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Mary Jane Mucklestone

Hand Knitting Blog & Knitting Patterns

wool

Springtime in Maine

May 1, 2018 by Mary Jane 2 Comments

The days are getting warmer…at least some of the time! That means outdoor adventures that can finally include knitting without fear of frozen fingers. Last weekend I visited Arrowsic Island, home of Squirrel Point Light, an easy day trip from Portland. After a ramble down a long dirt road it’s an easy hike out to the light on the Kennebec River. Walk a little further for fantastic views from Bald Head. We watched hunting ospreys and bald eagles nesting.

If you haven’t already, sign up for my Newsletter! I’ll have special offers and that’s the only way to get them!

Although the earlybird rates are over, you can still sign up for Knit Stars. The team will be visiting me here in Maine, I’m hoping to take you to some of my favorite places to knit! Places that inspire me are where I get my best ideas. Use this link: https://knitstars.mykajabi.com/a/4441/nntkGo6u

Where is your favorite springtime place to knit?

My Maritime Mitts are perfect for this weather! Find them on Ravelry – Just click the pic!

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Arrowsic Island, color, colorwork, fiber, fibre, knit, Knit Stars, knitting, knitting pattern, Maine, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Squirrel Point Light, wool

Be a Knit Star Earlybird

April 18, 2018 by Mary Jane Leave a Comment

Hey All! A reminder that Knit Stars Earlybird enrollment ends Friday night April 20, 2018, and I don’t want you to miss out!

Sign up here: https://knitstars.mykajabi.com/a/4441/nntkGo6u

How do the classes work?
Knit Stars occurs during three-weeks in November. Every other day, a new class will appear on the Knit Stars site, where you are enrolled. You’ll be able to watch classes on your computer, your phone, your iPad—at any time of the day. You’ll have access to the classes and resources (including patterns and class handouts) forever. So you can watch them any time you want!

The Knit Stars film crew will spend this summer traveling around the world visiting a dozen instructors in their home studios. That means Norway, Finland, Denmark, Nashville, Seattle, Victoria BC to name a few. They will be coming to my home in Maine, you won’t believe where I live! My funny tiny home!

What are you teaching?
I’ll be teaching the principles of Fair Isle knitting and how they make colorwork easy and efficient. I’ve got a new cowl design for Knit Stars students to have before anyone else. It’s not strictly Fair Isle knitting, and I’ll explain exactly why. We’ll study other northern stranded knitting traditions and see their similarities and differences. And of course we’ll discuss color. I’ll share tips for choosing colors and blending the shades you have on hand, and what to look for at your LYS…and so much more!

Who else is teaching?
Oh my goodness, such talent! Ann & Kay of Mason Dixon Knitting, Ann Budd, Andrea Rangel, Arne & Carlos, Carson Demers, Cecelia Campochiaro, Christel Seyfarth, Lorilee Beltman and Veera Välimäki.

When is the online summit ?
Knit Stars 3.0 happens November 26 – December 14, 2018.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: apparel, artisinal, color, colorwork, colour, craft, fair isle, fiber, fibre, handknitting, handmade, handmade craft, knit, Knit Stars, knitting, Mary Jane Mucklestone, stranded knitting, wool, yarn

North Stars Rising

April 11, 2018 by Mary Jane 1 Comment

Exciting Announcement Tomorrow!
★
North Stars Rising!
✭

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: artisinal, color, colorwork, colour, craft, fair isle, fiber, fibre, handknitting, handmade, knit, knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Jane Mucklestone, North Stars Rising, wool, yarn

Oorik Pattern Reveal!!!

September 2, 2017 by Mary Jane 3 Comments

Oorik_MaryJaneMucklestone

I’m pleased as punch to reveal my contribution, Oorik, to the great new book A Year of Techniques by the ever-clever duo at Arnall-Culliford Knitwear, Jen and Jim.

Oorik is a sweet vest for the toddler in your life, the word Oorik which means “small person” in old Shetland dialect.

Knit in the round with just four colors. Of course never more than two are used in a single round. The sweet vest features two border patterns alternated with a single peerie pattern. I feel the colors are suitable for all genders, but they are easily substituted for you to dream up your own color scheme, which would be really fun. I can’t wait to see what folks come up with.

Steeking is the technique you’ll learn with Oorik. As with every project in this stellar book there is a technique to learn and master. Jen and Jim have made a video tutorial which will be go live on Mason-Dixon Knitting on 1st Feb 2018, the same date as a KAL will begin.

A Year of Techniques (with complimentary ebook) costs £19.99 plus shipping, or you can buy the ebook only for £19.99.

Visit Arnall-Culliford Knitwear to purchase.

A kit with the yarn will soon be available in their shop as well.

I hope you’ll join us for the KAL in February…if you can wait that long!

If I ever need cheering up I look at the many photos of Jen and Jim’s niece the vest. I know full well how challenging photographing a toddler can be – she is the cutest!!!

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Filed Under: Patterns Tagged With: apparel, artisinal, color, colorwork, colour, fiber, fibre, handknitting, handmade, knit, knitting, knitting pattern, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Oorik, ravelry, shetland, steeking, stranded knitting, tutorial, Vest, wool, yarn

Nash Island Sheep Shearing

May 18, 2017 by Mary Jane 24 Comments

Nash is an island in Maine inhabited only by sheep. Sheep and gulls. Once upon a time, a hundred years ago, a family lived in a lighthouse on the next tiny island, and the lighthouse keeper’s daughter Jenny, kept a flock of sheep. The descendants of these sheep still live on these islands, all by themselves, with the gulls. The islands lie in the middle of the blue of the sea and the blue of the sky. They are nearly flat, with no trees, only brambles, short grasse and bog. Stony grey beach surrounds them, strewn with seaweed and bleached driftwood.
It’s a magical place.

Every year, this community of sheep is invaded by another community. A small flotilla of lobster boats arrive with a lively crew of humans set for shearing the flock’s lovely fog washed fleece. They’ve been doing it for years, the same group of people, family, old friends, a smattering of new friends. As people wade ashore, unloading the boats by passing needed supplies hand to hand, the sheep take one look and head for the far side of the island – having none of it.

Coffee and breakfast breads lure the folk together so Alfie Wakeman can explain the drill. As a child he summered nearby and became close friends with Jenny Cirone, the shepherdess. She taught him how to lobster fish and they fished and tended her sheep together until she died at 91.  Jenny gave the islands and sheep over to Alfie and he and his family have been the stewards ever since, doing things the way Jenny always did them.

Rounding up the sheep is done without dogs, only people. Alfie explains the time tested strategy. A couple of runners, head out to circle the edge of the island, herding the sheep along the coast, while separate teams of people hide in clumps in the bog and field, trying their best to look like rocks.

As the sheep pass them, these teams stand up and stretch their arms wide to discourage the sheep from retreating or heading inland. As more groups stand up, all move forward in wide-armed paper doll lines, encouraging the sheep into the weathered pens by the shore.

Now the real work begins. Separating the lambs from their mothers, “lamb tossing” is a lively and challenging operation. Fearless teenagers grab lambs from amidst the mass of wooly baaing ewes and hand them over the fence where they are passed off to someone else who carries the flailing lamb – all pink ears and sharp little hooves – over to another person situated in the lamb pen.

Here they are checked and administered to and set free. The mothers are not happy with this situation. Their crying and calling out to their babies will continue all day.

The shearing itself is spectacular. Four amazing women on the mats, shears sharpened. Donna Kausen and Geri Valentine have each been shearing for 35+ years, while Eleni, Alfie’s wife has been at it for 8 and 2016 was their eldest daughter Wren’s second. Their strength, stamina and precision is astounding.The sheep are wrangled one by one out of the pens and onto the mats, grabbed by the shearer and together with the wrangler put on their rumps, and clamped between the shearers legs.

Alongside the shearer is the specialized job of “shit picking,” getting the worst of the soiled fleece away from the good parts. Shit-pickers must be nimble, act quickly and not get in the way of the shearers or wranglers. In between shearing the sweeper keeps the mats clean with a quick pass of the broom.

The newly shorn fleeces are handed over to Jani Estell, island wool manager and owner of Starcroft Fiber Mill, a gem – my hero – with a sly smile, sparkly eyes and dry wit, who never seems to hurry yet keeps the whole show going.

She has a special touch for sorting fleeces. Fleeces with the longest staple fiber, shiny and lustrous are reserved for hand spinning (sold before they are even off the animals). The soft silky first shearing lamb fleece are for her very special Fog yarn. The prime ewe fleece, long and soft with a fine crimp are for Nash Island Light, a luscious worsted weight yarn. Soft bouncy fleece that’s “scoodgy” (a made up word because one was lacking) and crimped is for Tide, the dk weight yarn often used for colorwork. No island wool is wasted, anything that does not make the grade is used for felting fiber – reported to be the best out there.

As Jani calls out the grade, the fleeces fly on the skirting table where a small legion of fiber enthusiasts skirt them. Though the island lifestyle keeps the fleeces incredibly clean, there are still odd bits of brambles, seaweed and soiled areas that must be pulled out. The fleeces are carefully rolled up in vintage floral sheets, labeled and later put into huge burlap bags. Jani will hand skirt every fleece a second time when they get to her mill.

When the sun is directly overhead it’s time to break for an unbelievable potluck spread. Shearers eat first! After refueling and resting the shearing will continue. When finally finished and the sun approaches the waterline, the whole crowd will load the boats with fleece and gear and head for the mainland happy and satisfied with a job well done. The final task of the day is dropping the rams off on a different smaller island to spend the summer away from the girls, ensuring no lambs will be inconveniently born in winter – and a reason you find so many islands called Ram amongst Maine’s coastal islands.

On Nash, the ewes and lambs are relieved to be reunited and happy to have the island to themselves again.

Find Nash Island wool turned into knitting yarn at Starcroft Fiber Mill in Columbia Maine (starcroftfiber.com). Each fleece will be gently washed in bio-degradable soap. Once dry the fibers are hand-fed into the carding, drafting and spinning machines. The finished yarns are hand-dyed by Jani in small batches with colors inspired by the coastal beauty of Downeast Maine.

Essay by Mary Jane Mucklestone – first published in MAKING No.2/Fauna

 

 

Filed Under: Knitting, Travel Tagged With: Maine, Maine wool, Nash Island, Shearing, Sheep, wool

Foula Wool

December 12, 2016 by Mary Jane 1 Comment

foula_wool

I got a treat in the mail today, wool from one of the most remote, permanently inhabited islands in the UK, Foula, one of the Shetland Islands. The sheep on Foula are the least fussed with flock, living in isolation for a very long time, so their wool is probably the most like that of the original ancient Shetland breed of sheep.

The natural colors are beautiful, I got 2 balls of mioget and one ball of fawn. I intend to make a pair if Muckle Mitts so I can enjoy a good view of the yarn all winter! It feels surprisingly soft, which I was not expecting. Because the wool comes from such a small flock, several colors were sold out. I think that just adds to the charm. It seems pretty amazing that the wool can be ordered at all, and so lovely to receive with a handwritten thank you note.

It was easy to purchase online from the shepherds Magnus and Justyna Holburn who raise the sheep that grow the wool. Visit their website Foula Wool to learn more about it and to order. Don’t miss scrolling through the gorgeous sheep portraits taken by Magnus.

I hope to visit sometime, the ferry runs twice a week in the winter and 3 times a week in the summer. You’ve got to stay overnight. There’s good hiking with spectacular scenery and loads of birds to see. Foula means bird island in Old Norse. Sounds like an adventure I need to take!

Last summer, our group took a walk from the top of Sandness Hill, skirting the coast down to the beach at Deepdale and had spectacular views of Foula.

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Be sure to visit Kate Davie’s blog for an interview with Gudrun and I about our trips!

Learn more about Foula here!

Filed Under: Knitting, Travel Tagged With: foula wool, grandshetlandadventure, shetland, shetland wool, undyed, wool

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