Podcasts about hikoo

Our Summer Spin In is in progress. What do you have on your wheel? Plus we report on our project successes and tragic failures. Full notes with photos and links can be found in the podcast section of our shop website: TwoEwesFiberAdventures.com Join the community on Ravelry or become a patron and support the show on our Patreon Page. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe on Android Marsha's Projects Sweet Baby Cardigan by Alena Byers: Finished! Used Blue Sky Fiber Printed Organic Cotton and Hikoo by Skacel Simplicity Solid.  Mountain High Combo Spin #3: Finished but I'm heartbroken. Sweater felted when I washed and blocked it. Such beautiful handspun and it headed to the trash. I've lost my mojo. Socks: The Artful Ewe Clackamas. Finished first sock and cast on second sock. Kelly's Projects The Wine and Cheese socks are finished. Mother Bears: Two more crocheted bears finished. (5 total) Added another strip and a half to the woven squares blanket.  Almost finished carding about a pound of Jazzman (CVM x Merino x Columbia). Soft gray with some brown. This is a pretty fine fleece, very clean and well sheared.  Weaving project: Pride dishtowels decided they needed to be on the loom.  Summer Spin In Started Memorial Day - Ends on Labor Day May 27 - September 2 Tour de Fleece June 29-July 21 along with the Tour de France Spin every day of the tour.  

Our Summer Spin In is underway and we talk about our plans for spinning over the summer. What will you be spinning? We announce the winners of our Out-of-Hibernation-Along. Plus, it's the Two Ewes, so you know there'll be a rant or two and we'll get off topic! Full notes with photos and links can be found in the podcast section of our shop website: TwoEwesFiberAdventures.com Join the community on Ravelry or become a patron and support the show on our Patreon Page. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe on Android Clutterbug Marsha's Projects Socks: The Artful Ewe Clackamas. Starting toe of first sock. Sweet Baby Cardigan by Alena Byers: Using Blue Sky Fiber Printed Organic Cotton and Hikoo by Skacel Simplicity Solid. I decided against using the pattern, Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman. Mountain High Combo Spin #3: Finished body and halfway done with first sleeve. Combo Spin #5: Finished! A little over 1,000 yards of sport/DK weight Kelly's Projects Accountability check: the Classic Knitted Ripple baby blanket, Bouclé Chicken and the Dream Shawl and the Corrie x Targhee x Merino spin are all completely finished.  The Wine and Cheese socks Mother Bears: Three crocheted bears finished Finished Spinning:  2+ ounces of Polwarth and silk and 1+ ounce of merino spirit fiber spun and plied. Plied them together and then plied the rest of the Polwarth/silk on itself. Lace Weight 2-ply and a nice quick spin.  2+ ounces of a Lincoln cross from spirit fiber. 2-ply to add to my rug yarn stash. Out-of-Hibernation Along  Ended June 1. Over 300 posts, with 28 people cheering each other on and 44 projects linked in the thread.  Prizes from Ale Sheep Company: Shepherd's Balm and Herder's Healer. They have a Fibershed Certified flock of suffolk sheep and sell lamb, pelts, felted products, and skin care using the sheep tallow and lanolin.   Listen to find out if you won! Winners should send address and let us know if you are vegan or allergic to lanolin or need an alternative prize for some reason. Get in touch on Ravelry or email twoewes@twoewesfiberadventures.com Summer Spin In Started Memorial Day - Ends on Labor Day May 27 - September 2  

In Episode 164, Greg and Pam discuss drinking, preventative maintenance, and haiku. Many thanks to malicejp Alice for the episode introduction! We would love to have YOU record and introduction to the show! You can find details in the Ravelry Group Pages or on our website here. Check out our group on Facebook! We would love to have you join us there. We would also love us to submit questions for us to answer on a future episode. You can ask us with this form. NOTES Note on Ravelry Links Note that many of the links in our show notes refer to pages on Ravelry.com. If visiting Ravelry causes you harm, please be cautious clicking links. If you are interested in a link that is inaccessible to you, you can email info at unravelingpodcast dot com and Greg and/or Pam will happily send you the information Patreon You can now financially support Unraveling…a knitting podcast on Patreon! Monthly membership levels are available at Swatch ($1), Shawl ($3), and Sweater ($6) and come with rewards like early access to book club episodes, access to a quarterly Zoom call, discounts on all Knitting Daddy patterns, and holiday cards. Nothing about the existing podcast is changing—we will continue to deliver regular and book club episodes like we have been doing for years—everything available via Patreon is extra. Financial support through Patreon helps us cover expenses like web hosting, prize shipping, and equipment upgrades. ***Our next Patreon Zoom call for the Shawl and Sweater levels is scheduled for Saturday, March 11 at 3pm Eastern!*** Greg's Projects Greg started Toad the Frog and Toad pattern by Kristina Ingrid McGowan. Greg started and finished the Irish Moss Beanie Hat pattern by Louise Bollanos. Pam's Projects Pam's cousin Lisa was considering the Wacky Weave La Loba. Pam made a wall hanging for her office. (picture below) Pam worked on her socks. She is using the Kettle Lakes Socks pattern by Carolyn Lisle. She is using yarn from East Coast Yarn in the Charlie Brown Christmas colorway. Pam mentioned using Addi FlexiFlips and liking them. Pam pulled out her Cosy Stripes Blanket by Attic 24 and worked on it. She is using Stylecraft Special DK. Pam is working on an abandoned knitting project of her daughter's. It is the Trillian Shawl by Martina Behm. Pam worked on a charity hat, the Classic Cuffed Hat by Purl Soho. She is using some mystery acrylic. Book Club In Episode 163 we covered the chapters 4 and 5 of our new book club book, Adventures in Yarn Farming by Barbara Parry. We will cover the next 2 chapters of the section Spring in Episode 163. Share how you are enjoying the book on social media with #UnravelingBookClub. Miscellaneous Greg enjoyed watching Groundhog Day in the theater. We discussed Skacel's haiku contest about their yarn line Hikoo. We shared an article about how crochet is Breaking ChatGPT. Even if you don't have a tiktok account you can see the crocheter's channel on a browser, here is the post where she first created the narwhal. Pam also mentioned an episode of the I Thought I Knew How podcast where the host challenges ChatGPT. We discussed North Ronaldsay sheep. Pam and Greg debated true chopsticks vs Snacktiv. Greg and Pam hosted an Ask Us Anything episode and left the form open so you can submit your questions for future episodes. Submit your question with this form. Be sure to enter your Fairs and Festivals entry in the Fairs and Festivals KAL! Affiliate Link Disclousure This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link to Amazon and subsequently make a purchase, we'll receive a small commission from the sale. You pay the same, and the commissions will help cover our podcasting expenses. Our opinions are always our own. Find us all over the Internet Patreon: Unraveling…a knitting podcast Subscribe in iTunes: The Unraveling Podcast Podcast RSS Feed: Unraveling Podcast Twitter: @UnravelingPod Facebook: Unraveling Podcast Instagram: @UnravelingPodcast Ravelry Group: Unraveling Podcast Greg is KnittingDaddy on Ravelry, @KnittingDaddy on Instagram, and also writes the KnittingDaddy blog. Pam is pammaher on Ravelry  and @pammaher on Instagram

In Episode 125, Greg and Pam discuss Peru, preemie hats, and paw placement. Many thanks to abbysyarns Abby for the intro! Check out our group on Facebook! We would love to have you join us there. SPONSORS We are Knitcrate Ambassadors! Are you the kind of knitter who would enjoy receiving a surprise package of yarn in the mail every month? Then you need to sign up for a Knitcrate subscription. Every month, you will receive a selection of curated yarn, a pattern specifically paired to use with the yarn, and a treat. Use code KD20 at checkout for 20% off your first package when you sign up for a subscription. NOTES Dear Listeners We would love to have YOU record and introduction to the show! You can find details in the Ravelry Group Pages or on our website here. Note on Ravelry Links Note that many of the links in our show notes refer to pages on Ravelry.com. If visiting Ravelry causes you harm, please be cautious clicking links. If you are interested in a link that is inaccessible to you, you can email info at unravelingpodcast dot com and Greg and/or Pam will happily send you the information Yarn in the News Greg shared an article about a tribe in Peru where manliness is based on your knitting. Greg also mentioned an article about the textiles industry in Cusco, Peru. He also shared that Abby Franquemont's website offers a way to purchase traditional handmade fiber items from the Cusco region. Greg's Projects Greg cast on and finished one fingerless mitt for a friend. He used the Pioneer Gloves pattern by Kelly McClure. The yarn is ONline Linie 12 Street. Check out his Ravelry project page. Greg is making therapy cloths from a kit he picked up in Savannah. It was enough hemp yarn for 3 cloths. Greg finished knitting socks for his mom. He's using Sea Star Handpaints Buried Treasure yarn. Greg is re-working a cowl design because he forgot that when you use cables, it pulls the yarn in. Greg is preparing for his Christmas Eve Cast-on, where he will be casting on a pair of socks with yarn from Oink Pigments. Pam's Projects Pam finished the Windschief Hat by Stephen West. She used Hikoo by Skacel Sueño Pam finished her Chilkat Cowl by Romi Hill and is in love. She used Artyarns Merino Cloud Gradient. Pam worked on her Spinning for Socks Socks in cheviot spun from Sadie Spins! and she is loosely following the Vanilla Latte pattern by Virginia Rose-Jeanes. Pam worked on the Gro Shawl and is using Twisted Willow Merino Linen Twist yarn. Pam finished 6 of the Snowbound Ornament by Christina Smith. She used random yarn from her stach. Pam finished a Christmas Ornament bunting by Homemade Heather using random yarns from her stash. Pam cast on and finished a the Soft Kitty Car Ears hat by Patternery. She used Berroco Ultra Wool. Pam finished the Christmas Stocking for her pets. She used KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Bulky and Palette. Pam finished some crochet coral pieces for the NC Museum of Art. No pictures or project page at this time. Pam started socks using a sock tube from Gypsy Mountain Farm. Book Club Next episode we will continue Chapter 1 of The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn by Clara Parkes and discuss Synthetic Fibers. We try to host book club so you don't need the book to enjoy the discussions but this book is such a wealth of knowledge we highly recommend it! Current/Upcoming Unraveling Events The disorganized Topalong is still going strong in the Ravelry threads! And it's time for sweaterweather. Join in the fun and knowledge sharing! We are planning a Zoom hang-out on January 1, 2022 at 11am Eastern. Details to come and will be shared in our Ravelry and Facebook groups. If you do not have access to those groups, email us (info at UnravelingPodcast dot com) and we will gladly share the info once we set everything up. Miscellaneous Greg mentioned LYS The Frayed Knot in Savannah, GA. Greg mentioned the Tedeschi Trucks Band and The Expanse book/tv show. We mentioned the Yarns at Yin Hoo podcast. Greg mentioned the preemie hats he collected as part of the November IBK Charity Drive. Pam mentioned the Coral Reef Project that will be installed at the NC Museum of Art. Pam mentioned the Sentro Knitting Machine. Affiliate Link Disclousure This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link to Cooperative Press, Amazon, or Knitcrate and subsequently make a purchase, we'll receive a small commission from the sale. You pay the same, and the commissions will help cover our podcasting expenses. Our opinions are always our own. Find us all over the Internet Subscribe in iTunes: The Unraveling Podcast Podcast RSS Feed: Unraveling Podcast Twitter: @UnravelingPod Facebook: Unraveling Podcast Instagram: @UnravelingPodcast Ravelry Group: Unraveling Podcast Greg is KnittingDaddy on Ravelry, @KnittingDaddy on Instagram, and also writes the KnittingDaddy blog. Pam is pammaher on Ravelry  and @pammaher on Instagram

Knitting and Running in 30 min or less.  Shownotes can be found at windsweptknits.com.  You can find me on IG and Ravelry as WindsweptMonique and on Facebook and Twitter as WindsweptKnits. Ep 88 recorded 11/20/20 Segments this week include: FOs, Wips, Spinning, Out and About, On the Run Note on Ravelry – all links to Ravelry are clearly labelled as such – if a link does not say Ravelry, it does not go to Ravelry.  Links to yarn are directly to manufacturer’s pages and should be safe for those still having rav accessibility issues.  WIPs The Acadian Shawl (Ravelry), a Christmas gift for my mom in the approximate colors of the Acadian Flag (nous sommes fiere d’etre Acadienne!)  I’m using the Goldberry crochet pattern and working it in blue, white and red with accents of yellow.  I’ve put a photo of the Acadian flag in the shownotes so you can see it. Star Wars scarf (Ravelry) for Thing 1 – One section left, plan to finish later today.  Still loving the new hexagonal needles from Indian Lake Artisans.  I’m using Truboo by Lion Brand, a 100% bamboo yarn in white and dark gray.  Pattern is a series of free charts by Jessica Goddard. Tan House Brook Shawl (Ravelry) -  in the Sekhment base, an alpaca/silk/linen yarn from A Hundred Ravens in the Nevertheless She Persisted colorway that I bought during the virtual Maryland Sheep and Wool.  I’m doing a few rows each week Thing 1 Dragon Blanket (Ravelry) – all the pieces are finished, I just need to assemble it. Ankle socks (Ravelry) – just about to the heel turn.  Knitting in CoBaSi by Hikoo. New WIP, Wenlock (Ravelery) from Tin Can Knits.  I used a bunch of scraps in pink, white and yellow for the star pattern at the top, now I’m on to the body and I’ve using a variegated yarn, Cayenne by Feza Yarns, in cool-toned peach-pink-green variegated colorway. Spinning Continuing on the last color of my gradient spin so I can count it towards the Pigskin party.  I’m spinning 5 minutes a day, or every other day.  Slow and steady getting back to using the injured leg.   Out and About Lots of fiber events happening online this fall Pigskin Party now through the Superbowl Ravelry Group  I’m sponsoring for the 3rd year and also participating. Vogue Knitting Live Upcoming Vogue Knitting Live events will be Dec 10-13, and Jan 14-17.  I almost always attend Vogue Live NYC every January, it’s usually a birthday present from my family as it’s often right around my birthday weekend.  This year it’s the weekend after so I’ll probably attend the January event. Stitches At Home December 5,6,12,13. If you have any events you’d like me to share please email me windsweptmonique@gmail.com   On the Run Still not running, but I am biking regularly! 

Knitting and Running in 30 min or less.  Shownotes can be found at windsweptknits.com.  You can find me on IG and Ravelry as WindsweptMonique and on Facebook and Twitter as WindsweptKnits. Ep 87 recorded 11/13/20 Segments this week include: FOs, Wips, Spinning, Out and About, On the Run Note on Ravelry – all links to Ravelry are clearly labelled as such – if a link does not say Ravelry, it does not go to Ravelry.  Links to yarn are directly to manufacturer’s pages and should be safe for those still having rav accessibility issues.  Lots of stress knitting the last week, so I have MULTIPLE FOs! FOs Dumpster Fire ornament 1 (Ravelry) & ornament 2 (Ravelry) both made in CoBaSi by Hikoo, a blend of cotton, silk, bamboo and nylon.  It’s arguably my favorite fingering weight yarn – makes great socks and tank tops.  Pattern by Mary Hull of Kino Knits. Thing 2 hitchiker (Ravelry) – a DK hitchhiker scarf for Thing 2, out of big box store cotton yarn from Michaels.  It’s done and blocked and I accidentally left it out after photographing it and Thing 2 told me how much he LOVED the yarn lol.  Good kid, it’s for you! Dissent Cowl 2 (Ravelry) – this is a Christmas gift for a very knitworthy friend.  I’m using some ancient stash and I’ve about halfway through the necklace portion of the cowl. WIPs New WIP, what I am calling the Acadian Shawl (Ravelry), a Christmas gift for my mom in the approximate colors of the Acadian Flag (nous sommes fiere d’etre Acadienne!)  I’m using the Goldberry crochet pattern and working it in blue, white and red with accents of yellow.  I’ve put a photo of the Acadian flag in the shownotes so you can see it. Star Wars scarf (Ravelry) for Thing 1 – more than halfway through the last chart!  I’m about 7/8 of the way through.  Still loving the new hexagonal needles from Indian Lake Artisans.  I’m using Truboo by Lion Brand, a 100% bamboo yarn in white and dark gray.  Pattern is a series of free charts by Jessica Goddard. Tan House Brook Shawl (Ravelry) -  in the Sekhment base, an alpaca/silk/linen yarn from A Hundred Ravens in the Nevertheless She Persisted colorway that I bought during the virtual Maryland Sheep and Wool.  I’m on the 2nd set of eyelet rows, almost to the 2nd set of textured stitches. Thing 1 Dragon Blanket (Ravelry) – the second Christmas Snap The Dragon Blanket, this one from my older son.  Using deep stash acrylic. Knitting Fail I still have a hard time reading crochet.  Spinning Still no success at a distaff, but I have spun a little more of the Tussah Silk from Pinestar Studios in Maine on my Akerworks drop spindle. Started the last color of my gradient spin so I can count it towards the Pigskin party Out and About Lots of fiber events happening online this fall Pigskin Party now through the Superbowl Ravelry Group  I’m sponsoring for the 3rd year and also participating. Vogue Knitting Live Upcoming Vogue Knitting Live events will be Nov 12-15, Dec 10-13, and Jan 14-17.  I almost always attend Vogue Live NYC every January, it’s usually a birthday present from my family as it’s often right around my birthday weekend.  This year it’s the weekend after so I’ll probably attend the January event. Stitches At Home December 5,6,12,13. If you have any events you’d like me to share please email me windsweptmonique@gmail.com   On the Run Still not running, but I’m biking! 

I'm back!!!  I have a new laptop so now I can record!!! Ep 82 Knitting and running in 30 minutes or less Segments this week include: FOs, Wips, Out and About, On the Run Shownotes originally written in early August when my laptop died!  I just got a new laptop and so the podcast is back!  Not sure if it will be weekly or bi-weekly, it depends on my kid’s school schedules.  They are both hybrid at the moment but if things go sideways that could change at a moment’s notice.  I live outside Boston and after getting hit hard at first we’ve kept our numbers down.  Most people are behaving sensibly, wearing masks, staying 6 feet apart and trying hard to prevent the spread of COVID.   Note on Ravelry – all rav project links in the show notes are labelled.   Links to yarn are directly to manufacturer’s pages and should be safe for those still having rav accessibility issues.  Now that I have a laptop I can start getting my patterns on PayHip – they are already available on LoveCrafts so there is already a Ravelry alternative. FO empower People (Ravelry) cowl/handband – I knit my purple cowl/handband to encourage folks to vote.  I used a discontinued bamboo yarn that was dyed in South Africa by women paid a fair wage. Goldberry (Ravelry)  - first crochet shawl is complete!  I’m about to start a 2nd lol  both will/are crocheted in Feza Baby Handdyed WIPs Laceweight Boxy (Ravelry) – I split for the shoulders!  So excited.  Haven’t worked on it in at least a month so it won’t be ready to wear this fall, but it will be for Spring.  Using handdyed lace-weight bamboo yarn from Spinnaway Farms that I bought at Rhinebeck years ago. Papillon (Ravelry) – About 1/3 way through 2nd section.  Using Berroco Medina that I bought at The Yarn Patch in Crossville, TN last year and a gold Tencel yarn from Artisinal Yarns that I bought at Rhinebeck 2 years ago. Triyang (Ravelry) – an old WIP that I started as SSK in 2017, I tend to keep this pattern for travelling and since we have 2 small kids we don’t travel much anymore.  Now with COVID19 we’re not traveling at all, so I’m pulling this project back into rotation because I really enjoy this pattern.  I’m knitting it up in Araucania Yumbrel, a discontinued lace-weight cotton variegated yarn.  When done it’ll have around 2000 yards, probably won’t finish until next year. Star Wars scarf (Ravelry) for Thing 1 – Just finished the Light Side, which is /3 of the shawl.  Center section has Millenium Flacon and Death Star, then it’ll be the Dark Side.  I’ve switched to new hexagonal needles I ordered from Indian Lake Artisans and I find it much easier on my hands so I can knit more rows on it.  For some reason with double knitting, my left had has a death grip on the needles, but the wooden hex needles hold the slippery bamboo better.  I’m using Truboo by Lion Brand, a 100% bamboo yarn. Thing 2 hitchiker (Ravelry) – a DK hitchhiker scarf for Thing 2, since I;m knitting a scarf for Thing 1.  It’s in a variegated yarn from a big box store in purple, yellow, green and tan.  This is now my car knitting.  It’s getting a little love daily at school drop off and pick up, because of course my kid’s schedules are different. Thing 2 Dragon Blanket (Ravelry) – almost done with this crochet blanket in purple (his favorite color) and green.  I literally just need to assemble it.  It’s for Thing 2 for Christmas, it’s a blanket with a hood, spines and claws that you can wear.  Yes I’ll be making one in red for Thing 1 too.  These blankets are/will be in deep acrylic stash, some much older than my kids! Ankle socks (Ravelry) – I’m now on the 2nd sock.  It’s living in my purse but since we rarely leave the house it doesn’t see a lot of love.  Socks knit in CoBaSi by Hikoo, a wool-free sock yarn made of cotton, bamboo, silk and nylon, in a variegated turquoise and blue colorway.  I started these on the cruise back before the pandemic started because this yarn reminded me of beautiful Caribbean waters. Out and About Pigskin Party 6:05 Saturday – Down Cellar Studio website, Ravelry Group FiberWorld back in August, so much fun! Tour de Fleece just ended,  2 Sat, Aug 29, 2020 – Sun, Sep 20, 2020 Vogue Knitting Live, Oct 8-11 – I think this is the 3rd online vogue live?  I have not attended personally but know several who have and loved it.  I might get tickets to this one as obviously January in NYC is not going to happen. If you have any events you’d like me to share please email me windsweptmonique@gmail.com   On the Run Well, I’ve definitely put on the COVID 19 so I’m trying to get back in shape

Recorded Wednesday 6/10/20 Let’s start with the basics:  black live matter.  Black people should matter just as much as any other person but the fact is, in American society, they do not. If you have any doubts about that I am including a link to an old video of Jane Elliot that you should watch.  I think all white folks should watch it, it’s only 1 minute and I wager a few of you have seen the clip before.  But it speaks volumes. The fight is not over.  We still have work to.  Vote, support businesses, make donations if you can, write to your lawmakers, sign petitions.  Not all of us are able to attend protests but there’s a lot we can do.  Most importantly educate yourself.  Listen.  I will be donating 50% of the profits from my self-published patterns for the month of June to the Southern Poverty Law Center who work to combat racism across the country.  I also personally donated to Black Girls Code, a group who supports black women in computer science.  Many of you may know that my background is in computer science, I have a BS in computer science from St Michael’s College and a MSc in Computing and Internet Studies from King’s College London, UK.  My field really, really needs diversification.  For undergrad I was one of two girls in my grade in my major and there were no black folks at all.  I know it’s changed some in the past 15 years, but our field needs to change more, so I’m putting my money where my mouth is. Also you may have noticed sound quality has changed.  My husband surprised me with a new podcast mic for mother’s day, it arrived a few weeks after and I am finally recording with it today.  Also Cally the deaf cat is here. FOs South Woods  - pattern by River Road Knits.  First handspun sweater complete!  So proud of it.  Great fit.  I want to make a sleeveless version of this. Aggregate 2 – Pattern by JimiKnits.  Knit in Tencel yarn by Artisinal yarns.  Kinda want to start another already.  Love this pattern. Go With the Flo shawl – pattern by Jennifer Lassonde Designs, knit in handspun.   WIPs Sassy Wrapitude – Part of the Wrapitude collection by Megan Williams, Just Run Knit.  Using yellow CoBaSi by Hikoo and bamboo/cotton blend dyed in peachy oranges with speckles of pink and yellow from Great Adirondack Yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck.  On section 8, lace. Laceweight Boxy – Now about 14” long Papillon – Started 2nd section.  Using Berroco Medina that I bought at The Yarn Patch in Crossville, TN last year and a gold Tencel yarn from Artisinal Yarns that I bought at Rhinebeck 2 years ago. Ankle socks – using Fish Lips Kiss heel and 52 sts, finished the first sock, just finished toe of second sock.   Out and About Rhinebeck officially cancelled for 2020. “After much deliberation, the DCSWGA board and festival planning committee have decided to cancel the in-person 2020 NYS Sheep & Wool Festival. In its place, we will host a virtual festival online. More details on that to come. If you have any questions, please contact our Festival Manager, Nena Johnson at festivalinfo at sheepandwool dot com”   Be a Helper Craftalong I will close the FO thread on June 20th.  Thank you SOOOOO much for your participation.

Episode 78 – preparation is for the birds recorded Wednesday 4/29/20 FOs Ear savers/mask buddies – I've crocheted several more.  A big, huge thanks to Lisa from Fibernymph Dyeworks for mailing me some buttons so I can finish even more!  WIPS South Woods – I’ve finished the back! Sassy Wrapitude – Part of the Wrapitude collection by Megan Williams, got the pattern free from attending Into the Wool.  Cast on with yellow CoBaSi by Hikoo and bamboo/cotton blend from Great Adirondack Yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck.  I’m on the 7th section, which is garter ridges.  Just finished interesting slipped stitch section Ozone Sweater – I finally started the actual sweater! Earth Rise – new design I’m working on, inspired by the famous photo the Apollo astronauts took the first time they came around the dark side of the room and saw the Earth rising up above the moon’s surface.  Not working on it as much - my brain doesn't want to do math Laceweight Boxy – How long do you make your Boxy sweaters?  I’m about 12” and trying to decide how long I want it to be. Knitting Fail You may have noticed there’s no Star Wars scarf listed here – that’s because I broke the needle.  I didn’t see the green needle on the blue chair in the dark, and when I knelt on the chair to turn on the light on the wall behind, I snapped the needle right at the connector. Out and About Maryland Sheep and Wool - virtual May 2 & 3 Vogue Knitting Live - virtual May 11- 18  

Episode 77 Segments include WIPs, spinning, Learn Something New, On The Run Hi everyone, how are you surviving?  It’s starting to feel a bit like Groundhog Day (the movie) at our house.   Wips South Woods – I’m continuing to work on the body in stockinette.  This has been my go-to knitting while the boys are home schooling.  I’m about to 14 inches from the bottom of the folded hem.  I need at least one more inch, maybe two. Sassy Wrapitude – Part of the Wrapitude collection by Megan Williams, got the pattern free from attending Into the Wool.  Cast on with yellow CoBaSi by Hikoo and bamboo/cotton blend from Great Adirondack Yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck.  I’m on the 3rd section, which is garter ridges. Ozone Sweater – still swatching for the Colorful Sweater Ozone by Concept Creative – more on this later. Star Wars Scarf – doubleknit scarf that will be a Christmas gift for Thing 1, who will be 9 by that point.  He’s going to love it!  So far I’ve knit the rebel icon, a lightsaber, tauntauns, a large X-ray and just started to knit blasters. Earth Rise – new design I’m working on, inspired by the famous photo the Apollo astronauts took the first time they came around the dark side of the room and saw the Earth rising up above the moon’s surface.  For some reason, this one is bringing me a lot of peace right now. Ear savers/mask buddies – I crocheted a few dozen ear savers for my friends who are doctors/nurses/essential personnel who now have to wear masks all day and the elastics are hurting their ears.  You wear it on the back of your head and hook the mask elastic on the buttons instead of your ears.  I’ve got about 10 left to sew buttons on. Ankle Socks – socks I started in FL and worked on cruise.  Working now in you hear needles Laceweight Boxy – worked 3 rows this morning  Spinning I did get a little spinning time in this last week.  I’m probably 1/3 of the way through the 2nd malachite green portion.  Learn Something New I am continuing to get better at crochet.  I’ve been practicing the circles for the Ozone pattern.  On the Run No running, knee isn’t that good yet, but I took a ballet class online earlier this week.  And tweaked my back. Doh!

Episode 76 – 4/1/20 Segment this week include Happy Podiversary, Be A Helper Craftalong, Wips, Learn Something New, Exercise in Isolation Happy anniversary to Knitting On The Run podcast!  In all the recent craziness, I forgot that last week was my podiversary!  Three years down, hopefully many more to go! Be a Helper Craftalong 4th Be A Helper Craft-a-long is ongoing! We keep the rules simple. Anything you make for any charity counts, doesn’t have to be knit/crochet/woven or spun. ANYthing you make for ANY charity. One FO per photo in the FO thread Donating blood counts too - post a photo of your bandaid or of you drinking OJ afterwards, something like that. FO Thread closes when I wake up April 1st. Wips are welcome Prizes Today: 1 skein of Sock Yarn from A Great Yarn in Chatham, MA dyed exclusively for them by Hauteknits in the Finest Hours colorway, 75% merino, 25% nylon • 1 25g skein of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock plus a mini skein of handspun Posts 2-34 were up through March 31st   Wips South Woods – I’m continuing to work on the body in stockinette.  This has been my go-to knitting while the boys are home schooling.  I think I’m up to 6 or 7 inches, haven’t measured officially. Ankle socks – a few more rows, still getting close to the 1st heal Sassy Wrapitude – cast on for the Sassy Wrap by Megan Williams, got the pattern free from attending  Into the Wool.  Cast on with yellow CoBaSi by Hikoo and bamboo/cotton blend from Great Adirondack Yarn that I bought at Rhinebeck. Ozone – swatching for the Colorful Sweater Ozone by Concept Creative – more on this later. New shawl, can’t say much yet.  Yeah I have cast-on-it is Learn Something New About that ozone sweater I mentioned – it’s crochet not knitting!   Exercise in Isolation I haven’t been great in terms of keeping up with exercise this week.  I did something to my wrist so I’ve been taking it easy, but I wanted to go over what we’d been doing up until that point and what my kids are still doing. Cosmic Kids Yoga – we started this the first day of school at home, even before we got official school work.  I did Cosmic Kids with my oldest when Thing 2 was born and I was so excited to find that she has kept releasing videos these last 4 years. Karate – my boys take karate and their dojo has been sending out videos for the kids to do at home.  Our dojo hasn’t made them public but several have – if your kids want to try just search google or youtube and you’ll find some. Running around – at recess I kick the boys outide and give them a time when they can come back in.  That gives me a few minutes alone without them and also gives them exercise as they usually run around outside. Gardening – I like to grow food and gardening is definitely exercise! Dance – I’ve done a few dance videos I’ve found online.  I love Broadway musicals and several cast members have been recording video at home, workouts set to the music of their shows, and some are a lot of fun!  I’ve also taken a ballet class or two.  

Mastering the Knits S4E2: Paper Daisy Creations brings LotsofSocksKAL!   Welcome to the Mastering the Knits podcast!  Natalie starts off this episode with some announcements and extras! Last episode of series 4. Giveaway (1:39) January’s giveaway is a skein of the Fiber Seed. In my hands (3:00) Natalie mentions the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup and talks about knitting on the following: Winterfell Cardigan by Katrin Schneider using Juniper Moon Farm Patagonia Organic Merino in Indigo colorway bought at Bliss Yarns. She launched the Aran version of the pattern.  It’s in my Rainstorm studios Etsy bag. Flax by Tin Can Knits using Malabrigo Rios in Anniversario colorway for #teamnatalie for #stashteamkal with Stash a place for yarn.  End of KAL is during the Bay Area Knitting Guild Yarn Crawl. Swatches for Stash a place for yarn in Malabrigo Rios and Malabrigo Washted. Masterpieces (10:10) Cat Hats in a pattern I’m making up using HiKoo® by skacel Kenzie.   Interview (12:45) Interview with Lisa Ross from Paper Daisy Creations.  She talks about how she got her business started and shared about the LotsofSocksKAL and so much more.     Thank you for joining us for series 4 episode 2 of Mastering the Knits.  You can find show notes at masteringtheknitspodcast.com or on our Ravelry group Mastering the Knits Podcast.   You can email us at masteringtheknits@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter at @MtKnitsPodcast and Instagram as @masteringtheknits

Mastering the Knits S4E1: Planting Fiber Seeds! Welcome to the Mastering the Knits podcast!  Natalie starts off this episode with some announcements and extras!  Giveaway (3:45) December’s giveaway is a pattern of your choice up to $5 on Ravelry. Winner announced in the episode.  January’s giveaway is a skein of the Fiber Seed. In my hands (5:05) Natalie mentions the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup and talks about knitting on the following: Winterfell Cardigan by Katrin Schneider using Juniper Moon Farm Patagonia Organic Merino in Indigo colorway bought at Bliss Yarns. She launched the Aran version of the pattern.  It’s in my Rainstorm studios Etsy bag. Flax by Tin Can Knits using Malabrigo Rios in Anniversario colorway for #teamnatalie for #stashteamkal with Stash a place for yarn.  End of KAL is during the Bay Area Knitting Guild Yarn Crawl. Cat Hats in a pattern I’m making up using HiKoo® by skacel Kenzie. Interview (12:15) Interview with Lindsay English from the Fiber Seed. Instagram @thefiberseed. Thank you for joining us for series 4 episode 1 of Mastering the Knits.  You can find show notes at masteringtheknitspodcast.com or on our Ravelry group Mastering the Knits Podcast.   You can email us at masteringtheknits@gmail.com. Follow me on twitter at @MtKnitsPodcast and Instagram as @masteringtheknits

Ringing in the New Year with lace knitting, a vegetable terrine, lots of project planning, and a geographic survey of our listeners. Full notes with photos and links can be found in the podcast section of our shop website: TwoEwesFiberAdventures.com.  Join the community on Ravelry  or email us with your thoughts. twoewes@twoewesfiberadventures.com is our email address.  We’d love to hear from you! Project Updates Marsha continues to work on Slack Tide by Poststitch and is making steady progress. The yarn is Concentric by Hikoo, which is singles that are not pied. It’s very “splitty” and difficult to knit with especially on knit two together, but it’s beautiful fabric. Marsha is waiting for a day to herself to work uninterrupted on Rabbit by Claire Garland.  Marsha is also knitting Cloud Cover by Heidi Kirrmaier. It has an unusual construction. Knit yoke, then sleeves, then body, then collar. Marsha has finished first sleeve and started second. She’s still planning for SnowFlower by Heidi Kirrmaier  The natural yarn arrived and she’s been thinking about colors. The “snowflower” will be the natural color but the CC can be anything! Marsha has carded a bunch of Wensleydale x Corriedale x Merino cross and has been spinning it. This fleece is a gorgeous dark espresso color! Kelly joined in the Mystery Knit Along with Cozy Up Knits.  She’ll be using the Two Ewes Replenish Rambouillet for a 3 color shawl in 5 weeks. She is also participating in the 2019 Herbert Niebling KAL and the Yarniacs Self Indulgent Knit Along with some Niebling lace patterns.  Her Glocklein is finished and she is planning for two more of these fun lace patterns. 2018 Statistics of Interest Kelly: 31 projects including 8 pair of socks (4 argyles, 3 slipper socks) and 3 weaving projects Marsha: 13 projects including 5 sweaters and 3 pair of socks. Most popular podcast episodes of 2018: Fiber Adventures in Scotland Ep 86: Events, Knitting Tips, and Bee Talk Ep 92: Sweaters and Blankets in Summer Ep 89: Spirit Dress Forms and Uncanny Coincidences Bonus! Argyle Socks and Edinburgh Sights Ep 85: A Two-Ply of Joy and Sorrow Ep 91: Project, Color, and Design Ideas from Listeners Ep 90: Naughty Knits and Combo Spinning Ep 93: Gathering Together   Most popular episodes from previous years Ep 83: One Ewe's Year in Rev-EWE (12/31/17) Ep 20 a: Textiles on My Travels seriesPart 1 Part 2 Part 3 Ep 1: Who Are Ewe and What Are Ewe Doing Here? (2014)   Geographic location of listeners--top ten countries United States Canada United Kingdom Australia Sweden Denmark Netherlands Germany New Zealand Other interesting and surprising locations! The Two Ewes have listeners in places around the world, including the Isle of Man, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Peru, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore. Events: Author Stephany Wilkes has a book event at Books Inc. in Berkeley, California on January 8, 2019 at 7 pm.  In February she will be speaking at the Treadles to Threads guild meeting February 27 in Contra Costa. Stitches West! Thursday, February 21 through Sunday, February 24. Marsha and Kelly will be attending the meet-up hosted by Yarniacs and 2 Knit Lit Chicks on Saturday afternoon in the lobby bar area. Madrona Fiber Arts Thursday, February 14 through Sunday, February 17 in Tacoma Washington. Marsha will be there with Kim aka KMDesigns.

Lambtown Sheep and Wool Festival, two sweaters, some weaving, the Fibonacci sequence, and some dog talk round out the topics for this episode. All this knitting has left us wishing fiber crafts were more aerobic!  Full notes with photos and links can be found in the podcast section of our shop website: TwoEwesFiberAdventures.com Come join the community on Ravelry or become a patron and support the show on our Patreon Page. Marsha finished her Iba cardigan by Bonne Marie Burns, well sort of finished. She discovered after blocking the sleeves now need be shortened by about an inch. Marsha loves the cardigan! It fits well and the Rambouillet yarn is so soft, silky, and plump. Marsha is also working on the picot bind off of her Elinya shawl by Ambah O'Brien. Marsha started a scarf named Slack Tide for her brother with Concentric by HiKoo by Skacel. She purchased the yarn at a great new shop in Seabrook, WA call String Theory Yarns and Fiber. The owner, Jean Chambers, is focusing on local yarns. Marsha also bought two skeins of Lina Fine Yarns and Textiles from Montesano, WA. Marsha also started her after thought heel socks as part of our Learn Along. Kelly was at Lambtown over the weekend. Sheep shearing, sheepdog demos, sheep to shawl competition, fiber friends and a great marketplace made for a fantastic time. She also took a class on combing wool and spinning for luster from Stephenie Gaustad. Her knitting continues to be monogamous, with all knitting energy going to the Running Water cardigan. She is using the Fibonacci sequence for the striping on the sweater.  The sweater has a tubular bind off at the hem. The big loom has also been warped and Kelly is doing a long narrow sampler which will make a good loom bench cushion. The Two Ewes Shop has small-batch Romney and Shetland yarns, and  the climate beneficial Replenish Rambouillet, with some new fall colors. Kelly's favorite is a color called "Just Say No to Pumpkin Spice Bourbon."

Episode39 – 5/25/18 – Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less Today’s segments include Be A Helper Craft-a-long, including Prizes and some Charity Ideas, Wips, Spinning, Running and today’s Knitting Talk will answer the question – “Why did you start a podcast?” Be A Helper Summer 2018 As I mentioned last week, the Be A Helper KAL is back for the summer.  We went over most of the details but I’ll go over a few updates quickly today and a few addendums (thanks to those who reached out with some questions!) Last episode I said that this was a KAL for anything you knit, crochet, weave or spin but someone pointed out that during the last KAL I said any craft. I’m going to go with what we used previously – ANY thing you make for ANY charity will count.  I’m still running the craft-a-long on Ravelry, but you do not need to link to a project page.  Just post a photo of your finished item in the thread on Ravelry and tell us who you are donating it to!  Donating blood still counts, too. Another listener point out that it’s a pain trying to get all the photos up in time for Stash Dash and ending things the same night could be an issue for some, and I whole heartedly agree. So I’m giving you an extra week.  We start on May 25th and will end August 31st.  You have all summer to finish your charity work.  Please post 1 picture per finished object in the thread. Wips are allowed! Double or triple dip in any KAL you want, I totally encourage this! Prizes – So far we have three prizes , one skein of FishKnits Yarn in the At Sixes and Sevens colorway, a self-striping Merino-nylon sock yarn, one skein on non-wool yarn of my choosing though I’d love to hear any input for you folks – anything you’ve been tempted to knit with? And lastly a huge thanks to Tiffany from The Project Bag who is offering a free project bag and matching notions pouch and she will ship it anywhere in the world!  Tiffany sent over an example photo and I’m posting it in the Ravelry group.  The prize won’t be the exact fabric pattern shown, but the bags will coordinate and her photo will give you an idea of her gorgeous handiwork.   Charity Ideas If you don’t have a charity you currently craft for, I’m going to talk about a few here that may be of interest to you: Preemie Hats – check with your local hospital for yarn requirements. These need to be washed in an industrial strength washing machine so there may be limits.  If your local hospital isn’t accepting hats, Dana from the Unwind Yarn Company is collecting them from her retreat attendees this fall and may be willing to accept a few more via mail if you contact her.  Greg, aka Knitting Daddy of the Unraveling podcast also has accepted mailed hats in the past for his local hospital. Knitted Knockers – these are prostheses for breast cancer survivors who have not or cannot have reconstructive surgery. Knockers must be made with plant based yarn – wool is too scratchy on scar tissue – and a list of acceptable yarns is linked in the who notes along with the free patterns. Mother Bears – I learned of this charity from the 2 Knit Lit Chicks and they are currently running their Mother Bear KAL. These bears provide comfort to children who are victim of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Afrca.  Mother Bear will snail mail you the knitting or crochet pattern for a small fee.  All they ask is that you return the finished bear with $3 to cover the shipping to Africa.  KnitAid – has USA and UK Neither is currently collecting, but you could knit scarves or hats or baby clothes for next winter.  All items must be knit in dark-colored yarn because the recipients will not be able to wash them easily. Do you have a charity craft idea that you think others would like to hear about?  Let me know and I’ll talk about it on a future episode.  Send me a PM on Ravelry, I’m WindsweptMonique, or email me at windsweptMonique@gmail.com WIPS I’ve put a couple of rows onto my Changing Staircases shawl by Jenga Knits.  This is a shawl inspired by the Harry Potter books, the way the staircases are constantly changing and I’m working on it in Mousou a 100% bamboo yarn from The FiberLady. I turned the heel on my 52-stitch sock, which is using the Fish Lips Kiss heel and Cobasi by Hikoo, which is a bamboo, cotton, silk and nylon blend.  Those of you who’ve used that pattern will understand why I can be so precise about the 1/3! The Addition By Subtraction Mystery Knit A Long, I am 1/3 of the way through Clue #2.  I am working on this in 4 colors of 3 different yarns.  For the light color I’m using Ito Yarn’s Washi in the Crocus colorway, a pale purple.  This is a Japanese style paper yarn, laceweight, and I‘m holding it double.  The dark is Ito Yarn’s Kinu, a laceweight silk in the Grey colorway and I’m holding it double.  The zany is  Your Crazy is Showing from Birdie’s Knits and it is a crazy combination of every color you can imagine but it looks beautiful.  Lastly I’m using another Kinu, the Plum colorway which is actually a dark pastel pink, not purple as the name might imply.  There is a slipped stitch section which caused me a little bit of a headache given that silk and paper yarns have absolutely no stretch to them, but I’ve learned how to knit that section more loosely than normal and it’s actually working out nicely. Spinning Still practicing on my wheel.  Don’t quite have the hang of it yet.  Tried spinning the bamboo sample I got from The Fiber Lady at stitches United and boy was that easier!  I now understand why long staple fibers are much preferred!  But I am going to keep trying.  My problem seems to be getting that first bit twisted and onto the bobbin.  Once I have it I can sustain it for a little while, but getting started is not my forte!   Knitting Talk I was recently asked, why did I start a podcast?  As I’ve now passed my 1st podaversary, I decided to tackle that question here. First off, I LOVE podcasts.  I started listening back in 2005 and currently on my phone I am subscribed to 109 podcasts, 12 of which are for my kids.  Some are weekly, some put out 15-20 a year and some are like Serial and every now and then you get 10 in a row.  So it’s not quite as insane as it sounds.  No, I do not keep up do date with all of them – I am still far behind after going to FL for 10 days in February but I’m slowly catching up while driving, cooking, cleaning, etc.  I also listen at 1.5x which makes a 60 minute podcast take only about 40 minutes so that helps. Back to this particular podcast – I had been considering starting a podcast for about 2-3 years and kept putting it off because of family, kids, lack of time, etc.  I was super stressed and a bit down in the dumps and I finally decided to take on a project just for me.  I’d just gotten in to SSK a few weeks before and then listening to the Just One More Row podcast, Dana was talking about exactly that, getting lost in motherhood and the doldrums of thousands of thankless tasks and how taking time for herself and doing projects just for herself was really helping.  That was the lightbulb moment I needed and I decided to just go out and do it.  I bought a microphone, downloaded Audacity and released the first episode on March 14th, 2017.  The sound quality was horrible, and I was so incredibly nervous, but I did it.  And I’m so glad I did!  Now more than a year on, I have met so many wonderful people because of this podcast.  It’s been a joy.  Running How long should your shoes last?  “Experts” say 300-500 miles, depending on how much wear and tear they get.  But if you see any damage, change shoes right away!  Also, if you see uneven wear on the bottom of your shoe, (e.g., more wear on the inside edge than the outside edge, or vice versa) then be SURE to go to a running store (and bring your current shoes!).  They can help you find the right type of shoe to stop that and help prevent injuries down the road.  

Episode 38 – 5/15/18 - Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Visit my new website at WindsweptKnits.com and stream the podcast or read shownotes.  Thanks so much for listening!  There are 1000’s of podcasts for you to choose from and I am honored you take time out of your busy life to listen to mine.  Segments this week include: Stash Acquisition, Wips, KALs, Running Stash Acquisition I held off recording last week because I had no knew knitting and also I knew what I’d be getting for Mother’s Day which is…  a spinning wheel!  My finger still isn’t healed yet so I’m in a finger brace part-time and still can’t knit nearly as much as I want to, so my boys bought me a Lendrum!  They also got the Very Fast Flyer so I can spin cotton.  I am SUPER excited and slightly daunted.  I’ve tried using it a few times and I’m horrible at the moment.  I hold my fiber too close to the wheel to get a good spin in the cotton.  Also, I’m used to having the fiber not move while I’m drafting.  So balancing the spin with the pullup on to the bobbin is challenging.  Luckily, I know exactly what I’m looking for in the spun cotton so a few times I’ve managed to get a small amount of decently spun single on the bobbin.  And I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a tensioned lazy kate and the plying head to I don’t have to ply on a drop spindle! Spinning I’ve been working on a new spinning project using Hipstring’s A Beautiful Day cotton colorway.  This is from the first shipment of her Cotton Club, which I highly recommend.  I’ve only gotten a little bit done but it is coming along beautifully.  Jill’s cotton is a joy to spin. Wips Lady and the Unicorn, as I mentioned last week, this is part of a series of medieval tapestries held at the Musee de Cluny.  In particular, the one I am stitching is based on the one labelled “A Mon Seul Desir” and a few days ago I finished working on the current chart page!  I’m pretty sure I started that page at least 5 years ago.  And I’m heading to stitching group tonight so I get to stitch some more. I’ve put a row or 2 onto my Changing Staircases shawl by Jenga Knits.  This is a shawl inspired by the Harry Potter books, the way the stiarcases are constantly changing and I’m working on it in Mousou a 100% bamboo yarn from The FiberLady. I’ve also put a few rows on my 52-stitch sock, which is using the Fish Lips Kiss heel and Cobasi by Hikoo, which is a bamboo, cotton, silk and nylon blend. Last but not least – I have a new cast on!  I cast on a shawl on Mother’s Day!  I’m joining the Addition By Subtraction Mystery Knit A Long, albeit a few weeks late.  This is a “mystery” mystery knit along – a murder mystery knit a long to be exact.  I love a good murder mystery novel – Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors – so even though the story is more of a film noire type it’s still right up my alley.  I’m on the first clue and I’m having a blast playing a long.  I did have to rip back a few rows because my 4th color wasn’t quite working right with the others, but luckily I had another good colorway on hand. This pattern was designed and released along with the LYS day so I chose stash I had on hand from my yarn store that closed, one from another localish yarn store and ordered one skein from an indie dyer that I love, Birdie’s Knits from Florida.  Her hand dyed organic cotton is to die for (har har!).  The pattern calls for a light color, a dark color, a slightly zany color and a color to tie it all together, all in fingering weight.  For the light color I’m using Ito Yarn’s Washi in the Crocus colorway, a pale purple.  This is a Japanese style paper yarn, laceweight, and ‘m holding it double.  The dark is Ito Yarn’s Kinu, a laceweight silk in the Grey colorway and I’m holding it double.  The zany is  Your Crazy is Showing from Birdie’s Knits and it is a crazy combination of every color you can imagine but it looks beautiful.  Lastly I’m using another Kinu, the Plum colorway which is actually a dark pastel pink, not purple as the name might imply. Knit A Longs Geeky Girls Sheepy Spring AL runs through May 31st and I am a sponsor. TheKnitGirllls’ Stash Dash is an annual WIP-finish KAL.  Compete against yourself to see how much yardage you can complete from May 25th to August 27th.  Can you knit 1000m?  Maybe a whole 5k?  The bonus here is that if you knit a row on a project you can cound ALL the yardage for the project.  Also, spinning counts, where last year you could count the length of all the singles so a 200m 3-ply yarn would count as 600m.  I should note, there are rule changes up for voting at the moment so take that last spinning rule with a grain of salt. In A Sknit’s Batter Up KAL has begun – knit your way through baseball season!  I’m a sponsor for this one, too.  There are many opportunities for prizes across the season including at the All Star break and during the World Series. Last but not least – My Summer 2018 Be A Helper KAL.  I will run this in tandem with Stash Dash because I know a lot of you will be trying to use up every last scrap of yarn for those 3 months and preemie hats and Knitted Knockers are perfect stash-busting projects.  Project rules will be the same as last winter – ANYTHING you knit, crochet, weave or spin for ANY charity counts.  One entry per FO – you can enter 10 preemie hats will count as 10 entries.  Also, donating blood counts as 1 entry, just post a photo of yourself either in the chair, or with the bandaid, or selfie sipping your OJ afterwards.  If you would like to offer a prize for this KAL, please PM me on Ravelry or email me at WindsweptMonique@gmail.com, any prizes would be greatly appreciated!  I will be offering two skeins from my own stash, the first is a skein from FishKnits Yarn in the At Sixes and Sevens colorway, a self-striping Merino-nylon sock yarn.  The other one will be a non-wool yarn TBD; I’m currently debating between a silk yarn, a Japanese paper-style yarn, or a plant-based yarn.  If you have any thoughts on which I should offer, please let me know!   Running My running training is going well so far.  I’m walking my son home from school most days, so that’s 1.5 miles each afternoon.  Some days I run, and some it’s just a lazy stroll as an “active rest day”.  Yesterday I did my first 4-miler since before I was pregnant with my youngest son, who’s almost 3, and it felt great! Historically, the 4-6 mile area was my least favorite distance but I wonder if that will change since I haven’t tackled that distance in years.  I’ve been lax about strength training the last few weeks because of the brace on my finger, but now that I’m only wearing the brace part time I’m going to start strength training twice a week.  I need to listen to my own advice eh?  Keep strength training!    

Recorded on April 12 and April 15, 2018 Book Talk starts at 36:50   Our Never-Have-I-Ever Sock-along will continue until May 15, 2018.  Make socks like you’ve never made before - try a new heel, using a pattern if you usually stick with vanilla, knit from a sock blank for the first time, do color work - or maybe try socks for the very first time!  Please go to the Never-Have-I-Ever Sock-along Chatter thread to join the fun.  Post your finished socks here.     Get ready for our summer swap, hosted by the wonderful Sandra (SweetSerendipity37).  Check out this thread and vote to let Sandra know you’d like to participate.   KINITTING Tracie’s FOs: Wee Wrap by Susan Barstein in Plymouth Rainbow Toybox in colorway 69 13 Knitted Knockers in Cascade Ultra Pima and CoBaSi Plus by HiKoo   Barb’s FOs: Knitted Knockers Peer Pressure Shawlette #2, using Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in the Whiskey Barrel colorway   Tracie has cast on:  Girl’s Poncho by Plymouth Yarn in Plymouth Encore Colorspun in 8198 colorway Rikke Hat by Sarah Young in Serendipidye Kings Mountain DK in South by Southwest   She is working on: 6th Fiddly Bits cowl by Jane Pihota from fingering weight magic cake all in shades of green! Adjoin toe-up socks from Sock Architecture by Lara Neel in Knitting Rose Yarns Tinkytweet (aka) Sparkle Yarn sock blank Leaf Press Shawl by Judy Marples, from a Craftsy Kit in Cloudborn Highland Sport in the Caribbean and Dolphin Blue colorways Lake Effect by Amy Miller in Baah La Jolla in the California Poppy colorway   Barb is still working on: Tale as Old as Time Cowl by Anne Vally, using Must Stash Yarns & Fiber Perfect Self-Striping Sock in the Beauty and the Beast colorways Misty Scarf by Kaffe Fassett, using Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe (now discontinued) in a pale blue and pale pink colorway and a darker blue, cranberry and hot pink colorway. Tailfeather cardigan by Heidi Kirrmaier, using Elemental Affects Cormo in a sage green color way Gently Stirred Never Shaken shawl/scarf by Mac and Joe, using Baah La Jolla in 3 different colorways - Strawberry Shortcake, Deep Slate and Cotton Candy   She has cast on: Mount Airy Socks by Mary Lucas, using Duren Dyeworks Awesome Sock Blank.   Rikke Hat by Sarah Young, using Serendipidye Kings Mountain DK in the South by Southwest colorway   BOOKS Finished: The House of Unexpected Sisters by Alexander McCall Smith Mrs. Saint and the Defectives by Julie Lawson Timmer The Girl with the Silver Eyes by Willo Davis Roberts The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle   Finished books Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff The Flight Attendant by Chris Boujalian   Reading: The People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder Alice by Christina Henry I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara   Currently reading Classic Krakauer by Jon Krakauer Loner by Teddy Wayne The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances

Episode 36 – 4/12/18 – Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Visit my new website at WindsweptKnits.com and stream the podcast or read shownotes.  Thanks so much for listening!  There are 1000’s of podcasts for you to choose from and I am you take time out of your busy life to listen to mine. Segments this week include FOs, Wips, Pattern Stalking, Training Update and Running Talk FO Hitchhiker knit out of Makimo by Fiberlady in the Scrumptious Berries colorway – goes from raspberry pink to blackberry purple.  100% bamboo.  I love it.  I love having my own hitchhiker.  I’ve worn it several times already because it’s still unseasonably cold here in New England (though theoretically that will change in the next few days!) Wips Changing Staircases - pattern by Jenga Knits – Mousou by Fiberlady in the Plum colorway, light to mid-tone purples in laceweight bamboo base.  I am about 40% done and I really like it.  It’s a little more brain power than a Hitchhiker, but also has more visual interest.  It’s still simple enough to knit at karate, swimming, soccer, etc. 52-st sock – this is my current car knitting so I’m slowly chugging away at it.  I’m knitting it in 2 shades of CoBaSi by Hikoo, a sock yarn made of cotton, bamboo, silk and nylon.  KNitting this in leftover Raspberry and a skein of Slated, a gray variegated yarn. Wearables It’s still cold.  Thing 1 has worn his Star Wars Sweater twice more this last week and Thing 2 has worn a very old sweater I knit for Thing 1 in the years I didn’t document much on Ravelry.  It was a free pattern from Sirdar but I can’t find it online anymore!  I’ve worn my Maris Stella shawl and my new Hitchhiker a few times, too.   Pattern Stalking Tisane by Maria Olson – a spring/summer coat with ¾ length sleeves cardigan/coat that buttons in front of the bust and lays open below it.  The upper portion is stockinette and the lower non-buttoned section is a lovely lace pattern. Training Update Still swimming as cross training and it is finally getting easier!  Last week I swam 150 yards and today I did 250! I won’t say it’s easy, per se, as my freestyle is still abysmal and I find it quite challenging.  I swim freestyle in one direction, then swim the breaststroke back, which for me is an easy stroke. Running Talk Let’s talk butts.  Rear Ends.  Glutes.    Your gluteus muscles are some of the most important muscles for walking and running but in so many of us they don’t work the way they’re supposed to.  Thanks so our modern sedentary lifestyles and office jobs, many of our pelvises tilt too far forward and our butts don’t actually engage when they are meant to, leaving other muscle groups to take over the load.  I’m definitely guilty of this, and of not realizing it, and I ended up with two badly sprained hamstrings during my marathon, and months of physical therapy, because of it.  First we’ll cover a few tests to see if your glutes are week.  Then I’ll talk about some glute strengthening exercises and how to get your glutes firing again when they’re supposed to. Tests Test 1 – chair of death “to start this test, stand in front of a chair with your feet under it and your knees touching the seat. Put your arms out in front of you. Now squat down and try not to let your knees push into the chair. If you find that your knees are hitting the chair or you are even moving the chair, your glutes are not working properly.” Test 2 – Bridge “Lie on your back with your knees up and your feet flat on the ground. Hold your arms straight out above you. Lift your hips up to make a straight bridge from shoulders to knees. Where do you feel it? If you feel stress anywhere but your butt, you aren't activating your glutes. “ Exercises – Lunges and squats are great if you have proper form.  Here are a few other exercises that will help: Prone hip extension – lie on your stomach and use your glutes to lift your leg up of the floor. Bridges with weights – Lie on your back, knees bent and put a light weight or soup can on your lower abdomen.  The extra weight your body isn’t used to will help make your glutes engage.  Also, try lifting your butt only a few inches off the floor and work on activating your glutes, not on the height of your bridge. Deadlifts - To do this exercise, stand in front of a kettlebell or 2 dumbbells or even 2 soup cans to start. Take a hip-width to shoulder-width stance, knees slightly bent.  Bend forward at the hips and grab your weights. Use your glutes and hamstrings to lift your torso and stand straight up. Now lower the weights by hinging at the hips and allowing your glutes to move backward as you keeping the weights close to our touching the fronts of your legs. the bar in contact with your legs on the way down. If you are flexible enough, let the bar touch the floor and then pull it back up. Or you can stop about mid-shin height and then raise the bar back up.
   To sum up - your legs are like a fulcrum or the pendulum on a clock and your glutes power that movement. Get those glutes strong and prevent injuries down the road.  Several articles you may find helpful are linked in the show notes. Articles: http://www.fleetfeethartford.com/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-corner/the-chair-of-death-a-simple-glute-assessment-tool https://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/its-all-in-the-hips https://www.menshealth.com/fitness/a19544187/5-signs-you-have-weak-glutes/ https://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/glute-strengthening-workout/slide/1    

Episode 35 – 4/3/18 – Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Show Notes at knittingontherun.podbean.com.  Come join the Ravelry group! Thanks so much for listening!  There are 1000’s of podcasts for you to choose from and I am so honored you chose mine. FOs, Wips, Knitting Fail, Wearables, Knitting Talk, Out and About and On The Run FOs Emerald Deep shawl –This shawl is a charity knit for AGC Scholarships, a group that raises money for families dealing with infertility or who are trying to adopt.  Worked in Ito Yarn’s Kinu, 100% silk.  Kinu has a colorway, Aqua, which is almost the exact color of AGC’s logo so it was too perfect not to use.  The shawl will be auctioned off at AGC’s annual gala to raise money.  If you or someone you love would like to learn more about AGC, visit agcscholarships.org  The shawl will be auctioned off at their gala this weekend and I hope that AGC has a very successful auction on all their items and raises lots of money to help families who just want to have a family. Star Wars Sweater – Thing 1 was sooooooo excited to get his sweater.  I knit it in secret while he was asleep or at school and it was a surprise for him.  He insisted on wearing it to school today which made this mama very happy! Vanilla is the New Black – finished the 2nd sock last week but it’s too big!  I have very narrow feet and have problem finding shoes that fit well, so I can’t say I’m surprised. WIPS Dancing Dragons Coat from Heike Campbell in Be Sweet’s Bamboo in the Sea Green colorway which is a tonal speckled green with blue undertones.  It’s knit bottom up in pieces – I’m working on the back panel and I’m on my 3rd repeat of chart 2 and am nearly up to the underarms. New Hitchhiker for me out of Makimo by Fiberlady in the Scrumptious Berries colorway – goes from raspberry pink to blackberry purple.  100% bamboo Changing Staircases – pattern by Jenga Knits – Mousou by Fiberlady in the Plum colorway, light to mid-tone purples in laceweight bamboo base. 52-st sock in  2 shades of CoBaSi by Hikoo, a sock yarn made of cotton, bamboo, silk and nylon.  60sts on a US1(2.25mm) needle was too big so after some wonderful feedback from all of you on Instagram I’ve dropped down to a 52st version and I’m using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel.  I’m almost to the arch of the foot and so far it’s fitting much better.  Using leftovers of the raspberry colorway for heels/toes/cuffs and 1 200-yard skein of Slated, a variegated gray colorway, for the foot and ankle portions. Knitting Fail Thing 2 decided to sit, well, more like jump on one of my knitting bags when he climbed up next to me on the sofa and snapped my Lykke US size 2 circular needles.  Boo!!   Wearables It’s gotten cold again here so we’re wearing LOTS of knits. I’ve worn my Frosted sweater twice and my Poema sweater.  I’ve been wearing my Twist and Shout by Michele DuNaier almost every day.  The kids have been sick almost the entire time since we’ve been home from FL and that hat is a machine washable cotton, so it’s my hat of choice until the viruses subside.  I’ve also been wearing my Use Your Stash shawl and occasionally stealing my husband’s Hitchhiker Shawl.  Thing 2 has grown so much he’s now wearing some of Thing 1’s old sweaters, like the red Monomoy sweater I made several years ago.  Both boys have been wearing the socks I knit them for Christmas under their winter boots while playing in the snow.  And Thing 1 has worn his new Star Wars sweater to school several times already.   Out and About Stitches United was from March 23-25.  I attended on Saturday, March 24th.  Come on up and say “hi!”   On The Run Training is still going and I’m making progress. I did 2.5 miles on Sunday and that’s the most I’ve done since summer 2016 and it felt sooooooo good to walk my old running routes.  I still haven’t been able to get outside much with all the snow in March, but the sidewalks are now clear so I have hope.  I’ve been swimming once a week as cross training and I think it’s making a difference.  I feel the swimming workouts in my whole body, not just my legs and it really gets my heart pumping.  Next week I’m aiming to increase to 200 yards. I have some topics I want to discuss over the next few weeks, including the myth that running ruins knees, yoga for runners, why runners need to do upper body and core workouts and incontinence in women which affects so many women, especially after childbirth, and keeps many from exercsising (spoiler alert on this last one – there is hope and help available!).  But I also want to hear from you – what fitness topics would you like me to research?  Come tell me in the Ravelry group or email me at WindsweptMonique@gmail.com So now I want to ask you – what are YOU doing now that it’s officially Spring?  I know those of you down south have gorgeous weather this time of year while we’re still wearing mittens in the morning.      

Episode 32 WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Show Notes at knittingontherun.podbean.com Stash, Wips, Knitting Fail, Out and About Before we start – planning on getting back to having knitting and running topics, now that the holidays are over and we’re starting to get healthy again (knock on wood).  What do you want to hear about?  I have a few topics lined up but I’d love to hear from you.  Come to the Ravelry group and let me know or send me an email at windsweptmonique@gmail.com Stash Got 4 new skeins of CoBaSi by HiKoo – sock weight yarn without wool - 55% Cotton/ 16% Bamboo/ 8% Silk/ 21% Elastic – planning on using the Blarney colorway to knit JavaPurl’s Peppermint Mocha socks, and the blue-gray multi colored Wave Caps colorway to knit the Vanilla Is The New Black socks by Anneh Fletcher Also got my first shipment from HipString’s Cotton club.  Got 2 coordinated 2-oz braids of sunset colors, with oranges and blues – one with lighter tones and one with darker tones.  Normally I’m not a fan of orange but I have to say these two colorways are beautiful.   Wips Vanilla sock in Berroco Comfort Sock in Bali colorway.  Still chugging along at this 2+ year old WIP, it’s my car knitting – planning on putting the heel scrap yarn for an after thought heel in today Star Wars sweater for Thing 1 – finished the main body, on the bottom colorwork.  Using Nordic Yoke Pullover, a free pattern from Patons, as the base and altering the charts to have Star Wars characters/spaceships/icons.  Frosted by Paper Daisy Creations - finished the first sleeve, started second sleeve.  Hoping to finish the second sleeve this week and this will be my Ravellenics entry.  Knitting up in some old stash, Longmeadow (discontinued) from Valley Yarns in white, and the blues are 2 old skeins of Debbie Bliss Amalfi (discontinuted), 1 color of Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy and 1 color of Nettle Grove from Plymouth Yarns. Emerald Deep shawl – took this to Karate Movie Night at my son’s Dojo and finished Chart 3 and started Chart 4.  I’ll definitely have this done for the auction in March.  this shawl is a charity knit for AGC Scholarships, a group that raises money for families dealing with infertility or who are trying to adopt.  Worked in Ito Yarn’s Kinu, 100% silk.  Kinu has a colorway, Aqua, which is almost the exact color of AGC’s logo so it was too perfect not to use.  The shawl will be auctioned off at AGC’s annual gala to raise money.  If you or someone you love would like to learn more about AGC, visit agcscholarships.org   Knitting Fail As mentioned a few months ago, I was planning on fading a Lush by Tin Can Knits using color-coordinated yarns I picked up at Rhinebeck in gold, gold with pink specks and pink with gold undertones.  I washed the pink and gold/pink yarns to wash out extra dye – and unfortunately, it looks like the pink speckled yarn wasn’t set properly.  It wasn’t just the extra dye that came out, a lot of the pink washed out of the yarn – so much so that almost looks like the gold. :(  Definitely not going to fade it with the pink now, it would be a huge change in colors and not a fade at all, more like stripes.  Maye I’ll “fade” the gold into the gold/pink and treat them as hand-dyed yarns and just alternate skeins.  I’ll let you know what I decide to do.  Very sad. 2nd knitting fail – started knitting handspun for the Ravellenics, but I have the wrong needles.  Whereas the 2.5 and 2s I swatched with were too big, the 0s are too small and using magic loop is just not working.  So I’m putting this homespun earband on hold until I get 16 inch US size 1s 3rd knitting fail – I’m on a roll, eh?  Got to the heel of my ancient Vanilla Socks and realized I hadn’t increased for the wide par of the foot before reaching the heel.  Boo!  Lots of frogging there.  They won’t be ready for Knit Aid’s deadline.  http://www.knitaid.org/   Out and About I did not make it to Boston Fiber event – had some previous commitments that ran over.  Heard from some friends that they had a great time and saw pictures if beautiful, squishy yarn. Will be away next week visiting both my parents and my in-laws, so no episode next week.  But expect some Instagram posts involving pools or palm trees as we’re headed to Florida! On The Run I’m back :)  I've been cross-training and strength training and even hopped in the local YMCA pool for a few laps and discovered just how out of shape I am!

Episode 29 – Happy New Year! Wips, Knitting Fail, Pattern Acquisition, On The Run FO Mahalo Socks by Dana Gervais – on the 2nd sock in CoBaSi by Hikoo and progressing nicely Hibernatum hat by Talitha Kuomi – full disclosure, I know Talitha, we’re part of the same knitting group at our recently closed LYS and she is an amazing human being and also a very talented designer.  I’ve never knit one of her patterns before, so when I stumbled upon her Hibernatum hat designed for Alpaca yarn while trying to find a hat to knit with my Criativ DK, an alpaca blend, it was too perfect not to choose!  Oh, and it’s a free pattern put out by Classic Elite so go knit this yourself. It would totally work with other fibers too.  I cast this hat on Christmas Eve and it’s rather potato chippy because it’s a knit row followed by a simple pattern row and I kept wanting to knit just one more row. Wips Frosted Sweater by Paper Daisy Creations, my Christmas cast on – a snowflake-patterned colorwork yoke sweater.  She used a gradient mini kit so the snowflakes go from light to dark using 5 colors of a warm blue with a green tint to it on a white background. I found 2 skeins of Debbie Bliss Amalfi in Pale Blue and Denim and also a skein of Hempathy by Elsebeth Lavold in a color just between those two shades so I’m only using 3 colors and I’m hoping I might have enough to make the matching hat.   Plain Vanilla sock in Berroco Comfort Sock in the Bali colorway.  I started this pair of socks 2 years ago and got Second Sock Syndrome.  It’s now my purse knitting so I’m hoping to finish them this winter.  I’m on the second foot, going toe-up with an afterthought heel. Lush by Tin Cast Knits, my New Years Day cast on Knitting Fail Frosted Sweater – take 2.  I did run into one issue with this sweater.  The Medium would probably fit well if I got gauge, but I have 24 sts per 4 inches instead of 25 which gives me an extra 1.8 inches around the bust in size Medium…  that’s just too much.  Plus, after trying it on the collar is too wide for a New England winter.  So I did the math and I’m going to knit the small but add one pattern repeat of the snowflakes which will give me an extra 12 sts around the bust which, if my gauge holds true, should give me a perfect fit, not too tight, not too loose. Had to tink back 4 rows on my second Mahalo sock – note to self, don’t start gusset increases while making dinner when boys are cranky.  While the gusset increases themselves came out fine, I totally screwed up the lace pattern, by 2 rows, then dropped a stitch and had to tink back to more to fix the now-wobbly looking increases. Pattern acquisition Berroco had a pattern sale this past week – one free pattern per person and I picked up the Dahlia shawl by Brenda York, a worsted weight colorwork shawl, experienced level, by a new-to-me designer (never bought a Berroco pattern before, though I love some of their yarns).  It’s gorgeous and there are no projects on Ravelry!  Looking forward to making mine the first. Vanilla is the New Black by Anneh Fletcher – I’m finding purl bumps uncomfortable and I heard this pattern is reversible, so I want to give it a try! On The Run Still No running for a while – it hurts my back, but walking does not, soooo…. I’m going to train to walk a half marathon in September!  I’ve set up a very gradual training plan to slowly work up to 13.1 miles over 9 months and I’m going to take you on that journey with me.  I’ve found  a half marathon in Salem, MA with both runner and walker divisions, so it’ll be perfect whether or not I get to start running between now and then.    

Episode 28 FO, Wip, Stash, Wearables, Knitting Plans, Knitting Talk – wool allergies, On the Run, Out and About FO Purple shawl in some deep stash, Queensland Sugar Rush, for myself!  Also, it’s the last sample made of a new pattern that I will be releasing over the holiday weekend – keep an eye on Instagram/Facebook/Ravelry group because it will be free for the first few days as a thank you to the knitting community.  This year has been amazing and a lot of it is thanks to the amazing women and men in the fiber world.  I started this podcast, went to Stitches United and SSK for the first time, went back to Rhinbeck and have interacted with so many of you and this is my small way of saying thanks. Wip                   Only other wip I worked on was my Mahalo sock by Dana Gervais.  Full disclosure, she’s my tech editor, but she’s also an amazing sock designer and I am loving this pattern.  I have scrawny ankles so I tweaked the narrowest size to be a little narrower and it was easy to adjust – you could also easily adjust it bigger, and the lace pattern is memorizable after a few times through so I’ve really enjoyed working on it.  Knitting it in CoBaSi by Hikoo, a cotton, bamboo, silk and nylon blended sock yarn. Stash Coming Next Week Wearables It’s been cold the last 6 weeks and I didn’t have time to put this segment in the last episode, so I’ll quikly summarize – I’ve been wearing Poema by Vera Sanon a lot.  Also, I’ve been wearing my (until now) only two shawls a lot, Maris Stella by Anna Victoria and May Flowers, an old pattern of mine, over store bought sweaters to stay warm.  Also I’ve been going back and forth between wearing my Hamilknit Hat by Emily Straw from Knitting Butterflies podcast and the Twist and Shout hat by Michele DuNaier which is a simple cabled hat. Knitting Plans I want to lengthen the sleeves of my Empire Tunic by Lily Go, knit in Frog Tree’s Picobo, a cotton/bamboo blend.  I love this top but since I’m always cold I’ll get more wear out of this if it has long sleeves and not ¾ sleeves. Also, I want to pull out my English Garden Wedding Kimono that I knit years and years ago and finally do the embroidery.  This is from the Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits from Interweave and I picked this pattern because the embroidery makes this sweater just amazing.  The Firefly I got at my LYS the last few weeks are destined for that. Knitting Talk I’ve had a couple of people ask about my wool allergy recently so I thought we’d devote this section to fiber and animal allergies.  I am not a medical professional, so please take what I am saying with that in mind, but I will share what I know with you.  First off, yes, wool allergies are real – you can be allergic to sheep just like you can be allergic to cats and dogs.  Unfortunately, I’m allergic to all 3 to varying degrees, and also to horses and goats.  I just happen to get the worst physical reaction to sheep whereas I have 2 cats and all I get is a stuffy nose sometimes when they shed. You can also have a reaction to the lanolin in the wool – if that’s the case then you might be able to work with a superwash wool where all the lanolin is stripped out so they can smooth down the scales in the wool fibers.  Well meaning knitters often try to tell me I’m just sensitive to lanolin.  I usually just nod and smile. Lastly, your skin could just be sensitive, in which you get itchy with certain wools.  This isn’t an actual allergy but a form of contact dermatitis, which is just a fancy way of saying that your skin is sensitive and something is irritating your skin.  Wearing a t-shirt underneath usually solves the problem. So, how do I know I’m allergic to sheep?  I found out when I was 4.  My great-grandmother bought me a lovely little coat and hat set.  Mom bundled me up and sent me off to pre-school and I came home covered in hives. Poor Gram felt awful, but she had no way of knowing, I just happen to have very severe allergies. A skin-prick allergy test the next year confirmed I am allergic to every animal they tested for, to varying degrees.  Last time I had a major reaction was 2002 in London, England.  My now-husband and I had just gotten to Europe for a 45-day backpacking trip around the continent.  We went to bed very jet-lagged and I never even thought to check the content of the blanket because in the US budget hotels do not have nice blankets.  It was hot and we didn’t pull it up over us.  Sometime in the night I must have tucked my feet under the blanket because when I woke up in the morning my ankles had literally doubled in size.  I could get 2 pairs of socks to fit, but none of the 3 pairs of shoes I brought.  I finally had to un-lace my sneakers and jam my feet into them so I could leave the hotel room.  It took about a week for them to shrink back to normal size – if I hadn’t been power-walking around European capitals it probably would have gotten better a bit faster but I was NOT about to miss anything, swollen ankles be damned. Out and About January – Vogue Knitting Live in NYC, if you’re coming too let me know! March – Stitches United in Hartford, CT.  A quick note for any of you debating coming, Stitches United 2018 is in CT but in 2019 it will be in Georgia.  Knitting Universe has announced that Stitches United will be alternating between the Northeast and the Southeast.  So, if you were planning on going to CT in 2019, go this year instead. On the Run Keep on walking and strength training

In this episode, the girls talk deciding on a sweater size to knit. Susie chokes on alpaca fluff, and Danie is never gonna give up her sock. Miscellaneous mentions in the topic segment include the Twist Collective article on sweater ease and fitting, Susie's Hiro, and Ann Budd's gauge formula. Stuff & Things Thank you to Erin of Remade By Hand Designs for sending her new pattern Coloresque Wrap and Greg of Unraveling with Greg and Joey podcast (KnittingDaddy on Rav) for sending his new pattern Thundertwist. Susie's new pattern Endless Maze Socks will be released this week. Keep an eye on her Instagram feed for the announcement. Events Cori, one of the two Knit Cahoots behind Minnesota 52, will be at Imagiknit on September 25th for a book signing 4pm-5:30pm and then talking all about sweaters and making them fit 6pm-9pm. Also at Imagiknit, the girls will be having a pop-up on October 8th 1pm-4pm. Finished Projects Susie finished her second Roughlock Falls Shawl and it's uh-wow! Current Projects Danie worked a bunch on her Cattails and on her Downpour Socks. Susie worked on her Georgetown. She also cast on an Aviatrix hat out of Hikoo by skacel Sueño and a plain self-striping sock out of Coloring Book Yarns in the Winter Remix Hexi colorway.

In this episode, the girls celebrate 100 episodes! Stuff & Things Thank you to KnittingDaddy Greg of the Unraveling with Greg and Joey podcast for sending us copies of his wonderful new shawl pattern Amplitude. Susie's Ripple Ribbed Sock pattern has been released! Help celebrate this 4th installment of the birthday sock tradition by using code '4THBDAY' to receive 40% off any Prairie Girl Designs sock pattern through October 10th. Check out the Forest Dreams kit available at One Twisted Tree! Other things mentioned include Susie's Glenfiddich sweater's inaugural wearing,  Angie Tribeca, Rosemary & Thyme, Polygon, and the Seashell Scrap Yarn Blanket. Events Danie is going to Rhinebeck! The Big-Bad-Berg-along starts October 1st and runs through November 15th! Check out the thread in the Ravelry group, and be sure to check out the threads in the other podcasts' groups too! Susie and mrsshoo Sarah of the Cultivate & Create podcast are knitting stuffies in the month of October and calling it the Creepy Crawly Critter KAL! Keep an eye out on the Cultivate & Create Ravelry group for a prize announcement. Contest The winners of the wool wash from Dusty Tree Soap are announced! Finished Projects Danie finished her dramatically modified Handspun Elda Cardigan, her Portside Duffle Bag from Sprout Patterns, and a couple garter wash clothes. Current Projects Thanks to a marathon session of The Walking Dead, Susie is almost done with the first sleeve of her Threshold. She also cast on some husband socks. Danie ripped out the body of her Rhinebeck Campside Cardi so she can reknit it alternating skeins. She also worked on her Bronco socks, her Stained Glass Sock Blanket, more wash cloths, and kid mittens.  Enhance the Stash Danie acquired the most perfect for her back from Hopkins Sewing Studio. Susie picked up several skeins from Yarn Harbor in Duluth, MN - Three Irish Girls Adorn Sock in Skyline Parkway and Hawk Ridge, and HiKoo by skacel Sueño in Indigo. She also acquired a couple hilariously fabulous skeins from Ethereal Fibers - Aurora Borealis Sock (shawl) in Do You Know When Santa Farts at the Mall and Celestial Sock in The Hamster Life is the Life for Me. Also, her customized sock blockers from Burning Impressions arrived, and they are fabulous!

This is a bit of a My Holiday Run Down 2016. Blether - Twinset Summer Camp - You need to add this one to your list of things to do before you die. I met JenSheelan of the Jenn Sheelan Video cast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvbyG_B2-SamCzP09EtVi9A Sarah Montie - Check her Sail shawl out - http://sarahmontie.blogspot.co.uk/ Melissa - PeaceWeaver and http://www.bluemont.org/Concerts/concerts_intro.html Thank you to the goodie bag sponsors and I loved it so much I think you will too. HiKoo by Sckacel Kenzie - http://www.yarn.com/product/hikoo-kenzie-yarn/ Infinite Twist - http://infinitetwist.com/ (on holiday until 1 September) StevenBe http://stevenbe.com/ I went to Smithsonian Museums, favourite being the Renwick and then the Air and Space ones. Looped Yarn Works up in DuPont area The Handknitting Association in Iceland http://handknit.is/ Nordic Store https://nordicstore.net/ UnKAL - Division 1 - Leave it - Don't Leave it anymore, pick it up sticks and finish it for the 1st September for prizes. I will have a new swap next episode. Drams - Richard and I drank a Finlaggan Single Malt Contact - Ravelry - LouiseHunt CaithnessCraftCollective Group - Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram as CaithnessCraft  Flickr as LouiseJ2010 www.caithnesscraftcollective.podbean.com Music is from Free Music Archive with Entertainment for the braindead by A Friend

Episode 27: Reading/Writing Learning Preference and Your Knitting Brainy thing:   25:10                   Redwood Curtain:   33:50 What Our Knitting is Teaching Us Margaret concludes (at least for now) her cotton sock yarn comparison with Feel Good Yarns sock yarn knitted in a generic sock pattern and using the new-to-her Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/fish-lips-kiss-heel in Feel Good Yarn Company http://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/feel-good-yarn-company-silverspun-sock She compares Feel Good Yarn with Cascade Fixation and Cobasi by HiKoo, which is currently her favorite.  Catherine talks about her painful learning from the Mona8pi or Bunny Muff’s Vanessa Ives Mystery shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/vanessa-ives-mkal out of Woole’s Yarns Creations Color Changing Cotton Brainy Thing In earlier episodes, we’ve talked about the VAK learning style – Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic preferences for taking in information. An updated version of that is the VARK system. The “R” stands for the Reading/Writing preference.   While many people including educators find these systems useful, other criticize the research that has been done. http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-quiz.htm http://teachertools.londongt.org/?page=VAK learningpath.org/articles/30_of_the_Best_Educational_Tools_for_Auditory_Visual_and_Kinesthetic_Learners.html http://easychangeworks.com/articles-nlp/markova-1-intro.htm https://www.evernote.com/shard/s351/nl/58815065/110e2ccb-0fba-40e4-9887-e173ce46a227/ http://donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com/2012/05/fleming-vakuous-learning-styles.html http://learningstylesevidence.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-meta-analysis-of-vak-pre-vark.html Redwood Curtain The facts and mythos of Highway 101 that runs from Los Angeles to the Washington State Border. A Knitting Tip How to cut out a row of knitting:Margaret Ratcliff The Knowledgeable Knitter http://www.amazon.com/Knowledgeable-Knitter-Margaret-Radcliffe/dp/1612120407/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446325007&sr=1-1&keywords=the+knowledgeable+knitter

Episode 17 - Knit City Recap with Special Guests!   Emily - Caterpillar Green Yarn in the Knit City 2015 colour Shorn this Way. I bought the pattern that goes with it too. Addi FlipStix 8 inch in 2.25mm, 2.5mm, and 2.75mm I am liking them but I’m finding them a bit slow. Hat Trick by River City Yarns in the Canucks and Calgary colour ways. 80/20 Superwash merino Nylon 510M Skeins Rylie by HiKoo 50/25/25 Baby Alpaca, Mulberry Silk, Linen sport weight grey cream and pea soup green Signed copy of the Yarn Whisperer by Clara Parks Darning needle penant by Kristanmacintyre K-Rae original If sheep chewed bubble gum 438yds 75/25 wool, nylon   Sarah - From Sweet Fiber:- the fab cabin tote.  I like to have a new bag for each year of Knit City and for               2015, this was mine.- two skeins of Cashmerino 20 in the Vintage Lace colourway. These are already in use for a test knit for Sylvia McFadden.- two skeins of Cashmerino Worsted. One in Smoke, one in Marshland.  Both will be for hats to make winter tolerable.-two skeins of the new Canadian base. One is a beautiful goldenrod colour and the other a berry red, no idea what I’ll do with either.- Merino Big Twist in Spanish Coin for a cushy cowl.  Pattern to be determined. - some glow in the dark jelly stitch markers.  No more losing stitch markers under the couch! From Valley Yarn:- some Tosh Merino Light - one skein of Great Grey Owl and one in Heartbeat.  Both neutrals that will be used in the future to temper some of the wild goodies in my stash.- Hedgehog Fibres’ Twist Sock in the elusive Teacup colourway.  I’ve wanted it for so long; I’m thrilled to have it!-other miscellaneous items for the knitterly advent calendar with Jocelyn. From the Knit City merch booth:- the newly designed project bag- the Caterpillargreen custom colourway. From the UandIKnit’s booth:- two skeins of Julie Asselin’s squooshy Fino base in Birch and Riverbed (one each).  So dreamy together, they will soon become a shawl.  Pattern to be determined. From Caterpillargreen yarns:- The new Fade to Black colourway and the Get Happy! pattern by Kate Atherley.  Looking forward to knitting this combo! From Kristan MacIntyre:- a beautiful shawl pin.  It looks like an island.  I love it so. an assortment of other items for Jocelyn’s knitterly advent calendar that need to be kept on the QT.   Karla - Sapphire Label Fingering Weight 75% Superwash Merino Wool 25% Nylon 100g/423m Colour : psychedelic Onyx by Stitch Please www.stitchesbeslippin.com These are into half skeins and are dyed identically so you get exact stripes up your sock. I’ll use my Sock Architecture and Custom Socks Book to knit these up. Three skeins of Sweet Fiber in Cashmerino Worsted 183m/115g 80% superwash merino 10% cashmere and 10%nylon in colour Luna. These will be used to knit Sylvia Bo Bilvia’s Fossil & Bone Shawl. Caterpillar Green Yarn in the Knit City 2015 colour Shorn this Way. I bought the pattern that goes with it but don’t much like it so I’ll be pulling out a stitch dictionary and see what I can do for each stripe. Antler shed stitch markers from Caitlin Ffrench of thesesecrets.com Small Knit City project bag. Crochet Hook necklace by Kristan MacIntyre Tea Towels from Danica Studio. I’ll make project bags out of these.   Jocelyn - Aquitaine cardigan pattern by Holli Yeoh Bradway Shawl Pattern by Shannon Cooke The Yarn Whisperer by Clara Parkes which she signed with a lovely and personalized inscription Knit City project bag Knit City custom colourway Shorn This Way dyed by Caterpillargreen Yarns, these sold out in 3 minutes on Saturday morning which totally made the 75 minute wait in line before the PNE opened totally worth it! Two skeins of the new base from Sweet Fiber called Canadian, the dark grey skein will be a hat for my husband (he lost the first one I made him and he’s been begging for another) and the pumpkin orange skein will be a companion hat for myself (but don’t tell my husband, he hates matchy matchy stuff like that and I’m going to make them different enough that he won’t notice….I hope) Three skeins of Sweet Fiber Merino Twist DK in the Tea Leaves colourway to go with the three that I bought last year.  My plan is to use them for the Mezcal Cardigan by Thea Coleman. The Cabin Tote Bag from the Sweet Fiber booth One skein of Julie Asselin’s Fino base, same as one of Sarah’s but I can’t remember the name, she’ll know Kristan MacIntyre’s Stacking Rings/Stitch Markers set made of sterling silver and a little bobble of gold on one of the rings. They were my major purchase this year and I’m absolutely smitten with them. So much so that when I took the picture of my “Knit City 2015 Haul” I forgot to include the rings because I haven’t taken them off since I bought them! Also, I snagged a few special but secret items for my Ewe and Me Swap partner, she knows who she is and will probably have received the package by the time we record the podcast but I have to keep a few things close to my chest ;)

Chuck Wilmesher is the Director of New Product Research and Development for Skacel Collection. Skacel makes and distributes yarns under the HiKoo label – currently 18 GREAT yarns and growing.  Skacel also distributes the addi line of needles – which are made in Germany.  They also distribute yarn brands from Europe including Schulana, Schoppel and Zitron. Listen Live for chance to win great prizes! Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook Sponsored by: Knitter's MagazineCraftsyLoLo by Bar-MaidsDecade by Drew EmborskyBijou Basin RanchKnitCrateErin.Lane BagsKristin Omdahl Bamboo So FineBuffalo Wool Co.Green Mountain Spinnery