The Knitting Man Recommends

14/05/2026

I finally finished the test knit for 's .
I absolutely love it. This is a precision modular knit. The individual elements add up to create a powerfully simple whole... the sum of the parts... and all that stuff.
This has not been an easy knit.
It took a while to find gauge. I used my Possum/Merino "Dame Edna". A 4 ply in an extravagantly warm colour "The Spice inside your Arms", touched with the blood of "Red Flag" (The two colour rib is my addition and I take full responsibility if it jazzes it up/distracts too much.
A 3mm needle was required to get gauge.
You read that right.
3mms of an all over cable pattern interspersed with paddock sized quantities of half twisted rib.
While knitting this my fabulous, wilful companion has been ailing.
Ihave taken Frankie to the vet twice to be euthanaised. Twice I have returned home full of hope and wonder at her resilience.
Last night she was up from 11pm and her usual cures could not resolve her issues.
I had planned a fabulous photoshoot for my vest.
But in spite of a gorgeous day, she and me are sleep deprived. We are also in that blessed daytime world where everything is normal again.
She doesn't have a lot of time left.
I have pushed everything to one side to sit with her and hold her.
I have withdrawn from all markets. Including Bendigo.
I will return to the studio after she has died.
And I will knit.
I am going crazy of course.
I have never been more grateful for my Knitting... and my style of knitting... slow, precise and measured.
This vest contains slices of my old exuberance in those slashes of deep red.
I am sorry I do not have the zing to photograph and style in the way I had planned.
Frankie of course couldn't care less about knitting.
I am grateful for her lack of regard.

25/04/2026

Knitting emergency averted with the free bus from Castlemaine to Maldon.
What a great trip!
I pre-ordered my needles from and gje bus is free!
Plus I can knit!
Best Sunday ever!

21/04/2026

Autumn.
Breathtaking. A time when light reflects eternity.
Ellusive. Like many good things.
A test knit for .
The . Knitted in my . A merino/possum blend in "The Spice inside your arms".
This vest has a fantastic construction. It is a veritable miracle of Woolly engineering.
My beloved hound, Frankie, hangs on.
I have pushed my dye "business" to one side to spend as many moments as possible with her.
I have missed all the markets.
I am working slowly.
Slow is my only speed.

06/04/2026

.itscaija and both ran short of yarn!
How many times do we dyers say "make sure you buy sufficient for your project?"
Then again, how would we dyers survive if our beloved yarn-lovers only bought yarn when they had sorted specific projects?
I, for one, celebrate the impulse buy for love.
I can wax lyrical about the links (not) between stash and knitting.
So I am not here to judge.
I get it. I understand what it is to buy yarn ("I'll get a couple fo skeins..." and THEN find the project it is perfect for.
At which point I receive a message asking if I have any more.
And many times I do.
But not in these two instances.
Of course the two desired colours were made in the heightht of frenzied pre-market preparation and I can find no notes.
Of course ia agree to attempt a recreation.
Why not? This is the fiddly "time wasting" work I love.
So... these two knitters have been waiting patiently.
For MONTHS.
Lots has been going on!
The process of recreation is a bit fiddly.
I have started but there is a way to go.
Both knitters would love to complete their garments before gnarled fingers rob them of the ability to knit.
What can I say?
I am working on it.
The knitters in question have been exemplary models of patience.
There is light at the end of the tunnel

21/03/2026

Test knitting has been fun!
This is my latest test for .
These are my Kvit socks. They are knit in my "Tootsie"...
I have riffed rather dramatically on Teti's pure amd earthy style.
I spent yesterday with . I had such a wonderful time.
It was so good to think and chat about the yarn community and my own little lane within it.
I've been out of the world for a few months.
It was great to reconnect. To think about what my strengths and weaknesses might be. To realise they are often one and the same thing.
I want to go back to writing. I have my Knitting mystery to resume.
The leaves on the trees at my new house are turning... hints of red, pinks, yellows, golds... a gorgeous imprint upon my eyes to carry me through whatever grey winter might drape before me.
My dog hangs on. She is resilient. I am grateful I have this time with her.
She loves the new house.
I dread her leaving.
Nothing reminds me so powerfully that we are creatures of our gut, than loss...
Thank the Lord for hearts...
Long may they beat.

11/03/2026

I'm unable to attend ALL the yarn markets this year.
I miss everyone, I miss the buzz, the drive, the crazy camaraderie, the shared highs and lows.
To compensate I am enjoying hitting some test knits with an unabashed colour wildness.
has some beautiful patterns coming out in the third week of March.
I am testing her Kvit sock pattern. I may have tossed the map...
The pattern is due for release on March 25th.
I will be at Bendigo!
And online again soon

27/02/2026

I am luck enough to be testing a few of Teti’s new designs.
I didn’t have time to test her gorgeous new seater pattern but I am testing the socks.
These socks are perfect to use up wee scraps of precious yarn for the colourwork…
Choose your main skein and then play with your leftovers.
Both patterns are being released at the end of March

16/02/2026

Introducing the "Ivy Wrap" from .
I knit this in my own hand-dyed yarn.
Dame Edna to be precise (that is a 4ply possum-merino).
I love this pattern. So many colour possibilities.
My choices were reasonably conservative (it's all relative).
I had to use the red. I am proud of it.
During this knit, I bought a house.
I'm in shock.
I moved house in the midst of a heatwave and lived to tell the tale.
I have not dyed for months.
I have been too busy to do anything keep the boat afloat.
I am off to a machine knitting workshop next week.
It will be a 4 day Masterclass dealing with the design details involved in set in sleeves.
I managed to find my Knitting machine... so I am off to swatch
That's all.

22/01/2026

Thank you .
And all my friends for support

13/01/2026

Campo Verde Alpacas & Llamas have been cruelly impacted the the Ravenswood/Harcourt bushfire.
The Llamas did not make it.
The Alpacas are safe.
All their pasture, their fences, their infrastructure have gone.
Rita and her partner are not asking for help BUT a gofund me pagr has been set up to help them.

We do not expect you to support or donate anything. Don't feel obliged to.

For those who have been asking us how they can contribute financially:
❤️ Our farm volunteer, Louise, has set up a GoFundMe page for us to help with animal recovery, alpaca float, and other items our insurance won't be able to cover. The link is https://gofund.me/dd1b2a72b
❤️ Our UK alpaca mentor and friend Kate from Mullacott Alpacas has also set up a PayPal fundraiser. We made many friends overseas as we travelled to the UK to study alpacas and llamas. The link is https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/126562730487465447

Non-financial help on the ground:
❤️ Once Anthony and I have settled and we know our animals have settled at their agistment property, we will put out a call for on-the-ground helpers to assist with cleanup and other things. Again, do not feel obliged to help.
❤️ If you live in the region and want to find out the best way to support the local community, the best place to go would be the Bushfire Relief Centre in Castlemaine, at the town hall. You can let them know if you have spare rooms for families who lost their houses, food, clothes, hay for animals, etc.

If you want to contribute more broadly to affected bushfire communities in Australia, there are several government, state and institutional fundraising efforts underway. I'll share these in a future post once my head has cleared.

Thank you everyone, from the bottom of our hearts! 🙏
Rita, Anthony, our alpacas and llamas.