Donita The Fiberista
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donitathefiberista.bsky.social
Donita The Fiberista
@donitathefiberista.bsky.social
93 followers 41 following 96 posts
Donita knits, spins, weaves, and teaches fiber arts in OH. When she isn’t creating with fiber, she’s likely playing with her dog, reading, literally herding her husband’s cats out of her fiber studio, and sometimes blogging at www.donitawestman.com
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donitathefiberista.bsky.social
Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Apr 22
If you find my content useful or inspiring, you can always buy me a coffee! 🧶 ☕️

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donitathefiberista.bsky.social
I encourage my #handspinning students to keep their first #handspunyarn so they have a visual representation of how far their #spinning has come - here’s mine!

Pattern: #FalseCreekCowl by #TinCanKnits, 11/2014
Yarn: #handspun “medium top wool”, 10/2014

#UseYourHandspun 💜 🧶 #fiberarts #knitting
a cream handknit lace cowl made with very chunky yarn with 3 leather buttons lays on a wood table an open hank of 2-ply cream wool yarn shows super bulky, thick-and-thicker strands of yarn
December 4, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
viamarsala18.bsky.social
Pantone really said MORE WHITE in trumps America
lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com lauren @lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com · 15d
pantone just named landlord white the color of the year 2026, WE NEED TO BUILD HOUSES
pantone's color of the year, "cloud dancer", a dull shade of white here illustrated by a person wearing ridiculous white pants
December 4, 2025 at 2:56 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
New #freepattern alert!! 🚨

My new design for @dyemadyarns.bsky.social , the #TriskaidekaphiliaBeanie , is live on #Ravelry! Tag your photos or add your project to Rav so I can see how yours worked up! 🧡🫶🧡

#knitting #hat #beanie #Triskaidekaphilia #Swiftie #TLOAS

www.ravelry.com/patterns/lib...
Triskaidekaphilia Beanie pattern by Donita Westman
Triskaidekaphilia is a word of Greek origin, meaning “love of the number 13”. I think 13 gets a bad rap, dear reader; there are more fearsome and wretched things in this world than the number that fol...
www.ravelry.com
October 14, 2025 at 3:10 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
A kind review of the A Bushel & A Peck Market Bag pattern - available on Etsy!

This weave-to-sew pattern uses worsted weight wool and is written for 16” and 24” weaving width looms.

🔗 in bio!

#RHweaving #rigidheddleweaving #rigidheddleloom #EtsySeller
2 bags sit on a picnic table - one full of apples and the other full of yarn. The bags are made of woven checked fabric in maroon & gold (the larger) and maroon & gray (the smaller). Below the photo, text reads “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Well written pattern with some helpful photos. Easy enough to follow and am pleased with how my weaving is coming out - verified Etsy buyer”
August 28, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
courtneymilan.com
Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!
arstechnica.com Ars Technica @arstechnica.com · Aug 27
AI advocates have warned that if every author in the class action filed a claim, it would "financially ruin" the entire industry.
Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action
Advocates fear such settlements will “financially ruin” the AI industry.
arstechnica.com
August 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
#spinningSunday

This is “Thank You for Being A Friend” by @dyemadyarns.bsky.social (November 2024 club colorway) on Piper Fiber - 85/15 Polwarth/Tussah Silk

Spun on my EEW 6, and plied on my Hansen MiniSpinner!

🧶 #handspun #handspunyarn #handspinning #spinyourownyarn
A finished skein of handspun, twisted like a Bismarck, in shades of lilac & rust A collage of the process, top left is spun singles, top right is plied yarn, bottom left is the bobbin end cross section of the yarn, bottom right is yarn off the bobbin, before wet finishing The hand dyed mill-spun yarn in the same colorway for comparison
August 25, 2025 at 2:59 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
When I teach #plying, I encourage folks to consider their end goal for the yarn when choosing a plying method. These pictures perfectly encapsulate why! I know which I would choose for cables - Which would you choose?

Photos from Twist by Michelle Boyd

#handspun 🧶 #fiberarts #handspinning
teal 2-ply yarn, spun worsted, swatched in knitted stockinette, lace, and cables, as well as woven, sit on a brown background teal 3-ply yarn, spun worsted, swatched in knitted stockinette, lace, and cables, as well as woven, sit on a brown background
August 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
raidercast.bsky.social
Adrian Bliss hitting the nail on the head - that stare into the camera at the end, chef kiss 👌

“Making Art In 2026”
August 11, 2025 at 6:34 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
#spinningSunday is back!!

This is “Merino Village” by @dyemadyarns.bsky.social

Spun on my EEW 6, and plied on my Hansen MiniSpinner!

🧶 #handspun #handspunyarn #handspinning #spinyourownyarn
An aqua bobbin of lavender, gray, red and green plied yarn is held in hand over green grass The same yarn, before wet finishing The finished yarn, after a nice bath!
August 17, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
dyemadyarns.bsky.social
Our draft of the Columbus Craft Communities zine is done!! We’ve got copies at the shop for pick up, or you can print your own! It’s just one 8.5x11 sheet of paper, printed on the front and it makes a lil booklet! #knitsky #columbus #ohio #crafting
A small booklet entitled “CBUS Craft Communities” An 8.5x11 flat zine with all (most?) of the central Ohio craft meet ups through the week and months
August 13, 2025 at 11:28 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
How do you hold your hands as you ply? Do you keep your singles separated?

Read more about opposing ply yarns in PLY magazine!

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #spinyourownyarn #fiberarts #PLYmagazine #PLYspinnersguild #spinningSunday
August 10, 2025 at 8:42 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
I found this Mini Matchbox cross stitch kit from The Crafty Kit Company at @dyemadyarns.bsky.social and even though I hadn’t cross-stitched in years, I had to get one! I’m so charmed!!

#slowcrafts #crossstitch #fiberarts #loveislove
A 2” embroidery hoop has a silver key chain fob through the screw at the top, and holds a rainbow heart cross-stitched onto white Aida fabric
August 10, 2025 at 1:11 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
THIS. All day long.
Plying isn’t just another barrier to using your yarn. It is just as integral to your finished yarn as how you spin your singles and how you wet finish.

Say it again @spindleprincess.bsky.social !! 👏👏👏
Image is orange text on a brown background: “Plying is not just twisting singles together in the opposite direction; it is a separate step in making yarn with its own set of considerations.“
August 5, 2025 at 5:36 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
Big shout out to Adam Sandler for making another (hysterical) #HappyGilmore movie.
My #rigidheddleweaving students were starting to age out of recognizing my go-to directions for students who wanna beat the life out of their #weaving. We don’t have to beat the weft, we’ve just gotta “Tap it in!” ⛳️
Adam Sandler, in character as Happy Gilmore, stands on a golf course wearing a black & yellow Bruins hockey jersey. Text on the screen says “Just tap it in. Give it a little tappy, tap, tap, taparoo.”
July 28, 2025 at 12:44 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Day 18-19: Even when you can’t spin, you can read about spinning!
Michelle’s book is so approachable & packed with useful info for all skill levels!
Thanks @spindleprincess.bsky.social & @plymagazine.bsky.social for this book!

🧶 #handspinning #fiberarts #PLYpublishing
A hardback copy of Twist by Michelle Boyd sits on a teal corduroy ottoman. The cover art features an aged wood background with a single strand of yarn, with one ply each in blue, ecru, rust, and olive green
July 26, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
dyemadyarns.bsky.social
Our state fair collection isn’t just yarns!!! It’s also notions!!! Like this Ferris wheel marker minder 🎡 it’s got a deviled egg, corndog, cow, cotton candy & blue ribbon stitch marker :) dyemadyarns.com/collections/... #knitsky
2.5 in tall Ferris wheel laser engraved on maple wood featuring five stitch markers with attachments that open, making them perfect for both knitting and crochet. Stitch markers are a deviled egg, a corn dog, a cow, cotton candy and a ribbon (like a state fair blue ribbon).
July 26, 2025 at 12:30 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Day 16-17 spinning is this tiny bobbin of superwash merino singles for the @ PLY guild spin-along to make opposing ply sock yarn. This deep stash fiber is happy to be spun, I think! ☺️

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts #PLYspinnersguild
A small purple spinning bobbin is 2/3 full of denim blue spun fiber sits in the palm of my hand.
July 25, 2025 at 2:19 PM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
dyemadyarns.bsky.social
We made a collection for the State Fair!! As ephemeral as the fair itself, this collection is only available through 8/3. Look! It’s a hotdog yarn sock set!! Half skeins of bug and dog, with minis for ketchup, mustard & relish 🌭🧶🧦
Five twisted hanks of various sizes each in either beige, dark pink, red, yellow and green. They’re meant to evoke a hotdog and condiments. Five twisted hanks of various sizes each in either beige, dark pink, red, yellow and green. They’re meant to evoke a hotdog and condiments. A grilled hotdog in a bun with ketchup, mustard and relish
July 23, 2025 at 11:57 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Day 15 was finishing another mini-bump at “A Fairy Good Time” at the Franklinton Farms Learning Garden.
Kelley & Ashley from @dyemadyarns.bsky.social were there w/ a great wheel, which I spun on (ish) 😆 - POIDH in their stories!

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts
1 tiny bump of pastel blue-lavender fiber sits on a teal corduroy ottoman, surrounded by 9 small bundles of spun singles from the same blue wool.
July 20, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Donita The Fiberista
badasscrossstitch.bsky.social
This is certainly not a “check out” sort of message but it is a reminder that capitalism is a beast and can make it impossible for us to do less when we really need to. It’s a reminder to find ways to stay connected to community and allow others to help.
Hand embroidery on an antique white napkin that reads it is ok to do less when you are dealing with more
July 16, 2025 at 5:47 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Day 10 was sidelined by a rib that refused to stay in its place… but I knit on my Lake Effect Snow shawl.
🌊❄️ 🥶
Feile shawl by @letesknits.bsky.social
Yarn is Chester sock in “Road Slush” and “Great Lakes fade” by @dyemadyarns.bsky.social

🧶 #slowcrafts #fiberarts #knitting
The beginning of a hand-knitted, crescent-shaped shawl, with a knitting needle still in it, lays gray snowflake blanket. The shawl is light gray with stripes of dark blue dashes across it. Next to the shawl is the ball of gray yarn and 5 smaller balls of yarn fading from deep blue to light blue-teal. The gray yarn is held in a yarn sleeve that is pastel pink with blue cats eating sushi and Ramen on it.
July 15, 2025 at 9:44 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Day 9 happened at the Sunday Spin-In at @dyemadyarns.bsky.social 🎉
This is a braid from their Chester’s Skein Society club, April 2025: Chaos Garden.

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts #knitting
The maple flyer of a Schacht Ladybug spinning wheel is visible from a top-down view. There are singles on the bobbin in shades of purple, pink, and green.
July 14, 2025 at 9:05 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece Days 7-8 were… eventful 🥴
Day 7: More spindle spinning
day 8: A defective bobbin shredded my brake band… so I finished this knitted Pride & Progress cowl by @carissabrowning.bsky.social
yarn: @dyemadyarns.bsky.social

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts #knitting
a tiny pastel blue cop wound onto a tiny grey and white spindle; unspun pastel blue, sea foam green, and lavender fiber sits next to it a Pride & Progress cowl lays on a teal background. It showcases all the colors of the Pride & Trans flags, plus stripes of black and brown. a Pride & Progress cowl lays on a teal background. It showcases all the colors of the Pride & Trans flags, plus stripes of black and brown.
July 14, 2025 at 3:20 AM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
Day 6 was spinning on the 3rd bobbin until my battery died, so I rewound my first 2 bobbins onto storage bobbins (which was going to happen sooner or later anyway). And a Xennial ear worm because if I had this intrusive thought, you should, too. 😉

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts
a black e-spinner with a white bobbin, half-full of brown spun yarn, sits on a teal ottoman. There is a ball of deep brown wool roving next to the spinner. 2 cream bobbins, numbered 1 & 2, with dark brown singles a clear basket holds cream storage bobbins, standing on their end, some are numbered 1-12
July 11, 2025 at 4:50 PM
donitathefiberista.bsky.social
My #TourdeFleece goal this year is tackling my “to spin” list.
Day 5 brings finished bobbin 2 of 12!

#handspun 🧶 #handspinning #slowcrafts #fiberarts
a black e-spinner with an empty white bobbin sits on a teal corduroy ottoman. There is a purple bobbin full of dark brown spun singles next to the spinner.
July 10, 2025 at 3:42 PM