Last summer there was a Fiber Arts Festival in Fargo. I did not need any more knitting, spinning or weaving yarn, supplies, or accessories, and it was an hour drive one way to get there. Of course I wanted to go. A knitter friend visiting that weekend was more than happy to join me. ThereContinue reading “Silk Hankies and a Scarf”
Category Archives: Yarn
Cottolin Towels
After weaving towels I loved using Gist Duet cotton/linen blend yarn, I was excited to try weaving with Cottolin, another cotton/linen blend yarn that is thinner and has a larger percentage of cotton. I bought some tubes online at yarn.com, and later when I was in Minneapolis I bought more at the Weavers Guild store.Continue reading “Cottolin Towels”
Scarf Repair OR Crazy Cat Lady
A friend from Minneapolis asked me if it was possible to repair a hand knit scarf she had made that one of her cats had gotten into. Shelley showed me a photo with a chunk out of the middle of the side. She is not an experienced knitter, and did not have any leftover yarnContinue reading “Scarf Repair OR Crazy Cat Lady”
Hot pads and Scrubbies
There is a big range of skill and interest and complexity in the fiber world. There are crafters and makers and artists. There is fiber craft and fiber art. There are people working on crafts with inexpensive materials, people creating simple or complicated items using more expensive natural fibers. Fiber projects can be functional thingsContinue reading “Hot pads and Scrubbies”
Woven Baby Blanket – Same Yarn
After I finished knitting a cotton baby blanket for our granddaughter there were two skeins of yarn left. I thought it would be fun to weave a blanket with the remaining yarn, which would result in a different look and feel, with a flatter texture and the colors interacting in a different way. There wasn’tContinue reading “Woven Baby Blanket – Same Yarn”
Baby Ensemble
Over a year ago in 2022 I knit a baby sweater. This was well before our first grandchild was conceived, but at the time I was looking for a smaller project using yarn I already had on hand. I knew I would be able save it for a future shower gift. I used a freeContinue reading “Baby Ensemble”
Cloth Napkins in Arizona
We had a nice afternoon in Sun City, on the west side of Phoenix, with two couples we know from Minnesota. Somehow we have spent more time with these people in Arizona than back home. The men went golfing while the ladies worked on fiber projects. I had brought a knitting project, but given thatContinue reading “Cloth Napkins in Arizona”
Woven Fermenting Jar Covers
Our daughter Britta has been making fermented foods and beverages, including kombucha, sour kraut, fermented hot sauce, and lacto-fermented vegetables. This involves putting ingredients in a jar and letting it sit for weeks. Her current project is “mead”, otherwise known as honey wine. Mead is the oldest known alcoholic beverage, possibly as old as 20,000Continue reading “Woven Fermenting Jar Covers”
Fall Fiber Day
Saturday, October 1, was fall Fiber Day at the Ellison’s Sheep Farm in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. This is my second favorite day of the year, after Spring Fiber Day. I attended with my sister, Betsy, and our friend, Mary Lou. Regulars and newcomers from near and far are always down to earth and friendly, andContinue reading “Fall Fiber Day”
Floor Loom
For years I have wanted to learn how to weave on a floor loom. I used to get a catalogue in the mail for John C Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. They have weekend and week long classes on dozens of traditional crafts in a beautiful setting. I would pour over the catalogue readingContinue reading “Floor Loom”
Yarns from the Lake 