Blueberry Hill Crafting

Mid-coast Maine in the fall

Morning light on Camden Harbor and Curtis Island

Lincolnville General Store

Wild Maine blueberries at the Camden Farmer’s Market

Afternoon sail out of Camden

Curtis Island Light

Owl’s Head Lighthouse

Mitchell Point Lighthouse in Port Clyde

Sunrise over Camden Harbor

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Nova Scotia

Traveling through Nova Scotia in September is truly one of the most spectacular trips I’ve ever taken 🙂

The view from the deck of our cottage on the cliffs of Cape Breton Island

Looking back at the Cabot Trail roadway, Cape Brenton Island Highlands, and the Northumberland Strait from the end of the Skyline Trail

The view from the kitchen sink in our cottage – it looks like a painting hung on the wall 🙂

Along Nova Scotia’s South Shore

Blue Rocks sunset

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Mohair in the breeze

 

A sunny, early fall afternoon with a light breeze is the perfect time to photograph mohair 🙂

The yarn is Sweet Georgia Silk Fog (76% silk / 24% fine kid mohair (266 yds) and Cashsilk Lace (55% silk, 45% cashmere) (400 yds), both in color Sapphire.

I used only ½ skein/each and knit on US 5s – just a long rectangle, on the bias, in each of the two yarns, then I machine-sewed them together lengthwise, so the resulting neck wrap shows off the subtle differences between the Silk Fog and the Cashsilk Lace.

Just a pop of sapphire blue to wrap around your neck on a cool summer evening . . .

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Dunes Dolman Cardigan – made for beach walking

 

I recently finished knitting one of Brooklyn Tweed’s new patterns; I liked the focus on texture and the unique shaping of this piece.  It took a while – the stitch pattern calls for a K1 P1 rib every other row – but the FO is beautiful and wearable.  My only hesitation is that the fabric produced by this yarn, while very soft and lovely to wear, feels somewhat fragile, as if it may stretch under the weight of the garment (even though it’s got a little nylon in the fiber).  I was very careful when wet blocking it, because it could have easily stretched way out of shape, and I even tossed it in the dryer for 20 minutes at the end to tighten everything up a little.  The sweater is already a little on the long side, so I’d prefer that it not stretch any further!

I went with the second smallest size – not my usual size range, but even though this garment calls for a lot of positive ease, anything larger seemed just gigantic.  I’m glad I chose the size I did, as this piece is already pretty oversized all over – any bigger and it would have felt like draping on an overcoat.

Pattern:  Dunes Dolman Cardigan

Yarn:  Magpie Fibers Swanky DK (80% superwash merino / 10% cashmere / 10% nylon) – 5 skeins (250 yds/ea) in Pretty in Pink

Needles:  US 6s and US 4s (for ribbing)

Size:  46″

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Sayer sleeveless summer top

I love this yarn, and knitting it double-stranded results in a perfect weight and feel.

Pattern:  Sayer by Julie Hoover for Purl Soho

Yarn:  Purl Soho Cattail Silk (100% silk) – 3 skeins (618 yds/ea) in color Deep Indigo, knit double-stranded

Needles:  US 5s and US 6s

Size:  43 1/2″ (fits chest size 38-40″)

I thought that the fit was spot-on, and the resulting fabric feels perfect for summertime 🙂

 

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Handspun and silk

This is a mash-up of stitch patterns and yarns, for a unique and incredibly soft effect.  The natural white yarn is handspun by Ryan of Knotty By Nature Fibre Arts, a single 125g skein I snagged while up in Victoria.  It’s 30% silk and 70% merino, with a wonderful thick/thin texture.  I cast on 17 stitches, slipped the first stitch of each row, then knit two selvedge stitches every row, and knit the following lace pattern in between the selvedge stitches:

R1 – K1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1
R2 – Purl all sts
R3 – K2, yo, sk2p, yo, k3, yo, sk2p, yo, k2
R4 – Purl all sts
R5 – K1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1
R6 – Purl all sts
R7 – k2tog, yo, k3, yo, sk2p, yo, k3, yo, ssk
R8 – Purl all sts

For the second half of the cowl, I used a partial leftover skein of Long Dog Yarn Single in color Hydrangea.  I double-stranded the Hydrangea yarn, and then knit both strands with a third strand of Lakes Yarn & Fiber Silk Single (color Delphinium).  For the pattern, I cast on 21 stitches, slipped the first stitch of every row, and knit in broken rib.

Both pieces are knit on US 11s, then bound off and seamed together.  The total length is approximately 40″ post-blocking.

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Banff lace cowl

Knit from one precious skein of yarn purchased at Lake Louise in Banff National Park:

Pattern – Shallows

Yarn – Qiviuk MQS Yarn (15% qiviuk, 80% extra fine merino, 5% mulberry silk) – one skein (217 yds) in color 5052

Needles:  US 4s

This is unbelievably soft – not very large, but perfect for a kitten-soft loop around my neck 🙂

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Colorwash Wrap in Long Dog Yarns

Pattern:  Slow Curves by Joji Locatelli

Yarn:  Long Dog Yarn Single (100% superwash merino) – 1 skein/ea of Coral Charm, Jawbreaker, Sucker Punch, and Hydrangea

Needles:  US 6s

I love how this came out, but I don’t think I’d ever knit another one – at over 500 stitches per row by the end, it feels endless!  I confess that I probably skipped a few rows and sped it up a little at the end – just couldn’t stand it any longer – but I don’t think it came out any the worse for it 🙂

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Speckled jersey lounge pants

My favorite kind of sewing project . . . quick, easy, satisfying, a chance to work with a really great fabric, and the end product fits well and is something I’ll wear all the time!

Pattern:  Hudson Pants by True Bias

Fabric:  Speckle Cotton Jersey by Robert Kaufman – 2 yards of color Natural

Size:  12

I used a jersey sewing machine needle and an overlock / stretch stitch, and had no problem at all working with the jersey fabric.  I thought the size I chose might be a little big, but it was spot-on.  The only mistake I made was making the elastic in the waistband a little long – I can compensate for it by tugging the pull ties tight, but it would have been better to have the elastic just a little bit tighter.

I love the pocket detail – and they’re positioned perfectly, just where you want to put your hands.  The 2″ elastic waistband is also nice, and I appreciate the finishing details that ensure it won’t roll and will stay well-anchored in place.

I think this entire project took me about three hours, start to finish – I would definitely make another pair!

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Summer Travels: Banff National Park and Lake Louise

We recently traveled to Banff National Park for our summer family vacation, and stayed at the Fairmont on Lake Louise – it was every bit as stunningly beautiful as I’ve heard!  Most of our time was spent hiking around Lake Louise (and photographing it at all times of day, because each time you see it, it seems more beautiful than before 🙂

This short hike took us up to a viewpoint above Peyto Lake, along the Icefields Parkway.  The turquoise blue color, from glacial run-off, is so stunning, it struck me anew every time I saw it and I could have sat here for hours.

You can see the Victoria Glacier, which feeds the lake and causes its bright turquoise color.

A lone canoe out at dusk

The Fairmont, seen from the far end of the lake

Canoeing on the lake at sunset

The view from the top of the Lake Louise Gondola, looking down at the Fairmont and Lake Louise

The top of the Agnes Lake hike

 

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Wax & Wool Pincushions

I love hand-poured candles and local, small-batch honey – two small indulgences that support artisans and add a little special touch to every day.  As a result, I end up with a lot of leftover glass jars – too lovely to recycle, but by now, taking up a lot of storage room!  Sometimes, I pour my own candles and gift them as gifts to friends and family, but I much prefer buying the beautiful fragrances from Wax & Wool 🙂

My newest creation is a “triple threat” recycle project:  it uses up leftover bits of yarn, scrap pieces of felted wool, and all of the pretty jars I’ve been collecting.  The pincushions are both beautiful and functional, and truly embrace “wax & wool,” since the jars come from candles (soy wax) or honey (beeswax), the covering is felted wool, and the stuffing inside is wool fiber.  I had fun trying to match the yarn and felted wool colors to the names of the honey or the candle scents 🙂  Each is unique, and they make special gifts for sewists, crafters, and makers of all kinds.

This pincushion was inspired by an upcoming project in By Hand Serial Lookbook No. 7, due out late September, so if you’d like to learn how they’re made and how you can make one of your own, check out Issue #7!

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The Dog Walker

A great basic – I love this grey color, it’s warm and cozy, goes with everything, and a flattering fit.  Plus, it knit up in just five days!  The yarn is 100% yak and it feels really wonderful – like alpaca, but without so much drape and stretch.

Pattern:  The Dog Walker

Yarn:  The Plucky Knitter Yakkity Aran (100% yak) – 6 skeins (160 yds/ea) in color Peppercorn

Needles:  US 10s and US 8s (for broken ribbing)

Size:  42″ (I was worried that this would be too big, but the pattern recommended 6-8″ of ease, and this would have given me about 4″ – I don’t actually think it gave me that much ease, so I’m glad I went with this size!)

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Willapa Cardigan

The perfect go-anywhere, where-with-anything cardigan!  I think that Fossil is the perfect neutral, and because it’s knit in Loft, it’s lightweight enough to be worn year-round, and feels light as a feather.

Pattern:  Willapa Cardigan

Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed Loft in color Fossil (7 skeins)

Size:  38-40″

Needles:  US 5s

 

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Knitting with Peerie

I finished this in a week – lots of car knitting on the way to vacation! – as a test knit for Jenn Steingass of Knit.Love.Wool.  I used Brooklyn Tweed’s new fingering weight yarn Peerie, and love how it knits up at a looser gauge – the resulting fabric is very soft but light.  I’m not as crazy about the color as I was when I bought the skeins – I would have preferred something more summery in retrospect, especially since I opted for the short-sleeve version.

Pattern:  Anaashah by Knit.Love.Wool

Yarn:  Brooklyn Tweed’s Peerie (100% domestic merino) – 5 skeins (210 yds/ea) in Gingersnap and one skein in Muslin

Needles:  US 5s (I used US 3s for the sleeve ribbing, but stuck with US 5s for the bottom hem ribbing)

Size:  C (finished bust of 43″, which should have given me over 5″ of positive ease, but I think I ended up with a lot less than that)

Also, be warned – this yarn REALLY stretches when it’s blocked!  I think it grew by at least 3″ – so much so that it went from a fairly short fit (15″ from armpit to hem) to overly long (at least 17″, maybe longer).  It bothers me enough that I’m going to re-block it and be more careful this time about setting the length.

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Strawberry Lemonade pullover

 

Yarn:  tot le matin yarns – Tot Twist (100% superwash merino) (365m/ea) – one skein each of Jus de Fraise, Tutti Frutti, Hermosa, Orge, Golden, and Oyat – knit with yarn doubled throughout.

Pattern:  I used my Bantam Hoodie pattern and knit a ribbed neckline instead of a hood.

Size:  37″

Needles:  US 6s

I love how this one turned out – it’s truly reversible and looks great on both sides, but right now, I’m wearing it “inside out,” so the reverse stockinette side shows.  The fade is so beautifully done throughout the yarns that even on the “right” (stockinette) side, it blends slowly and doesn’t show any jumps or stripes.  It took well over a month for this yarn to travel to me from France, but it was definitely worth it!

 

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Playing with Rit Dye and Shibori

This is one of those things where it’s hard to stop once you get going . . . all I can think about now is how many things I could dye!

This week’s projects included Shibori dyeing a spare piece of linen (with Rit Evening Blue mixed with Navy) to create a panel for the back of my old jean jacket:

And then I used two pieces of Robert Kaufman Soft Touch Double Gauze in White and Purl Soho’s instructions to make a quick lap duvet – so soft and cushy!  I used Rit Evening Blue, and then did a quick overdye dip into Navy.

 

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Candy Swirl fading wrap

Pattern:  Fading Point by Joji Locatelli

Yarn:  Long Dog Yarn Single (100% superwash merino, 400 yds) – 1 skein each of Island Breeze, Octopus’ Garden, Candy Swirl, Madilyn Got A Makeover, and Sweet Dreams

Needles:  US 5s

I do so love how this came out, but I’m still mastering the art of wearing such a large wrap – I don’t quite seem to know what to do with it all 🙂

 

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Dip-Dyed Keds

A quick and easy project, a chance to play with Rit Dye, and new ombre summer kicks for my youngest daughter 🙂

I followed the directions here, used color Aquamarine, and dipped them in Rit Fixative before tossing them into the washing machine.  I wish that I’d been able to keep them whiter toward the back of the shoes, but when I dipped the toes, the front toe wells filled up with liquid, and there was no way to pour it out without getting at least a little dripped over the backs.  Next time, if I wanted to keep a portion entirely white, I’d coat it with Vaseline ahead of time (like I did the rubber edging and soles).

It’s sure a fun way to create one-of-a-kind tennies in custom colors!

 

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