Category: knitting

Year of Projects: Week 4/52

Posted on Posted in dyeing, knitting, spinning, Year of ProjectsTagged 15 Comments

Knitting

I finished my Pumqueen Cardi this week! I hope to have finished my Halloween Livie shawl by next week.

Dyeing

I spent most of my week dyeing this gorgeous kit for an up and coming knitting pattern designer. We’re both pleased with how it came out. I’m particularly happy with the black. This is nonsuperwash merino and silk fingering weight yarn.

I had a black dye bath to exhaust, so decided to try my hand at dyeing fiber for spinning. This is some merino sliver from my stash. Of course I went for Halloween colors. I’ve dyed wool fiber for felting but not for spinning, so we’ll see how this spins up.

Spinning

I finished spinning and plying this Blue Faced Leicester (BFL) fiber from a local farm, and I love it. I think my spinning is getting more even. I enjoyed working with this fiber so much, I’m going to try dyeing it and then offering it in the shop for spinners.

This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) update. You can read my updated list here, and my original list at this link. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry or Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list.

Friday FO: This is Halloween 🎃

Posted on Posted in finished objects, knitting, sweatersTagged , , , 16 Comments

I finished knitting my Pumqueen Cardigan, and I love it! Pattern is Fall Favorites Collection by Meghan Regan. Yarn is Cascade BFL. The yarn is a little toothy but silky, and has wonderful drape and stitch definition. Buttons from The Button Bird.

My next Halloween sweater will be the same pattern, but a short sleeved gradient pullover with purple cats!

This La Bien Aimée gradient has been in my stash since the great yarn hoard of 2020. I bought the purple to go with it, and over dyed the green. I wanted the green for the cat’s eyes. Now I’m thinking a pale teal would have gone with the set better. The original green of the yarn was too pale. This yarn is sport weight, but it’s superwash so it will grow. I’m also a loose knitter. Don’t worry. I’ll knit a swatch. Maybe that will also help me decide what to do about the green.

Halloween in July: Wednesday WIPs

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Kathy is hosting Christmas in July (or whatever holiday you like) and I am low-key participating with Halloween in July.

My Livie shawl is growing, and I’ve cast on my 2 Spooky Hat kit which I purchased last October. I don’t have a Halloween hat, and I’m on a mission to remedy that by October 1! I finished my Pumqueen Cardigan, which I’ll post about on Friday.

I’m still spinning (almost) daily for Tour de Fleece. I’m 3/4 of the way through this farm BFL braid. Tomorrow I’ll finish spinning it. On Friday I’ll ply. Then comes my favorite part: dyeing! What colors should I dye it? I’m thinking of experimenting with winter holiday colors.

What are you working on this week?

Year of Projects: Week 3

Posted on Posted in knitting, Year of ProjectsTagged , , 13 Comments

I had a good week this week. I cut my first sweater steek. I finished sewing my first Clyde Jumpsuit. And I started spinning some farm BFL that smells like sheep heaven!

I’m still waiting for the perfect buttons for my Pumqueen Cardi to arrive. Once they get here, all I need to do is sew them on!

In need of an easy knit, I picked up my Halloween Livie shawl. It’s perfect TV knitting! Plus I seem to be gravitating toward all things Halloween right now.

This has been a Year of Projects (YOP) update. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry or Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list.

Wednesday WIPs

Posted on Posted in knitting, sewing, spinning, Works in Progress (WIPs)Tagged , , 13 Comments

I finished one button band on my Pumqueen Cardi and sewed ribbon to the facing. Once I’ve blocked it, I’ll hand stitch that down to the inside. I’ll start knitting the other button band today, but I’ll need to wait until I get the buttons to finish it with the buttonholes and everything.

I also cut out a Clyde Jumpsuit in indigo midweight linen. I barely squeaked it out of my three yards. Good thing I needed the short size!

I also started spinning some farm BFL roving today. I think BFL may be my new favorite fiber.

2022-2023 Year of Projects Week 2

Posted on Posted in dyeing, knitting, sewing, spinning, Year of ProjectsTagged 12 Comments

Completed Knitting

  1. Pumqueen Cardigan in Cascade BFL
  2. Halloween Livie

Knitting To Do List

  1. Arrowhead Cardigan in Lettlopi
  2. Powdermill
  3. Knitter’s Dude in Comfy for Bob
  4. That Old Christmas Moon Shawl
  5. Auchnaha in Schiehallion in Mooring
  6. Cozy Autumn Socks
  7. Peaceful Lodge Sweater
  8. Taxus Mitts in Tukuwool Fingering
  9. Holiday Doodle Cowl
  10. Christmas Pudding Socks
  11. Willow in Moonstone Arcadia
  12. Super Simple Summer Sweater in Cestari Ash Lawn
  13. Seavaiger
  14. Hansel Hap in Ramsay Farms fawn katmoget Shetland with Jamieson and Smiths for trim colors
  15. Summer Solstice Wrap
  16. Stash Aurealis
  17. Glenan in Tarheelbilly Farm Tunis (I may dye this)
  18. Skipwith in black Rauma Finullgarn
  19. Undulation Shawl in Shilasdair Tansy
  20. Straw Cardigan in Tukuwool DK
  21. ‘Onipa’a Shawl in Mindful Folk yarn
  22. Peerie Flooers. I have the J&S Shetland yarn for the original version of this that you can see in the show Shetland.
  23. Celtic Tree Handwarmers
  24. Long sleeve Treit in Foxglove
  25. Sunset Slouch
  26. Strom Cardigan
  27. Peace Fleece Ronan in Siberian Midnight
  28. Brown Felt Cowgirl Hat
  29. Vintersol in Wing and a Prayer Farm yarn

Completed Sewing

  1. Free Range Slacks in Black Linen
  2. Free Range Slacks in Olive Linen
  3. Clyde Jumpsuit in Indigo Linen
  4. Marvel-ous Shirt for Bob
  5. Zero Waste Gather Dress
  6. Tekura Tees

Sewing To Do List

  1. Mocha Tunic in yellow linen
  2. Florence Top in cream floral linen
  3. Ophelia Overall shorts in red linen
  4. Ottobre blouse in Liberty blue paisley lawn
  5. Lauren Boyfriend Shirt in aqua and apricot linens
  6. Two A-line Tees in batiked cottons
  7. Audrey Pants in black brushed cotton twill and gray cotton twill
  8. Ophelia Overalls in teal corduroy
  9. A Logan Shacket in navy wool flannel
  10. Ottobre Coat in black wool floral embossed coating

Completed Dyeing

  1. I dyed my handspun with some leftover acid dyes.
  2. Gourd Party colorway for the shop
  3. I custom dyed this kit for a knitting pattern designer.

Completed Spinning

  1. Tour de Fleece is going well. I spun and plied this Targhee from Allegheny Fiber Arts. I really enjoyed spinning Targhee. It’s one of my favorite fibers. I still need to set this hank with a good soak.
  2. I spun and plied 4 ounces of farm BFL.

This is my running list for a Year of Projects 2022-2023. You can read my starting list here. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry or Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list.

WIP Wednesday

Posted on Posted in knitting, Works in Progress (WIPs), yarnTagged , , , 13 Comments

I managed to get to the second color on my Summer Solstice Wrap. But as I’ve said before, autumn is looming and I’m lacking interest in this project. I do want to make it, so I’ll pack it up for next spring.

I’ve finished knitting the body on my Halloween cardigan! I’ve reached the point where I only want to work on this— first the sleeves, then steeking the front, then adding the button bands. It won’t be long now!

I’ve also been spinning for Tour de Fleece. I finished spinning the wool fiber that came with the wheel, then dyed it with some extra dye I had in jars. I’m going to knit a lumpy-bumpy hat with my hand spun!

2022-2023 Year of Projects

Posted on Posted in dyeing, knitting, sewing, Year of ProjectsTagged 22 Comments

This is my new list for a Year of Projects 2022-2023. You can find out more about the group on Ravelry or Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list. I love being part of this group.

Knitting List

I’d like to get through the first 16 of these projects by July 1 of next year. There are several sweaters and knitalongs on this list, so I’ll try not to add any more of those. This gives me a little room to add a few more spontaneous projects since I normally finish about 20 in a year.

  1. Arrowhead Cardigan in Lettlopi
  2. Pumqueen Cardi in Cascade BFL
  3. Summer Solstice Wrap KAL
  4. Powdermill
  5. Knitter’s Dude in Comfy for Bob
  6. That Old Christmas Moon Shawl
  7. Auchnaha in Schiehallion in Mooring
  8. Halloween Livie
  9. Cozy Autumn Socks
  10. Taxus Mitts in Tukuwool Fingering
  11. Holiday Doodle Cowl
  12. Christmas Pudding Socks
  13. Willow in Moonstone Arcadia
  14. Super Simple Summer Sweater in Cestari Ash Lawn
  15. Seavaiger
  16. Hansel Hap in Ramsay Farms fawn katmoget Shetland with Jamieson and Smiths for trim colors
  17. Stash Aurealis
  18. Glenan in Tarheelbilly Farm Tunis (I may dye this)
  19. Skipwith in black Rauma Finullgarn
  20. Undulation Shawl in Shilasdair Tansy
  21. Straw Cardigan in Tukuwool DK
  22. ‘Onipa’a Shawl in Mindful Folk yarn
  23. Peerie Flooers. I have the J&S Shetland yarn for the original version of this that you can see in the show Shetland.
  24. Celtic Tree Handwarmers
  25. Long sleeve Treit in Foxglove
  26. Sunset Slouch
  27. Strom Cardigan
  28. Peace Fleece Ronan in Siberian Midnight
  29. Brown Felt Cowgirl Hat

Sewing List

I’ve added more tops and bottoms, which was the result of my Me Made May challenge. In addition to this list, I’d like to sew some underwear this year with my knit scraps.

  1. Free Range Slacks in black and olive linens
  2. Mocha Tunic in yellow linen
  3. Florence Top in cream floral linen
  4. Clyde Jumpsuit in indigo linen
  5. Ophelia Overall shorts in red linen
  6. Gather Dress in floral print linen
  7. Ottobre blouse in Liberty blue paisley lawn
  8. Lauren Boyfriend Shirt in aqua and apricot linens
  9. Two A-line Tees in batiked cottons
  10. One Hour Top in navy polka dot knit
  11. Audrey Pants in navy stretch cotton twill and gray cotton twill
  12. Ophelia Overalls in teal corduroy
  13. A Logan Shacket in navy wool flannel
  14. Ottobre Coat in black wool floral embossed coating

Dyeing

My goal for this year is to dye yarn in seasonal colorways for the shop. I also hope to dye with tansy flowers from my garden this year, and experiment with other natural dyes.

Spinning

Participating in Tour de Fleece will be a great start to getting back into spinning again. I will set a goal of spinning my Coopworth fleece this year. I don’t know if that’s realistic or not, but it’s good to have a goal.

Fiber Art

I will try again to harvest and ret the flax this year. If I succeed, I’ll spin and dye it, and weave it into a wall hanging.

Friday FO Giveaway and some WIPs

Posted on Posted in dyeing, knitting, Works in Progress (WIPs), yarnTagged , , , , 12 Comments

My Friday FO this week is this beautiful yarn I hand dyed, and this set of stitch markers I made!

To celebrate three successful yarn mystery boxes in the books, I’ve decided to have a giveaway!

“Gourd Party” is my debut fall colorway, hand dyed on natural organic merino yarn here at the studio. You could win 1 skein in fingering or DK weight (your choice) plus this set of three stitch markers / progress keepers. To enter this giveaway, sign up for my email list at this link. That’s it!

Want more chances to win? Share this post or tag a friend on Instagram! That’s three chances to win! Winner announced August 1, 2022.

I will also be adding this colorway to my shop as a dyed to order yarn in a few days.

I won’t be sharing my business posts here on a regular basis, but I know I have readers here who have purchased items from me, and I want to make sure you have a chance to enter this giveaway. If you would like to continue to receive news from Chestnut Hills Farm and Fiber, you can follow the blog here. And, of course, you can sign up for emails!

I didn’t manage a Wednesday WIPs post this week, so here are my knitting progress photos.

I’m nearing the colorwork on the bottom of my Pumqueen Cardigan, before the ribbing!

Not much progress on my Summer Solstice wrap. I enjoy knitting it, but it takes concentration.

Tour de Fleece starts today!

2021-2022 Year of Projects Finale

Posted on Posted in art, finished objects, knitting, sewing, Year of Projects29 Comments

This is my finale post for a Year of Projects 2021-2022. My goal was to not deviate from the list too much, which is laughable.

Fiber Art

Eight of the ten pieces. Two I wasn’t happy with so I didn’t include them here.
  1. I had a solo show in September 2021, and I made a body of work for this show. I finished ten pieces.
  2. I grew flax and tried to process it to weave an art piece. This was unsuccessful, as I over-retted the flax.
  3. I experimented with fresh leaf indigo printing from my garden.

In 2021-2022 I finished 21 pieces of knitting:

21 knitting projects finished!
  1. Pride Socks for Bob
  2. The Lonely Heart is a Hunter Mystery Knit Along (Rav link)
  3. Milkshake Cardigan
  4. Cemetery Drive Cowl
  5. Nova Scotia Strong Hat for Margie
  6. Autumn Advent: Point Edwards Mitts
  7. Sleepy Hollow Socks
  8. Back Porch Shawl
  9. Number 9 Beanie
  10. Marled Alaska Cowl
  11. Christmas Ranunculus sweater in The Fibre Co. Arranmore
  12. Unbearable Hat for Henry
  13. Celtic Myths Showl
  14. Gourd Party Socks
  15. All Sass and No Squatch Hat
  16. Musselburgh Hat for Freya
  17. Clog socks
  18. Spring Thaw Bandana Cowl
  19. Vertices Unite
  20. Ocean Moon Shawl
  21. Blueberry Popover Day socks for Bob

In 2020-2021 I finished knitting 22 items, so this tracks. Although I now have 29 items on my knitting to do list. I hope to increase the number I finish this coming year. I’ve got three sweaters on the needles. Last year I knit two sweaters, but somehow I finished four sweaters the year before.

Finished Sewing

  1. Emerson shorts in natural linen
  2. Halloween PJ Pants 1
  3. Halloween PJ Pants 2
  4. Ophelia Overalls in Purl Linen
  5. Barcelona Dress in lavender linen
  6. Pietra Pants in dark blue chambray
  7. Piedra Dress in Headless Horseman fabric
  8. Plateau Joggers in olive French terry, black merino interlock, navy and gray speckle cotton fleece
  9. Mile End Sweatshirt in black merino interlock
  10. A Logan Shacket with plaid flannel
  11. Mile End Sweatshirt in Pink Velour
  12. Clare Coat
  13. Gray Speckle Piedra Dress
  14. Born to Knit Melba Dress
  15. Paranormal Day Dress
  16. Felix Dress in floral cotton voile
  17. Black Melba Dress
  18. Eggplant Linen Felix Dress
  19. Charcoal Melba Dress
  20. Spoopy Project Bag

It’s difficult to keep count of finished sewing since I tend to sew multiples of the same pattern. This year I made a lot of PJ pants, joggers, and dresses. Comfort has been key as I try to manage my health.

Spinning

I replaced my spinning wheel and took a class to get started.

Most Proud Make

I made a coat! It wouldn’t win any sewing awards, but it is wearable. I learned interlining and how to bag out a lining in a garment. I expect I will get a lot of wears out of it this year if we have a cold winter.

Favorite Makes

I can’t choose one. These are the items I find I’m using most. I guess I’m a shawl person now.

This is my final post for Year of Projects 2021-2022. You can find out more about the group here (Rav link) or here: Backstage Kath’s YOP bloggers list. I’ve enjoyed being part of this group. I’m thankful Liz mentioned it to me! Next week I will post my plans for 2022-2023.