Knit Along

This week I'm joining Ginny's Knit Along, and share a picture of something that I'm working on.

Last week I was browsing ravelry stashes to find the perfect colorway of Malabrigo worsted. A couple of days later, the skein arrived in the mail. And this particular skein and colorway reminded me of so many things, because one of the very first project that I made a couple of years ago has been knit with the same yarn, in the same colorway. And here I am, a few years later,  knitting the exact same pattern for a sweet friend.

It's going to be so much fun putting the two hats next to one another and see how far this knitting journey has taken me, and the improvements that I've made.

At the moment I'm at my third attempt, and I will have to rip back once more because my brain doesn't seem to want to follow the pattern at all.

Wishing you a beautiful Easter weekend!

Kindly,

M.

Homemade soy wax candles

I've been wanting to make my own candles and soaps for a very long time now. Candles are often quite expensive and the majority of them are made out of parafin, which is not only bad for our health but also for the planet. I used to buy beewax and soy wax candles whenever I saw them in markets or in a small shop in the old town, but they are very often over-priced and can only burn for a couple of hours.

So I made a little reaserch online to know how/where to find material to make my own, and that's what I did! It took me 10 minutes or so to make a couple of them. They're not only super easy to make, but they're also very affordable, and they would make a wonderful gift.

I used a couple of old jars, put them in a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Then slowly started to add the soy wax peels. When the jars were full I let them cool down on my windowsill, added a few drops of essential oils, then placed the wooden wicks in the jars, and waited until they completely cool down. And voilà, homemade candles!

Next time, I'll give beewax a try!

Fiber artist feature: Liesl of Buckaloo View

I've been wanting to share Liesl's work for quite a while now, and never really found the time to introduce her properly. I've been following Liesl for more than five years now, and ever since I found her many years ago through Wordpress, I've been in awe, moved, inspired and I'm beyond words grateful for knowing her.
She's a homesteader, a knitter, a quilter, a seamstress, a natural dyer and many more things.

She recently decided to open her new shop, Buckaloo View, where she sells yarn that she naturally dyes with material that she forages or grows in New Jersey. As she started to share more and more pictures of colorful yarn, I've been wanting to learn more about her dyeing journey.

So, make yourself comfortable, grab a cup of tea coffee or whatever you'd like, and let's dive in!

When did you start your dyeing journey and how did you get started?
I started dyeing back in the summer of 2012. I had become very interested in gardening and the natural world around me, trying to identify trees, plants and flowers. Around the same time, I’d also become thoroughly obsessed with knitting and fiber. Natural dyeing was just the result of all of these things merging into one.

Where do you source the fibre that you dye with i.e Is there a farm close to you where you can get wool from?
Right now, I buy commercially produced yarn to dye. In the future, I do hope to source all or at least some of my base yarns from local, small farms. There are definitely a lot of fiber farms in my area and I’m looking forward to getting in touch with them this year. My ultimate dream is to cut out the middleman completely and raise my own fiber---but that is quite a ways away!

Do you have a favourite skein in your hand-dye collection? What’s your favourite material to dye with/ favourite fibre?
It’s always been hard for me to choose favorites! But I really do like the red cabbage and opal basil skeins I’ve dyed. But that is because I’m partial to grays and blues. I tend to dye with a lot of marigold and black walnut hulls because they are so plentiful and dependable. As far as fiber, I’ve only dyed on merino and alpaca. The latter tends to produce softer, more muted colors, which I love.

Where do you see Buckaloo View in a near future?
As far as yarn, I’m hoping to expand my color palette and try out new dye materials, as well as new, interesting fibers. For the shop, I hope to offer more sewn goods, including simple tanks and dresses and totes, as well as other items made from materials that I grew or sourced from this farm. And for the farm, 2015 is the year of fixing and repairing and prepping for future plans. The barn roof leaks, new garden beds need to be worked, fruit trees planted, and, as always, I have so much to learn!

You can fin Liesl on her blog at Buckaloo View, shop her yarns and pouches and follow her everyday on Instagram.

A knitter's Spring wishlist

When I woke up this morning, there was a a thin layer of snow covering the floor. I made a pot of tea, put a warm cardigan over my shoulders and got into work.
Whenever I looked outside, the only thing that I could really see was the grey sky. The two gorgeous springy weeks that we had lately were definitely far behind.

But this alternating weather reflects exactly the color palette that I've been dreaming off lately; soft greys with hints of pink and purple. I've been wanting to drape my shoulders with a shawl similar to this one, and knit everything in this colorway. I went to my local nursery a couple of time last week to see if I could find any wax flowers, but I came back empty handed every single time.

What have you been inspired by lately?

Mandarine's episode 8: Sourcing local yarn & meeting virtual friends.

So, if you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that a new Mandarine's episode is available. In this week's episode I talk about the upcoming knitting wokshop that I'll be attending, sourcing local yarn, knitting a baby sweater and meeting virtual friends.

To watch the episode, you can simply click on "homepage", scroll down and click on "podcast".

I'm so looking forward to learning new techniques next week during the workshop. I'm planning to bring my Latvian mitten bible, and ask as many questions as I can, so then I'll be able to knit any Latvian mitten pattern. I'm so thrilled about it, and I cannot wait for next week's class. As the workshop is free of charge, we ought to bring our own wool. And I'm so stocked about it. I selected the three skeins above for the workshop, and I think that the color palette is absolutely lovely. The yarn that I'll be using is a Latvian brand, but the wool actually comes from New-Zealand. The white yarn will be used as the main color and the salmon & purple will make a very nice contrast. I grabbed the first skein in one of my local yarn shop while walking in town with Dottie Angel and Meg. These two ladies were the cherries on top of my fantastic week. They were such a joy, and it was absolutely fantastic to meet them. And the bottom skein is one that I have naturally dyed a couple of weeks ago.

I wish you a wonderful end of your week, and I will keep you updated on my worshop ventures!

Thank you so much for your kind words about the new website design, I really love the way it turned out, and I'm so pleased to have created a place that I love even more than before.

A month away...

I cannot believe that it's been a month already. I never took such a long break before, and it was absolutely unententionnal. I've simply been too busy working on many things at the same time. And when I woke up one morning I realised that we were already in the middle of March... unbelievable!

Since the last time we spoke, a lot of things happened, knitting-wise, gardening-wise, and living-wise!
I've been playing with thousands of stitches, knitting, and unravelling, melting some wax to make candles, went to the woods a couple of time to gather some dye material, eat countless loaves of homebaked bread, met incredible ladies and chatted about crafts, knitting and food.

I hope that Spring has founds its way to you! We had a couple of snowflakes this morning, but I'm hoping to see some blossoms on the trees very soon! Until next time!