All posts by Ardeana Hamlin

Learn to make dyes from plants in your garden

SEARSPORT, Maine – Astrig Tanguay, director of Fiber College of Maine, will speak about growing, harvesting and preparing natural dyes from the plants in your garden at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Penobscot Marine Museum’s Maine Street Gallery, 40 East Main St. Her topic will be “Dyes From Your Garden: The Natural Colors […]

Maine Fiberarts announces Hook-In and exhibit

Christine Macchi of Maine Fiberats shared this information with By Hand readers: “Winters’ Work: Hooked Rugs, 2010-2013” by Anne Cox is on view at Maine Fiberarts, 13 Main St. in Topsham. The public is invited to view the colorful, nature-themed wool rugs through April 27. A reception will be held 2-5 p.m. Sunday, April 7, […]

Wrapped in the memory of a doll’s quilt

Of the many items my mother sewed for me, the one I most often wish I still had is a doll’s quilt she fashioned from scraps of fabric. When I visualize the quilt in my memory, I see 3-inch squares of print fabric sporting, here and there, figures in red and blue. The predominant colors […]

Stranded Knitting Traditions Workshop

Mary Jane Mucklestone will conduct a Strand Knitting Traditions Workshop 9 a.m.- noon Saturday, March 23, at Stephen Puillips Memorial Library, Searsport Marine Museum, in Searsport. Stranded knitting, organizers said, occurs throughout the world, including the Shetland Islands, Scandinavia and Central Asia. Bring yarn and needles. Mucklestone is the author of “200 Fair Isle Motifs” […]

Knit a zombie, crochet a motif

Here are reviews of several books crocheters and knitters might find either useful or amusing: “Connect the Shapes” by Edie Eckman puts 101 motif designs at crocheters’ fingertips. These motifs have little in common with the well-known granny square, although some of them are, indeed, square. The motifs in the book can be likened to […]

How to make a tea wallet

Several weeks ago, I wrote about the shenanigans of my cat while I tried to sew tea wallets, but I neglected to say what a tea wallet is. That prompted several readers to call to inquire. A tea wallet is a tote for teabags. It has four pockets that will accommodate eight teabags. It folds […]

BDN’s By Hand column marks 10 years

Monday, Jan. 21, marked the 10th anniversary of the By Hand column. How did all that time go by so quickly? When I began this column on Jan. 21, 2003, knitting was being rediscovered by a new generation and interest in sewing, crocheting, embroidery and other needle arts was on the rise. With that came […]