Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 12 hours ago
Today's video is all about gift ideas for yourself or your knitting friends (and even non-knitting friends). I show you 10 unique gift ideas that I hope you love. Let me know if you'd like to see another video of more gift ideas before the holiday season! I also talk about the Japanese beetle problem and discuss a knitting project that I'm currently working on.
LINKS TO PRODUCTS SHOWN:
Easy Peasy Socks (pattern): goo.gl/7Nb5TC
Jill Draper Makes Stuff--Valkill (yarn): goo.gl/tZiCk4
Stitch Marker Bracelet (The Sexy Knitter): goo.gl/F6TrpH
Smashed Knitting Needle Bracelet (Smashing Jewelry): goo.gl/apPDuf
Sterling Silver Cable Needle Ring (Leslie Wind): goo.gl/5dQUBP
Collar Clip Pin (Flapperdoodle): goo.gl/TRP11V
Cabled Mitten Soap (Alsatian Soaps & Body): goo.gl/e6Yrtg
Knitter's Hands Lotion Bar (Alsatian Soaps & Body): goo.gl/JiQrhQ
Knitter's Eye Chart (ILiveOnAFarm): goo.gl/haEY5Q
Knitter's Eye Chart (On Sale at Hazel Knits): goo.gl/ngkApY
Knit Doodle Paper (Laylock Knitwear Design): goo.gl/25bcoQ
Sam Slipper Kit (Joe's Toes): goo.gl/HywAjb
Knitted Gifts (book): goo.gl/mTHkXM
CONNECT WITH ME:
✔ I N S T A G R A M
✔ R A V E L R Y
✔ T W I T T E R
✔ P E R I S C O P E
@halcyarn
✔ E M A I L
halcyarn@gmail.com
✔ WRITE TO ME
Kristine Kelly
P.O. Box 74
Monmouth, IL 61462
If you are passionately curious and never get tired of learning new things, new skills, new ideas...I hope you enjoy watching my videos and learn something. Have a sparkly day!
Today's video is all about gift ideas for yourself or your knitting friends (and even non-knitting friends). I show you 10 unique gift ideas that I hope you love. Let me know if you'd like to see another video of more gift ideas before the holiday season! I also talk about the Japanese beetle problem and discuss a knitting project that I'm currently working on.
LINKS TO PRODUCTS SHOWN:
Easy Peasy Socks (pattern): goo.gl/7Nb5TC
Jill Draper Makes Stuff--Valkill (yarn): goo.gl/tZiCk4
Stitch Marker Bracelet (The Sexy Knitter): goo.gl/F6TrpH
Smashed Knitting Needle Bracelet (Smashing Jewelry): goo.gl/apPDuf
Sterling Silver Cable Needle Ring (Leslie Wind): goo.gl/5dQUBP
Collar Clip Pin (Flapperdoodle): goo.gl/TRP11V
Cabled Mitten Soap (Alsatian Soaps & Body): goo.gl/e6Yrtg
Knitter's Hands Lotion Bar (Alsatian Soaps & Body): goo.gl/JiQrhQ
Knitter's Eye Chart (ILiveOnAFarm): goo.gl/haEY5Q
Knitter's Eye Chart (On Sale at Hazel Knits): goo.gl/ngkApY
Knit Doodle Paper (Laylock Knitwear Design): goo.gl/25bcoQ
Sam Slipper Kit (Joe's Toes): goo.gl/HywAjb
Knitted Gifts (book): goo.gl/mTHkXM
CONNECT WITH ME:
✔ I N S T A G R A M
✔ R A V E L R Y
✔ T W I T T E R
✔ P E R I S C O P E
@halcyarn
✔ E M A I L
halcyarn@gmail.com
✔ WRITE TO ME
Kristine Kelly
P.O. Box 74
Monmouth, IL 61462
If you are passionately curious and never get tired of learning new things, new skills, new ideas...I hope you enjoy watching my videos and learn something. Have a sparkly day!


![Five Ancient Textile Technologies That Science Forgot
Think your wardrobe is cutting-edge? Think again. While the modern world is completely dominated by just two fabric structures—weaving and knitting—our ancestors were engineering textile technologies that were warmer, stretchier, and structurally superior to anything we mass-produce today. They used basic materials like river mud, palm tree leaves, and pieces of bone to solve complex problems in geometry, chemistry, and mechanical engineering.
In this episode of Ewe University, we step into the archaeology lab to uncover five incredible, long-lost fiber arts from around the globe:
Sprang: The prehistoric, zero-rubber precursor to modern spandex.
Nålbinding: The indestructible, unravelable textile favored by Vikings.
Kuba Cloth: A plush, asymmetrical luxury velvet woven entirely from tree leaves.
Bogolanfini: An unbelievable display of organic chemistry using fermented riverbed mud.
Tablet Weaving: High-strength, pocket-sized engineering powered by a simple deck of punched cards.
From ancient Egyptian hairnets to traditional West African chemistry, lets explore the mind-blowing science hidden inside the history of craft.
READING LIST
1. Sprang
Collingwood, P. (1974). The Techniques of Sprang: Plaiting on Stretched Threads. Watson-Guptill Publications. [Check your local library; I was able to get it via interlibrary loan.]
Hald, M. (1980). Ancient Danish Textiles from Bogs and Burials. National Museum of Denmark. [Check your local library.]
2. Nalbinding
Bender Jorgensen, L. (1992). North European Textiles until AD 1000. Aarhus University Press. [Check your local library.]
Karp, C., & Decker, A. M. (2022). Three objects catalogued as vantsöm in the collections of the Museum der Kulturen in Basel, Switzerland. Archaeological Textiles Review, (64), 55–63.
https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/view/166603/207701
3. Kuba Cloth
Adams, M. J. (1978). Kuba Embroidered Cloth. African Arts, 12(1), 24–39.
https://doi.org/10.2307/3335378
Mack, J. (1980). Bakuba Embroidery. Textile History, 11(1), 164–174.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/004049680793691194
4. Bogolanfini
Rovine, V. L. (2001). Bogolan: Shaping Culture Through Cloth in Contemporary Mali. Smithsonian Institution Press. [Check your local library.]
Limaye, M.V., Bacsik, Z., Schütz, C. et al. (2012) On the role of tannins and iron in the Bogolan or mud cloth dyeing process. Textile Research Journal, 82(18), 1888-1896.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0040517512452955
5. Tablet Weaving
Collingwood, P. (1982). The Techniques of Tablet Weaving. Faber & Faber. [Check your local library.]
Ræder Knudsen, L. (2015). Early Iron Age Tablet Weaving in Denmark. Archaeological Textiles Review, 57, 118-122.
https://tidsskrift.dk/atr/article/download/167063/208091/372573
#FiberArts #WeavingCommunity #TextileArt #SlowCraft #HistoricalCrafting #FiberArtist #YarnNerd #Archaeology #AncientHistory #AncientTechnology #ExperimentalArchaeology #HistoryNerd #TextileHistory #FashionHistory #MaterialScience #ScienceIsCool #OrganicChemistry #PhysicsOfFabric #SmartTextiles #Sprang #Nalbinding #KubaCloth #Bogolanfini #MudCloth #TabletWeaving #CardWeaving Five Ancient Textile Technologies That Science Forgot](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W-bcYbtb5ME/mqdefault.jpg)







![The Acrylic Yarn Report
Acrylic yarn is easily the most polarizing material in the fiber arts community. While it is celebrated for democratizing crafting and providing affordable, easy-care options, it is simultaneously criticized for its environmental impact and performance flaws. In todays lecture at Ewe University, Dr. Kelly breaks down acrylic yarn at a molecular level. We trace its origin from a volatile liquid (acrylonitrile) to a texturized, wool-mimicking fiber. We also dive into the chemistry behind why acrylic sweaters feel like a personal greenhouse, why they trap stubborn odors over time (the science of oleophilia), and the hidden environmental tax of microplastics shed during laundry cycles. Ultimately, our goal isnt to judge what is in your stash. Every fiber has a history, a molecular structure, and a cost. By understanding the science of our supplies, we can become better, more conscious crafters.
You can buy the GuppyFriend bag here:
https://guppyfriend.us/products/guppyfriend-washing-bag
[not an affiliate link]
SUGGESTED ACADEMIC READING LIST
If you want to read further into the textile engineering, environmental data, and history mentioned in todays lecture, check out these references:
On Polymerization & Production:
Principles of Polymerization by George Odian. (A comprehensive look at the chemical processes behind synthetic polymers like polyacrylonitrile).
https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Polymerization-George-Odian/dp/0471274003
On Microplastic Shedding:
Napper, I. E., & Thompson, R. C. (2016). Release of synthetic microplastic fibres from domestic washing machines: Effects of fabric type and washing conditions. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 112(1-2), 39-45. (The foundational study regarding the 700,000+ fibers released per wash cycle).
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X16307639
On Fiber Mechanics and Comfort:
Clothing Appearance and Fit: Science and Technology by J. Fan and L. Hunter. (Explores the physics of fabric breathability, moisture absorption, and thermal insulation).
https://books.google.com/books/about/Clothing_appearance_and_fit.html?id=GuL2wAEACAAJ
#eweuniversity, #acrylicyarnscience, #acrylicvswool, #textileengineering, #chemistryofyarn, #fibershaming, #microplastics #laundry, #yarnsnobbery, #whydoesacrylicsmell, #howacrylicyarnismade, #polyacrylonitrile, #textilescienceforknitters, #honestyarnreview, #ecofriendlyknitting The Acrylic Yarn Report](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bS4CFs9sB5U/mqdefault.jpg)