Wooly Links: February 2022

I finally sorted through my massive trove of saved links from the past year that I never got around to reading/watching. Some left me asking why I bothered saving them in the first place. Others I set aside to reference for different projects. Some were about knitting and spinning I thought were worth sharing. So here are 10 awesome links about knitting, spinning, fun projects, owning a yarn shop, and dinosaurs.

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Is you handspun yarn hard and scratchy? Jacey Boggs has a few ideas to spin softer yarn.

While playing catch-up on with all my podcasts and vlogs, I really enjoyed this interview on The Long Thread podcast with Maggie Casey & Judy Steinkoenig.

Huh. Here’s a tutorial mash up of the Long-Tail and German Twisted Cast-ons to make a stretchy edge for 2x2 rib.

A neat roundup of recent textile discoveries from around the world.

Great tips and questions to help you get started with your own yearly temperature blanket. The tutorial is focused on crochet, but would still work really well with knitting.

Toe-up or cuff-down, it is always helpful to know the anatomy of a sock. This post from Lattes & Llamas is clear, detailed, and has plenty of sock photos.

Seeing other people make fun, wild stuff with yarn is always great. Like this Yarniversal Championship Belt from Hands Occupied.

The Simply Scrappy Cowl seems like a good fit for those leftover bits and bobs of special yarns.

I love the everything about the color work Huddling Penguins hat pattern. (Ravelry Link)

12 Yarn Ball Types and how to work from them.

And now for something different…

How to ride a Pterosaur, according to science

A zine library hidden in plain sight in a library book

Wooly Links: April 2018

Wooly Links is a round up of the best knitting, spinning, and crochet links I find on the web. The collection goes out bi-weekly in the With Wool Express. You can sign up to get the newsletter full of Wooly Links and other good stuff below.

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You can do so much great stuff with crochet - like make the Willendorf Venus with this pattern.

Now I want to make a blanket into a wall hanging too. There’s no knitting police to say you can’t after all.

Bristol Ivy shares her thought process for how she designed the lovely Shape of the Bay shawl.

A handy list of some of US fiber festivals from May through August.

April 21st was the inaugural Local Yarn Store Day which aims show appreciation for small shops and celebrate the fiber art community. You can learn more about the big day here.

And to help celebrate Local Yarn Store Day, Laura Nelkin partnered with Melbourne Woolens and designed the Adventura Shawl which will only be available in stores with Ravelry in-store sales. The shawl is a choose-your-own-adventure pattern that could be lacy, mesh, or colorful.

Beth Smith highlights the costs of producing fleeces in small flocks for handspinning.

I am rather smitten with the cabled Hawley sweater by Julie Hoover. The details are so clean and neat.

Felicia Lo Wong of Sweet Georgia Yarns shares her experience hosting a booth at the huge handcraft convention of h+h Cologne. So many interesting tidbits and things to think about.

Not just for spinners! A thorough example of how the number of plies in a yarn affects the look and texture of knitting.

It isn’t always fun to have to pick up stitches, but doing it well is really satisfying. This tutorial on the in-depth details of picking up stitches in different situations is clear and helpful.

A neat tutorial for how to work helical stripes and skip the jog when switching colors.

I am rather smitten with the bold geometric lines of the Correa shawl by Ambah O’Brien.

Duplicate stitch doesn’t get enough love, and Franklin Habit shows how great it can be.

A great video with answers and tips about stranding knitting from Paper Tiger. Even the opening is fun.

Are step-by-step photo tutorials how you want to learn new techniques? Here’s a detailed tutorial with extra GIFs about how to work the tubular cast on.

I stumbled across this in depth guide to drum carders and there is so much good info for the reading.

How to spin yarn with beads

And now for something completely different... is about the other interesting stuff I find online. Sometimes it's photography, art, science, crafty goodness, or a good story.

A touching thank you to all the supporters of the Woolery Weave-Off which is  donating hand woven kitchen towels to women and children moving out of shelters.

Kristen Meyer arranges a variety of objects - leaves, broken crackers, bark, moss, etc - into exact geometric shapes. So satisfying.

New Nasca lines were recently found in southern Peru.

Carrie Chan creates incredibly precise watercolor patterns and designs. Just looking at them is satisfying.

Wooly Links: March 2018

Wooly Links is a round up of the best knitting, spinning, and crochet links I find on the web. The collection goes out bi-weekly in the With Wool Express. You can sign up to get the newsletter full of Wooly Links and other good stuff every week below.

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These giant oversized crochet doilies by Ashley V Blalock seem like they could grow and take over the world.

That Night There Were Roses by Debbie Sullivan solves the hump shape of crescent shawls with short rows. It’s lacy and gorgeous with a wide wingspan.

Neat! How to spin a beehive coil without using a core for your handspun.

A great complication of different knitting increases with clear diagrams and instructions.

This tutorial was sent to me when I asked for help preventing holes at sleeve joins, and it is a detailed look at how to seamlessly knit set-in sleeves. Saving it for later.

The Spring+Summer 2018 issue of Knitty went live and it’s full of good stuff. I’m definitely going to knit a sea turtle or 5 and Charmayne is on the list too.

Janelle Shane is trying to teach a neural network to generate knitting instructions, and a Ravelry group is interpreting and knitting up those garbled lines with interesting results.

I’m incredibly tempted and smitten by the large scale lace of the Equal Night blanket. Might even have the yarn in my stash to make it too!

Blocking your knits can be an art form all by itself.

I used a Clover pom-pom maker to make the pom on my latest hat, and it was so easy to make a great pom without a lot of extra trimming. Here’s a handy tutorial about how to use one.

Why crescent shaped shawls always seem to have the hump in the middle.

Info and advice from Patty’s Purls of Wisdom about biasing gauge swatches, metric vs US needle sizes, and “startitis”.

The SNAP hat pattern might be just the thing for all those leftover bits of sock yarn.

25 names of fabrics, wools, and leathers derived from place names.

Looking for a quick baby knit? Franklin Habit wrote up his variation of the vintage Fine-Hour Baby Jacket and it’s a cutie.

Here’s a great example of just how much color can change when colorful blended fiber turns into yarn.

I’m loving the texture of the Beeswax Scarf by Amy van de Laar.

A quick and helpful tutorial about how to count rows in garter stitch.

And now for something completely different... is about the other interesting stuff I find online. Sometimes it's photography, art, science, crafty goodness, or a good story.

The Parthenon, Pyramid of the Sun, and other ruins have been restored to their ancient architectural glory in a series a series of GIF's by Maja Wronska.

Ethel Stein, a master weaver who combined historical weaving methods with a Bauhaus design aesthetic, has died at the age of 100. (via Mielke’s Fiber Arts Newsletter)

Diana Sudyka creates beautiful illustrations around vintage postage stamps.

Elyse Dodge meshes beautiful geometric mountains with painted landscapes of British Columbia.

Wooly Links: February 2018

Wooly Links is a round up of the best knitting, spinning, and crochet links I find on the web. The collection goes out bi-weekly in the With Wool Express. You can sign up to get the newsletter full of Wooly Links and other good stuff every week below.

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A clear tutorial on how to work double crochet without it turning into a wobbly trapezoid. Saving this for the next time I dabble in crochet.

How to make super fluffy pom-poms

MochiMochiLand is at it again with a cute (and free) knitting pattern for a four-leaf clover.

I was in a bind the other day when I needed to figure out how to space button holes on a button band. This button band calculator from did all the math and made the knitting a breeze.

Knit and Tonic wrote a helpful review of the expanded edition of Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book.

Cute alert! Check out this free crochet pattern for a cactus hat.

As part of the Tuff Socks Naturally project, which explores the durability of socks made without nylon or superwash fibers, @rebeccaspindle shared the interesting history and breeding of the Ryeland Sheep.

Why row gauge matters

Beth Smith shares how she uses sample cards to plan her spinning for large and small projects.

Adventures in natural dyeing with black beans. Follow along with a super detailed attempt at dyeing yarn with black beans. The colors are lovely.

Nora Fok creates wearable art using knitting, weaving, braiding, and knotting. One piece is made of 3,500 knit spheres made from nylon microfilament.

Even a knitter with decades of experience can really screw stuff up.

I’ve never washed a raw wool fleece, but this is the tutorial I’d use if I ever decided to try.

Curious Handmade has written an informative series on how to get started knitting your own socks.

Tutorials for 3 different and beyond-the-basics knitting cast-ons.

And now for something completely different... is about the other interesting stuff I find online. Sometimes it's photography, art, science, crafty goodness, or a good story.

I am continually surprised by the scale and detail that can be achieved with needle felting. Paolo Del Toro makes huge masks similar to Japanese Noh theater masks.

Cayce Zavaglia creates incredible portraits using embroidery, and this behind the scenes interview gives a neat look at her thought process and intention.

Bete Molina uses her background in graphic design to create these incredible patterned quilts.

Bring on the giant, inflatable, light-up rabbits of Amanda Parer! I’d love to see these in person.

Wooly Links: December + January 2018

Wooly Links is a round up of the best knitting, spinning, and crochet links I find on the web. The collection goes out bi-weekly in the With Wool Express newsletter. You can sign up to get the newsletter full of Wooly Links and other good stuff every week here.

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Got a hole in your handspun sweater? Here’s how to reclaim the yarn.

Even if you don’t spin, this article on the differences between woolen and worsted mill spun yarn explains the differences - durability, warmth, color, stitch definition - between the two types.

This post by Elise Blaha focuses on knitting and sewing, but the overall focus on getting started making your own clothing applies to any craft. About time, cost, knowing what to make, supplies...

Techniques for advanced swatching: cables, lace, in the round, and fair isle.

Kate Davies outlines how to estimate yardage to make a pattern larger using her Carbeth jumper. I use a similar method myself for all sorts of projects.

Loving the cosy simplicity of the Earthshine cowl by Hillary Smith Callis.

The new issue of Twist Collective is live and it’s packed with good stuff.  Patty’s Purls of Wisdom tackles lying gauge swatches and how to get a swatch that tells the truth.

The Harmonium Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure is a great mix of slouchy and fuzzy.

A Guide to Reversible Cables that look good on both sides.

The Vintersol sweater keeps popping up in my Instagram feed and I love the yoke more and more each time.

Knitter Nina Dodd and photographer Joseph Ford collaborate to create hand knit sweaters that blend in seamlessly with the background. They’re all so good!

I’m looking forward to listening to this interview with Rachel Denny who makes incredible knit and crochet sculptures of deer and yaks. The photos are incredible!

Strauch Fiber released two worksheets to track and keep notes on making batts and spinning yarn to keep all of the details. (via Mielke’s Fiber Arts Newsletter)

The Winter 2017 edition of Knitty is here with plenty of good stuff inside.  My favorites are the Skew Too Mitts, the Cool Bearing sweater, and the Stellen Socks.

Try out this neat trick to figure out what the weight of that label-less yarn is. Good for figuring out whether a yarn would be a good substitute too.

Now this is a spinning kit! Jillian Moreno shares what she carries for her every day spinning and teaching. So much good helpful stuff in there.

If you’re on the hunt for gift tags for your hand made gifts, Alisa Burke put together a colorful collection.

Emily Wessel of Tin Can Knits wrote a great essay on developing the knit “grit” and stamina to get past self-doubt, the middle slog, and finishing.

This DIY llama ornament is pretty cute and looks simple to make too.

A cute idea to use of leftover yarn for a pair of striped socks. I’m keeping this in mind for later.

I love the simple undulating texture of the After Midnight mitts by Thea Colman.

And now for something completely different... is about the other interesting stuff I find online. Sometimes it's photography, art, science, crafty goodness, or a good story. 

Amy Joy Watson combines wood, rope, and paint to create these beautiful hanging sculptures.

Take a look at how pencils are made. The photos are incredible. Definitely gives a new appreciation for how this commonplace tools are made.

Need some cute today? Here’s cats wearing hats made from cat hair. The Princess Leia wig is great.

Impressionist paintings? Nope, close-up photos of Jupiter taken on NASA’s Juno Mission.

Everyday objects arranged into incredibly detailed patterns. My favorite is the rainbow of forks and toothpicks.

The 80-year-old timber escalators of the Wynard Station in Sydney, Australia were turned into a beautiful suspended sculpture for the station’s renovation.

Wooly Links: November Edition

Wooly Links is a round up of the best knitting, spinning, and crochet links I find on the web. The collection goes out every week in the With Wool Weekly newsletter. You can sign up to get the newsletter full of Wooly Links and other good stuff every week here.

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Clare Devine of knitsharelove.com is conducting an experiment to try out sock yarns spun without the added durability of nylon. I’m curious to see how it turn out.

Halloween is behind us but the amazing skeletons crocheted by Caitlin McCormack from discarded textiles deserve a look no matter the time of year.

Looking to expand your stranded color work library? Tin Can Knits has some suggestions to help get you started.

5 Tips for Getting Gift Spinning (and Knitting) Done

“A Day in the Life of a Fiber Mill Owner” is an interesting behind-the-scenes look at running a fiber mill.

And here’s a look at the commercial process of skeining and prepping yarn for yarn shops.

A pretty convincing argument for 2x2 rib to be the stitch pattern to teach new knitters. What do you think?

The Sheep Spot newsletter has a great article on different methods to reduce striping in handspun yarn and fabric.

I love the colors and strong stripes of the crochet Tangram Wrap from One Dog Woof.

Here are some simple printable gift tags for when you finish up all that gift knitting.

Ambah O’Brien shared a tutorial for making ombre pom-poms which look like a lot of fun. I’m tempted to make a few as ornaments.

I’ve been enjoying Felicia Lo’s new vlog, Taking Back Friday, which covers her current knitting and weaving projects, yarny events, and her thoughts on making. Check it out.

A nearly invisible knitting increase is a good thing to know. Knit.Love.Wool demos her favorite version in a top down yoke.

How about a pattern for some cute crochet leaves?

The pattern for the Fox Isle Socks is just too cute. It would definitely scratch that color work itch.

Need a little fiber arts inspiration? Rebecca Mezoff shares her favorite sources for fiber art inspiration and the comments are full of good stuff too.

A solid gift guide for the knitters and crocheters in your life. And yourself too.

There’s no doubt in my mind that knitters can come together and do powerful things.

And now for something completely different... is about the other interesting stuff I find online. Sometimes it's photography, art, science, crafty goodness, or a good story. 

Dennis Cherim’s The Coincidence Project is an ongoing series of exceedingly well-timed photos that you’ll have to look at twice.

To help get you into the winter spirit, take a look at First Snow.

Take an armchair trip to Iceland’s impressive countryside.

War and Pieced documents wartime quilts sewn by soldiers from military uniforms. I would love to see this in person.

Sewing and NASA go hand in hand.