That much-loved seasonal tradition is officially here. The leaves are falling, weather is cooling and nights are getting longer. Of course I'm talking about Socktober.
There's a focus on socks this month, Kate looks at some different dyed blends that may make good socks, and the patterns that she might use. Tips include a stretchy cast-on for cuffs, grafting toes and how to customise a pattern to better fit your feet.
It's also Wool Week, which is now a month-long celebration of wool led by British Wool and the Campaign for Wool. As I write this, it's also Shetland Wool Week, which sees hundreds of visitors to the islands enjoying exhibitions, classes and events.
So without further ado, read on for more news, views and reviews for spinners, knitters, crocheters, dyers and weavers. This is the free round-up for October 2024.
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Cover photo: Kate Larson's sock fibre roundup for Spin Off.
The fifteenth Shetland Wool Week kicked off on Sep 29. Hundreds of visitors gathered at the Clickimin leisure centre for the start of the festivities.
See also this story in the Shetland Times from Sep 29 which heralds the start of SWW.
Recent mudlarking finds include a woollen tudor hat, said to be inspired by velvet hats worn by the wealthier at the time.
London Museum Docklands will host the exhibition "London's lost treasures" from April.
For the third year, Wool Week is a month-long celebration of all things woolly. This year it runs from 3 - 30 October and you can find a listing of events on the British Wool website.
See also a similar listing on Campaign for Wool's website.
Josefin has been growing flax and retting it for some years and this year has been the most successful.
Leigh has been continuing her natural dyeing journey using local resources. These are hibiscus flowers, note the link to her previous blog post about copper mordant which is an interesting read.
The rules of colour mixing can change when weaving. Sara talks about colour theory and woven fabric and touches on the iridescence that you can get with shiny threads.
This is a follow up to a project that appeared in HSN last month. It serves as a warning about using different fabrics in one rag rug project, or any materials for weft with differential shrinkage.
leighsfiberjournal.blogspot.com...rag-rug-what-happened-after-i.html
Kate takes a look at various braids of fibre which may be suitable for spinning for socks. She pairs each with a sock pattern that's suitable for handpsun yarn. I've listed the patterns in the Pattern Suggestions section.
Why would you want to weave yarn twice? The first time uses small bundles of warp for weft and the parts that are squeezed will resist dye. Then it's unwoven and used in Ikat weaving.
Peggy has since followed up that post with more information, the follow-up is here.
Number 9 in craftmehappy's Questionable Blend series is a blend that contains colours from across the spectrum.
There are some big differences after trying the various prep/spinning methods.
www.craftmehappy.com...questionable-blend-number-9-tropical.html
This big pile o' handspun granny squares will become a Jethro cardigan and I can't wait to see the result.
Jethro is perfect for using up handspun leftovers, although you'll also need a main colour, which Rebecca is currently spinning - a beautiful creamy wool and alpaca mix.
If you are new to spinning and in the market for a wheel then this article may be for you.
Kim descibes three drive systems and asks which is best for you; single-drive with scotch or irish tension and double-drive.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com/the-drive-system-on-flyer-bobbin-spinning-wheels
It has been twenty years since the Clapotis pattern was released and became a big hit. The Internet as we know it today was in its infancy and the pattern had a big impact on knitty.com. It has gone on to gain almost 24,000 projects on Ravelry.
Knitty editor Amy has decided to celebrate with a competition called Clapotisfest.
63 indie dyers from all over the world have knit a Clapotis in their favourite yarn and colourway. They're featured on this page about Clapotisfest. Amy's editorial is here and the 2024 update of the pattern is here.
In "a season full of endings", Clara reflects on the end of the textile industry in her own and similar towns, which once all had mills and sheep to clothe everyone.
Tracy is using a decorative stitch to join thin strips of backstrap-woven handspun fabric. This technique can be seen in textiles from around the world.
If you're interested in starting a project from scratch, ie washing and processing a fleece, then you'll want to be aware of the properties of the different breeds.
Rachel dives deep into the widely-varying properties under some broad classifications.
During Spinzilla one year, Kate experimented with a method to loosen compacted fibres without actual drafting. Here's how she got on.
spinoffmagazine.com...predrafting-alternative-spinning-fiber
Chitra talks about dhotis with reference to a family heirloom which belonged to her great-grandfather and is still in pristine condition.
This installation at the London Design Festival invited visitors to see the potential of an otherwise waste product, human hair.
Applications include rope and cord as well as clothing. Visitors could see the whole process from haircut through spinning to finished products.
This small show was hosted by Kath Andrews and Yarn O'Clock on 15 September. On her blog, Kath has a short 'walkaround' video. I'll be sure to list the show next year if it happens again.
Kath has also written about this year's Yarndale from a vendor's point of view, although her pictures are limited to her own stand before and the transformation of the building as the vendors set up their stalls.
Neps are little bobbles of felted wool. you may find them in your wool but they're also easy to buy in natural or dyed colours.
This is a step-by-step tutorial in which Meagan Condon demonstrates how to use these neps to add colour and texture to your yarn.
schachtspindle.com/blogs/projects/exploring-color-interaction-through-spinning-with-neps
Kate has a follow-up to last month's tutorial. There are many ways to remember the order of the stitches. None work for me and I have to look it up each time.
Kate suggests a different approach, which is to understand how the stitch works and to 'read' the fabric to know what comes next.
Designer Kate Atherley says that it's well worth taking the time to customise the fit of your handknit socks and offers some tips.
www.interweave.com...kate-atherleys-top-5-tips-for-sock-knitting
This cast-on is very similar to my favourite cast-on, the long-tail cast-on.
As this short video says, it's a little more 'acrobatic' than the long-tail, which can make it more fun. It's said to be super-stretchy and suitable for sock cuffs and hats.
Janet busts a myth that you can weave plain weave on any threading by lifting first odd and then even shafts.
What you need to determine is whether a shed is possible that raises every other thread. She has a simple technique to answer this question.
handweavingacademy.com/is-plain-weave-possible-on-this-threading
Debbie may be opening a can of worms here because opinions on this can be various and strongly-held. She gives us her recommendations.
Spanish Peahen has posted this article with video about plying with plying balls and why you might want to do that.
In this video, Felicia talks about how to spin a gradient yarn from a hand-dyed braid of fibre that contains multiple colours.
sweetgeorgiayarns.com...gradient-from-hand-dyed-spinning-fibre
Amy has a very simple way to blend roving to produce a marled effect.
Does your spindle wobble when you spin? Tom has a suggestion.
It is around a year since Lojan found premises and set up their business. The new company was formed by Jan Louët and his daughter. Jan no longer owns Louët. The relationship is explained here.
They now have distributors around the world, a range of wheels, accessories and an inkle loom.
Katrina visits three spindle-makes from around the world who are producing some beautiful and innovative designs.
the1764shepherdess follows up a previous podcast in which she spoke about crewel embroidery. Here she discusses spinning your own handspun crewel embroidery yarn.
This story tells of a yarn that has been developed for water collection in dry areas. It's inspired by water-collecting creatures such as desert beetles.
We have previously seen schemes that make wool traceable. Notably in Australia, electronic tags (EIDs) for sheep will be mandatory by next year.
It's not clear what technology is used here for the end-to-end tracing but this scheme puts a QR code onto garments so that the customer can easily check the origin of the wool in the garment. In time this may be rolled out to include other materials.
news.cision.com...the-first-wool-garments-with-traceability...
Here are some fabrics from Japan's innovators which include a very fine cloth made from paper, denim dyed with flowers and silk made from eggshells.
Here are details of another alternative commercial use for wool.
A partnership of businesses is exploring the use of wool in filters for indoor air purifiers.
www.climatecontrolnews.com.au...transforming-air-purifiers-with-nz-wool
Sometimes just a picture is enough
Kat has used a skein of handpsun yarn held with another yarn to make this Honey Cowl. The pattern uses a slip-stitch pattern to create texture. Kat says that hers feels soft and delicious.
Martha Driscoll spun the 780 yds of Manx Loaghtan for this vest entirely using a Turkish spindle.
The pattern is Buttonbox by Elizabeth McCarten which is free at Knitty.com.
I love this skein of Knit/Wit's handspun which reminds me of copper or bronze verdigris. There is 345 yards "in the fingering to sport neighborhood". She is stashing it with no plans for it.
Rachel made her Jethro using handspun leftovers which are in all natural shades, making for a very harmonious result.
She discusses this project in her stream, my link has a timecode to that part.
Wollyelly finished this illusion shawl. The bright colours are hand-dyed and spun BFL/silk. The colours change depending on the viewing angle.
www.ravelry.com/projects/woollyelly/northern-lights-shawl-20
Peony had some "boring" yarn that she dunked in dye. The result was more contrasty than the semi-solid that she'd hoped for, but she loved the result and used it in a jumper. She has since made this hat and mitts with the leftovers for an amazing-looking combo.
Thread Head has finished these handspun socks.
She used the stitch pattern from free pattern Syncopations Socks by Mary Henninger with the heel from Gusset Heel Basic Socks by Wendy Johnson.
This fibre is merino with a little silk from Aurelia Fibers and no longer available. Susan has spun around 440 yards and posted the pictures on the Autumn equinox.
Sometimes you can lose track of the length of your weaving. Araignee has woven this sock yarn scarf. She suspected that it was very long because she kept running out of weft yarn.
It turns out that it's "Dr Who long" (Tom Baker will always be 'my' Doctor). Pictures on this page show the scarf drying after wet-finishing.
This is the second spin from Susan this month, she certainly has an eye for colour.
This fibre is merino/silk from Fellview Fibres. The colours are inspired by illuminated manuscripts in books such as the Book of Kells. It looks soft and beautiful but it was a nuisance to spin because the silk and wool want to remain separate. Worth the trouble I think.
A selection of free seasonal patterns which will work well with handspun yarn.
following on nicely from the1764shepherdess' item on handspun crewel yarn, she has made this halloween-themed embroidery pattern available for free download.
If you're interested in learning more about the craft, she has since published this post containing a bunch of useful resources.
This crochet pattern appeared in Expression Fiber Arts' Free Pattern Friday. At the time of writing it's still free (in exchange for some details at checkout) but I'm not sure for how long.
This uses 1460 - 1480 yards of Light Fingering / 3 ply weight yarn. It's one for the advanced crocheter.
In some ways this pattern is simpler than it looks. It's a slip-stitch pattern, making the colourwork easy since you only use one colour at a time. It uses two colours but as you can see from the pictures it can look more complex if you use a semi-solid or variegated yarn for the contrast colour. The pattern is easier to memorise than it might seem.
It's a fine knit though and will require fingering-weight yarn on 2.25mm needles. The author suggests a tightly-twisted yarn. The effect is great.
This started for me as an article about tension in crochet, which you may enjoy as well. Within it is a link to Frida's Flowers crochet blanket, which was a collaboration between Janie Crowfoot and Stylecraft and presented as a Crochet-a-long. The design was inspired by the dresses worn by Frida Kahlo and by Mexican folk art.
It's a pattern for improvers rather than beginners.
www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/crochet-and-knit-along/usa/fridas-flowers
Lucy says that this pattern is a must-make for Halloween. Text instructions and a chart are on this page.
This eye-catching design protects the surface of pans when stacked inside one another.
The pattern is a free download, without even a sign-up.
Also see the fancier version here, also free.
This is a cosy and great-looking cowl that allows you to choose from three weights of yarn (DK, worsted/aran, and chunky) and three sizes.
The authors claim that reversible cables are even easier than regular cables, but if you need it they provide a tutorial.
Despite the name, this jumper is designed for autumn. It has long sleeves but is fairly lightweight.
The pattern also has a short-sleeve and sleeveless options. It comes with 12 sizes. It's made in sport-weight (14 wpi) yarn.
Scourie is the name of a hat / cowl combo from Woolly Wormhead and collaborator Tom Paterson. I'm linking to the cowl where there's a link to the hat in the first sentence.
It's knit sideways in cosy garter stitch with a short-row motif. The pattern includes clear instructions.
These socks are probably more suitable for treadling or general indoor wear because of the stitch pattern which may abrade in boots.
As listed by Kate in the Spin Off Sock Fiber Roundup. The pattern is available in the Winter 2016 Spin Off and in an e-book with four other patterns.
This is the next pattern in Kate's round-up. She suggests that this pattern would be suitable for a 3-ply yarn with a little bit of marling. The lacy motif around the leg is eye-catching.
The pattern is available in an e-book with five other lace patterns suitable for spinners.
The pattern page for these socks gives the details of three spinners' choices of fibre and yarn construction. Two chose a wool/silk mix, the other 100% wool. One went for 2-ply, the other two 3-ply.
This is the next in Kate's sock fibre/pattern roundup, another that's available in the fall 2024 Spin-Off.
This pattern encourages playing with colour. The heel allows the colour changes to flow.
These socks are said to be sturdy and suitable for a gansey-style yarn.
These socks are super-quick to knit as they use bulky (7 wpi) yarn on 4.5mm and 5mm needles. You can mix and match colours to use scraps.
Tanis has had a hit this year with her Jethro granny-square cardigan with some crafters using handspun leftovers.
There are six sizes that use 925 - 2150 yards of approx DK weight.
Sleeves are stockinette, button band and border are knit rib.
Rebecca calls this a "hugely approachable cardigan pattern for the crochet-curious sweater knitter".
Dana recommends the Corran Cardigan. She calls it a 'choose your own adventure knit' because of the options available.
It has all-over lace and you can choose between a v-neck or a crew neck and long sleeves or short sleeves.
This is a fun, seasonal pattern for using small amounts of yarn. It includes a tiny black cat!
This three-metre-tall lamb is made from wool that would have gone to waste. Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma has made this and other projects to draw attention to wool waste.
www.broadsheet.com.au...giant-lamb-made-hundreds-kilograms-wool...
Textile artist Archana Pathak doesn't use spun threads but cuts strips of printed fabrics thin enough to thread into a needle.
She usually uses vintage linen as a canvas.
Monika Kinner uses variegated hand dyed yarns stitched onto felt canvas to create tactile 'paintings' of her home area.
www.textileartist.org/monika-kinner-prairie-land-thread-paintings
Robin McCarthy makes cross-stitched flowers on wire mesh or chain-link fences.
www.textileartist.org/robin-mccarthy-interview-a-zen-process-to-embroidery
Eating Beauty is a collection of very sensual work by Samantha Fields. It's on show at the LaMontagne Gallery, Boston MA until October 12.
The best place to see the work online, with some comments from the artist, is her own Instagram.
This swimsuit and other objects contain bioluminescent algae.
The series of works combine traditional knowledge from artisans in the Pacific Islands with a new bioluminescent material.
'Spinning a Yarn' opens at Somerset Rural Life Museum in Glastonbury from 14 September to 30 November
An exhibition in the Mapstone Gallery will feature historic collections alongside work by contemporary artists whose work uses wool. The Nicola Turner and Trevor Pitt commissions in the Abbey Barn will close on 2 November.
The project aims to tell the story of wool in Somerset.
19 - 20 October 2024 Bakewell Agricultural Centre
A wool festival dedicated to the best of yarn, knitting, and crochet, in the heart of the Derbyshire Dales.
There will be exhibitors, demonstrations of fibre crafts and a fleece stand selling plenty of local fleece.
18 - 20 October 2024, The Trades Hall, Glasgow
Scotland's longest running yarn festival, championing local and innovative makers since 2011.
GSoY has an abundance of beautiful yarns, fibres, and accessories for every crafter.
26-27 October 2024 Leicester Racecourse, Oadby, Leicester LE2 4AL
30+ trade stalls, 30+ courses, food and free parking.
2 and 3 November 2024, Newton Abbot Racecourse.
Since 2016, Stitch Fest has moved to bigger venues and is now held under one roof at Newton Abbot Racecourse, showcasing some of the best independent makers, dyers, spinners and designers and a fabulous workshop and demonstration timetable.
8 - 9 November 2024, Sandburn Hall, York YO60 7RB
More details to follow
21 - 24 November 2024, Harrogate Convention Centre
Meet up with like-minded crafters, discuss ideas, learn new skills and shop for your annual craft supplies, including wool, beads and beyond from household name brands and special suppliers alike including Fabric Godmother, Toft and more.
I'm Shiela Dixon, I've been doing this for almost fifteen years in order to promote and encourage spinning and related crafts.
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