Kymberly Fergusson
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kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Kymberly Fergusson
@kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
140 followers 76 following 100 posts
Tech writer & editor, translator.
Spinner & weaver, tea lover, artist, productive gardener, cat lady.
Multi-spoonie | spondyloarthritis, PTSD, endo & adeno, breast cancer, kidney disease, lipedema, migraineur.
patreon.com/learnedwords
learnedwords.com
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kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
That thing where life kinda overwhelms and you disappear from socials. That. Still writing regularly for patrons and clients, still doing lots of crafting, still watching winter tiptoe into the garden, still keeping on. Just quietly exhausted.
#spoonies #patreoncreator #fiberarts #balconygarden
A sunrise tinges the Leipzig city eastern horizon a reddish orange beyond the converted factory seen from a cat-net-lined balcony garden. A colourwork knitted sock in a muted pink and purple is in progress being supervised by a long-haired ginger cat. It's obviously cold - the knitter is under a pile of blankets on the sofa, much to the cat's approval. Many skeins of finished purple-heathered handspun merino yarn hang from a media stand in front of an Ashford traveller spinning wheel, a warping frame on the wall and a set of drawers supporting a pile of empty bobbins and the next spin in progress. A collection of Weck and other bottles are full of a brilliant red liquid in the morning sun - cooling shiso cordial. There were obviously not enough bottles, as a tall measuring jug has a cotton pudding cap to keep any bugs out.
October 24, 2025 at 5:47 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Newsletter now up with a brief garden & craft update.

With a new-retro diagnosis of #SSc with progressing #ILD, I'll take August (& likely September) to come to terms with it, deal with medication & therapy changes & the summer heat.

www.patreon.com/posts/summer...

#spoonies #chronicillness
Cookie, the black and ginger tabby Maine Coon cat with green eyes is sitting on a white Ikea chair, awaiting breakfast - she wants every mouthful to be hand fed. This is the header image for the free newsletter this quarter, with the text - Summer news and a Patreon pause, by Kymberly Fergusson, at patreon.com/learnedwords A small Weck bottle and a Hario pickling jar sit on a kitchen bench and each contain a small number of Japanese ume plums/apricots. The bottle has rock sugar in a golden liquid, with the label Umeshu + Brandy, June 28 2025. The pickling jar with a glass weight contains plums nestled in salt with the messy label umeboshi, June 28 2025. A blue sweater-back-in-progress is draped over a white Ikea chair with the remnants of a ball of blue-core black fluff Daruma Geek yarn sitting on the top. Sweater pattern is Amirisu Regolith (hoody). Johnny, the ginger and white long-haired Maine Coon cat lies in a cat cushion on a table, and stares at the camera with his arms outstretched. He doesn't like to be photographed.
July 24, 2025 at 11:24 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Flowers, fruit and veg from the balcony garden, the loom awaiting a rethread, and one of my favourite obi above the TV.
Crispy summer garden update over on Patreon, crafting update later this month, along with the newsletter for free members. I’ll be taking a break in August to rest in the heat 😊🌻
A round, pale blue vase of flowers sits on a half wall between kitchen and hall. The flowers are from the garden - hydrangeas, alstroemerias, echinacea, and a wild gladioli - all in shades of pink and white. A dark purple, metallic, floral obi is draped over a wooden rod above a TV. The golden threads shine in the light coming from the side window. A table loom is in the process of being dressed, with grey-brown and dusky pink threads hanging through the white texsolv heddles. A mistake was made right at the beginning though, and the loom is in the naughty corner until it can be fully re-threaded. A handful of apricots and a small kuri pumpkin sit on a cluttered, wooden kitchen bench - produce from the balcony garden.
July 14, 2025 at 7:38 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
It’s always a big shake up with a rare diagnosis (SSc+ILD). While I would love to be participating in #TourDeFleece this year, slow and gentle pacing has me spinning only a little, but following others and celebrating their progress. ❤️ #spinning #FiberArts #handspun
A plastic weaving bobbin, wooden drop spindle and a red and black carbon supported spindle hold a multi-coloured handspun yarn. They rest on a wooden table in front of the original braid of fiber that is very, very slowly decreasing in size.
July 11, 2025 at 4:49 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Eveline WIld rose - makes a good syrup!

#BloomScrolling #Florespondence
A fully opened apricot-yellow ruffled rose is surrounded by rosebuds and greenery in a balcony garden on a hot summer day under a brilliant blue sky, dotted with fluffy clouds.
June 17, 2025 at 12:55 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
A quick summer school roundup of my goals from last year - goal setting and achieving is definitely not my thing! It's available for free and paid members over on Patreon. Perhaps you'd like to join me for an occasional cuppa over there! :)

www.patreon.com/posts/summer...

#FiberArts #spoonies
A red weighted carbon support spindle rests on a little wooden bowl near some multicoloured fiber while tea is being prepared. A cream hand-made mug with a chicken on the front and a branch on the handle sits next to a white-blue-mahogony little tea pot that is steeping a black tea with rose petals. In front is an open tea tin, filled with the delicious rose tea leaves.
June 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
After a rough start to the month, the garden walkthrough and this month’s kimono update are up over on Patreon. Craft projects next week with a new cast on, and a wrap up of the 100 day project with a cast off and finished jumper, finally!

#Patreon #UrbanGardening #The100DayProject #spoonies
Many white strawberry flowers sit atop lush green leaves in front of a cat net on a balcony railing. A hand holds a blue-black ball of wool (it looks like two strands, but it’s not), bamboo circular knitting needles and a swatch of the same wool in front of a balcony garden with green-and red-leaved plants blurred in the background. A hand holds up kimono fabric with delicate red embroidered berries, coppery embroidered leaves, with fine gold cord for the leaf veins on top of the painted floral scene and sweeping background fabric of white and grey with soft edges mottled by touches of golden paint. Preparing to cast off with Kitchener stitch, two metal knitting needles are being used to slip knit stitches on a rib hem of a grey jumper to one and purl stitches to another. A large, fur monster (ginger cat) is sleeping on the end of the sofa in the background.
May 24, 2025 at 6:46 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Tasks for today - finishing the other sleeve of my jumper for #The100DayProject, and writing about this month’s kimono for Patreon. Right now, though, coffee and cat snuggling - it’s a slow start day.
A hand holds a wool needle through stitches on red-cabled knitting needles as the cuff of a grey marled knitted jumper is cast off. The light/magnifier helps the knitter work on bad-eyesight days. A hand holds a silk kimono, painted in a floral golden design and expertly embroidered with various fine threads - red for the berries, gold for the berry stems, sepia for the leaves, and gold cord for the leaf veins.
May 8, 2025 at 10:57 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Finally laced my grandparents’ tapestry saved from a mound of rusting staples.

Please don’t trim needlework canvas when framing - it makes cleaning and reframing nigh impossible.

#fiberarts #tapestry
The front is mostly square - the bottom left corner of the tapestry was the hardest spit with the least amount of fabric to lace into. The tapestry is of an English country scene in spring or summer near a lake/river with a bridge, trees, a person and a horse. Positioning lacing underneath, and tightening lacing with a fine cotton crochet thread on top. Tapestries are rarely square and the corner opposite needed an extra diagonal pull. You can see how little of the canvas was left after the previous framer had trimmed it to the staple line. Positioning lacing with sewing thread and fine cord, centering the tapestry motif with the frame. The trimmed canvas was previously reinforced with cotton tape so the lacing could have something to hold onto that wouldn’t fray.
April 12, 2025 at 12:26 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
This month's hung kimono are both gorgeous examples of shibori tie dying combined with abstract painting and floral embroidery.

The photo update with both kimono, three obi and a stunning cream haori now available over on Patreon.
#KimonoCollection #FiberArts #Patreon
Hanging folds of a kimono. The bolts of textured woven silk were tied with shibori dot patterns and dyed in a vivid green and contrasting orange. Light green and gold geometric and grass-like patterns were then painted over the top. Lastly, the shiny and golden fan embroidery featuring chrysanthemum flowers completed the kimono motif.
April 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
While I’m still slowly knitting up (down?) the sleeves of the jumper for The100DayProject, to give my angry wrist a break, I have been continuing to spin up the colourful advent calendar.

Spinning is such a soothing thing when pain levels are too high.

#handspun #spinning #FiberArts #spoonies
Three small skeins of colourful handspun 2ply wool sit in a narrow sliver of sun on a kitchen bench. Photos can’t bring out the sparkle of the larger blue and grey skein that is flecked with reds and yellows. The middle skein is a mix of greens from yellowish to forest, and the right skein is a colourful blend of yellows, pinks and greens.
April 3, 2025 at 8:10 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Lots of spinning and a #The100DayProject update in this month’s creative post over on Patreon.

Looking forward to next month too - there is now a jumper blend and spin in my future, with a new tool to learn and experiments to do.

#FiberArts #spinning #handspun #knitting #handmade
A tumble of colourful skeins of handspun yarns are spread over a desk including various wools, linen, cotton, angora and mohair, all spun from small samples. An unfinished grey hand knit jumper is hung inside out over a chair with cable knitting needles hanging from the unfinished sleeves.
March 31, 2025 at 6:06 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Cookie surprised me while I was wandering around the balcony garden, looking at all the sakura cherry blossoms.

I’ve shared this spring update with patrons. The coming month looks to hold a lot of work!

www.patreon.com/posts/125126...

#BalconyGarden #ContainerGarden #UrbanGardening #Patreon
March 25, 2025 at 3:30 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Handspun socks are finished and so incredibly warm.

I’m focusing on #knitting and sewing clothing for my #The100dayProject, and so pleased I have a finished thing!

Exmoor sock fiber from John Arbon textiles 2ply spun on a Traveller #spinning wheel

Solace sock pattern from Kelene Kinnersly Design
A jumper-clad arm is holding out a pair of sock blocking hangers with a finished pair of light grey handspun socks knitted with a lace pattern. The wool is uneven and thick, but looks and feels very cosy. The balcony garden is covered in sunlight with a couple of small cherry blossom potted plants in full bloom.
March 21, 2025 at 5:45 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
While I don’t think I’ll have enough yarn to knit the full length sleeves, it’ll definitely reach past the elbow, and I can get a close match to do a long rib cuff.

Yarn - Lana Grossa Cashmere 16 - terrible quality with long lengths lost to knots and disintegration.
A grey knitted jumper in progress is laid out on a pile of blankets that the knitter is snuggled under for warmth. Both sleeves are at the tshirt length on red cabled-metal needles with cute stoppers (one set of pandas, and one of foxes) - the sleeves are being knit from one ball of wool, both at the same time so when the wool runs out they are the same length.
March 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Happy to have mustered enough energy to photo and write up this month's kimono display over on Patreon. I hope the change of seasons isn't too rough on you - the ups and down are doing a number on my joints and head!

#Patreon #kimono #spoonies #FiberArts

www.patreon.com/posts/spring...
A close up of an embroidered kimono - vivid spring flowers with gold outlines. A hand holding a cream kimono so the embroidered sakura flower petals can catch the sunlight and shine a little. A close up of a golden obi with fan scenes showing the view to Mount Fuji from the surrounding countryside - this one with people on a boat on a lake with Mount Fuji in the distance in the center. Part of the green and gold floral obi - sakura cherry blossoms, peonies, chrysanthemums and water woven into the fabric on top of fan-like shapes in gold and white.
March 17, 2025 at 4:07 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
It’s the usual quarterly appointment season, where I get to spend hours and hours in waiting rooms.

So I have started some very simple socks for #The100DayProject, working on making clothing and underwear a little every day for 100 days.

#knitting #spoonies #ChronicIllness
The toe of a purple and white/grey sock on circular bamboo knitting needles is resting on my fav ESO leather bag from Bethesda, in front of my bag of medical records (eeep). The yarn snakes into the best little sock project bag that had been looped onto a D ring on the front flap of the messenger bag. It has black with a panel of cute black cats on a cream natural linen. When walking to and from appointments, the sock project bag tucks neatly inside the brown leather ESO messenger bag. It cant fall out or be lost because it has been looped into a metal D ring on the front flap of the messenger.
March 12, 2025 at 11:54 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
The stealth bumbles have more energy than I do at the moment.

Whether it’s the season/weather change or post infection exhaustion I’ve no idea. It’s very much spring outside, and I’d love to get out into the garden, but resting instead.

#Balconygarden #urbangarden #containergardening
A black fuzzy bumblebee hangs upside down with its head deep in a sakura cherry blossom flower in a city balcony garden. Two black bumblebees munch on flowering willow catkins in a city balcony garden.
March 5, 2025 at 11:35 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Progress will seems slow now on my jumper now I’m into the sleeves and knitting both at once.
Also slowly working on my handspun socks. The yarn is very uneven, which makes it less stretchy, so I’m knitting rib up the Achilles/calves.
#The100DayProject #knitting #handspun #spoonies
Knitted socks (lace pattern Solace), with a ribbed back in handspun grey yarn on bamboo circular needles, resting on a wooden yarn bowl with a slender crochet hook for dropped stitches. Theres a well-worn and cat-fur covered striped crochet blanket underneath. A dark grey fine yarn ball rests in the middle of a knitted jumper in progress, both the outside and center of the ball is connected to one of the sleeves. The sleeves are just starting to take shape, each on red-cabled metal needles.
March 2, 2025 at 2:32 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
More progress on the jumper for #The100dayProject with a very helpful creativity session from @michaelnobbs.bsky.social on the GoGently Patreon.

Neck done - an anxious tubular bind off - messy, but ‘twas my first time.

Picked up the arm stitches and will try to knit both at once.

#knitting
A heathered grey knitted raglan-sleeved jumper in progress rests on the knees of the knitter on a blanket covered sofa. The neck ribbed edge is a little bulkier at the cast off (tubular) than the hem. A mess of four needles with red cables are waiting to start the arms.
February 27, 2025 at 11:39 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Today’s progress for #The100DayProject - one side of the split hem cast off (and immediately repaired when the yarn broke on a light stretch- not perfect, but wearable).

This month’s creative project update now scheduled over on Patreon, with all the other non-clothing WIPs.

#knitting #FiberArts
A hand holds a heathered grey knitted jumper hem, the thumb indicating a repaired hem where the yarn had snapped on a light stretch. This yarn is truly awful - so many knots and disintegrating sections. The other side of the split hem is on the red cabled circular needles - 1x1 rib in progress.
February 26, 2025 at 3:41 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
And a little more progress for #The100DayProject. Made it to and into the split rib hem.

Clarke Pullover (Jane Richmond in Lana Grossa Cashmere 16 fine - terrible quality, with so many knots and disintegrating sections that I’m not sure I’ll have enough for the arms 😣

#knitting #FiberArts
A ribbed split hem finished a plain marled grey jumper on red-cabled metal knitting needles. The other side of the hem is on a separate cable with white plastic stoppers. The knitter is snuggled under multiple layers of striped crochet blankets.
February 25, 2025 at 2:42 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Today’s task was to darn that spot. Not perfect on a ridiculous pain day, but should be wearable. And I tucked the ends in while I had the little hook out.

As I need to rest and nap, I’ll stop there.

#knitting #The100DayProject #spoonies
A jumpered hand points out the two darned spots on a grey knitted jumper that is in progress on metal circular needles. The knitter is under a pile of blankets and heat packs on the sofa, with a cat near her feet, in a sunny living room.
February 24, 2025 at 12:21 PM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
I normally craft more accessories and household textiles, so these other projects tend to crawl for years.

Focusing on clothing for the next couple of months should make a difference.

With #spondyloarthritis and #postCovid, I’ll be gentle. A row knitted or a thread sewn is good enough.
The blanket in progress - a mottled red chunky yarn crocheted in a wave-like pattern. My preferred turn-my-head-off craft - spinning, seeing how various multi-coloured multi-fiber samples in the advent calendar spun and plied together.
February 24, 2025 at 9:46 AM
kymberlyfergusson.bsky.social
Doing #The100DayProject to replace some of my disintegrating clothing - allowed after 15-25 years.

So slowly working on garments and undergarments every day.

Currently #knitting a pair of #homespun socks, and a jumper. And there’s a mountain of #sewing and repairing.

#ChronicIllness #spoonies
A be-jumpered hand holds a mottled grey handspun sock on bamboo circular knitting needles, showing the heel has just been finished. A fine grey jumper in progress on a long, red-cabled pair of metal knotting needles is over a purple dressmaker’s form, with red wool holding the sleeve stitches. There is a hole at the front where something got to it (either weak thread - I had to throw out the rest of that ball of yarn as it broke every meter, a cat, or moths), so it’ll need darning immediately.
February 24, 2025 at 9:40 AM