past year. Looks like this was the year of the hanging plants! There were a handful of crochet things that I didn't have time to photograph bc they had sold immediately during the many markets I participated in this year, including some donut coasters, strawberry charms (final photo taken by @its.greychen !), and a variety of other plants. Thank you to everyone who bought one of these from me!! You've truly helped me embrace my love for botany, despite me having a black thumb lol. My high school self (half of my lifetime ago!?) would be so proud to hear that I'm still crocheting into adulthood. Here's to more projects in the new year!

[unholyhymns]

😊

[hibernation-fibres]

Gorgeous yarn I got from my godmother as a late Christmas and birthday present!! I'm so excited to start a project with it! Woollen Wytch is a wonderful local dyer

[withbroombefore]

I’ve wanted to knit this one for years and finally did! It’s Alice Starmore’s St. Brigid sweater. The yarn is Luna by Knit or Dye in the Little Prince Colorway, which I bought at the 2022 Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival.

Revisions from the original pattern:

Made it seamless (body and sleeves done in the round, sleeves picked up from armholes and knitted down instead of cuff up, collar attached to neckline as knitted instead of sewn together after)

Added armhole gusset

Left off turtleneck collar, lined the cabled bit with some yarn my aunt spun (camel/silk blend, very soft)

Lengthened body and sleeves by one repeat of the cable pattern

[knithacker]

Yarn lovers ... Saturday is Local Yarn Store Day (#LYSDay)! Visit http://ravelry.com/yarnshops to find a local yarn shop near you. ❤️🌏🧶

What's your favorite shop near you?

[charliecraftsthings]

Check out this lovely hand-dyed alpaca yarn I picked up from Burton Alpacas at the Christkindlmarkt this year!  

I’m not sure whether the colours say “autumn leaves” or “Christmas decor”, but in any case, I’m going to make cozy winter accessories with this!