Introducing Cathy Fahey!

I'm so excited to announce we have a new contributor our blog. Cathy and I met years ago here in Salem through our love of tarot - and then I learned she's a knitter too! You can book a tarot reading with Cathy here.

xo, Ana

I'm a research librarian by day. I love a good story and a provocative question. I ask too many questions, and I'm always looking for the "why." I'm also a poet. My poetry is lyrical, magical realism, and I take my inspiration from the everyday world and also from mythology, and tarot. You can read my poetry at www.magpiepoems.com.

I'm such a skeptic and agnostic. I don't know that tarot works, but I also can't prove that it doesn't. Like Fox Mulder, "I want to believe" but I'm not sure that I do. I'm incredibly curious and don't take anything at face value. I need to question, dig deeper, interrogate everything. But I love tarot, and I want it to work!

How did you end up in Salem?

I've lived in Massachusetts my whole life, and I've been coming to Salem for as long as I can remember. First it was family trips to the Peabody Museum and the Witch Dungeon (I'm still creeped out by the animatronic Giles Corey croaking "more weight"), going to the Willows and playing skee ball, and boat cruises around the harbor. Then it was school field trips to the House of the Seven Gables. As a teen I started sneaking out and taking the train up to Salem on my own and visiting the witch shops: Crow Haven Corner and The Broom Closet are the two I remember most. I'd buy moonstone rings and candles and fill my pockets with rocks and crystals, all things that could be easily explained by a love of jewelry and geology, and not suspicious at all!

When I was job hunting, I was applying to every academic library job in the Northeast, if not the entire US and Canada (because that's the academic job market). Luckily, I got a job at Salem State University, and I've been living in Salem since 2007.

So, what came first, knitting or tarot? How did you start your fiber and tarot journeys?

Knitting definitely came first, because my grandmother tried to teach me when I was 5 or 6. I didn't have the coordination then, so I failed. I did a lot of sewing and embroidery (one of my aunts made all her own clothes and she taught me how to measure and fit sewing patterns), and once I went to Girl Scout camp, I made so many friendship bracelets. I've always loved having string and thread around me. Actually, I got into crochet and spinning before knitting, because I was always taught English knitting, and it wasn't until I took a knitting lesson from Lucy of Mind's Eye Yarns in Cambridge in about 2004 that I learned Continental and realized I could knit! I haven't stopped knitting. I love that it's portable, and I can take it with me everywhere. I always have knitting with me, usually a pair of socks.

I didn't discover tarot until I was a rebellious teen and a baby witch, when I would sneak up to Salem or Cambridge and hang out with goths. I couldn't have a deck until I moved out to go to college, when I got a Rider-Waite deck from probably Barnes and Noble, and I didn't really care for it. The images didn't speak to me, and I could never figure out how to do the Celtic Cross spread properly! Still can't do a Celtic Cross. The first deck I liked was the Robin Wood Tarot, because it was a very pagan/Wiccan reimagining of the cards, and I loved the art style. I did a few readings for friends in college, but mostly, I read for myself, and read up on the history and imagery of the tarot, doing a deep dive into European mysticism, paganism, history, archaeology, mythology, folklore...My day job as a research librarian comes in handy when falling down esoteric rabbit holes. After 20 years of practice and research, I finally feel that I know enough to do something with it, and I love discovering new decks or writings and learning something more every time I work with the cards.

How do you use tarot in your life?

Right now, I use tarot in 2 ways.

First, I'm a poet, and I'm writing a collection of sonnets about the tarot, one for each card, so that will be 78 individual poems. I started this as a grad school project in 2017, and I'm about 1/3 done. I'm not an artist, but this way I can make my own deck. It will take a long time to finish, but I'm not forcing a deadline on myself. I'm enjoying the challenge and the process.

I also use tarot as an intention setting and meditation tool. I pick a card I want to focus on, and set up a little altar to it. For example, here's my Imbolc setup honoring Brigid (who's the Irish goddess/saint of crafts and poetry). I picked cards that resonated: Three of Pentacles, Queen of Wands, 6 of Pentacles. I light a candle and think about how I want these cards/attributes to be present in my life right now.

The Shift Cowl!

My finished Shift Cowl being blocked.

I will admit, I am always hesitant to jump onto the latest trend. I didn’t even know that it originally was published in 2018. It wasn’t until Ana started selling Spincycle yarn in kits for the Shift Cowl that it came into my radar. I finally caved late November of last year and bought a custom kit of Spin Cycle Dyed in the Wool in Leith, The Family Jewels, and The Meadows. I didn’t get the chance to start the cowl until the beginning of February. I remember being so resistant to wanting to like this pattern. In the end, I LOVED knitting this cowl. I will admit, it took a few rounds to get into the groove of the pattern, but from then on, it was smooth sailing! 

The initial stages of the Shift Cowl.

This pattern uses mosaic knitting to achieve the pops of color. Instead of holding both the two colors at the same time, only one color is worked at a time and uses slipped stitches to show the second color. If you are new to color work, I highly recommend this cowl. It is a great introduction to mosaic knitting as the floats are only two stitches maximum. The entire project is knit flat, then uses mattress stitch to seam together. 

Here’s the cowl a few rows away from the bind-off.

I do have to say that it wouldn’t be a project completed by me without a few mistakes. The first mistake I made was forgetting an increase on one of the sides. Luckily, it was fairly close to the beginning, so I just ripped it out and started again. The other slightly significant mistake I made was with one of the increases. The pattern calls for both make one right (M1R) and make one left (M1L). It wasn’t until about halfway through the pattern that I realized i was incorrectly doing M1R. I certainly wasn’t going to rip out all my progress, so I kept doing it incorrectly, but made a mental note for upcoming projects. The only other thing that gave me issues was figuring out how to seam it together with mattress stitch. Luckily Ana offers online lessons and was able to give me the help that was necessary to complete the seaming.

Definitely not a perfect example of mattress stitch. Also note the floats in the knitting.

This was such an enjoyable project, that I already have some more Spincycle Dyed in the Wool for another Shift cowl!

Next Shift Cowl using Spincycle Dyed in the Wool: Absinthe, Cataclysm, and Ruination.

Meet the Artist: Casey of Hearth and Harrow

I came across Casey's work at Hearth and Harrow just a couple of months ago and was instantly smitten. Her clean, modern, yet New-England-y and witchy aesthetic drew me in! I'm so excited to introduce you all to another amazing local artist. Read on to learn more about Casey and her studio on the coast of Maine!

xo,

Ana

Casey Everett is the artist behind Hearth and Harrow, an indie family-run company specializing in designing and hand-printing nature-inspired home goods and apparel. They’re based in Rockport, Maine! Follow them on Instagram @hearthandharrow

Browse Hearth and Harrow on our website!



Casey, I love your beautiful work! Can you tell us how you got started?

I began Hearth and Harrow six years ago when I was 9 months pregnant with my second child. My husband and I were living on and managing an organic farm in Massachusetts while I was completing my graduate degree with a focus on botanical illustration.

That sounds amazing! Living on a farm sounds like the perfect environment to be inspired for botanical illustrations.

The idea for Hearth (home) and Harrow (farm) was born from a desire to create eco friendly products for the home using the botanical illustrations that I was making on the farm. Soon enough we were bringing organic, hand printed textiles to farmers markets along with the veggies (and two little ones in tow!). When the linens began to sell better than the tomatoes, we knew we were on to something and decided to focus solely on Hearth and Harrow. Today, we are still hand printing our eco friendly goods at our home studio, which is now on the beautiful Coast of Maine!

Casey also shared some sneak peeks of her gorgeous studio!

Introducing Tessa Belkin!

We have a new blog contributor joining us, Tessa Belkin! Tessa lives in the Greater Boston Area and has been knitting up a storm growing her knitting skills over the last year. I’m so excited to have her share her projects on the blog!

xo, Ana

Tessa at Circle of Stitches last week, loading up on Malabrigo Rasta and Malabrigo Mechita

Hi Tessa! Before we get into the knitty-gritty (pun definitely intended), can you tell us about your life as a super-amazing musician?

Ana, you know I love a good pun! My musical journey started with the piano, similar to many musicians I know. It wasn't until my dad took me to an orchestra concert and I saw the violin. It was love at first sound and sight! Over 20 years later, I am still in love with the violin and recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in violin performance. I currently hold the position of Principal Second Violin as well as Personnel Manager of the Fall River Symphony Orchestra. When I'm not performing with the Fall River Symphony Orchestra, I can be found teaching violin and viola across Southeastern Massachusetts.

How did you get started knitting?

My first memory of knitting was when I was in either first or second grade. I was sitting at my dining room table with my mom, and she was attempting to show me how to knit. One can imagine how that went... That first project sat uncompleted in my room for years. I found myself staring at it and trying to add a few rows, always failing. It wasn't until around 2014 that I picked up knitting again. It started with arm knitting, and grew rapidly into "regular" knitting a few months later. Before I knew it, I ended up with an ever growing stash of yarn and many projects on my needles! I love starting new projects, but there’s no greater feeling than finishing a project and wearing it with pride!

What are you going to be sharing with folks on the blog?

I am always on the hunt for new techniques that I haven't learned yet. For example, last year, I mainly focused on learning brioche. So far, this year has been the year of socks and shawls! I can't wait to share my love of knitting with you! I have many projects lined up to share!

Follow Tessa on Instagram!

A small collection of teal yarn, teal based projects, and teal clothes. All the yarn pictured: Malabrigo Sock, Malabrigo Arroyo, Malabrigo Mechita, Malabrigo Rios (are we noticing a trend?), Less Traveled 757 Sock

Meet the Witch: Ash Alberg and cwtch: finding ritual in the everyday

It's another snowy, icy day here in the Witch City, and today I'm chatting with my amazing friend Ash Alberg of Sunflower Knit. Read on to meet this amazing Fibre Witch and learn about the inspiration for their newest book, cwtch: finding ritual in the everyday
xo, Ana

Ash Alberg, aka Sunflower Knit, is a queer femme, fibre witch and hedgewitch, professional knitwear designer and natural dyer, and parent to Willow, the coven pooch. Follow them on IG @sunflowerknit, and check out their side project for fibershed advocacy at fromfieldtoskin.com and @fromfieldtoskin. Ash also teaches both knitwear design and natural dyeing, and budding fibre witches can learn with them online.

Ash and I met years ago on Instagram. Since then, we've collaborated on multiple projects (including our new Fiber Witch Box collection) and traveled to Rhinebeck together. Yesterday we chatted about their new book, and here's what I learned!

cwtch is very much inspired by Salem and by you, Ana! (awww <3)
The original plan was to come down for a visit and photograph all the shawls around town and take a trip over to Harrisville to see the mill, but then COVID hit and eventually I realized it made more sense to bring the book into the world with some adjustments rather than having it sit half-done for who knew how many years. I shot all the shawl photos on my own in my back living room in december 2020, and all the recipe photos were shot in november 2019 in my front living room by Samson during a work trip (he and I live 2000 miles apart and make a point of seeing each other at least once a year normally - COVID marks the longest time we've been apart in the 13 years we've known each other).

The extra time did give me time to start learning both polish and gaelic (it's still very early days but I like listening to children's bedtime stories as part of my learning methods), and establish my tarot practice more. I'm also learning herbalism in a more formal way these days. Basically COVID has just let me hunker down into all the witchcraft. Willow puts up with it for the most part, although she doesn't appreciate when i'm doing my morning tarot pulls instead of giving her a dental chew immediately after she finishes breakfast.

Ash's new book was written in collaboration with Harrsiville Designs, and features Harrisville Nightshades, one of my all-time favorite yarns. Prefer a lighter palette? Knit Ash’s beautiful designs in Harrisville Daylights. cwitch includes 10 new shawl knitting patterns and 18 recipes for food, drink, and simple potions for home and body care, to help you find ritual in the everyday.

10 Things about Ash:

1. peppers make me puke unless they're dried and crushed into powder.

2. pink was my favourite colour until i was 6, then i hated it until i was an adult (because patriarchy/internalized femmephobia), and now i love it again.

3. i'm half-maritimer and my accent gets thicker when i'm drunk and/or around other maritimers.

4. my first tarot deck is actually my dad's old deck. his mom (my gramma) grew up with romani before the war and learned how to read dreams from them, but that's not why he picked up tarot.

5. i'm a triple fire sign with venus in pisces, so chill isn't really in my vocabulary. it's also not in my dog's vocabulary. we can be a bit much sometimes.

6. i love good lingerie and good lipstick, even when i'm just spending the day with my dye pots and on dog walks.

7. my favourite ice cream flavour is mint chocolate chip.

8. i have a hard time growing plants and am always very proud of myself when i keep one alive for a while.

9. a big factor in creating a new book with my friend and photographer samson is getting to travel somewhere on our bucket list. we like islands especially.

10. i'm a leftie knitter and do knit backwards (stitches move from my right needle to my left).

Pre-order cwitch: finding ritual in the everyday here!

Stay tuned for my next Fiber Witch chat!