Last year, I got two cakes of Wolle's Yarn at Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival (SVFF). I had seen friends knit beautiful, color-changing shawls out of this yarn but didn't have a plan of my own. More often than not, this is how I buy yarn: I fall in love and bring home a skein or … Continue reading Lace Knitting and Mistakes
Author: madgeface
I knit, crochet, spin, and have done some experimenting with weaving and natural dye. I’m also a technical writer, mom to 3 boys, and enjoy gardening.
The Sky and Grass Handspun Sweater
Last January, I started to spin four braids of Wool for the Dame merino wool, three green and one blue. I started with the greens and decided to spin a giant true 3 ply, spinning straight from the braids. Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the greens before spinning them; here they all are on … Continue reading The Sky and Grass Handspun Sweater
Patience
I started this embroidery project in 2016 or 2017 with the idea of doing something extra special with the materials and tools, which kind of accumulated over time. I've discovered that I work best this way, albeit extremely slowly. But what's the rush? I name this project Patience only after considering calling it Meditation because … Continue reading Patience
Alhambra
Way back in 2010ish my friend Alana was making Anne Hanson's Alhambra, I think after a trip to Spain to see the castle itself. At the time, I was focused on other things, like learning how to spin, and then roller derby came along and I nearly stopped crafting 2011-2015, when I retired. But I … Continue reading Alhambra
Tap, tap, tap … Is this thing on?
A most excellent beetle A week ago I gave notice at a job I spent the better part of a year trying to get. Why? There was a layoff and a reorganization that moved me under another manager, with much more than I could handle. More on why: I went from being responsible for documenting … Continue reading Tap, tap, tap … Is this thing on?
January-February 2020 Playlist
Right now I skip to Time by Angelo De Augustine in this playlist, but thought I'd share the whole thing because that's what I was listening to up to about a week ago. Have a song you think I might like? Let me know in the comments! I love hearing new (and new-to-me) music! open.spotify.com/user/madgeface/playlist/2q1zBZxaFcbn39lHjS9nqi … Continue reading January-February 2020 Playlist
Anti-Racist Books: Becoming Better
I don't think you're a racist, I think we live in a racist system that's set up for white people. I recently wrote that to an old friend who had been called out as a racist on social media. I wanted to find some middle ground somehow so that he and the accuser could repair … Continue reading Anti-Racist Books: Becoming Better
December 2019 Playlist
Spotify just sent out 2019 playlists - all the songs you listened to most in 2019 in one place. I realized while listening to it and my regular playlists that I overplayed some and am currently really gravitating toward others that I recently added, so I made a new shorter playlist cleverly name December 2019 … Continue reading December 2019 Playlist
My Latest Sweater
This is the story of a sweater, but it starts with the story of another sweater … and then two more: All The Sweaters! Almost three years ago now, I stumbled on a picture of a beautiful sweater on Instagram - the Turka Bluesky from Natela Astakhova. I love the colors she chose and the … Continue reading My Latest Sweater
Hot Pepper Harvest and Sauce-making
One summer I grew tri-color peppers (capsicum annuum) from seed in a pot on our deck. As the peppers ripen, they turn from white to purple to yellow-orange to red and the plant is really pretty and did quite well. When it came time to harvest, I tossed a few shriveled peppers into our Meyer … Continue reading Hot Pepper Harvest and Sauce-making
Little Golden Notebook 