Marina Skua - Blog

With just over two weeks until I’m back to work, I'm getting very excited about all the things I have planned.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my making at the moment.

I'm having loads of fun playing and sampling bits of the fleece I've been gathering from small local flocks, scouring a little bit at a time and mostly carding but combing some.

I've just finished plying my latest bobbin of my wool/flax yarn, a very long standing spinning project I have been documenting on YouTube (skip to 3:12 if you want to jump straight to the chatty bit!).

A longish, rambly chat from the studio to show you my current craft projects, a few tiny vague knit design sketches, some updates I've made in my workspace, plus a tour of what I'm growing in the front and back gardens, and aaalll of my seedlings.

I've been doing some bits and pieces of knitting over the last few weeks, but have to admit that Spring is getting to me and I'm spending more time sowing seeds and making garden plans!

Hallo everyone.

It’s my last public crafty podcast video for a few months!

Settle in for some pom pom making with hand-spun yarn for some new felted slippers for my child, plus a look at my newly released Quickbeam knitting pattern, my finished hand-spun Pediment jumper, and current knitting and spinning projects.

As you might have noticed, I'm currently growing a teeny tiny human!

After putting it off for quite a few weeks, I finally attempted to tackle the yarn chicken situation with my Pediment jumper project.

Join me for a bit of a chat about my current knitting and spinning projects, including my latest knitting pattern release, the Tortilis Mitts, and some nice autumn leaves in the woods!

A few years ago, I got some Zwartbles fleeces from a local smallholding, just a 10-minute drive from me here in south-west Wiltshire.

A little look at my latest craft projects, and some yarn chicken nonsense.

This is my preferred method of fibre prep for batts or wool top: splitting and pre-drafting the fibre for speedier spinning, and making it easier to spin a fine, consistent yarn.

I’ve got some new craft projects to add to my list of WIPs and there’s so much I am feeling really excited about.

It's a vlog celebrating late summer!

This month I'm mostly plodding on (enjoyably) with my ongoing spinning and knitting projects, and have started scheming in earnest for some imminent weaving on my floor loom.

After years of skirting, dyeing, carding and hackling, I'm blending up my wool I hand-dyed with onion, woad and rhubarb, with my precious hoard of processed flax tow.

Summer is upon us, and that means some garden time!

A relaxed and somewhat lengthy chat, answering your questions about my crafts, knitting, spinning, dyeing and weaving.

The garden is properly coming to life and full of green - and my latest spinning project matches!

I designed a blend of British breeds wool tops for spinning, and wanted to see how the naturally heathered grey wool would take dye.

I'm full of creative energy now the days are getting longer, and I have quite a few big multi-stage textiles projects in progress.

Processing flax for spinning into linen creates waste called tow, and I'm turning the tow into fibre I can spin for a future weaving project!

Today I'm talking you through my latest joyful craft projects including my plans for a weaving project using a blend of hand-dyed British wool fleece and flax I am planning to spin together.

A look at 8 botanical knitting patterns to inspire your next knitting project including a closer look at my latest plant-inspired knitting pattern, Hedgebind.

Today I'm sharing my plans for adding more joyful and playful crafting into 2025 as well as showing off my teeny tiny willow harvest for basketry.

An introduction to From This Land: A Westcountry Collection, my now published collection of unisex knitting patterns made using local British wool.

A look at Beechmast, my latest knitting pattern release, along with some special edition autumnal hand-dyed, British wool yarn, a new knitted scarf design and some spinning fibre developments.