I realized that I didn’t include a photo of my purchases from Yarndale last fall. It looks remarkably restrained, in part because there are two balls of yarn in the bag up at the top right, and also because I was judicious in my purchases because of how much space yarn takes up:
I ended up giving away two of the skeins you can see (one to my friend Estelle, and one to my friend Anne who sent me the Yarnageddon mug) along with the two skeins that are not in the photo. Now I am just about to swatch this lovely Glencroft Clapdale Wool (on the far right of the the photo above) for a cowl for my husband:
It’s 100% British wool in a DK weight that felt absolutely gorgeous in the show booth. I’m excited to see how this knits up!
As a handknits designer, I know that the majority of knitters who stitch up my patterns will not be using the yarn called for in the pattern. Just look at this amazing gallery of just some of the yarns used to knit up the Serenity Smocked Headband, written for KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud DK (which was only used once in 41 projects)!
Sometimes knitters substitute yarns because they are using one of my older patterns, like Juju Au Lait, and the company has discontinued the recommended yarn line. Or maybe the recommended yarn is a bit spendy, and the recipient is unlikely to care for the finished object the way another yarnie would (people who throw non-superwash handknit socks in the washing machine, I’m looking at you).
I substitute yarns because it keeps my yarn collection from becoming “aspirational clutter.” Which is where YarnSub comes in!
I discovered YarnSub when swatching my new pattern over the holidays. The Blue Sky Hand-Dyed Bulky yarn in my stash was from many, many years ago (so long ago that the ball bands still bear the yarn company’s previous name, Blue Sky Alpacas), and the company no longer makes the hand-dyed version.
Additionally, the new pattern will call for between 5-7 hanks (depending on size), which could be expensive. More importantly, Blue Sky Fibers Bulky is not available directly from the manufacturer’s website, and I wasn’t able to easily find a stockist.
YarnSub to the rescue When I typed in “blue sky fibers bulky” I received a list of 30 possible substitutes! Luckily for knitters, there is an excellent substitute that is widely available and very affordable. Thank you YarnSub for providing this amazing service!
I just realized that I never posted photos from the Jane Austen Festival in Bath last September! Last year’s festival was particularly celebratory as 2025 was the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. The town was full of Janeites in Regency costume, including us!
My spencer jacket looked wonderful with the pink dress, and you can see that I added a ruffle to the bottom and the cuffs, which nicely finished the bracelet-length sleeves (the dress was quite wrinkled after a long day of train rides and boat rides, though):
And here’s a photo of the finished blue dress at Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, Hampshire (holding the spencer):
I’m so happy to have made my costumes, particularly since I can revise the patterns to make others for future events.
p.s. Just a reminder that I’m not just a Jane Austen fan, I’m a Jane Austen designer! Click here to learn more about my Austen-inspired patterns for a reticule and neckcloth!
Many years ago I was a knitster on a TV show and received about 10 skeins of the hand-dyed version of Blue Sky Bulky to knit the featured project, a cropped cardigan. That project looked terrible on me so I never finished it, and the beautiful yarn has been sitting in this bag in the garage, unfrogged, ever since.
I started playing around with the yarn again and remembered how wonderful it is to knit with. It has a beautiful hand, and a surprisingly drapey feel for a bulky yarn. I’ve started a large swatch to see whether I can get a capelet out of 5 skeins (about 225 yards). Hopefully you’ll be seeing a new pattern in my shop soon!
I still have dreams of learning to crochet one day. and this beautiful blanket that I saw in a shop near Glenshee in Blairgowrie, Scotland last month reminds me why:
The handwritten tag doesn’t give the artist’s name, only that it was made “by a local crafter” of 100% cotton. What I find truly remarkable is the price of only £130. A blanket at this gauge would take me at least 10 hours to knit (probably many more hours than that), plus materials. This is worth every penny, and more — truly a labor of love.
We take every opportunity to stay at National Trust properties when we are in England and Wales, so were thrilled when Springwell Cottage was available when we decided to stop for a couple of nights near Hadrian’s Wall. The cottage is across the street from The Sill, which houses the Northumberland National Park visitor’s centre, as well as a pub, and is less than a mile away from Sycamore Gap, where two years ago vandals cut down a landmark tree without any apparent reason. Remarkably, we were staying in nearby Greenhead when it happened.
But the best part about the cottage was what we saw just outside our window on arrival:
Our own flock of sheep! They were there day and night, eating constantly and rarely lying down. When you can get their attention, they seem to love to pose for the camera:
For a knitter, there can be nothing so enchanting as a room with a ewe.
missknitta
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