Podcasts about cogknitive

This week's episode is sponsored by: I want you to start living a happier life today. As a listener, you'll get 10% off your first month by visiting our sponsor at BetterHelp dot com slash knitmore Join over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health. Again, that's BetterHelp.com/knitmore  Carry your creativity with Erin Lane Bags! Whether you show your fiber fandom with the woolly wonder Sheepleverse, or dive into history with the Curiosities collection, our project bags, totes, and hook and needle organizers are at the ready to keep your hobby happy.     Have you ever had to frog because you forgot a step several rows back? Or lost your spot because you dropped your magnet board or lost track with your highlighter tape? Instead of wrestling with paper, use the knitCompanion app. It keeps you on track so you can knit more and frog less. knitCompanion works with ALL your patterns and is available for Apple, Android, and Kindle Fire Devices Are you feeling dis-GRUNT-eled about your stash? Are you browsing Insta-HAM looking for knitting inspiration? Is color "kind of a PIG deal" in your life? Oink Pigments offers over one hundred forty PIG-ture perfect colorways to make you SQUEAL with delight. For a limited time only, bring home the bacon with code KNITMORE and get fifteen percent off in-stock yarns and fibers at oinkpigments dot com. Shop soon, because these pigs will FLY!       On the Needles: (0:37) Gigi : Andrew's sock Jasmin has made a little more progress on the Musselburgh hat in Always be Kind yarn's “Inclusive Pride Stripes” Jasmin has finished both sleeves and is well into the body of her Halloween Heart pullover (in Oink Pigments Targhee Sock) Jasmin has finished the first sleeve and started the second sleeve of her Pumpkin Patch sweater, all from well-aged yarn. Gigi mentions the German podcast Wollgespräche    Events:(18:53) Grinch-Along 2022 starts December 1st Gigi mentions the McCalls Christmas Baking Magazine 1973 Congratulations to Dr Gemma's Cogknitive podcast on 100 episodes    Mother Knows Best:(27:02) Everyone needs pliers. Gigi likes her beading pliers     When Knitting Attacks: (33:44) Jasmin's stitches are falling off. She needs rubber bands. Jasmin mentions A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.   Knit more, know more :(38:16) A segment about Persian culture, history, or just generally cool stuff about Persian people. Food. Anthony Bourdain in Iran Tahdig = Bottom of the Pot Persian Microwave Dinners Samin Nosrat Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix  OOPs! Neglected to mention Najmieh Batmanghelich Rice Cooker      And Sew On : (44:23) Fiber Analysis :Mid term. Reading about knitted textiles  Jasmin got fabric from MOOD!

This week's episode is sponsored by:               Carry your creativity with Erin Lane Bags! Whether you show your fiber fandom with the woolly wonder  Sheepleverse, or dive into history with the Curiosities collection, our project bags, totes, and hook and needle    organizers are at the ready to keep your hobby happy.               When was the last time your knitting yarn was a work of art? Infinite Twist produces one-of-a-kind semi-solid gradients featuring speckles, high-lights, low-lights, and gorgeous color transitions. From 700 y Giant Gradients to 200 y matching sock sets, Infinite Twist Gradients will hold your interest from cast on to bind off. See the currently available gradients at infinitetwist.com, or be the first to know when new colors are posted by signing up for our newsletter at infinitetwist.com/newsletter-signup             Have you ever had to frog because you forgot a step several rows back? Or lost your spot because you dropped your magnet board or lost track with your highlighter tape? Instead of wrestling with paper, use the knitCompanion app. It keeps you on track so you can knit more and frog less. knitCompanion works with ALL your patterns and is available       Are you ready for a real get-away weekend again? KnitWit Yarn Shop is hosting a knitting retreat right on the ocean in Maine next June. And because we are unsure of the COVID situation, they are planning it in a way that will keep us all safe.   Bristol Ivy, Alicia Plummer, and Jackie Ottino will be there to teach knitting, spinning, and dyeing classes. When you’re not in class you’ll have the opportunity to go kayaking, hike on the trails, or hang out in the gardens with the sheep and goats. You may choose to relax, visit the marketplace, or just knit in the beautiful outdoor setting.   Click on Events at www.KnitWitPortland.com to see all the details.   And follow them on Instagram @KnitWitYarnShop or Facebook @MaineKnitWit. Books plus knitting plus happy memories. That’s Little Skein in the Big Wool. We make kits, yarn and project bags that bring your favorite stories to life. Find *your* favorite story at littleskein.com Are you feeling dis-GRUNT-eled about your stash? Are you browsing Insta-HAM looking for knitting inspiration? Is color "kind of a PIG deal" in your life? Oink Pigments offers over one hundred forty PIG-ture perfect colorways to make you SQUEAL with delight. For a limited time only, bring home the bacon with code KNITMORE and get fifteen percent off in-stock yarns and fibers at oinkpigments dot com. Shop soon, because these pigs will FLY!       On the Needles:(0:59) Gigi finished the second sock of the (RAVELRY LINK) Churfirsten socks (from the Operation Sock Drawer book, available at Hicklebee's) in Standing Ovulation from Oink Pigments Jasmin has made progress on her (RAVELRY LINK) L’escargot Bleu shawl  She is excited about her Alpenglow Binary BitMarkers (stitch markers). Jasmin also mentions their skein twister.   Gigi is knitting on the second  Pippi Longstocking tube socks for Genevieve. The cuff is black Patons Kroy, leg in Opal Zebra.  Jasmin (RAVELRY LINK) Barberry Cardigan in Abstract Fiber Rothko in “Saffron”. Jasmin is nearly at the armholes on the (RAVELRY LINK) Gramps cardigan for Sam Gigi: working on the afterthought heel of a Xmas sock for myself (RAVELRY LINK) Socks on a Plane, in Peppermint Stick from Oink, heel and toe in Oink Redrum. Gigi finished (RAVELRY LINK) Churfirsten Jasmin pulled her (RAVELRY LINK) Philosopher’s Wool Kilim sweater out of the garage and is nearly done with the second sleeve. Gigi: figured out how to Finishuary, without having  a giant pile in her den.  Jasmin swatched for a (RAVELRY LINK) Tornado pullover in LolaBean Yarn Co Pinto Bean DK “Galaxy” Gigi finished last bit of hand sewing zipper on (RAVELRY LINK) Katje  Jasmin swatched for a (RAVELRY LINK) Tectonic pullover in La Bien Aimée’s Aran in “Aimée’s Sweater” Sewed in ends of Katje Hoodie by Cocoknits  (RAVELRY LINK) Jasmin swatched for a sideways fade pullover in Frost Yarn’s DK “Saturated Rainbow” LINK Gigi started the (RAVELRY LINK) funambulus socks from the #operationSockDrawer book  Started the (RAVELRY LINK) Alaska hat   In Stitches:(26:53) Gigi wore (RAVELRY LINK) Jasmin’s boxy Jasmin wore her cashmere (RAVELRY LINK) Mariah hoodie, (RAVELRY LINK) calligraphy cardigan, new hat with giant pom pom Genevieve wore her (RAVELRY LINK) Hearthstone pullover, red and gold woven scarf, (RAVELRY LINK), Barberry Cardigan  Gigi wore the (RAVELRY LINK) knitmore cowl .2 and socks every day  And (RAVELRY LINK) Cat Bordhi’s wristers , (RAVELRY LINK) Pointed Firs shawl , and (RAVELRY LINK) Gran's Hug   Events:(30:22) The Operation Sock Drawer book was published in October. Call Hicklebees for a PERSONALIZED, SIGNED copy. #FinishItFebruary #Fiberuary on instagram Little Skein in the Big Wool book club   Mother Knows Best:(32:38) Positive self talk   When Knitting Attacks:(37:46) Jasmin is miscounting on the barberry Gigi was weaving in ends, noticed that she had neglected to sew in the last bit of the zipper  Also, working on churfirsten socks, on two pattern repeats, she neglected to offset the pattern . Alaska hat has color work, it is hard    Purloined :(41:17) from Dr. Gemma's Cogknitive podcast: Some thing I really like Plastic trays from the teachers store for projects, Dinosaurs, kinetic sand and Fidget monster. Knits in Space:(45:42) You are never too old for blanket forts.   And Sew On: (49:21)  Classes at Cañada continue. The class are recorded. Students can play the recordings and follow techniques step by step, at their own pace. Kenneth D King

This week's episode is sponsored by:   Escape to Britain and beyond without leaving your seat. Try Acorn TV free for 30 days, by going to Acorn dot TV and use my promo code knitmore. That’s A-C-O-R-N dot T-V, code knitmore to get your first 30 days for free!               Carry your creativity with Erin Lane Bags! Whether you show your fiber fandom with the woolly wonder  Sheepleverse, or dive into history with the Curiosities collection, our project bags, totes, and hook and needle    organizers are at the ready to keep your hobby happy.             When was the last time your knitting yarn was a work of art? Infinite Twist produces one-of-a-kind semi-solid gradients featuring speckles, high-lights, low-lights, and gorgeous color transitions. From 700 y Giant Gradients to 200 y matching sock sets, Infinite Twist Gradients will hold your interest from cast on to bind off. See the currently available gradients at infinitetwist.com, or be the first to know when new colors are posted by signing up for our newsletter at infinitetwist.com/newsletter-signup           Have you ever had to frog because you forgot a step several rows back? Or lost your spot because you dropped your magnet board or lost track with your highlighter tape? Instead of wrestling with paper, use the knitCompanion app. It keeps you on track so you can knit more and frog less. knitCompanion works with ALL your patterns and is available     Are you ready for a real get-away weekend again? KnitWit Yarn Shop is hosting a knitting retreat right on the ocean in Maine next June. And because we are unsure of the COVID situation, they are planning it in a way that will keep us all safe.   Bristol Ivy, Alicia Plummer, and Jackie Ottino will be there to teach knitting, spinning, and dyeing classes. When you’re not in class you’ll have the opportunity to go kayaking, hike on the trails, or hang out in the gardens with the sheep and goats. You may choose to relax, visit the marketplace, or just knit in the beautiful outdoor setting.   Click on Events at www.KnitWitPortland.com to see all the details.   And follow them on Instagram @KnitWitYarnShop or Facebook @MaineKnitWit.       LoLo Body Care, formally Bar-Maids, creates exceptional moisturizers hand-poured by staff who add a good dose of heartfelt love to each one. Most all their supplies are made in the US, and their beeswax sourced from a local farm. Besides quality, the value of their product lies in that they last a very long time and are loved to the very last bit. They built their brand on being eco-friendly and their new packaging rocks. Their customers and customer service are rare and treasured jewels.   On the Needles:(2:40) Gigi's (RAVELRY LINK) Rocky Coast cardigan, is in time out. Jasmin is nearly finished with the first sleeve of her Payne pullover by Helena Bristow. She's knitting it in Seismic Yarn’s “Llamas in Pajamas” colorway. Gigi is working on the (RAVELRY LINK) Flickering shawl. She picked up stitches for the border  Jasmin cast on the (RAVELRY LINK) September Morn pullover by Thea Colman in Neighborhood Fiber Co’s Studio Worsted in “Fair Fight.” Jasmin will put together a Reading list. (link to be added once she makes the list) Gigi mentions Stitch Please Gigi knit to the heel of the (RAVELRY LINK) Churfirsten socks (from the Operation Sock Drawer book available at Hicklebee's) in Standing Ovulation from Oink Pigments  Gigi is enjoying the (RAVELRY LINK) Excavation, a diagonal fringed scrap blanket Jasmin is 2 ½”  inches of sleeve away from finishing Ainur Berkimbayeva’s test knit in Lisa Souza Pyrenees Sport in "Aubergine".  Gigi pinned and basted zipper into Katje Jasmin is going to cast on (RAVELRY LINK) a sockhead cowl for Genevieve. Gigi cast on a Sockhead cowl in teal, from Little Red Bicycle  Gigi finished knitting the socks for Andrew.  She sewed up another tentacle on Opus the Octopus. Jasmin is working on the Gramps cardigan for Sam Gigi: cast on a pair of Xmas socks for herself, Socks on a plane, in Peppermint Stick from Oink   In Stitches:(18:51) Jasmin wore her (RAVELRY LINK)Tied knots hat, (RAVELRY LINK) Cassidy cardigan, and her (RAVELRY LINK) Calligraphy Cardigan Andrew has been wearing his handspun (RAVELRY LINK) Baseball Pullover, and cashmere (RAVELRY LINK) Andrew’s watch cap. Genevieve has been wearing her (RAVELRY LINK) Coronation cardigan, and her greys/pinks (RAVELRY LINK) playful stripes cardigan Gigi wore the (RAVELRY LINK) knitmore cowl and socks every day, and Cat Bordhi’s wristers Gigi gifted some socks and shawls to her college roomie  Events:(23:44) The Operation Sock Drawer book was published in October. Call Hicklebees for a PERSONALIZED, SIGNED copy. #Grinchalong2020 is over. Packing prizes next week. Stitches at home February 5-7, 2021 Stitches West 2021 has been canceled Stitches West 2022 will be in Sacramento, March 3-6, 2022 Mother Knows Best:(26:06) Dr Gemma talks about managing anxiety on CogKnitive   When Knitting Attacks: (52:43) Churfirsten socks. Gigi started knitting, following instructions for the wrong size  She was fighting with the edging on the Flickering shawl. Rocky Coast cardigan sleeve is too tight. She ripped out the Socks on a Plane and started it leg down  The Marina cardigan has a hole. Jasmin ran out of yarn. Straw into Gold:(56:02) Jasmin is 2 oz away from finishing spinning the CVM fleece. She is spinning it in an attenuated woolen CVM on her Majacraft Little Gem. Planning to spin for the  Monarch sweater. Jasmin talks about the Monarch sweater. Knits in Space:(58:23) Via Kristy Glass Knits Kelly Wearstler's MasterClass and a take away was “let your collections be part of your decor.” So see your house as a living biopic, with lighting in the role of director (“Think about it as a way to guide the eye around a room,” she says), the palette playing the supporting cast of characters (“You need to keep in mind the way colors communicate with each other. There should be a natural dialogue”), and your passions and collections, of course, as the star.     And Sew On: (1:05:13) Star Trek Discovery: President of Nivar gown 

Stress Management Basics from the CogKNITive podcast   Current Productions(5:23) Steadling working on the body of the Boxy Chevrons by Susanne Somer in Lemonade Shop Yarns House Sock in “Ice Cream Truck” & “Gasoline”. Oink Pigments Mystic in “Nothing Rhymes with Orange” is the Accent Pop at the end of each sleeve. Cast on and started working on the body of the Hearthstone Pullover by Ysolda Teague from a collection of sweaters by Tin Can Knits, yarn is Polwarth Silk from Lisa Souza in “Pesto” #42StitchONWKAL Made some progress on thestockinette Moebius Cowl in Lemonade Shop Yarns Classic DK “Oh, A Gay Raccoon Can't Have Babies?!” #42ndstitchONWKAL Working on the second sleeve for Dexter's Sweater using Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted (old base) in “Federal Hill” and “Logan Circle.” Sweater is a top down striped raglan cardigan knit with steeks knit out of the  Knitters Handy Book of Top Down Sweaters by Ann Budd.    Mention of Bike Clips for managing your knitting projects   My Strongest Suit (14:32) Worsted Boxy Pride Socks Aumangea Pullover  Lord Ellesmere Stole Starting Point   Mention of Scarf Style   Events (17:20) January playlists are now LIVE: New Year, New Opportunities Await and 2020: In Memoriam SBMT eStudio events throughout the month including RACHEL (January 29 & 30) Stitches West 2021 has been canceled Stitches at Home February 5-7, 2021 Stitches West 2022 will be in Sacramento, March 3-6  Open A New Window KAL #42ndStitchONWKAL January 1st - March 31st   Hey Look Me Over (20:59) Billy Elliot  on Broadway HD - Amazon Link Mention of Evita, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar   Little Known Facts (38:42) “The most effective way to do it, is to do it” - Amelia Earhart

This week's episode is sponsored by:   Escape to Britain and beyond without leaving your seat. Try Acorn TV free for 30 days, by going to Acorn dot TV and use my promo code knitmore. That’s A-C-O-R-N dot T-V, code knitmore to get your first 30 days for free!               Carry your creativity with Erin Lane Bags! Whether you show your fiber fandom with the woolly wonder  Sheepleverse, or dive into history with the Curiosities collection, our project bags, totes, and hook and needle    organizers are at the ready to keep your hobby happy.         When was the last time your knitting yarn was a work of art? Infinite Twist produces one-of-a-kind semi-solid gradients featuring speckles, high-lights, low-lights, and gorgeous color transitions. From 700 y Giant Gradients to 200 y matching sock sets, Infinite Twist Gradients will hold your interest from cast on to bind off. See the currently available gradients at infinitetwist.com, or be the first to know when new colors are posted by signing up for our newsletter at infinitetwist.com/newsletter-signup   Have you ever had to frog because you forgot a step several rows back? Or lost your spot because you dropped your magnet board or lost track with your highlighter tape? Instead of wrestling with paper, use the knitCompanion app. It keeps you on track so you can knit more and frog less. knitCompanion works with ALL your patterns and is available     Have you started your holiday shopping yet? LoLo Body Care has so many great options to stuff those stockings. Shop their signature all-natural moisturizer, the LoLo Body Bar. Or maybe snatch up a LoLo To-Go Bag which includes 8 eco-luscious products inside an organic zippered bag. You'll also want to check out their seasonal scents like Winter Bliss, Spiced Fig and Frankincense and Myrrh. What else is awesome? 5% of all sales this holiday season are going to Habitat for Humanity! Visit LoLoBody.com today!       On the Needles:(0:38) Gigi is knitting on the Pointed Firs shawl out of smokey grey. Jasmin is on the last stripe on her Match and Move shawl. (by Martina Behm #behmalong); knitting it in Black Cat Fibers Nomad Sock.  Gigi dug out some sock yarn and started knitting the (RAVELRY LINK)  Sashay socks from the Operation Sock Drawer book at Hicklebee's   She is knitting them parallel, and has three pattern repeats done, and the heel increases.  Jasmin has finished the knitting on her Bandit cardigan, and it is blocking. Gigi is enjoying the (RAVELRY LINK) Excavation, a diagonal fringed scrap blanket. She loves it. Gigi finished knitting a pair of (RAVELRY LINK) Jelly Roll socks, out of leftover yarn from the Xmas socks.  She needs labels for the socks. [Link for Sock Labels] Gigi cast on for the (RAVELRY LINK) Make Your Heels Strong socks Jasmin finished with (RAVELRY LINK) her Autumn pullover by Jennifer Wood in LolaBean Yarn Co  Garbanzo Bean worsted in “Fuzzy Navel” Jasmin swatched for (RAVELRY LINK) The Betty and Judy Lodge Sweater. She will wear it with her shiny red pants from Modcloth  In Stitches:(12:05) Jasmin wore her Windschief hat, the (RAVELRY LINK) Urchin Hat by Julie Gillespie, the (RAVELRY LINK) Sockhead Cowl, the Payne pullover, and  Jurek sweater. REX WORE HIS DRAGONFISH SWEATER!!! Gigi wore the (RAVELRY LINK) knitmore cowl and a Knitmore 2.0 cowl and all of the new nightshirts.  And socks out of yarn with silk content and sparkly socks.   Events:(18:27) The Operation Sock Drawer book was published in October. Call Hicklebees for a PERSONALIZED, SIGNED copy.  Lucy Neatby is closing her website LucyNeatby.com by the end of the year, so she can focus on teaching and designing. #Grinchalong2020 will start December 1st Dr Gemma is podcasting again. Cogknitive podcast !   Mother Knows Best:(23:01) When you clean up, you will find what you are missing. The kids like " Outfoxed" When Knitting Attacks: (31:42) Gigi was making tracks on the Sashay socks, and had three  repeats done. Knits in Space:(34:26) Watching Star Trek Discovery. Season 3.  Amazing costumes. Gigi would like to sew some of them, not for cosplay  Reading by the fireplace. Deadwater Fell on AcornTV. Jasmin likes The Mandalorian And Sew On: (39:33)  Gigi is taking a virtual tailoring class at Cañada college. She loves not having to commute  Gigi started started sewing in fashion fabric. Worked on the button hole pocket. Jasmin makes her first machine sewn buttonhole. Jasmin also sewed a few more masks using the Japanese Sewing Books pattern.

On the Needles:(0:34) Gigi is knitting the Poza cowl by Ysolda, out of Floating from A Verb For Keeping Warm. The busy lace part is done, working on the rest, stockinette and small lace motifs for a few rows and more stockinette Jasmin has finished the front and back of  her Aumangea pullover by ArohaKnits (check the link for a discount code from Frenchie!), and has finished the first sleeve cap. Gigi knitted Hogwarts house colors from MustStashYarn for Genevieve. Toe kitcherering is left.   Jasmin has made some progress on her Sarcastic Unicorn Sockhead Cowl during  Stitches West. This year Gigi  has Non-Euclidian heel socks on the needles in Paton's Kroy, working on three different pairs, Cherry Pop Stripes, "Rainbow Stripes" and "Purple Haze". She needs to Kitchener all three.   Jasmin loves the otter cam at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. (You can find all the live cams here.)   Gigi is knitting another Rocky Coast cardigan. She put Stitch markers after every 6 stitch pattern repeat.  Modification: increases at the front, so it will close. Knitted everything I had frogged Gigi cast on first project from Stitches West 2019   Drea’s Shawl out of Oink Pigment Sock in Birthday Suit, Zoot Suit, and Dijon Vu. Jasmin is working on her Viajante.   Events: (12:33) - #ChooseYourOwnAdventureKAL is ongoing. - Stitches West recap Dr Gemma's Cogknitive podcast Backstage knitting podcast We enjoyed Franklin Habit's opening night lecture on knitting mythology. Jasmin did some virtual shopping at Lady Dye, Oink Pigments, Canon Hand Dyes, Nerd Bird Makery Dinner at ROC was amazing We love Nicole Frost Dish Dash was delivered - StashFit Workbook (document your stash as it comes through the door)   In Stitches:(40:20) - Jasmin: wool socks, looped loop cowl, Resistance hat, stripy cowl from Bjen, Gold Silk/Wool hat, Boxy - Gigi : Quynn hat with ear flaps, Knitmore cowl, wool socks, Old V-neck, Beast Master shawl, 3color cowl, Fancy Zebra cowl - Genevieve: Gryffindor scarf and hat, - Rex: update on fox hat - Andrew: Cashmere Andrew’s Watch Caps,   Mother Knows Best:(46:00) Why Gramzie? (We mention the pilot of Agents of SHIELD)   When Knitting Attacks:(48:56) Gigi :didn’t pay attention and ended up with all the sock stitches on one needle   Review:(53:09) This week we review: Socks from Around Norway by Nina Granlund Sæther   And Sew On:(1:03:07) Draped dress was due. Paper pattern, too.     Noticed that I had had sewn the bodice backwards, and the darts were on the outside. Ripped them out and put them inside.   Also, draped  a sloper for knit fabric.  Less ease. We mention Sew Many Dresses Sew Little time   Couldn’t get the teacher to tell us how draping is done on a live model

Work in progress Jenny Expecto Draconum socks by Elisabeth White - Cascade Heritage & leftover Yarn Geek Rocketeer zigzagular socks by prairie girl susie amigurumi stormtrooper by Lucy Collin Weezie Florida Socks for Melissa Kemmerer in Knit Picks Hawthorne LCFC scarf in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Pompom shortie socks by Melissa Kemmerer (Mentioned Redwall by Brian Jacques) Cait Rainbow Ripple Baby Blanket by Celeste Young Bunny Lovey Parts & Pieces by Victoria Stewart Plotting & Scheming Jenny (Mentioned Windfall by Melissa Kemmerer, Knitmore Girls podcast) Tour de Fleece Cait Tour de Fleece stuff Ta da!! Cait Summer Pathways test knit for Caitlin Shepherd in Bernat Carina Pink Speckled Shawl test knit for Jennifer Wood in Miss Babs Yet Revenge of the Knits / 99 Problems and a Stitch Ain't One Jenny removable stitch markers for crochet Cait Opposite of Revenge - supposed to use 410 yds, only had 400, have leftovers! Fluff n Stuff Cait WE ARE HOSTING A TDF TEAM!!! and I'm spinning some cormo In the Deep End Breed study? Fine wools Medium wools Long wools Double coated Alpaca Cotton Flax Silk Goats Luxury fibers (Mentioned the Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu, Frabjous Fibers Six Sheep Sampler, Orenburg shawls [and the wedding legend associated with shetland shawls], Lopi yarns, Dr Gemma from the CogKNITive podcast, and Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock yarn) Events/News Knit in public day! June 9th Tour de Fleece starts Sat July 7 & runs through Sun July 29 Wool Festival, Falmouth, KY, October 5-7 Southern Indiana Fiber Festival, Corydon, IN, October 20 & 21   The Charmed Knitters are participants in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Episode 242 of CogKnitive is live! Shownotes are on our Ravelry group or at www.cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com

Show notes at www.cogknitivepodcast.blogspot.com or on our page on Ravelry. Episode 238 of CogKnitive is live!

Chapter 5 - The Count of Monte Cristo Book talk starts at 21:00 Call in Line – 1-206-350-1642 Call in and leave an audio comment – First CoMC episode: | | Crafty Bits| Time code links are for and take you to YouTube Dawn Cowl:   Stitch Markers:   and would be brands of the coated jewelry wire I used for the stitch markers. Crimp beads are just… . Briar Rose Fibers: My leg warmers are made with “Nate’s Sock Yarn”, which it doesn’t look like she has right now. Unspun Single Sweater:   Icelandic unspun: …and EZ’s (Elizabeth Zimmerman’s) percentage yoke sweater is what I am following, which is in all of her books and is GENIUS. Erica Circlet:   Entrelac:  (how to ) Entrelac scarf project  page:   In talking about canning, I mentioned Doctor Gemma.  She does a segment of CogKnitive called “Put a Lid on it”, where she talks about canning, etc. Stitches West is at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.  Erica will be in the Dizzy Blonde Studios booth (1033 & 1035) at the very least and , if not more.  She will be joined by Thing Two starting late .  Please come say “hi” and don’t be shy about introducing yourself!  Erica will be posting to Instagram and Twitter throughout the weekend.  Her name on both is ericah64.  Expect a full Stitches run-down next week in Crafty Chat. If you have ideas for Crafty Chat, please post them in the “What do YOU want to hear about” thread on Ravelry.  We welcome suggestions! Heather Nanette the Nanny’s save-your-hands microwave bowl cozies: Scribble graph:    (Scribblegraph site: and ) THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO BAG:  – Facebook Fan Page

We are joined by Desi at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat. Catching Up: (0:31) Jen saw The Boxtrolls which she really enjoyed. She's also really enjoying American Horror Story: Freakshow so far, but she isn't hopeful that it will continue to be so good, based on the show's track record. She does love the Brothers Quay-style opening credits. Here is one of their films so you can see what she means. She's taking a Shakespeare class, and the reading is making her feel like she's back in school. She's working on some music for a fundraiser for Interval House. She's been spinning some more (she was really inspired by The Knitmore Girls' interview with Beth Smith, owner of The Spinning Loft, so she's been working on her Knitpicks roving in Amethyst Heather and needs to ply it. She's been working on a robot cross stitch kit from Watty's Wall Stuff. She went to Yarnosphere. She had fun, though she has some constructive criticism, but is confident it will continue to get better. Laura also went to Yarnosphere as a vendor and did really well (as did most of the vendors). Her mom came on Sunday and fell in love with punchcard weaving. She joined the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers. She attended a family wedding. She has a lot of birthdays coming up in her family this autumn, which will be fun (and it was also very recently Desi's birthday). She and Desi played the Firefly board game and really wants a game night. She has two new patterns out for Dizzy Blonde Studios Lambie Toes Yarn. One is her own design, the Sectumsemptra Socks. There is also the Berry Pie Shawlette, a crochet pattern by Ann Wicker of Freeform Fibers. Desi works in a game store and went to the WizKids Open. She visited some friends in Fresno right before coming down to CogKNITive. In the Knitting Bag: (14:37) Jen has finished the sleeves on her Chickadee Cardigan by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City out of Quince and Co. Chickadee in Rosa Rugosa, Slate, Egret, and Lichen. She is now working on the body. She is working on her Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She hit a snag with the blanket and has started the sweater. She is working on the sleeves (because it is a bottom up yoke sweater). She started a pair of plain socks out of FabFunkyFibres 15 Coloured Rainbow. She plans to do an afterthought heel and the toe in black. And she started the Dump Truck Cardigan out of Knit Picks Stroll Sport. She's done with the back. Laura has finished the center panel of her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs.  She is working on the first applied edging (not short rows). She's making it out of Berroco Vintage Chunky in Mocha. It's really pretty and soft and she loves it. She's also working on a new stripey hat for Halos of Hope out of orange, lavender, and some neutral greys and browns. Desi has been working on the Selva Cowl out of teal microfibre. She's also working on Jane's Ubiquitous Shawl out of alpaca. She is struggling with Chart B. We mention CustomFit. Finished Objects: (23:30) Jen hasn't finished anything. Laura finished a scrappy hat in camel heather, cobblestone, and sienna. Desi has two finished objects! She finished a cowl from a magic ball which took forever to finish because she had to figure out how to weave in all of the ends. And she had a pair of fingerless gloves made of bulky yarn that went so quickly she was amazed. Devil's Tower: (25:35) Jen has a ton of stuff that is almost done but just needs ends woven in or blocking and she just needs to finish them. She also pulled out her Watership Down KAL Shawl out of Unique Sheep Selene in the colorway Nature Walk, because she missed knitting lace. Laura has to block her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir. She ordered more blocking mats so that she'll have the room, but she needs the time. Desi has no Devil's Tower (it's all Frog Pond). Frog Pond: (28:02) Laura had to restart a hat because she can't count and talk at the same time. (Also Desi was helping with numbers). Jen is having major problems with errata in her Heirloom baby layette. She has contacted Knit picks, but they have not responded, except to say that it looks like there is an error, but has not gotten any more response. She's a bit disappointed in the pattern. Desi was working on the Scilla Lace Socks and made the foot too short. She ripped back and fixed it, but it still was too short and so it's now in timeout (or drowned in the frog pond). On Deck: (35:50) Jen wants to make lots baby stuff (the Bobble Bearded Beanie by Topsy Turvy, the Porcupine Blanket from 60 Quick Baby Knits out of Cascade 220 Superwash, another Playful Stripes Cardigan, the Baby Yours Sweater) and the Hitofude Cardigan (because she saw Allison from The Hollywood Knitter podcast wearing hers). Laura was inspired by seeing schmevelyn's completed Follow Your Arrow, so she really wants to do it. She is also going to work on her Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin for her husband.  And she really wants to make the Quinty by Bernadette Ambergen. Knit Culture: (39:18) We draw the prize for the September Stashdown challenge. Congratulations knitsNhikes! You win a copy of The Sock Knitter's Handbook by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott, donated to the podcast by Miss Dorothy. October's theme is fall festivals (Samhain/Halloween/whatever), you have a few more days to post in the the thread. November's theme will be food. We also talk about the highlights of CogKNITive Fiber Retreat. The classes are great; the vendors are great (they include Slipped Stitch Studios, Forbidden Woolery, Fickle Knitter, Red Fish Dyeworks, RKsMom, Jamie's Metal Works (he sells through Arachne's Threads), Cooperative Press, The Yarnover Truck, Bee Mice Elf, and, of course, Dizzy Blonde Studios); and Jen won some Aspenglow Yarn in the Mother Bear raffle and the doorprize raffle (that was actually Melissa's prize, but she doesn't spin, so Jen inherited it). Also Ray who does massages next to the Purlescence booth at Stitches West was there giving massages. Desi won a copy of Sock Architecture in the door prize and a bag from RK's mom in the Mother Bear raffle. We mention the SNL sketch "The Californians", Anzula Yarns, and Bahh Yarns. Geek Culture: (54:35) We talk about this io9 article about the Top 100 Star Trek episodes of all time. We'd love to hear what you think about it. Jen wants a 10 worst list. And Desi thinks the hottest kiss is Chakotay kissing the member of Species 8472. We also share this other io9 article about which examines whether Indiana Jones, Star Wars, and ET are all in the same universe. And we give a shoutout to New York Comic Con (and thank them for their very explicit anti-harassment policy) and to Stitches East. Events: (59:02) WeFF will be November 2nd, 2014 in Torrance. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending.  It’s a lot of fun, with great demonstrations, raffles, and lots of cool vendors. Stitches West is February 19-22 and both Jen and Laura will be there. Laura is vending and Jen will be taking a ton of classes, but come say hi! Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished October projects in the thread! Keep stashing down!

Today’s episode is sponsored by the Mean Girls’ Yarn Club, Episode 6: And So It Begins! There are a few spots still available. The More The Scarier! Visit the website for all the gory details. http://meangirlsyarnclub.blogspot.com Catching Up: (0:38) Laura has been catching up with summer television. She's really enjoying Continuum, Suits, The Last Ship, and is going to start watching Turn. She's finished dying yarn for Yarnosphere and CogKNITive and is excited to have 3 new colorways for Lambie Toes and 1 new colorway for Dizzy Blonde sock. She's happy she just paid off her car as well. She had a bit of an accident with bacon grease, which is unfortunate. She also has a bit of hand pain right now. Jen opened her show and is thrilled with how it's going, especially since it's inspired by true stories from people who live in the community. She shares this video about a sewing circle and the power of crafting to create a community, which is one of the stories that inspired her show. She's taking a Shakespeare class, which is really exciting. She's been watching Gotham and she sees potential, even if the show isn't great yet. She's been doing some cross-stitch with a kit from Watty's Wall Stuff. And she's learning some new music for a Bob Dylan/Dylan Thomas tribute, which is also a fundraiser for Interval House. In the Knitting Bag: (15:23) Laura has been working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Mocha. She's done with the center panel. She's doing another hat for Halos of Hope. She wants to do some lace but she's not sure what. Jen started her Chickadee Cardigan by Ysolda Teague again. She's much happier with the colorwork this time around. She's making it out of Quince and Co. Chickadee. She's done with the yoke and working on the first sleeve.  She's been working on her Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She's done with the lace section, so now she just has the garter stitch and then the knitted on border. And she's been working on her Ohana mitts (her own design). Finished Objects: (20:22) Laura finished her Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt for her step-granddaughter. They were knit out of Knitpicks Brava Worsted in dark pink with rainbow scales from The Ringlord.com. And she finished a hat for Halos of Hope out of Knitpicks Brava in Camel Heather and Vanna's Choice Lavender. Jen hasn't really finished anything. She needs to block things. Lots of things! We mention Craftsy, specifically their Intarsia Class by Sally Melville. Devil's Tower: (24:24) Laura has been UFO free, because she cleaned out all of her UFOs and frogged them. Jen pulled out her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (made of of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant) and finished the knitting. She still has to weave in ends, block it, and do all the finishing work so she's not counting it as done. Frog Pond: (27:15) Laura hasn't been knitting much so she has nothing to report and she's more used to the Yggdrasil pattern, so she's able to fix her mistakes quickly. When Jen picked up her Leah's Lovely, she had put the stitches on waste yarn because she needed the needles for something else. Since the pattern has you hold the yoke stitches on waste yarn and pick them up for the neckband. So she picked it up, assuming she was done with the yoke and started the button bands. The she realized that she hadn't actually completed the yoke (it was maybe an inch short) and done the last decrease row. She didn't want to rip out the button bands so she did the last decrease row and tried it on and it fits, so she left it. But she probably should have marked where she was in the pattern. Jen also had a bit of trouble with her Chickadee, mostly because she can't count when she's sick. On Deck: (29:50) Laura wants to make to make Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of Knitpicks Chroma in Jam Jar and Gloss in black, Ink by Hanna Maciejewska out of Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock in Applegate, Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin for her husband, and the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK.  She also wants to makeDeath Star by Patricia Castillo, the Crochet Fan Shawl by Valerie Martin, and Art Déco by Nadita Swings. Jen has the same baby stuff on her list (Dump Truck Cardigan, the Porcupine Blanket from 60 Quick Baby Knits out of Cascade 220 Superwash, another Playful Stripes Cardigan, the Baby Yours Sweater, and more sweaters for herself. We mention the Knitmore Girls and their Fit, Flatter, and Feel Wonderful KAL, Susan B. Anderson's Project Sweater Chest, and Marly Bird's Curvy Knits Craftsy Class. Knit Culture: (35:58) We interview designer Brenda Castiel. We talk about her history as a knitter and a designer. We talk about her newest shawl, the Winona Shawl. She also has a great blog, Knits and Travel, where she documents her knitting and travel life. We give a recap of Knit Dizzney, which was awesome and we had a blast. Thank you to everyone who came; we loved seeing you all. And thank you to our awesome sponsors. Pam Haschke of Halos of Hope and Erika Hernandez of Cooperative Press provided the prizes. Mad Color Fiber Arts, Skeindalous Yarns, and Dizzy Blonde Studios provided the mini-skeins and coupon codes. One Geek To Craft Them All provided the stitch markers. Cheryl Joy Kong of Thirty One Gifts provided the pen and mini-catalog. And Alamitos Bay Yarn Company provided the skeins of sparkly yarn. So thank you to all of them! We mention our September Stashdown Challenge which is Pirates vs. Ninjas. And our October challenge, which is Fall Festivals (Halloween, Samhain, Harvest, whatever you celebrate). Geek Culture: (59:26) We mention the Stash2Go app, another app that works with Ravelry (like Yarma and Wooly). We also point out the Firefly fan film "The Verse." Events: (1:01:57) We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be there for fun. And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending. That same weekend (October 11) is the Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta in Downtown San Diego. We aren’t going, but it sounds great. WeFF will be November 2nd, 2014 in Torrance. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending.  It’s a lot of fun, with great demonstrations, raffles, and lots of cool vendors. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished September projects in the thread! Keep stashing down!

Catching Up: (0:22) Jen went to the Huntington to see the exhibit of World War I posters and had tea with Melissa. She also has been rehearsing a lot because her show, El Largo Camino De Hoy, opens very soon. She saw The Tempest, which was amazing. It was co-directed by Teller (of Penn & Teller) and featured Tom Waits music. She loved it. And, in complete contrast, she saw The Expendables 3 and Into the Storm, which were terrible but enjoyable (and Melissa wants to make a Jason Stathem grandpa cardigan (not a Sylvester Stallone cardigan like Jen thought)). She's also reading Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist. Laura celebrated her dad's 88th birthday. She's also cleaning out her studio so it's more workable. She's prepping for the fall fiber festivals, Knit Dizzney, and a new yarn store. She's working on the Mean Girl's Yarn Club Season 6 theme (sign ups are now open). Her dogs have bruised both of her elbows. But MeiMei gets a pass because she has a slipped disk, so she needs to be loved. And she's learning to play the Firefly board game for CogKNITive. And Laura is really, really excited for Knit Dizzney. In the Knitting Bag: (16:57) Jen is working on the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos out of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport in Slate, Cotton Candy, Raspberry, Lake Chelan Heather, and Summer Sky. She's done with the body, she needs to weave in the ends and do the button bands. She loves this pattern. She's working on some mitts out of the Stitch Dizzney yarn. And she's also working on her Nightblooming Shawl for the Sunnydale yarn club. And she worked a little bit on her Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She's really loving the Orenberg lace in the blanket and can't wait to make the whole set. Laura is working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Mocha. She plans to steam block the acrylic. She loves it but she's trying to wrap her brain around some of the cabling and picking up of stitches. She loves the pattern so much she might make a sportweight version for her step-granddaughter. She’s also working on the Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt for her step-granddaughter out of Knitpicks Brava Worsted in dark pink. This one will have rainbow scales. The scales are from The Ringlord.com. And she is working on a hat for Halos of Hope. It's a slipped stitch pattern of her own design and made of lavender and camel heather Knitpicks Brava. Finished Objects: (27:52) Jen finished her Beulah Cardigan. This was for Camp Loopy Month 3 and it was made out of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Dried Rose. She finished just in time (the knitting was done very quickly, but it took forever to block). Melissa provided the adorable buttons. She really loves it and is trying to decide if she should do the embroidery on the sweater or leave it without. She has several Unicorn Tails in potential embroidery colors, but she can't decide if it's better without it. But it fits well and it's super cute. Laura finished the Knitted Scale Mail gloves for her step-daughter (the gray ones with a black to white gradient of scales). She sent them off as a belated birthday present. Her step-daughter will use them to play a pirate at the Renaissance Fair. Devil's Tower: (31:39) Jen pulled out her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts. She's making it out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. She had put it away to work on Camp Loopy stuff, but it's so close to done that she really just wants to finish it because she wants to wear it to Stitches (which is super far away). Laura is still intending to cull her UFOs. She's cleared away the stuff from the front of cabinet so she can get started. Frog Pond: (33:54) Jen has been doing a lot of frogging. Some of it is because she's working on designing and she doesn't like how it looks (like her shawl). But she was knitting on her mitts in the movie and ended up short a stitch. She had to frog to find the dropped stitch because she just could. not. find it. And when she started the second mitt, she didn't reverse the rib pattern so that the ribbing would flow into the patterning properly. Laura has managed to stay out of the frog pond now that the Yggdrasil is more intuitive and she's on the second pair of mitts so she's used to them. On Deck: (38:10) Jen wants to make a Dump Truck Cardigan from 60 Quick Baby Knits for her nephew out of Knitpicks Stroll Sport. She's going to make another Playful Stripes Cardigan for the new baby of indeterminate gender out of Cascade 220 SW Sport, in a more gender-neutral fashion. She’s making the Porcupine Blanket from 60 Quick Baby Knits out of Cascade 220 Superwash. She also wants to make the Baby Yours Sweater and she’ll use the motif to also make a blanket and hat so there will be full a layette out of Cascade 220 SW Sport in Aran (cream-colored). She also wants to make a Bobble Bearded Beanie by Topsy Turvy, and a Chickadee cardigan for herself. Laura wants to make some lace.  She has several knit and crochet patterns in mind.  She also wants to make to make Dreambird by Nadita Swings, Ink by Hanna Maciejewska out of Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock, Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin for her husband, and the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK in either Anna or Paris. She's hesitating on the sweaters because she feels she hasn't done much sweater knitting and wants to give it her full attention. Knit Culture: (42:13) We answer a question from our Knotty Talk thread. Tinyfeets asks Do you have any advice on how to get better at reading pattern charts? I know most people love them but I find them a bit confusing and overwhelming, and I don’t want to miss out on some great patterns because it uses a chart. We recommend starting with relatively easy lace that has both written and charted instructions. Shetland lace is particularly intuitive and has short lace repeats (for example Feather and Fan pattern). Laura is fond of the Weekend Shawl by Anne Kuo Lukito for this. Jen recommends using highlighters on your chart like in this Knitting Daily article. And we both recommend using pattern keepers with magnets to keep track of your charts. And highlight the key of your chart in the same color as the boxes on the chart. Also, even though there aren't any actual standards for symbols in charts, just check your key if you have questions. A lot of it comes down to practice. But use lifelines and stitch markers to help you keep track. But this only works for patterns where the lace pattern doesn't shift, so be careful. We award the stashdown prize for August. Congratulations fun4Tracey, you win a digital copy of Head to Toe: Kids Knit Accessories by Katya Frankel, courtesy of Cooperative Press. September's theme is Pirates vs. Ninjas, so post in the thread. October's theme will be Samhain/Halloween/Fall Festivals. Geek Culture: (52:24) We talk about Buzzfeed's ranking of Firefly episodes. We both agree with Out of Gas as the best episode. Jen's a sucker for an origin story and it's well-written. We disagree with their worst episode. We also mention Gallery 1988 and their Joss Whedon art exhibit. And, if you're interested, the Firefly online game is looking for beta testers, if you're interested. Events: (56:36) KnitDizzney! Yay! The San Diego Yarn Crawl is September 18th-21st. We are not attending, but you should if you can. We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be there for fun. And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending. That same weekend (October 11-12) is the Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta in Downtown San Diego. We aren't going, but it sounds great. WeFF will be November 2nd, 2014 in Torrance. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending.  It's a lot of fun, with great demonstrations, raffles, and lots of cool vendors. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished September projects in the thread! Keep stashing down!

Update: Sorry everyone for being in an unannounced hiatus, I'm pregnant with my second baby (21 weeks now!) and we've found out that it's a boy. Going along with Timothy's prediction of the gender. Everything related to fiber arts: knitting, spinning, Ravelry sort of disappeared from my radar. My energy level was really low during the first trimester--it's come back up in the last 5-6 weeks, but it's hard to get back into the habit of regular podcasting again after such a long hiatus!    Housekeeping notes: Challenge KAL: I have a recorded session with Kim of Craft Stash (OMG her chuppah must be nearly done now!), apologies to Jan and Ellen of The Twinset Designs podcast and Louise from Caithness Craft Collective who have prepared themselves for the July and August edition of the KAL. I feel really bad for not informing about my hiatus at least, so sincerest apologies, and Big hugs for being understanding!   Thanks to:   rahardjo-knits (Rina) for her review on iTunes. She likes how I tell sometimes sensitive issues in Indonesia as it is, but it's not always easy! On episodes where I talk about sensitive or controversial issues, I tend to spend a lot of time on script and editing.   Dr. Gemma from Cogknitive podcast talked about the show in her podcast. Thanks for the shout out :) A few things she likes about the podcast is me being non-US and non-UK podcaster, LOL. She also likes the balance of sharing my private life without sharing too much, and she mentions KnitmoreGirls, Twinset Designs, Knitting Pipeline, and 2KnitLit Chicks in the same sentence, I'm so flattered! I'm glad she sticks to the podcast even after initially finding the show a bit hard to listen to, something about the sound quality.   Off The Needles Flower power headband Flower pacifier clip Cabled headband ETA: sadly no other FOs in 2.5 months!

Today’s episode is sponsored by Knit Dizzney 2014, hosted by us, the KnottyGirls Knitcast and Dizzy Blonde Studios. Knit Dizzney is set for September 7, 2014 at the Disneyland Resort. Keep listening for more details, including Knit Dizzney exclusives! Catching Up: (00:47) Jen got her wisdom teeth out and there are some complications, but she's healing. She watched a lot of television while recovering: The Legend of Korra, West Wing, Buffy, and Adventure Time. She has been spinning on her new Schacht Matchless. She is working on some Knitpicks Full Circle Roving in the Fawn Colorway. She wants to update her stash and WIPs on Ravelry. Laura has been dyeing a lot: some mini skeins for the Slipped Stitch Studios cross-over club, Sunnydale Yarn Club, Mean Girls Yarn Club, the colorway for Camp CogKNITive, and the Knit Dizzney colorway. She and her family are still mourning Tony's uncle. She and her dogs survived 4th of July; a Thundershirt was a big help. She went shopping for fabric for the Knit Dizzney project bags. And she has been watching Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, and Buffy Season 2. And she finally saw Maleficent. We're both looking forward to the new Annie. In the Knitting Bag: (18:48) Jen has been working on her Ginny’s Cardigan by Mari Chiba from Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney for Camp Loopy Month 2. The pattern is written for DK weight, but she is doing it in fingering. She knit two sizes larger than required and added four stitches to each front. It's a bottom up yoke sweater and she finished to body up to the armholes and is working on the sleeves. She's also working on her Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence for the new baby niece out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She started with the blanket. And she is working on a Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos for the new baby out of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport out of teals and pinks and greys. Laura is working on the Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell.  She is working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. Finished Objects: (27:08) Neither of us has finished anything. But that's okay, Jen finished a sweater last episode, so there. Jen and Laura both definitely need to block their Leftie shawls, and Jen needs to block her Hitchhiker. Jen has discovered the wonders of using the spin cycle to get water out her sweaters and let them dry quicker. We talk about using salad spinners, tabletop spinners, and spin cycles to dry yarn and knitwear when blocking. We talk a little bit about blocking resources, including the Craftsy class and TKGA classes. Devil's Tower: (33:04) Laura pulled out the Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt. She is making the pair for her step-daughter first, because the scale pattern is easier than the pair her step-granddaughter wants. The mitts are in worsted weight yarn, so they'll go really quick. Frog Pond: (34:27) Jen can knit lace when she's on painkillers. She can't treadle when she's on painkillers. Or spin. Honestly, just don't try to practice new stuff when you're on drugs. Apparently practice matters with these things. On Deck: (37:45) Jen wants to make the Beulah Cardigan for Camp Loopy Month 3 out of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Dried Rose, the Dump Truck Cardigan from 60 Quick Baby Knits for her nephew, the Little Coffee Bean Cardigan for the new baby of indeterminate sex, and Rock Island by Jared Flood. Laura wants to pick up her husband's mitts again (she found her pattern notes). She wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde yarn as a booth sample, Ink by Hanna Maciejewska out of Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock. And she wants to make an Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK. Knit Culture: (42:32) June's Theme was Matriculation and we had a lot of great entries for it. The prize is two patterns–the beautiful InfiniTAM donated by the amazing Deborah Tomasello and the Tan House Brook Shawl donated by BostonJen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast (which you should all listen to, because it’s awesome. The winner is hudgensf! July's Theme is Music, so post your entries in the thread. We answer a two-part question from Innagoddadonita. A while back, I remember Laura saying that she was pulling the needles out of a project & trashing it because the yarn was falling apart (likely because it was acid burned). How can you tell if yarn is acid burned? We both agree that it is more likely that yarn is being eaten by moths or beetles rather than acid burned. Determining if it's acid burned is more of a process of elimination. Acid burning will be localized to one single skein, and it usually not on a huge commercial yarn (acid-burning usually occurs with indie dyers). Unfortunately, critters are more likely. And we talk about damage control for critters. Freeze it, put it in the sun, and then freeze it again. She also asks about stash storage. She stores hers in plastic storage tubs that are not air-tight, and wrapped in the tissue that the skeins were wrapped in by the shop/dyer. She had some trouble with some 100% cashmere she got on sale at 50% off at a festival. The yarn is falling apart. The dyer suggests that it wasn’t stored properly and that it is dry rotted from the plastic tubs, or that “off-gassing” from the plastic could have damaged it, and recommends storing in acid-free, archival boxes. We both feel that this is a dubious claim at best (unless possibly the dyer used natural vegetable or plant dyes), but invite the expertise of any listeners with insight. We address how we store our own personal yarn. We recommend going through your stash at least once a year to look for damage (and also to destash yarn you don't love anymore). We want to hear about how you all store yours. Geek Culture: (58:30) We talk about a cool article about how to keep pets happy during the 4th of July. We also share a cool article about how the final dance party on Orphan Black was filmed. And there is a mini version. And there is a great Handmade Home article on how to make Weeping Angel Barbies. And last but not least, we'd love to have a discussion about the topic of this article on the ethics of the Buffy universe and how they treat vampires. And then, inspired by this article about high-tech yarn, we talk about unusual yarns. We mention the Yarn Sisters pearl yarn, the Habu metal core yarns, and this Knit Be Nimble article about biosynthetic yarns. Events: (1:08:33) We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. There is an exclusive colorway you can pre-order in Dr. Gemma’s group. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  Save the date.  There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral. We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde will be vending. Sign ups are open. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished July projects in the thread!  Keep stashing down!

Today’s episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design, please visit DizzyBlondeStudios.com. Catching Up: (1:18) Laura and her husband celebrated her 13th wedding anniversary and are having a dinner and movie date. She is finally seeing Maleficent, which Jen has seen and had mixed reviews about it. The anniversary is slightly overshadowed by the passing of her husband's uncle. Laura also caught up on Orphan Black and is almost done with Season 1 of Game of Thrones. She's working on making the next shipment of the Mean Girls Yarn Club, procrastinating on blog posts for both Mean Girls Yarn Club and Sunnydale Yarn Club. She's also procrastinating on entering stash into Ravelry. And she is working on dying the exclusive Knit Dizzney colorway and CogKNITive colorway. Jen got a little kicked around by the world these past couple of weeks, and she's trying to focus on the positive. She saw How to Train Your Dragon 2 which was cute. She's been watching the new season of Falling Skies and a new show, The Last Ship. She has the same complaints about Falling Skies, but she still enjoys it. She appreciates the diversity of the cast of The Last Ship, even though it's kind of a silly show. She saw some plays up at the Hollywood Fringe and she saw The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged. And she is excited to announce there is another niece or nephew on the way because Brother 1 and his wife are expecting Baby #2. In the Knitting Bag: (17:27) Laura is working (crocheting) on her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell.  She is working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. Jen is working on the yoke for her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant.  She's also working on her Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink). And she's swatching for her Ginny's Cardigan by Mari Chiba from Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney for Camp Loopy Month 2. She is reworking the pattern for fingering weight. Finished Objects: (23:35) Jen finished her Lauriel Cardigan (by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto for Camp Loopy Month 1. She's super pleased with how it turned out. Devil's Tower: (26:41) Laura put the Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt into Devil's Tower until she has the brain space to suss out the scale pattern.  She put the mitts for her husband (which incorporate design elements from Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin from Lit Knits) away; she has knitting ennui. Jen pulled out some ancient socks, the Sock Strap by General Hogbuffer out of Knitpicks Stroll in Bare, Spring, and Dogwood Heather. She stopped working on them because she broke one of her needles. They have unusual construction.  We talk about anatomical sock toes. Frog Pond: (31:58) Laura frogged her Yggdrasil Afghan because she was unhappy with how the center looked. She had only knit 6 rows. She restarted on larger needles. On Deck: (36:05) Laura wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde yarn.  She will make a(nother) slipped stitch hat for her other brother, out of Knitpicks Brava using this one to work out any issues with the pattern so she can publish.  And she wants to make the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK. Jen has a huge list: the Citron Grande out of Desert Vista Dyeworks Voir in Cherry Icee, she wants to restart her Chickadee, the Dump Truck Cardigan for her nephew, the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos for the new baby out of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport out of teals and pinks and greys, and a layette for the new baby niece out of Cascade Heritage. She also wants to make booties and more baby things sweaters. She is happy to have a girl to knit for so she can make all manner of baby patterns. She also wants to make the Beulah Cardigan for Camp Loopy Month 3 out of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Dried Rose. Knit Culture: (40:31) We recap the great time we had at our World Wide Knit in Public event. We had a great turn out, did some great shopping at Colors 91711 (Jen fell down on some recycled cashmere yarn), and had a great time. Thank you to Joni for the prize donations and the project bags you gave us. We also got donuts from the Museum of Donuts. We review Botanical Knits 2 by Alana Dakos, which retails for 18.00 for a PDF, 22.00 for the print book, and 40.00 for both Botanical Knits 1 and Botanical Knits 2. We both LOVE this book and highly, highly recommend it. We remind you that the stashdown is still going on. Post your finished projects in the June thread and you can win two patterns–the beautiful InfiniTAM donated by the amazing Deborah Tomasello and the Tan House Brook Shawl donated by BostonJen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast (which you should all listen to, because it’s awesome. July's theme will be music, so post your FOs that are inspired by music in the thread. We let you all know that the ACTually KNITting Podcast is running a knitalong called the PAL KAL, which is themed to support podcasters. Use yarn or fiber or a pattern from a podcaster; see their thread for all the details. Geek Culture: (58:37) We point out this Verizon Ad about girls in science. We point out this awesome article about Jesse Seay's tutorial for knitting a working circuit. It's awesome. We talk about knitting software and apps. Some charting software we have used are EnvisioKnit (purchasable), Knit Visualizer (purchasable), Stitch Maps (free,web-based), Sconcho (free download), and Stitchworks Software (a purchasable software for crochet). Some apps we like are Stitchminder (a stitch counter app), Evernote (cloud storage, not specifically for knitting but great for storing Ravelry download patterns), Knit Companion, Yarma (interfaces with Ravelry for photo uploads), Wooly (interfaces with Ravlery to update projects), and Button Wizard (calculates where to put buttonholes on buttonbands). We mention the The Diet Diary for some knitting calculators. Events: (1:09:40) We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. There is an exclusive colorway you can pre-order in Dr. Gemma's group. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  Save the date.  There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral. We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be there for fun. We've interviewed the organizers of Yarnosphere in Episode 10. And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde will be vending. Sign ups are open. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished June projects in the thread!  Keep stashing down!

Today’s episode is sponsored by the New and Improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. New and Improved because we now have our own website. Visit our new home at DizzyBlondeStudios.com Catching Up: (0:55) Jen went up to visit family and go to the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event. She met Brother 2's fiancée and found out the baby they are expecting is a girl. She also saw her nephew and the rest of the family. Her parents and Ron went to winery and they did a tasting and loved the port. She saw Jasmin and Gigi of the Knitmore Girls Podcast, Dr. Gemma of CogKnitive Podcast, Tracy from 2 Knit Lit Chicks, and lots of people she'd previously met at Stitches that it was nice to see again. Jen and her mom both won stuff in the raffle (Jen won a kit to make Romi's Fiori Di Sole shawl and her mom won a nice bag). If you're driving up or down 99, Jen recommends Bravo Cheese Factory as a rest stop. She's also started running again, using the Zombies Run App, playing a little more guitar, and loving Fargo and the Cosmos reboot (but not quite as much as the Carl Sagan version. Laura is trying to get over bronchitis again. She's also dyeing for Mean Girls Yarn Club and her custom colors for Alamitos Bay Yarn Company and Colors 91711 and the Sunnydale Yarn Club. She is starting to plan for Knit Dizzney. She's been watching a lot of Elementary, Orphan Black, Buffy (planning for the yarn club), and she's all caught up on Downton Abbey. She's also planning some low key Father's Day stuff. If you'd like to be a Knit Dizzney sponsor contact us. In the Knitting Bag: (15:12) Jen is working on her Lauriel Cardigan (by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto for Camp Loopy. She is working on the sleeves (before the body is done, taking a page from Jasmin). She loves the construction with the top down set-in sleeve. She is slowly working on her  Sunshine Sock by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps.  She has done the first yoke decrease for her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant.  And she started a new project, the Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink). Laura is working (crocheting) on her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell.  She is working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. The small diameter circular cast on is difficult and did it a whole bunch on times.  And she started mitts for her husband out of brown alpaca. She's adding the design element from the Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin from Lit Knits to her own mittens pattern. We mention the Belly Button Cast on. Finished Objects: (23:20) Jen hasn't finished anything. Laura finished her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs Yummy kit in slate and reds. We mentioned Slipped Stitch Studios and . Devil's Tower: (24:42) We are both short on UFO activity. Frog Pond: (24:51) Jen didn't have any frogging this week, but she hindered her own progress on her Sunshine Socks by first losing her book with the pattern in it. Ron found it for her, but then she forgot to bring the first sock when she was traveling, so she couldn't work on it anyway, because she compares to the first sock. On Deck: (27:49) Jen has a whole list: the Ginny’s Cardigan by Mari Chiba from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney (for Camp Loopy), the Citron Grande out of Desert Vista Dyeworks Voir in Cherry Icee, she wants to restart her Chickadee, the Dump Truck Cardigan for her nephew, the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos for the new baby out of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport out of teals and pinks and greys, and a layette for the new baby niece out of Cascade Heritage. She also wants to make booties and more sweaters. She is happy to have a girl to knit for so she can make all manner of baby patterns. Laura is going to make the Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt, the Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde yarn, and the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK. Knit Culture: (36:01) We review Dishcloth Diva Knits On! by Deb Buckingham (courtesy of Cooperative Press). It retails for $9.95 PDF, $15.95 for Print and PDF. It's a lovely book, we love the tutorial, but we think it's a little more for a beginner and great for teaching, but an advanced knitter may not get as much out of it. We think it's an excellent gift for a beginner or for using as group projects. We remind you that the stashdown is still going on. Post your finished projects in the June thread and you can win two patterns--the beautiful InfiniTAM donated by the amazing Deborah Tomasello and the Tan House Brook Shawl donated by BostonJen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast (which you should all listen to, because it's awesome. We also talk about our favorite knitting resources. For crochet, Laura recommends Stitch Diva Studios (text and pictures), The Crochet Crowd (video), and HappyBerry Crochet (video). For knitting, she likes Knit Purl Hunter (video), Knit Witch (video), and KnittingHelp.com. Jen doesn't learn well with videos, she prefers picture and text. She likes the Techknitting Blog, Ysolda's Technique Thursday blog posts, Techniques with Theresa from Knitty.com, and the Tin Can Knits blog. She also recommends some books: Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters by Deborah Newton (finishing techniques), Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague and Knit to Flatter by Amy Herzog (both deal with sweater fit), and Knitting for Dummies (beginners). Jen also mentions The Principles of Knitting, if you want to be super pedagogical. Geek Culture: (46:50) We talk Downton Abbey! Jen highly recommends you look at Tom and Lorenzo's posts about their visit to a Downton Abbey costume exhibit (with closeups of actual costumes from the show). Post 1, Part 2, and Part 3 are here. We talk costuming in general. We also do some spoilery talk. If you want to avoid them skip ahead to the Events timecode (1:06:35) Events: (1:06:35) We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day.  We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  Save the date.  There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished May projects in the thread!  Keep stashing down!

Today’s episode is sponsored by the New and Improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. New and Improved because we now have our own website. Visit our new home at DizzyBlondeStudios.com If you want to find your raveler number enter the Konami Code on your profile page. If you need help, see this thread. Catching Up: (1:15) Laura had family visiting, Her sister-in-law was visiting. And her brother and his family are doing the amusement park tour of California, including Disneyland (and she will be able to play in the park with them). It's Tony's birthday soon, so that's happy. And she's been doing a lot of dying, especially the custom colors for both of the shops that carry custom colors of Dizzy Blonde Studios yarn. And she's been catching up on Doctor Who. She loved "Blink." (Don't we all?) Jen made strawberry basil lemonade. She has a blog post up with her strawberry basil lemonade recipe. She also saw both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Godzilla and thinks they are both worth seeing. She and Ron are working out some new songs, "Amie" by Pure Prairie League and a mashup of two songs "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men and "Home" by Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. And she's been paying some old video games by Tim Schafer, including Day of the Tentacle. We mention yarn shops Colors and Alamitos Bay Yarn Company, the Cradle Will Rock Shawlette, and Canon Hand Dyes. In the Knitting Bag: (12:44) Laura is on the last color of her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs Yummy kit in slate and reds. She has finally actually started her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell. And she started her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. Jen is working on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant.  She is almost done with the sleeves.  She is also working on her  second Sunshine Sock by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps and her Lauriel Cardigan (by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto for Camp Loopy. She has trouble casting on, as usual. We mention the Citron Grande and Endless Rainbow. Finished Objects: (20:21) Laura finished her Men's Vintage Socks in Dizzy Blonde Studios Lambie Toes in No Touching Guns (grey). She may want to take different pictures than the ones she initially took. She is still deciding on a name, but she probably going to name it for Sectumsempra, a spell that Snape used in Harry Potter. Jen finished her Hitchhiker by Martina Behm out of a Zauberball in the colorway 2079 Durche die Blume (pink and green and white).  She only got 40 teeth and she had about 6 inches of yarn left after binding off. Devil's Tower: (23:00) The UFOs are quiet. Frog Pond: (23:10) Laura had some trouble with the Down the Garden Path Shawl. She didn't read the pattern, because she thinks she can read the designer's mind. Jen has frogged her entire Chickadee (which is by Ysolda Teague and she was working it in Quince and Co. Chickadee). It's a top down yoke sweater with stranded colorwork worked flat, and she's not happy with how it looks. So she's going to start over, because she wants to be happy with it. On Deck: (26:11) Laura wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde Sock or Lambie Toes (or maybe both) for a booth sample.  She wants to make Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt, the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK in an undecided color, and the Motoring Madness Mittens by Audrey Nicklin from Lit Knits out of brown alpaca. Jen will be re-starting her Chickadee. She'll be making a Ginny's Cardigan by Mari Chiba from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney. And she wants to make Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink) and the Citron Grand out of Desert Vista Dyeworks Voir in Cherry Icee. Knit Culture: (30:28) We play the promo for the Once Upon a Time Podcast. We do the drawing for the May Stashdown Challenge. Congratulations to knitallthestuff! You win a digital copy of Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick, courtesy of Cooperative Press. June’s theme will be Matriculation, so post your finished objects in the June thread. July's theme will be music; projects that remind you of your favorite song or musician or album cover or what-have-you. Steve Malcolm of It Takes Balls to Knit has launched an indiegogo campaign. And we interview Benjamin Levisay of XRX Books, the Stitches Shows, and the Fiber Hooligan Podcast. We talk about his background, his podcast (including the origin of its name), his work with Halos of Hope, his new software venture, Hopscotch, and some general geek stuff. Geek Culture: (1:14:23) We talk some more about some upcoming blockbusters including How to Train Your Dragon 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jupiter Ascending, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Expendables 3, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Sex Tape. We mention Interstellar (which is the Matthew Mcconaughey astronaut film that Jen couldn't think of the title of. Events: (1:19:44) Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day.  We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  Save the date.  There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral.

Catching Up: (0:53) Jen has been very busy at her day job. But she has new pattern outThe Cradle Will Rock Shawlette out for the Mean Girls Yarn Club. And she is finishing up her acting class and her show closed, so she feels like she may get her life back. Laura spent mother's day at her brother's cabin and it was lovely. She also has a new doggie (Mei Mei). Her husband was promoted and his schedule has changed, so they are adjusting to that. And she is ramping up for Patrol 2 of Sunnydale Yarn Club plus dying for some wholesale orders. And there is a new pattern out that uses Dizzy Blonde yarn: the O'Hara Scarf by Heatherly Walker. In the Knitting Bag: (8:23) Jen has been working on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant.  She is on the sleeves! She started a Hitchhiker by Martina Behm out of a Zauberball in the colorway 2079 Durche die Blume (it's pink and green and white). And she is working on her second Sunshine Sock by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps. Laura has been working on her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs Yummy kit in slate and reds. She is on her fourth color. She is working on the afterthought heels on her men's vintage socks in Lambie Toes in No Touching Guns and she is working on the Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell. We mention Knitmore Girls podcast and their #operationsockdrawer and #matchymatchykal. Finished Objects: (17:32) Jen hasn't finished anything because she's had no knitting time. Neither has Laura, because she is knitting big projects, because she's taking a break from Nerd Wars. We mention the Community Eye Candy post on the Ravelry blog featuring Nerd Wars projects. Frog Pond: (20:57) Jen has had easy knitting so there has been no need to frog. And Laura has been equally lucky, but we are anticipating good stories once she starts her Down the Garden Path. On Deck: (23:25) Jen has the same old stuff in her queue (Lauriel Cardigan (by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto and a pair of Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink)), plus she will be starting a Citron Grande out of Desert Vista Dyeworks Voir in Cherry Icee, for Camp Loopy. She will be doing the challenges even though she is not buying yarn. Laura wants to make the Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. And she wants to make the Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde Sock or Lambie Toes for a booth sample. We mention the Sylvi coat Knit Culture: (28:20) We talk a little bit about the stashdown and how the peer pressure is helping Jen not buy yarn for emotional reasons. We mention the Juliet Cardigan and the new Heirloom Layette Set. May’s theme is May Flowers/Mayflower and June’s theme will be Matriculation! Post your FOs in the the thread. You can win a copy Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick, courtesy of Cooperative Press. June's theme will be Matriculation. It's all about learning--new skills, new patterns, new yarns, perfecting techniques. We review Lit Knits by Audry Nicklin. It retails for $18.95 for a ebook/Ravelry download and $24.95 for a paper copy. We both love this book and highly recommend that you buy it. The photography and styling is beautiful; the patterns are very creative; and we both want to knit most of the patterns. We mention Celestarium and Audrey's knitting story in Episode 77 of Never Not Knitting Podcast. Geek Culture: (41:13) We talk about some upcoming summer blockbusters and we want to know what you're looking forward to seeing. We talk about Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Postman Pat, Maleficent, Edge of Tomorrow, Grace of Monaco, Jersey Boys. Also we mention Bryan Craston sneezes, Bambi Meets Godzilla, and Stuff You Missed in History Class. Events: (59:17) Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day.  We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014.  Save the date.  There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral. Thank you for joining us for our 1st podivsersay! The stashdown’s going very well; keep up the good work! May’s theme is May Flowers/Mayflower and June’s theme will be Matriculation! Post your FOs in the the thread for a chance to win a copy of Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick, courtesy of Cooperative Press.

Today’s episode is sponsored by the New and Improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. New and Improved because we now have our own website. Visit our new home at www.dizzyblondestudios.com. Catching Up: (0:52) Laura just got back from a week in Puerto Rico. It's a wonderful place, but she couldn't find a good yarn store. She needs to learn to speak Spanish. She also just finished her last Nerd Wars tournament for a while. She also decided to start designing again. Jen opened her show and it's going well. She and Melissa took a trip to the Huntington and saw a great exhibit about Archimedes and restoring some of his writing from a palimpsest. She learned that Melissa can't divide. And she's been spinning. We mention the McIntosh Cardigan. In the Knitting Bag: (15:01) Laura has been working on her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs kit in slate and reds. She also worked on her men's sock design out of Lambie Toes in No Touching Guns. And she worked on her Down the Garden Path shawl by Michele DuNaier out of Lambie Toes in Special Hell. Jen has been working on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant and her Sunshine Socks by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps. Finished Objects: (20:45) Laura finished her Lucky 4-Leaf Afghan Square by Margaret McInnis by Becka in Berroco Comfort DK in Celery, the Broncos hat for her brother out of Knitpicks Brava in blue, orange, and cream, the Kraken Applique by Katie Christie in random lavender acrylic, and the Wave Pool Cloth by Carol Bristol out of Dizzy Blonde Dirty Blonde Superwash DK in Jessica. Jen hasn't finished anything. She has to weave in ends on her Leftie. We mention joining joining blanket squares with crochet. Frog Pond: (24:50) Or Coquí pond. Laura had issues with her sock and had to frog a lot of the foot because she decided to put ribbing all around the foot, even on the bottom. Jen is knitting with alternating skeins on her Leah's Lovely Cardigan which is always a little painful. She is also somewhat demotivated with her knitting. We mention Slipped Stitch Studios. On Deck: (29:21) Laura wants to make an Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde Sock in Timey Wimey (TARDIS Blue), some mitts for her husband out some alpaca sock yarn, and a Dreambird by Nadita Swings. She's trying to decide if she wants to make it in her Dizzy Blonde Sock or her Lambie Toes. Jen still wants to make a Lauriel Cardigan (also by Ysolda and from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto.and a pair of Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink).  She also has an idea for some mitts with jacaranda blossoms embroidered on them. Knit Culture: (32:38) We answer a question from our Knotty Talk Thread. sfchick asks "how to avoid knitting burnout - im feeling it now!" So we discuss ways to keep yourself motivated and how we deal with when we find ourselves demotivated. We recommend taking a break, bribing yourself, playing math games, changing up projects, looking at Ravelry for inspiration, and not doing deadline projects if you hate them. Laura mentions an idea from the podcast Just One More Row where you make your own kits with the pattern and yarn you want to work with in paper bags and grab one at random when you want a new project. It's a surprise kit! And Jen talks about a systemic way to eliminate WIPs, if you're burnt out because you're overwhelmed by too many WIPs. And we want to know what you think in the thread for the episode on Ravelry. We also talk about the Stashdown.  The winner for April is fracksmom! You win a skein of The Woolen Rabbit Airy in the colorway Daddy Steelbucks (love that name) with coordinating seed beads, donated by amazingly generous listener JillSerenity. May’s theme will be May Flowers so post your FOs in the thread.  You can win a copy of Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick, courtesy of Cooperative Press. The theme for June is "matriculation." Post FOs from projects that have taught you something. What did you learn? The end of June will the be the Stashdown halfway point to evaluate our goals and how we've been doing. We mention the fact that we have a Facebook page. Geek Culture: (49:49) We talk about Star Wars Episode 7 casting. We have a discussion about women and how they're represented (or not) in Sci Fi and Fantasy and geek culture in general, inspired by this article. We would love to know what you feel about women in your favorite geek stuff. Jen mentions the film Starcrash. Events: (1:11:56) We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day.  We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. And Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. Thanks for listening to our 26th episode. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished May projects in the thread!  Keep stashing down!

Today’s episode is sponsored by the New and Improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. New and Improved because we now have our own website. Visit our new home at . Catching Up:(0:42) Jen is preparing for her show opening, working on writing up some patterns, watching Buffy season 2 to prepare for Patrol 2 of the Sunnydale Yarn Club. She's also loving the new season of Mad Men, Fargo, Orphan Black. She also watched The 500 MPH Storm, which is TERRIBLE. Laura did Easter with her extended family and had a lot of fun. She's working on Mean Girls Yarn club installment 4, watching Buffy for Sunnydale Yarn Club inspiration. She made gumbo, is getting over bronchitis, and is getting ready for a nice vacation. We mention the Color Coded Easter Egg Hunt as a tip. In The Knitting Bag: (13:18) Jen is working on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. Melissa is going to make one too, so they may enter it in the matchy matchy KAL hosted by The Knitmore Girls.  She also wants to make matching socks for herself and Ron.  And she is working on her Chickadee from Ysolda’s book Little Red in the City in Quince and Company Chickadee in Slate, Egret, Lichen, and Rosa Rugosa. Laura is working on her brother's Broncos hat out of Knitpicks Brava. She is also working on a Kraken Applique by Katie Christie out of unknown acrylic. (She was going to make the Fruity Oaty Bar Chart, but it won't be the right size.) She is still working on her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs kit in slate and reds. This will likely be vacation knitting, along with her vintage men's socks in Dizzy Blonde Lambie Toes in the colorway No Touching Guns. Finished Objects: (19:20) Jen finished her Leftie! She is weaving in the ends. She made it out of Knitpicks Palette in Cream, Rouge, Spearmint, and Aster. She made it to 29 leaves, knitting on size 3 needles. She also finished a baby sweater of her own design out of Malabrigo sock in the colorway Solis. Laura finished the Wave Pool Cloth by Carol Bristol out of Dizzy Blonde Dirty Blonde Superwash DK in Jessica. She also finished the left hand version of the Hand to Hold Dishcloth by Rachel van Schie out of Berroco Vintage DK in blue. She also finished the 4th installment of MGYC. Devil's Tower: (25:11) Jen is pulling out the Sunshine Socks by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butter Peeps. She wants the socks. We mention Ben Nye makeup. Frog Pond: (27:53) Jen had gauge issues with her baby sweater. She did not swatch, because she is knitting it with the same yarn and the same size (and same brand even!) needles as her Leah's Lovely Cardigan, but she is getting a completely different gauge. She also made the yoke too long and decreased too much so the neck opening was too small and would have been a baby-strangling sweater. On Deck: (31:13) Jen wants to make another scarf for Interval House out of Cascade Cherub.   She also wants to make a Lauriel Cardigan (also by Ysolda and from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto.and a pair of Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink).  She also has an idea for some mitts with jacaranda blossoms embroidered on them. Laura wants to make a Lucky 4-Leaf Afghan Square by Margaret McInnis by Becka in Berroco Comfort DK in Celery. She also wants to make the Down the Garden Path by Michele DuNaier out of Lambie Toes in Special Hell.  And she wants to do some mitts for her husband.  She also wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings for a booth sample. We mention the Cigar Gloves. Knit Culture: (36:38) We do our drawing for the March Stashdown. Congratulations to JixxieM! You win a copy of Sock Yarn Shawls. May's theme will be May Flowers so post your FOs in the thread. We also review Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick. We really love this book and really do recommend it, with the caveat that it probably isn't for everyone. But if this kind of thing is to your taste, the patterns are great and book is incredibly well written and beautifully put together. It tickled both of our fancies! We also love the section on knitting successful socks! Geek Culture: (45:35) We talk costuming. Historical, theatrical, and cosplay. We've decided to open a thread for you to post your costuming stuff. We mention Brass Needles. Events: (1:04:55) We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day.  We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. And Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th.

The I Flunked the Written Cowl for the Sunnydale Yarn Club This episode is sponsored by the new and improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. Check out our new website at www.dizzyblondestudios.com Catching Up: (00:55) Laura was at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company for meet and greets for the Los Angeles Yarn Crawl. We mention Trendsetter Yarns, Baah Yarn, and Reywa Fibers. She got to take a day off and go to Disneyland, where she got to meet Thor and see a lot of props from the Marvel Universe movies. She's on Round 3 of her final Nerd Wars tournament for a while. She is still working out some of the bugs for the new Dizzy Blonde Studios website. She will use her Etsy shop for patterns and clearance yarns and one-off skeins. She's also fighting a cold. Jen was at the Craftcation Conference in Ventura. She stayed at a hotel right on the water. She loves Ventura. And she took a cookingclass with Aida Mollenkamp. She learned to make preserved lemons, took a drawing class, took workshops on branding, social media, and blogs, got to listen to Melanie Falick on a panel, did some embroidery classes (and got embroidery kits from Ugly Baby and La Ru (with patterns from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching). She's reading Swamplandia!. She's working on a monologue from the play Educating Rita for her acting class. And she's going to write on her blog more. And she released a a pattern! It's currently exclusive for the Sunnydale Yarn Club, but in six months, you can buy it. In the Knitting Bag: (15:53) Laura is working on the left hand version of the Hand to Hold Dishcloth by Rachel van Schie. She has done the right hand square in Berroco Vintage DK in blue. She is also working on a blanket square using the Fruity Oaty Bar Chart by Elizabeth Herac out of Berroco Comfort in a sage green. She is working on her vintage man sock in Lambie Toes in the color No Touching Guns. And she's continuing to work on the Broncos hat for her brother out of Knitpicks Brava in blue, orange, and cream. And she has put a few leaves on her Leftie by Martina Behm, out of a Miss Babs kit in slate and reds. Jen is also working on a Leftie out of Knitpicks Palette in Cream, Rouge, Spearmint, and Aster. She is very happy that she went stashdiving. She is working on a Leah's Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. She is working on her Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Fibre Company Organik in Highlands.  She regrets not doing the sleeves before she finished the body, so there is less to flip (something she learned fromThe Knitmore Girls), because the body of this sweater is heavy. We mention Melissa's custom colorway from the Loopy Ewe. Finished Objects: (26:36) Laura finished the right hand Hand to Hold Blanket Square, the Leaf on the Wind "Wash Cloth" by Becca out of Berroco comfort worsted. Jen finished her 2x2 ribbed scarf out of Patons Wool Classic in the colorway Kimono for the charity Interval House. Devil's Tower: (28:45) Laura has been really good about pulling things out of the Devil's Tower. Jen's Rocky Coast Cardigan is hovering around Devil's Tower. And her Watership Down KAL shawl is Devil's Tower because she doesn't have the brain power for it right now. Frog Pond: (30:55) Jen has been lucky, but Laura has not been. Laura frogged her initial Bronco's hat because the pattern with the stripes was looking too feminine. In addition, she put a knot in at the color change and the knot came undone and it unraveled. Plus, she couldn't figure out a way to do the color changes she liked, so she frogged it and started over in a new pattern of her own making. On Deck: (33:20) After Nerd Wars, Laura plans on making an Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde Sock in Timey Wimey (TARDIS Blue). She also will be making some more blanket squares for Nerd Wars. Jen kind of wants to re-make her Sweetheart of the Rodeo cardigan, because it's knit at a small gauge in high twist yarn (Wollmeise DK). She may just cut out the colorwork and re-do it as embroidery. Or maybe she will re-make a new one out of fingering weight. She wants to make the Chickadee from Ysolda’s book Little Red in the City in Quince and Company Chickadee in Slate, Egret, Lichen, and Rosa Rugosa.  She also wants to make a Lauriel Cardigan (also by Ysolda and from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto.and a pair of Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink).  She also has an idea for some mitts with jacaranda blossoms embroidered on them. We mention Celestarium and Southern Skies by Audrey Nicklin. Knit Culture: (40:06) We answer a question from our Knotty Talk Thread. knitallthestuff asks Here’s one that falls more under “discussion topic” than “request for help/info”. When selecting what patterns to knit/crochet and which ones to do next, how do you juggle all the conflicting desires/intentions: 1. OMG, SHINY! Must. Make. Now. 2. I should do this now, so I can get some use out of it before next year. 3. It would be really nice to have this, but I should wait until X date (see #2). 4. Other deadlines, whether externally- or self-imposed (Christmas, Birthdays, Ravellenics). 5. That skein of ___ is calling to me from my stash. I must use it and love it and call it George. We answer, but we want to know what you think. We come up with the overall answer of "it depends on the mood and the pattern." We both determine that we are more motivated by the pattern than the yarn. Laura has had a great need for deadline work for Nerd Wards and booth samples. Jen takes the cast on time into account. We mention a bunch of patterns, including Yggdrasil and the The Princess Shawl. But we really want to know about your motivations. So let us know in the Ravelry thread for this episode. We also announce prizes for the overall Podcaster Throwdown. PlainJayne12 knit the most hats overall (for Team Sock-a-holic). The most prolific knitter for Team KnottyGirls was Karen E. They both win an "Almost the Works Package" for any Stitches event in 2014 or 2015, donated by XRX Books. Carrie M. of The Yarn Sellar contributed the most hats overall. She got the residents of a correctional facility to knit and donate 99 hats for Team Craftlit. She wins a membership to the second patrol of the Sunnydale Yarn Club donated by Dizzy Color. Robdob contributed the most virtual hats. She raffled off a shawl and donated the proceeds to Team Sock-a-holic. She wins a prize package consisting of a 40th Anniversary Large Eden Drawstring Bag from Della Q, 1 Set each Knitters Pride Dreamz US Size 5 in 24” & 40”, Valley Yarns Pattern Series Snowdrop Baby Blanket, and 10 balls Valley Yarns Longmeadow in Natural, donated by WEBS. Our team MVP is Peggy Baxter (pbaxter), president of ESSS, who was such an enthusiastic supporter. She wins a two-year subscription to Knitter's Magazine, donated by XRX Books. Random Drawings: 4 Mini-skein samplers donated by Skeindalous Yarns 1. Estella A 2. Meshuggeknitter 3. Bluesjules 4. Seajaneknit 5 skeins Blondee Merino/Superfine Alpaca blend donated by Dizzy Blonde Studios 1. Kim Rennick 2. indigodogmt 3. CrispyBacon 4. JudithLee 5. Mary 3 Books donated by Heather Ordover of Craftlit 1. What would Madame Defarge Knit?--Edith 2. What else would Madame Defarge Knit?--Susan from Brea 3. Grounded--Barbula 2 skeins of 100% Yak Yarn donated by Bijou Basin Ranch 1. Dark Blue--Glenda from Fullerton 2. Light Sandy Brown--knitsnhikes 1 4oz./100g. Skein Skeindalous Joi Sport 100% BFL in Candy Floss donated by Skeindalous Yarns--Barbula A copy of History on Two Needles donated by Annie Modesitt--Ruth L A digital pattern collection of Marly Bird's patterns donated by Marly Bird herself--Karen E 3 Needle Cases donated by Knit Totes 1. RKSmom 2. Fred from ESSS 3. afreyedknot 2 50-gram skeins FibraNatura 100% linen donated by Laura 1. Regatta color--Shanda S 2. Purple color--KnittyBarb A Project Back Pack donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast--E Gould 3 Knit stitch marker sets donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast 1. k8erpillar 2. Kay from Ladera Ranch 3. scmusicals 2 Crochet stitch marker sets donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast 1. ariane 2. Lifewithmonkey Thank you so much to all the prize doners, to everyone who contributed hats (virtual or real) or gave someone yarn to knit hats or contributed in any way. You all did an amazing thing for Halos of Hope. Geek Culture: (1:01:01) We talk about knitting webcomics. We mention Worsted for Wear and Knit Princess. We love both of them. Jen also mentions other webcomics she loves: Questionable Content and xkcd. And we want to know what cool stuff you find on the internet. So we started a thread in our Ravelry group where you can post any cool knitting-related or geek-related things you find on the internet. Share the love. Events: (1:05:29) Signups for Patrol 2 of the Sunnydale Yarn Club will start April 17th and close on May 2nd. There are 32 spots in the club; if more than 32 people sign up, names will be drawn for the spots on May 5th. First installment will go out in June. Pricing, details, and the signup form are at dizzycolor.wordpress.com We are planning an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day. Details to follow, but our event will be either June 21 or June 22. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. We also mention Pear Pie with Red Wine and Rosemary. Thanks for listening to our 25th episode. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don't forget to post your finished April projects in the April Thread. You can win yarn!

Today’s episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design, please visit DizzyBlondeStudios.etsy.com Throwdown Update (1:28) Check out Episode 8.5 for Throwdown information. Knit Knit Cafe has joined the fray! If you donate a hat for Team Knotty in October, you’ll receive the Full Tilt Hat pattern. Post in the thread to get your pattern. Also, join the Podcaster Throwdown Ravelry Group. CozyCouch is awesome and has knitted 11 hats! In addition to the lovely prizes from last week, JoniLvsNeddy has donated some really cute project bags for prizes. Don’t forget to ship your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here. Purlescence Address: Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Catching Up (4:52) Jen sang at two charity gigs and she enjoyed it. She's started a new book about the Rocky Flats nuclear plant called Full Body Burden. She and Ron have been watching cheesy horror films, because it's October, including Carnival of Souls. She took a drop spindling class at CogKnitive, and she loved it. Laura has returned from New Mexico, visiting her stepdaughter. She saw her stepdaughter in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She also started watching Doctor Who and Downton Abbey. The registration for the Sunnydale Yarn club are closed and the names have been drawn. Her dad is doing much better; thanks to all of you for your concern. And her remodel is almost done! Melissa had to explain to her coworkers what a fiber retreat was. Also, they think yarn crawls involve a lot more booze than they do. Jen references this experiment. In the Knitting Bag (12:22) Jen has been working on her Bed Socks in Lemon Pattern with Fancy Knit Stripe from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush for Ron and the Socktober KAL/CAL out of Koigu in a very multi-colored colorway. Jen mentions Foxy Knits. She's also working on her 30 Day Sweater out of Dizzy Blonde Superwash DK in the color Anna. She spent a lot of time working on cable charting. She also worked on her Rocky Coast Cardigan out of Fibre Company Organik in Highlands. Laura has been working on her second pair of Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves by Jenny Williams out of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in the Thistle Colorway. She’s also still working on her Udones (Roman socks0 in Knitpicks Palette in the color Clover. We talk a bit about Naalbinding and the History Channel show Vikings. Laura has also been working on her Sassitis (Clapotis) and her Gridiron Scarf (Lattice Wingspan), which are both very close to done. Melissa knit a huge Mountain Ash Shawl and it killed her will to knit shawls, so she is working on Leah's Lovely Cardigan (her first sweater) from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo Sock in Archangel. She is also working on a lot of hats for Hatoween (with some help from Jen). Finished Objects Big Damn Heroes Two Butterfly Hats Laura finished one pair of Tree of Life Mittens in the Forest Heather color of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, two Olivia's Butterfly Hats for Halos of Hope out of Knitpicks Brava, and she finished her Mother Bears (faces and all). But really, Barbara from 2 Knit Lit Chicks did the faces. Melissa has finished several Hatoween hats. On Deck: Laura is going to be test knitting a hat pattern for Steamlolita. She will be reworking a sock pattern to be rewritten for Lambie Toes Yarn for Socktober. We mention Four Weddings. Jen will be jumping into crochet, making a Basic Stitches Crochet Hat for the Throwdown. Also other throwdown hats. She will be making a little sweater for her nephew's first birthday out of Delicious Yarn from Stitch Cafe. Melissa will be making Throwdown hats with her leftover Hatoween yarn. She will also be making a very colorful striped cardigan. Knit Culture (30:10) We answer a question from MillieHanS. Any tricks, tips for knitting with two yarns - not necessarily together. Say one is a wool that can be blocked as for a lace edge but the ‘body’ of a rectangular shawl isn’t as stretchy. I can’t figure out a good way to determine repeats so they are the same width even tho I swatch. Swatch. A lot. Wash and block the swatches. Swatch them together. Or find two yarns that are more similar if you can, because that might be more easy. Also consider if you're picking up stitches, changing yarns, knitting on a border--they will all change how it behaves. A lifeline might be your best friend. Also don't be afraid to re-do things. Jen and Melissa bought some great yarn at CogKnitive retreat including Forbidden Woolery, Knitted Wit yarn, bags from RKs Mom and Slipped Stitch Studios. Melissa bought a lot of Dizzy Blonde Yarn. And a lot of her yarn was pink. Jen and Melissa both bought some Indigo Dragonfly yarn and they love her color names. There were some great metal shawl pins. Jen got some great Bee Mice Elf fiber for spinning and wants to get some Red Fish Dye Works fiber when she's a better spinner. Jamie of the Awesome Metalwork Pins in the Cogknitive Marketplace. We also mention Dye for Yarns and Ladybug Fiber. Geek Culture (46:26) We geek out over Doctor Who and Torchwood. Upcoming Events: (52:49) We are having a Knitalong in October! The Socktober Knitalong! Knit something (anything (hats)) out of sock yarn (fingering weight or any yarn that would make good socks) or knit socks out of any weight yarn between October 1st and October 31st. Post finished projects there for a chance to win a prize. Please do a separate entry for each project. Hiya Hiya has provided some prizes and Joni has given a project bag as a prize. We will be at the Southern California Handweaver’s Guild Annual Weaving and Fiber Festival (WEFF) at the Torrance Convention Center on Sunday November, 3rd. Parking is free, entry is seven dollars. Laura will be vending. You can drop off Halos Hats at her booth. We may be doing some knitalong action with Yarn on Tap there for the Throwdown; we will keep you posted. Come say hi. We are working on some knitalong events for the Throwdown. We will keep you updated. New milestone drawing at 500 members, so join our Ravelry group!

Today's episode is sponsored by Dizzy Color. Dizzy Blonde Studios and Mad Color Fiber Arts have come together to bring you Dizzy Color's Sunnydale, a wickedly clever yarn club inspired by Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For more information, visit http://www.dizzycolor.wordpress.com. Podcaster Throwdown Update: (0:55) Check out Episode 8.5 if you're confused about what the Throwdown is. Two new podcasts have joined: Ready, Set, Knit and Yarn on Tap. Thank you to Hollywood Knitter and the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers for backing Team Knotty. If you donate a hat for Team Knotty in October, you'll receive the Full Tilt Hat pattern. Post in the thread to get your pattern. Also, join the Podcaster Throwdown Ravelry Group. We have prizes. Thank you to Bijou Basin Ranch, Imperial Yarn, Knitter's Pride, Fairmount Fibers, and Green Mountain Spinnery for providing amazing prizes of yarn, patterns, and/or needles (and also to Stefanie of Wool Wide Web for coordinating that effort). Also thank you to Dizzy Blonde Studios and Cards By Erica for providing gift certificates as prizes. Please contact us if you want to donate more prizes, because everything helps. Don't forget to ship your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here. Purlescence Address: Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Catching Up: (5:47) Laura has been getting ready for a trip to New Mexico (packing knitting is hard!). She's also been dying a lot for the Mean Girls Yarn Club first installment and some vending events. She's also preparing for her new yarn club. We're both working on getting some Throwdown events together. Jen has been playing lots of guitar for her gig. She's also become obsessed with Downton Abbey. She's also preparing to teach in a few weeks. She owes a lot to the Knitmore Girls tutorial on grosgrain ribbon, but she has other tips to add to the technique. We also mention Avatar: The Last Airbender and Sherlock In the Knitting Bag: (10:34) Laura has started a lot of things. She's knitting a hat for her sister out of Nashua Wooly Stripes in WS04 pastels. She's continuing to work on her Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves by Jenny Williams out of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. She's also still working on her Udones in Knitpicks Palette. Afterthought heels are easy! Jen has been working on her Rocky Coast Cardigan out of Fibre Company Organik, but she ran out of knitting (so always carry an extra ball of yarn). She's working on a shawl of her own design for the Knit Dizzney yarn. She's working on another Gerri Hat in the Naturally Caron Spa and another hat for students of one of her knitsibs' sons out of Plymouth Encore Worsted. She's also been knitting on her super secret Christmas project. Finished Objects: (18:28) Claudia Cap. Booyah! Laura's only finished one thing, her Claudia Hat in Berroco Vintage. Jen has a bunch of hats that need ends buried. She doesn't think they're done, but they're done by Laura's standards. Devil's Tower: (20:51) Laura is putting her Clapotis and her Lattice Wingspan into Devil's Tower so they can be WIPs for Nerd Wars. Her Mother Bears are awaiting hair and faces. Cheating WIP? Jen is officially declaring her Sunshine Socks and her Watership Down shawl in Devil's Tower. We talk about various methods of beading, including using Tigertail (like the Stitched Together Podcast), using Superfloss, pre-stringing, and tiny crochet hooks. Frog Pond: (24:58) Laura had to reknit one Tree of Life mitt because it was too big. Jen may not have bought enough yarn for her secret Christmas project. How hard is it to match dye lots on black Cascade 220? We'll find out in the coming weeks. On Deck: (28:12) Laura is knitting a second pair of Tree of Life mitts, a Minion in Overalls hat, Assquack Hats, Olivia's Buttefly hats out of Knitpicks Brava, a vanilla hat for her brother. She will be working on converting a never-published sock design to be done in Lambie Toes yarn for Socktober. Jen will be making more hats, some socks for Ron out of Koigu for Socktober, maybe a crochet hat, and she will be doing the 30 Day Sweater challenge out of Dizzy Blonde Superwash DK in Anna. We mention Foxy Knits and the Fiber Hooligans Podcast. Knit Culture: (33:41) We issue a correction to our review of Wrapped in Color: Stranded Knitting in the 21st Century by Deborah Tomasello. We apologize for missing that the baby wrap is lined on the back. We interview Caroline and Amy of Yarnosphere. We review Needles and Artifice by The Ladies of Mischief. The book is gorgeous, we love the patterns, and we highly recommend it. Some patterns are more costumey, but there are a lot that would work for everyday fashion. Geek Culture: (1:00:42) There is a new Serenity graphic novel, which takes up where the movie left off! We also recommend listening to Bohemian Gravity. Upcoming Events: (1:01:46) Dizzy Blonde Yarns will also be for sale at the Yarnosphere Fiber Festival, in the Toluca Knit Jewelry and Fine Yarns Booth. This is a new festival, taking place October 12 and 13th. We will not be there, because we are at Cogknitive, but go support so we can keep a cool yarn festival here. We will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat in Tehachapi from the evening of October 11th to the morning of October 13. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be hanging out and taking classes. The retreat is full, but contact Dr. Gemma to be on the waiting list. We will be collecting hats for Halos of Hope! We will be at the Southern California Handweaver’s Guild Annual Weaving and Fiber Festival (WEFF) at the Torrance Convention Center. Parking is free, entry is seven dollars. Laura will be vending. You can drop off Halos Hats at her booth. We will be having a Knitalong in October! The Socktober Knitalong! Knit something (anything (hats)) out of sock yarn (fingering weight or any yarn that would make good socks) or knit socks out of any weight yarn between October 1st and October 31st. Post finished projects there for a chance to win a prize. Please do a separate entry for each project. Hiya Hiya has provided some prizes. Our next milestone drawing is at 500 members in the Ravelry Group, so join!

This episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. “Beautifully hand-dyed yarns in a variety of superwash bases and inspired knit design.” Listen to the episode for a special coupon code. Catching Up: (1:03) Jen is playing a lot of guitar to prepare for two benefit gigs: one for Generations on the Move and one for the Village of Hope. She's also prepping to teach. Laura's father has been ill with SIADH, but he is recovering. She is also working on the Sunnydale Yarn Club. Pre-registration is open now! Knit Dizzney was so much fun! Thank you to the following people who provided swag and coupons for the goody bags: Benjamin Levisay from XRX, 5elementknitr, Wolfe Farms, Yarn Garden, Yarnosphere, and Karen from id.me Promotions. And thank you to all who came. In the Knitting Bag: (10:07) Jen is working on an Aesop's Cables hat for the Podcaster Throwdown out of Red Heart Soft. She's also working on her Watership Dow out of Unique Sheep Selene in the color Nature Walk. She's also started her Rocky Coast Cardigan out of Fibre Company Organik in the colorway Highlands. She started the California Poppy Shawl out of Baah La Jolla in My Sweet Valentine. This is for Melissa, who wants the shawl, but doesn't want to knit it. Finally, she has one Sunshine Sock done and the second one cast on. She loves working with the Dream in Color Smooshy in Butter Peeps and Laura wants to eat it, because it looks like Peeps. Laura is working on the Claudia Hat out of Berroco Vintage in Vintage for the Podcaster Throwdown. She is working on two pairs the Tree of Life Mitts for a friend and his wife. The first pair is in Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Forest Heather. She is also knitting some socks (Roman udones like this) for Roman re-enactment out of Knitpicks Palette in Clover Green. She's almost done with her Sassy-tis (Clapotis). Finished Objects: (16:11) Gratuitous Artsy Shot Jen finished her Effervescence Cardigan for Camp Loopy, just under the wire. And she's done 3 hats for the Throwdown, two Gerri hats (one in Wendy Peter Pan yarn and one in Naturally Caron Spa) and one Hermione Hearts Ron in leftover Pashmina. One Throwdown Hat! BOOM! Laura has finished her Malcub Reynolds Mother Bear and one Throwdown hat, the Reversible Beehive Hat in Berroco Comfort. Devil's Tower (20:05) The Broncos Scarf (Lattice Wingspan) is coming back out, because she ran out of yarn, but now she got more. Frog Pond: (20:49) Jen made her Aesop's Cables too short so she has to redo the top part. Laura maybe used the wrong needle size when casting on her Claudia hat and is debating ripping it out. It's wading in the frog. On Deck: (23:34) Jen is going to do a sweater design inspired by the cover of the Sweetheart of the Rodeo album; Laura will make a second pair of Tree of Life Mitts in gray. Both will work on more hats for the throwdown. Knit Culture: (25:32) We give an update on the Podcaster Throwdown. Listen to Episode 8.5 for information. You can join our Ravelry group. The teams currently in are Craftlit and Knitmore Girls. There is a rumor about Webs. Laura calls out the Yarniacs and Knit 1 Geek 2 to join. We are giving away the Eton Hat if you submit a hat for Team KnottyGirls in September. We are sourcing prizes... We review Fiber Factor Challenge 4. We review Wrapped in Color: Stranded Knitting in the 21st Century by Deborah Tomasello. We definitely recommend checking it out. And we have in interview with Johnny Vasquez of the 30 Day Sweater Challenge. There are awesome prizes and if you want sign up, you can go here Geek Culture: (1:00:05) We discuss upcoming geeky television shows for fall, including a re-air of Torchwood: Miracle Day and Orphan Black on BBC-America. Events: (1:08:57) Dizzy Blonde Yarns will also be for sale at the Yarnosphere Fiber Festival, in the Toluca Knit Jewelry and Fine Yarns Booth. This is a new festival, taking place October 12 and 13th. We will not be there, because we are at Cogknitive, but go support so we can keep a cool yarn festival here. We will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat in Tehachapi from the evening of October 11th to the morning of October 13. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be hanging out and taking classes. The retreat is full, but contact Dr. Gemma to be on the waiting list. We will be collecting hats for Halos of Hope! We will be at the Southern California Handweaver's Guild Annual Weaving and Fiber Festival (WEFF) at the Torrance Convention Center. Parking is free, entry is seven dollars. Laura will be vending. You can drop off Halos Hats at her booth. We will be having a Knitalong in October! The Socktober Knitalong! Knit something (anything (hats)) out of sock yarn (fingering weight or any yarn that would make good socks) between October 1st and October 31st. Post finished projects there for a chance to win a prize. Please do a separate entry for each project. Our next milestone drawing is at 500 members in the Ravelry Group, so join!

Thank you to Barb and Tracy of the 2 Knit Lit Chicks Podcast for playing our promo! Catching Up: (1:06) Laura is still remodeling. She is also preparing for KnitDizzney (we are EXCITED!). The Sunnydale Yarn Club has been pushed back a month. More information to come. Jen got to attend a lecture by Sally Melville. We ask about your knitting choices--do you choose what to knit based on what you'd wear, or because the pattern looks awesome? She also went to some Speedway races, and brought her knitting. Where is the weirdest place you've brought your knitting? Finally, she has been cleaning her craft room and Ron made her the best label for one of her tubs. Communication Breakdown. But this is so adorable. We are THROWING DOWN to the other podcasters! We bet that we can get more hats collected for Halos of Hope by Stitches West than your listeners. Email us at knottygirlsknitcast@gmail.com if you want to participate. The Rules: 1. There are no rules. 2. Okay there are a few rules. 3. Follow the Halos of Hope Guidelines 4. Start Sept 1st. 5. We finish at Stitches West. 6. Get your listeners on board however you want. We are still working out logistics to getting the hats counted, but get started knitting. We will work those details out as soon as possible. You can submit hats for more than one team (But each individual hat will only count for one team). There will be a prize drawing involved for the podcast team that collects the most hats. And KnottyGirls Listeners, we will have goodies for those of you who submit hats for our team! We will be talking more on the Fiber Hooligans Podcast on Monday, September 2nd so tune in to listen! In The Knitting Bag: (14:38) Laura has been knitting on a Simon Tam-inspired Mother Bear (Simon Tamda) out of Berroco Comfort and Knitpicks Brava. Simon Tamda She is also working on her Gridiron Lattice Wingspan in the Mean Girls Yarn Club Colorway Hoar's Yer Buddy. Her Sassy-tis (Clapotis) is out of Devil's Tower and being worked on again. Jen is working on her Effervescence Cardigan, which is blocking and just needs finishing up (Sleeves sewn in and grosgrain ribbon and buttons added). She's making it out of Madelinetosh Pashmina. It's the Neverending Cardigan She's also working on her Sunshine Socks. She started the first square from the Great American Afghan out of Cascade 220. The square was designed by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts. Shunshine on my shoulders feet makesh me happy. The first square of many. Finished Objects: (18:51) Laura's Shepherd Bear Mother Bear is done, in record time. Except for the stuffing and his hair. Jen thinks Laura might be fudging the definition of done. ;) Shepherd Bear. Laura also finished a Kninja Kitty. And she finished the Entrechat for her granddaughter. Shoutout to Knitrality for recommending the pattern. Granddaughter bait! Big eyes=cute On Deck: (22:24) Laura is also a pattern slattern. She will be doing a Malcolm Reynolds Mother Bear (Malcubb Reynolds). And then she will do the rest of the crew in Mother Bears (River, Zoe, and Jayne Cubb). She will also be making the Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves by Jenny Williams out of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes. She is making two pairs for a close friend and his wife, one in the Thistle Colorway and one in the Forest Heather Colorway. She has the yarn all dyed and ready for the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. She still plans to make a Minion army to guard her stash. Jen plans to cast on the Rocky Coast Cardigan out of the Fibre Company Organik in Highlands. She will be finally casting on her Watership Down Mystery KAL Shawl. She will be knitting the California Poppy Shawl out of Bahh La Jolla yarn for Melissa. She is also starting two secret projects. Knit Culture: (27:54) We do our 250 member milestone drawing. The winner is Jadee! Next milestone is at 500 members! We discuss Fiber Factor Challenge 3. This challenge involved Kenzie yarn, and we both want the yarn. Let us know your thoughts in the Fiber Factor thread in our Ravelry Group. We answer a question from our Knotty Talk Thread. QallieQ asks I want to do lace- I want to do a gradient shawl- I have never done either… where do I start?. We talk about the Ravelry Advanced Pattern Search to find easier lace patterns (however, we recommend not underestimating yourself!). Jen recommends The Old Man of Storr by Carie Harling to get used to chart reading. Laura also recommends the Peacock Feathers Shawl. We point listeners to the Unique Sheep Gradience Tutorials for how to use gradience yarns the way they dye them. We also mention long color repeat yarns like Freia Yarns and Desert Vista Dyeworks for another way to use gradient yarns. Please share advice and good lace patterns on our board. Geek Culture (52:51) There is a Firefly-themed MMORPG coming. Sign up to be on the mailing list here. And there is a trailer. We mention the Mary Sue and the Signal Podcast. Jen brings up an awesome fan-generated theory by Jon Negroni that states that all Pixar movies take place in the same universe. We encourage you to take a look and let us know what you think. We talk a little bit about Ben Affleck being cast as Batman and encourage you to let us know your thoughts. Events (1:04:12) KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 8th, 2013 at Disneyland. We will be there from open to close. We will have a meetup at 2pm in the picnic area outside the Disneyland entrance; come say hi and get swag! Pre-orders are closed but yarn is still available in the Dizzy Blonde Etsy store. There will be pickup for T-shirts at the Yarn Garden in Whittier on August 31st from 2-5pm. Email Laura if you can't pick up your yarn to make other arrangements. If you have concerns about mobility/disabled parking please look at relevant information on the Disney site or call (714) 781-INFO. We will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat in Tehachapi from the evening of October 11th to the morning of October 13. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be hanging out and taking classes. The retreat is full, but contact Dr. Gemma to be on the waiting list. Dizzy Blonde Yarns will also be for sale at the Yarnosphere Fiber Festival, in the Toluca Knit Jewelry and Fine Yarns Booth. This is a new festival, taking place October 12 and 13th. We will not be there, because we are at Cogknitive, but go support.

This episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. “For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design.” Shoutouts to Knit 1 Geek 2 Podcast and The Hollywood Knitter Podcast for playing our promo. Catching Up (1:24) Jen traveled and it was too hot to knit. She also got some new yarn from the Unique Sheep Gourmet Club and Cookie A’s Sock Club. The patterns in this month’s Cookie A Club are inspired by Star Trek, one of the cookie recipes is reminiscent of Doctor Who, and the yarn is from Sweet Georgia. Laura had family visiting. She also worked on prepping for our World Wide Knit in Public Day Event. She has also been dying a lot because her yarn is in a new shop, KnitKabob, in Union Oregon. Slimy, yet satisfying The newest Mean Girls Yarn Club shipment went out. In the Knitting Bag (7:45) Lacy Cap. Laura is working on the Lacy Cap by Carissa Browning in Rowan Cashsoft 4-ply in a lavender colorway for someone with trichotillomania. It’s pretty spectacular. Jen started her Camp Loopy Project. She’s knitting the Tiong Bahru out of Fleece Artist Saldanha Two yarn. She continues to work on her Madroña Shawl. Finished Objects(11:38) This is a very serious scarf. Laura finished a Yarn Over Cross Scarf for Interval House in Brown Sheep Company Lanaloft Worsted. A finished shawl! In spite of procrastination. Jen finished her scarf for Interval House as well. She also finished her Romi Hill Mysterious Shawl Knit-a-long. Jen mentions the Knitmore Girls. Devil’s Tower (15:19) Laura is struggling with her Nerd Wars projects. She is struggling with time to work on stuff. Creative planning is why this isn’t yet done. She also is intentionally not knitting on a Jayne Hat Hat of Controversy so she can use it in WIP challenge. Jen still isn’t working on her baby sweater. Frog Pond (22:05) Jen had problems counting while working on her Tiong Bahru. On Deck (23:43) Laura is struggling with her Sabre Project so she’s changed her dissertation project. She’s now working on six bears for the Mother Bear Project (something that Dr. Gemma talks a lot about on CogKNITive). They will be Firefly themed, to go with the “Jayne Cubb” she made for last year’s CogKNITive Fiber Retreat KAL. Jen is going to make a Tempest Cardigan for her July Camp Loopy Project out of Dream in Color Smooshy. She also wants to work on a giant afghan using all the squares from the Great American Afghan, Great North American Afghan, and Great American Aran Afghan books. She’ll be knitting it out of Cascade 220. Knotty Talk (33:10) We answer a question about summer knitting projects from Spiritsmith. Both like socks because they are small and portable and not too hot. Laura mentions the Lady Clementine Socks. Laura also likes hats such as the Nine Dwindling Cables Beret. Jen likes lace because it’s not too heavy. She mentions designers Caitlin ffrench and the Mizzle Shawl. For crochet, Laura likes tawashis. They also recommend some more difficult designers for people who are off school or work and have time for something complicated: Sivia Harding, Romi Hill, Steven West, and Jared Flood. WWKIP (37:50) We talk about our WWKIP event and play some interviews. We loved meeting everyone and were so glad you all came. Thank you to everyone who brought scarves for Interval House. We hold our prize drawing and the winner is Cre8vleigh! She wins a skein of Dizzy Blonde Yarn! Speaking of prizes, we will do a prize drawing for members of our Ravelry group, once the group reaches 100 members. Geek Culture (52:04) There is a tutorial for making your own lightsaber knitting needles. Jen is fascinated by Black Pearl yarn. TV Talk (53:56) We talk about Warehouse 13 and Falling Skies. We also mention the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Rome, Dexter, ER, and Lost. Jen mentions the Craftlit Podcast. You can come back at 1:04:05 if you don’t want to be spoiled for Falling Skies. Events (1:04:05) Mean Girls Yarn Club signups will open soon! Check the webpage for details. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 8th, 2013 at Disneyland. More details to come, but we’d love to spend a day at the Disneyland park with you! We will have t-shirts for preorder and possibly a custom yarn color! Thanks to everyone who has left us a review or rating iTunes!

Hello from the Cheshire Plain. Spring is definitely in the air! This episode sees the launch of a new, occasional, series A Postcard From... A prize is available for anyone who can identify the music clips in the postcard! Works in Progress: No work on the Damson Shawl as part of the Caithness Craft Collective Knitalong. Ravelry details are here. I've completed a second bear this year for the Mother Bear KAL/CAL over at the CogKNITive podcast. This one is called Frank, in honour the the recently departed Frank Carson. Woolsack Update: I'm partway through another cushion for Woolsack. Although I described the pattern, I didn't actually name it (shame on me). It is Tilting at Windmills by Woolly Thoughts. Spinning: I'm still spinning the Cheviot I got in the Secret Santa on the UK Spinners board on Ravelry from Shunklies. I'm now over three-quarters of the way through it. A Postcard from...Manchester Whilst writing these show notes, I've made the horrific discovery that my memory card has corrupted, so I only have a few photos that I took on my phone to share, and those do not include the detail from The Hireling Shepherd by William Holman Hunt. So sorry! The Jasperware by Wedgewood on the landing in the Manchester Art Gallery. And the landing itself, looking at the casts of the Parthenon friezes. This is the sign I mentioned when I was outside Affleck's. I took some superb pictures of the theatre-in-the-round structure inside The Royal Exchange, but sadly you'll just have to put up with these two wobbly shots of the same area, to go with the shortened clip (I was just too quiet!) Links: Woolsack; Mother Bear Project; iMake Podcast; Knit A Journey Podcast; Fred Aldous; Purl City Yarns. Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. We have a listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

A repost of Episode 40 to counteract the gremlins! Hello from a coffeeshop in Knutsford! In this episode I contemplate comfort knitting, smack my forehead at my own stupidity and, on listening back, overuse the phrase really, really interesting (sorry!). Works in Progress: A Damson Shawl as part of the Caithness Craft Collective Knitalong. I'm using the Carezza I bought at Artfibers in San Francisco last summer and the Ravelry details are here. I'm also working on a bear for the Mother Bear KAL/CAL over at the CogKNITive podcast. Although not finished at the time of recording, she is now. Let me introduce you to Ruby, stood here, in the grounds of Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's home 1799-1808. Woolsack Update: I finished my cable cushions, although I'm obviously very stupid! Ravelry details are here and here. Spinning: I'm still spinning the Cheviot I got in the Secret Santa on the UK Spinners board on Ravelry from Shunklies. I'm nearly three-quarters of the way through it, and I'm fairly sure I'm going to dye some British Blue Faced Leicester to ply with it. Review: The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook by Robson and Ekarius. Something I Really Like: The internet community we are building, triggered by our first Gulf State pin in the listeners' map. Please go on over to pop in a pin - I'd love to see where you all are! Links: Easyknits - look out for their Spin Love Club! Woolsack Mother Bear Project Music: Rondopolska by Barry Philips, from the album Tråd, available from Magnatune. Feel free to leave a comment here or at http://www.yarnsfromtheplain.blogspot.com/, or email me at yarnsfromtheplain AT googlemail DOT com. We have a Ravelry group here, so come on over to chat. You can find me on Ravelry as talesfromtheplain and on Twitter as talesfromplain (although Tweeting can be sporadic!). TTFN, Nic

This week's episode has been sponsored by: New this week: Elemental Effects and Judith MacKenzie McCuin offer a 100% American-grown Shetland fingering weight. Also from Elemental Effects, 2 ounce bumps of glorious Romney wool roving. All new subscribers receive a free gift from Eucalan as our way of saying thanks for supporting Verena Knitting! Use subscription code: KNITMG Events: (00:35) 6/6/2009 - Spinning at the Retzlaff Winery 6/13/2009- WorldWide Knit in Public Day (Jasmin will be at Santana Row, look for the pink hair. Gigi will be knitting in Los Angeles, details will be posted later.) On the Needles: (5:47) Gigi is working on her Carli again! Jasmin's Katarina is languishing a bit. Jasmin is on a shawl kick. She is working on her Aran Pocket Shawl as well as the Wool Peddler's Shawl. Gigi is blocking her way through a mountain of UFOs. Carli got blocked, Marta got blocked, Katarina has been blocked. Gigi has turned the heel on her Par 5 socks. Mother Knows Best: (15:33) Gigi and Jasmin discuss the virtues of stashing, and how a healthy stash can make your knitting recession-proof. When Knitting Attacks: (22:17) Jasmin is having trust issues with the chart on the Wool Peddler's shawl. Gigi sews her sweater together more creatively than normal. Review: (25:42) This week, Gigi and Jasmin review "The Friday Night Knitting Club" by Kate Jacobs. They liked it fine, but have some small criticisms. Bring it On! (33:27) Podcasts we like! BarkNKnit - knitting and dog training. CogKNITive - knitting, spinning, and Cognitive Behavioral strategies! Stitch-It! - spinning, knitting, "My faaaaaaavorite thing". Knaked Knits Knitting Rose Cast-On - Brenda is a real mensch. She's thoughtful, articulate, supportive, and has a voice like butter! CraftLit- classic novels and lit chat. Gives Good Knit - books, knitting, spinning, and Tika. Brass Needles - knitting, fashion, and science fiction. High Fiber Diet Sticks and String - nice voice, great essays. Fadenfreude - a German knitting podcast. Changeling's Knit and Stitch Faery Knitting Knitlark Lane The Manic Purl KnitTherapy She-Knits Y-Knit Sweaters for Dragons Spinning (51:02) Jasmin has been spinning some mango-colored 80 Merino/20 silk from Redfish Dyeworks.

This week's episode is sponsored by: New in: Tanis Fiber Arts fingering weight and a pattern written specifically for it: the April Showers sock. This week's special: Colinette Jitterbug (3/4-3/9, 20% off) On the Needles: Gigi is working on (mostly) vanilla socks this weeks. She has finished her Bulky Boot Socks, and has started a vanilla sweater, but ripped it out in favor of a new pattern. Events: Jasmin and Gigi discuss Stitches West. Jasmin and Gigi took the same classes - mostly. Colleen and Jasmin took Ergonomcis of knitting with Carson Demers, where they learned some stretches, life strategies for balancing knitting with physical health. Jasmin recommends standing up during commercial breaks. On the way to class, Jasmin was accosted by Cat Bordhi! Jasmin and Gigi, at Cat's recommendation, are going to try and get to Sock Summit. Thursday evening, Jasmin and Gigi went to the market preview. Using her wish list, Jasmin bought some batts (in Purr-ple and Tropical Fruit) and Wensleydale from Lisa Souza. Jasmin thinks it is going to grow up to be a Ribbi Pulli. Jasmin also got some Superwash merino in "Graphite". Jasmin got some interesting fibers from Tactile (babydoll, carbonized bamboo) and A Verb for Keeping Warm (targhee). Jasmin also ran into WonderMike, of YKnit notoriety. Jasmin bought a kit from Sheldrige Farms (the Inverted V top). Jasmin fell in love with Abstract Fibers. Jasmin bought a set of lace circular needles from Asciano Fibers, made of Cocobolo. Gigi fell in love with the Cocoknits patterns. Gigi found some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful peacock blue and some red Kauni at WEBS. Friday: Jasmin and Gigi took Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks - A" class all day. They learned the channel island cast-on, as well as loads of other nifty tips and tricks. (We will be reviewing her fantastic DVDs on the podcast, courtesy of Lucy Neatby and Sheldrige Farms.) Saturday: Jasmin and Gigi met Dr. Gemma of CogKNITive! Jasmin and Gigi had the meet and greet. Jasmin and Andrew went by the Redfish Dyeworks booth, where she got some mango colored 80% merino/ 20% tussah silk roving and Andrew picked out some 50/50 Silk Merino (project TBD). Jasmin picked up some replacement roving in Freestone Firecracker from the Royal Hare. After the market, Jasmin, Gigi, and Rosemary (from Designs by Romi) went to the party at Bobbin's Nest, which was lovely. Afterwards, we took a brief detour to get some AMAZING frozen yogurt, then went to the show-and-tell at Purlescence. Sunday: Jasmin and Gigi took the "Design Your Own Sock Architecture" class with Cat Bordhi, who we chatted with in September. Combined with the Lucy Neatby class, our minds were blown. Jasmin went to the show floor to pick up some Oak Grove yarn (to darn a pair socks) for Andrew. Jasmin went to talk to Cheryl Oberle, and while Andrew was waiting in line to pay, he picked up two skeins in "Stones". Jasmin also picked up some of the Creatively Dyed sock yarn to test drive, NOT in pinks and purples, selected by Andrew. Gigi bought some Silk/Merino from Tess Yarns in a beautiful charcoal grey, which will become a Cocoknits sweater. (Sweater TBD.) At the show, Jasmin and Gigi got audio with Lucy Neatby, Galina Khmeleva, Cheryl Oberle, and Lily Chin. Administrative stuff: Jasmin and Gigi are trying to get to Sock Summit, and they need your help. A donation of $5 or more gets you a logo magnet, and for a donation of $10 or more, we'll send you a logo pin (and a magnet). We will be adding a new segment called "Straw into Gold" about spinning! Until then, Meghan from Stitch-It has an AWESOME, regular spinning segment. We need ideas for contests! Send them our way.

This week's episode has been sponsored by:On the Needles: (00:32)Gigi has a bunch of vanilla socks on the needles. Gigi wasn't happy with her progress on her "On the Vine" scarf, so she has been sitting and doing a repeat every day after lunch, which is working well for her.Jasmin has started Ene's Scarf (which she isn't sure of the pronunciation of) from Scarf Style out of Artyarns Cashmere 1. (This was part of her half-off cashmere haul.) She has knit the first eight rows so far. This project has taught her that the rubber Bryson Stitch markers and the Addi lace needles do not mix.Gigi is still working with the Brown Eyed Girl handspun socks. They're not dyeing this color anymore, but if you call Klaus (at Crown Mountain Farms) and ask him for a color that is close, he'll help you out. (Tell him we sent you!)Jasmin has finished spinning 1 oz of Merry Meadows cormo and silk (in spring green). She has spun it very fine, so she's working on Black Magic Woman from Crown Mountain Farms.Gigi has started the Bulky Boot Socks from the Little Box of Socks. Gigi has also started the Scandanavian Sock pattern (also from the LBoS). They discuss the two-handed fair isle technique that Ann and Eugene Bourgeois (of Philosopher's Wool) teach.Jasmin has finished knitting the Santa Fe Wrap. Gigi unearthed an UFO made of Rowan Ribbon Twist (in black/pink), which is now becoming a sweater for Jasmin.While listening to Cast-On, Jasmin was inspired to knit a Modern Quilt Wrap in Noro Kureyon Sock. (Jasmin is knitting hers in color S188.) Jasmin is knitting hers on size 4 US/3.5mm needles. Jasmin is knitting it at a tighter gauge and will block it to size for aesthetic reasons. (Jasmin downloaded it from knittingdaily.com .)Mother Knows Best: (26:55)Stitches West tips!1- Determine your budget.2- Stick to your budget.Strategies: (A note to Dr. Gemma from CogKNITive- our strategies are less helpful than yours for real life.)- Make your wishlist. (Jasmin's includes one of Lisa Souza's batts, some wensleydale, and some polwarth. The polwarth is Meghan's, of Stitch-it fame, fault.)- Gigi will be buying some sock yarn.- Jasmin encourages you to take your list on a post-it.- Go through your stash so you don't replicate colors that you have a lot of in your stash.- Always buy more yarn, rather than less.Tips for shopping the market:- Gigi walks through the market the first time with the vendor catalog. If she sees something she likes, she makes a note. She does zero purchasing on the first round. (Jasmin is the same, but will purchase if she comes across something on her wishlist.)- On Gigi's second walkthrough, she eliminates items that she's not in love with.- On Gigi's third walkthrough, she starts making purchases. If it was meant to be, it will still be there.- First time attendees: Go with someone who has gone before.- Eat a good breakfast.- Wear good shoes.- Pack a healthy lunch and bring a bottle of water. (Jasmin recommends getting a BPA-free Nalgene bottle and clipping it to your bag with a carabiner.)- Make sure to sit. And socialize!- Shop from vendors who are out of your normal area.- Don't buy yarns that you have access to at your LYS. Hold off on those purchases until the month AFTER Stitches.Holidays with the Knitmores: (43:28)Valentine's Day gift suggestions for knitters/spinners:- A Netflix subscription and/or a Roku box- A bouquet of handpainted sock yarns.- Beautiful knitting/spinning tools- Unusual/beautiful drop spindles. (Jasmin is especially fond of the Golding drop spindles.)- Fiber!- A class- A gift certificate for time to knit, uninterrupted.- Really good quality chocolate.- A lovely mug, and possibly a mug warmer.- A trip to an out-of-town fiber festival.When Knitting Attacks! (49:01)Gigi installs an enclosed zipper BEAUTIFULLY. And backwards.The Crown Mountain Superwash Merino (in Black Magic Woman) is so lovely, even Hana (the Akita puppy) wanted some. (Public Service Announcement: Do not leave fiber or yarn out where your pets can get to it. Ingested yarn or roving can cause obstructions which can be fatal to your pet.)Events: (51:47)Go give Tika's podcast, Gives Good Knit, a listen!Come meet us at Stitches West on Saturday, February 28th from 2-4PM in the Purlescence booth!

This episode is sponsored by: On the needles: The Knitmore Girls went to the Pajama Jammie Jam at Purlescence, and Gigi bought a bunch of Regia sock yarn, 2 skeins of the Franklin's Panopticon colorway of the Lorna's Laces shephard sock, 2 skeins of Argyle Socks (by Claudia's Handpainted yarns), and some Buffalo Gals yarnBrenda Patipa's "On the Vine" scarf. Jasmin bought 2 skeins of the the Panopticon colorway, 1 skein of Creatively Dyed "Ocean", and a JUMBO Ball winder. Jasmin thinks she wants to weave because she saw this thread on the Lisa Souza board on Ravelry. She's contemplating selling the giant loom in order to buy a smaller loom that is more size appropriate to her house. Jasmin finished her The Sea socks (out of the vintage Lisa Souza yarn)! She's also finished the Mesh Back Cardigan for Sandi. Jasmin cast on a pair of socks in the Schaefer "Anne" in the "Sarah" colorway.  Inspired by Stephanie, Jasmin cast on the "Santa Fe Wrap" from Simply Shetland 3. She's knitting it in Noro Kureyon Sock (Color S185) and Jamieson Shetland Spindrift 2-ply in Purple Heather. She's also knitting the Maude Vest (from Simply Shetland 2) in Kauni (in W-EQ and W-EL). She's also cast on a pair of Mesmer socks in Ginger Cinnabar (Colinette Jitterbug). Gigi likes to put the date of purchase on her yarn. On Saturday, Gigi cast on the Regia Galaxy (in Saturn) with a Cobblestone cuff. Gigi finished her Upstream Socks. Gigi also bought some Araucania at Green Planet Yarns, which is going the be the Crystal Cove Pullover by Jill Vosburg. Jasmin is having a bout of seriously awesome knitting mojo. Jasmin is also knitting some Yucatan Orchid (mmmm... cashmere!) socks in hot pink. Contest! Give to charity, let us know, be eligible to win one of three signed copies of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's "Free Range Knitter".  Jasmin was listening to cogKNITive, and Dr. Gemma talked about Caps to the Capital, and how baby hats drastically decrease the incidence of infant mortality. Contest ends January 1st! Mother Knows Best: Picking colors. You can get your colors "done" (like in the 80's). Look at the colors against your skin, in natural sunlight. Also, a good LYS will have employees who will give you good advice on colors. Take a friend with you- the brutally honest one - to help you. Listener Margaret told us about the Simply Socks Yarn Co, and how they send samples of sock yarn on little, business card-sized pieces of paper with a couple of slashes. It's a fantastic detail to add to a gift, and one could get 250 custom(ish) business cards from VistaPrint for the cost of shipping. (It's the same weight as our permission slip/business cards. Nice, heavy cardstock.) Also, the Knitmore Girls have personalized labels from Charm woven Labels. They're a brilliant finishing touch. When Knitting Attacks: Jasmin was at the Firefly/Serenity convention in Burbank, CA last weekend, and packed her Pride sweater to work on. During one of the speakers, the tip of her circular needle came off. The cable detached from the needle. Jasmin and Ally harassed all the knitters they saw in the vendor hall, and a nearby gentleman gave them turn-by-turn directions to Unwind. (Thanks, Viva Scrapper!) Jasmin bought a backup project, and the necessary replacement needle. She finished the ball of heavyweight AND half a sock in the remaining day. Also, Jasmin is unenthused with the Socks that Rock heavyweight. The color is not saturated (meaning the core of the yarn is still white), and there are loads of joins in the yarn.