yarn – Ruth E. Hendricks Photography

Aubergine Yarn Color in Two Lights

Aubergine yarn in two light- a great color name, isn’t it?

A friend gave me a sweater’s worth of Harrisville Designs Highland Yarn. Wooly warmth for next winter! I never worked with it before and it is nice to wind and knit. I’d like to finish it before summer’s full heat kicks in.

I used my iPhone to document progress of the sweater (pattern is Larch by Pam Allen, available on Ravelry).

I snapped the front, then the back. Ooops, the flash went off in the second shot.

Sweater in two lights

Available light-

Electronic Flash below –

some of you will want to pick off the little fuzzy lint in the photo There’s a bit of vegetative matter in this wonderful yarn

Watch this two minute video to see how wool is milled and spun into yarn – Harrisville, New Hampshire.

A Day in the Life of an American Woolen Mill

From their website-

“Highland is one of our flagship yarns, available in 64 tweedy, heathered, woolen spun colors. This yarn is perfect for a cozy New England sweater, or a favorite pair of mitts. The yarn was engineered to wear better and better with every wash. Don’t let the crunch fool you. After 10 years of constant wear, you’ll know why we spun it this way.”

May 14, 2018 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: aubergine, available light, design, eggplant, friend, Harrisville Designs, Harrisville New Hampshire, iPhone photography, knitting, Larch sweater, New England, Pam Allen, photography, Ravelry, skein, sweater, wool, woolen mill, yarn 17 Comments

Millvale Welcomes McWalker Yarns

Millvale welcomes McWalker Yarns A wonderful new LYS (Local Yarn Store) Opening Day tomorrow, Saturday April 21st at 9:30. I had the pleasure of photographing the owner, Amy Walker McCall today. How nice she made time to give me a tour when she was super busy, readying the store for opening tomorrow. 303 Grant Avenue is just across the street from the gas station. Tuesday and Wednesday the store will be CLOSED but open every other day of the week with the tagline “Yarns at a variety of price points with hours for working crafters.”

Stitch Party Yarn dyed locally in Millvale.

Three Pittsburgh area LYS have closed in recent months and what a loss to our community. How fortunate that Amy created a business plan and put in a lot of preparation and hard work to make her creative vision a reality. Millvale is a happening place, you’ve read many posts of mine before featuring all it has to offer. And it is just over the Allegheny River, not a long ride at all.

The store is laid out by the weight of the yarn which is so helpful when you are trying to find just the right yarn for a project you are dream knitting in your mind.

Need help finding something specific? Check out this thorough colored labeling system.

A basketful of possibility

These O- wool yarns are organic “yarn that is environmentally responsible, affordable, and made locally in Philadelphia and the USA.”

Allergic to wool? Lots of alternatives to choose from. Here is some soft cotton with a hint of nylon in it Check out the Cumulus below

Be sure to see and feel the variety of Swans Island Yarn from Maine. The Bicycle Hat is a bit blurred but if you know a cyclist, I know they’d love you to knit them the hat!

Ceramic Yarn Bowls

Gradient Cakes

Good Water & Co Project Bags

Knitting Needles

Looks like an inviting couch and chair to sit and knit a bit! Wishing you all the best, Amy, as you launch your wonderful McWalker Yarns store tomorrow!

April 20, 2018April 20, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: #knitting, #MillvalePA, #Pittsburgh Photography, #PittsburghKnitting, #yarnstore, handdyed yarn, knitting, Local Yarn Store, LYS, McWalker Yarns, Millvale PA, mohair, organic fibers, silk yarn, yarn, yarn and fiber 6 Comments

Pittsburgh’s Indie Knit & Spin

You know how much I love different yarns and all the possibilities they inspire.

Last Saturday I went with a friend to the Ace Hotel in East Liberty to check out the Pittsburgh Indie Knit & Spinevent, held in the former YMCA gym. The “boutique hotel” was hopping, serving lunch and drinks and coffee, while eager knitters perused the booths.

A vendor at one booth was wearing this pin.Two dinosaurs winding yarn!

Although the vendor preferred anonymity she was more than happy to share the story of her quirky and creative pin. She told me to google Malojos So fun. Meet the designer of the pin who lives in Chicago About Natalie Have you seen the 14K gold gauge rings she makes?

I limited myself to purchasing a single skein of sparkle yarn named “The Shire” ( my first sparkle yarn) HandDyed by Trisha Eliason of Gypsy Stardust Yarn and Fiber Shop.

Good Water and Co. is a mother-daughter team dedicated to bringing the world a better knitting bag. Based in central Pennsylvania, each Good Water and Co. bag is handcrafted from start to finish, with no two bags being exactly alike. We are dedicated to providing knitters and crocheters with funky and innovative solutions to everyday problems. – from their Website

They had many great bags and had repurposed dresser scarves sewn into project bags to hold knitting projects or whatever else you might think of-

The Ace Hotel hosts Knitting in the Knook every third Tuesday, too. Offering tea and a cozy place to sit and knit. My friend Ann and I went to knit in February and everyone was so nice. That’s how I learned about the Indie Knit & Spin Event.

March 31, 2018 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: Ace Hotel, Ace Hotel Knitting, art, Chicago, creativity, design, dresser scarves, gauge ring, hand dyed yarn, handdye, Indie Knit and Spin, knitting, knitting bag, knitting community, Knitting in the Knook, photography, Pittsburgh Knitters, postaday, project bag, sparkle yarn, yarn 8 Comments

Circles in Squares

A one sided Tic-tac-toe.

The dining room fireplace tiles and the balls of yarn were right there. I took them out of their reflective yarn bowls and centered them on the square tiles. Fun.

Coming in on the end of this Month of March challenge created by BeckyB https://beckybofwinchester.com/2018/03/01/march-square/

March 26, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: #Marchsquare, challenge, circles, dining room, fireplace, hearth, home, photography, Pittsburgh PA, postaday, tic-tac-toe, tiles, yarn 12 Comments

Harmony, Maine Yarn

I’ve been to Harmony, Pennsylvania but not Harmony, Maine. Recently I watched a Kristy Glass Knits knitting video where she told about Bartlett Yarn Woolen Mills (since 1821) manufacturing yarn.

The man on the video featuring Hudson Valley Sheep and Wool said, “Bartlett is a mainstay for us. This is your grandma’s yarn. This is real true farm yarn. Or your great grandmother’s yarn. At Christmas, a lot of people buy it to make stockings .” Well, I’m getting a head start this year. My friend Deb has been knitting Christmas stockings and inspired me to knit them for my grandchildren. You might remember her gauge difficulties with her Christmas stocking- I blogged it last January.

The grandmother who taught me to knit was born 126 years ago on February 7th.

That very day, I got on the phone and spoke with a nice woman and told her what I wanted to knit. Three days later I got a box of yarn from Harmony, Maine. She helped me select Spruce Heather, Cranberry and Natural. I added the other heather to create sock monkeys on the stockings, which I graphed. Mark’s old stocking from childhood served as a guide and I found a vintage knitting pattern from the 60’s on Etsy to serve as a template for the actual stocking. The woman who knit Mark’s stocking in Clarion PA was named Jane. My plan is to knit one a month and have them ready for NEXT Christmas. For the grandchildren. Getting an early start this year. And yes I did finish James’ sweater and he loves it!

Knitting bowls gifted from Toni, Laura and Bill.

Already I realize my monkey is a bit too tall. Back to the drawing board.

February 11, 2018February 11, 2018 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: #Kristyglassknits, Bartlett Yarn, childhood, Christmas, Christmas Stocking, design, gauge, grandmother, Harmony Maine, Hudson VAlley Sheep and Wool, Knit, knitting, Mary Alta Kerr Hendricks, paternal grandmother, photography, postaday, sock monkey, vintage, woolen mill, yarn, yarn bowl 6 Comments

Little Knit Cactus

When you get a request from your granddaughter for a knitted item, you try to oblige. Within reason of course. -I’m thinking “a hat, mittens, a scarf……”

“Could you make me a knitted cactus?” Anna asked.

Huh?

I didn’t know there was such a thing. Thanks to Pinterest spreading the word, succulents, knitted, crocheted and stitched are a trend.

Mine looks different from the pattern by Lucille Randall. (which is free on Ravelry)

Might need more stuffing. Also I need my friend Donna or FF Marlene to help crochet a better flower. I followed the directions but it seems knitting is my stronger skill for sure.

When I started. I used DPNs size one. When I was telling my knitting friend, I had a flashback to a knit cactus I saw a couple of years ago at Hill Country Weavers in Austin, Texas. We were in line to check out and there it sat. Never thought another thing about it until now and I’d taken a quick phone photo.

Thanks for the Dream in Color Handpainted yarn, Molly. AND for finding that skein of Kidsilk Haze in the Jelly color. Unbelievable.

February 3, 2018February 3, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: cacti, cactus, crochet, decoration, Dream in Color, family, granddaughter, Hill Country Weavers, knitting, knitting pattern, Lucille Randall, photography, postaday, Ravelry, Rowan Kid Silk Haze, sewing, succulent, yarn 21 Comments

Mend

Mend.

No, it’s not the word of the week. And I haven’t done much mending lately.

It’s just that Mark asked if I could mend/repair his beloved Dude Cowichan Sweater. Both elbows were worn. I brought it home with me from Ohio.

There’s an incredible sense of satisfaction in having accomplished this task.

I got some yarn and mended the holes first, and then I ordered elbow patches and stitched them on using a blanket stitch. The tiny perforations weren’t easy to get the needle through and I wish I had my mother’s thimble. It’s in my house but I didn’t look too deeply.

Mark’s sweater looks brand new.

No, I didn’t knit it. I mended it.

Just repaired the holes in the elbows and added the patches.

Scroll down to listen to Al Green sing-

and thanks to dictionary.com

Mend- to make (something broken, worn, torn, or otherwise damaged) whole, sound, or usable by repairing: to mend old clothes; to mend a broken toy. 2. to remove or correct defects or errors in.

‎On the mend · ‎Mend one’s fences · ‎Mend one’s ways · ‎Commend

And Al Green sings How Can You Mend a Broken Heart ?

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

Did people really reserve a whole day to mend?

Early Thursday morning was the day reserved for mending according to the nursery song Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush

January 9, 2018 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: Al Green, All Around the Mulberry Bush, clothing, Cowichan sweater, family, fashion, knitting, Lebowski, mend, mending, patches, Pendleton, photography, postaday, repair, sewing, sweater, yarn 16 Comments

Crocheted Tree Blankets on Christopher Street

When we arrived in the city Tuesday evening after the long train ride from Pittsburgh we walked down to the Hudson River after supper. It was dark so I didn’t see the colorful crocheted blankets on the trees.
Then yesterday we were on Hudson Street and WHOA- there they were brightening up the landscape.
Here’s an article about the creator of the project – Holly Boardman owner of Musée Lingerie on Christopher says ” It takes about one hour to crochet a single square, and we have over 1,880 squares on our Christopher Street block. That took about 80 days!”

A total transformation of ordinary tree trunks into colorful street art

Here’s the first one I spotted on Hudson Street and then we rounded the corner on Christopher…

November 23, 2017 by Ruth Categories: Fiber Art, PhotographyTags: art, Christopher Street, city scene, crochet, crocheting, Fiber Art, Greenwich Village, lingerie, Musée Lingerie, NYC, photography, postaday, street art, transformation, tree, tree blankets, tree trunks, trees, West Village, yarn 14 Comments

HANDYED Yarn in BERLIN at Die Wollnerin

Meet Sabine Bornemann.

Hand Dyer of gorgeous yarn and yarn shop owner in the Schoenberg Neighborhood –Die Wollnerin .Very close to Winterfeld Platz.

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Handcrafted little zipper bags for notions, stitched by another woman (whose name I will add when I get it)

42608A5F-9241-40DE-B9A0-B509734CD410 AB43D938-8889-4D52-8CA1-64969D125B6B My first trip I bought a single skein of this lucious Alpaca Silk Cashmere and then made a second trip to buy another skein. My last day in Berlin I bought the hand dyed sock yarn of the loveliest merino and a bit of nylon for endurance. On my final day, I took Sabine’s photo as I said I would for the People at Work Series. Thank you Sabine. Your shop is wonderfully inspiring to me.

Looking forward to my return visit in the Spring.

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November 18, 2017November 18, 2017 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: Berlin, digital photography, hand dyed yarn, handcraft, knitting, photo, postaday, Schoenberg, sock yarn, yarn, yarn store 9 Comments

PUMPKIN hat season- again

There’s been a lot of buzz about the early appearance of pumpkin spice lattes. Not too much about pumpkin hats.

People gripe about rushing the season. It’s a short window for pumpkin hats.

Plus, as babies age and turn into toddlers with their own fashion sense, they may reject sporting a pumpkin on their head!

Spoiler Alert: These two knitted pumpkin hats are for my first cousins twice removed. (Or my first cousin’s new grandson and his big sister.)

The pattern Punkin’Head is by Tara Thomsen and is available for free on Ravelry.

Color: Bittersweet Yarn: Premier Yarns Everyday: Deborah Norville Collection

(Wash and dry with ease for mom)

Two years ago I knit eight of these in a week.

September 11, 2017September 11, 2017 by Ruth Categories: knitting, PhotographyTags: autumn, baby, cousin, knitting, photography, postaday, pumpkin, Pumpkin hat, Ravelry, toddler, yarn 10 Comments

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