Category: Making
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To Block or Not To Block: When is Re-blocking Necessary?
Keeping handmade garments looking their best means that they will need to be re-blocked periodically. There, I said it. Makers block a piece of handmade by using water or steam to relax the fibers and make the fabric malleable enough to set the shape and smooth the fabric manually. Blocked fabric holds the shape the…
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Wool Wash: What is it Good For?
Welcome to the Handmade, Washed & Worn series, where we explore how to wash, block, and store hand-knit and crochet projects. Whether you’re caring for a favorite sweater, a treasured shawl, or everyday accessories, these posts will help you keep your handmade items looking their best. In today’s installment, we’ll focus on : Wool Wash:…
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Answering The Call of the Hook
I hadn’t crocheted in a long time, but teaching beginners to crochet this summer reminded me how much I enjoyed the craft. While I prepped samples and step-outs (little pieces that I use to show each step of a technique), muscle memory kicked in, and my hook started to sing. And just like that, I…
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Handmade, Washed and Worn: 5 Reasons Handmade Fabrics Need Different Care than Store-Bought Clothes
Welcome to the Handmade, Washed & Worn series, where we explore how to wash, block, and store hand-knit and crochet projects. Whether you’re caring for a favorite sweater, a treasured shawl, or everyday accessories, these posts will help you keep your handmade items looking their best. In today’s installment, we’ll focus on : 5 Reasons…
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The Ritual of Caring for Hand-Knits
Before Wash and Wear My grandma’s wash day was a big production. Her open-tub washing machine looked like a big, white barrel with two wooden cylinders clamped to the top. Although grandma and my aunt were machine washing the clothes, they still handled each piece of laundry multiple times during the process. They scrubbed collars…
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The Art of Stash Diving: Mix, Match, and Make From Your Stash
If you’ve been knitting for a while, you know how easy it is to build up a stash that feels like a lot of yarn, but it doesn’t feel like you have usable quantities of yarn. I want to work primarily from my stash in 2026. The stash journey started with my Otaheite Cardigan. I…
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Coloured Knitting: When A Vintage Knitting Book isn’t Cozy
Mary Thomas’s Knitting Book, a 1972 reprint of a 1938 work, revealed casual racism through disturbing illustrations. The book reflects oppressive societal norms, prompting the author to confront the intertwining of race and leisure in her knitting experience, emphasizing resilience in a biased world.
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Fix It or Frog It: How I Got My Knitting Mojo Back
When my knitting came to a standstill, I turned to the very process I’d been teaching others. By inspecting, evaluating, and deciding, I discovered a straightforward way to get unstuck and fall back in love with my projects.
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When Yarn Becomes a Luxury–Tariffs, Uncertainty, and the Slow Unravelling of Our Crafting Identities
Still, hobbies ameliorate the stressors of work, the news, or family life. And they are entwined with indentity. Many hobbyists, rather than describing how they engage with an activity (“I play video games” or “I enjoy quilting”), define themselves as a gamer or quilter. Now Americans may need to rethink their relationships to these activities.–Lora…
