Sarah MatthessJul 23, 20213 minKnit your hand-spun yarnAdriafil was started in 1911 as a small spinning mill in Italy. They now produce a 6 monthly knitting patterns magazine called “Dritto &...
Sarah MatthessFeb 8, 20213 minFisherman's Gansey Hat - Knitting projectDuring the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Janet Stimson designed and uploaded her FREE pattern to Ravelry, for the Rainbow Indigo...
Sarah MatthessJun 22, 20205 min'Tegna' Summer Knitted Tee by Caitlin HunterI've got a blog post coming soon on why you wouldn't want to buy most superwash yarn, but I have to confess to having owned and dyed some...
Sarah MatthessFeb 21, 20207 minMonster Handspun Yarn for Heirloom Rug MakingWhen I was a teenager, I decided to hook a rug. Never having ever made a rug, I went to the local craft supply shop, bought some (fairly...
Sarah MatthessJan 18, 20204 minProject; Snowcap Cable Cardigan - the handspun version! The 'Snowcap Cable Cardigan' is a Knit Collage pattern by Cheryl Kubat that I decided to try with some of my own really chunky handspun...
Sarah MatthessOct 24, 20192 minCoastal Colours - dye wool with seaweed!Any natural plant dyer is constantly on the look out for new colours, whether from seeds, nuts, bark, leaves, plants, lichen, fungi, you...
Sarah MatthessJul 12, 20194 minDyeing with Woad SeedIf you have ever grown Woad for dyeing blue with the leaves, you will know that there are an awful lot of seeds produced as well. In...
Sarah MatthessDec 27, 20181 minElectric Drum Carder Review - VideoLast year I took the plunge and bought a large electric drum carder to replace my hand-cranked Barnett carder that had served me well for...
Sarah MatthessJun 8, 20182 minHandmade Knitted JournalsEveryone who hand-spins and hand-dyes their own wool will know the 'itch' to want to make something with it instead of just selling it...
Sarah MatthessNov 8, 20174 minAcorn DyeingSome years I wouldn't bother with acorns as a dye material because the English Oaks don't always produce much of a crop. This year has...
Sarah MatthessAug 7, 20173 minMore Norwegian KnittingMy latest Norwegian handknit pattern is taken from the book Nordic Knitting by Susanne Pagoldh. This is a collection of over 30 patterns,...
Sarah MatthessFeb 6, 20171 minLichen DyeingThis is 'Crottle' lichen, gathered in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. An ancient traditional dye, also used in years gone by, in the...
Sarah MatthessMay 20, 20164 minGreen to Dye For - NettlesThe many shades of green in the countryside right now are sometimes breath taking. There are points along our road where I slow the car...
Sarah MatthessOct 2, 20153 minNever Say DyeAutumn is here, Summer is over, Winter is coming...so whilst there are dye plants to be gathered in the lanes, I am into 'squirrel...
Sarah MatthessFeb 19, 20152 minHandspun Garden TwineWith Spring in the air, it's time for some hand-spun garden twine. Swaledale fleeces are what I use for this type of project. Swaledale...
Sarah MatthessDec 22, 20141 minArt Yarn - Ivy LeavesThis is what I did with the ivy-leaf dyed wool (see my other post on the dyeing proceedure). This art-yarn also includes wool dyed with...
Sarah MatthessDec 18, 20142 minEdward Bear's Clothes - Cutting a SteekThis is my latest Norwegian hand-spun, hand-knit for Edward Bear. I thought this time I would write about the construction of his...
Sarah MatthessDec 11, 20142 minAutumn Shades Art-YarnI don't want to sound like a stuck record, but the pictures don't do this justice. As I sit here typing this, my back is wet from...
Sarah MatthessDec 4, 20142 minNatural Dyeing - CoreopsisCoreopsis seeds will germinate quite easily. Here they are in my garden mid-September. If you have watched the video, you will recognise...
Sarah MatthessNov 29, 20142 minNatural Dyeing - Kidney BeansThis doesn't exactly qualify as a 'colour of Northern Ireland' although possibly kidney beans could grow here, I don't know. I never grew...