A little look at my latest craft projects, and some yarn chicken nonsense. There’s knitting, weaving and spinning plus plans for a new cast on. Plus, a look at somelimited edition hand-dyed yarn and British wool spinning fibre I’ll have at Tetbury Wool Fair on Sunday!
Handspun yarn for a weaving project, knitting plans, a game of yarn chicken and book recommendations I’d love from you.
I’m slowly making progress on my collection of craft projects, although a severe case of yarn chicken has meant I have already made plans for a new knitting project with some Black Isle Yarns! Let’s take a look at what I’ve been working on…
I am wearing my Beechmast Sweater
I released this jumper knitting pattern last year, and I still love it. The Beechmast sweater is a thing of joy - so much so that I am very tempted to make a second for myself.
This particular knit design was a collaboration with John Arbon Textiles and celebrates autumn in all its lovely, cosy glory. I designed both the yarn colour and the sweater pattern, which is a classic drop-shoulder style. Beechmast is knit from the top down, with wide columns of cables that enclose a V-shaped panel of moss stitch at the centre on both the front and back.
The limited edition yarn shade I designed (Fallen Leaf) was so popular that it’s now sold out, but there are plenty of regular shades of Appledore Aran from John Arbon Textiles to choose from. I love this blend of 40% Devon Closewool, 40% Romney, and 20% Exmoor Blueface so much and have used the DK version for many of my knits.
Find the Beechmast Sweater knitting pattern on my website
Find the Beechmast Sweater knitting pattern on Ravelry
My current spinning project
Regulars of the podcast will be more than familiar with this long-term spinning project. I was hoping to have this done, by now, but such is the way life goes!
I am spinning up my feather blend of British wool top that has been hand-dyed in this lovely, pale peridot green. I’ve spun two very fine skeins so far, and I suspect this next skein will be finer still. The aim is to spin as fine as possible without fussing too much, as I want to keep the enjoyment factor there and just let my hands do their thing.
This handspun yarn will be paired with a couple of skeins of hand-dyed skua blends I’ve already spun, and then used for a weaving project. The skua skeins are ever so slightly fatter than the feather and will be used as the weft. The feather blend, spun reasonably tight, will be used for the warp. The blend of British wool (Wensleydale, Teeswater, Bluefaced Leicester and Shetland) really lend itself to be used like this. The Wendsleydale and Teeswater, in particular, with their long staple lengths, will give the yarn good tensile strength.
I’ve only got a few little nests left to spin. If you’d like to see how I make these fibre nests, I shared a video recently that shows my method for preparing spinning fibre for fine yarns.
My current knitting projects
We’re playing a serious game of yarn chicken with Pediment.
If you saw episode 73 of the podcast, you'll know I cast on a Pediment Sweater, in a lovely heathered green handspun yarn that’s been in my stash for a couple of years.
The handspun yarn itself is a mixture of a really pretty wool batt I bought from Katie at Sealy MacWheely at Wonderwool two years ago; a mix of minty green, golden yellow, grey, brown, black, and cream, plied with a couple of plainer wool tops from John Arbon to soften the colours.
I love how the knitted fabric is turning out with this sludgy green running throughout and the little pops of colours coming through - and I was excited to show you progress this time, but there’s a good chance that it’s going to have to reverse direction. We’re facing a serious game of yarn chicken that I don’t think I can win…
See, I did lots of calculations based on my spreadsheets, the number of stitches, and how much yarn I have. However, the yarn I have left is not enough to knit full-length sleeves for these gangly arms… oops. My options are:
- Frog the sleeves back and have it be a sleeveless thing
- Frog the sleeves and a few centimetres from the top of the body to reclaim a decent amount of yarn
- Continue and maybe do ¾ length sleeves
The second is a lot of frogging, but it seems the sensible thing to do since I'd intended it to be a cosy, oversized jumper. Alas, I can’t decide what to do, so this knitting project is currently on hold until I can make up my mind…
Find the Pediment Sweater knitting pattern on my website
Find the Pediment Sweater knitting pattern on Ravelry
I’m planning to knit a Scrumper Waistcoat.
Towards the end of the summer, I released a patron-only video where I shopped my yarn stash to plan some craft projects. After which, I asked my patrons to help me choose my next knitting project - either the aforementioned handspun Pediment jumper or a Scrumper Waistcoat . Since my Pediment is now in the naughty corner, it’s time for the Scrumper Waistcoat to shine.
I'll be using yarn from Black Isle Yarns, which I bought way back in 2019 when I went to Edinburgh Yarn Festival. It’s been in my yarn stash ever since, waiting for the right knitting project, and I think it’s now ready to become a Scrumper.
I have two Scrumper Waistcoats so far; the original, longer one knit in John Arbon Appledore DK and a shorter, more fitted version which I have been wearing a lot recently that I knit using yarn I got from my lovely friend Kat, and dyed using wode seeds from my old garden.
Now, the Black Isle Yarn is more of a heavy 4-ply/sport weight rather than the DK weight a Scrumper Waistcoat calls for, but I think, because the yarn has a little boucle effect, I can get away with a slightly larger needle size. I’ve got 200g, so I’ll definitely have enough to finish this knitting project once I’ve cast on.
Find the Scrumper Waistcoat knitting pattern on my website
Find the Scrumper Waistcoat knitting pattern on Ravelry
My current weaving project
I’ve set myself a goal: 15 minutes of sitting at my floor loom and working on my latest weaving project - and it's working! Progress is being made, and I am loving how the cloth is turning out.
It's a rather ambitious weaving project for me, as someone who isn't an expert weaver. I have woven a fair amount on my rigid heddle loom and recently got a floor loom. I did a small sampler scarf project and have immediately jumped to weave the maximum width and length I can at a very fine set. Like I said - it’s an ambitious weaving project! I’m learning a lot, though, working towards efficiency and neatness at the same time.
You can read more about the handspun yarns I am using for this craft project in episode 72 and episode 73 of the podcast. The weaving process is a little boring to show off, so you can expect updates once I’m onto the next bit, or once I’ve got it off the loom and can show you the fabric properly, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Early access to hand-dyed British wool spinning fibre (and more!)
I dyed up lots of British wool top and skeins of yarn for Tetbury Wool Fair, my last show before I go on maternity leave at Christmas. I’ve still got a bit of spinning fibre and hand-dyed yarn left, which means you can expect a shop update very soon…
As each batch is limited edition, it might already be sold out by the time you’re reading this (sorry!) However, if you would like to guarantee yourself a look at any future drops of hand-dyed British wool top, limited edition Mendip yarn, and indeed any other shop updates, my Patreon subscribers get 24-hour early access to any new releases.
Other reasons to join my Patreon community
Whilst I’m on the subject, my Patreon community is such a lovely group of knitters, spinners, and fibre enthusiasts and the support is so valuable.
And Patrons get exclusive access to other bits, too like:
- Discounts on products
- Free knitting patterns
- Monthly knit and chat sessions on zoom
- Access to our friendly Discord group
It really is the nicest place to hang out online.
You can become a patron from as little as £2 a month - if you’re interested, you can find all the details here.
I’d love your book recommendations
A bit of a niche one, but I'm looking for books about pre-industrial textile production. I want to know all the dorky details of the fabric itself - about the twist and what direction it goes, whether they used singles or plied yarn, what kinds of fibres were used, what equipment they had, etc, etc.
I already have Dress in Anglo-Saxon England by Gale Owen-Crocker, and have been recommended The Valkyrie’s Loom, Medieval Dress and Bog Fashion. If you've read any of these titles or have new ones to recommend, please send me a message on Instagram - I would really love to hear from you.
I think that’s all for now. Hope you enjoyed, and I’ll catch you next time. Bye!
Stay connected with all things Marina Skua
If you’d like to keep up with everything I’m working on between podcast episodes, please do subscribe to my newsletter. It’s the best way to stay in the loop about events I’ll be attending, shop updates, new product releases, publications, and additions to the website. You also get a 10% discount code with your next order.
I’ve also recently added an events page to the website, where you can see all the upcoming places I’ll be. Whether it’s events I’m attending, talks I’m giving, or markets where you can come and squish some hand-dyed British wool yarns or just have a chat in person.
For more casual life and crafting updates, you can follow me on Instagram, where I’ve been posting a bit more frequently, or join me on Facebook if that’s your preference.
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See you next time.
