Today I'm sharing my plans for adding more joyful and playful crafting into 2025 as well as showing off my teeny tiny willow harvest for basketry.

Joyful plans for playful crafting plus a teeny tiny willow harvest for basketry

I'm wearing my Tree Hay Tank

The knitted tank I’m wearing is Tree Hay; one of five designs found in From This Land: A West Country Collection. It’s a collection of knitting patterns I worked on last year that celebrates British wool, inspired by the sheep-dotted landscape of the South West of England. The capsule collection features five unisex knit designs crafted with undyed, locally sourced British wool and Tree Hay was born from my trip to Gutchpool Farm, located just down the road from me. 

The naturally coloured Dorset Down and Shetland wool work perfectly for the colourwork details which recall the brushwood and branches used a winter fodder for the sheep. 

Tree Hay is a v-neck tank top worked from the bottom up, with stranded colourwork on the body and steeks for the neck and arms. There’s contrasting ribbing to finish the edges, with an optional split hem and short-row shaping on the neckband and armholes.

Find From This Land: A Westcountry Collection on my website
Find From This Land: A Westcountry Collection on Ravelry

I'm also wearing my Scrumper Cardigan

Over the top of Tree Hay, I’m wearing my Scrumper Cardigan. It’s the cardigan version of my best-selling Scrumper Waistcoat and I love it. This hand-knit cardigan features tiny cables along the button bands, with panels of cables and moss stitch that continue down the sleeves, with the moss stitch repeating on the cuff and button band. Plus, it’s knit contiguously, so there’s no need to pick up stitches for the button band. The body is knit from the bottom up and its shape - fitted sleeves with a roomier body - makes it a perfect knit for layering, especially for my proportions. It works perfectly with a tank or knitted vest underneath, which is exactly what I’ve done here.

I knit this sample using John Arbon’s Appledore DK yarn in the shade Sweet Copin, which I adore. The yarn is soft and has a lovely depth of colour, making it one of my all-time favourite yarns and one I’ve used on numerous occasions.

Find the Scrumper Cardigan knitting pattern on my website
Find the Scrumper Cardigan knitting pattern on Ravelry

My recent knitting and craft projects

Hedgebind Sweater - a finished object

Technically this one is an older finished object, but my Hedgebind sweater recently made its way back home, and I couldn’t be happier to see it again. I’ll share the finer details about this colourwork jumper in my next blog, which will be a follow-up to my previous blog rounding up my botanical-inspired knits, only this time I’m featuring other knitters’ designs. For now, though, i’ll give you a quick overview.

Hedgebind was originally designed for, and published in Issue 12 of Making Stories (the Art Nouveau issue). The knit design draws inspiration from bindweed, something I hate now as a gardener, but something I loved as a child with its delicate and pretty flowers. As such, the sweater features all-over stranded colourwork; a large panel on the front bordered by a smaller motif which is repeated and continues all across the back and along the sleeves. This was incredibly fun to design but by far the most complicated and brain-boggling knitting chart I have written to date!

Find Hedgebind knitting pattern on my website
Find Hedgebind knitting pattern on Ravelry

Opula - my knitting project

The first WIP I have to share with you is Opula, one of my own knit designs inspired by the flowing, sinuous lines of Art Nouveau design. I’ve got about half a yoke so far and I think it’s coming along beautifully.

I’ve opted for a rather moody combination of my hand-dyed Mendip 4-ply yarn in the shades Sage and Night on the cloudy base. Together, they’re creating this beautiful ‘twilight in the woods’ sort of feeling. Like that moment when you’re out walking and realise the sun has started to set, and it’s time to head back before it gets too dark.

The original Opula sample was a very fitted version with negative ease and elbow-length sleeves, but for this one, I’m knitting the next size up to give it a looser, more standard jumper fit.

Find the Opula knitting pattern on my website
Find the Opula knitting pattern on Ravelry

My ‘Out of the Dark’ Makealong

Opula is also my craft project for this year's Out of the Dark MAL. For those unfamiliar, Out of the Dark is a makealong I run every year from 1st January to the Spring equinox, which falls on 20th March. The rules are simple: all you need to do is create something using any of my spinning fibre, hand-dyed yarn or knitting patterns. You can mix and match however you like; knit my patterns with someone else’s yarn or use my yarn for another design etc. The focus is all about creativity and community so, If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, I’d love for you to join in. You can find more details on the makealong page on my website or check out the hashtag #OutOfTheDarkMAL2025 on Instagram. It’s been so inspiring to see all the beautiful craft projects makers have shared so far.

Mistland Cardigan - my handspun project

This one has been quite a long-term project, but the year before last, I spun a massive 400g of floof and now, I’m using the handspun yarn to knit a Mistland Cardigan. Mistland is such a lovely cardigan with its plain, boxy body paired with airy lace sleeves that have just the right amount of balloon shape.

Spinning is such a labour of love, and as is often the case with handspun yarn, the skeins aren’t perfectly uniform. To keep things looking consistent, I’ve been alternating balls of yarn as I knit, which helps eliminate any visible lines where I switch skeins. It’s a bit fiddly knitting with three separate balls attached, but it’ll be worth it once I’ve finished knitting. 

I’ve almost finished the body of the cardigan with just the button band to go, but right now I’ve moved on to the sleeves. The pretty lace pattern on the sleeves is gradually taking shape and although I’m only about 2 repeats in, it’s satisfying to see the details emerge and I think the yarn is going to block wonderfully with a lovely drape. I’m knitting both sleeves at the same time, which is a little trick I love to ensure both sleeves end up the same length. It does mean that it feels like you’re residing on sleeve island forever, but it has the added benefit that once I’m done, I don’t have to face the prospect of knitting another sleeve, and I find that notion exceptionally encouraging.

The yarn itself is a soft and fuzzy mix of angora, alpaca, and blue-faced Leicester. It has such a lovely texture and honestly, it feels great to pick this spinning project back up again. The yarn has sat neglected in a project bag for far too long so it’s nice to see it coming to life at last.

Find the Mistland Cardigan knitting pattern on my website
Find the Mistland Cardigan knitting pattern on Ravelry
Check out my previous spinning adventure where I prepared some British wool fleece I hand-dyed using onion skins.

My spinning project 

Lately, I’ve also been coming back to spinning. I’m currently working with some of my Skua blend British wool tops which is prepared for me by the folks at Wingham Wool. This blend of British wool fibre combines Jacob, Cheviot, Dorset Horn, Manx Loaghtan, and Teeswater, giving a slightly rustic finish that's nevertheless delightful to spin. I’ve already finished two bobbins, and a third is on the wheel as I try to cram on the remaining fibre.

Typically, I split the wool tops down and pre-draft the fibre, but I’m considering experimenting with a lot more pre-drawing in future spinning projects. My goal is to spin an incredibly fine yarn that I can use for weaving as I bought a floor loom last year and would love to start using it. Truthfully, it’s a little intimidating, and I might be completely terrible at it, but I plan to document my weaving journey as a little series for my Patreon. So, if you’re curious as to how that goes, do keep an eye out so you can join me as I get to grips with it. 

For now, I’m nearly done with the third bobbin and have one more to spin. Once that’s complete, I’ll ply everything together in one big batch. Usually, I’d spin two bobbins, ply them, and repeat the process, but this time I’m front-loading the spinning. I’m thinking that, whilst I’m not necessarily looking for absolute perfection, doing all the spinning first, then all the plying, will result in a more consistent yarn.

I dyed this wool top a few months ago. It’s one of my limited-edition colourways called Highland and I think it’s going to look beautiful once spun. Really tweedy, kind of moody and autumnal which I love. Once I’ve finished spinning and plying the yarn, I’ll measure how much I have and then decide what to weave from there. Since I normally weave using my rigid heddle loom, I’m planning to start with a test project using a slightly chunkier yarn initially, just to get comfortable with my new floor loom. I think that will help me feel more confident before I commit to something more ambitious with this precious handspun.

Basketry

After a few busy years juggling life; moving house, building projects, a newborn who is now a very active toddler plus, of course, knitting design, I’ve realised that some of the more playful, whimsical parts of my creative life had fallen by the wayside. Time has been in short supply, but now, I’m consciously carving out space to rediscover those joyful activities. One of those joys has been getting back into making pasta (I made a big batch of gnocchi the other day) and I’ve also started making fresh cheese again, using unhomogenised milk from a local farm in our village which is loads of fun.

I’ve never been an expert basket maker, but I find the process wonderful. There’s something deeply rewarding about foraging materials and using your hands to transform them into something useful, and it doesn’t have to cost a thing. 

I’ve made a couple of good baskets in the past using willow grown specifically for the purpose and plenty of smaller, slightly rubbish ones made from materials found on walks and it’s something I’m keen to put my hand to again. 

While there is plenty of commercially grown willow available in Somerset, the neighbouring county, I wanted to grow my own. A couple of years ago, I got some willow cuttings from Sarah Hatton of Hatton Willow, who's based in Caerphilly within the South Wales Valleys, to plant in our garden. I chose a variety called Flanders Red which we optimistically stuck directly into the ground with fingers crossed. Each winter you cut back the rods (the long sticks used in basketry) and I’ve just been out and harvested this year’s willow crop. 

The process is simple, you cut the willow back to a knuckle and each year, the plant sends up new rods. Over time, the plants become more established and produce better-quality willow. We’ve only had ours for a couple of years so some of the rods I snipped are a bit sparse and scrappy, but they’ll join last year's crop to and I’ll combine them to make a small basket, perhaps with a handle, depending on how much usable willow I have.

If you’re curious about basketry, there are some fantastic resources to get started. I initially learned from Judith Needham and Foraged Fibres on Instagram was also a particular inspiration for me after seeing what could be created with materials found on the ground. Another resource I’ve loved is Jonathon Ridgeon of Jon’s Bushcraft and I’ll be revisiting his eBook on weaving willow baskets before I take on my basketry project later this year. 

Yarn knitting kits to make a Wandrian cowl using hand-dyed British wool

My lovely friend Dianna Walla has designed a beautiful colourwork cowl called Wandrian using my hand-dyed Mendip DK yarn. After a few years in the making, I’m delighted to say Dianna has finally released the pattern. 

Wandrian is knit in the round, with the ends grafted together for a seamless finish and no exposed floats. The stranded colourwork features abstract patterns of flowers and branches, beautifully complemented by simple stripes. 

To make it easy for you to knit this colourwork cowl, Dianna and I have put together some yarn knitting kits. These include the original colourway she used in her sample as well as a handful of other combinations she handpicked. These kits are available on my website, offering all the yarn you need in one go, and they’re slightly more affordable than purchasing the skeins individually.

Find my Wandrian yarn knitting kits on the website
Find the Wandrian knitting pattern on Ravelry

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.

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. Speaking of, I’ll be at Unravel in February, so if you’re free I’d love for you to come visit me at the most lovely yarn show in Farnham Maltings. I’m also giving a talk about my work in textiles on Sunday 16th February, which I’m really looking forward to. 

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See you next time.