Podcasts about focus on

DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S UNIQUE HOMESCHOOL THAT YOU'LL LOVE! https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint     When you look around at other families, it's pretty easy to tell that you all do family a little bit differently. Sometimes, you can't quite put a finger on what that is. But, today, we're going to explore family culture. You have one. And so does everyone else.  I have a list of questions that are foundational for unpacking your unique family culture. Grab a pen and paper to write these down. Then afterwards, take some time to answer these questions to get to the heart of your family culture. Your family is essential to your homeschool and when you understand who you are at the core, it makes leaning into your unique homeschool so much easier. ♥ Leigh     TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY CONVENTION: https://teachthemdiligently.net/invite/leigh.nguyen/   LITTLE BY LITTLE HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE TICKETS:  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/conference   GET EXCLUSIVE MENTORSHIP WITH LEIGH https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/mentorship   SIMPLIFY YOUR MEAL PLANNING https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/meal   CREATE YOUR HOMESCHOOL FAMILY'S HOME TASK SYSTEM https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome      Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.subscribemenow.com/ Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity  Follow - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Connect - info@littlebylittlehomeschool.com   Listen to these related episodes: 175. Discovering Your Purpose in Homeschool--What You Really Need to Focus On!    220. I Love Being With My Homeschooled Kids But The Teaching Part Makes Me Frustrated And Angry    328.  Best Homeschool Advice When You're In The Thick Of The Home Education Years 

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 296 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu (2nd Episode of the Month)   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Pop Tart Pattern: None Yarn: Knit Picks Brava & Joann Big Twist Value Solids in Natural Colorway + variegated yarn (fingering weight held double) Hook:C (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Made for Eme's birthday as a cute something to open. Gifted with a box of edible poptarts.   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: All of the spinning of the singles is done- finally.   David... Fold in the cheese socks Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz in the David...Fold in the cheese!!!! colorway (with cream/gray mini skein) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn- cream, pink and blue to match rose apron David wears in this episode of Schitt's Creek. I did a shorter than usual leg- 5.25 inches and 9.5 inch foot. The first sock 28 grams, using CC for toe and cuff, so I should have enough for a second pair of socks with this yarn.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Hot pink spinning Fiber: Mountain Vewe Coopworths Fiber in hot pink (no specific colorway name)- three 4oz bumps Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: ~1/2 way through first bump. 1st bobbin nearly full.   Granny Square Tan Top Yarn: MC- Cloudbourn Fibers Wool Fingering Twist in Natural (1 skeins), Advent Mini Skeins from Legacy Fiber Artz (Steel Toes Base) & Fibernymph Dye Works (Bounce Base)- both from 2024. Hook: D (3.25 mm) Pattern: none Ravelry Project Page 3 round granny squares: Round 1= more tonal color, Round 2= speckled, Round 3= natural Yarn organization: I put 2 sets of colors in each mostly clear zippered pouch from my Yarnable Subscription kits. It keeps the yarn from the mini skeins from getting tangled. Progress: Squares to date: 25 squares.   Boss A$$ B|tc# Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh Superwash Targhee Fingering in the Boss A$$ B|tc# Colorway (purposely not spelled out here, though it is on the label) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page 90g of yarn to start About the Yarn: Self striping with yellow, tan, peach, pink, light aqua, teal & navy Progress: cast on 1st sock. Finished cuff and an inch or two into leg.   Dinosaur T-Rex and Pterodactyl Pattern: Dinosaur T-Rex and Pterodactyl by Anita Suriaa- $5.99 crochet pattern on Ravelry Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted Hook: 2.5 mm Progress: I've made T-Rex head and body. Thought I'd run out the yarn for the body (25g mini).   Brainstorming Advent brainstorm- Granny Wrap available on Ravelry. Kristina- foryouandyarn- reminded me that I love Ali's Starryeyesali's Ravelry Project Page.   From the Armchair The Crow Trap by Ann Cleves.  Amazon Affiliate Link. A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan. Amazon Affiliate Link. Annie Bot by Sierra Greer.  Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing My cousin Ava knit the Storm Sweater by Petite Knit for her boyfriend Luke. Pattern available on Ravelry & the Petite Knit Website (~$8 knitting pattern)   KAL News The Splash Pad Party celebrates its 10th year and officially opens on June 1st. Save the date for some fun kick off events that day! Interested in sponsoring? Check out this link for details.   Events New Hampshire Sheep and Wool:  May 10-11 in Deerfield, NH Webs Tent Sale: May 16-17 in Northhampton, MA Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool: May 24 & 25- Cummington, MA Flock Fiber Festival in Seattle, WA August 8-10     Life in Focus I shared an update on my Word of the Year for 2025: Welcome & some 25 in 2025 list.   25 in 2025 list 1) Donate Blood at least 4 times (January, March) 4) Go camping (scheduled for June) 10) Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts) 13) Get at least 2 massages at Oasis (1 in April) 17) Crochet at least 5 toys (1: hedgehog 2&3: Love Bugs, 4 pop-tart, 5 butterfly. WIPs-Another butterfly & TRex) 18) Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Done monthly so far) 23) Buy a firebox and put important papers inside (working with Dan on list of things to put in it) https://www.thenokbox.com (Debbie, deafelis recommended) 25) Purge at least 20 items of clothing/accessories/shoes Probably have at least this much done   On a Happy Note Shucked musical. We had dinner at Democracy Brewing beforehand. Delicious tacos and good beer. Celebrating April Birthdays Decorating for Easter with Dad, Millie and Garret Celebrating Easter with the family! The Pulse on Netflix- my cousin Michael William Freeman was in the last few episodes. I survived tech week and had the forethought to take off Friday before opening weekend. Laura came in from NYC for my show. Opening of Kiss Me Kate!   Quote of the Week “Because the birdsong might be pretty, But it's not for you they sing, And if you think my winter is too cold, You don't deserve my spring.” ― Erin Hanson   ------   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Dive deep into the importance of understanding and leveraging key metrics like Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), New Customer Acquisition Cost (nCAC), and Lifetime Value (LTV) to scale your business effectively.In this episode of Curry, Cheese, and Vegemite: The Google Ads Aficionados, our experts discuss key metrics beyond just definition. They talk about how to apply them effectively for business success, how each influences growth, and how to calculate projected profitability. They also share strategies to scale more effectively. Watch this video now.Connect with The Google Ads Aficionados on LinkedIn:Usama Khan: / usama-khan-mk Colby Doyle: / colbycdoyle Glen Wilson: / glenmwilson Curry, Cheese, and Vegemite: The Google Ads Aficionados videos: • Curry, Cheese, & Vegemite: The Google... Related videos:

“Health is a lifelong process. But when you start thinking, okay, if I loved my body, if I truly loved my body, how would I treat it?”–Sarah HaasA lot of times women raise their hand for weight loss, because it's how we've been conditioned to react to the health world, but what if we actually focused on health?So many of us have negative self-image. We're used to zeroing on our perceived flaws, but what if we focused on how amazing our bodies are? What if we focused on the little shifts we can make that make us feel amazing?I'm diving into that with Sarah Haas, integrative nutrition health coach, weight loss & diabetes expert, certified personal trainer, and speaker, who is taking a stand for women's health.We talk about: Taking stock of what you want the second half of your life to be likeCultivating the feeling of enoughness and love How we project ideas about weight and body image onto our kids … even if we don't talk about itChanging out of a punish, restrict, deprive mindset to focus on what you need, protein, vitamins, rest, movement, down time … Making a 1% improvement a week adds up to 52% change in health over a yearFocusing on taking care of our bodies in perimenopause/menopause and pushing back on the idea that it's all downhill from hereABOUT SARAHLINKShttps://sarahhaaswellness.com/https://www.instagram.com/sarahhaaswellness/Boss Body podcastDOABLE CHANGESAt the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you've heard and put it into action. Action is how change happens.Often we feel like our actions have to be huge to match the bigness of our desires, but we have seen over and over and over again that the little things add up. Instead of going all in, in ways that are not sustainable, you can stack up a series of Doable Changes that build to that big change that you crave. This is the 1% change we talked about. Choose one Doable Change that really resonates with you this week and really make it part of your life. Here are Three Doable Changes from this conversation:CULTIVATE A FEELING OF ENOUGHNESS. Instead of trying to change yourself, start by loving yourself and feeling like you are enough. Start each day by repeating I am enough or another loving saying.Throughout the day ask yourself: I loved my body, if I truly loved my body, how would I treat it?MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU NEED. Too often when we think about health, we think of the things we can't have or focus on things we have to push to do. Make a list of all the things you need to take care of your body. Here's a start: protein, vegetables, movement, rest … keep going.FOCUS ON 1% IMPROVEMENT. Pick one thing from your list of what you need and focus on weaving it into your week. Remember, you aren't aiming for perfection, just a 1% change. Maybe you add one more veggie to a meal or make sure you start your day with water or set a timer to take your supplements.

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 293 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsor- The Yarn Sellar. Fiber Marketplace 2025- SATURDAY APRIL 5 , 2025 from 10-3pm at the Union Bluff Hotel 8 Beach Street, York Beach Maine 207-363-1333. Join us for a fun-filled party on Friday, April 4th from 5:30-7:00 Andra Asars (Berroco rep) will be hosting our event. Tickets are on sale in the shop and our online shop. You may win a prize. $25 (only 25 tickets)   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass ($8 US Ravelry Knitting Pattern) Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Ravelry Project Page Size: C Mods: Bottom ribbing- 2x2 instead of 1x1. Ribbing on sleeves is also 2x2   Love Bugs Pattern: Love Bug by Trish Hoskin (free crochet pattern on Ravelry) Hook: C- 2.75 mm Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Worsted & Knit Picks Brava Worsted Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Ebb & Flow Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Ebb & Flow colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: first sock done. I cast on the second.   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my 3rd bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose, Gray Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Goal: 6 per week Crocheted 7 last week.   Aila's Daisy Socks Yarn: On The Round Nimble Sock (85%/15% SW Merino/Nylon) in the Forage colorway Pattern: None (will likely use OMG heel) Needles: US 1.5 & US 2 Ravelry Project Page I cast on 60 sts. Worked 1x1 ribbing and daisy pattern I charted out using US 1.5 needles. Way too tight. In listening to another podcast, I was reminded that going up a needle size may help. Reknit colorwork section with US 2. Too tight. Washed and blocked to be sure AND to see if I liked the fabric with a US 2. I do. Increased up to 64 sts. Used US 2 for colorwork. Then decreased back to 60 sts shortly after, a few rows later back to 56 sts. Knit about 2 inches.   Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Adrift on an Inland Sea Socks colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   From the Armchair The Secret History by Donna Tartt.  Amazon Affiliate Link. How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.  Amazon Affiliate Link. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore.  Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing Annissa from The Stitch House sat down next to me on train and asked about knitting. It was great catching up with her.   KAL News All Pigskin Grand Prize Winners have been emailed.   Events Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Fiber Marketplace- April 5th at the Union Bluff Hotel in York, Maine (kick off party on the 4th at the Yarn Sellar store) Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Contest, News & Notes   Stitched by Jessalu FearLESS Living Fund Bags have raised $194! You can find the bags here & 30% of the sales go towards the FearLESS Living Fund!   Life in Focus   25 in 2025 List- I've made progress on these items Donate Blood at least 4 times (1 in January) Buy new ski boots- DONE Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts) Read all of Simple Abundance (ideally daily or close to) Get at least 2 massages at Oasis scheduled See 2-5 movies in the theater (Paddington in Peru) Knit 2-5 garments for me (Aurealis & WIP- Monsoonee Sweaters) Finish and enjoy my Christmas Granny Square Blanket Crochet at least 5 toys (1: hedgehog, 2 love bugs) Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Jan & Feb, March done) Try out 3 new to me podcasts (Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend) Buy a fireproof box and put important papers inside (working with Dan on list of things to put in it)   On a Happy Note A luxurious mani/pedi Dinner with my cousins down in Plymouth. A lovely visit with my grandmother- got her TV working so she could watch the Red Sox again. Pushing outside of my comfort zones in music rehearsals for Kiss Me Kate, but really enjoying the dancing. 2 hours of tap on Sunday! Loved every second. I went to dinner and to see a local production of Rent on Friday evening. My all time favorite show. Season 2 of Silo on Apple TV Paradise on Hulu   Quote of the Week   I cannot think of myself apart from the influence of the two or three greatest friendships of my life, and any account of my own growth must be that of their stimulating and enlightening influence.   –Edith Wharton ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

✅Download FREE Season Planning Checklist: https://coachingyouthhoops.com/season-checklist/

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 291 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Hedgehog Pattern: Hedgehog with a Heart by Marina Chuchkalova Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids worsted acrylic yarn in Chocolate Brown & Soft Gray Hook: C 2.75 mm Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks #2 Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Passed heel on first sock (contrast heel)   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Size: C Progress: Several inches into body   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my 3rd bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory. Progress: I've done about 14 in 2 weeks.   Same as It Ever Was Hat Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock (Yarnable Box January 2024) in the Dino-Mite colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: aqua, gray and purple. Progress: About 2 inches of straight knitting beyond the crown increases   Brainstorming I think I'm going to keep the Monsoonee Sweater I started before Christmas (Ravelry Project Page). I could absolutely wear that this winter if I finish it soon. Almost to bottom ribbing. sleeves will be quick I'm debating frogging my Waverly Sweater (Ravelry Project Page). Gauge is a bit tight and its not an enjoyable knit. Emelyn's request for socks based on The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Any ideas for me? Aila still wants colorwork daisy socks that I started but need to rework.   From the Armchair   One Day in December by Josie Silver. Amazon Affiliate Link. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. Amazon Affiliate Link. The Fury by Alex Michaelides. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing Had a lovely fellow knitter say hello on the train, asking if I was going to knit fingers into my project (thinking it was mitts). I told her it was socks, but in general- I agree- knitting fingers is the worst!   KAL News   Thanks for a very successful and fun 11th season! Tune in to see if you're a January Participation Winner or the winner of our 4th Quarter Challenge hosted by Fibernymph Dye Works- Small Gains Challenge (January 2025). Check out this Ravelry Thread for details. Grand Prize winners will be announced in the next episode.   Events Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA Knit North Yarn Crawl: March 13-16. Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Knit for Food a thon April 5th  http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm  sign up the first weekend in February. Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA. Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Life in Focus   25 in 2025 List Donate Blood at least 4 times (1 in January) Go shopping for plants with Dan 4 times in the year (my Christmas gift from him) Buy new ski boots- DONE Go camping- scheduled for summer Kayak 2-5 times- scheduled for summer Do at least 5 walks with others Take 2-5 yoga classes (outside of the house) Do at least 30 lessons in Mondly (had 25 done in 2024)- does not include daily lessons Spend a day at Raffa Life Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts) doing well. pairing with next one Read all of Simple Abundance (ideally daily or close to) (feels similar to artist's way- tapping into your authentic self/creative spirit) Read at least 60 books- all books count (even poetry etc) - 4 to date Get at least 2 massages at Oasis See 2-5 movies in the theater Knit 2-5 garments for me (WIPs- Aurealis & Monsoonee Sweaters) Finish and enjoy my Christmas Granny Square Blanket Crochet at least 5 toys (1 hedgehog) Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Jan & Feb done) Have a crafty day with Emelie Knit a slouchy hat for myself Try out 3 new to me podcasts Watch White Christmas with Jenny & Kara (bringing the tradition back) Buy a firebox and put important papers inside Create a list of things to pack in case of an evacuation Purge at least 20 items of clothing/accessories/shoes   On a Happy Note Ice skating with friends. Started rehearsals for Kiss Me Kate- tap dancing! GREAT for my brain. Seeing Millie in Pirates of Penzance Hattie's Surprise Wizard of Oz Party Laura surprised me. Funny Girl with Megg Mom's birthday just passed. Difficult day- but we were together and there was a lot of love and support. My friend Kris sent over a very thoughtful gift for me- including a skein of handdyed yarn in a Somewhere over the Rainbow colorway from Cashmere and Coconut.   Quote of the Week To invite a person to your house is to take charge of his happiness as long as he be beneath your roof. –Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

Background: Z/Yen's "Focus On" series highlights key business and financial centres from around the world. Here, we look at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's most populous city and largest financial centre. This city is also known as the “Pearl of the Far East” with the charming heritage, dynamic, vibrant and innovative atmosphere, and friendly people. Vietnamese government sets out the goal to be a high-income country by 2045 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. They also strive to turn Ho Chi Minh City into the international financial center (IFC) by 2045 and create distinct institutional areas for attracting foreign investors. Vietnam's Prime Minister is now leading the steering committee of the IFC project and this shows the government's determination. The IFC in Vietnam will provide opportunities to UK businesses in terms of expertise sharing, trade and investment. Speakers: Dominic Scriven's investing career spans nearly 40 years across London, Hong Kong and Vietnam. He studied at Hanoi University for two years before founding Dragon Capital in 1994. He has received an OBE from the British Queen, and a Labour Medal from the President of Vietnam. Dominic Scriven holds a Combined Honours degree in Law and Sociology from Exeter University. Nguyen Thuy Hanh has over 30 years of banking experience in Vietnam. Hanh leads the client coverage and product teams focused on driving the growth strategy for the bank's clients, people, shareholders, and communities. Under her leadership, the bank provides the banking products and services to 3 client groups through various product lines including, but not limited to transaction banking, financial market, capital market, securities services, M&A advisory, rating advisory, and ESG etc. She is also working closely with Vietnam government bodies, and market participants to implement the JETP and contribute to deliver the commitment of Vietnam in achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Hanh has held various important positions in SCB, including Head of Financial Institutions - Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia (2010 - 2015); Deputy General Director - Head of International Corporate and Financial Institutions (2016 – 2017); Managing Director - Head of Commercial Banking (2018 – 2020); Managing Director - Head of CIB Client Coverage (2020 – 30/9/2024) and CEO & Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Vietnam (1/10/2024 – Now). Hanh holds a Master of Business Administration of Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management - Université Libre de Bruxelles. Andrew Oldland is a senior lawyer specialising in international financial regulation. He is a partner in the UK law firm Michelmores and was the firm's Senior Partner between 2017 and 2021. Andrew is ranked by the Legal 500 directory as a "Leading Individual". Andrew is a barrister, a King's Counsel and a part-time judge sitting in civil/commercial and criminal cases. He previously held a number of senior UK government roles as independent counsel including the Attorney-General's A list of counsel, standing counsel to His Majesty's Revenue & Customs and the Serious Fraud Office's list of counsel. Andrew has advised a number of governments on financial regulation, particularly in respect of common law based international financial centres.

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 290 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Find full show ntoes with photos on my website: www.downcellarstudio.com    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair In my Travels KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu Next month you can find Stitched by JessaLu bags in her online shop, and in person at NETA Spa in Freeport, Maine from February 28-March 2. NETA Spa is a great midwinter weekend gathering for fiber enthusiasts - check out the event page on Facebook at https://facebook.com/events/s/netaspa2025/   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Freckled Whimsy 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Freckled Whimsy Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Inclinations Cowl Inclinations Cowl by Andrea Mowry ($7.00 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & her website. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Yarn: 2 skeins of handspun Color A: Fiber Addict Designs 100% Merino in the Wild Plum Colorway- Ravelry link. Color B: Candombe, I think the fiber is from Malabrigo- Ravelry link. My Ravelry Project Page Living in my FearLESS Living Fund bag from Stitched by Jessalu. She's filling pre-orders from last year first and then will put new listings up for sale so stay tuned.   Aurealis Pattern: Aurealis by Jennifer Steingass Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Highland DK in the Gray Heather colorway (MC) & Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks DK in the Vermont Vice colorway (CC) Size: C My washed swatch was closer to 17/18 sts over 4 inches instead of the 20 it calls for so I'm knitting a different size to accommodate.   Stranger Things 2 Socks Yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso base (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon) in the Stranger Things 2 Self Striping Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on the morning of Thursday 9/5 for the Pigskin Party using Snack Shack Sponsor yarn. About the colorway- stripes of: orange, hot pink, purple, navy blue, medium blue and red. Progress- first sock is done. Second sock is a few stripes from the heel.   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks #2 Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Project Fiber: Cold Goats Farm; believe it is a merino/mohair batt (8oz) in a natural, undyed cream color Ravelry Project Page Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Progress: Nearly finished with my second bobbin of fiber   Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova available on Ravelry for $7.50 US. Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page granny squares- 1 color or 2 (colors on each half a diagonal) I used Canva to help me figure out color placement to extend out the quilt pattern. I am seaming squares using the Mattress Stitch. I started working on this after being inspired by NDJen04's video about her scrappy blanket- you can find that find on YouTube. I had the 2 color (on the diagonal) granny square memorized but totally forgot how to do those. Here's a helpful video I found that helped refresh my memory.   From the Armchair   One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   In My Travels   My 12 year old niece, Millie, joined me to do a little recap of our visit to Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA.   The sample we saw in the Plied booth is called Super Serene- available on Ravelry.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Official Sponsor for Q4: Fibernymph Dye Works- Small Gains Challenge (January 2025). Check out this Ravelry Thread for details. Commentator Mary Klute's report-   It had been very cold lately in North America, even in places that are typically pretty warm in the winter (like Florida getting snow!). This has been no problem for pigskin partiers! The cold weather creates the perfect conditions for cozying up and finishing projects!  In the huddle, there has been lots of discussion about what folks can reasonably finish before the end of the party. There was also an interesting discussion about how many WIPs folks can manage at one time. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of different opinions on that.  Earlier this month, 43 players submitted for points as part of the Wild Card WIP challenge! Head on over to that thread to see pictures of projects that players had let languish or even forgot about--butnow they are finished!   ladida2u finished some beautiful colorwork mittens just in time for some snow:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/1-25#16 plumunou finished a pair of socks.  She'd abandoned the project because the first sock came out too short in the foot--let's face it, we've all been in this sort of situation--this challenge motivated her to finish the second sock and rip out the toe of the first one to lengthen the foot. Now she has a super cute pair of socks:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/26-50#34 histoknitter finished a pair of socks that were started in 2007!  Way to go!  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/26-50#37 hikesandbikes finished a fantastic sweater that is made up of mitered squares.  It's amazing!   https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/51-75#58 and speaking of mitred squares, knitternicole finished a blanket!  She planned out how much of the icord border she needed to do each day to finish and got it done during wild card week:  https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4344427/51-75#67   Events New England Farm & Fiber Festival: February 2 from 11a-5p at the Cyclorama in Boston Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA Knit North Yarn Crawl: March 13-16. Boston Public Market Fiber Fest- Sunday March 23 from 10a-5p. Free Admission Knit for Food a thon April 5th  http://www.nelkindesigns.com/index.cfm/page/knitathon/knitathon25.htm  sign up the first weekend in February. Fiber Witch Festival: April 11-13 in Salem, MA. Gore Place Sheep Sheering Festival- Saturday April 26 from 10a-5p in Waltham, MA. Connecticut Sheep & Wool: Saturday April 26 from 9a-4p in North Haven, CT Yarncentrick: May 2 in Fredrick, MD Maryland Sheep & Wool: May 3 & 4 in West Friendship, MD Sheep & Wool Festival at Coggeshall Farm: May 17 in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool Festival- May 24 & 25 in Cummington, MA   Contest, News & Notes   Stitched by Jessalu FearLESS Living Fund bags are going out this week and next! 30% going to FearLESS Living Fund. More bags will be listed soon on her website so stay tuned. You can buy the FearLESS Living Fund fabric that Jess designed on Spoonflower. I don't think I shared but Mom opened hers right before Christmas and cried. It was really beautiful. You can find on my Day 24 Vlogmas video- click here to go right to that part of the video. Check out the Millie Makes section on the Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel. Video 1 is up! I've joined Bluesky. I'm Bostonjen1 over there. Come follow-me. Not leaving Instagram, at least not yet, but I'm checking it out.   Thank you to KnittyELF40, Erika, who kindly gifted me her new bundle of patterns- Seasonal Blooms on Ravelry.   Life in Focus   My Word of the Year for 2025: Welcome Verb: to greet hospitably and with courtesy or cordiality Verb: to accept with pleasure the occurrence or presence of Adjective: giving pleasure: received with gladness or delight especially in response to a need (A welcome addition)   Why I need this word: This year will be a year filled with first after Mom's passing on January 1st. I need to welcome in the new year even when it feels hard, and welcome in whatever emotions come up as I make my way through 2025. I've spent much time in the last few years focused on my mom (and I'm so glad I could do that), but now I'll have free time to welcome in new things. I want to be thoughtful about my time, but also open to welcoming in new things that will bring me joy. My mother made everyone feel welcome and at home whether physically in her home or just with her as a person. I strive to make people feel welcome in my presence too and to use that to continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship and connection. I hope that this will help me keep alive the many relationships that Mom was able to maintain. I am an introvert by nature and love the prospect of staying hour with hours of myself to plot out- but I know that I am happier and more fulfilled when I stay connected with those I love, so this year when I'm tempted to say "no thanks" I will try, when possible, to instead say "we'll come" a variation on welcome.   On a Happy Note About 20 people showed up for one of Garret's hockey games that was nearby! Beautiful show of support and a fun night out. I found the jewelry Mom gave me for Christmas! Surprise surprise, it was in a bag of knitting stuff that was brought home and put down cellar. While I missed auditions as we prepped for the funeral, I got a dancing role in Kiss Me Kate with Meg. The show is the last week of April/first weekend in May. Millie came for a 2 night sleepover during MLK weekend. She made us pancakes! Organizing my mom's things. Eme came over and we look through craft supplies for a new project they want to do. I found a few things for me (mostly scissors and crochet hooks) and I purged some. I put away the Christmas tree and put my new plant stand in place! I love it. Dan was going to order me a plant subscription, but instead we'll go together to a local place a few times a year and try to learn a little more about houseplants. Dinner with my cousins at local Mexican restaurant. I received a beautiful package of watercolor supplies in the mail from Rachel! Thank you so much. I can't wait to dive in. I received many cards and notes from several of you. Thank you!!! Millie, Ryan and I ran into listener, Donna, at Russell's. So lovely to see you! Last weekend Riley came for a sleepover Saturday night. On Sunday, we picked up Aila and checked out one of her favorite antique stores and had a lot of fun browsing. Dan invited my Dad, Tom and Oisin for dinner at The Snug. Megg, Hattie and I went to see Peter Pan in Boston.   Quote of the Week “Departure of a year welcomes so many new memories” ― Munia Khan   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 289 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Some Years Later Knitting in Passing Crafty Adventures KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Content Note: I start the episode by sharing news that most of you probably already know but in case not, will set the tone for the rest of the episode. After 3 long years battling Stage 4 Lung Cancer- we lost my Mom, Diane, on New Year's Day. I share a bit more of the story in the Life in Focus segment, but there are small moments peppered throughout so if death and loss is a difficult topic for you right now, that's ok. I just wanted to give a heads up. If this isn't the episode for you, we'll catch you in the next one.   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Wintermint Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Wintermint Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Peace & Light Mitts Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Peace & Light Colorway Pattern: Soccer Mitts by Erica Lueder. Free Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry. Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: 6 stripes in blues/teals, 3 in creams/yellows Cast on with 56 sts like socks. Gave to Mom for Christmas. She only ended up wearing them a few times but she loved them very much.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolens & Nosh 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: 1st sock done. 2nd is beyond the heel.   Freckled Whimsy 2024 Advent Socks Yarn: Freckled Whimsy Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Riley knit a lot on these! The 1st sock is beyond the heel.   From the Armchair The Life Impossible by Matt Haig- Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.     Some Years Later Wearing mostly Mom's handknits because I was there and didn't have all of my own to choose from. I wore some of her socks especially when we ended up sleeping in the family room and it was chilly and I couldn't leave her alone. Mom's blue Camp out fingerless mitts (Ravelry Project Page link)- 2021 Mom's Shift Cowl out of my handspun (Ravelry Project Page link)- 2022 Mom's Carbeth Cardigan (Ravelry Project Page link) - finished night before Rhinebeck in 2023 (while in Vegas)   Knitting in Passing Millie loved her lipstick and nail polish amigurumi. Hattie didn't get her Christmas gifts until after Miles' Baptism on 1/12- "be off you boring socks" and threw socks across the room and immediately put them on and was showing them off. It was very dramatic and adorable. Laura sent me a text of her friend Arielle wearing the socks I knit her. You can find the Ravelry Project Page here. Laura and I went back to my house one day to collect some things and Riley asked me to bring ALL THE KNITTING, so I grabbed a ton of stuff. She opened every single project bag and in the end still decided to knit on the Freckled Whimsy advent socks   Crafty Adventures We printed almost 400 photos for 11 posters for the funeral home. We broke out the scrapbook supplies and tape gun which I can't believe Laura didn't steal because after an initial skepticism she and Jenny were very into it.  Megg, Oisin and Riley were huge helps and had a lot of fun. Megg and Laura searched house for memoriabilia stuff to make 3 displays for funeral home- Red Sox & reselling, Christmas and Wiz of Oz. Incredible. Funeral home did it just as well or even better. Megg made these Sox and Bruins "tickets" on Canva   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Tune in to see if you won our Quarter 3 Challenge sponsored by FanGirl Fibers. Official Sponsor for Q4: Fibernymph Dye Works- Small Gains Challenge (January 2025). Check out this Ravelry Thread for details. Tune in to see if you won a December participation prize. Mary's Commentator Updates I just finished a sweater--my first big project of the PSP.  It took me months and it feels like a great accomplishment. Plus it is enough yards to qualify for a blitz!  This got me thinking about blitzes and wondering how the pigskin partiers are doing with blitzes this year. When I just looked, players had already submitted for 202 blitzes this year!  Amazing!  But even more amazing are a handful of what I am calling super-blitzers!   2 players have already completed 6 blitzes so far this year!  Can you believe it? Spottydogknits finished two sweaters, one cardigan, a vest, a shawl and a scarf.  Their Winterwald shawl is particularly pretty. It looks like a lot of fun to knit with a variety of mosaic colorwork. Purplemomz has completed 4 blankets!  Two were knit and two were crocheted along with two cardigans!  I really like their two rainbow ripple blankets--it is so fun to see how the same pattern works up in different yarn. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/PurpleMomz/rainbow-ripple-baby-blanket-3 https://www.ravelry.com/projects/PurpleMomz/rainbow-ripple-baby-blanket-4 In addition to these super-blitzers, 3 players have completed 5 blitzes and 3 more have completed 3!  But don't be dismayed if you are a mere mortal like me--The best thing about the PSP is that you can make whatever you want (as much or as little as you have time for).  Wishing you all a very happy new year!   Life in Focus   Tune in to hear the last of my Mom's story. I also reviewed my word for 2024, Heart, my goals and my 24 for 2024 list.   On a Happy Note Seeing a local production of Pippin and introducing it to Riley. Seeing Hattie in Funky Nutcracker & her winter dance recital. Check out Day 14 of Vlogmas for more. Riley took her first solo drive as a licensed driver, made us breakfast and braided my hair. Later that day, friends surprised my Mom by caroling. Check out this video for more. Oisin got his license the following Saturday. Mom was so proud of both of them. Silly moment putting TJ's gummy mustaches on our faces. Mom even got in on the action resting it on her oxygen tube and giving crazy eyes for a photo. The Christmas eve cling wrap game that my cousin Lea hosted. You can see it at the end of my Vlogmas Day 24 video Fun Christmas morning with G & Z who enjoyed the power wheels Jeep. Doing puzzles with G while Z played the piano. Low key Christmas afternoon at my parents'. At one point Mom got confused and said we were at a wedding so that turned into a running joke all day. My cousin Jenny, mom's Goddaughter, came over for a bit and showed Mom the video that over 40 people sent in clips for. She said it was her fav Christmas gift. Laura, whose timing is impeccable and who was everything I needed during the hardest time. Shopping with friends to find attire for Mom's funeral. Conor led the kids in singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow at mom's services and our friend Michael Hammond led a group singing Seasons of Love to finish the service at the Cemetery. My cousin Rita Marie sang at funeral mass. Folks flew in from 12 states to attend which was lovely but also it got crazy once we realized we had way more people coming than would fit in he luncheon venue we talked to. Dad said it was like the Jerry Lewis telethon w/ everyone making phone calls trying to find a new venue. By the next morning, we found a place that worked, visited and picked out the menu by that night. As ever, this segment is meant to focus on the highlights. Not the lowlights of which there have been many. Grief sucks. Its hard, but we also got 68 beautiful years w/ my Mom- and we lived it up royally in the last 3 since she got sick. We'll always more time but I don't have any regrets and that's something to be truly grateful for. Miles' Baptism. It was a beautiful service with brunch after at Conor & Carly's. Just before Christmas, we gave away $10k in FearLESS Living Fund scholarships to 2 gentlemen the Blind Center of Nevada. Friends attended and sent us videos. Just incredible. I hope it helps to really give them a leg up this year.   Quote of the Week "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."   Washington Irving   ------ Thank you for tuning in.   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.      

Z/Yen's "Focus On" series highlights key business and financial centres from around the world. Here we look at Seoul, which is the largest city and capital of South Korea, as well as being home to many Fortune 500 companies, such as Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. In this webinar, Bonhi Gu will primarily deal with general information on Seoul city as a global financial hub and Invest Seoul as a foreign investment promotion agency established by Seoul Metropolitan Government. Speaker: Bonhi Gu is the Commissioner of Invest Seoul since 2022, with over 20 years of his previous career in banking industry. He is truly enthusiastic about making Seoul a leading hub of global business, innovation, and talent in Asia. Most recently Mr. Gu has been leading work for Woori Bank Korea. There, he served as an investment banking manager & derivative trader in London & Seoul. Before that, from 2011-2015, he led the Global Business Department where he handled both HR issues and budget management of overseas networks and employees. Also, he contributed to the company by launching banking products for global Wealth Management clients. His work has taken him to Woori Bank Europe GmbH in 2016, where he mainly focused on corporate banking business, money intermediary, and bond trading business.

Send us a textSteven Pope breaks down everything Amazon sellers need to know about PPC, from optimizing clickthrough rates (CTR) to debunking keyword myths and managing ad budgets. Learn actionable strategies to improve your ads, reduce ACoS, and scale your brand profitably.This video dives into real-world examples, campaign insights, and advanced techniques to help sellers make smarter advertising decisions.Think you've nailed PPC? Prove it with our FREE guide – the strategies you didn't know you needed.Download here: https://bit.ly/4gwtOzi#AmazonPPC #EcommerceTips #amazonadvertising Watch these next:How to Better Optimize Your Amazon PPC Budget https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DONOA0N8g&list=PLDkvNlz8yl_a1PRDJWRoR4yIM8K5Ft569&index=1Top 10 Amazon PPC Tips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFQDRZlFEGU&list=PLDkvNlz8yl_a_tbXXQwrYz29cKKyvVbLu------------------------------------------------------Enhance your clickthrough rates with our IMG hack http://bit.ly/3ZuylezTalk to an expert and transform your Amazon strategy http://bit.ly/3B3fgrCSimplify your Amazon operations with our proven SOPs http://bit.ly/3Z9h1LJ00:00 - What to Focus On in PPC00:06 - Why People Are Key to Success01:12 - Lessons on Static Growth and Personal Development03:00 - What Makes a Good Life for Steven Pope03:53 - Clickthrough Rate: A Hidden PPC Metric05:09 - Main Image Optimization Tips07:12 - Negating Keywords: Do's and Don'ts10:27 - Managing Keywords Across Campaigns13:18 - Why Testing Campaigns Separately Works15:50 - Using Broad Match for Organic Rankings20:53 - Troubleshooting Low-Impression Keywords26:00 - Predictive Analytics and Amazon Trends30:00 - Sponsored Products vs. Organic Positioning33:07 - The Future of Amazon Advertising-----------------------------------------------------------Follow us:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/28605816/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stevenpopemag/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/myamazonguys/Twitter: https://twitter.com/myamazonguySubscribe to the My Amazon Guy podcast: https://podcast.myamazonguy.comApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/my-amazon-guy/id1501974229Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A5ASHGGfr6s4wWNQIqyVwSupport the show

The REAL Reason NBA Players Can't Stay Faithful

Are you tired of setting New Year's resolutions only to abandon them by February? You're not alone! In this episode of The Visibly Fit Podcast, I understand why resolutions fail and how you can break the cycle. Together, we'll uncover the secret to staying focused on a powerful goal that can transform your life. Whether it's your health, relationships, finances, or personal growth, I'll guide you with actionable steps, inspiring stories, and the motivation to stay the course. Next year, 2025, can be different—let's make it YOUR year of success and lasting change. Tune in for practical tips, a dose of encouragement, and a whole lot of accountability.Chapters:[00:00] Podcast Preview[01:06] Introduction to the Visibly Fit Podcast[01:37] Reflecting on the Past Year[02:30] The Importance of Focus in Achieving Goals[04:16] Avoiding the 'Fail by February' Trap[05:29] Personal Story: Tackling the Messy Closet[06:33] Identifying Areas of Distraction[07:06] The Pain of Lack of Focus[08:10] Choosing One Goal to Focus On[09:03] Writing Down Your Goals[10:20] Visualizing Success and Its Importance[11:40] Keeping Your Goals in Focus[13:42] Actionable Steps Towards Your Goal[14:57] Creating a Structured Routine[16:02] The Importance of Self-Care and Boundaries[17:34] Tracking Progress with a Focus Journal[18:59] The Role of Accountability in Achieving Goals[20:06] Finding Motivation and Support[22:03] Addressing Obstacles to Your Goals[23:24] Setting Boundaries to Avoid Distractions[24:44] Celebrating Wins and Reinforcing Positive Habits[25:58] Making This Year Different[27:14] Invitation to Join the Visibly Fit Program[27:35] Closing Remarks and ResourcesResources mentioned:Visibly Fit 7-Week Accelerator ProgramP.S. If you're just checking out the show to see if it's a good fit for you, welcome!If you're really serious about becoming Visibly Fit, you'll get the best experience if you download the worksheets available at https://wendiepett.com/visiblyfitpodcast.

Let's go back to basics! Last week we talked about seeing behavior through the lens of the nervous system and then took a deep-dive into co-regulation.This week begins a three-part deep-dive into the foundational concept of felt safety.What is felt safety, what isn't felt safety, and why it matters!Next we will explore the many different ways we are all neuroceiving safety (or not) from our inner world.In this episode, you'll learnMisconceptions about felt safetyInternal cues of felt safety, such as hunger, illness, or being in chronic protection modeWhat we do with this informationFree Multi-Page Infographic all about Felt Safety! CLICK HEREResources mentioned in this podcast:Focus On the Nervous System to Change Behavior {Ep 84}What Does Co-Regulation Really Look Like? {Ep 81}Connection or Protection??? {Ep 7}Enabling Vs. Low-Demand Parenting {Ep 144}Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/feltsafetyinsideFollow Me On:FacebookInstagramOver on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: Being WithCheck Out All Robyn's Free Resources!You can download all sorts of free resources, including webinars, eBook, and infographics about topics such as lying, boundaries, and co-regulation!RobynGobbel.com/FreeResources "The best parenting book!" "I highlighted every other page!" "This book has transformed our family."You can get your copy of Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors at RobynGobbel.com/book*** :::::Want to pick Robyn's brain, hang out with her in Zoom meetings and a forum you can access in an app? Come join us in The Club!Are you a professional who wants to support families of kids with big, baffling behaviors? Then Being With is for you!Just need a little extra help? Head to RobynGobbel.com/FreeResources

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 288 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Cold, Cold Heart Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: June Pryce Fiber Arts Coventry DK in the Cold, Cold Heart Colorway Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Hattie's Scrappy Helical Socks Yarn: Random bits & bobs of fingering weight leftovers in pinks, purples and blues Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) US 1 (not 1.5), 48 sts. long cuff. Ravelry Project Page Check out my video tutorial for using Cate's Clasp Weft Join along with Helical Knitting.   Millie's Christmas Makeup Patterns from Etsy by Tugs & Stitches: Crochet Makeup Bundle Pattern: $15 Crochet Pattern Yarn: Worsted Weight Acrylic Yarns Hooks: C & D (2.75 & 3.25 mm)   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Wintermint Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Wintermint Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Working on both socks. First one is beyond the heel. Second one is ready for the heel.   Moosonee Sweater Pattern: Moosonee Sweater by Tara-Lynn Morrison. $6.50 knitting pattern available on Ravelry & good night, day website. Yarn: Wool Ease Thick & Quick in Deep Lagoon Needles: US 13, 17 & 19 (9, 12 & 15 mm) Pullover sweater similar to the Nanaimo Cardigan I like to make (Here's one of Megg's: Ravelry link).   103 Hat Pattern: 103 Hat by Jennifer Lassonde. $5 Knitting Pattern available on  Ravelry & LoveCrafts Yarn: Malabrigo Rios (worsted) in 845 Cirrus Gray Needles: US 5 & US 7 (3.75 & 4.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Peace & Light Mitts Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Peace & Light Colorway Pattern: Soccer Mitts by Erica Lueder. Free Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry. Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: 6 stripes in blues/teals, 3 in creams/yellows Cast on with 56 sts like socks.   Brainstorming Calendula Christmas Quilt Pattern: Calendula Quilt by Elena Fedotova Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Ivory, Deep Red, Varsity Green, Aqua, Medium Rose Hook:  G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Our Official Sponsor for Q2 (November) was Twin Mountain Handcrafts. Check this Ravelry thread for details about the Button challenge! Tune in to see if you're the winner! Our Official Sponsor for Q3 (December) is Fangirl Fibers. Check out this Ravelry thread for details about the Colorwork challenge. Commentator Mary Klute's report- CONTAINS RAVELRY LINKS

In today's episode, we're diving into something that affects most women over 40—hormones! We all know they can be a bit of a rollercoaster at this stage of life, and sometimes, the side effects can be downright annoying. Whether it's belly fat, fatigue, or mood swings, our hormones can make things harder than they need to be. But here's the good news: You can actually take control! Join me for a behind-the-scenes look at one of our coaching calls with clients from our Goddess Body Project. We'll chat about three key hormones that affect everything from metabolism to mood, and I'll share simple strategies to help balance them. Plus, I'll talk about the biggest mistakes women make with dieting and exercise that can make hormone imbalances worse. If you've been feeling "off" or struggling with those frustrating midlife changes, this episode is packed with actionable tips that could really make a difference. So grab a coffee (or wine, no judgment) and listen in! You've got this—let's get those hormones back on track!   KEY TAKEAWAYS: 00:00 Introduction to Hormones and Aging 01:36 Common Hormonal Issues for Women Over 40 02:22 Why Hormones Matter and Key Hormones to Focus On 02:38 Check Engine Lights: Recognizing Hormonal Imbalances 03:03 Diet and Exercise Protocols Affecting Hormones 03:16 Strategies for Hormone Balance 06:16 Personal Experiences with Hormonal Imbalances 10:11 Common Dieting Mistakes and Their Impact on Hormones 18:28 The Role of Cardio and Strength Training 23:59 The Impact of Skipping Meals and Fasting 27:43 Popular Diets and Their Effects on Hormones 32:06 The Pitfalls of Extreme Diets 32:53 Understanding Hormones and Nutrition 34:50 The Importance of Tracking Food 36:37 Exercise and Hormone Balance 47:33 The Role of Sleep and Stress 54:26 Final Thoughts and Next Steps   Connect with Diane: Website: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianeflores_ifbb_pro  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dianeflores_ifbb_pro  Join the Boss Bitch Besties Fitness Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dianefloresifbbpro    Freebies: Plateau-Buster Guide: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/plateau-buster-guide  Protein Snack List: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/protein-snack-guide  Sleep Hacks: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/sleep-like-a-queen  Full Body Training Program: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/full-body-gym-program  5 Easy Tips to Stay Motivated: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/5-easy-tips-to-stay-motivated  Fit Girl Gift Guide: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/fit-girl-gift-guide  My Favorite Supplements: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/myfavoritesupplements  Show Day Packing List: https://www.bossbitchradio.com/show-day-packing-list    Work with Diane: Work that Booty, Bestie: Glute Goddess: FREE 7-Day Challenge My 12-Week Transformation Program: The Goddess Body Project   Fuel Your Body with the Goods: Try Meal Prep Delivery with FitKitchen Code: Diane10  Try this Energy Shot from Magic Mind - Code: BBRadio Fave Boss Bitch Protein Bars - Built Bars *Use Promo Code: “Diane” at check out Cured Nutrition Code: BossBitch saves 20% off first order Nutrishop Supplement Shop - Code: BossBitch (free shipping)

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 286 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Knitting in Passing In My Travels KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Fangirl Fibers, Love in Stitches &  Woolen Women Fibers   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Silverlining Sweater Pattern: Silverlining by Jennifer Steingass $8 pattern available on Ravelry Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in the Oatmeal Colorway + Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks Yarn in the Day's End Colorway Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Size B: 12 inches underarm to body. 40 inches around. I thought I was getting 18 sts/4 inches but I got 19, so it is 40 inches not 42 inches around. I was thrilled to meet Peggy from Junction Fiber Mill at Fiber Festival of New England. They shared a clip of my video on their podcast which you can find here.   Welcome to Litchfield Hat Pattern: Citrus Hat by Laura Treadway (free knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Handspun (Ravelry Project Page)- Into the Whirled; 2 braids Texel & BFL Tussah Silk in the Welcome to Litchfield Colorway + Traveler colorway on Cheviot base to make a 3 ply yarn Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) & US 6 (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Vegas Baby Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Vegas Baby Colorwork Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- gray tinted rainbow with stripes of purple, blue, darker green, lime green, mustard/yellow, pink   Mom's 2024 Christmas Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in the Holly Stripe Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- Red, white and green uneven stripes.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Peace & Light Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Peace & Light Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: 6 stripes in blues/teals, 3 in creams/yellows   Dirty Crayon Box Socks Yarn: Fiber Stash Strong Toes Sock (80% SW Merino/ 20% Nylon) in the Dirty Crayon Box Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Hattie's Scrappy Helical Socks Yarn: Random bits & bobs of fingering weight leftovers in pinks, purples and blues Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) US 1 (not 1.5), 48 sts. long cuff. Ravelry Project Page Check out my video tutorial for using Cate's Clasp Weft Join along with Helical Knitting.   Cold, Cold Heart Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: June Pryce Fiber Arts Coventry DK in the Cold, Cold Heart Colorway Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Ravelry Project Page   From the Armchair Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. (read in paperback in 2008). I listened to this in prep for the Bad on Paper Podcast Book Club Episode Here One Moment by Liane Morriarty. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Watching: The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox (Netflix)- 3 parts. The Diplomat (Season 2) on Netflix- 6 episodes. Santa Tell Me (Hallmark)   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing   I shared stories of how Dan bailed me out of a knitting emergency and Riley sent me photos of her progress on her Riley Rose Cowl- a free pattern by me- available on Ravelry | LoveCrafts   In My Travels Riley & I attended Fiber Festival of New England- check out our vlog video on the Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel. Met up with Michelle (chellescraps) and her friends in the morning. Great to see Lisa- who met us at Rhinebeck after following mom's Crispina Scrapbox challenge project! Find a photo of mom in that outfit in this Instagram post. It was great to see Jen, Carlos, Aurora and Zelda around lunch time,vAmy from Ross Farm & Jess from Stitched by Jessalu .     KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Tune in to see if you're the Q1 Challenge Winner (hint- the winner posted this blog post about her project) or if you won an October Participation Prize. Our Official Sponsor for Q2 (November) is Twin Mountain Handcrafts. Check this Ravelry thread for details about the Button challenge!   Commentator Update We are 10 weeks into the NFL season (and our knit a long) so I thought it would be fun to take a look at the scoreboard to see if any players had completed 10 or more projects...that is, averaging at least one project per week.  I was stunned.  Over 35 players have completed 10 or more projects!   Leading the way is player eyenowhour who has completed 27 projects--including 5 shawls and 12 baby garments!  Impressive!   But don't be dismayed if you can't imagine being as productive as eyenowhour! The great thing about the PSP is you can craft as much or as little as you want and still have a chance to win!   Events Wayland Winter Farmers' Market- Farm Fiber Days: January 19 & March 9, 2025 at Russell's Garden Center in Wayland, MA New England Farm & Fiber Festival: February 2 from 11a-5p at the Cyclorama in Boston   Contest, News & Notes   My friend Linda is looking for donations of warm handknit/crocheted items for adult and youth homeless in Massachusetts. They set up tables on Thanksgiving and put all of the handmade items on the fence outside the First Church in Woburn, MA. Calling for all makers who want to donate. PM me on Ravelry or email me at downcellarstudio at gmail.com and I'll give you the address to send them to. Any fiber type welcome. Hats, scarves, mitts, shawls, blankets. Anything warm is welcome!   I also talked about Socks for Sam. Check out their website. You can raise awareness for VWM by knitting a sock using #SocksForSam and tagging @Knitsocksforsam.    Life in Focus I shared some updates about Mom's new cancer treatments and recent hospital stays.   On a Happy Note I'm finding it very hard to be happy after the US election, but I try hard to look for these happy notes. As Gretchen Rubin reminded us on a recent episode of the Happier Podcast it is not selfish or unimportant to look for ways to be happy even when and especially when life feels really hard. When we are happier, we can do more to assert our values in the world and do hard things, so I started this segment with that reminder. Knitting on Hattie's socks and Sue's Instagram live on the day after the election helped me through a very difficult day. Halloween! Leaning into connecting with my people- whether that's work, friends, family, knitting community. Its small but its powerful. During Mom's first infusion, we played UNO. Mom slaughtered us! Dad got up and jokingly said he was going to smother her with a pillow before she could beat us any further and she was laughing so hard she almost offed herself! That was a bit of levity we all needed that night. We watched G&Z while their parents went out for their anniversary and again on Veteran's Day. Date night with Dan between Mom's treatments. I had a delicious pumpkin beer- Night Shift Pumpkin Piescraper Pumpkin Pie Ale. I went to see & Juliet with Megg, Terri, Liz and Riley. Then I had a sleepover at my brothers where Riley, Millie and I inadvertently had a matching PJs night.   Quote of the Week   “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” ― G.K. Chesterton   ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Tara Ingalls - Tingalls Graphic Design On the How to Focus On a Specific Target: "What area of your business do you want to see move forward? And be very specific about your goal." Businesses need to market to survive.  They need to market well to thrive.  But how is a business supposed to market online when there are so many channels and an audience that flows from platform to platform? Tara Ingalls, on her third exciting visit to this podcast and founder of Tingalls Graphic Design, brings a wealth of knowledge from her 25 years in business. Our discussion dives deep into the intricacies of advertising, contracts, and the ethics and challenges small businesses face in digital marketing. From navigating misleading SEO services to harnessing AI in design, Tara shares both her personal experiences and professional advice. We'll also explore the power of social media, with Tara emphasizing platforms' roles in customer service and engagement rather than just sales. She'll share her strategies for leveraging Facebook and LinkedIn effectively, while also shedding light on the importance of setting clear marketing goals and having a robust digital presence through well-optimized websites. Listen as Tara offers a glimpse into Tingalls' unique company culture and her distinctive management style, proving that prioritizing employee well-being can drive productivity. Enjoy! Visit Tara at: https://tingalls.com/ Digital Marketing Partner Checklist: https://tingalls.com/tips/2023/09/digital-marketing-partner-checklist/   Podcast Overview: 04:21 Focus on one platform; it's not a sales tool. 06:48 Social media affects behavior and consumption habits. 12:14 Boost strategically using analytics; spend wisely. 12:58 Review insights regularly to boost engagement. 17:36 Set clear, measurable, time-bound marketing goals. 21:08 Instagram isn't ideal for targeting older demographics. 24:15 Companies overcharge small businesses for inadequate services. 28:49 Set clear goals when hiring a marketing company. 30:29 Include clear rates, tools, timelines, and commitments. 33:02 Clarify reporting: layman's terms or technical jargon? 36:45 Generative AI enhances images; ethical clarity needed. 41:53 AI generated content replaces traditional design work. 45:05 Websites cheaper than Tingles would terrify me. 48:07 Ensure logo uniqueness with Google image check. 51:52 Tingles 3-month hands-on internship for designers. 55:37 Seeking easygoing, adaptable team member for growth. 58:04 Prioritized well-being over business during COVID.   Podcast Transcription: Tara Ingalls [00:00:00]: I was on the phone, with somebody doing a marketing consult and found out that they're paying a company out of state for, about $52100 a month, and they don't know whether that's translating into business for them. James [00:00:14]: You have found Authentic Business Adventures. The business program that brings you the struggle stories and triumph and successes of business owners across the land. Downloadable audio episodes can be found in the podcast link found at draw in customers dot com. We are locally underwritten by the Bank of Sun Prairie, and today, we're welcoming slash preparing to learn from Tara Ingalls of Tingle's design for the 3rd time. Mhmm. That's how awesome of a guest you are. Tara Ingalls [00:00:38]: 3 Pete. James [00:00:39]: 3 Pete. So welcome to the show. Tara Ingalls [00:00:41]: Thank you for having me. James [00:00:42]: Thanks for being on here. So tell me a story. Let's just start with the the beginning, way back when. Tara Ingalls [00:00:49]: You always have me start in the beginning. James [00:00:51]: I know. Well, just for the people that weren't lucky enough to watch the first two. Tara Ingalls [00:00:53]: So I shouldn't look at the camera? I should look at you? No. James [00:00:55]: Just look we're just chilling.

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 285 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Crafty Adventures KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Cniotáil Láimhe Designs on Ravelry, Area 51 Fibres, Stitched by Jessalu & Paper Daisy Creations on Ravelry.   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Static Musselburgh Pattern: Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague (7 GBP Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & Ysolda's website) Yarn: Knit Picks Static Fingering Weight Yarn in the Peppercorn colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) & US 2.5 (3.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Note- the pattern just got some updates About the yarn: blues, grays, cream and a bit of a salmony orange. Self patterning yarn.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Owen's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! web.archive.org-Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Our Archives.pdf Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Cherry Red, Hunter Green and White Hook: G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: 2 pieces done, seamed up. Cuff is done and steamed. Snowman applique pieces finished. Sidetracked by all the mojo   Vegas Baby Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Vegas Baby Colorwork Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: cast on both socks using 2 50g cakes. Sock 2 has a heel. Sock 2 is almost ready for a heel About the colorway- gray tinted rainbow with stripes of purple, blue, darker green, lime green, mustard/yellow, pink   Mom's 2024 Christmas Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Cascade Heritage Prints in the Holly Stripe Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- Red, white and green uneven stripes. The first sock is finished. The second sock is beyond the heel.   Hattie's Scrappy Helical Socks Yarn: Random bits & bobs of fingering weight leftovers in pinks, purples and blues Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) US 1 (not 1.5), 48 sts. long cuff. Ravelry Project Page Check out my video tutorial for using Cate's Clasp Weft Join along with Helical Knitting. I measured Hattie's foot recently when she tried on this WIP. I need a 7-7.5 inch foot. Toe will be 12 rounds, which is about an inch of knitting, so Ii knit a little more than 6 inches before starting the toe. Progress: First sock finished.   Better Waverly Cardigan Pattern: Better Waverly by Taylor E Owen. $8 Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry. Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in the Brown Heather Colorway Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the Pattern: I saw Taylor talk about this pattern in her recent YouTube Video. Progress: Still working on the raglan increases   Silverlining Sweater Pattern: Silverlining by Jennifer Steingass $8 pattern available on Ravelry Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in the Oatmeal Colorway + Junction Fiber Mill Making Tracks Yarn in the Day's End Colorway Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Size B (because working with fabric that has about 18 inches over 4 inches) Progress: several inches into the body (put on hold) and about half way through the first sleeve.   Brainstorming Bee Stacking Toy- Ravelry link for  $5 crochet pattern (also available for free on this website)   From the Armchair Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Gilmore Girls: The Official Knitting Book: Knit Your Way Through Stars Hollow and Beyond by Tanis Gray- available on Amazon. Link to patterns on Ravelry. Be sure to check out: A Thousand Yellow Daisies by Beth Leath- Ravelry Pattern Link I also like the Daily News Hat by Alina Appasova- Ravelry Pattern Page.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Crafty Adventures Dan went to a Better Off Dead movie party. I helped him make pig ears to sew onto a chef's hat (he did the sewing). He also made slime (with raisins because "you like raisins') and lots of other props from the movie.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Our Official Sponsor for Q1 (October) is The Little Wolf Knits. This means you've got a challenge that can earn you more points and entry towards a cool prize. Check out the challenge details in this Ravelry post. Winner will be announced in the next episode. Our Official Sponsor for Q2 (November) is Twin Mountain Handcrafts. Check this Ravelry thread for details about the Button challenge!   Events   Fiber Festival of New England- November 2 & 3- Mom, Riley and I are going on Sunday November 3rd Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival: November 9-10, 2024 in West Friendship, Maryland For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Contest, News & Notes Check out this article if you're an Apple user who plans to become a member of any new Patreon communities to avoid this 30% fee to Apple. You can check out my Patreon page here.   Life in Focus I gave a quick update on Mom who will be starting a new cancer treatment on 11/1/24. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers, please.   On a Happy Note Outing with Mom to get eyelash extensions & Savers. Laura's visit: Matching PJs- Cuddl Duds Coffee PJs from Kohls, My first trip to Costco! Grand Opening of Dance Legacy Arts + Hattie preview of Frozen Jr. Movies (Substance= terrible) + dinner with Megg (lovely) Ryan and Nicki visit with Mom, Dad and me after Rhinebeck & they brought me a skein of yarn! 2 massages in 1 week (24 for 2024 list) Dan and I went to vote together last Saturday morning, then I headed over to a local Sample Sale, knitting on my Silverlining sweater while I waited and listening to others local gossip. I got a ton of Christmas shopping done, then I met up with my mom's friends Patrick and Szymon in from Arizona. Mom, our friend Sharon (in from CT) and our cousin Linda (who I just found out listens- HI), met us for lunch!  Liz came over and we watched Little Women (2019 version) which I hadn't seen and was on our to watch list. (3 of 5 movies for my 24 in 2024 list). I visited my parents on Sunday. Millie and Garret were there. We took a walk to neighborhood nearby for Mom's PT for the day. Group text with friends who went to VT- about our sweaters and other adjacent things. Lots of fun and motivation. Monday night dinner with my parents, Patrick and Szymon. Early morning walk to local State park. beautiful sunrise and golden leaves around the reservoir. Need to do this more often.   Quote of the Week It doesn't matter how strong your opinions are. If you don't use your power for positive change, you are indeed part of the problem. -Coretta Scott King   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 284 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Some Years Later In my Travels KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Woolen Women Fibers, Bronwyn the Brave Designs & Chit Chat Knits Designs   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Farmhouse Pumpkin Pattern: Farmhouse Pumpkins by More Dreams Less Life. $4.25 crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Rust Colorway Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Rest Relax Recharge Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn: Plush Sock in the Rest Relax Recharge Colorway (from the March 2023 Yarnable Box) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Check out my Yarnable Unboxing Playlist on YouTube Get $5 off with coupon code BOSTONJEN using my Affiliate Link   Urth Yarn Turn a Square Hat Pattern: Turn a Square by Jared Flood ($5 pattern available on Ravelry & Brooklyn Tweed website) Yarn: Urth Yarn Uneek Worsted Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) for ribbing. US 7 (4.5 mm) for body. Ravelry Project Page Started August 5th but never talked about on the podcast. Purchased during Cape and South Shore Yarn Haul a year or two ago.  Ended up being about 48g. Still have about 56 g leftover so I will make another.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Owen's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! web.archive.org-Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Our Archives.pdf Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver in Cherry Red, Hunter Green and White Hook: G (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: 2 pieces done, seamed up and working on the cuff. I need to finish the cuff, create the appliqué, sew on the name the hook.   Peace & Light Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Peace & Light Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: 6 stripes in blues/teals, 3 in creams/yellows- Pigskin Pro Shop Sponsor Purchased from Michele at VT Sheep and Wool. Wound up the yarn on Sue's ballwinder the next morning and knit most of the leg of the first sock on a boat on Lake Champlain with Sue & Dave Stokes, Paige and Paul Miller and Rachel!! Woolens & Nosh is a Pigskin Pro Shop Sponsor   Dirty Crayon Box Socks Yarn: Fiber Stash Strong Toes Sock (80% SW Merino/ 20% Nylon) in the Dirty Crayon Box Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page I bought this yarn at a festival a long time ago. Speckly with an overall purple tone. Progress: cuff done and a few inches of the first leg.   Dream Big Socks Yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Strong DK (75% SW Merino/ 25% Nylon) in the Dream Big Colorway (Fundraiser for our FearLESS Living Fund) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Ravelry Project Page 48 sts cuff down Cast on in June but haven't talked about on the pod before. leg of the first sock is nearly done: About the colorway: larger stripes of blue, green, orange. Smaller stripes of orange, purple, gray.  Fibernymph Dye Works is a Pigskin Pro Shop Sponsor   Vegas Baby Socks Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Vegas Baby Colorwork Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Welcome to Litchfield Hat Pattern: Citrus Hat by Laura Treadway (free knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Handspun (Ravelry Project Page)- Into the Whirled; 2 braids Texel & BFL Tussah Silk in the Welcome to Litchfield Colorway + Traveler colorway on Cheviot base to make a 3 ply yarn Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) & US 6 (4.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Brainstorming   I fell in love with the Love Today Cowl by Knit Sisu that I saw at a VT Sheep and Wool. I found some of my handspun (Ravelry page here) that I thought would work, wound it up and then did a wraps per inch test and its too thin. I went back to the handspun bin, and found another skein (Ravelry page) and now I'm thinking they'd be nice in the Inclinations Cowl by Andrea Mowy (Ravelry | website). The goal of this cowl was for a potential Christmas gift even though I'd like it for me, but I think with these 2 skeins of handspun I want to keep it, so we'll see if I cast these on now or let it marinate, because I also want to cast on a sweater for me, and more socks and hats for Christmas gifts. I swatched for a sweater with yarn from VT Sheep and Wool. More on that next time.   From the Armchair The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Some Years Later   I've been wearing lots of woolies lately as have my loved ones! Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan (Pigskin Sponsor)- Ravelry Project Page Dad wore his Musselburgh to Topsfield Fair- Ravelry Project Page Megg also wore Nanaimo Cardigan to Mamma Mia- Ravelry Project Page I also have 2 Nanaimos that I've been wearing- the original one I knit is in earthy oatmealy tones and the other in gray- Ravelry Project Page 1 & Ravelry Project Page 2 here. I'm also wearing a lot of wool socks, especially with wool clogs. I need more supportive clogs for walking. Any suggestions for me?   In My Travels   Check out my VT Sheep and Wool Vlog Video on YouTube. Patrons, check out the video linked in your feed for more photos and no ads. I talked about the following makers: Woolens & Nosh,  Wooly Thistle, KnitSisu, Junction Fiber Mill, Jennifer Steingass's Silverlining Sweater- available on Ravelry.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Our Official Sponsor for Q1 (October) is The Little Wolf Knits. This means you've got a challenge that can earn you more points and entry towards a cool prize. Check out the challenge details in this Ravelry post Q2- November- sneak peek- sponsor= Twin Mountain Handcrafts- using buttons! Commentator Mary Klute's report: The first quarter challenge has really inspired pigskin partiers! There has been a lot of chatter in the huddle thread about the new techniques folks are planning to meet the requirements of the challenge!   Some players are planning to tackle knitting techniques that they have never tried before like half fisherman's rib, colorwork, intarsia, magic loop, a new cast on or bind off, and brioche. Others are trying out a new tool like an i-cord maker or a new knitting app Others are trying new kinds of projects: a garment with lace down the side, joggers, knitting a shawl for the first time, knitting a shawl with an unusual construction, and colorwork socks A couple of people have mentioned joining mystery knit a longs for the challenge Others have mentioned using varieties of yarn they've never used before like boucle yarn or non-superwash wool. And a finally a bunch of players are planning crochet projects--some who have never successfully crocheted before and others who want to grow their crochet skills by moving beyond granny squares or learning how to join crocheted pieces. This challenge is really motivating players to step out of their comfort zones!  If you still haven't decided what to do for the quarter 1 challenge--head on over to the huddle thread for some inspiration!    Events NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY Fiber Festival of New England- November 2 & 3- Mom, Riley and I are going on Sunday November 3rd Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival: November 9-10, 2024 in West Friendship, Maryland For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Contest, News & Notes   My friend Linda is looking for donations of warm handknit/crocheted items for adult and youth homeless in Massachusetts. They set up tables on Thanksgiving and put all of the handmade items on the fence outside the First Church in Woburn, MA. Calling for all makers who want to donate. PM me on Ravelry or email me at downcellarstudio at gmail.com and I'll give you the address to send them to. Any fiber type welcome. Hats, scarves, mitts, shawls, blankets. Anything warm is welcome!   Life in Focus   2024 Word of the Year- Heart   2024-  Goals: Use my podcast/YouTube/Instagram following to raise money for the FearLESS Living Fund (details in the Ravelry group- and email if you're one of our regular sponsors) Make & assess goals every month in 2024 Monthly review of number of workouts + weigh on at least twice a month. Stretch/Theragun 2-4 times a week   24 for 2024 List Updates Get 2 massages beyond the one per month at Massage Envy (1 at Oasis in July, 1 scheduled Oct had to move. scheduled 2 more) Read more books than you did in 2023 (50) 45 as of now Knit at least 1 finished project with handspun in progress Knit/crochet myself a new sweater swatched Make a Christmas afghan for the living room- in progress Try a new local restaurant - Lolita (want one even MORE local)   On a Happy Note   Mamma Mia + dinner at Ruka beforehand October 4: we celebrated my dad's birthday with an evening cookout and swim! Dad left the pool open while mom was in the hospital, and heated it back up to a warm 88 degrees for us to all enjoy one last swim. VT Sheep and Wool!!! Mom, Dad, my Uncle Bob and Aunt Wendy all went to the Topsfield Fair. Beautiful quilts, handknits, emotional support chickens. Live Laugh Love cross stitch- live, laugh, love. Mom got some blue tinsel in her hair! Adorable. Saw everyone's photos of the Northern Lights on Facebook on the way home so I had to take a few! Baby Jane- adapted for the stage by my Mom's friend Michael Hammond for Company Theatre- Marybeth in it.   Quote of the Week   Bob Dylan on the advice his father gave him: "Even if you don't have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don't have that you don't want."   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 283 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitchin with Yarn, winemakerssister, Yumi Yarns & Fibernymph Dye Works   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins LFA Helical Socks Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes in the Portal Colorway & a Mystery Colorway (both 50g skeins: 75% SW Merino, 25% Nylon). Knit Picks Felici in the Beatnik Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on in June 2023. Finished September 5. Forgot to share in the last episode.   Frozen Shake Cozy Pattern: Ball Band with a Twist by Jennifer Lassonde. $2 crochet pattern available on Ravelry | LoveCrafts Yarn: worsted crochet cotton Hooks: F (3.75mm) & G (4.0mm) Ravelry Project Page Yarn- mystery blue cotton on a cone that was from Aunt Rachel's stash. Made for mom during September hospital stay when the dietitians started making frozen shakes to get nutrients into her.   Ribbed Bobble Pumpkin Pattern: Ribbed Bobble Pumpkin by Breann Mauldin. $3 crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Free version available here. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Tangerine Colorway Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Yarn gifted to me by my friend Heather. We became friends through the dancing school we went to. Her mother was the stage manager and my mom was the house manager for our recitals. We've all know each other since I was 12. Heather's mother Rita passed away a few years ago. When Heather heard my mom was in the hospital she dropped off a care package at the dancing school- chemo caps for Mom and yarn from her mom's stash for me!   Rita's pumpkins Pattern: Pumpkin by June Gilbank. Free crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Free version available here. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Tangerine Colorway Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page 5 finished Yarn is definitely 1970s/1980s squeeky acrylic, so not my favorite to work with, but it feels great to put it to good use and to bring a bit of life to Rita's old stash.   Farmhouse Pumpkin Pattern: Farmhouse Pumpkins by More Dreams Less Life. $4.25 crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Tangerine Colorway Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Worked in the round. Does use FP & BP HDC which I learned in my crochet cables class at Staci's! Love the look of this. Worked up in an evening of TV.   Pumpkin Patch Cup Cozy Pattern: Pumpkin Patch Cup Cozy by Kylee Keller. Free crochet pattern available on Ravelry & this blog. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Tangerine Colorway, Knit Picks Brava Worsed in the Dublin colorway (green) & mystery brown acrylic yarn from stash. Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page The pattern calls for thicker yarn and a larger hook than I had. It also calls for what's essentially a 1x1 ribbed look, but I liked the look of the ribbing from the front/back post crochets on the Farmhouse Pumpkins, so I used that pattern instead. I used the stitch count from my Ball Band with a Twist pattern (available on Ravelry | LoveCrafts).   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Farmhouse Pumpkin Pattern: Farmhouse Pumpkins by More Dreams Less Life. $4.25 crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Yarn: KnitKraft Wintuk Yarn in the Rust Colorway Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page I initially grabbed the yarn from Heather and threw some in my bag for the hospital and rest (still in its plastic Thom McCann shoe store bag lol into my craft room). I though the other skein of Wintuk was red- but when I went down there again, I realized it was rust! and the pumpkin madness continued! Cast on Saturday 9/28 watching Season 2 of the OA with Dan on Netflix.   Static Musselburgh Pattern: Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague (7 GBP Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & Ysolda's website) Yarn: Knit Picks Static Fingering Weight Yarn in the Peppercorn colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) & US 2.5 (3.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Note- the pattern just got some updates About the yarn: blues, grays, cream and a bit of a salmony orange. Self patterning yarn. Progress: 15 inches. I will plan to add one more inch and then work the decreases.   Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist This subscription is not available to new subscribers but there's a new one coming in the Fall. Blanket Pre-Orders for the Murder She Knit club are available now! Please consider using my Affiliate Link. Progress: I finished 9 my July squares & seamed them. I started my August squares and have 1 package waiting for me to open- the last batch.   Stranger Things 2 Socks Yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso base (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon) in the Stranger Things 2 Self Striping Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on the morning of Thursday 9/5 for the Pigskin Party. I didn't get to join in the round until that night, but now its well underway. About the colorway- stripes of: orange, hot pink, purple, navy blue, medium blue and red. Progress- My first Pigskin Cast on using Snack Shack Sponsor yarn. I'm almost to heel of the first sock.   Rest Relax Recharge Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn: Plush Sock in the Rest Relax Recharge Colorway (from the March 2023 Yarnable Box) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Cast on both cuffs so I can try to work these up quickly. They'll match some of Mom's go-to pjs. Cute acrylic Pigskin markers from Twin Mountain Handcrafts on them. Thanks ladies for sending them to me. I love them.   Brainstorming Making the pumpkins has me itching to make toys. It would be great to make some for the little kiddos for Christmas. I need to start the Christmas stocking for my cousin Colleen's little boy Owen so I have that ready for Thanksgiving. The pumpkins also have me longing to crochet some hats.   From the Armchair Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Knitting in Passing Talked to several nurses and other staff about my knitting and crochet while in with Mom. One PCA learned to knit before but said she never really full understood it. I told her I'd be happy to meet her for coffee and a lesson anytime. The staff all oooh and ahhh over Mom's handknit socks. One morning when Mom was really out of it from anesthesia the day before, I was putting on her handknit socks and I had them totally crooked, heel on the side, and she was busting my chops. I told her "hey, I said I was good at knitting them, not putting them on!" and she insisted on taking a photo for me to share! Little glimpses of her coming back to her real self were great- even if it was going to be a bit more time before she was back to normal. I recently saw a notice in my town's Facebook page that the senior center is looking for yarn they can use to make things to sell at holiday's craft fairs. PSA: even if your community hasn't reached out- see if they need yarn so you can clear out anything you don't need and know it will go to good use.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 #DCSPigskinParty24 Event Dates: Thursday September 5, 2024- Monday February 10, 2025 Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Official Rules Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Tailgate Talk Challenge- Click here for Ravelry Link Great way to get to know your team. There will be daily prompts from 9/5 through 9/16. Answer them in your Team thread in the Ravelry Group. If you answer them all, no more than 2 per day, you'll get 150 points (as long as you enter them on the Points Tally form by 10/1).  Our Official Sponsor for Q1 (October) is The Little Wolf Knits. This means you've got a challenge that can earn you more points and entry towards a cool prize. Check out the challenge details in this Ravelry post Commentator Mary Klute's report- One of the best things about the pigskin party is the community!  It is so much fun to get to know other players and the annual Tailgate Talk is a great way to do that. It looks like this year's Tailgate Talk was a great success--at the time of this report nearly 200 players had submitted for their Tailgate Talk points! But players aren't just chatting--they are also finishing projects!  So far there are 307 finished projects on the scoreboard, including 10 blitzes!  And it looks like players are really using sponsor products to rack up some extra points.  So far, finished projects have earned over 50 points on average by using sponsor products!  Symama09 is a great example of how to really maximize those sponsor points.  She earned 280 sponsor points on her recently finished gnome by using 2 proshop exclusive products, three proshop non-exclusive products, and two products from snack shack sponsors!  Her gnome is super cute too- check out the Ravelry Project Page here! Finally, don't forget to spread the word about the PSP!  You can join 14 players who have been earning points by drafting players! Tune in to hear if you're a September Participation Prize winner. I will be in touch with all winners via email.   Events Vermont Sheep & Wool: October 5 & 6, 2024 in Tunnebridge, VT Lambtown, Dixon, CA - Oct 5-6, 2024 NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY Maryland Alpaca and Fleece Festival: November 9-10, 2024 in West Friendship, Maryland For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Know of an event I should spread the word about? Let me know!   Contest, News & Notes   My friend Linda is looking for donations of warm handknit/crocheted items for adult and youth homeless in Massachusetts. They set up tables on Thanksgiving and put all of the handmade items on the fence outside the First Church in Woburn, MA. Calling for all makers who want to donate. PM me on Ravelry or email me at downcellarstudio at gmail.com and I'll give you the address to send them to. Any fiber type welcome. Hats, scarves, mitts, shawls, blankets. Anything warm is welcome!   Life in Focus Update on Mom: Diane is still in the hospital after being admitted on 9/12. Attempts at the bedside to put filler into her right vocal cord to bring back her voice didn't work, so they brought her down to the OR and did the procedure there. She has so much more volume now! She doesn't notice a huge difference but we all do. We thought about 2 weeks in that she'd be going home, bags were all packed and they decided to do a last minute CT which showed spots in her lungs. We were told it wasn't cancer but it took until Thursday to do a Bronchoscopy to reveal the cause of that issue- 2 different bacterial infections. Of course at first we were told it was just 1 and she could go home on oral antibiotics. 10 minutes later the other was found and now she has to stay for at least a few days of IV antibiotics.   How to make it fun in the hospital Get to know your caregivers; find out what you have in common. It makes it more interesting if you can actually have a bond with the people you're interacting with on a regular basis. Get some new pajamas- especially if that's all you get to wear. If your family can stay over with you- get matching PJs. It's a little thing but it can make it feel a bit more special. Find ways to make the little things into bigger things. Our first matching PJ night, we wore flamingo pajamas. In advance of that, I purchased flamingo decorations at the party store and bought light up necklaces, straws & ice cubes to turn the evening into a party. The next night, we planned to have an ice cream sundae party. The unit always has ice cream on hand. Mom ordered a peach puree from the daily menu and I saved M&Ms that my cousin Jenny brought and we had an ice cream party. As it turns out, I spotted fireworks out the windows of the elevator lobby that night and was able to bring Mom over to see. Made what could have been an average night - or a depressign one because we thought she'd be home, more entertaining. Have folks send in mail and bring it to the patient! Chellescraps- Michelle, sent a bouquet of paper flowers (I believe they're from freshcutpaper)- my brother's family also got her one early on in her stay (these are great because, you may not know this but some patients cannot have fresh cut flowers- burn patients, some immunocompromised patients etc); Sewrunknit, Suzanne, sent a funny card, ElsaandEm, Emily, sent a handknit/embroidered flower pin, my cousin Jenny brought a WonderWoman balloon and ironically on the same day, a friend dropped off a Wonder Woman pillow at the house (great to use to push into Mom's side when she had pain) Ask friends and family to text photos and videos! Hattie sent Mom the cutest video of a little dance/kartwheel which was so fun.    On a Happy Note Sharpie Rollerball Pens (.5mm)- available on Amazon. The only thing that would make it better is if it was a click top, but I'm totally willing to live without the convenience. Trader Joe's Honey Hydration Day & Night Cream Duo. $7.99 (dupe for Farmacy Honey Halo, which I've never tried) One day when my SIL brought Riley, Garret and Millie in to see Mom at the hospital, Millie said she wanted to see my office, so since Mom was still at her MRI, we took a detour. Millie did a full on simulation of me at work, drinking selzter, typing on my computer etc. My parents celebrated their 47th Wedding Anniversary. Thankfully Dan had more brain cells and time than the rest of us and got Mom flowers on his way in to visit. I picked up my grandmother to bring her in for a visit with my Mom. We had a lovely visit. My cousin Sabrina came up from Tennessee with her girlfriend Maria for a visit with my Mom. It was so great catching up with them. Watching The American President. I love that movie. Mom and I had been talking about it in the hospital that day- specifically the line from Michael J. Fox (as Lewis Rothschild) "I tell any girl I'm going out with to assume that all plans are soft until she receives confirmation from me thirty minutes beforehand." Robin McCall: "And they find this romantic?" Lewis Rothschild: "Well, I say it with a great deal of charm." I was able to use our John Deere tractor/backhoe to free myself when a tree fell in our driveway and I was trapped. Dan was in Vermont and I thought I'd have to call my nephew Oisin but it didn't come to that! I scored a $300 ski bag with a charging set-up for boot warmers for $15 at a yard sale this weekend. Trader Joe's pumpkin Kringle! with Cinnamon coffee.   Quote of the Week   Strive to be whole, not perfect, for in wholeness we embrace both our strengths and our flaws, while in perfection, we lose the beauty of our true selves. -Unknown   ------   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Just like life, homeschooling has it's ups and downs. It can be so hard at times and that's when we wonder if, as moms, we're actually cut out for it. Today's guest, Meg Thomas, of Called to Homeschool is here to share with you just what you should do when homeschool feels hard. And how about those days you think that you're going to lose your mind? Well, she's got something to say about that too. Grab that load of laundry that needs folded and let the kids play a little longer and listen in on this conversation! ♥ Leigh   Meg's website: www.coachmegthomas.com Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/called-to-homeschool/id1456539406 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachmegthomas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachmegthomas YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzMwB9lH7UvLX0VUdKLhfUg     DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S HOMESCHOOL WITH YOUR HOMESCHOOL BLUEPRINT https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint    GET YOUR TICKET FOR LITTLE BY LITTLE HOMESCHOOL CONFERENCE www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/conference   CREATE YOUR HOME TASK SYSTEM WITH THE TIDY HOME https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.subscribemenow.com/ Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity  Follow - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Connect - info@littlebylittlehomeschool.com   Listen to these related episodes: 109. In What Way Should A Homeschool Mom Respond to A Negative Attitude? A Few Solutions To Tackle This Common Challenge    138. My Top 3 Daily Habits That Keep Me On Track As A Busy Homeschool Mom   175. Discovering Your Purpose in Homeschool--What You Really Need to Focus On!    224. What Year Round Homeschooling Can Look Like And How It Can Be The Answer To All Your Bad Days 

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 280 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Crafty Adventures Knitting in Passing In my Travels KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins     Silver Spoon Socks Yarn: A Whimsical Wood Yarn Company Pixie Toes Socks in the Silver Spoon Up My A$$ colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: peaches and pinks with gray/taupe. At my gauge it is striping (~2 rounds per color). I purchased this yarn at Yarncentric event in Maryland. Started in May 2023. Finished on June 28, 2024 Total for Stash Dash: 262 meters   Baby James' Cozy Clusters Blanket Pattern: Cozy Clusters Baby Blanket by Leelee Knits (free & paid options available on the LeeLeeKnits website) Yarn: Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes in the Slush Colorway (purchased 3). 1 skein of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Colorway 01110 [Navy] for the border Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Bobble Border instructions from this blog Finished size- 30.5 inches wide by 38.8 inches tall (not including the bobbles) Finished on July 2 Total for Stash Dash: 1,010 meters (833 meters Caron Cakes [2.25 skeins] - 178 meters Loops & Threads- less than 1 skein)   Trish's New Orleans Socks Yarn- Cat Tails Yarn in the Chartreux Base (75% Superwash Merino, 15% Nylon, 10% Silver Stellina) in the Christmas Bonfires Colorway (part of the Down in New Orleans Collection) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Trish purchased in New Orleans in 2024 (exclusive colorway for the Quarter Stitch). $34. Finished on July 3 Total for Stash Dash: 259 meters   American Ewe Turn a Square Hat Yarn: American Ewe Worsted Tweed in the Terrace Mountain Colorway Pattern: Turn a Square by Jared Flood ($5 pattern available on Ravelry & Brooklyn Tweed website) Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) & US 7 (4.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: 3 ply Merino/Rambouillet Shaniko Wool (89%) with 6% acrylic and 5% rayon flecks. The colorway is a natural with brownish tweedy bits. I purchased the yarn for $15 at Adventures in Knitting in Harwich, MA on the way to visit friends who were staying in Wellfleet. They had a cool display of "used needles" for $4 each. I bought bamboo US. Modifications: I use worsted weight yarn and knit the smallest size, omitting the increases after the ribbing. I knit 6 inches before the crown decreases. Total for Stash Dash: 99.8 meters (109.2 yards), 51 grams   Portland Socks Yarn: Urth Yarns Uneek Fingering in Colorway 3024 Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: self striping yarn- cornflower blue, dusty orange, yellowy green, peach, magenta and purple. I purchased the yarn at Knit Wit Yarn Shop in Portland, Maine. You can purchase the same yarn online from them. I held a strand of navy blue nylon thread along with yarn for the heel flap and gusset to give more strength to the heel. I used the Lemonwood Mini Minder (also purchased at Knit Wit) and knit the vast majority of this pair of socks in 2 days walking around Portland, visiting breweries and hanging out with friends. You can see a video I made of this project on Instagram. Total for Stash Dash: 254.7 meters   Welcome to Litchfield Spinning Project Fiber: I purchased two 4oz braid of fiber from Into the Whirled in the Welcome to Litchfield colorway (1 braid Texel & 1 braid BFL Tussah Silk) along with 1 gray  (The Traveler on Cheviot base) braid to ply them together. Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Ravelry Project Page I didn't fully spin the gray Traveler colorway braid. Finished Project- 3 braids of 3 ply yarn: 184g= 252.2 meters (275.9 yards) ~Aran weight Total for Stash Dash= 252.2 meters x 4= 1,008.8 meters   Book Holder Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Roving Stripes in Daisy & 1 other mystery colorway (lost the ball band), Premier Yarns Parfait Chunky (mustard) & Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted Ravelry Project Page Hook: 9.0 mm (M/N) I took inspiration from this pattern on Ravelry. (Boho Book Nook crochet pattern- but I was using MUCH chunkier yarn and I didn't want to use the same textured stitches) I chained 21 sts and worked with 20 hdcs across each row- working in the third loop after the first row. I wasn't going to have enough of the Lion Brand Roving to make the whole thing, so I held the Wool of the Andes double for the part that would be covered. I worked a single crochet around the edges, and then sewed the front to back in just 1 spot on either side. I used a chain for the loop to tack it up on the wall. Total for Stash Dash: 128.1 meters   Declan's Adrift Socks Yarn: Patons Kroy Stripes in the Adrift colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- short stripes (about 3 rounds each) with 3 shades of blue- navy, denim and cornflower plus orange and brown. Total for Stash Dash: 278.2 meters   Deschain Pattern Deschain by Leila Raven Needles: US 9 (5.5 mm) Yarn. Rowan Creative Linen. Colorway 00624-   Gray. Worsted weight 50% Linen / Flax, 50% Cotton. 200 meters / 100 grams. Bought 4 skeins. Used a little more than 2 Size: Smallest (54 1/4 in bust) Calls for 16-22" positive ease. I should have around 19" Ravelry Project Page Originally finished July 10, 2021. I ripped out in 2024 because the back was far too short. I ripped out the sleeves (tossed) and unseamed the back and front. The instructions call for the back to be 12 inches but the front falls about 17 inches from collarbone to the bottom hem. I knit about 14 inches on the back and then worked a few sets of German Short Rows before the bottom hem instructions. I tried a few options for sleeves and then decided I"d just sew up the ends in a way to tuck/hem the ends under and I love that. In the end I made the body longer and the sleeves shorter Total for Stash Dash: 424.0 meters (463.7 yards), 212 grams   First Point of Libra Cowl Pattern: First Point of Libra Cowl by Laura Aylor Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Yarn: Barnyard Knits, Fuse Fiber Studio, One Twisted Tree (shop formerly own Prairie Girl Danie) + other leftover sock yarn Ravelry Project Page Yarn purchased at Vogue Knitting Live January 2020 with Lauren. Planned to make a 2 color shawl. Cast on My Cryptonite by Melanie Berg and never got more than a couple inches in. Here's the Ravelry Project Page for the shawl that's now frogged. I started in October 2022. My November 2022 notes say- I'm losing mojo on this and I don't think it has to do w/ the pattern or my yarn. I like it... but its not getting finished before my trip to the UK so I will need to find other wooly accessories to bring with me. I picked up again July 2024 and it flew off the needles! Modifications: In Section 4, I skipped adding color 4 & 5 (1-3 only). Skipped Section 5. Finished size: 21 inches around. 15 inches tall. Total for Stash Dash: 406 meters   Vera's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red, Everglade Heather and White Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Total for Stash Dash: 456.5 meters   8,353 meters for Stash Dash Over 4,500 meters added since the last episode!   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Wool Ease Hexagon Blanket Pattern: Basic Crochet Hexagon Pattern & Tips from Make Do and Crew Website & YouTube Tutorial Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. Centers in colorways- Fern, Coney Island, Seaglass, Slate. Borders- Wheat & Oatmeal Hook: 10mm (N/P) Notes: started in April 2022. I never talked about it on the podcast.  Inspired by an instagram post from Lion Brand. This WIP has been taking up a ton of space in my craft room ever since. When the pump in my dehumidifer went and we had to move some things to get at it, I decided I had to get this WIP done. 2 rounds of color- 1 round of wheat or oatmeal 18 were done. 30 finished now   Berry Bliss Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock (75% SW Merino/25% Nylon) in the Berry Bliss Colorway (May 2024 Yarnable Box) & Legacy Fiber Artz Glitzy Toes (pink mini from 2023 Advent Calendar) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn- lemon yellow, sherbet orange and pink. I worked the first heel in a pink sparkle yarn from Legacy Fiber Artz because I have some spiral striping going on and didn't want to disrupt it. Progress: I've finished the heel on the first sock.   Rafa's Hat Yarn: Malabrigo Rios in the Cielo y Tierra colorway Needles: US 5 (3.75 mm) Pattern: Rafa's Hat by Joji Locatelli (free knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Ravelry Project Page: About the yarn: blues/tans that is almost striping at my gauge. The hat is a 1x1 rib that has a cool purl ridge detail. Progress: I've worked two repeats of the pattern   Cold Goat Farm Spinning Fiber: Cold Goat Farm Batt- I believe its Merino/Mohair but there are no details on the business card in my bag. I think I purchased it at Rhinebeck 2023. Twist direction: singles = Z plied = S This means when I'm spinning, my wheel is spinning clockwise and when plying my wheel is moving counter-clockwise. Ravelry Project Page   Brainstorming Connections socks! Have you heard about them? You take your Daily NY Times Game- Connections Results and put them into colorwork socks. Suzanne told me about them- and recently saw and loved Wendy's! Here's a link to Wendy's Connection Socks Ravelry Project Page.   From the Armchair Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. I'll Just Be Five More Minutes (and other tales from my ADHD brain) by Emily Farris. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Feed by M.T. Anderson. Bookshop Affiliate Link (not available). Amazon Affiliate Link. Briefly Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Crafty Adventures I found a small hole in my Mabel Style cross body sling bag and decided to use embroidery floss for a better hold and to add a bit of visible mending color. I received great customer service when I reached out to them! I'm in the midst of a massive studio clean out. It started w/ issues with my dehumidifier and it's really spiraled from there. I'm excited to see how it all comes back together.   Knitting in Passing   Aila FaceTimed me from a friend's house after buying a crochet dinosaur kit at the dollar store. The next day after pool day and dinner we practiced chain and single crochet.   In My Travels Dan and I spent a long weekend in Portland, Maine to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. I was able to go up a night early to attend the knit night at Rising Tide Brewery. I loved meeting Heather from Rising Tide and Jenn & her husband Chuck from Knit Wit. Friday morning, I visited Knit Wit Yarn Shop's new location and then walked around. Dan, Dana and Sheri arrived and we met at Duck Fat for lunch before showing them around to some of our favorite breweries. Saturday we visited local shops and more breweries before going to see comedian Kathleen Madigan. Sunday, I did some shopping while Dan watched soccer then we enjoyed some drinks together and ended up back at Rising Tide where there was a 6p Burlesque show so Dan got us tickets. Really fun end to an awesome weekend.   KAL News Pigskin Party '24 will kick off in the fall (specific date TBD). We're looking for Sponsors for this season. Interested or know someone who is? Sign up for my email newsletter and click the box saying you're potentially interested in sponsoring events and you'll get first dibs on spots. And/or email me for details!   Other current & upcoming events: Summer Bingo with Monica & Cortney of the Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast Colors of Fall with the Yarniacs Podcast Group. June 20- September 22 Summer Spin In with the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures Podcast Group- May 27 - September 2 Summer Sock Camp with the Crazy Sock Lady The Knit Girllls are hosting their annual Stash Dash Event from May 24-August 31,2024. Here's a chatter thread for stash dash 2024! Stash Dash will run from May 24th-the end of August. Craft all the things and see how your FO pile grows! This is a competition only against yourself. Discord link: knit girllls discord Jasmin (of the Knitmore Girls Podcast) & I are competing again this year. Check out my Stash Dash Spreadsheet here     Events Flock Fiber Festival- August 9-11 in Seattle, WA FIber Revival: August 10 in Newbury, MA Adirondack Wool & Arts Festival; September 21 & 22, 2024 in Greenwich, NY (GREEN-Witch) Vermont Sheep & Wool: October 1 & 2, 2024 in Tunnebridge, VT NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY Sierra Nevada Yarn Crawl, (CA and NV) - Sept 12-15, 2024 Cape & South Shore Yarn Haul (MA) September 14-17, 2024 Lambtown, Dixon, CA - Oct 5-6, 2024 For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Know of an event I should spread the word about? Let me know!   Life in Focus   Tune in for a health Update on BostonJensMom   On a Happy Note Dan and I took vacation the first week of July. Monday after Portland we just chilled. Tuesday I took Mom for whole brain radiation, then to visit my grandmother (her mother) and out for lunch. Wednesday/Thursday we visited friends renting a house in Wellfleet (Cape Cod) and Thursday/Friday we visited friends in Falmouth. Friday morning we picked up Riley from Camp and brought her to our house before she and I headed to Hornstra to get ice cream for lunch (because that's what vacation is for!) and over to my parents to the pool for the day. Monday 7/8- I met up with my friend Megg to do a 5+ mile beach walk before she headed out to Ireland for the month. Wed 7/10  Mom and I stayed in Boston to save her the back & forth daily for treatment. We met her friend Jacky for lunch. I went back to work in the afternoon. After work, we cooled off in the hotel pool and then had dinner, played Uno and bar trivia at The Hill. We stunk but it was fun! Sunday July 14th pool day at my parents. Jenna, Dave, Gabriella and Zach came over. Within a few hours they were both jumping off the diving board! July 17-18th Mom and I stayed in Boston again after her Radiation treatment. We hit the pool and fared slightly better at trivia but it was hard to be out as long. Mom's energy was much lower, she was coughing more and couldn't speak above a whisper. July 21st we had a pool day at my parents. Jeff, Millie and Garret, Jenna, and the 2 kiddos, Kris, Will, Aila and Matt. We celebrated Will's 17th birthday. Mom's hair had started falling out and the blank spots at the back of her head looked like a butterfly! Mom told us to go find some Sharpies and color it in! It was a hard day for her and by extension us, but this added a bit of fun and whimsy to it! Millie even attached little plastic gems to parts of the butterfly. After the "temporary tattooing" we shaved off the rest of her hair to help w/ the shedding. July 23rd- Mom's last day of Whole Brain Radiation! Coming home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Dan. Getting 2 massages this month after missing my scheduled on in June for our Portland trip! I always feel like I need it but I've been going up on weights at the gym and my upper body was screaming!   Quote of the Week “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.” -Emily Dickinson   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Joel Passen is a proven technology entrepreneur and leader with 20+ years of success creating value and driving measurable results at the intersections of sales, business development, product strategy, operations and customer experience.   Before co-founding Sturdy, a next-gen customer experience solution that helps companies improve customer satisfaction. Joel co-founded Newton Software, a B2B SaaS company headquartered in San Francisco that was acquired by Paycor (2016). Prior to that, Joel co-founded Gravity Technologies, Inc., a company that owned and operated businesses in the talent acquisition industry, including the first recruitment processing outsourcing company focused on technical talent.    Questions · So, could you share with our listeners, how it is that you got from where you were to where you are today? · Could you share maybe 1 to 3 top I would say areas that you believe as an organization, especially in your industry that you believe it's important for you to focus on or it drives your success in the space of ensuring that you're delivering a great or a fantastic customer experience. · If you want to maybe debunk maybe one of the biggest customer service myths that you see organizations still using as a driver in their business, when really and truly that shouldn't be anything that they should be guided by, what would you say that is based on your observation and experience? · Now, Joel, can you also share with us what's the one online tool, resource, website or application that you absolutely cannot live without in your business? · Can you also share with our listeners, maybe one or two books that you have read, it could be a book that you read recently, or even one that you've read a very long time ago, but it still has had a great and profound impact on you. And that can be either professional or even a personal impact. · Now, Joel, can you also share with our listeners, what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you are really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. · Could you tell us a little bit about your organization Sturdy, exactly what it does. And if they wanted to connect with you, or Sturdy, how they could find you online? · Now, Joel, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to give our guests a chance to share with our listeners, do you have a quote or a saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you'll tend to revert to this quote if for any reason you get derail or you get off track or you get knock down and the quote kind of helps to just motivate you to get back up and to push forward and to complete whatever would have knocked you down. Do you have one those?   Highlights Joel's Journey Me: So, we like to give our guests an opportunity to share in their own words, a little bit about your journey. So, could you share with our listeners, how it is that you got from where you were to where you are today?   Joel shared that he appreciates this question. So, he's always a commercial leader, meaning he's always had responsibility not only for net new growth, but also for responsibility for customers. And where he is today, in terms of having started a company that focuses on using AI to ultimately improve the customer experience by deeper listening to customers, he thinks for him, the journey was more of like, and this may sound a little off putting to some, but he was kind of like a frustrated engineer to a certain extent. He was a frustrated commercial person in many ways. So, he thinks the desire to sort of solve a problem that he had as an operator, a commercial operator for two decades, has led him to where he is today, which is trying to solve that problem at scale.   Areas Organizations Needs to Focus On to Ensure the Delivery of a Fantastic Customer Experience Me: So, could you share maybe 1 to 3 top I would say areas that you believe as an organization, especially in your industry that you believe it's important for you to focus on or it drives your success in the space of ensuring that you're delivering a great or a fantastic customer experience.    Joel shared that he likes everything in 3, so absolutely. But the first thing is, in many ways he thinks that removing the abstraction layers between our customers, and the level of leadership within organizations that can actually do something about the issues that we're hearing is really important. And what he means by that is, he thinks for the last 10 or 15 years, we've created not only technology driven abstraction layers like chatbots, and automated knowledge base stuff and it's all sort of addressing what he would think of as a symptom, but not necessarily is the root cause of perhaps customer frustrations in terms of customer experience.  So, an example would be like if we have to continue to build these really acute knowledge bases and what we're addressing is constant customer confusion, for example, wouldn't it make more sense to take the data that we're deriving about what's confusing the customer, take it back to our product teams or services organizations, and address the root cause. So, number one is, he thinks we've got too many abstraction layers between us and our customers.  Like number two is, the people that are responsible for customer experience, and ultimately, you're holding the bag and oftentimes, perhaps even the number for the board can only solve about 30% of the problems that we face around customer experience or challenges we face about customer experience within the organization. So, for example, going back to like a product or service, which ultimately, we deliver to an end user. If he's the customer experience person, and he's holding the bag for that number, whether it's some sort of arbitrary number like not arbitrary, but he guesses arbitrary, like NPS or CSAT, like something that we're being measured on, but even more importantly, a revenue number. He has to rely on his other teammates to ultimately contribute to the success of that experience. And that's a big challenge.  And he thinks the third one is kind of an expansion on that topic, which is, he thinks that we've lost sight as organizations at large that everybody's job is customer experience, providing the best customer experiences we can, whether it's the billing team that designs processes around auto renewing, and billing customers, to the product teams that are delivering product to the services teams that are delivering services, to the sales teams that are an account management teams that are being truthful and ethical and honest about what we actually can provide in terms of value.   Debunking Customer Service Myths Me: Now, in listening to you, I also wanted to know if you could share with us, you've been in the whole customer experience space, and you're noted as a top customer experience voice on LinkedIn. If you want to maybe debunk maybe one of the biggest customer service myths that you see organizations still using as a driver in their business, when really and truly that shouldn't be anything that they should be guided by, what would you say that is based on your observation and experience?    Joel stated that it's going make me unpopular. He's going to lose the popularity contest on this answer, and he's going to treat this less like a cable news show, so, he's not going to swear. But if you do follow him on LinkedIn, it's not just to be incendiary. But he really thinks health scores of customers are one of the most overused, underpowered abstraction layers that people use, he thinks they're garbage. And he's speaking from experience, not because he has something against them, or the companies that help us build them or anything like that. It's because too many times, he's been in executive leadership team meetings, and he takes the board slides in, and he's got all these green lights on maybe with their top revenue accounts, for example. And he goes back to team meetings two weeks later to go back through the account reviews, and so many times he's gone from green to gone with no leading indicators along the way that has ever given him any kind of indication that they were in trouble. So, that's his answer. And some people are in love with health scores, and they spent a lot of time building them, and quite frankly, he thinks they're full of telemetry data and opinions that just don't yield anything that he can use as an executive leader.   App, Website or Tool that Joel Absolutely Can't Live Without in His Business When asked about online resource that he cannot live without in his business, Joel shared GPT 4. As an early-stage entrepreneur, he feels like he spends a lot of time sifting through data, and crafting messaging. But to make a finer point, like, for example, he has a client, they're called Hawke Media, they're one of the largest independent ad agencies in the United States. And his outbound sales team, let's say, wants to find more companies that are similar to these folks. And there are hundreds of these types of agencies in the United States, not of the same magnitude of Hawke Media, but similar. And when you go into LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and all these other Apollo or ZoomInfo. With all the metadata tags that are in the systems, it's really hard to get a filtered list, for example.  So, last night, he was watching a hockey game, and he typed a simple query into GPT 4 and said, “Give me 300 companies that look and feel like this particular company that are based in the United States and then put their name in column A of a CSV and send it to me,” and it did it and it's super accurate. And it's that kind of stuff that it's just mind blowing. Some of the things you can do with it. So, GPT 4, probably for him, can't live without it.    Me: Amazing. It's fascinating when I heard the prompt that you just gave it now. It's very important that what you put in is what you get out almost like the quality of the question you asked determines the quality of the response that you get back. So, the fact that you are so specific in terms of what you were looking for, the teams, the column that you wanted it in, the fact that you wanted it to be for a specific geographic location, and not just to the world, and the fact that it gave you back that information, so specifically, the prompt that you put into it is so critical to the output that it gives you.   Joel stated that that's a good point, not to scratch his back at all. But he would tell people start with being ultra specific, if you haven't leaned into GPT.  First of all, it's worth the 20 bucks a month for GPT 4. It's really powerful and it can produce graphs and charts and statistical things you can enter, for example, he was working on some like a VC deck the other day for a friend of his, not for his company. But he was having a trouble with like, processing the information from his total addressable market into like a graphical form. Like he's not a designer, he's a spreadsheet person.  And so, he took his spreadsheet, uploaded it to his version of GPT 4 in Azure, so it's privatized without any kind of PII in it, he paid 20 bucks a month for it. And it spit out a graphical representation that with a little bit of tweaking and the coloring could be used in a deck, it's really great. So, there's just some really crazy things you can do with it. But start with being more specific and dial it back, rather than starting with broad requests and commands, because then you're going to get frustrated.   Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Joel When asked about books that have had a great impact, Joel stated that he's going to reveal that his dad is an Industrial Psychologist, PhD in Industrial Psychology. And he's written a bunch of papers on emotional intelligence, EQ and EI. And so, he's kind of a big fan of Dan Pink, or Daniel Pink. They are business books, so they might be a little cliche for some people. But in 2005, he wrote a book called A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Right Brain. It's kind of like the why right brain thinkers are the future. And he thinks there's a lot of interesting things in there that are pretty applicable today. Despite his little claim of using GPT, which might be more of a left brained example, he's probably a stronger right brained person with communication skills, specifically, rather than somebody that's going to put their head in a spreadsheet all day. And he thinks there's some really telling things and some really interesting things that people could use, both earlier in their career and even later in their career with the Daniel Pink book.  And then he thought one of the other books that he read recently, when he thought about this was “The Billion Dollar Loser : The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork”, written by Reeves Wiedeman, it's the Adam Neumann story about work, he doesn't know, if Yanique have read that. It's actually kind of a fiery read, like, it's a cool book. But he thinks for him, the story was really interesting, if you're interested in business, but it also is a really stark reminder that humility is really important in business, being honest, and being humble is a marathon play, but it's also the right play, it'll get you to the finish line. So, he thought that was a good reminder for him and anyone else that is in business and thinking about their own sort of virtue.   What Joel is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that he's really excited about, Joel shared that he's really excited about for me, he works at a company that builds applied AI products and essentially helping businesses listen to their customers more carefully, and actively for that matter.  And he thinks what he's most excited about is sort of the evolution of AI in an ethical way. So, one of the things if you read any of the business reports from the industry analysts and in the industry consulting firms, the Beans, you read any of the stuff from the Harvard Business Review, fairly objective sources, people are really scared about using AI in their businesses specifically, let alone personally, but he's thinking about it in a business light.  And he thinks what's starting to happen is that the hype is dying down a little bit and we're starting to see a more practical light in the application of AI where it's not so risky, and that it is truly not going to replace everybody's jobs, it's going to help us sift through larger and larger datasets together, so we can get to the root of very specific problems and solve for the root, going back to him at the top of the show when he talked about abstraction layer. So, for him, he's really excited about that, more and more companies are adopting AI and doing so in an ethical, responsible, privacy conscious way. And the wild, wild west is starting to fade into the background as quickly as it grew, and he thinks that's exciting to him, and he knows that sounds kind of nerdy, but that for him is progress.    About Joel's Organization Sturdy and How Can Listeners Find Joel Online Joel shared that Sturdy is very easy to find, he'll start there, but it's sturdy.ai. And he thinks for the relevancy of your listeners and our listeners today is, their our thesis was that ultimately, the customer experiences is really the responsibility of every team. Again, he mentioned operations services, product sales, marketing, leadership, everybody's responsible for customer satisfaction and customer experience. And ultimately, that leads to everybody being in charge of revenue and retention. And what they've realized over the years as being operators of businesses is that 75% of customers expect businesses to use some sort of technology to better their experiences, like the time is now yet we have all these silos in our business.  So, what their business does, what Sturdy does is plugs into all of your data hubs where you're collecting communications from your customers, those day-to-day interactions, those really rich meaningful, those emails, the tickets, the calls transcripts, even unstructured tests like text like surveys, they take all of that information in, privatize it. And they run language models on it to help find topics and trends to help improve the customer experience. And then make agents to deliver this data to the teams and the people and the systems that need it the most. So, that's basically what they do. And they find that the outcomes are their customers are improving their NPS and CSAT scores almost immediately, because they're more actively listening to their customers. But they're also seeing pretty strong lifts in customer retention and revenue as well. So, both expansion and retention revenue.  And he's easy to find, personally, Joel Passen as mentioned, he talks a lot about customer experience and satisfaction on LinkedIn. And you can find him on LinkedIn, he's pretty active there. And otherwise, he just joel@sturdy.ai.   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Joel Uses When asked about a quote that he tends to revert to, Joel shared that he's going to disappoint people, because this isn't like super profound. But he tells his kids this too and his dad used to tell him this like, “Every day is like the first day of school, you can reinvent yourself.” The ability for humans to reinvent themselves is surreal, it's crazy. And if he's having a bad day, or he's down or he's stuck, he literally thinks about the next day and say, tomorrow's my day, I can be whoever I want, I can solve whatever I want. He shared that he sounds like that guy on Saturday Night Live, Stuart Smalley. But reinventing, every day is an opportunity to reinvent yourself. And he thinks that's what keeps him going and he truly believes that even if you had a bad day or a bad interaction with your family or your team or what have you, tomorrow's a new day.    Me: Great. Thank you so much for sharing, Joel.   Thank you so much for hopping on our podcast and sharing all of these great insights as it relates to customer experience and debunking the myths in customer experience that a lot of organizations are still driven by. Also talking about your organization Sturdy and just where you see artificial intelligence going and how the adaptation is being taken more in a practical role now as all the fanfare and excitement is dying down and people are really seeing how they can integrate it in a very practical and useful way not just to eliminate human interaction but to add to the value that they are using the technology to enhance the quality of the experience that the customer is having. So, thank you so much.   Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Links •     A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink   The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 279 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included: Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu Announcement- I'll be putting out only 1 episode per month through the summer to keep things manageable. Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Julia's Cozy Clusters Blanket Pattern: Cozy Clusters Baby Blanket by Leelee Knits (free & paid options available on the LeeLeeKnits website) Yarn: Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes in the Hibiscus Colorway (purchased 3). 1 skein of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Orange for the border) Hooks: H (5.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page Bobble Border instructions came from this blog Caron Cakes – 1054.6 meters Loops & Threads – 130.5 meters Meters for Stash Dash- 1,185.10 My Little Unicorn Socks Yarn: Andre Sue Knits Sock Blank in the My Little Unicorn colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Gray background with white and pink unicorns that look like My Little Pony. My inner 80's child loved this one. Meters for Stash Dash: 286.3 4 Bowl Savers for Mom Pattern: None Yarn: Lion Brand Re-Up in the Seaglass colorway Hook: 5.0 mm (H) Ravelry Project Page I crocheted 2 circles and 2 hexagons for Mom to put between her Pyrex bowls. Meters for Stash Dash: 119 Riley's 16th Birthday Flower Top Pattern:  Riley found in this TikTok video Hook: G (4.0 mm) Yarn: Caron Skinny Cakes in the Grape Raisin UVA colorway (purchased 3) Ravelry Project Page YouTube Video Linked instructions Meters for Stash Dash: 872.4 (1.2 skeins) I am calling it done but I need Riley to try it on and may need to adjust the neck. Children of Time 2 Ply Yarn Fiber: Into the Whirled Cheviot in the Children of Time colorway Ravelry Project Page About: I originally spun this last summer and plied 1 ply of Into the Whirled with 2 plies of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes fiber (Ravelry Project Page here). I had two bobbins of leftovers and I needed the bobbins so I plied those up. The result was much more yarn than I expected. Total= 116 Meters 2 ply: which means things went through the oriface of the wheel 3 times=  Stash Dash Meters- 116.5 x3= 349.5 Woolens & Nosh 2023 Advent Socks Yarn: Woolens & Nosh Targhee Sock. 2023 Advent Set Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Ravelry Project Page Meters for Stash Dash: 285.8 On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Welcome to Litchfield Spinning Project 4 oz of Texel from Into the Whirled- Welcome to Litchfield Ravelry Project Page Progress: finished the second braid- 4 oz in the Welcome to Litchfield Colorway in 70/30 BFL/Tussah Silk Up next: spinning 3rd braid- Into the Whirled- The Traveler colorway (medium gray). 4 oz Cheviot Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist This subscription is not available to new subscribers but there's a new one coming in the Fall. Blanket Pre-Orders for the Murder She Knit club are available now! Please consider using my Affiliate Link. The patterns for this kit will be the Northeasterly Blanket by Melissa Alexander-Loomis (knit version) and the Northeasterly blanket by Katy Stevens (crochet version).  Progress: I finished 9 my May squares but haven't seamed them yet. Vera's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red, Everglade Heather and White Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: Stocking and cuff are finished and ironed. I crocheted the three circles for the snowman, made the scarf and earmuffs and ironed those too. I still need to crochet a carrot nose, sew on the snowman and add the name to the cuff. Nearly done! Trish's New Orleans Socks Yarn- Cat Tails Yarn in the Chartreux Base (75% Superwash Merino, 15% Nylon, 10% Silver Stellina) in the Christmas Bonfires Colorway (part of the Down in New Orleans Collection) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Trish purchased in New Orleans in 2024 (exclusive colorway for the Quarter Stitch). $34. Progress: Friday night we hung out with friends and I finished the leg of the second sock, and turned the heel on a rainy Saturday. Baby James' Cozy Clusters Blanket Pattern: Cozy Clusters Baby Blanket by Leelee Knits (free & paid options available on the LeeLeeKnits website) Yarn: Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes in the Slush Colorway (purchased 3). 1 skein of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Colorway 01110 [Navy] for the border) Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: Nearly done w/ the second Caron cake. Bobble Border instructions from this blog Silver Spoon Socks Yarn: A Whimsical Wood Yarn Company Pixie Toes Socks in the Silver Spoon Up My A$$ colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: peaches and pinks with gray/taupe. At my gauge it is striping (~2 rounds per color). I purchased this yarn at Yarncentric event in Maryland. Started in May 2023 Progress: nearly to the toe on the second sock. Brainstorming Socks for Dan Christmas stocking for my cousin Colleen's son, Owen At least another pair of socks. I really want to crochet a summer top but I can't find anything that's really exciting me… Ideas welcome! From the Armchair The Nix by Nathan Hill. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. One Last Summer by Kate Spencer. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan. Bookshop Affiliate Link.Amazon Affiliate Link. Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Bookshop Affiliate Link.Amazon Affiliate Link. Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases. Knitting in Passing I was crocheting on Riley's top on the T. Man told me about how he crocheted as a kid in Cape Verde and Holland. He had nothing to do. No tv. Needed something to entertain himself so he taught himself. Sister knew but couldn't teach him.  It wasn't a normal thing for boys in holland. Or girls as far as he knew and they didn't teach it in school but he had fond memories of it. Great chat learning about his travels and his work as a union carpenter now. KAL News Pigskin Party '24 will kick off in the fall (specific date TBD). I will be sending out an email to sponsors in the next 2-3 weeks asking folks to sign up. Interested or know someone who is? Sign up for my email newsletter and click the box saying you're potentially interested in sponsoring events and you'll get first dibs on spots. Summer Bingo with Monica & Cortney of the Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast Tour de Fleece- check out this Ravelry Group for official details. Saturday, June 29, 2024 through Sunday, July 21, 2024. Rest Days: Monday, July 8 and Monday, July 15. There are challenge days, Teams and prizes. Colors of Fall with the Yarniacs Podcast Group. June 20- September 22 Summer Spin In with the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures Podcast Group- May 27 – September 2 Summer Sock Camp with the Crazy Sock Lady The Knit Girllls are hosting their annual Stash Dash Event from May 24-August 31,2024. Here's a chatter thread for stash dash 2024! Stash Dash will run from May 24th-the end of August. Craft all the things and see how your FO pile grows! This is a competition only against yourself. Discord link: knit girllls discord Jasmin (of the Knitmore Girls Podcast) & I are competing again this year. Check out my Stash Dash Spreadsheet here My total as of this episode: 3,765.2 meters Events Flock Fiber Festival– August 9-11 in Seattle, WA FIber Revival: August 10 in Newbury, MA Adirondack Wool & Arts Festival; September 21 & 22, 2024 in Greenwich, NY (GREEN-Witch) Vermont Sheep & Wool: October 1 & 2, 2024 in Tunnebridge, VT NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site. Know of an event I should spread the word about? Let me know! Life in Focus 24 for 2024 list #1-Get 2 massages beyond the one per month at Massage Envy (1 and the guy was GREAT) #4- Read more books than you did in 2023 (50) 31 as of June 24 #7-Visit 1 new (to me) museum or historical site. Going to Portland- maybe will look there. Health Update– BostonJensMom begins whole brain radiation on July 1. Every weekday (except July 4) through July 22. Keep those prayers and good vibes coming. We recorded a very long health update video that will go up in 2 parts on the YouTube Channel. It takes a bit of time to edit because I like to add in photos/videos of the fun life stuff we chat about to make it more fun. Keep an eye out for that if you want the full story of my parents car accident and April and everything that's happened since our last recording in February. Health Update Video Part 1 Health Update Video Part 2 On a Happy Note Mom, Megg, Kris and I went to see Come From Away in Boston I helped Dan build a shed for his brother and then relaxed in the pool at my parents once we were done (and good and sweaty). I pressure washed the house and the deck- it's currently covered in pollen but at least I got the worst of it off. It's such a satisfying chore! Mom and I went to Aila's voice recital and out for drinks after. I brought my grandmother to my cousin Jenny's daughter Vera's Baptism Party. Beautiful day! Celebrated my birthday at a local Irish Pub for live Irish music. Dan treated us all for dinner. My parents, Megg, Tom (who is from Ireland) and their friend David (visiting from Ireland), Megg's Mom Terri, Trish and Liz. Very fun, silly night as usual. Megg and I weren't doing gifts this year because of our Opera House season tickets but I made her socks in March and she brought me a beautiful plant! We all went back to Megg and Tom's after which was fun because I got to see Eme, Oisin and Hattie too. The boys made lobster for David who hadn't tried New England Lobster before. After the most stressful and hellish week at work I've had in 22 years, I convinced the directors in charge of my Nurse Call Integration project that it was too unstable and had to be shut down so while it was awful, it was done in little more than 3 days. Thankfully, none of the blame was on me (didn't make it feel that much better). Vendor was woefully unprepared and mismanaged things. On that Friday, my boss told me to leave early. I met up with Dan for lunch at The Galley in Scituate. Sitting in the window/door until a huge storm blew in and they had to close it up. June 11th- my cousin Colleen had her baby boy- Owen (not on my birthday but soo close) June 12th- my nephew Garret graduated from 8th Grade and my Mom (and Dad) were there for it! June 14th- Conor and Carly welcomed their baby boy Miles. I did the stage decorations and played house manager in the last ever Terri's School of Dance recital. We had a party at Kris' house after. Father's Day Pool Party- Dan taught Garret and his friend Terry how to properly shuck a lobster. We played games and swam a little in the pool. My cousin Gayle flew in from FL and joined us for the recital and Father's Day fun. I had Monday off and headed over to Mom and Dad's. Jenny and Vera were there, and Millie never left. We swam, played Tock, and went to Heidi's for an ice cream. On Juneteenth- I hit the gym then took Millie and Riley to get their nails done, then took Gayle to Athleta, swam a bit. Dan, Jeff and Melissa came over and we all had dinner together by the pool. Quote of the Week As soon as I have a deadline, I work much better. Time unbounded is hard to handle. –May Sarton —— Thank you for tuning in! Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out myDown Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -“Soft Orange Glow” by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

If we got a dollar every time someone suggested putting our kids in school, we'd have a good chunk of change by now, right? But I also have a sneaking suspicion that the thought of it being easier to just put your kids in school has crossed your mind a time or two. Or maybe quite a few times. No shame though. This was a thought in the back of my mind for many years as well. However, once you see the truth about this statement, the whole idea and premise behind where our kids are educated falls apart. My goal in this episode is to fill up your heart...as well as your ability to articulate this decision...so that you feel free to live out this calling of your family's. You might want to grab a pen and piece of paper for this one! ♥ Leigh   DESIGN YOUR FAMILY'S HOMESCHOOL WITH YOUR HOMESCHOOL BLUEPRINT https://littlebylittlehomeschool.com/blueprint      CREATE YOUR HOME TASK SYSTEM WITH THE TIDY HOME https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com/tidyhome     Website -  https://www.littlebylittlehomeschool.com Newsletter -  https://littlebylittlehomeschool.subscribemenow.com/ Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/homeschoollifestylecommunity  Follow - https://www.instagram.com/littlebylittlehomeschool/ Connect - info@littlebylittlehomeschool.com   Listen to these related episodes: 175. Discovering Your Purpose in Homeschool--What You Really Need to Focus On!    183. 5 Things Your Child Is Missing Out On By Homeschooling Instead of Going to School    204. How YOU Are Sabotaging Success in Your Homeschool and 4 Steps to Get Out of The Cycle    231. Create & Raise Independent Homeschool Learners That Don't Need Mom to Teach Them Every Lesson 

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 278 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair In my Travels KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Be Fearless Socks Yarn: Area 51 Fibres Sturdy Alien Base in the Be FearLESS Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: this self striping colorway is a bright rainbow colorway that's meant to mimic the logo for our FearLESS Living Fund Meters for Stash Dash: 290.4 meters   Raven Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn in the Raven Colorway from the Yarnable Box. Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the Yarn: Speckled colorway with a cream base. Green, gray/black and hot pink colors speckled in. Meters for Stash Dash: 256 meters   Beer Hat Pattern: Beer Stein Hat by Lindsay Hoffman (free crochet hat available on this blog) Yarn: Lion Brand Homespun Yarn- Hepplewhite & Red Heart Super Saver- Gold Hook: G: 4.25 mm (started with an H but thought the gauge was too large. Other Materials: 3 Pipe Cleaners Ravelry Project Page Dan's friend Chris' wife asked for this for her husband (he excitedly agreed). He's a brewer and manager at one of our local breweries, Vitamin Sea, so maybe he'll sport it to work. Meters for Stash Dash: 120.7   Total for Stash Dash meters for this episode: 667.1 meters   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Vera's Christmas Stocking Pattern: Christmas Stockings to Knit and Crochet from Family Circle Magazine. Available in this web archive link. I've also saved it to my podcast Gmail Google Drive in case it disappears! Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red, Everglade Heather and White Hook: F (3.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Riley's 16th Birthday Flower Top Pattern:  Riley found in this TikTok video Hook: G (4.0 mm) Yarn: Caron Skinny Cakes in the Grape Raisin UVA colorway (purchased 3) Ravelry Project Page YouTube Video Linked instructions   Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist This subscription is not available to new subscribers but there's a new one coming in the Fall. Blanket Pre-Orders for the Murder She Knit club are available now! Please consider using my Affiliate Link. The patterns for this kit will be the Northeasterly Blanket by Melissa Alexander-Loomis (knit version) and the Northeasterly blanket by Katy Stevens (crochet version).  Progress: I finished 5 (of 9) my May squares.   Static Musselburgh Pattern: Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague (7 GBP Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & on Ysolda's website) Yarn: Knit Picks Static Fingering Weight Yarn in the Peppercorn colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) & US 2.5 (3.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page   My Little Unicorn Socks Yarn: Andre Sue Knits Sock Blank in the My Little Unicorn colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Gray background with white and pink unicorns that look like My Little Pony. My inner 80's child loved this one. Progress: Started in July of 2023. Past the cuff of the second sock when I picked them up. I knit the leg and heel over Memorial Day Weekend 2024.   Trish's New Orleans Socks Yarn- Cat Tails Yarn in the Chartreux Base (75% Superwash Merino, 15% Nylon, 10% Silver Stellina) in the Christmas Bonfires Colorway (part of the Down in New Orleans Collection) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Trish purchased in New Orleans in 2024 (exclusive colorway for the Quarter Stitch). $34. Progress: at the heel of the first sock   Julia's Cozy Clusters Blanket Pattern: Cozy Clusters Baby Blanket by Leelee Knits (free & paid options available on the LeeLeeKnits website) Yarn: Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes in the Hibiscus Colorway (purchased 3). 1 skein of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Orange for the border) Hooks: H (5.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page I initially bought 2 skeins based on the size of a similar blanket I made with this pattern, but after coming to the end of the first skein I knew it wouldn't be large enough. I probably should have/could have used an I hook. 2 row repeat that is easy to memorize. Almost done with the 3rd skein. Plan to finish the first week of June.   Brainstorming Took a chair off the side of the road- the arms are ripped at the front but the rest looks great, so I am going to crochet covers for the arms!   From the Armchair   One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Wellness by Nathan Hill. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   In My Travels Aila and I drove out to Great Barrington for Eme's Associate Degree graduation ceremony. We enjoyed dinner at Steam and an ice cream afterwards. In taking Eme to pick up their pottery pieces for the year to bring home, I got to see and hear all about it! At the graduation ceremony the next day, I was chatting for awhile only to look up when asked what I was knitting to see Crispina French, who I know from her vending at Rhinebeck! Talk about a small world!   KAL News Summer Bingo with Monica & Cortney of the Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast Tour de Fleece- check out this Ravelry Group for official details. Saturday, June 29, 2024 through Sunday, July 21, 2024. Rest Days: Monday, July 8 and Monday, July 15. There are challenge days, Teams and prizes. Colors of Fall with the Yarniacs Podcast Group. June 20- September 22 Summer Spin In with the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures Podcast Group- May 27 - September 2 WIP Bingo with Cerulean Orchid- June 1-30th. (several West Coast US LYSs participating but you can join online too) Summer Sock Camp with the Crazy Sock Lady The Knit Girllls are hosting their annual Stash Dash Event from May 24-August 31,2024. Discord link: knit girllls discord Jasmin (of the Knitmore Girls Podcast) & I are competing again this year. Check out my Stash Dash Spreadsheet here   Events Flock Fiber Festival- August 9-11 in Seattle, WA Adirondack Wool & Arts Festival; September 21 & 22, 2024 in Greenwich, NY (GREEN-Witch) Vermont Sheep & Wool: October 1 & 2, 2024 in Tunnebridge, VT NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Know of an event I should spread the word about? Let me know!   Life in Focus I give a quick update on my word of the year HEART, which I've been seeing hearts in/on the trees lately! I share a quick goals update and a health update about my parents.   On a Happy Note Dan and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary on May 22nd- the 143rd day of the year (which happened in 2024 only because its a Leap Year- usually Day 143 is May 23rd). Minot's Light Lighthouse's light signal, a 1-4-3 flashing cycle adopted in 1894, is locally referred to as "I LOVE YOU" (1-4-3 being the number of letters in that phrase), and it is often cited as such by romantic couples within its range. Friday of Memorial Day Weekend we went out for dinner (to use up a gift card- which we still had $1 left on when we left) and to a friends' house for a fire. Saturday & Sunday pool days My niece Riley got her learner's permit and drove us home from the grocery store! Teddy and the snorkel (so cute) Baby Vera's first swim The long weekend allowed me the extra day off to clean out our pantry and my closet. I switched out my winter clothes for summer ones, took donations to Savers and did shopping and meal prep for the week. It felt great. Deer and turtles abound!   Quote of the Week Writer and designer Edith Wharton, the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize, on what causes old age: "The producer of old age is habit: the deathly process of doing the same thing in the same way at the same hour day after day, first from carelessness, then from inclination, at last from cowardice or inertia. Habit is necessary; but it is the habit of having careless habits, of turning a trail into a rut, that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive... one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways." Source: A Backward Glance (lightly edited for clarity)   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.          

Today I talk Mark Lawley from the Practical Prepping Show. I brought Mark on as he is a "regular guy" (retired Police Officer) who started a podcast with his wife Krista and the ball has been rolling along as their show grows (they have 14000 people in their Facebook group). Mark shares his journey from initial struggles to unexpected success, revealing the importance of knowing your audience, having fun, and continually learning. Join us and uncover the secrets to making your podcast not just a success but a life-saving venture! Find Mark and Krita at https://practicalprepping.info/ and check out the free Getting Started In Prepping free PDF Thinking of Starting a Podcast? Are you considering diving into the dynamic world of podcasting? Look no further! Join the School of Podcasting community today and unlock a wealth of knowledge and support tailored just for you. As someone with decades of life experience, your voice is invaluable, and podcasting offers a unique platform to share your wisdom, stories, and passions with the world. With our step-by-step guidance and personalized approach, you'll navigate your podcasting journey with ease, turning your ideas into captivating audio experiences. Plus, as a special bonus, use the coupon code "listener" to embark on your podcasting adventure with exclusive savings. Don't the voice in your head hold you back – embrace the power of podcasting and join us at the School of Podcasting today! Go to https://www.schoolofpodcasting.com/listener How Did You Like This Episode? I'm always looking for feedback and I would love your input on this episode (it takes 1 minute) Chapters 00:00:00 - A Letter From Morgan  00:02:04 - Opening  00:03:15 - Mark From Practical Prepping https://practicalprepping.info/  00:03:20 - Define What You WON'T Do  00:03:39 - Why Prepping?  00:05:23 - What Was It Like Starting Out?  00:06:20 - Doing the Right Things  00:08:30 - An Important Thing to Focus On  00:10:20 - Becoming More Efficient  00:11:33 - When To Remove Ums  00:12:13 - Sponsors Came Knocking  00:14:38 - Join the School of Podcasting  00:15:42 - Your Podcast Website  00:15:56 - Improving Your Website  00:17:05 - Mark Added a Facebook Group  00:22:29 - Audience Approved Content  00:24:05 - Sell a Product or Service  00:25:15 - How Are Book Sales?  00:26:12 - Advice For New Podcasters  00:30:00 - Favorite Comments  00:31:55 - You Don't Need to be THE Expert  00:33:03 - What Does Prepared Look Like?  00:33:40 - Buy Mark a Coffee  00:35:23 - My Thoughts  00:37:37 - Question of the Month  00:38:35 - Live Appearances  00:39:18 - Start Your Podcast  Mentioned In This Episode Practical Prepping Show Practical Prepping For Everyday People: A Common Sense Guide On Preparing For Life's Emergencies Getting Started In Prepping free PDF Practical Prepping Facebook Group Join the School of Podcasting Community Profit From Your Podcast Book Power of Podcasting Network Dave's YouTube Channel Dave's Podcasting Newsletter Buy Dave a Coffee Put Dave In Your Pocket Where Will Dave Be? Question of the Month Teachable Course Platform  

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 277 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Woolen Camelot socks Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers Sock (80/20 SW Merino/Nylon) in the Woolen Camelot colorway from the May 2024 Woolen Yarn Box. Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Check out my Unboxing Video for this May 2024 Woolen Yarn Box & the more recent June box which is available now. If you're thinking of joining, please purchase using my Affiliate Link. It won't cost you any extra. I will make a small commission.   Same as It Ever Was Hat #2 Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Kingdom Fleece and Fiberworks. No colorway listed. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page I started this project in January. Used nearly all of the yarn. Loved this yarn/pattern combo. I am planning to keep this hat! It is plenty long enough to wear with the brim folded and still have it worn slouchy.   Colleen's Baby Blanket Pattern: Crochet Modern Boho Granny Blanket by Tiffany Brown (free crochet pattern available on this website) Yarn: Caron Simply Soft in Blue Mint, Soft Green, Riviera (Speckle), Kelly Green, Robin's Egg, White Sage (Speckle) & White Hook: H (5.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page I learned about this edge technique on this website.     On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Riley's 16th Birthday Flower Top Pattern:  Riley found in this TikTok video Hook: G (4.0 mm) Yarn: Caron Skinny Cakes in the Grape Raisin UVA colorway (purchased 3) Ravelry Project Page YouTube Video Linked instructions About the yarn- probably about a sport weight yarn that gradiates through purples, blues and white. I'm enjoying this project but it involves a lot of counting on each row so it takes focused time which I haven't had a ton of. Working on the Front (or Back): 3 repeats of the pattern = 6 flowers   Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist This subscription is not available to new subscribers but there's a new one coming in the Fall. Blanket Pre-Orders for the Murder She Knit club are available now! Please consider using my Affiliate Link. The patterns for this kit will be the Northeasterly Blanket by Melissa Alexander-Loomis (knit version) and the Northeasterly blanket by Katy Stevens (crochet version).  Progress: I finished my April squares and am working on the border.   Raven Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn in the Raven Colorway from the Yarnable Box. Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the Yarn: Speckled colorway with a cream base. Green, gray/black and hot pink colors speckled in.   Static Musselburgh Pattern: Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague (7 GBP Knitting Pattern available on Ravelry & on Ysolda's website) Yarn: Knit Picks Static Fingering Weight Yarn in the Peppercorn colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) & US 2.5 (3.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Be Fearless Socks Yarn: Area 51 Fibres Sturdy Alien Base in the Be FearLESS Colorway Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the yarn: this self striping colorway is a bright rainbow colorway that's meant to mimic the logo for our FearLESS Living Fund   Julia's Cozy Clusters Blanket Pattern: Cozy Clusters Baby Blanket by Leelee Knits (free & paid options available on the LeeLeeKnits website) Yarn: Caron Cinnamon Swirl Cakes in the Hibiscus Colorway (purchased 3). 1 skein of Loops & Threads Impeccable in Orange for the border) Hooks: H (5.0 mm) Ravelry Project Page I really enjoy this pattern. It's a 2 row repeat that I remember having memorized the first time around but thought I couldn't this time. After working maybe 10 repeats, I was able to memorize it. It's just the cozy comfort project I need right now.   From the Armchair   Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Counting the Cost: A Memoir. by Jill Duggar with Derick Dillard and Craig Borlaise. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. A Funny Story by Emily Henry. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   KAL News No Splash Pad Party this Summer, but check out these other awesome online events Summer Sock Camp with the Crazy Sock Lady The Knit Girllls are hosting their annual Stash Dash Event from May 24-August 31,2024. Here's a chatter thread for stash dash 2024! Stash Dash will run from May 24th-the end of August. Craft all the things and see how your FO pile grows! This is a competition only against yourself. Discord link: knit girllls discord   Events Webs Fleece Market: May 18 in Northampton, MA (Tent sale May 16-17) Coggeshall Farm Sheep & Wool Festival: May 18th in Bristol, RI Massachusetts Sheep & Wool: may 25 & 26, 2024 in Cummington, MA Flock Fiber Festival- August 9-11 in Seattle, WA Adirondack Wool & Arts Festival; September 21 & 22, 2024 in Greenwich, NY (GREEN-Witch) Vermont Sheep & Wool: October 1 & 2, 2024 in Tunnebridge, VT NY Sheep & Wool Festival (aka Rhinebeck): October 19 & 20, 2024 in Rhinebeck, NY For more West Coast (US) event- check out the Seattle Knitters Guild Site.   Know of an event I should spread the word about? Let me know!   Life in Focus   I shared more details about my parents' car accident. Tune in to hear more. Thankfully they are both recovering. Resources- Scituate Etrusco- serves the South Shore of MA with medical equipment that they loan out. Huge savings! Look for something similar near you. I'm not sure what this will mean for mom's upcoming cancer treatments. She was supposed to be healing to be ready for radiation. Will know more within the next week.   On a Happy Note Conor & Carly hosted a family game night for their Bucket List with a Twist item with my mom. We played Code Names & Penny Drop! Riley gave Auntie Krissy the chicken we made together and she was over the moon! It was awesome. My cousin Jenny had her baby girl, Vera Camela, at the hospital where I work, so I got to hold her when she was only a few hours old! I went to see a local production of Gypsy that my friend Megg was in. My 12 year old niece Millie was a huge help with my parents. I finished my drawing class at the local rec center. I had to miss 2 out of 6 classes, but I learned a lot doing a portrait of Eme from a photo I took of them at the playground when they were a kid. I took my grandmother to my cousin Colleen's baby shower. Coleen had a great reaction to her crocheted blanket. I'm always grateful for that. We had a birthday dinner for Aila- low key backyard party made more interesting by a full-family cartwheel contest! Big work project rolling out new technology went well. I was still able to take Mom to her appointments (while Dad wasn't driving and they didn't have a car), and was able to work other shifts so my coworkers could attend their kids events. As a thank you for that, my boss invited us to use a suite at the Garden for game 1 of the Celtics/Cavaliers Playoff Game! The Celtics crushed it. Dan wasn't able to come, so I brought my friend Liz who is a huge fan. My friend Laura came in to visit for Mother's Day weekend- along w/ 7 of my Mom's friends. We went to a movie on Friday night then to visit Mom and her guests on Saturday. Sunday we made brunch for Mother's Day and then off to see Millie as a Munchkin and Flying Monkey in the Wizard of Oz at a local theater.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Quote of the Week “It's easier to take than to give. It's nobler to give than to take. The thrill of taking lasts a day. The thrill of giving lasts a lifetime.” ~ Joan Marques   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

This week are joined by Senior SEO Consultant, Rob Stanbury, to explore essential strategies to elevate & cement your Brand's SEO position!From uncovering the five key focus areas in SEO to demonstrating relevance on your collection page, we provide actionable insights to help you climb the search engine rankings.Discover the power of buying guides and learn how to structure a user journey for maximum impact. We also explore the future of marketing with AI personalization and share quick fixes for offsite links and SEO.In addition, we tackle the age-old question: Do we need backlinks in our business? Explore the nuances of omnichannel and cross-channel marketing, and uncover the relevance of email marketing in the realm of SEO.Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this episode will help ensure you are maximising your SEO success!Key takeaways:0:00 Introduction2:22 How to Dominate Google Search Engine7:31 Five Things to Focus On in the SEO Space8:00 How to show your relevance to Google on the Collection page11:26 Buying Guides & More13:39 How to Structure a User Journey18:23 The Future of Marketing: AI Personalization24:58 Quick fixes for Offsite Links & SEO32:40 Do We Need Backlinks in our Business?36:44 Omnichannel & Cross Channel Marketing40:38 How is email relevant to SEO?44:00 Creating Unique Marketing Campaigns46:40 How to make great content51:59 Brand vs Non-Brand: How to Cement Your SiteSign up to our next webinar here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/spec-digital-26209947271Reach out to the Spec team here: https://spec.digital/expertise/seo-services/Website: https://winningwithshopify.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@winningwithshopifyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/winning_with_shopify/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@winningwithshopify Support the Show.

Youth pastors wear many hats within youth ministry and often times it causes them to get bogged down with so much of the weight to bear.  In this episode, we take a look at some specialized teams that can be a game changer for student ministry.  These teams can not only make your life easier, but your youth ministry so much better!Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check outGrowYourYouthMinistry.com *****=======We love hearing from you all and we do our best to provide powerful and insightful youth ministry content on a weekly basis to be that coach and mentor you may not have, but desperately need.If you have an episode idea, please E-Mail us at MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com!If you have it on your heart to support this ministry, please consider going to our Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/ministrycoach=======You may also enjoy these episodes:(#012) Creating a Safe Ministry - 3 Areas to Focus On(#114) Youth Ministry Interns (Is Your Ministry Ready to Hire One?)(#040) How to Start a Student Leadership Team in Youth Ministry=======

The Fed shut down the BTFP, but just before it closed billions in loans were made to banks over the repeated objections of policymakers. Officials have been pushing depositories toward the Discount Window to the point even the FHLB system is dissuading its members from using its own advances as emergency liquidity. Yet, the last-minute BTFP indicates banks just aren't doing it with some substantial implications. Eurodollar University's conversation w/Steve Van MetreFHFA FHLBank System at 100: Focus On the Futurehttps://www.fhfa.gov/AboutUs/Reports/ReportDocuments/FHLBank-System-at-100-Report.pdfFHFA Fact Sheet https://www.fhfa.gov/Media/PublicAffairs/PublicAffairsDocuments/FHLBank-System-at-100-Fact-Sheet.pdfhttps://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

As moms we all have quote a bit that falls under our stewardship responsibility.  I recently asked my audience what are the most important things we have to steward over in mom life. Those who responded gave a list of their top few. While I don't disagree with their answers, I believe there are two particular areas that we as moms must steward over well in order to be able to manage everything else well.  Those two are your time & your health. Listen in as I dive into time management and health management, the two most important areas to steward over and why.  If you're not effectively managing over your time and your health, then sisters the Intentional & Healthy Woman Bundle is FOR YOU! My incredible Jesus loving health coach friend Robin and I have partnered together to bring you a truly life chaning bundle that will have you walking away with effectiveness, peace, and abundnace over your time and health stewardship in 12 weeks. Plus theres a bunch of fun bonuses! Join the waitlist today to be the first to be notified when the cart opens on this 72 hour ONLY bundle offer we have to share with you all at a steal of a deal!  https://intentionalabundance.life/healthy Snag your free Simple Biblical Selfcare Blueprint here: https://simplebiblicalselfcare.com/ Your Host, Sasha Star Robertson is a Productivity for driven Christian moms, wife of 15 years to her best friend, mom blessed by adoption x3, travel addict, and Jesus freak. She is the founder of The Intentional Abundance Co., curator of the Life & Goals Planner, host of the Intentional MomLife with Jesus Podcast & co-host of the Faithful Family Fortress Podcast. Sasha is passionate about the call in Isaiah 61:1-2 and believes that God called her to set mothers free from the stress, overwhelm, and burden associated with modern day motherhood and instead help them live in the freedom and abundance of Christ through Biblical mindset & balanced schedules. You're invited to join us in the Mom Life Balance Community over on facebook! It's a safe space where we can show up vulnerably and encourage each other, where ere share the mission of being the best mommas we can be through the grace and strength of Jesus Christ, where we encourage consistency and are able to hold each other accountable. We share scripture and talk about podcast episodes and pray for each other and set goals and so much more! You're more than welcome here, you're wanted here! https://intentionalabundance.life/community Want weekly emails with Biblical encouragement, podcast episode links, special offers, and to be the first to hear about new offerings? Join us on the Intentional Momlife with Jesus Podcast Insiders email list at https://intentionalabundance.life/insider Leave Sasha a message on her SpeakPipe to be featured on the Podcast! Whether you have a topic or specific question you'd like discussed here on the show, or want to leave a verbal review. https://www.speakpipe.com/MomlifewithJesus **Scriptures Referenced:** Ephesians 5:15-17 Matthew 7:3-5 **Past Episodes Referenced** 037: Simple Biblical Selfcare for Busy Christian Moms 122: Is Selfcare a Selfish Thing for Moms to Focus On? 175: Vision Driven Health part 1 with Robin Rhine McDonald 176: How to Make Grace Based Health Choices for Busy Moms part 2 with Robin Rhine McDonald

Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check outGrowYourYouthMinistry.com ***** Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a midweek youth group program, trying to focus on the announcements or message, only to be sidetracked by a pair of teenagers cuddling in the corner? It's a situation many church leaders know all too well, and it's the heart of our latest episode where we grapple with the challenge of public displays of affection (PDA) in youth ministry.  In this episode, we navigate the complex dance of spirituality and romance in adolescence by setting a balance of policy & situational wisdom.  As youth pastors, we want to come along side our student's growth journey and aid their developmental stages while prioritizing their faith.  Listen in as we tackle the awkward but necessary conversations about PDA, striving to guide our youth with patience and understanding, all without compromising the space that student ministry is meant to be. =======We love hearing from you all and we do our best to provide powerful and insightful youth ministry content on a weekly basis to be that coach and mentor you may not have, but desperately need.If you have an episode idea, please E-Mail us at MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com!If you have it on your heart to support this ministry, please consider going to our Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/ministrycoach=======You may also enjoy these episodes:(#012) Creating a Safe Ministry - 3 Areas to Focus On!=======

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 273 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website.    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair KAL News Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsor: Stitched by Jessalu   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Jenny's Blanket Pattern: Modified Sedge Stitch Blanket by Nicole Mansfield ($2 crochet pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Sky Blue, Teal, Mint, Cyan, Jade Green and Aqua Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page I first used this border on a Cozy Clusters Blanket  (Ravelry project page here). I learned about this edge technique on this website.   Millie's 2nd Squishmallow Pattern: None. I did base some of the basic shaping on this pattern on Etsy Hook: D (3.25 mm) Yarn: worsted weight acrylic yarn in brown, tan, white & pink I worked bottom up with the brown, adding in a patch of white at the belly. I created the face out of tan/white and added safety eyes and sewed it on. I added 2 brown ears and a pink and white headband like this Squishmallow: Andres the Sheltie Dog (Amazon Affiliate Link)   Declan's 2nd Socks Yarn: Patons Kroy in the Greener Pastures Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Green, black, gray, cream, mustard stripes + gray/green/white self patterning stripe. Thanks for all the tips for his care package! Definitely taking some of those into account.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   FearLESS Socks (DK) Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz DK (75% Merino, 25% Nylon) in the FearLESS Colorway Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Size: XS About the Colorway- FearLESS is a special colorway by Legacy Fiber Artz for our February Fiber Community FearLESS Living Fund Fundraiser. Special Colorway “FearLESS” available in DK, Steel Toes (sock) and Cozy Toes (sock) Progress: 1st sock is finished. I'm knitting on the foot of the second sock.   FearLESS Socks (Cozy Toes) Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz DK (75% Merino, 25% Nylon) in the FearLESS Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Size: M About the Colorway- FearLESS is a special colorway by Legacy Fiber Artz for our February Fiber Community FearLESS Living Fund Fundraiser. Special Colorway “FearLESS” available in DK, Steel Toes (sock) and Cozy Toes (sock) Progress: Finished the first sock and the cuff of the second. These socks will be gifted to my Mom's chemo nurse, Nicole, who also cared for my Aunt Florence.   Modern Classic Baby Blanket Pattern: Modern Classic Baby Blanket by Kristin Holloway ($8 crochet pattern available on Ravelry: free version w/ ads available on this website) Hook: I (5.5) Yarn: Big Twist Tweed in White (7 skeins) Size: Crib Blanket: 36 x 50” The blanket is worked in 2 halves that you seam together at the center to make it symmetrical. The pattern features some crochet cables.   Let the Mystery Unravel 2023 Blanket of Calm Pattern: Blanket of Calm by Casapinka (free crochet pattern) Yarn: Woolen Women Fibers- Let the Mystery Unravel subscription + Cascade Heritage Sock yarn in the Forged Iron Colorway Hook: 3.25 mm (D) Ravelry Project Page You can find my Let the Mystery Unravel Unboxing Video on YouTube in this Playlist This subscription is not available to new subscribers but I hope you'll watch each month and see how my blanket comes along. Stay tuned to Woolen Women for all of the fun kits they have! Don't forget, they're Pro Shop Sponsors. Progress Notes- I finished the 3 round DC border to my December squares. My January squares done and seamed. I need to add the border to that.   From the Armchair   Reading The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. You, Again by Kate Goldbeck. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Watching: Dan and I recently watched all 4 seasons of Jack Ryan on Prime. We also loved Jury Duty (also on Prime). I'm thoroughly enjoying Love is Blind Season 6 & chatting about it with my friend Laura.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   KAL News Pigskin Party '23 Tune in to hear if you're a January Participation Winner and/or a Grand Prize Winner!   Contest, News & Notes Check out all of the details about our Fiber Community February FearLESS Living Fundraiser including the participating makers.   To make a personal donation, you can use this link  Please use the option to “Add a Public Comment” to let us know you're part of this Fiber Community Fundraiser.  I recommend including your Instagram/Ravelry user name so sponsors doing prize drawings and confirm/find you.   Life in Focus   I gave updates on a few of my 24 for 2024 items #4- Read more books than you did in 2023 (50) well on my way with 10 books in first 2 months of the year. #10- Publish at least one new pattern redid the math and proportions for a shawl I came up with last year. talked to an indie dyer about yarn support #16- go skiing   6 of 24 completely done!   On a Happy Note Valentine's Day software upgrade at work went well. I was awake at 2:30a so it was a long day and nothing festive really but it was a good day! We hosted Millie and Hattie for their birthday sleepovers. I took them to the Altitude trampoline park and Panera on Friday night. Saturday morning: Millie and I hiked while Hattie and Dan did a dump run and rode around in the tractor. We all did some crafts together before heading to the movies to see Migration. I tried a new OPI nail color and loved it. It's called "Pink in Bio" I've completed teaching 2 of 4 classes on the OMG Heel at my LYS and we've already got more than half of the class successfully turning heels. I enjoyed a movie night at my Mom's to watch Wonka. Dan and I did a 1000 piece Ford puzzle. I went skiing at Crotched Mountain. Tune in to hear a funny story about Megg's fall. We all had a fabulous time at my cousin Jenny's baby shower. She loved her crochet blanket. I had a lovely visit with my middle-school best friend Maribeth who is very sick. She was inpatient at the hospital where I work and I was able to go up and see her and catch up. I love the daily puzzles from the New York Times- especially Spelling Bee. On the 21st I got every possible word earning me Queen Bee status! My friend Trish gave me a souvenir from a trip she took to New Orleans; she went to a local yarn shop and bought yarn from Louisiana- which I'll definitely knit into socks for her. Cat Tails yarn dyed exclusively for the Quarter Stitch Colorway Christmas Bonfires   Quote of the Week It is hard, so terribly hard, to please yourself. Far from being the easy thing that it sounds like, it is almost the hardest thing in the world, because we are not always comfortable with that true self that lies deep within us. –Christopher Alexander   ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Sara Taher talks with Jason Barnard about SEO strategy mastery: results-driven growth. Sara Taher is an SEO consultant based in Ontario, Canada. She has been doing SEO since 2014 and has worked both on the agency side and in-house with a portfolio of many national and international clients. Sara is also an SEO speaker and author. Previously, she was the founder of a startup and completed the YC Online Startup School Bootcamp. Sara specializes in enterprise, SaaS and ecommerce SEO. Effective SEO is not just about ticking boxes on a checklist, but a strategic measure that requires careful consideration and planning. Each task within an SEO strategy needs to be assessed in terms of its potential impact, the effort required to achieve it and its priority in relation to other tasks. This means that you need to know which actions will benefit your website the most, how many resources you need to invest and in what order these tasks should be tackled to achieve optimal results. In this episode, the wonderful Sara Taher shares insights into her techniques for mastering SEO strategies. Sara emphasizes that SEO is not just a checklist, but requires thoughtful prioritization and planning. She explains this using a t-shirt sized model that indicates effort, impact and priority. Sara discusses the importance of understanding client aspirations, aligning strategies with business goals, and making SEO tactics understandable and accessible to the client. She also gives compelling examples of how to do this in practice. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… Sara passes the virtual baton to next week's incredible guest, Chris Outlaw. What you'll learn from Sara Taher 00:00 Sara Taher and Jason Barnard 01:00 Sara Taher's Brand SERP and Knowledge Panel 03:38 Why is SEO Not Just a Checklist? 04:30 Why Do Businesses Need to Prioritize Their SEO Efforts? 04:52 What is the Most Effective Way to Prioritize Tasks in an SEO Checklist for a Specific Client? 05:11 Which System Does Sara Taher Use to Simplify Task Assessment? 08:45 Why is Simplicity Important When Communicating with Clients? 10:37 Which Conversions to Focus On in an SEO Strategy 11:44 How to Tailor Your SEO Strategy to the Client's Specific Goals 12:30 Why is Site Hygiene Important and How Does it Fit into the Overall Strategy? 13:16 Why is it Best to Start with Bottom-Of-Funnel Landing Pages When Aiming for Conversions? 15:14 What are the Essential Updates Needed for Category Pages? 16:56 What Does it Mean to Match SEO Tactics with Results? 17:32 How to Measure the Success of More Complex Technical SEO Strategies 19:23 What Strategies Does Sara Taher Use to Gain Clients' Trust? 21:34 What are the Benefits of Taking Time to Reflect on Your Work Processes? 22:55 How Important is it to Listen to Clients When They Talk About Their Business? 27:29 How Does SEO Help with Branded Search? 28:42 Passing the Baton: Sara Taher to Chris Outlaw This episode was recorded live on video November 28th 2023

William Attaway talks with Jason Barnard about how to build an unbreakable, unshakable business. William Attaway is a mindset and leadership coach who helps high performance agency owners and their teams to navigate challenging situations and maximize their potential with Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence. As business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses, they often feel out of control, overwhelmed and struggle to make confident, quick decisions that impact their success and that of their teams. Is there a roadmap somewhere to help you build an unbreakable business with unwavering confidence so you can have more joy and ease? How can you avoid the ditches that other business owners and entrepreneurs have fallen into? In his new book, William Attaway draws from his own personal leadership experience, as well as the experience of hundreds of leaders he has coached, and shares 12 key principles that can help leaders grow and add value to those they lead today, no matter where they are. Scaling a business requires a clear focus to effectively manage growth and ensure that all strategies are aligned with the company's goals. External perspectives can provide fresh insights that help eliminate internal biases and provide clarity. Also, a strong team that is aligned with the company's values is vital to growth, as employees are not just employees, but also the driving force in achieving the company's goals. Together, these elements form the foundation for successfully and purposefully scaling a business in a collaborative effort. In this episode, William Attaway discusses how founders can deal with losing control as their business grows. He emphasizes the importance of understanding your team, clear-minded focus and gives insightful advice on handing over tasks, the relevance of focused and balanced decision making and moving from a reaction-driven to a calmer response. The conversation also centers around Jim Collins' bus philosophy and how it relates to placing team members in a bus scenario. William illustrates the "five Cs" to consider when hiring employees: Commitment, Chemistry, Culture, Character and Competency. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… William passes the virtual baton to next week's awesome guest, Theresa Rose. What you'll learn from William Attaway 00:00 William Attaway and Jason Barnard 00:58 William Attaway's Brand SERP 03:37 Why is a Clean Digital Footprint Important? 05:59 How Can Founders Deal with Losing Control as Their Business Grows? 06:38 How Can Entrepreneurs Maintain Clear-Minded Focus 07:15 How External Perspectives Drive Clarity and Focus in Branding and Marketing 08:33 What Business Leaders Need to Focus On for Optimal Business Growth 09:59 Balancing Passions and Skills: How to Determine the Best Use of Your Time? 11:57 From Chaos to Calm Control: How to Achieve a 'Mind Like Water' in Business? 14:37 Why Abdicating Leadership in Your Business is Always a Bad idea? 16:37 How Can an Outside, Unbiased Perspective Support Company's Success? 18:21 Clear Focus and Delegation to Move Towards Organisational Goals 22:35 Five C's to Have the Right People in Your Team 23:20 First C: Commitment 23:28 Second C: Chemistry 23:44 Third C: Culture 23:58 Fourth C: Character 24:26 Fifth C: Competency 24:58 Understanding Individual Disposition to Influence Task Allocation and Team Success 26:50 Is Leadership Development Equally Applicable to Managers and Team Members? 27:23 How to Determine If Someone Isn't a Good Fit for Your Team 28:12 Do Regular Check-Ins Improve Team Productivity, Performance and Effectiveness? 30:27 How Does Clear-Minded Focus Impact Your Decision-Making Confidence? 31:25 How Does Branded Search Help Build an Unbreakable, Unshakable Business? 32:19 Passing the Baton: William Attaway to Theresa Rose This episode was recorded live on video November 14th 2023

William Attaway talks with Jason Barnard about how to build an unbreakable, unshakable business. William Attaway is a mindset and leadership coach who helps high performance agency owners and their teams to navigate challenging situations and maximize their potential with Clear-Minded Focus, Calm Control, and Confidence. As business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses, they often feel out of control, overwhelmed and struggle to make confident, quick decisions that impact their success and that of their teams. Is there a roadmap somewhere to help you build an unbreakable business with unwavering confidence so you can have more joy and ease? How can you avoid the ditches that other business owners and entrepreneurs have fallen into? In his new book, William Attaway draws from his own personal leadership experience, as well as the experience of hundreds of leaders he has coached, and shares 12 key principles that can help leaders grow and add value to those they lead today, no matter where they are. Scaling a business requires a clear focus to effectively manage growth and ensure that all strategies are aligned with the company's goals. External perspectives can provide fresh insights that help eliminate internal biases and provide clarity. Also, a strong team that is aligned with the company's values is vital to growth, as employees are not just employees, but also the driving force in achieving the company's goals. Together, these elements form the foundation for successfully and purposefully scaling a business in a collaborative effort. In this episode, William Attaway discusses how founders can deal with losing control as their business grows. He emphasizes the importance of understanding your team, clear-minded focus and gives insightful advice on handing over tasks, the relevance of focused and balanced decision making and moving from a reaction-driven to a calmer response. The conversation also centers around Jim Collins' bus philosophy and how it relates to placing team members in a bus scenario. William illustrates the "five Cs" to consider when hiring employees: Commitment, Chemistry, Culture, Character and Competency. As always, the show ends with passing the baton… William passes the virtual baton to next week's awesome guest, Theresa Rose. What you'll learn from William Attaway 00:00 William Attaway and Jason Barnard 00:58 William Attaway's Brand SERP 03:37 Why is a Clean Digital Footprint Important? 05:59 How Can Founders Deal with Losing Control as Their Business Grows? 06:38 How Can Entrepreneurs Maintain Clear-Minded Focus 07:15 How External Perspectives Drive Clarity and Focus in Branding and Marketing 08:33 What Business Leaders Need to Focus On for Optimal Business Growth 09:59 Balancing Passions and Skills: How to Determine the Best Use of Your Time? 11:57 From Chaos to Calm Control: How to Achieve a 'Mind Like Water' in Business? 14:37 Why Abdicating Leadership in Your Business is Always a Bad idea? 16:37 How Can an Outside, Unbiased Perspective Support Company's Success? 18:21 Clear Focus and Delegation to Move Towards Organisational Goals 22:35 Five C's to Have the Right People in Your Team 23:20 First C: Commitment 23:28 Second C: Chemistry 23:44 Third C: Culture 23:58 Fourth C: Character 24:26 Fifth C: Competency 24:58 Understanding Individual Disposition to Influence Task Allocation and Team Success 26:50 Is Leadership Development Equally Applicable to Managers and Team Members? 27:23 How to Determine If Someone Isn't a Good Fit for Your Team 28:12 Do Regular Check-Ins Improve Team Productivity, Performance and Effectiveness? 30:27 How Does Clear-Minded Focus Impact Your Decision-Making Confidence? 31:25 How Does Branded Search Help Build an Unbreakable, Unshakable Business? 32:19 Passing the Baton: William Attaway to Theresa Rose This episode was recorded live on video November 14th 2023

Leading Beyond the Herd: Disruptive Ideas for Success with Roy OsingBeing Different: A Unique Approach to Success in Life and BusinessIn a world boxed in within norms, rules, and 'being better', Roy Osing, also known as 'Be Different or Be Dead' guy, paints a different picture about achieving success. He asserts that uniqueness and differentiation matter more than being 'number one'. He stresses that individuals and businesses should focus on their defined roles and look inward to set their standards rather than obsessing over competitors and comparing. For individuals wanting to excel in their careers or lives, he suggests looking for mentors who provide practical insights and have attained personal achievements. He also proposes moving away from 'textbook knowledge' and focusing on practical application. Roy espouses being attached to those you serve, your customers or people, and continuously finding unique ways to meet their needs. Lastly, among his key takeaways were avoiding 'gargling Google' to prevent imitation and nurturing the ability to tell one's story differently.Time Line00:00 Introduction00:00 The Importance of Being Unique00:27 The Problem with Conformity01:48 The Role of Education in Shaping Mindsets02:41 The Power of Disruption08:02 The Impact of Language and Self-Talk08:49 The Art of Differentiation12:11 The Influence of Personal Background23:17 The Importance of Performance and Communication26:02 The Success of Eliminating Dumb Rules26:50 The Power of Memorable Expressions27:14 The Goal: A Billion Dollars in Annual Revenue27:40 The Strategy: Increase Customer Engagement28:20 The Execution: Planning on the Run29:01 The Result: A Billion Dollars Worth of Value29:36 The Method: Killing Dumb Rules and Cutting the Crap29:54 The Language of Business: Increasing Viscosity32:39 The Journey: From Bully to Business Success34:57 The Focus: On the Customer, Not the Competition38:33 The Differentiation: Moving Away from the Mass45:31 The Payoff: Living the Life and Paying it Forward49:52 The Future: Being Different and Changing the World

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 272 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Show notes with photos can be found on my website- www.downcellarstudio.com/272   This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming Knitting in Passing From the Armchair KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week     Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Same as It Ever Was Hat Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Beatnik colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page   Nimbus Vest Pattern: Nimbus by Berrocco Design Team (free knitting pattern) Yarn: Worsted Weight 100% Wool (from Rhinebeck 2022) held double Needles:  US 10 (6.0mm) Ravelry Project Page Notes: I added length to the body before the underarms. I worked 13 inches before the sleeves (4 inches longer than called for) Goofed up working on front left.  Didn't read the instructions well and I bound off stitches for the underarm on the RS of the piece instead of the WS. Thankfully the rows were very short after that, so ripped back and was able to fix it in less than an hour. Seaming- I seamed the shoulders and then the sides before setting in the sleeve. I should have done it in this order 1) shoulders 2) sleeves, 3) sides. This post from Amy Herzog was helpful re: Setting in Sleeves. Collar- added a row of SC around the collar to make it look a little neater. Finished Project 700g.   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Jenny's Blanket Pattern: Modified Sedge Stitch Blanket by Nicole Mansfield ($2 crochet pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Sky Blue, Teal, Mint, Cyan, Jade Green and Aqua Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: Finished all 5 color-block sections. I am using the 6th color for the border because the blanket was already long enough with 5 colors. The pattern has 2 border options, a scalloped edge & a modified picot edge. The latter is what I was planning but I think instead I'll use a bobble edging. I first used this border on a Cozy Clusters Blanket  (Ravelry project page here). I learned about this edge technique on this website.   Same as It Ever Was Hat #2 Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Kingdom Fleece and Fiberworks. No colorway listed. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page About the colorway- pink/mauve base with taupes, blues, greens and other pinks/maroons.   Declan's 2nd Socks Yarn: Patons Kroy in the Greener Pastures Colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Green, black, gray, cream, mustard stripes + gray/green/white self patterning stripe. Progress- I finished the first sock and turned the heel on the second sock this weekend.   FearLESS Socks Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz DK (75% Merino, 25% Nylon) in the FearLESS Colorway Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Cast on for the smallest size and that fits well. About the Colorway- Special Colorway “FearLESS” available in DK, Steel Toes (sock) and Cozy Toes (sock). Sue & Chelsea are donating 50% of sales to our FearLESS Living Fund. Progress: Leg of the first sock is almost done!.   Brainstorming Greyhaven Hat by Robin Ulrich. $5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry Chicken Family Crochet Pattern by Atomic Crochet Shop on Etsy. $5 crochet pattern on Etsy.   Knitting in Passing Millie finished the headband she'd started for Mom. Riley made Mom a chemo hat on a knitting loom in craft class at school. I cast on for a hat with the Plied Yarn we bought for Millie at the Farm Fiber Days event in January and handed it off to Millie to knit a hat for her Dad.   From the Armchair Bad Mormon by Heather Gay. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Spare by Prince Harry. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Maybe Once, Maybe Twice by Alison Rose Greenberg. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   KAL News Pigskin Party '23   Tune in to hear about: Quarter 4 Challenge: Cable It Up winners Participation Prize Winners Commentator Update   The mad dash to get all those points entered was in full swing on Saturday night (superbowl eve).  As of the time I looked, players had entered 299 projects since the start of February!     On the boards, HikesandBikes (Nikii) shared their experience with a new approach to the tubular cast on where you use Judy's Magic Cast On.  I'd seen this on Patty Lyon's instagram and was intrigued so I was super interested in what Nikii thought of it (as were others).   There's also been some talk of knitting and walking. Loonyhiker shared that when she knits and walks she has a lot of interesting conversations because people are fascinated that she can do it.  Deafelis shared the hot tip that Lowes or Home Depot are great places to practice because the aisles are wide and the floors are smooth (so fewer tripping hazards).  Azknitwit noted that an indoor mall might be a great place to practice too!   Finally, continuing with a recent theme about how yarn and how many projects to bring when traveling, Socalknit girl shared a sad cautionary tale of how to recover when disaster strikes the one and only project you brought on vacation.   Thanks for a fun season! Mary   Events Check out all of the details about our Fiber Community February FearLESS Living Fundraiser including the participating makers.   To make a personal donation, you can use this link  Please use the option to “Add a Public Comment” to let us know you're part of this Fiber Community Fundraiser.  I recommend including your Instagram/Ravelry user name so sponsors doing prize drawings and confirm/find you.   More About This Project: February 9th is my mom, Diane Lassonde's, birthday. Diane came up with the idea for the FearLESS Living Fund when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer in December 2021. Since then, each birthday we celebrate with her is precious and this year, with your help, I want to make her birthday month even MORE special by raising funds for this charity she's created.   The FearLESS Living Fund picks up where the Blind Center of Nevada's services leave off, helping their outstanding clients to live more fearlessly in pursuit of their dreams. In 2023, we gave out over $9,000 in scholarships. You can watch a video of the event here. With your help, we can raise even more.   Contest, News & Notes   New Videos on the Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Let the Mystery Unravel February Box Yarnable Unboxing- February 2024 Diane Lassonde Health Update #10 including more background on the FearLESS Living Fund inspiration with videos from the Blind Center of Nevada and more information about our February Fundraiser. Check out this video with Lisa from Fibernymph Dyeworks about the FearLESS Living Fund and her custom colorway- Dream Big Check out this video with Sue from Legacy Fiber Artz about the FearLESS Living Fund and their custom colorway- FearLESS   Life in Focus   2024 Word of the Year- Heart In sorting jewelry with Mom, I found a pair of gold earrings and a necklace that coordinate; both have hearts on them. I've been wearing them most of the time and loving them. Connection to her and to my word, which is a million times better than any of the items I was looking at on Etsy. I hung the heart collage photo poster in the dining room with painters tape! Let's not overcomplicate things!   24 for 2024 list Get 2 massages beyond the one per month at Massage Envy End the year with more money in the bank than when I started in January. Make & assess goals each month of the year - Jan done Read more books than you did in 2023 (50) Organize a fundraiser for the FearLESS Living Fund Come up with better temporary & more permanent storage for memory items. Bought a beautiful box to put items in. Store in hutch in diningroom where I work most days. Visit 1 new (to me) museum or historical site Add one new indoor plant to my collection Buy/make/work with Dan/Oisin on at least 1 plant stand for the living or dining room Publish at least one new pattern Knit at least 1 finished project with handspun Knit/crochet myself a new sweater Make a Christmas afghan for the living room Take a class Purge at least 20 items from my wardrobe Go skiing Watch at least 5 of the movies on the Jen/Liz movie list Do something special for our Anniversary in May Do a regular (ideally monthly) review of Dropbox Camera Uploads to delete unnecessary items Buy a new quilt and/or duvet cover for our bed Buy a new blow dryer. Get my car detailed Buy new curtains for living room Ordered 3. We picked one! I ordered more, they arrived and we hung them up! YAY! Try a new local restaurant   On a Happy Note The whole family went to Garret's hockey game and out for dinner after. I've been trying out Dinnerly meal kit delivery service. So far, I'm really enjoying the 2 meals a week I'm getting. The food is fresh and the portions are generous. If you'd like to try it, you can use this link to get a free box. There is a limit, so don't wait. If the link doesn't work, please email me and I can get a unique offer sent to your email address. Birthday dinner at Mom's on her actual birthday with Mom, Dad, Jeff and the kids + Dan. Dad & Riley lipsyncing to Taylor Swift. Hilarious! Birthday dinner for birthday twins, Diane & Hattie. Karaoke, hair shaving, presents, cake and lots of silliness. I planted amaryllis from a bulb that was gifted to me and its flowering beautifully! I'm so excited.   Quote of the Week   Kindness eases change / Love quiets fear –OCTAVIA E. BUTLER   ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.  

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 271 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website- www.downcellarstudio.com/271    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins From the Armchair Crafty Adventures In my Travels KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsor: Stitched by Jessalu   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   I Love You More Socks Yarn: Malabrigo Arroyo in the Azules colorway (medium denim blue) Needles: US 3(3.25 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page For these DK socks, I cast on 48 sts and followed the OMG heel instructions for that stitch count. I worked more ruonds of ribbing than I usually do and used that as the whole leg of the sock, then worked heel, and foot as usual.  I included some colorwork in a neon coral DK yarn to say " I love" on the left sock and "you more" on the right sock. When squished up it looks like it says I Love You Mom which is also perfect!   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Jenny's Blanket Pattern: Modified Sedge Stitch Blanket by Nicole Mansfield ($2 crochet pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Sky Blue, Teal, Mint, Cyan, Jade Green and Aqua Hook: I (5.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: nearly done with color 2 of 6.   Same as It Ever Was Hat Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Beatnik colorway Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Knit wit designs. Snack shack sponsor. Progress: nearly ready for the decreases.   Same as It Ever Was Hat #2 Pattern: Same as It Ever Was by Sarah Jordan ($6 knitting pattern available on Ravelry) Yarn: Kingdom Fleece and Fiberworks. No colorway listed. Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) Ravelry Project Page Progress: more than half way done.   Nimbus Vest Pattern: Nimbus by Berrocco Design Team (free knitting pattern) Yarn: Worsted Weight 100% Wool (from Rhinebeck 2022) held double Needles:  US 10 (6.0mm) Ravelry Project Page Notes: I added about 4 inches to the body before the armholes.   From the Armchair Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewel. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Crafty Adventures   We recently had a crafty sleepover at my parents- Kris, Aila, Megg, Hattie, Millie, Riley (Jeff for a bit), Mom & her long-time friend Lin. Needle felting & Alcohol Inks + Fire on Glass (click here for a related video tutorial if you're curious)   Stitched by JessaLu is the home of handmade project bags in a variety of fun, floral, geeky, or pop-culture themed prints. All bags are made by one woman - JessaLu - on an antique Singer sewing machine in her home in Western Massachusetts. JessaLu has been making quality project bags and an assortment of sewn accessories since 2008 and has recently begun to design her own exclusive prints! Check them out at StitchedbyJessalu.com and stay tuned for a special FearLESS Living Fund themed bag coming soon as part of the February Fundraiser for BostonJensMom.   In My Travels   Mom, Millie and I met up with our friend Ryan at the Farm Fiber Days Event at Wayland Farmers Market at Russells Garden Center. Millie was looking for yarn to knit a hat for her dad. We found it in one of the first booths- Plied Yarns. Always great to see Ann Weaver. We did a full loop and went back to purchase yarn. I bought a handsewn chicken potholder set. The Blue Heron Farm (in Vermont) hosted their table for folks to learn Needle Felting. Millie made Ryan a butterfly like the ones she made for us. Thanks to "Auntie Shelly" at Blue Heron for encouraging Millie. I got some great info from Jim Grant from Good Karma Farm about getting going on my Cricular Sock Machine. Check out their video on How to Knit a Sock on Circular Sock Machine for beginners. We got lunch after at The Local. Then Mom and I went back and I bought a few plants, a watering can & a decorative pumpkin from the clearance section. The next Farm Fiber Days at Wayland Farmer's Market is March 3, 2024. Details can be found on their website.   Vogue Knitting Live in New York City Class: A Lace for Everything and Everything in Its Lace with Bristol Ivy In the marketplace, I ran into my friend Sarah in the Cowgirlblues booth where I bought some mini skeins. I was thrilled to run into Petrina, Shameika, Twinset Jan I was so happy to meet Pigskin Sponsor, Terri from At Haynes House Yarns. I bought a mini skein bundle from The Golden Purls. I got a quilted bucket bag from M.A.B.E.L, yarn for hat, earrings & a bracelet with fabric covered beads.   Other New York City Notable Moments: Saturday- farmer's market, walked the High Line, visited Chelsea Market, had dinner at Shukette & saw Kimberly Akimbo on Broadway. Sunday- we saw Poor Things at a theater in Lincoln Center and continued our Oscar Nominee movie watch with Past Lives & Anatomy of a Fall (which I didn't enjoy as much as The Replacements which we watched earlier in the weekend)   KAL News Pigskin Party '23 #DCSPigskinParty23 Official Rules Find everything you need on my website or in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group Register using this Google Form (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes) Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc. Coupon Codes are listed in this Google Doc & in this Ravelry Thread Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com Quarter 4 Challenge: Cable It Up brought to you by our Official Sponsor of the 4th Quarter Lolodidit. Full details can be found in this Google Doc and in this Ravelry Thread. Reminder- the KAL ends on February 12th. Get those projects finished! Update from Commentator: Mary There's lots of strategizing and discussion about what there is and is not time to finish before the end of PSP.  Relatedly, there is some discussion about the joys of finishing longstanding WIPs even if those projects don't count for pigskin party. There was also recently some discussion on pros and cons of different approaches to provisional cast ons, including a method where you use a stitch saver instead of scrap yarn (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olAZk2tkTus).  Finally, there's been some talk of travel plans including the intense decision making process that crafters go through when they are trying to decide what projects to bring on a trip.  This has included discussion of pros and cons of checking luggage vs. carrying on and some musings about who decided that packing light is a value we should all aspire to anyway. Kristen recently shared a link to a story about monkeyshine hunting.  Its a neat tradition that coincides with lunar new year in Tacoma. https://gritcitymag.com/2020/01/a-little-backstory-on-monkeyshines-in-tacoma/ Here's a highlight from the endzone dance thread: Sandyrlevin completed an amazing sweater with a really detailed octopus on it. She did it all with duplicate stitch!  It is truly amazing. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Sandyrlevin/217-12-amur-maple     Events   Check out all of the details about our Fiber Community February FearLESS Living Fundraiser including the participating makers.   To make a personal donation, you can use this link  Please use the option to “Add a Public Comment” to let us know you're part of this Fiber Community Fundraiser.  I recommend including your Instagram/Ravelry user name so sponsors doing prize drawings and confirm/find you.   More About This Project: February 9th is my mom, Diane Lassonde's, birthday. Diane came up with the idea for the FearLESS Living Fund when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer in December 2021. Since then, each birthday we celebrate with her is precious and this year, with your help, I want to make her birthday month even MORE special by raising funds for this charity she's created.   The FearLESS Living Fund picks up where the Blind Center of Nevada's services leave off, helping their outstanding clients to live more fearlessly in pursuit of their dreams. In 2023, we gave out over $9,000 in scholarships. You can watch a video of the event here. With your help, we can raise even more.   I also have some wonderful goodies here that I am going to giveaway. I'll be pulling winners from those who donate via the PayPal page. Be sure to mention you're part of the Fiber Community Fundraiser and list your Instagram or Ravelry Name so I can find you and send you your prize.   Life in Focus   2024 Word of the Year- Heart Found a heart mural in NYC Bought a small heart shaped pottery dish to use for stitch markers at a local shop where everything is handcrafted by disabled students at their school. Made a collage of photos (from Walgreens template) from family photo shoot and had it printed 11x14. Now I need to find a place to hang it. Looked at heart jewelry but didn't find any pieces that were "me" so I'm still looking.   24 for 2024 List- updates Get 2 massages beyond the one per month at Massage Envy End the year with more money in the bank than when I started in January. ($51,397- includes CD) Make & assess goals each month of the year Read more books than you did in 2023 (50) Organize a fundraiser for the FearLESS Living Fund (DONE) Come up with better temporary & more permanent storage for memory items. Visit 1 new (to me) museum or historical site Add one new indoor plant to my collection (DONE) Buy/make/work with Dan/Oisin on at least 1 plant stand for the living or dining room Publish at least one new pattern Knit at least 1 finished project with handspun Knit/crochet myself a new sweater Make a Christmas afghan for the living room- in progress Take a class (DONE) Purge at least 20 items from my wardrobe Go skiing Watch at least 5 of the movies on the Jen/Liz movie list 1) Hercules Do something special for our Anniversary in May Do a regular (ideally monthly) review of Dropbox Camera Uploads to delete unnecessary items Buy a new quilt and/or duvet cover for our bed Buy a new blow dryer. Get my car detailed (DONE) Buy new curtains for living room- ordered some to try on 1/19 Try a new local restaurant - Lolita (want one even MORE local)   4 of 24 done in January!   On a Happy Note I was chatting with my friend Margarita who is from the Philippines. She mentioned she gets dried mango in bulk from home and sent some over to me! So sweet of her! Movie night with Liz- Hercules. Car Detailing! It literally feels and smells like a new car! Usually 3+ month wait list- but not at this time of year. Mom made it through Round 1 of Chemo- 3 days in a row. My cousin Jenny (also a nurse at the hospital) visited during day 2 and our cousin Joanie took Mom in on day 3 instead of dad. It was great to spend some quality time with them. Seeing Moulin Rouge with Megg at the Boston Opera House (and dinner at Lolita beforehand) Quality time with Laura & my first visit to NYC since before the pandemic...   Quote of the Week Energy creates energy. It is by spending myself that I become rich. –SARAH BERNHARDT   ------ Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Let's go back to basics! Last week we talked about seeing behavior through the lens of the nervous system and then took a deep-dive into co-regulation.This week begins a three-part deep-dive into the foundational concept of felt safety.What is felt safety, what isn't felt safety, and why it matters!Next we will explore the many different ways we are all neuroceiving safety (or not) from our inner world.In this episode, you'll learnMisconceptions about felt safetyInternal cues of felt safety, such as hunger, illness, or being in chronic protection modeWhat we do with this informationResources mentioned in this podcast:Focus On the Nervous System to Change Behavior {Ep 84}What Does Co-Regulation Really Look Like? {Ep 81}Connection or Protection??? {Ep 7}Enabling Vs. Low-Demand Parenting {Ep 144}Read the full transcript at: RobynGobbel.com/feltsafetyinsideFollow Me On:FacebookInstagramOver on my website you can find:Webinar and eBook on Focus on the Nervous System to Change Behavior (FREE)eBook on The Brilliance of Attachment (FREE)LOTS & LOTS of FREE ResourcesOngoing support, connection, and co-regulation for struggling parents: The ClubYear-Long Immersive & Holistic Training Program for Parenting Professionals: Being With****Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors was an INSTANT USA Today Best Seller! Order your copy (choose from getting it fast, or getting a discount, or getting a signed copy) at RobynGobbel.com/Book

Bodybuilders are genetic anomalies. (1:15) The best examples of achievable ‘bodybuilder' physiques. (2:49) The evolutionary theory behind the attractiveness of a ‘bodybuilding' physique. (4:07) Can You Look Like a Bodybuilder Without Taking Steroids? (10:56) Five Things to Focus On: #1 – CONSISTENCY. (11:11) #2 - Progressive overload (when appropriate). (16:12) #3 – Strength. (22:22) #4 - The pump. (25:11) #5 - Balanced training. (28:55) The ultimate pathway to build the perfect physique. (31:43) Related Links/Products Mentioned Visit Vuori Clothing for an exclusive offer for Mind Pump listeners! Special Promotion: MAPS Aesthetic or MAPS P.E.D. 50% off! ** Promo code BODYBUILDER at checkout ** Steve Reeves - Greatest Physiques Clarence Ross - Greatest Physiques How Larry Scott, the First Mr. Olympia, Changed Bodybuilding Forever Remembering The Bodybuilding Life of Sean Connery Mind Pump #1522: How To Stay Consistent With Your Diet & Workout Mind Pump #1282: The #1 Key To Consistently Building Muscle & Strength (Avoid Plateaus!) Mind Pump #1057: How To Get Stronger For Fat Loss & Muscle Building The Most Overlooked Muscle Building Principle-Mind Pump Blog Mind Pump #1790: The Secret To An Attractive & Functional Body Mind Pump Podcast – YouTube Mind Pump Free Resources  

In this week's episode join Sean Zalmanoff and Kenneth Travis as they go over the importance of tripling down your efforts during today's market. With realtors beginning to experience the market's challenges, now is the perfect opportunity to proactively engage with them and showcase the value you bring to the table. 4:38 – Two Main Areas to Focus On 12:03 – Tripling Down 18:58 – Mass Communication Takeaways: Rather than fearing the challenges ahead, embrace them with excitement, knowing that your hard work will yield positive outcomes. Identify where your time as an originator can have the most significant impact and the highest return on investment. Understand that success is a process that requires discipline and continuous effort. Quotes: “The work I have done for the past year does not have me scared for this winter but has me excited because I know that I am going to produce results.” “The number one thing to focus on is tripling down of the things that work for you.” “And you have to double down on the things that you are not good at right now but want to be good at.” “It's not always easy and it's not always pretty but you have to do the work.” “I don't want the market to determine my success, I want to course correct.” “Where is the best use of my time as an originator and where can I make the biggest impact and get the biggest return on my time.” “You have to make a decision are you going to live with the mindset of doom and gloom or are you going to look at it as the glass is half full.” “Giving classes to realtors on a consistent basis has moved the needle drastically for me.” “I'm winning listing agents at a clip that I have never won listing agents at before, because I am updating them throughout the transaction.” “There is an opportunity for me to get in front of these agents now that they are starting to feel the struggles of the market.” Show Links: Community Platform: www.BecomeNL.com  Podcast Partner: https://leadpops.com/mortgage/partners/nextlevel/   Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/NextLevelLoanOfficers/  YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwSyHzkvBri1YWJSH7df1CQ  LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/next-level-loan-officers/about/ 

Michelle McCarthy is Global Vice President of Customer Experience at Unit4. In her role, Michelle leads a talented team of professionals, is responsible for ensuring the maximum adoption of and customer satisfaction with Unit4's offerings and is accountable for leading the transformation of Unit4's customer experience strategy that enables the customer success evolution.  Michelle earned her B.S in Marketing from Miami University in Ohio, and her Executive MBA in Global Management from Fordham University in New York.   Questions •  We always give our guests an opportunity to share a little bit about their journey. So, if you could take a few minutes to kind of just share with our audience a little bit about how you got to where you are today. •  So, Unit4, could you share with our audience a little bit about what Unit4is? What do you guys do? •  KPIs in terms of like NPS and customer satisfaction score. A lot of organisations also invest into market research, particularly like mystery shopping, and the mystery shopping sometimes will capture the NPS. What are your views on the frequency of doing these types of activities? And do you think it's critical to be doing it post transactional? Or should it be more so a conversation that you have with the client, maybe at the end of every quarter? What are some of your best practices that you'd recommend to clients? •  If you really want to focus on dominating, navigating that CX space in such a positive way, that your brand has an exceptionally positive reputation, what are some key indicators that you believe organisations need to focus on as we go into 2024? Where do they need to be giving their attention to? •  Now, could you also share with us what is the one online resource, tool, website or app that you absolutely can't live without in your business? •  Could you also share with us maybe one or two books that you've read, it could be a book that you read a very long time ago, or even one that you've read recently that has had a great impact on you? •  We have a lot of listeners who are business owners and managers who feel they have great products and services. But they lack the human capital that has that constant motivation, what's the one piece of advice that you'd give them to have a successful business having that consistent challenge that they're experiencing? •  Could you also share with us what's the one thing that's going on in your life right now that you're really excited about? Either something you're working on to develop yourself or your people. •  Where can listeners find you online? •  Now, before we wrap our episodes up, we always like to ask our guests, do you have a quote or a saying that during times of adversity or challenge, you will tend to revert to this quote, it kind of helps to get you back on track if for any reason you got derailed, or you got off track, just reminding yourself about that quote will kind of help to get you back on track, help you to get more focused. Do you have one of those?  Highlights  Michelle's Journey Michelle stated that she started off her career and kind of more of the traditional marketing, b2c and b2b type roles on the client side. And started in the advertising agency space, worked for a number of different retailers and brands, and eventually had kind of rounded out her experience and wanted to move into more of the tech side of things.  She had some opportunities to go and work on the SaaS side of the business for a company called Vibes, which is a mobile marketing technology company. And through that experience, and kind of rounding out her mobile marketing experience, she was able to kind of continue her career path then into other SaaS organisations. And so, by herself, here today, very excited to be talking with you (Yanique).   Tell Us About Unit4 Me: So, Unit4, could you share with our audience a little bit about what Unit4is? What do you guys do? Michelle shared that Unit4 is a cloud leader, really in the enterprise software space for midmarket, people centred organisations. And so, their solutions span everything from enterprise resource planning to financial planning and analysis tools, as well as procurement, project management for professional services organizations and so forth, as well as human capital management.  So, their solutions really bring together all those various capabilities around financials, procurement, project management, HR, into one unified and cloud platform through their ERPX solution. So yeah, that's a little bit about Unit4. Me: Quite a mouthful. So, at Unit4, a big part of what you focus on, we kind of alluded to it a bit before we started the official recording, how is it that you are able to improve CX by embracing customer centricity as a core value? And of course, there are some KPIs that you need to measure, so that's your area of expertise. So, could you share a little bit about that with our audience? Michelle stated that she really believes that organizations need to always be looking how they stand out from the crowd, right. In order to do that, we have to find better ways to address customer needs, and make sure that we're providing value and attainable outcomes. We need business experience that extends past traditional customer touchpoints and make sure that we're always looking at ways that we can influence product innovation, we need to look at the employee experience, because employee experience really translates to that of the customer experience. And we need to make sure that also aligns with our customers organization serves their purpose and our values.  So, one of the first steps in improving customer experience is really looking for a top down buy in across customer centricity and putting that at the heart of everything that you do in your business. So, whatever role you serve in the organization, that some way touches the end customer.  And so, customer companies need to really be making sure that they're measuring customer centric KPIs in order to determine how are we doing? And how are our customers feeling about us? So, we always want to look at how well we're looking at gaining new customers into the business, how are we growing the existing base of customers that we have? And how are we ultimately retaining the customers that we have to make sure that they're becoming long term champions of our business through the success that they've achieved together in partnership with us?  To kind of delve a little bit more into some of the KPIs, a couple of the things that we might look at are things like Net Promoter Score. So, looking at that kind of scale of 0 to 10 on how likely a customer is to recommend your company to a peer or colleague, looking at things like Customer Satisfaction Scores and making sure that those are kind of sprinkled all throughout the key listening posts of our customers.   So, wherever they are engaging with us, whether that's post sales, or that's post implementation, or that's post a business review that we've had with them, we want to make sure that we're always facilitating, and asking for their feedback and making sure that we are taking that, capturing that feedback and looping back to set proper expectations with customers.   Recommended Frequency of Market Research Activities   Me: So, I'm glad you talked about KPIs in terms of like NPS and Customer Satisfaction Score. A lot of organisations also invest millions of dollars, sometimes even billions into market research, particularly like mystery shopping, and the mystery shopping sometimes will capture the NPS. What are your views on the frequency of doing these types of activities? And do you think it's critical to be doing it post transactional? Or should it be more so a conversation that you have with the client, maybe at the end of every quarter? What are some of your best practices that you'd recommend to clients?  Michelle stated that frequency and cadence is definitely key, depending on the types of engagements, you want to make sure that they're throughout the customer's journey at the appropriate time. So, if you have a new customer that's joined, one of the things she mentioned is post sale, you have a customer that's gone through potentially a lengthy sales process with you, how did they find working across the organization, that's a great time for you to kind of see how the beginning part of their journey into implementation will go.  Then you may also want to survey a customer as they're coming out of an implementation with you. So, after they've worked with the project management teams and met their CSM, how is that work stream going? It's also key to mention business reviews. We may do quarterly business reviews with some of our customers. And so, making sure to take stock coming out of those meetings, what was the expectation? Did they see, hear, feel everything that they were expecting to have?   And so, she thinks it's a real combination of both the quantitative surveys, but also those qualitative conversations to probe a bit deeper, where you may not have the opportunity, and just a quick plug in one question or two questions survey that sent via email. Having that face-to-face dialogue, or that phone call or that Zoom video just to meet with a customer and kind of ask some more of those probing questions is definitely key.  She thinks that that is just as important during the beginning and middle phases of the journey with a customer as it is when you're coming up on renewal, so you may be looking at certain health indicators and want to also probe a bit deeper on some of those with customers, “Hey, you know, I've seen that you're expanding in your licences, tell me about how your company is utilizing those?”  Or conversely, you might have a customer that's decided to move away from a portion of your product, “Tell me a bit more about why it is that you're leaving there, what you weren't adopting or finding useful, so that we can learn and bring that back into the business.”   It also helps us from a churn management perspective, make sure that we are thinking about that and building that back into our way that we look at risk and mitigating risks with our customers.    Key Indicators that Organizations Need to Focus On for 2024  Me: So, many different avenues and strategies that we can employ to ensure that we're doing the right kind of measurement. So, we are now in I would say, we're at the end of 2023. And we're embarking on 2024 and a lot has happened in the last couple of years, especially with a global pandemic and all, what are some key things that you found, trends that you've maybe seen just in your own business, as well as with your clients' businesses that you believe if you really want to focus on dominating, navigating that CX space in such a positive way, that your brand has an exceptionally positive reputation and you have so many brand advertisers and evangelists for your business. What are some key indicators that you believe organizations need to focus on as we go into 2024? Where do they need to be giving their attention to?  Michelle stated that she thinks that there's always a focus around personalization of an experience and how you can help customers throughout their journey to better smooth areas that potentially create bumps for them, can that happen through automation, Chat GPT? Can that help it happen through other self-service capabilities that you can serve up to them?  And she also thinks probably goes without being said but ensuring that expectations of customers are properly managed all throughout.  Making sure that you're always having dialogue with the customers' needs in mind, that you're addressing pain points and the more and more that you can address those pain points through self-service, automation, ways that they can just make sure that they are able to get a quick path to value is really key, that frictionless experience for customers.   App, Website or Tool that Michelle Absolutely Can't Live Without in Her Business When asked about online resource that she cannot live without in her business, Michelle stated that for her, obviously Microsoft Teams, they use day in and day out in their business to communicate with their customers, to communicate with their teams internally.  But one other, she would say tool that they use heavily within the customer success management space, is Gainsight. And that is a tool that allows them to bring so much knowledge and power into their organisation. It allows their CSMs to know what right move to make next in terms of how to engage both internally and externally with their customers.  And it's becoming really more and more of a theatre of having a true customer 360 within their organization, so really, that single pane of glass view, if you will, of what their customers are experiencing. And so, if she had to pick one tool, she guesses she'd picked Gainsight because they're using it day in and day out and it's been really paramount to their success.   Books that Have Had the Biggest Impact on Michelle When asked about books that has had an impact, Michelle shared that one book that she did read, it's been a very long time ago. But it was Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People. She read that during her graduate school programme. And despite that, it's been around for ages, she thinks it really does a great job of cutting to the core of how you can set yourself up to best relate with others through the power of being able to build strong relationships, and making sure that those relationships are built on like a mutual trust and credibility. So, she thinks that that is always relevant, no matter what role you're in, how do you build relationships? How do you help drive influence? So, that's just been a really meaningful book to her throughout the course of her career.  One other thing she was going to add is that she listens to a number of different podcasts, perhaps different than books. But one podcast that she really enjoys is Mel Robbins Podcast, because she thinks she teaches a lot of both professional and personal habits that you can apply to everyday life, how you can really make sure that you're leading a productive and happy lifestyle and that you have that good work life balance. So, if you haven't checked Mel Robbins out, her podcast is great. Me: Two excellent recommendations, Michelle. I totally agree with you about Dale Carnegie's book, the book came out in 1933, literally, many, many years ago, almost 100 years old. But the principles and concepts in that book are still relevant today. And I do listen to Mel's podcasts, and I follow her on most of her social media platforms, love her content. So, excellent recommendations for audience.     Advice for Business Owners and Managers Who Have Great Products and Services but Lack the Constantly Motivated Human Capital  Me: Now, we have a lot of listeners who are business owners and managers who feel they have great products and services. But sometimes they feel like they have constantly demotivated human capital, they lack the human capital that has that constant motivation. And motivation is one of those behaviours or competencies that comes from within, you can encourage it, but you can't actually evoke it or make it happen. So, if you were sitting across the table from that person, those business owners or managers today, what's the one piece of advice that you'd give them to have a successful business having that consistent challenge that they're experiencing? When asked about advice she would give for the lack motivated human capital, Michelle shared that she thinks one of the most important things for her in terms of motivation is always trying to understand from a customer perspective, what it is that they're trying to achieve, because she thinks she gets a lot of motivation out of helping others. And she thinks when you feel like you have a true understanding of the problems that you're trying to solve, what tools you have at your disposal, and you feel like you can harness that power to find a way for those customers to excel and to drive outcomes in their business, that's extremely motivating to her.  Everybody and perhaps new business owners or business owners, she really likes the idea of kind of starting before you're ready, everything has a beginning, right. And it's not going to be perfect, but she thinks the more and more you practice, and the more and more you get into the rhythm, you find that you figure your way through, everything is kind of easy to figureoutable. So, she likes the idea of kind of just starting things before maybe you feel like you've got it completely figured out and reframing things kind of as you work through them. So, that's kind of how she works through times of adversity or new skill sets she needs to kind of build rapidly and that's worked well for her.   What Michelle is Really Excited About Now! When asked about something that she's really excited about, Michelle shared that back over the beginning of the summer, they had a in person leadership seminar that they had done as a leadership team going through kind of the Clifton Strength Finders exercise. And she's done all sorts of disc assessments and different things throughout the course of her career, but she really found that particular assessment very valuable. And for those of the listeners that might not be familiar, it's basically an online assessment you can take, takes about 20-30 minutes. And when you go through it, it ranks your top 5, top 10 and kind of, they call them all 34 of them strengths.  And then you kind of understand where you can lean into a bit more as a leader. And by sharing it with your peers, you can really get a sense of how other people learn, how they like to communicate, how you give and receive feedback. And so, she actually liked that so much within their leadership conversations, she's cascaded that down with her direct reports. And they've had some very, very good conversations about that, she thinks she's just uncovered ways of working with people that she wouldn't have necessarily known.  And it also helps from a leadership perspective, and she thinks managing perspective, understand more the types of skills that people have, the types of things that are motivation factors for them, so that you can really make the most impact of your team. Her top strength coming out of that was individualization, which basically is your ability to kind of take a survey across the landscape and understand which individuals that are best suited for which areas and how to best pull out the different strengths of people you work with.  And so, it was eye opening to see some of the things she might have thought she would have scored higher on versus those that she perhaps has some developmental opportunities with. So, if people haven't taken that, she would highly encourage it, she found it extremely valuable. And she knows her team enjoyed the conversations that they had off the back of the exercise.   Where Can We Find Michelle Online LinkedIn: Michelle McCarthy   Website: https://www.unit4.com/   Quote or Saying that During Times of Adversity Michelle Uses  When asked about a quote or saying that she tend to revert to during times of adversity or challenge, Michelle stated that she thinks one of the things from Mel Robbins and it's not necessarily a quote, but she has The 5 Second Rule and one of the things she has been trying to do whenever she feels like she's getting off track, or maybe you start to go down a negative path is just to say yourself, “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” and then launch yourself into doing what you next need to do. So, that's from her book The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, Mel Robbins. But she's really been trying to use that to break habits and people use it to get themselves out of bed in the morning, from going down a negative path.  So, the other one that she would say she really like, and it's from John Maxwell is, “A leader knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.” And she thinks that's so powerful to remember, it's not just about kind of saying the vision, but it's also about walking the talk. So, she'll leave us with that. Me: Amazing. Thank you so much, Michelle. Now, Michelle, we just want to express our deepest gratitude to you for taking time out of your very busy schedule to kind of hop on this podcast and share with our audience a little bit about your journey, how you got to where you are today, why it is important to ensure that you're measuring for the right things as it relates to improving CX in your business and of course embracing customer centricity as a core value. And then looking at also the frequency of how you do those measurements, and what kind of things you really need to be targeting and focused on at different periods of your business to ensure that you're really delivering on the expectations of your customers and of course, aiming to exceed those expectations to create that long lasting relationship. So, your insights today, your knowledge today, all that you shared with us today, we are extremely grateful. So, thank you so much.    Please connect with us on Twitter @navigatingcx and also join our Private Facebook Community – Navigating the Customer Experience and listen to our FB Lives weekly with a new guest   Links •     How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie •     The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage by Mel Robbins    The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience   Grab the Freebie on Our Website – TOP 10 Online Business Resources for Small Business Owners  Do you want to pivot your online customer experience and build loyalty - get a copy of “The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience.” The ABC's of a Fantastic Customer Experience provides 26 easy to follow steps and techniques that helps your business to achieve success and build brand loyalty. This Guide to Limitless, Happy and Loyal Customers will help you to strengthen your service delivery, enhance your knowledge and appreciation of the customer experience and provide tips and practical strategies that you can start implementing immediately! This book will develop your customer service skills and sharpen your attention to detail when serving others. Master your customer experience and develop those knock your socks off techniques that will lead to lifetime customers. Your customers will only want to work with your business and it will be your brand differentiator. It will lead to recruiters to seek you out by providing practical examples on how to deliver a winning customer service experience!

Chainlink's community is anything but weak. Today we brought on two of Chainlink's most prominent community members, ChainLinkGod, a Chainlink Community Ambassador and FishyCatfish, a miner, investor, and all around crypto enthusiast. The two of them are here to give us the bull case for $LINK.  -----

Stephen Taranto is an innovative guitar virtuoso from Australia.  Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Stephen Taranto and his Guitar Skills 00:05:01 - Leaning into Your Strengths 00:10:06 - Deciding What to Focus On in Guitar Skills 00:15:02 - The Delusion of Talent and the Importance of Feedback 00:20:29 - Dealing with Risk and Perfectionism 00:25:15 - The Ups and Downs of Progress and Self-Perception 00:30:08 - Capturing Moments of Inspiration 00:35:11 - Allowing the Music to Flow Naturally 00:39:40 - The Challenges of Performing Live 00:44:31 - Embracing Imperfections in Performance 00:49:50 - The Live Experience vs Social Media Posts 00:54:35 - Alternate Picking Techniques and Hand Formation 00:59:10 - Learning Technique through Songs and Improvisation 01:03:39 - Targeting exact tempos and techniques 01:08:49 - The Mindset of a Guitar Player 01:14:02 - The Exciting Future of Music Want to level up your guitar game? Check out Riffhard. When you sign up, you'll get access to: Over 100 video tutorials with tabs A chance to enter our monthly King Of The Riff contest Livestream Q&As and other events Our private community Be sure to follow Riffhard on Instagram and Facebook. Follow Eyal Levi on Instagram. Like this show? Please leave us a 5-star review - even one sentence helps!

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 260 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. For full show notes with photos check out my website.    This week's segments included:   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins Brainstorming From the Armchair KAL News Events Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Rainbow Crochet Crop Pattern: 100% improvised. Yarn: Lion Brand Re-up. Colors: Ecru, Red, Orange, Sunflower, Lime, Aqua, Lilac and Raspberry Hook: E (3.5 mm) Ravelry Project Page I originally finished in June 2022 but it was too short. I ripped out the bottom section and changed from 1 round of each color to 2 rounds each on the bottom trip and added 2 more colors (purple and pink) 552 grams. 819.5 meters for Stash Dash   On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins   Mini Skein Hexagon Blanket Pattern: Basic Crochet Hexagon Pattern & Tips from Make Do and Crew Website & YouTube Tutorial Hook: F (3.75 mm) Yarn: Mini skeins from 2022 agirlandherwool Advent Calendar, 24 Days of Cheer Swap minis + other scraps/swap yarn Ravelry Project Page I've been closing the end of each hexagon with this join- link to Instagram post 4 rounds per hexagon. Learned double magic circle from this YouTube video. The trick is to know how to pull both loops to tighten the loop. Progress as of 8/14- 58 x70 inches  (14x20 hexis) My goal is for it to be twin blanket size which is 60x80 inches. I would need to add 2 more rows to the length= 28 hexis to make, wash and seam. Plus add the border.   My Little Unicorn Socks Yarn: Andre Sue Knits Sock Blank in the My Little Unicorn colorway Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Gray background with white and pink unicorns that look like My Little Pony. Progress: 1st sock finished. 2nd cuff started.   Petrichor Socks Yarn: Oink Pigments Targhee Sock in the Petrichor Colorway (90% Targhee, 10% Nylon) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Progress: Past the heel of the first sock   Sweet Liberty  Socks Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Sweet Liberty Colorway (July 2023 Yarnable Colorway) Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry ) Ravelry Project Page Progress: 1st sock done. On the leg of the second sock. Check out my July 2023 Yarnable Unboxing Video   Liz's Water Bottle Holder Yarn: Loops & Threads Capri Eco Cotton (85% Cotton, 15% Polyester) Hook: F (3.75 mm) Pattern: None Ravelry Project Page From Amazon, I ordered Black Buckles to allow for adjusting the length of the strap. My friend Liz was walking around sightseeing on a recent trip to St. Louis and mentioned she may need a water bottle holder like the one I made for Hattie (Ravelry Project Page).   Wild Air Farm Spinning I am spinning a 4 oz braid of Polwarth/Silk (85/15) from Jakira Farms to ply with Wild Air Farm Shetland & Pygora- Melody & Cadence (dyed in blues and greens) Ravelry Project Page   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   Brainstorming   I'd like to crochet a pocket to put between the mattress and the platform part of our bed. I sleep with my heating pad nearly every night and depending on how I move, and especially when I get out of bed, the controller for the heating pad clangs loudly against the wooden drawers and metal drawer pulls of the platform bed. I'd like to hold several strands together and make a large piece of fabric with a pocket in it, to hold the controller and muffle the sound. I need to go through my stash to see what I can find. I will likely crochet it for the sake of time and I think it will also yield a denser fabric that will work well without hurting my hands too much.   From the Armchair   Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link. Happy Place by Emily Henry. Bookshop Affiliate Link. Amazon Affiliate Link.   Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.   KAL News   Tune in to hear if you won a prize in the Splash Pad Party. I will email all winners within a week of this recording.   The 10th Annual Pigskin Party is Coming SOON! The event will run from Thursday September 7, 2023 through Monday February 12, 2024 Official hashtag- #DCSPigskinParty23 (feel free to start using it while you prep for the KAL) Registration starts Monday 8/21 Our Commissioners will announce Teams on 9/1 KAL Starts 9/7 Virtual Kick Off- Friday  9/8 & Saturday 9/9 Updated rules coming soon   Back this year we have Wendy (socalknitgirl) Wendy- Umpire Heather (zoomdogknits) - Sheep Football Conferece Emily- (ElsaandEm)- Llama Football Conference Alicia (almariecraft)- Alpaca Football Conference Broadcast- yours truly   Events Stash Dash, hosted by Leslie & Laura of the Knit Girllls Video Podcast starts May 26th and runs through August 31, 2023. Check out details in the knit girllls discord My total as of this episode: 8,959 meters You can check out my Stash Dash 2023 Progress on this Google Sheet. Legacy Fiber Artz Knit Your Stash MAL- check out the details on the Treehouse Fiber Arts website Runs May 29- September 4, 2023 #legacyfiberartzknityourstashMal and #flashyourstash Crafty Bingo- Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast May 26-September 4, 2023 Grab the Bingo card over on their Instagram feed Summer Sock Camp hosted in the Crazy Sock Lady Ravelry Group 5/26- 8/31/2023 Vermont Sheep & Wool: Sept 30 & Oct 1 at the Tunbridge Fairgrounds Check out some West Coast (US) Events on the Seattle Knitters Guild site (thanks Kristen- kips206)   Life in Focus   23 for 2023 list (a few updates) Read 23 books (37 as of August) Print and hang at least 1 of our new family photos  (ordered 8/9 from Walgreens- 8x10 for $12!) Give blood at least 3 times (March, May, August done) Knit myself a pair of mittens   On a Happy Note Dan and I went to a local brewery on a Sunday afternoon and came home to a black bear in our yard! Barbie Movie- purchased a new pink top and heels to wear with floral pants I bought. Stephanie deemed me Resort Barbie! Gabriella's 3rd birthday. Dan and I had so much fun playing with playdough with them in the backyard. Mom's friends at List Perfectly treated us to box seats at a Red Sox at Fenway. The game itself was terrible- they lost 13-1 and put in the short stop as pitcher in the top of the 9th, but we had so much fun we didn't care. The box was decked out with every kind of delicious beverage you could want, pizza, lobster rolls, hot dogs, pretzels and more... and they even have a ice cream sundae cart come around! 2 nights of Tock and ice cream at the pool. The first night Liz and I taught Stephanie and Kris how to play. The second night, Mom, Riley and I played. Emelie's birthday party Kayaking for the first time this season; it was cut a bit short by a storm that was threatening. Not sure if would have ever actually come where we were, but it wasn't worth the risk.   Quote of the Week   No matter how mundane some action might appear, keep at it long enough and it becomes a contemplative, even meditative act. –HARUKI MURAKAMI   ------   Contact Information: Check out the Down Cellar Studio Patreon! Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Instagram: BostonJen1 YouTube: Down Cellar Studio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio Check out my Down Cellar Studio YouTube Channel Knit Picks Affiliate Link Bookshop Affiliate Link Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/ Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.