Hi everyone and welcome! You have found a fun-loving knitting and spinning community here! I'm Melissa and I offer three kinds of videos on this channel:
--An ongoing podcast series that discusses knitting modifications, garment design, and local/indie yarn, fiber, and farms. I highlight patterns, designers, and offer how-to for modified garment knitting
--A growing collection of tutorials that simplify complex knitting problems so you can make modifications to patterns with confidence.
--DIY, How-To, and hacks, tips, and tricks for knitting and spinning
**I also teach classes on Teachable: knittingthestash.teachable.com/
--Check out my website: knittingthestash.com --Friend me on ravelry: knittingthestash --or Email me questions and inquiries at knittingthestash@gmail.com
I'm so happy to see you here! Let's stay in touch!
I have spun Malabrigo Nube (in boreal also) into singles and plied it with a single spun strand in black and it really made those colors pop. I don’t mind the spots that don’t have color, to me it just adds some more dimension. Also, I steam the Nube it help it relax and gently break it apart using the 3 section method you demonstrated (2nd method I believe). It’s a beautiful and incredibly soft fiber that I would definitely spin again. :-)
That is such a gorgeous sweater! The garter neckband, cuffs and bottom edge look so clean and classy. The info on the German rare sheep breeds is intriguing. I look forward to hearing how the lack of merino changes the wearability of the Coberg Fox fiber. It certainly looks like the perfect match for this sweater pattern. harpingJanet
Hi Melissa. I’m glad I was able to get some of that chocolate yarn! It is so wonderful, I don’t know what I’m going to make with it. As always, great knits. It’s good to know that I’m not the only one who does things like forget to change to the bigger needles. On the hat, I probably wouldn’t bother catching the floats. Even though they’re long floats, they won’t be catching on my fingers and the yarn will probably stick together after wearing it a couple of times. I like the layers in your hair.
The prettiest shawl I ever did with variegated yarns was the Bay Ridge Shawl (very simple pattern by Shaina Bilow) using Chelsea Yarns (Christina Lundborg and she makes a kit!). It was a little lower key variegation and you actually use 3 yarns woven in and out of each other in garter stitch that results in the most squishy, cuddly hand spun looking shawl ever. The colors are vibrant but they work very softly together. No other shawl I’ve done even comes close to how much I love that thing.
No wonder everyone scooped up that gorgeous chocolatey brown! Glad I got my Shearing day kit =) I laugh to think of you and spencer stabbing owls in a trailer pelted by rain...they came out cute, even Spencer's long-armed owl...
Paper mache! I remember my very happy go lucky mother making an enormous, epic paper mache pumpkin costume. It was about 4 feet tall, 3 feet wide and completely covered my sister from knee to well over the top of her head. Over a chicken wire armature... weighed a ton but very impressive. More suited to an adult than an eight (?) year old. Memorable.
So, if we are now calling this a "Video Thing," I here by declared you the Queen and King of the Vi-Things. Just because you travel in a camper instead of a longship, don't let that stop you from felting some horned helmets. The lavender color of your sweater is perfect for your hair. That bag looks big enough to smuggle a few coburger fuchsschaf lambs. Just mentioning in passing, not a suggestion or anything. Nice to see you again Spencer! None of the schools I attended had a pottery wheel and kiln.
Aww, thanks! And I would be smuggling sheep, if it were, you know, a thing. Always nice to see your handle pop up here--I hope you're hard at work on your own felted helmet so you can vicariously join us in our adventures . . .
Hello I am making my first yoke sweater its called fern and feather. I made the colourwork yoke then increased the back using wrap and turn technique. I have separated the sleeves and worked few rounds of the body from underarm area. But its bulging where the yoke pattern is. What should i do to fix that or what did I do wrong for the sweater to bulge? Please help
such an interesting conversation -- thank you! i'm sitting here in NW Iceland in round-up season, surrounded by icelandic sheep everywhere, and keep imagining someday a Westfjords-specific fiber and/or wool, instead of sending everything to the big mill at Istex... maybe someday.
Thank you both for this lovely interview! Erika is a wonderful passionate communicator and advocate for farm yarn. I'm inspired to looking into my local producers (in NSW, Australia) and learn more about the local flocks.
Great tutorial! I wondered why you didn't use magic knot or split splice to make the yarn at the top of the right side of the pocket to make it long enough to tack the pocket downward and end up with only one end to weave in.
Its funny I came upon your video today. Earlier I found my oldest WIP. Its an embroidery house full of teddy bears (meant to be framed as a picture). Its from 1991! I started it for my children even though I didnt even have a boyfriend at the time 😂. I found a man and had 3 daughters (now 26, 23 and 21). Now it can be for my grandchildren if they arrive 😊 Im determined to finish it but cant find the pattern. I googled it and found finished versions. Im delighted and I cant wait to finish it.
When I first started felting, I was overwhelmed with all the needles I thought I needed. I'm so glad I didn't go crazy buying a slew of needles and was patient. I buy needles from Fiber Trends in East Wenatchee, WA. They are great needles, and I find they don't break nearly as easy as many others. I use 38 and 40's and if I have a really large item where I need to shape a lot of core wool, then I'll use a 36 in a multi tool. I tend to use just the needle, as I find I have more control with small pieces. I do have armature tools, which I also use for other crafts. I am a slow poke when it comes to felting. It's my zen time. I really enjoy it. I just need to find the time to complete pieces. 🙂
So true! Needles can seem like the most complicated part until you get a little further into the craft. Good luck with all the pieces you're working on!
Thank you Melissa for another informative vlog❣️ I love all types of felting and needle felting is a great place to start. I love Living Felt, Sarafina Fiber Art, The Felt Hub & The Woolery for RU-vid how to videos & supplies. It is such a relaxing craft and it is addictive❣️🐑🌻
I'm still fairly new so I never paid attention to needle size I guess. I do use a 3 needle when I need to mash a bunch quickly to get going on something and then switch to a single needle. That's a nice felting mat. I like that Woolen Wagon and others offer just the instructions for their kits if you don't want to purchase a full kit. Appreciate all the felting links :)
My oldest wip was from the 80s; it was going to be a sweater for my husband. I ripped it back last year and made hats out of the yarn and donated them. No more looking at it! Love the finding-Loops story. I had the exact same adventure: first London visit, alone and lost in that tangle of little alleys, finally finding it and loving the vibe. I had a tiny bit of room for yarn and promised myself to celebrate w something a little out of the usual, but in the end came home with two little skeins - one black, one pink - so pretty much exactly my usual. Sigh. PS: needle felting eyes needs a trigger warning in future 🙂
This is such a clear explanation, thank-you so much! I've been trying to understand this for awhile and I now really get this and I'm ready to try it out.
My Watership Down shawl has been hibernating since August 2014. A full decade. It is 70% completed. I was not ready to tackle knitting a knitted on lace border, and I’m still not ready. Which is rather silly, since I knit the entire lace shawl with lace-weight yarn resembling sewing thread. The chart for the border was complete gibberish then, and may still be. Oh, well! harpingJanet
My languishing WIP is 7 years old and what makes it worse is it's a charity knit. It stares at me from its project bag hanging on a coat rack in my "yarn room". I dread finishing it because it's on US 15 needles which kills my hands.
Hooray for "funny business" instead of ripping out! The funky cable section is barely visible when you point it out - the combo of the darker yarn color (gorgeous purple!!) and the position on your shin should make it invisible to pretty much everyone but you. It looks like my oldest "real" wip is about a dozen years old (not counting barely started accessories, projects with only a swatch done, or mini-projects from classes). Maybe there is one from 2010...but since I'm a process knitting who loves the figuring out and has trouble with the production part of projects, that's not too surprising!, haha. I would be in an absolute panic if I had no wips!!
I envy your WIP less status! I absolutely have WIPs that have been kicking around for more than 10 years! I have sorted and still want to finish them, but I lack that monogamous nature and sometimes cast on with abandon. However. I have retired after a false start 2 years ago and hope to make a dent in all of the WIPs. I think the oldest is a tiny baby sweater knit from boucle yarn and I just can't see the stitches well enough to finish it off. I'm sure the original recipient has graduated from high school by now! Does that make you feel better? Thanks for the giggles and congrats on finishing your book. Can't wait to read it!
Admiring your persistence. They are your newest 'Barn Socks' that you won't really care what happens to them and they things will last far beyond any reasonable expectations. Enjoy!
Unless you're pairing the purple socks with a school girl mini plaid skirt nobody would ever notice the mirror issue!!! Design feature!! My oldest WIP is 13 and it is going to be a RIP.
Miss Babs is indeed still an incredible dyer with makers lining up to elbow the way to her yarn. A year or two ago, I went through old wips (aged?) and decided what to finish and what to frog. So no wips. I did tear out two knitting projects yesterday as I get pickier with matching yarns and patterns. And both were clearly the wrong yarns. Congratulations on finishing a spectacular pair of knee socks. Love twisted stitch socks. They wear well. Now to go make better notes on one of those patterns so when I pick it up again I won't be lost.
Oh my, Sunny! Yes, notes notes notes. I have finally learned my lesson, but Melissa of 10-years ago really needed some pointers. LOL. I admire your ability to RIP . . . you have some serious tenacity!
Hi Melissa. I loved your sock story and I don’t think any of your “slip ups” are a problem as long as you don’t enter them in your county fair😂 I made knee socks a couple of times but I couldn’t get them to stay up. Luckily they were made toe up, so I just ripped back a bit and redid the ribbing so they were a little shorter 😊. Bravo on the needle felting.
Smart idea on the knee socks . . . I think they need elastic or a ribbon or something . . . I'll stick to Smartwool (LOL). Thanks for your kind words about the Conure!
10 year WIP lol...I'm hoping not to have any of those. I know me, I would have ripped back to the cuff lol. Completing a 10 year WIP is quite an accomplishment in its own right. I still haven't knit a pair of knee socks. I tend to stick to anklets and calf length because the knee socks are SO time consuming. Awe, the Conure is SO CUTE even unfinished. OMG, attached to the bird...laughing "with" you since I can picture myself doing that LOL.
My first hand spun was going to color work sweater for beloved who turned out not only not knit worthy but not me worthy...35 yrs. Think may make it a pillow. Finishing a 5yr sweater sleeve that his son decided he didn't like, thankfully it fits me. Sooo glad you fessed up to winging it. Hope Kathe is ok,she was so interesting if I hadn't been getting sick...
Oh my, you have woes all your own!! Glad the sweater will fit you--silver lining, right? Cathe is doing well, just no more sheep :( I hope you're doing Ok all things considered, Cheryl!
