Let's Spin . . . Cheviot

Cheviot sheep are an ancient breed that originated in the cold, wet, rugged Cheviot Hills on the border between Scotland and England. They were noted as early as 1372 and likely selected for monastery flocks due to their hardiness. Initially, they were called 'Long sheep' or 'White sheep' in contrast to the Scottish Blackface. Sir John Sinclair is credited with naming these hardy sheep he chose for his estate in Caithness, North Scotland.

Woven Vest - My Way

Today’s post is about a project I’ve had on my mind for probably five or six years. The time was right to do it finally. The vest is inspired by a design by Nancy McRay and published in Handwoven magazine's September/October 2009 issue. The original project, woven on a rigid heddle loom, created five sections on two different narrow warps joined to form the vest. I made several alterations to the original design to make it my own.

Combo Spinning

A combo spin combines several different fiber braids to create enough spun yardage for a larger project, say for a sweater. The braids are divided into chunks, spun in random color order, and then those singles are plied together.

Cashmere Dehairing

Today’s post is a follow-up to ‘Cashmere Gathering’, which I published a while back. In that article, I wrote about the history and characteristics of cashmere and about collecting cashmere from my own goats. Readers wrote asking me how I dehair and prep my harvested cashmere. So, in this post, I'll share my process.

Bohus Stickning

Have you heard of Bohus Stickning? I had not until several months ago while I was listening to an episode of the Fruity Knitting podcast. The following week, I heard the name again when I participated in an online knitting workshop called “Virtual Tour to Sweden”. Bohus Stickning is a delightful style that I thought you might enjoy hearing about.