yarn – ArgoKnot

Small Bites

March 29, 2026 | Leave a Comment

We seem to be living on tapas and small bites here in Almerimar since we don’t want to eat dinner at 9pm. In that vein I have two of my own small bite creations to post here.

I have finished the “Sonann” sweater with time to spare before the deadline for test knitters. Hooray! It is a design by “Journey through Wool” on the Isle of Uist in the Outer Hebrides. The suggested yarn is from Uist Wool, which I was not able to get in time, nor did I want to deal with our unfair tariffs. Instead I have used Jamieson’s “spindrift,” which is also a yarn from the Outer Hebrides, that I could buy through various US distributors. Of course that meant I paid the tariffs anyway, but the shipping was faster. My colors are “Sand” and “Wild Violet.” The sweater pattern will be released in mid-April on Ravelry. I enjoyed test knitting this design.

Here is a close up of the stranded pattern on the yoke. I am posting this on my ipad which doesn’t seem to allow me to re-size the photos. Since my computer will not connect to the internet I am attempting to use an ipad. Mysterious electronic glitches always occur when I am out of the US. I know it’s user error.

I may decide to rip back a good deal of this sweater, now that I’ve finished in time for the deadline for test knitters. I’m not entirely happy with the shaping, and I need to dive back into the instructions to see if I made an error in the increases or if it was in the pattern. It’s a big job, ripping all the way to where the sleeves get put on holders, but since I love the design and my yarn choices, I must do it!

My new tote bag is a gem. I am on cloud 9 that I found it almost a year after I first saw it. And I am notorious for getting my photo taken in windy places so that my hair is winging out like it’s going to sail away. Just look at the gorgeous tote bag and ignore the model. Please also notice the cute sweater on the hair-challenged model. The vest pattern is by Elenor Mortensen, and you can find her on Ravelry. This pattern is called “Eowyn Tee,” and it is knitted in the round from the top down with a clever boat neck that morphs into lace on the shoulders. I enjoyed knitting it, and enjoyed using cotton yarn (Rosario) that I bought in the Açores last summer. I certainly love knitting with yarn from places I visit. It’s the highlight of traveling for me!

The next project on my needles also uses locally sourced yarn. I saw the pattern and the yarn on a US website for the yarn store Wooly Thistle. They are carrying a variety of Spanish yarns from a company called Wool Dreamers. The yarn for this sweater is “Soana,” a 50/50 blend of Spanish merino and cotton grown in Spain. I couldn’t order it in time to get it from the Wooly Thistle before we left, and then I realized I would be in the country where this yarn is produced. So I looked at Google Maps to see how I might buy this yarn in person. No luck there as most of the yarn shops were a lot further north. Even though we had a car for a few days, it would be a really long drive to Barcelona or to Madrid. So I ordered it online and had it shipped to a local shop in Almerimar that offers package deliveries. I’ve never heard of this before. Boy, was I happy when I walked to the shop to pick up my package!

I am knitting the pattern that Wooly Thistle recommends for this yarn, and I’ve chosen a muted celadon green because I am thinking “spring.” It’s a design by Tete Beche (Orlane Sucche) called “Ilha.” I’m particularly enthralled with this design because it is supposed to evoke the baskets that are made on the islands off Portugal. What a wonderful idea, and the designer has done a very clever job of creating cabled and eyelet patterns that are quite like the wicker woven baskets from these islands. The name “Ilha” is Portuguese for “island” and is pronounced “ilyah,”. Since I enjoyed my time in the Açores so much last summer, this sweater will bring back sweet memories from that adventure.

At the moment my knitting looks like a blob. The cable and eyelet yoke will need a good wet blocking to bring out the pattern. Here is an image of the finished yoke that comes with the pattern.

And I want you to see some of the baskets that inspired this design. The open designs on some of the baskets and the braided edges on others are so well translated into knitting by this clever designer.

We have not yet moved aboard Pandora because it’s been too windy to put her in the water and move to a slip. Bob is also deep into cleaning and doing some repairs himself. Luckily the prickly man who was to rebuild Pandora’s rudder sent over a small crew to make it better. It looks quite good now. Thank heaven because a boat needs a straight rudder to steer properly! The current plan is to move aboard on Tuesday, March 31. We’ll start a new month aboard, and as soon as Mother Nature gives us a weather window we will sail to Cartagena, where I”m sure there will be more delights.

Time to knit. As always, thank you for following me!

Costa del Sol, Nijar, and Weavers

March 27, 2026 | Leave a Comment

Before I left home I searched onlinr to see if there were weavers in southern Spain as well as the Balearics, Corsica, and Sardinia. I got a long list of weavers keeping traditional patterns alive, and where to find them. I was excited to find so many possibilities of seeing the textile treasures of these places as well as connecting with weavers. Yesterday was the first adventure on the journey to meet local weavers.

Last year Bob and I had driven to Nijar, a bit east of Almeria to look for weavers. Yesterday I found all the same places! Last year I regretted not buying a handwoven tote bag from one of the shops in Nijar, and I was hoping to find it again, still full of choices. And we did! I remembered an entirely different shop, but Bob was convinced it was a place I don’t even remember seeing last year–that is until I walked inside. Then I was certain we’d found the place, and what a thrill that was. The same tile work outside the shop.

The very bag I wanted to buy last year….so I bought two in order to bring one to a weaving friend. I hope she loves it as much as I do. I will be carrying it today.

çThese were the other temptations. This wonderful loop work seems to be prominent in this part of the world. I bought a table runner in the Açores, on the island of Sao George done in this technique. I decided that as a table runner it would likely cause mishap with things falling over that I might place on it. Instead I intend to make into a long bolster pillow for our bed at home. It’s not done yet! While these bags were so tempting due to the skillful work involved, I went with my first love from last year–the simpler tote bag.

Here is the woman who was manning the shop during my visit, sitting at the loom demonstrating for me. The loom is only 2 shafts, and looks to have about a million meters of pretty fine cotton on it. The weft is heavier cotton, and she uses a fly shuttle to weave. At the moment she is weaving a rug, also a prevalent item for sale in this area.

There are tags on the tote bags I bought, so I asked the woman waiting on me if she is Isabel. She showed me a group photo on the wall and pointed to Isabel. Why didn’t I ask her name? I learned that she weaves the many handbags and tote bags that have the loop weave, yet I didn’t think to get her name. Hugely disaapointed about that.

Last year we found a cafe where we wanted to have an afternoon glass of wine and some food before driving back to Almerimar. It was just after 4pm, and they were closing until dinner at 8pm. They could not give us any food, but they did pour us two glasses of wine and asked us to leave our glasses on their door step when we left. They closed the restaurant and left while we had our wine in their scenic spot near the courtyard of a historic church. This year we arrived in time to have wine and a several tapas for lunch.

After lunch we walked through the town where I revisited a number of shops from last year. There are handwoven rugs and blankets in many of the shops, along with baskets, which this area is also known for making.

I bought a cotton blanket for Pandora, for those nights when I can’t sleep and end up in the main saloon reading or knitting. I bought a moss green twill patterned blanket like the one on the top shelf at the right of this photo. I wish I could get the table and chairs home somehow, but this photo will have to do.

There were also lovely hand embroidered pillows, and a remarkable collection of baskets. Just a reminder–both baskets and handwoven tapestry can still only be made by hand. There are no machines that can weave tapestry or baskets.

In taking a walk through the town I found this beautiful cutwork embroidered curtain. Too bad about the reflections, but I hope you can tell how well it is made.

We arrived here on Monday, where Pandora has been waiting for us since August. The repairs are not done to Bob’s hopes, which is something we always face when having things done at a long distance. The man managing our repairs did not stay on top of things, so the big inverter never got diagnosed to be either repaired or replaced, and the man who was doing the repair to our rudder from the orca attack, did a less than stellar job. He is quite prickly and declared that Bob is too much of a perfectionist (not his exact words–he used more colorful language) to appreciate the work that was done. Hmmm….

But on more positive subjects, this is almost a perfect time to be on the Costa del Sol. The sun is brilliant, while the temps are quite cool, so I am wearing sweaters every day! At this time of year–late winter/early spring– the winds are very strong, coming down from the mountains. Since this is desert, there is fine sand everywhere. Sometimes the mountains are shrouded in a cloud of sand somewhat similar to fog.

We have rented an Air BnB in a condominium complex. It is quite nice, and gives us a way to relax in comfort while Bob deals with various things to get Pandora ready to sail. It is too windy to launch her into the water at this point. On top of repairs and replacement of the inverter, we have to put all the sails back on her. We have a new Code 0, our biggest sail, but as I understand it, it’s the main sail that takes the longest to put back on. We haven’t tackled any of the sails yet because of the strong winds.

In the evenings we have a glass of wine on the balcony overlooking the rooftops of other dwellings and the boats in the habor. It’s quite magical. I should finish the Sonann sweater today and hope to get photos of me wearing it on this wonderful balcony with a view. The residences are low enough (right hand photo) that you can boat masts beyone the rooftops.

It will feel great to finish the Sonann sweater (photos soon), and even greater to move on to my next knitting project. From one of Wooly Thistle’s newsletters I learned of the Spanish yarn company, Wool Dreamers. They use locally sourced wool and cotton to make their line of yarns. Soana (not to be confused with the Sonann sweater name!) is a 50/50 blend of local merino wool and locally grown cotton. Wooly Thistle carries this yarn, but how could I NOT try to buy it in Spain?? As it turns out, I could not get it within a reasonable driving distance of this area. However, I could order it and have it delivered to a postal receiving place right here in Almerimar. So that’s what I did. Here are photos of the yarn and the pattern I will make with it.

I’m happy to be here, encountering weavers and seeing the skills of locally made textiles and baskets, not to mention pottery and other wares. It’s a great start to our season sailing in the Med. I just need calm seas to move to our next destination, and only the wind can decide when and where we’ll head next.

Antigua to Guadeloupe, from English Charm to French Shabby Chic

March 26, 2017 | Leave a Comment

We left Antigua more than a week ago, and I have not had internet until now. Bob has had better luck than with that than I have. Isn’t that weird?? He’ll be sitting next to me able to get email and write a blog post while my computer will not connect. The mysteries of cyberspace…. especially the mystery that his ancient clunker of a PC works so much better than my moderately middle ages Macbook. Hmmm…

Guadeloupe is the most beautiful island I have ever seen! Some of our cruising friends have told me that Antigua is the beginning of the ‘real’ Caribbean, and that every island gets more and more beautiful as you head south. I really cannot imagine that. We spent almost a week in the small harbor of Deshaies (pronounced DAY ‘Eh–reminds me of a certain Caribbean song made famous by Harry Belafonte…how about you?) on the northwestern coast of Guadeloupe, and I was thoroughly enamored of the charming seaside village. As we sailed in the mountains rose up all around us and a tiny bit of shoreline was dotted with colorful buildings, all with red roofs. The scene was dominated by a white tower with a red roof that rose above all the other buildings. No surprise that it is the Catholic church for the village. We had arrived back in the land of baguettes and wonderful vegetables!

But before I talk about Guadeloupe, I should finish up with our last days in Antigua. We rented a car to take Chris to the airport, so after we said our tearful goodbyes (for my part certainly), we took the rest of the day to explore parts of the island we could not get to on foot.

Betty’s Hope is a well known tourist attraction. At some point in Antigua’s past there were about 600 stone windmills on the island, used to power the processing of sugar cane into sugar. All these windmills were built by the hard labor of slaves and oxen. There are still about a hundred windmills in various stages of decay on the island, but two at Betty’s Hope are beautiful examples. One has been restored to working order and is used to demonstrate grinding the cane on certain occasions. While we were not there on one of those occasions, it was still very impressive to see the windmills. Just to move the arms to face into the wind requires a lot of manpower and oxen power.

Betty’s Hope was named for the daughter of the landowner. I was disappointed to learn this. I had hoped that the name was in honor of a slave woman, possibly the wife, mother, aunt, grandmother of several of the men who had built these windmills. Well, so much for my romantic notions about the history of this place. What on earth was this Betty hoping for? A big sugar yield to make her family wealthier than they already were? I can imagine so many more interesting hopes for a Betty who lived and worked the land with her family than for the real Betty. Still, I bet there is some pretty interesting history here. I would know more if we had internet!

Betty’s hope is now home to a large herd of goats, which Bob and I enjoyed most of all! There were lots of kids frolicking, even some newborns. Baby goats are about as cute as babies get! Our new baby granddaughter, Tori, would have enjoyed them too!

We have been so entertained by all the goats on Antigua. There is large solar farm in the middle of the island where we saw goats eating the weeds around the panels. This is their day job. Late in the afternoon the goats somehow know it’s time to go home. They head out with no shepherd to guide them. They know the way.

Bob and Chris encountered this mother and kid heading home after a day out. Bob said the kid whined the whole time he and Chris were behind them. Makes you wonder if kids complain about the long trip home, or the heat of the day, or even the two creepy humans following them, just like our kids might. The goat mother bore it without comment.

And speaking of kids, here is a scene from our last full day with Christopher before he headed back to his new home in San Francisco. We took a cab up to Shirley Heights, right outside of English Harbour. It’s a great place to watch the sunset, and every Sunday hundreds of people show up to do just that.

With a view like this, you can see how popular it would be–

–especially at sunset.

Back to the day that Chris left– at the end of the day we drove out to the northeastern corner of the island to see something called “Devil’s Bridge.” I had no idea what this might be, and so I was pretty awestruck to see this natural wonder. It doesn’t look like it will last much longer, but that’s just conjecture on my part. Maybe it’s been in this almost crumbled state for a century already. I know that people walk across this bridge, but I certainly wasn’t going to try it. Bob didn’t either!

When we returned our rental car to a parking lot in Falmouth just around sunset, and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself to return to Pandora sans Christopher, we found that the local liquor store was having a tasting of French wines hosted by a French importer who lives on St. Martin. It was a very nice distraction to an evening I was dreading! All in all a wonderful last day on Antigua.

The next day we sailed about 50 miles to the pretty harbor of Deshaies on Guadeloupe. Here is a bit of what we do when we have a long day at sea. Bob fishes! This time I was quite lucky that he caught a small tuna! It’s no fun at all when he catches a king mackerel, and hardly fun when he catches a giant mahi mahi because we have to deal with a very large fish on a rather small boat! This tuna was perfect for our appetites and our size boat!

I worked on my orange linen sweater while we were underway, which sometimes includes winding a ball of yarn (Shibui linen) on the steering wheel.

At mid-afternoon we arrived in Deshaies. It was wonderful to be back in the land of French food. There are plenty of tourists here, but also a big fleet of local fisherman. The next morning we were given a first hand view of fishing with a purse seine right behind Pandora.

First the men dropped the net in a wide circle between Pandora and the boat behind us. One of the crew jumped overboard wearing his shorts and t-shirt and snorkeling gear. Perhaps he was checking on how the net was laying before the rest of the crew began drawing in the purse.

As the crew began to draw in the circle of net at the water’s surface, the diver stayed at the opening. We are guessing that by being there, he discourages any fish from trying to escape at the opening of the net.

The crew began drawing in both the perimeter of the net on the surface as well as the purse at the bottom to trap the fish. As the net closed more I could tell that this was very hard work. In fact, once both the top and bottom of the net was closed, the diver got back on board to help pull it in.

There is a pelican inside the net, helping himself to a bit of the catch.

It was a good catch! My friend Maureen (Kalunamoo) told me that these fish get fried in strips and served like French fries. I have not seen this yet in any restaurants. But, when we were ashore yesterday, we came back to our dinghy to find several pelicans diving right around the dinghy dock and three dead fish in our dinghy, just like the fish in the net. There must have been a school of them being chased by larger fish and some jumped right into our dingy to escape certain death from the big fish– only to find themselves stuck in our dinghy. Out of the fire and into the frying pan, as the saying goes….

Experienced cruisers in this area, including Bill and Maureen from Kalunamoo, have told us that once you get to Antigua the islands just get more and more beautiful as you head south. It’s hard for me to imagine this! Both Antigua and Guadeloupe are so charming and scenic and dramatic with their ancient volcanic mountains–how can it get better? I guess I will have to wait and see.

Summer is for Workshops

June 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Getting ready for my first summer workshop! A trip to New Hampshire for a day of indigo dyeing. Luckily no mordant is needed for indigo dyeing, but my yarns must be clean and free of sizing and dirt, so I gave them a good soak in Eucalan and hung them out to dry!

: Harrisville Designs

I started the weekend with a trip to Harrisville Designs. What a scenic spot! The building further in the distance houses the retail shop and the workshop studios. Other buildings house the spinning operation for the yarns and the woodworking shop for building the looms.

: Harrisville Public Library

This was the first sweltering hot day of the summer, so it was lovely to be in a town so full of water. The library sits just a short walk from the Harrisville Design buildings and is on a large body of water called Harrisville Pond. Such still water here funnels into a stream that rushes past the mill buildings in the previous photo.

A delightful place to have lunch, overlooking the Harrisville Design buildings, the rushing stream and the distant mountains! What an idyllic spot!

The dyeing workshop took place at Long Ridge Farm in Westmoreland, New Hampshire, owned by Nancy Zeller. The studio is on the right and includes a beautiful balcony on the back where we had lunch in the canopy of the surrounding trees. The barn is on the left.

: Nancy Zeller (center) instructs us on making an indigo vat

The next morning was the workshop at Long Ridge Farm in Westmoreland, New Hampshire. Another idyllic spot, with beautiful views of mountains, gardens, and sheep! Nancy Zeller owns this bit of heaven and runs various workshops from her studio and barn. We started the day in the studio, pictured here, but moved outside when the going got messy, and then moved into the barn when a thunderstorm passed by! Through out it all, Nancy remained calm and organized! She is a terrific teacher!

Mixing the stock solution from powdered indigo from India.

The color change: blue on top where the stock has oxygen, and yellow/green beneath where there is no oxygen.

: Ready to Dye!

After the addition of Thiourea Dioxide and Lye (both of which get mixed separately with water in their own container before being added to the vat) we checked the color of our new indigo vat. Yellow/Green color along with a Ph between 9 and 10 meant we were ready to dye!

: My friend Susan standing near the growing skeins of indigo dyed yarns.

Look at all our gorgeous skeins of blue! My friend Susan joined me for this workshop and she brought lots of cotton skeins which turned purply blues. My skeins of merino and mohair and mohair/merino blends turned various shades of French blue! It was so exciting!

: The Artist Loft B&B in Brattleboro

During the weekend my friend Susan and I stayed at the Artist Loft just over the border in Brattleboro, Vermont. What a lovely spot. The large picture window overlooks the Connecticut River and the scenic bridge that crosses it. (You can tell I did not take this photo since there was no snow during our visit.)

: View from the Artist Loft

Our stay was enhanced by a bit off shopping in Brattleboro. The fabric shop Delectable Mountain Cloth is a must! It is full of beautiful textiles, and I believe they are all natural fibers. The food in Brattleboro was also a high point of the weekend! Dinner at Fireworks and breakfast at Elliot Street Cafe were both great. The ultimate dining experience occurred at Burdick’s Restaurant in Walpole, New Hampshire! That is a destination in itself!

Back home with my newly dyed skeins drying in the birch tree. It was a great workshop, and I highly recommend Nancy Zeller as an instructor! Her farm is a wonderful destination and she is a thorough and organized teacher. What a terrific weekend!

Knitting and Fabric Shops in Coastal Maine

August 10, 2011 | 1 Comment

Several of our usual ports have surprised me with wonderful knitting and fabric shops! Our ‘guest room’ is quickly filling up with my treasures!

Bath: Halcyon (the photo on their homepage is that Ecobaby sailor pattern! Ha!) I have to admit that I’ve never been to Halcyon by

HALCYON-YARN-STORE-PICTURE — Halcyon Yarn

boat, but I have been going by car for 15 years. You could get there by boat if you wanted to go that far up the Kennebec River and brave its challenging currents. In all the years I’ve driven over that bridge I’ve never actually seen a sailboat moored in the river near Bath. That’s not to say no sailboats ever go, just that I haven’t seen them on my yearly visit. And what can I say about Halcyon, other than it is a weaver’s and knitter’s Mecca, not to mention spinners, rug hookers, crocheters, braiders, felters, etc…etc… If you do anything related to fiber, this is a great resource! Halcyon is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. I had a wonderful shopping spree there!

Boothbay Harbor: You need a car to get to Onboard Fabrics, but it is really worth it! It’s a barn on Rte 127 (and their address is Edgecomb but my point of view is the harbor where a sailing seamstress might disembark), not far off Rte. 1 on the way to

onboard_fabrics_barn — On Board Fabrics, near Boothbay Harbor

Boothbay Harbor. They have lots of nautical fabrics, inweights from upholstery to cotton lawn. This year I bought fabrics to make aprons for gifts. No sewing machine on board Pandora, so these projects will have to wait ’til I get home (meanwhile, my husband does have his sailrite sewing machine on board…but it will only sew heavy canvas and sail materials!).

Rockland: Quilt Divas. They have fabric and yarn! And the selections for both are great! It is walking distance from the harbor

for us sailors! I bought the Debbie Bliss “Ecobaby” book here as well as the yarn for the sailor sweater that is currently challenging me to re-design the collar! I also bought more fabric for aprons here. Now I’m going to make a lot of aprons for gifts!

Camden: The Cashmere Goat is new this year, in a good location right in the center of town (what used to be a shoe store). The shop

cashmere goat camden me — 'The Cashmere Goat in Camden

is not yet full, but they do have some wonderful yarns. I bought Manos del Uruguay’s “Serena” (kettle dyed, 60% baby alpaca, 40% pima cotton) in a handpainted colorway (#9796) of watery blues and greens. I’m going to knit a lace shawl from one of the free patterns at Interweave Knits

Belfast: Sock Heaven. This yarn store has been in business for about 10 years now, but I haven’t been to Belfast in about 15 years,

Knitting Sock Heaven Belfast ME — Heavenly Socks in Belfast

so it is new to me! There is an entire wall of yarns produced in Maine, including Hope Spinnery and Done Roving. My big score here was Louet “KidLin”(49% linen, 35% kid mohair, 16% nylon) which I’ve been hoping to find during all my yarn store hunting. It was hard to choose a color for Louet’s “Cia” Pattern, but I finally settled on “Mexican Orange,” a fun blend of gold and warm pink.

There is also a beautiful fabric store on High St. in Belfast. I did not note the name yesterday, but I hope to go back today to spend more time there. I will take a photo and get the name!

Other places. I’ve been to the guild shop in the center of Blue Hill, as well as the yarn shop slightly out of town that has since gone out of busines (sigh…), and I’ve been to Shirley’s Yarns in Hancock (where I bought Dale microfiber years ago for a tank top I never finished because it was so unflattering on me!). Now I understand there are two shops in Blue Hill that I may not know: Blue Hill Yarn shop on Ellsworth Rd. and String Theory on Beach Hill Rd. I don’t know if we’ll get to Blue Hill this year, but now I hope so! And a google search shows two promising shops on Mt. Desert, one in Southwest Harbor (Lilac Lily Yarn Shop) and one in Bar Harbor (Bee’s, Inc.), so I hope to visit both of these since we are on our way there for the weekend.

I am putting aside the Debbie Bliss sailor sweater for the moment. This is quite a disappointment to me, but I do want to give some thought to that collar. The knitters on Ravelry did not have any solutions that appealed to me, so I will take a look in my library of knitting design books when I return home in September.

Here is my next knitting project, Louet’s “Cia.”

Louet KidLin Mexican Orange — Louet's KidLin Mexican Orange

First I will finish my own design that uses Tess Designer Yarns’ micofiber ribbon. I’ll be writing up that pattern to share here and on Ravelry. It’s a very simple pattern, and I’m almost finished!