On Sheep, Jellyfish and Chickens

It feels rare that I tell you about a project in one post and then share the finished product in the next without getting sidetracked*, but prepare to be shocked because I have two finished knitting projects to show you today. The first is the sample I was knitting for The Yarnery. This was a design I came up with in 2016 that was published as part of The Yarnery’s Wearwithall pattern line. Bjorklunden originally used a wool/brushtail possum blend that is truly magical, but has since left the Yarnery’s shelves and they were interested in reinventing the project in a different yarn. This time I used two strands of yarn held together. Both yarns are from the company Along avec Anna – “Merino,” and “Silk Mohair.”

(*I did, in fact, get sidetracked because I started writing this post over two weeks ago and I am just now getting back to it.)

This combination of these two yarns gave the fabric a beautiful drape and luster, while retaining the fuzzy surface of the original due to the mohair.

The finished dimensions came out to about 18″ wide by 76″ long – a generous size to wrap around your shoulders when the evenings get chilly.

I have always loved that the back of this cable pattern is just as unique as the front, creating a completely different look. And if you weave in your ends conspicuously, this piece is essentially reversible. It reminds me of seashells and whirlpools.

I had a lot of fun designing this cable pattern in 2016 and probably spent a good month tweaking it, re-charting it, and knitting swatch after swatch. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. I finished this project three weeks ago and it has now been delivered to Minnesota and is awaiting re-publication as an updated pattern. I enjoyed knitting this again, but was glad to have a looming deadline out of my way! as the temperatures started to drop, I really needed to make progress on my fingerless mitts.

And I finished them in no time! These turned out wonderfully. I used 10-year-old handspun yarn for these and was so happy to finally knit with yarn that I created myself. This was some of my earliest handspun, and quite inconsistent, so the second mitt turned out a slightly different size than the first but not enough to be noticeable while wearing them. I love the rustic quality of the yarn.

I used the Timber pattern from TinCanKnits and love the subtle texture on the palm. The pattern also gives you options for a shorter ribbing at the top, or the longer fold-over top that I opted for. I really love these mitts and they’re going to get a lot of use this winter! And now that I have made a single project out of handspun yarn, I felt justified in attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair on October 21 with my friends Katie and Breanne to ultimately buy more fiber.

I used to love going to the annual fiber festival up in Minnesota. They’re packed full with vendors who sell all sorts of supplies – wool for spinning, hand-dyed yarn to knit, fabric, project bags, drop spindles, pottery, woven baskets… the list goes on. It’s such an incredible and inspiring (and overwhelming) event and one of my favorite days of the entire year. Kyle and I hadn’t attended a fiber festival since 2019 due to COVID restrictions, and I was so happy to make it back to one this year! I had heard about SAFF last year, but didn’t attend. Now that I have been there I can say that it is even bigger than Shepherd’s Harvest in Minnesota! This is the largest fiber festival in the southeast and is definitely worth a trip. We’re so lucky that it’s only an hour away from Spring Creek.

We spent the day perusing booth after booth after booth to make sure we didn’t miss anything we couldn’t do without. I ended up bringing a lot of gifts home for Kyle who wasn’t able to attend, but my friends really had to pressure me to spend money on myself! Finally at the end of the day I conceded and bought myself another raw fleece to process and spin. And I helped Katie pick out her very first fleece as well!

Katie purchased a beautiful Tunis fleece, which is a breed we are considering raising next year. Katie and her husband have reasoned that getting sheep would be more productive and fun than buying a new lawnmower for their property, and who am I to argue with that logic? Tunis are one of the few breeds developed here in the United States. They were incredibly popular – even George Washington had a flock – but are now endangered as almost all of the genetic stock was killed off during the American Civil War. I guess we will have to do our part to keep the breed going! For myself I bought a Gulf Coast Native fleece. This is a sheep breed I have never worked with and just recently started learning about, but it feels wonderful and I can’t wait to wash and process it. It’s so pretty – and one of the other rare breeds of sheep developed in the United States.

Shortly after the fiber festival I had to quickly change focus and get started on my Halloween costume. My friends were throwing a pirate-themed Halloween party and we were required to wear a costume. While eye patches and walking the plank aren’t necessarily my thing, I did eventually decide that a jellyfish was close enough to the theme to work out. I already owned the umbrella and the rest of the costume came together fairly easily, though I did develop a cramp in my hand from cutting so many strips of fabric with my pinking shears.

The day after Halloween was my young friend (Katie’s daughter’s) birthday. She is quite an expert at raising chickens, and I wanted to make her something that would complement her interests and talents. I thought this egg apron was the perfect thing!

There are ten pleated pockets on the front for easy egg placement, and they hold your eggs secure while you collect them from the coop so you can stay hands-free.

This was a free sewing pattern, and very easy to follow. It comes in multiple sizes and I think it is such a cool, whimsical yet practical item to have. I had all of this fabric on hand already because I made two of these aprons for friends as Christmas gifts a few years ago. Who knows, I might have to make one for myself next year too if I end up getting chickens.

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful fall and finishing up your winter preparations. I hear it’s supposed to be colder and snowier than previous years here in the Blue Ridge Mountains due to El Niño. I hope you’re ready!