Abi Collins
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abiknitsflora.bsky.social
Abi Collins
@abiknitsflora.bsky.social
Making things by blending plant anatomy with wool whilst trying to cultivate an allotment
Fellow festive knitters who love using up their stash - how about this idea? Urban Beat by Drops is knitted on 7mm so you can use 1 strand super bulky, 2 of aran, 3 of DK or 4 of fingering 4ply. The hat is one size by very stretchy and adaptable 💚🧶😊
#knitting #knitsky #slowfashion #permaculture
November 19, 2025 at 1:53 PM
If you're in York pressie hunting can I suggest Fabrication on Stonegate. Full of local makers and artists selling individual, good quality stuff. And yes, I have just landed a small area selling my wet felted pieces, all made in Yorkshire wool 😊💚🧶
November 17, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Autumn starts with apples for me. So here is my own creation the Apple Branch scarf. The motifs come from an historic anatomical drawing of an apple branch as seen under an early microscope by Nehemiah Grew and the pink from madder dye. Pattern link in alt text. #showmeyourknits #knitting
September 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I was trying to do a deep and meaningful artistic felting piece thinking about knitting with wool being decomposed back into the ground and this was the result - my spooky little owl stone 😄. I do love him 🦉 #makeyourselfhappy #fibercraft #wool
September 8, 2025 at 2:57 PM
For #showmeyourknits sweater theme. This was my second bias brain bender from Japanese Knitting by Michiyo. Once you get into the rhythm it's pretty satisfying. #knitsky #handmade
September 1, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The baby these were made for is now 36 years old 😄. They are by Phildar, the French yarn company whose fashion forward patterns were my mainstay from teens to motherhood. They produce exquisite baby patterns, so when I had mine of course I had to make a few 😊 #showmeyourknits #knitting
August 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
I am still using my bargain, beautiful cashmere tweed. Only 30g left so 2 colours for Annika mitts, I named them after my favourite detective, the unique Annika Strandhed who works in cold northern places, so long cuffs and finger ribbing with stranded colourwork seems right #knitting #wipwednesday
August 27, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Instant inspiration 🏉The women's rugby union World Cup. What an advert for women's sport around the globe💪. The brilliant England team are the #redroses . So a mash up of my motif and a borrowed pattern from this dictionary and voila! A winter cowl and a reminder of good times 🌹 #knitting #rugby
August 25, 2025 at 1:14 PM
We are surrounded by arable fields as far as the eye can see. So now as the combine harvesters gather in the wheat and barley, the dominant colour is straw. Inspired by this I knitted this shawl (see Alt text) with the colour coming from very late season buddleia leaves 😊 #knitting #naturaldye
August 21, 2025 at 1:38 PM
#showmeyourknits week 55 is stripes. Love 'em 😍. It's satisfying to come up with your own successful colour combos, but some yarn companies have it literally down to an art. This is Mimungo by @tetisknitgarden.bsky.social worked in the self-striping Noro Silk Garden Lite. #knitsky #fiberart
August 18, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Is #fibrefriday or #fiberfriday a thing? There must be loads of us out there who love working with fibre and don't restrict their attentions to one art/craft. My personal favourites are knitting, with me all my life, and my newish passion, wet felting. How about you? Happy Weekend #findyourthing
August 15, 2025 at 2:16 PM
For #wipwednesday here is the first of my Naburn mitts (pattern free on Ravelry). I didn't intend making them, but when you are buying something else and get tempted in by a 'spend £35 and get free p&p and you see Rowan cashmere tweed for a very reduced price.... too tempting 😄 #knitsky #knitting
August 13, 2025 at 12:16 PM
#showmeyourknits this week is oddments. This swoncho is Yardana by @tetisknitgarden.bsky.social but without the stranded colourwork. Instead it's mainly made from two huge knotted, double stranded balls of sock wool leftovers. #knitsky #permaculture #slowfashion
August 11, 2025 at 1:10 PM
I've been playing with the pattern for my Cirsium cowl and have had an idea for a different way of wearing this simple tube. This is not it, just in case you thought I was somewhat delusional 😄 #showmeyourknits #knitsky #knitting
August 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Week 53 of #showmeyourknits and it's shawls. This beast is the Goff Place Mystery by Kate Davies. 5 shades of 4ply/fingering, playing with garter stitch, 2 squares and 2 wedges, i-cord edge, short rows, outside -in hap, slip stitch. A proper statement piece, but still a meditative knit 😄 #knitsky
August 2, 2025 at 12:05 PM
My choice for #showmeyourknits? The genius of Glorious Knitting by Kaffe Fassett. In 1985 it ripped knitting from the clutches of normal and boring and turned it into expressive, joyous art. This self-drafted cardy was based on Kaffe's iconic 'Poppies' design. Simple idea, very effective 😍 #knitsky
July 30, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Goldenrod shawl is named after the plant dye I used to to get this gentle yellow. A simple garter crescent with rows of crown stitch. If you'd like to knit it then the full instructions are on my website (see Alt text). Happy Monday 😊🌿🧶 #knitsky #knitting #naturaldye #showmeyourknits
July 28, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Calling all plant experts! What the what the is this? Looks like a moss growing on a bramble, but surely not? The red growth seems to emanate from red tissue on the bramble stalk. It looks beautiful imo. A genetic mutation or infection maybe? @rbgkew.bsky.social #botany #plants #nature
July 27, 2025 at 1:53 PM
#wipwednesday and it's p for procrastination. Start of June I saw a swallow. Hurrah it's summer! Started swallow socks..... and here we are. A whim. No need, deadline or accountability and plenty of distractions 🤦‍♀️. So I've set a target to finish before the swallows fly south. 😆 Familiar? #knitsky
July 23, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Plant dyes give insipid colours - sometimes yes, but look at this lot! Thank you to madder root, woad leaves, buddleia flowers, dock seeds and those many hundreds of years of experience of natural dyers across the world 🌿💚 #nature #plants #slowfashion #sustainable #colour
July 22, 2025 at 11:26 AM
I admit to struggling to find things for this week's #showmeyourknits . However, this old thing made from a cotton mix has been a favourite for many years, as you can see, but like denim it has distressed well 😄 . Undemanding to wear in a gloriously happy Summer colour. #knitsky #orange
July 21, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Is your stash made up of a number of 'the last 2 balls of a bargain 10 pack' and the 25% of balls left over from a project? That's what happened here, but I think I found the right pattern to make the most of some lovely but neglected wool. Pattern from @boylandknitworks.bsky.social #knitting
July 16, 2025 at 11:12 AM
For #showmeyourknits blue theme. Anyone else knitted a jumper on the bias - from a diagram 🙃? It was a brain bender, but once you get into the rhythm, pretty satisfying. The pattern is in Japanese Knitting by Michiyo. #knitsky #handmade
July 14, 2025 at 11:45 AM
#permaculture principle 8 is 'integrate rather than segregate. Clever colourwork allows you to take yarn scraps which have limited use on their own and create something special that lets each colour shine. Pattern is 'Feel the Bern' by @boylandknitworks.bsky.social and I'm loving it 😊 #knitsky
July 10, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Thank you 😊. It is a real favourite of mine even though I had to learn the tubular cast off to get the full effect 😄.
July 10, 2025 at 9:07 AM