Knit your hand-spun yarn
Adriafil was started in 1911 as a small spinning mill in Italy. They now produce a 6 monthly knitting patterns magazine called “Dritto &...
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Sarah Matthess
- Feb 8, 2021
- 3 min
Fisherman's Gansey Hat - Knitting project
During the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020, Janet Stimson designed and uploaded her FREE pattern to Ravelry, for the Rainbow Indigo...
602 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Jun 22, 2020
- 5 min
'Tegna' Summer Knitted Tee by Caitlin Hunter
I'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...
153 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Feb 21, 2020
- 7 min
Monster Handspun Yarn for Heirloom Rug Making
When 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...
1,299 views1 comment
Sarah Matthess
- Jan 18, 2020
- 4 min
Project; 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...
193 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Oct 24, 2019
- 2 min
Coastal 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...
2,471 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Jul 12, 2019
- 4 min
Dyeing with Woad Seed
If 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...
620 views1 comment
Sarah Matthess
- Dec 27, 2018
- 1 min
Electric Drum Carder Review - Video
Last 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...
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Sarah Matthess
- Jun 8, 2018
- 2 min
Handmade Knitted Journals
Everyone 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...
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Sarah Matthess
- Nov 8, 2017
- 4 min
Acorn Dyeing
Some 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...
341 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Aug 7, 2017
- 3 min
More Norwegian Knitting
My latest Norwegian handknit pattern is taken from the book Nordic Knitting by Susanne Pagoldh. This is a collection of over 30 patterns,...
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Sarah Matthess
- Feb 6, 2017
- 1 min
Lichen Dyeing
This is 'Crottle' lichen, gathered in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. An ancient traditional dye, also used in years gone by, in the...
358 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- May 20, 2016
- 4 min
Green to Dye For - Nettles
The many shades of green in the countryside right now are sometimes breath taking. There are points along our road where I slow the car...
1,047 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Oct 2, 2015
- 3 min
Never Say Dye
Autumn is here, Summer is over, Winter is coming...so whilst there are dye plants to be gathered in the lanes, I am into 'squirrel...
133 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Feb 19, 2015
- 2 min
Handspun Garden Twine
With 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...
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Sarah Matthess
- Dec 22, 2014
- 1 min
Art Yarn - Ivy Leaves
This 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...
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Sarah Matthess
- Dec 18, 2014
- 2 min
Edward Bear's Clothes - Cutting a Steek
This is my latest Norwegian hand-spun, hand-knit for Edward Bear. I thought this time I would write about the construction of his...
24 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Dec 11, 2014
- 2 min
Autumn Shades Art-Yarn
I 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...
40 views0 comments
Sarah Matthess
- Dec 4, 2014
- 2 min
Natural Dyeing - Coreopsis
Coreopsis seeds will germinate quite easily. Here they are in my garden mid-September. If you have watched the video, you will recognise...
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Sarah Matthess
- Nov 29, 2014
- 2 min
Natural Dyeing - Kidney Beans
This doesn't exactly qualify as a 'colour of Northern Ireland' although possibly kidney beans could grow here, I don't know. I never grew...
201 views0 comments