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Donita The Fiberista

@donitathefiberista.bsky.social

90 followers 40 following 95 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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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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Buy Donita a Coffee

Become a supporter of Donita today!

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · 13d

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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Sep 2

Insane.

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 28

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”

Reposted by Donita The Fiberista

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · Aug 27

Hi authors! Please remember to file a claim!

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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 26

A frog holds a rainbow that stretches between a cloud held in each hand, there are raindrops, skulls, hearts, and stars falling from the clouds. The text above the rainbow reads “Doing my best in a system designed to break me”

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 26

Name a non-LOTR character who could resist the one ring.

a woman wearing a purple vest and a blue and white blouse is smiling .

ALT: a woman wearing a purple vest and a blue and white blouse is smiling .

media.tenor.com

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 25

#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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 19

It’s my go-to!

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 19

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

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Reposted by Donita The Fiberista

Chris 🎬🎧 @raidercast.bsky.social · Aug 11

Adrian Bliss hitting the nail on the head - that stare into the camera at the end, chef kiss 👌

“Making Art In 2026”

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 17

#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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 16

That is stitch pattern + yarn nirvana!! 😍

Reposted by Donita The Fiberista

Dye Mad Yarns @dyemadyarns.bsky.social · Aug 13

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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 10

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

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 10

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

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 5

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.“

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Aug 2

The best thing about this theme is this yarn!!! 😍

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 28

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.”

Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 26

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

Reposted by Donita The Fiberista

Dye Mad Yarns @dyemadyarns.bsky.social · Jul 26

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).

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 25

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.

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 25

Gorgeous!!! Makes me wanna learn Tunisian!

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Reposted by Donita The Fiberista

Dye Mad Yarns @dyemadyarns.bsky.social · Jul 23

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.

A grilled hotdog in a bun with ketchup, mustard and relish

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 21

I’ll try to post a pic when it’s not sweltering outside! ☺️

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Donita The Fiberista @donitathefiberista.bsky.social · Jul 21

Thank you!