Author Archives: Louise Diggins
- 2nd February 2023
Delicous Death
- 20th January 2023
Winter Club Box
- 17th December 2022
Gnomes and Fairies
- 18th January 2022
Pip Pip Socks
- 2nd March 2021
Club boxes
- 18th August 2020
Summer Dyeing
- 4th April 2020
#virtualwonderwool
- 4th April 2020
Closed-Loop Cables – Increasing and Decreasing
- 19th September 2019
Saucepan Cake
At shows we can often be found munching on a piece of cake and we never knowingly travel with out a least one cake in the tin. The perfect show cake is a substantial and sturdy thing, without icing or …
- 13th September 2019
Seed collecting
I recently asked a question on Instagram about including free gifts with orders.
- 9th July 2019
Washing, pH and the bonkersness of natural dyes
I was going to write about some of the projects I have on my needles but blocking a new shawl brought home the totally unexpected affect of washing liquids.
- 19th May 2019
Dyeing with Dock
Woollenmatters suggested a hashtag on Instagram to celebrate the humble dock as a dye plant. She had a lovely photo of four skeins ranging in colour from a rich yellow, through rust and tan and finally a dark brown. It …
- 1st May 2019
Wonderwool Wales
We’ve just come back from a blustery weekend at Wonderwool Wales.
- 5th March 2019
Cornus Midwinter Fire
The Cornus needed pruning and a quick Google search says that Dogwoods give a blue dye.
- 5th March 2019
Natural dyeing with Eucalyptus bark
Before I played with wool I grew plants for a living, there were a lot of hardy exotics in my life and I still occasionally spend the odd morning at the nursery talking about plant production and happened to notice …
- 12th May 2017
The Miss Lavish work bag
Miss Lavish is my workbag. Now I don’t usually name my possessions. The cat spent several months without a name and even now I’m not sure he’s a Perkins but it’s sort of stuck. My workbag, however, was named instantly, …
- 7th January 2017
Ainsworth & Prin Blockers
One of the things about attending lots of lovely wool shows is that Nicola and I spend a lot of time in a car. As I can’t get my head around an automatic gear box she gets to do all …
- 18th September 2016
Passion Cake Procrastination
It’s Yarndale next week and preparations are under way but perhaps not as under way as they should be.
- 16th July 2016
Provisional crochet cast on
When I taught myself to knit in the early 1980’s life was simple when a pattern said cast on you did just that, a simple cable cast on and off you went. There was only one way to cast on, …
- 7th May 2016
Greenfinch
I’ve been dyeing stock for our first ever show at Woolfest at the end of next month and I have a new yarn base to play with. It’s a lovely springy South American merino 4 ply, very soft but still …
- 21st April 2016
Erika Knight Studio Linen
Recently Nicola and I went to H+H Cologne on a serious shopping trip for the shop. Just before she left home Nicola phoned with a list of the clothes that she was taking as we both have similar tastes and …
- 15th March 2016
Easter Biscuits
When we were kids, Easter was a hot cross bun on Good Friday and a Quality Street chocolate egg each which was always hidden at the back of Mum’s wardrobe, so the egg hunt was remarkably quick. We never had …
- 27th February 2016
Just arrived – Knoll Kilcarra Tweed
I taught myself to knit. When Nicola left for university I took over from her as Saturday girl in the village wool shop. I had never had so much money before.
- 16th February 2016
Hot Water Bottle Cover
Our house is old and over the years it’s been pulled about, the floors have been taken up and the windows were replaced when a neighbouring house was bombed and now nothing fits.