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In this episode, I talk about how I treated myself to a class on knitting vintage sweaters and all that it brought up, including all kinds of inspiration (reminding me of my love for Elsa Schiaparelli's Cravat sweater) and a reminder that it's okay to treat myself. Music credit, Ketsa "Day Trips"Knitting patterns referenced: Yuccaknits, "naname" and "emma" socks and Please don't eat the daisies "Hitofude" sweater
Episode 72 1/22/20 Be a helper, wips, knitting fail, wearables, pattern stalking, out and about Be a Helper Craftalong 4th Be A Helper Craft-a-long has begun! 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 One more new prize to announce, a pattern from Jennifer Lassonde of Down Cellar Studio! Thanks so much, Jen! Wips – lots these last 2 weeks! Preemie hat – about half way through my first for the year. Aggregate Shawl – I’ve reached the end of the shawl as written, but I have more yarn left. I’m continuing in the pattern as established until I run out of yarn. Matchy Socks – nearly to the cuff Dress – The handmade dress I’ve been working on is coming along nicely. I’ve split for armholes and I’m nearly done with the front left strap. South Woods – started a new sweater for myself, South Woods by River Road Knits . I’m using some old stash yarn for the lace underlayer and my handspun for the main body of the sweater, which leads me to… Kitting Fail Be careful not to twist! Wearables My birthday weekend was incredibly warm, topping out at 74F (23C) whereas our highs should hover right around freezing. So I wore lots of warm-weather handknits, like one of my Mommy’s Tunic samples and the Lace Sweater 01 from Vogue Knitting Magazine designed by Brooke Nico. Knit this in a cone of 5/2 bamboo from Webs years ago. The pattern is a lace coat, nearly knee-length, and I wore it as a jacket out for my birthday dinner. Since then, it’s been COLD. I’ve also worn Frosted sweater by Paper Daisy Creations and lots of shawls, including Changing Staircases, Pont du Marais and Use Your Stash Shawls, both designed by me. Also my boys and I have all worn some handknit socks, all made using the Fish Lips Kiss Heel. I;m wearing my Twist and Shout had by Michele duNaier nearly every day. My youngest has worn the Monomoy Sweater several times and wears his Bermuda Hat every day. And I’ve worn the Dancing Dragons Coat – it makes a great indoor layer on super cold days. Pattern Stalking Thing 2 want’s a new sweater, another hat, Halloween socks and Christmas socks and I keep thinking about knitting another Hitofude. Out and About Wayland Winter Farmers Market Fiber Days – Jan 26 & Mar 1 Boston Farm & fiber Fest – Feb 9 Stitches United - March 26-29, 2020
Recorded on September 2, 2017. Book Talk starts at 28:14 Casual Hitofude KAL Mother Bear KAL! Our Mother Bear KAL/CAL has ended! Thank you to everyone who has participated and/or donated prizes. Listen to the end to hear the list of winners! Tracie & Barb will be at Lambtown 2017 - Dixon May Fair Grounds, October 7-8. We will let you know which day we’ll be attending closer to the event. Stitches West 2018 registration opened July 20 - rooms at the Hyatt and Hilton are long gone, but you can still register for classes! Be sure and leave some free time on Saturday afternoon to come to our meet-up in the Hyatt bar. Barb has finished: Mother Bears #116 & 117 Nuvem by Martina Behm, using Wollmeise Lacegarn in the 13 A1 colorway. Vanilla Socks for Will’s birthday using Knit Picks Chroma Twisted in the Fog Bank colorway Pioneer Braid Scarf by Catherine Ryan in Premier Yarns Sweet Roll Tracie has finished Mother Bears 117, 118 & 119 Fingering/sport-weight Stashbusing Helix Hat by Jessica Rose (with slip stitch!) hat in SF State colors Barb continues to work on: Wing Span by maylin Tri-Coterie Designs using Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in a green/blue/purple colorway Fiddly Bits cowl by Jana Pihota, using fingering scraps Brioche Knitting Made Easy (Mercedes Tarasoich-Clark) Craftsy class - Basic Brioche Hat using Plymouth Galway Worsted in the 116 colorway Hitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu, using madelinetosh Feather in the Odessy colorway And has cast 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 Candy Jar Socks (Vanilla Bean by Emily O’Grady) using Knit Picks Felici in the Candy Jar colorway. Blenhieim hat by Chrissy Graham, using Vanna’s Choice in the Colonial Blue colorway. Tracie has put into hibernation: New Wave Cardigan by Mary Annarella in Invictus Yarns Reward in Olive She has cast on: Cardigan for Arwen in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Woobu in the Pining for Ewe colorway Smoky Mountain Moebius Cowl by Leedra Scott in Malabrigo Rueca in the Indicita Colorway And continues to work on: Fiddly Bits #4 by Jane Pihota Peer Pressure shawlette by Celia McAdam Cahill in Miss Babs Hot Shot in Hot to Trot Iðunn by Ragga Eiríksdóttir in Istex Lettlopii Barb has finished reading: The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server by Paul Hartford Tracie has finished: Night Film by Marisha Pessl The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robothom Overkill by Lyn Riddle Open Season (Joe Pickett, #1) by CJ Box To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee I Found You by Lisa Jewell Perfect Husband: The True Story of a Trusting Bride Who Discovered Her Husband Was a Cold-Blooded Killer by Gary Provost Barb is reading: The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede And Tracie is reading: A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute Bad Little Girl by Frances Vick
Episode 19 - /16/17 It’s nice to be back. Thanks for your patience with my 2-week hiatus. I was only expecting to be away 1 week but sometimes life gets in the way. This weeks segments include FOs, Wips, Wearables, an extended Pattern Stalking segment in which we’ll discuss finding patterns that fit you, and On the Road as always this will be in 30 minutes or less. Warning, there’s also a brief history lesson on what an Acadian actually is. FOs I have 2! 2nd Hamilknit Hat by Emily of the Knitting Butterflies podcast Purple Hitchhiker by Martina Behm Wips Pink silk hitchhiker by Martina Behm (strichmick) for MiL for Christmas Empire Top by Lily Go for me, out of discontinued cotton/bamboo blend Picoboo by Frogtree Yarns – need to finish it by the 20th for Stash Dash! Only 1 sleeve to go, I can do this Triyang Shawl by Lee Meredith – haven’t done much on this, but I have done some and as the Knitmore’s say if I work on more than 1 stitch it gets listed here. Wearables Thoughts by Joji Locatelli made in Araucania’s Yumbrel Mommy’s Tunic in Juniper Moon Farm’s Neve Stash Birdie’s Knits Gradient Kit in colorway Denim for Days, pretty much every shade of bluejeans you can imagine, 400 yards total, 8 skeins of 50 yards each Try it On Room at SSK – what I learned/Pattern Stalking Preface by saying every pattern I mention is linked in the show notes I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but I learned this by trying on over a dozen hand-knit sweaters: What your eye likes may not be what fits you best. Let me repeat – WHAT YOUR EYE LIKES MAY NOT BE WHAT FITS YOU BEST For example, the Hitofude cardigan emphasizes your bust. It looks great on everyone with average busts, no matter what size your waist or hips because the unusual shape hides those to some degree. But if you have a large bust it’s like wearing a highlighter saying “look at my boobs”. Another popular top was Breathing Space – it looked great on lots of body shape, BUT, where the horizontal lines fell on your bust really changed the appearance. Bustier women liked it better having the diagaonal lines start as written, at the bust line, because it de-emphasized a large chest. Small/medium size busted women liked it to fall below the bust because the horizontal stripes helped balance their bust with their hips. Ann Budd’s skirt – never thought I’d want a knitted skirt, but the four sizes she brought looked good on everyone. And I mean EVERYONE, from the skinniest to the widest person the A-line cur flattered every single body shape I saw try it on Secret Garden Tank by Melissa Wehrle – the hidden lace panel at the back gives it a very flattering A-line Hitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu – want to knit this again after losing my first at an airport last year :( Vitamin D Cardigan - by Heidi Kirrmaier similar shape to Hitofude but hangs a little more straight up and down so you don’t get the bob-highlighting effect quite as much Hoodie Shawl Cardigan – Susanne Sommer – way more colors than I normally wear in one garment, but it looked great on me so maybe it’s time to branch out in my color choices Alice in Wonderland by Justyna Lorkowska – more fitted than I normally wear in a knitted garment but I was surprised how good it looked on me Dark and Stormy by Thea Coleman - I usually avoide shawl collars, but this one looked good on a lot of people with a lot of body shapes On the Road Spent a week in Nova Scotia, Canada visiting cousins. So nice, we hadn’t been back in nearly 3 years. Also, you need to visit Le Village Historique Acadien. In addition to great family history (for me, at least) there’s great examples of knitting and spinning from around the year 1900 and the food is AMAZING. I’m still wondering where that tradition went because I have no memories of my grandmere doing any knitting beyond functional knitting, such as dishcloths. Quilting, on the other hand, has a beautiful and celebrated history in the area and local quilt displays are a definite must-see! Warning, there’s also a brief history lesson on what an Acadian actually is. Here's a graphic of the Acadian Expulsion that I mentioned from the brand-new memorial, which shows where the Acadians were shipped off to.
Recorded on July 27, 2017 Book Talk starts at 25:55 Come join our casual Hitofude KAL! We hope you are participating in our Mother Bear KAL/CAL! Things to know: *The KAL will run from now - August 31, 2017 *Any bears knit or crocheted in 2017 are eligible for entry into the Mother Bear FO thread. *Please go to the Mother Bear Pattern Page to order your pattern - they have patterns in "knit flat", "knit in the round" and "crochet". *After July 1, post a separate picture of each bear in a separate post in the FO thread. *We need prizes for our Mother Bear KAL! If you have a prize or prizes to donate, please contact either Tracie or Barb. *Be sure to note in your FO post if this is your first Mother Bear. Stitches West 2018 registration opened July 20 - rooms at the Hyatt and Hilton are long gone, but you can still register for classes! Be sure and leave some free time on Saturday afternoon to come to our meet-up in the Hyatt bar.. Tracie & Barb will be at Jimmy Beans Wool Biggest Little Bus Tour - the maiden voyage on August 5 is sold out, but stayed tuned on the JBW website for future dates Lambtown 2017 - Dixon May Fair Grounds, October 7-8. We will let you know which day we’ll be attending closer to the event. Barb finished: Mother Bear #111, 112, 113, 114 & 115 Jungle Vines socks by Becky Greene using Invictus Master of my Feet in the Storm Chaser colorway Tracie finished: Mother Bears 111 & 112 (Ho’onanea) Around the Island by Cindy Garland in Stunning Strings Studio Serenity in the Reflecting Pool Colorway Barb continues to work on: * ScWiNoNa by Weezalana in Premier Sweet Roll in the Raspberry Swirl colorway * Brioche Knitting Made Easy (Mercedes Tarasoich-Clark) Craftsy class - Basic Brioche Hat using Plymouth Galway Worsted in the 116 colorway * Vanilla Socks for Will’s birthday using Knit Picks Chroma Twist in the Fog Bank colorway. * Wing Span by maylin Tri-Coterie Designs using Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in a green/blue/purple colorway. * Nuvem by Martina Behm, using Wollmeise Lace-Garn in the 13 A1 colorway. * Fiddly Bits cowl by Jana Pihota, using fingering scraps. *ScWiNoNa by Weezalana – using Premier Sweet Roll in the Raspberry Swirl colorway *Hitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu, using madelinetosh Feather in the Odessy colorway. Tracie has cast on: Peer Pressure shawlette by Celia McAdam Cahill in Miss Babs Hot Shot in Hot to Trot And continues to work on: * Fingering/sport-weight Stashbusting Helix Hat by Jessica Rose in SF State colors * New Wave Cardigan by Mary Annarella in Invictus Yarns Reward in Olive * 3rd Fiddly Bits by Jane Pihota from a fingering-weight “magic cake” * Scalloped Shell Shawl by Kimberly Gintar in Tosh Merino Light in Copper Penny and * (Vi)laine Malicieuses (Malicious Wool) in the A La Peche Aux Coquillages (Shell-picking) * Iðunn by Ragga Eiríksdóttir in Istex Lettlopii Barb did not finish: Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris She did finish: People We Hate at the Wedding by Grant Ginder Regret & Return by Tracie Kluver Bezerra Theft by Finding Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion Tracie finished: Murder at McDonalds: The Killers Next Door by Phonse Jessom The Promise Girls by Marie Bostwick Father of the Rain by Lily King Barb is reading: The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server by Paul Hartford Tracie is reading: In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware Captain Wentworth’s Diary by Amanda Grange
Hallöchen!Dies ist die letzte Folge für 2016. Ich hoffe, ihr hattet viel Spaß und wir hören und nächstes Jahr wieder!Link zur TonspurBegleitende NotizenI. Fertige Projekte1. Lobelia von Meghan Fernandez aus Wollmeise Pure in Gloire de DijonCalla von Rachel Coopey2. Lieblingspulli von mir, angelehnt an Oshima von Jared Flood aus Drops Lima in der Farbe MoosgrünII. Aktuelle ProjekteImogen Wool von Carrie Bostick Hoge aus Meilenweit Merino in weißKnit Pro ZingIII. Rekapitulation von 2015Die GroßprojekteSummer Flies von Donna GriffinBraidsmaid von Martina Behm Ava von mir angelehnt an Grettir von Jared FloodIV. Geplante Projekte für 20161. Viajante von Martina Behm aus Zitron Filigran in der Farbe Rauchblau2. Pachelbel von Carol Sunday in Drops Cotton Viscose in der Farbe Grau Hitofude von Hiroko Fukatsu3. Lace Cardigan von Simona Merchant-Dest aus roter Schachenmayr Baumwolle4. Westbourne von Isabell Krämer aus Ito Kinu in der Farbe Persimmon5. Beatnik von Norah Gaughan aus Holstgarn Supersoft in der Farbe Sunset6. Hugo von Véronik Avery aus Holstgarn Coast in der Farbe Jay7. Sandbank von Lea Viktoria aus DyeForYarn Mulberry Silk in der Farbe Dead Walnut Wood8. Featherweight Cardigan von Hannah Fettig aus Atelier Zitron Filisilk in der Farbe Anthrazit9. Dagmar Sweater von Handy Kitty aus Wolle Rödel Siena in der Farbe Kirsche10. Natsumi von Yoko Hatta11. Dessine-Moi un Mouton von La Maison Rililie12. Quill von Jared Flood13. Marco Polo von Ela Torrente
As always, show notes can be found at www.stitchedtogether.co.uk. Come and join the conversation on the Stitched Together Podcast & Patterns Ravelry Group board.NOTE: For some reason YouTube thinks I broke Community Guidelines with my video so I've embedded the file from another source. If you have a clue what I did wrong, let me know! Stuff and ThingsEmily of the FibreTown Podcast has released a new pattern the Esther Belle Shawl and she has donated a copy of this new pattern to give away to a viewer. The original winner, JamieWalcott contacted me to say that as she had won something from the podcast so recently, I should draw again. This new winner, TESOROSTITCHERY is announced in this episode.Self Indulgent Craft-A-Long (#STSICAL2015) starting on Christmas Day and running to February 29th 2016. The thread will be locked when I get up and get online on 1st March. The CAL is for anything new and exciting that makes your heart sing after all the responsibilities and hard work of the run up to the end of the year, so it shouldn't be a WIP.Prizes were all kindly donated and are:A project bag from Knit and Stitch Bits. (The shop is closed until 4th January).The Wool Barn Alpaca Sock (grey) in the Denim colourway. The is a sock/4ply weight yarn, comprised of 70% Natural Light Grey Baby Alpaca/20% Silk/10% Cashmere and it weighs 100g and has 400m/436yds.From a generous viewer, who wishes to remain anonymous, The Uncommon Thread, Silky Merino Fingering in the Pern colourway. The yarn is a sock/4ply weight yarn and is comprised of 75% Superwash Merino/25% Mulberry Silk, it weighs 100g and measures 400m.Done and DustedPamela Stripes En Haute knit from my own pattern, using Posh Yarn Pamela in the I'll Get You My Pretty, The Door Just Opened For Someone and The Grass is Full of Stars colourway.Nephew's Barley Hat is by TinCanKnits and is knit from Cascade 220 Superwash in an unknown colourway.Nicole C Mendez striped socks, using my usual tailored vanilla sock pattern in Ringel Sockenwolle in the #135 colourway.Desert Vista Dyeworks socks in Viso The Fruits of Summer, a yarn from The Golden Skein club.Rusty Boat Trip Cowl in Artesano Alpaca Silk 4ply in the Creme Caramel colourway.Fondant Fibre Superwash Merino/Cashmere/Nylon in the Life's A Beach colourway. Spun as a chain plied worsted yarn to become a heavy worsted weight yarn giving 133m from 99g.Fondant Fibre Lina Rolags. The rolags were made from Alpaca/Camel/Shetland/Silk and spun as a woollen 3-ply to get a light sport weight yarn weighing 98g and getting 235m.Foolproof by Louise Zass-Bangham using handspun yarn from Hilltop Cloud. The fibre was BFL/Cashmere/Silk. In total I used 360m of the sock/4ply weight yarn.Nose to the GrindstoneSockhead Hat by Kelly McClure, using left over Hilltop Cloud BFL/Cashmere/Silk from the Foolproof.Regia Snowflake Color Socks in the 07709 colourway.Aisling Shawl by Justyna Lorkowska using Countess Ablaze Lady Lady Persephone Sock in the An Inveterate Dislike of Julia colourway and Count Cashmerino High Twist in the When Daylight Dies colourway. I have run out of yarn!Hobbledehoy Merino Tencel in the Lagoon colourway. It's been spun as a worsted 2-ply and I'm currently plying. I used my new spindle from AaronMakesStuff.PlottingMaking a Hitofude for my Mum using Artesano Alpaca Silk 4ply in the Lily Pad colourway. The bag I showed was from Shop Louleigh.My project for the #STSICAL is going to be knit using 40% Alpaca/40% Merino/20% Silk from John Arbon that I spun as a worsted 2ply to get a heavy sock/4ply weight yarn. I got 740m from 216g. I plan on making either Eyeblink by Heidi Alander or Wintermute by Melanie Berg.Crafting Library2015 Autumn Essentials: Flatland by Katya Frankel. This collection is made up of three accessory patterns; Tangent a pair of sport weight fingerless mitts, Tesseract a bulky weight cowl and Vector a worsted weight hat.Splashed OutAaronMakesStuff Acrylic and Aluminim Support Spindle with a Red Heart Shaft. It weighs 19g and measures 10 1/4".Fondant Fibre Falkland Merino in the Ginko colourway and Kinloch rolags made of Merino/Shetland/Silk.Pigeon Roof Studios 75% BFL/25% Silk in the Verdigris colourway. This is from the Glow Series.I also got Bye Brook Farm 100% Romney Batt from Sarah of FiberTrek ,Woolweb Farm Navajo Churro yarn and Starcroft Fiber Nash Island Light in the Lobster Bake colourway from my friend Debs.Online CommunityLara Smoot has kindly offered to give away a copy of one of her most recently released patterns, Journey to Atlantis, which was previously an exclusive club pattern on Miss Babs Knitting Tour. It uses around 500m of a worsted weight yarn to make. To enter, go to this thread and suggest a good yarn to use for this pattern. I'll draw for the winner of the copy of this pattern when I record Episode 27.Many thanks for the shout outs from podcasters about my Boat Trip Cowl pattern. I'm so delighted that this pattern seems to have been well received and that people are already posting photos of finished objects on Ravelry.
As always, show notes can be found at www.stitchedtogether.co.uk. Come and join the conversation on the Stitched Together Podcast & Patterns Ravelry Group board. Stuff and ThingsSpin-A-Long 2015 winners are:Fondant Fibre Harlequin Bites - Post 13: HappyDebsSara's Texture Crafts Merino Batts in the Porto colourway - Post 8: jamiewalcottI mention the Toy KAL being co-hosted by the Victorian Studio.Done and DustedHitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu knit in Araucania Botany Lace in the 2118 colourway.Vanilla Ribbed Socks in Countess Ablaze Viscount of Spark in Riots & Revolts. Started out as Zigzagular Socks by Susie White of the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast.Nose to the GrindstoneClincher by Ash Kearns in Perran Yarns MCN 4ply in the Muddy Pops colourway.Vanilla Socks incorporating the Fish Lips Kiss Heel by Sox Therapist in Fab Funky Fibres Self Striping Sock Yarn in the Mish Mash colourway.KnitBritish Breed Swatchalong KAL using Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Shop DK and Blacker Yarns North Ronaldsay Aran.Yarn Geek Fibers BFL in the Iron Man II colourway. I am using a Neal Brand spindle in Black Palm and Ivorywood.Sara's Texture Crafts Polwarth in the Final Frontier colourway. I am using an Enid Ashcroft Vita Tibetan spindle made from Yew and Paduak.Blast From The PastFluvial by Marjorie Dussaud using Malabrigo Sock in the Violeta Africana colourway. Knit in September 2012 as a test knit.Splashed OutBlacker Yarns Cornish Tin 4-ply in the Bottalack Blue colourway and DK in the Dolcoath Turquoise colourway.Chester Wool Company Tibetan 4ply un-dyed.Online CommunityLouleigh has donated one of her bags for a giveaway. I will close the draw in 14 days. Go to the thread on the Ravelry Board and let us know why you love project bags.
As always, show notes can be found at www.stitchedtogether.co.uk. Come and join the conversation on the Stitched Together Podcast & Patterns Ravelry Group board. Stuff and ThingsA spin-a-long (SAL) started on 1st September, using a minimum of 100g or 3.5oz of fibre and spinning at least 100yds/91m. The SAL will finish on 30th September. All other details, including prizes are over on the FO Thread. Please do not chat in the FO Thread. You can use #STSAL2015 on social media and on your project page.I am wearing a Cool Clavicle Cover by Megan Williams of the Stockinette Zombie Podcast out of Sweet Georgia Tough Love Sock in the Tea Party colourway. I mention my penannualar brooch from Twilight Forge on ETSY.Done and DustedSeptember SAL - Hilltop Cloud 70% BFL/15% Cashmere/15% Silk, 100g in natural and 100g in Autumn colours. Spun on my Spanish Peacock bead whorl spindles. I got two skeins of Heavy Fingering/4-ply weight yarn, spun into worsted style 2-ply yarn. The natural skein is 105g and measures 313m/342yds. The Autumn coloured skein is 106g and measures 332m/363yds.Pebble Beach Shawl by Helen Stewart using Black Bunny Fibers Merino Silk Sock (70% Merino/30% Silk) in the Peek-A-Boo colourway, in the small size.Plain vanilla Socks using KnitPicks Felici Yarn in the Afternoon colourway.Nose to the GrindstoneHitofude by Hiroko Fukatsu knit in Araucania Botany Lace in the 2118 colourway. Stored in my Lowland Originals bag.Cardinia Wrap by ambah. Knit using the yarn that I plotted to use for Dusk Into Twilight by Romi Hill. The yarn is Kettle Yarn Co Beyul in Black Quartz, Truly Hooked 60% Superwash Merino/20% Silk/20% Yak Down in the Merida colourway and The Wool Barn Adventure Sock in the Lagoon colourway. Eleanor (alwysknit) reminded me to photo the yarns in black and white and I decided that the shade differences wouldn't work for that pattern, but this one probably will.Yarn Geek Fibers BFL in the Iron Man II colourway. I am using a Neal Brand spindle in Black Palm and Ivorywood.Vanilla Ribbed Socks in Countess Ablaze Viscount of Spark in Riots & Revolts. Started out as Zigzagular Socks by Susie White of the Prairie Girls Knit and Spin Podcast. I mention the PokeMeNot from Jan B Smiley.Blast From The PastFiddlehead Mitts by Adrian Bizilia in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK in Cream and Noro Silk Garden Lite in 2013. First knit in February 2012.Splashed OutBlacker Yarns Cornish Tin 4ply from BritYarn in the Wheal Rose Red and Levant Grey BritYarn still has some green DK. My sister in law got me some more at Yarndale.Countess Ablaze Viscount of Spark Sock Blank in a one of a kind colourway. I mention the Caffeinated Knitting Podcast with Gert & Allie.Online CommunityThank you to Andi from the AndreSueKnits Podcast and Maureen from the Victorian Studio Podcast for their mentions on their podcasts.
It's Earth Day! Laura is a Giant Squid; Jen is a Mantis Shrimp. What kind of animal are you? Also, as promised, here is the Radio Lab episode where they talk about colors. We play a promo for the Actually Knitting podcast. Catching Up: (1:51) Laura loves her new job. She had a couple weeks off between jobs and she got to see her stepdaughter and her family for a visit. They went to Disneyland. She a had a pizza party with her step-granddaughter and mother-in-law. She and her step-granddaughter went to see Home and she really liked it. She's doing a fundraiser for the Walk for Wellness House with her boss. She also went to Vogue Knitting Live and had a great time taking Amy Herzog's class. She's inspired to knit all the sweaters. The marketplace was small, but the vendors were pretty good. There were a lot of designers, which is interesting to look at. Jen has had a lot of gigs and is really enjoying that. She went to visit some family for her sister's wedding shower and played with her nephew, who is obsessed with Beymax. She's been working some on her Firefly cross-stitch from Watty’s Wall Stuff. She went to see some films at a David Lynch film festival at a local art theatre. She started her new job as well, it's a little overwhelming in a way, because she's still having to do stuff for her old departments. And being exempt means she's losing some knitting time because she doesn't have to clock out for lunch anymore, so she forgets to take it. She's really enjoying it though. In the Knitting Bag: (15:49) Laura is working on her Swirl Hat (Crochet) from Patons out of Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in black. That was her work training crochet. She's also working on a hat for Halos of Hope out of Knitpicks Brava. Jen started some Rainbow socks out of White Birch Fiber Arts self-striping sock yarn in Fade to Gray (rainbow and grey self-striping). She's swatching for Ysolda's Wee Envelope out of Oink Pigments in purple. And she's still working on her Baby Yours Blanket based on Baby Yours Sweater by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee out of Cascade 220 SW Sport. She has been working on some mitts for Sunnydale Yarn Club. Finished Objects: (22:37) Laura finished her taxes! And her studio organization. And Patrol 3 of Sunnydale. But no knitting. Jen just needs to push through and finish some of her stuff that is very close to finished. Devil's Tower: (23:33) Laura's Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs is in Devil's Tower because she doesn't have the freedom to work on Mean Girls stuff at work. Her Carson Shawl by Romi Hill out of Forbidden Woolery Pride Fingering for her KAL with her friend is in Devil's Tower before she even started. And she's glad she put Ink by Hanna Maciejewska into Devil's Tower until after she took Amy's class. She would have made the wrong size for sure. Jen has her Customfit tunic top in there until she has time to block and seam it. She needs to dig some stuff out of her bin and swatch. She needs to organize the pattern charts for her Four Season Summer Symphony Wedding Ring Shawl, so she can actually knit it. Frog Pond: (29:48) Laura and Jen have no frog pond, luckily. But when you don't knit much, you don't frog much. On Deck: (30:26) Laura was really inspired by Amy Herzog. She wants to make Birch Bark, Aislinn, Cushing Isle, Striper Cardigan, and the Drumlin Cardigan. Otherwise, it's the same. Jen wants to make Hitofude and redesign her Joshua Tree Cardigan. She wants to make something for her friend’s baby out of White Birch Fiber Arts Rainbow Warrior colorway. She also has the Watermelon by Alana Dakos planned. Knit Culture: (35:03) We review Defarge Does Shakespeare, edited by Heather Ordover (of Craflit), published by Cooperative Press. It retails for $16.95 for pdf only and 29.95 for print and pdf copy. We LOVE this book. We love the patterns and the essays and that in the electronic copy there is a button to click that takes you to the Ravelry page for the pattern. Basically, we say buy this book and all the other Defarge books. Geek Culture: (55:57) We talk about the new trailer for Star Wars and the return of Orphan Black. Upcoming Events: (59:07) Laura has a trunk show at Ewe and You on May 31st, for their first anniversary. Camp CogKNITive is August 21-23, Camarillo, CA. It’s a great and relaxing weekend. Knit Dizzney will Sunday, September 13th, 2015. There will be T-shirts, project bags, and exclusive yarn available for pre-order. The meetup will be at 2pm at the Hearthstone Lounge in the Grand Californian. Yarnosphere is October 17-18 EXPO Art Center in Bixby Knolls, Long Beach. Laura is vending.
Catching Up: (0:25) Laura went to Disneyland for Dapper Day. We also talk about Galliday. She's been dying for both Mean Girls and Sunnydale Yarn Clubs. She's really enjoying Agents of SHIELD. And she did some family visiting. Jen has been working a million hours a week, cutting into her knitting time. She and Ron played two gigs, one at a wine bar and one at the Long Beach Art Walk. She visited her family and got to see her new baby niece and her other niece and her nephew. She's continuing work on her Firefly sampler from Watty’s Wall Stuff and spinning on her Threewatersfarm. Melissa went on a cruise with her knitting group and got a lot of knitting done, for the first time in a while (because she likewise work a million hours a week). She has a cold (not Legionnaire's Disease). She saw Kingsman and we talk about the violence in the film. And she's really excited for Furious 7. We also talk about inappropriate work emails. In the Knitting Bag: (11:05) As a note: Melissa is wearing her Customfit Featherweight Cardigan out of Dizzy Blonde DK in the Martha colorway. Laura passed the 2nd corner and on the 3rd side of her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of Berocco Vintage Chunky Mocha. One more row until the second sleeve of Quinty by Bernadette Ambergen is done. She's making the XL size in Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock, color Marie. She started on Swirl Hat (Crochet) from Patons for her mom for Mothers' Day out of Knit Picks Gloss Fingering in black. She's all ready to start on Ink by Hanna Maciejewska in Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock in Applegate. She's also doing a magic ball preemie hat out of odds and ends of Knit Picks Brava and Berroco Vintage. And she's planning to do a Yarn Baby Shawl KAL with her friend Cheryle of the Carson Shawl by Romi Hill in 3-color yarn baby from Forbidden Woolery out of Pride Fingering in Smoke Signal, Illium and Mo Duinne Jen is almost done with the second sleeve of her Customfit Tunic out of Cascade Heritage. She's also working on her Bohus Cuff from her class from Stitches West. She's swatching for the Four Season Summer Symphony Wedding Ring Shawl by Russian Lily out of Gossamer Weight Silk/Cashmere from Colourmart in a cream color. Melissa is doing a test knit for Customfit that is way overdue out Wollmeise DK in Erbse. She is also working on her Coracle in Sweet Georgia Trinity Worsted in Oceanside. And another Customfit sweater that she calls her Korl!!! Cardigan out of Cascade 220 in Coral (and yes the name is a reference to The Walking Dead. She is also preparing for a knitalong with a coworker that she taught how to knit. They are going to make an open-front cardigan from the book Knit It!: Learn the Basics and Knit 22 Beautiful Projects, which we recommend for the beginning knitters in your life. Finished Objects: (22:30) Laura finished one preemie stripy hat that she cast on for social knitting for Stitches West. She's made it out of leftover Berroco Vintage and Knitpicks Brava. Jen finished her second 15-color Rainbow Sock in The Fab Funky Fibres self-striping sock yarn of the same name and the heel was out of black Cascade Heritage. She did the thumb joint top hat afterthought heel by Lara Neel and loves it! (You can find instructions in the Fork in the Road Socks pattern--which is free). We mention Lara's book Sock Architecture and her blog Math4knitters. Melissa blocked and seamed a sweater that had been done since December. She had a pile of stuff to block and seam, but she had a blocking block. All three of us have them. Devil's Tower: (25:37) Which segues to a boring Devil's Tower where we all have stuff to block. Frog Pond: (25:54) Melissa wants to do a shawl collar on her Korl!!! cardigan. She decided to wing it. She had to frog it one time. Then, history repeated itself, so Jen frogged it this time because Melissa just couldn't bring herself to do it...again. What are friends for? This sweater also had an issue with the sleeves, because Melissa generated the pattern with straight sleeves instead of tapered sleeves. This sweater has been a lot of knitting. This sweater is cursed. We mention the films Snowpiercer and Dracula: The Untold Story. On Deck: (31:31) Laura added Bunnies "R" Us by Marken of the Hat and I to her list of usual suspects. Jen's planning on starting on the Hitofude, redesigning the Joshua Tree Cardigan, something for her friend's baby and a shawl for her to wear at her sister's wedding. Melissa will start the aforementioned cardigan with her coworker. She also wants to make the adult version of the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos, Charlie's Cardigan by Amy Herzog, and she might make a third Leah’s Lovely Cardigan. Jen and Melissa both love how the sweater fits although the find knitting it a bit of slog. Knit Culture: (36:50) Stitches West wrap-up! Laura spent most of the time in her booth, but she enjoyed it. Her haul included a lace-weight linen gradient yarn baby from Apple Tree Knits, another 3-color sparkly yarn baby from Forbidden Woolery, a Little Brother gradient set from Yarn on the House. Sparkly "Exploding T.A.R.D.I.S." yarn from Steven Be and the book "Crochet so Lovely" by Kristin Omdahl. Jen and Laura got to meet Stephen West at the pajama party and he was very personable and funny (he judged the pajama contest) and he complimented Jen's Leah's Lovely Cardigan. Melissa got a ton of compliments on her Rainbow Sweater. Jen and Melissa had dinner with the Knitmore Girls and Maria from Subway Knits. Jen took a design your own Pi Shawl class and learned a new cast-on she loved. Jen got a mug and some stitch markers from Jennie the Potter, some lovely red fingering weight yarn from Jill Draper Makes Stuff for a sweater, some pink fingering yarn from Miss Babs for a sweater, and lots of vintage buttons, including Bakelite sets. Both Melissa and Jen got some rainbow yarn from White Birch Fiber Arts. Melissa enabled Jen to get some Indigodragonfly for a sweater (and Melissa got some too) from the Yarnover Truck. We love her colorway names. Melissa also got a Jennie the Potter mug and some citrus yellow Jill Draper Makes Stuff Yarn. Melissa got some new yarn babies from Newton's Yarn Country, one in hot pink and one in purple and they were a great deal. She also got several sweater quantities of yarn from Miss Babs in Perfectly Wreckless and Deep Sea Jellyfish and Funny Papers. Melissa and Jen took a six hour class on picking up stitches with Lily Chin and are now experts on picking up stitches. It was amazing. Jen took a class on Bohus Knitting with Susanna Hansson and it was amazing. She even got to see some of the original vintage garments, and even pick them up and handle them. They worked on a cuff in class as well. She wants to get a kit to make a sweater from Angora Garnet. And she also took a great stranded knitting class with Beth Brown-Reinsel, which was amazing, but her brain was seriously fried because it was Sunday. Melissa took color classes with Laura Bryant of Prism Yarns. Jen is not going to take so many classes next year; she is going to do more social stuff. Laura got to meet Marnie McClean in person. And Melissa and Jen got to reunite with a old knitting friend who surprised everyone by coming from England to attend Stitches (who also won the student fashion show). And everyone managed to have great food, including Psycho Donuts. We mention Exploration Station, Rockefeller, Enchanted Mesa, Green Planet Yarn, and Foxy Knits. Geek Culture: (1:05:00) "Goodbye Old Friend", we bid a bittersweet farewell to Leonard Nimoy and Terry Pratchett. Jen shares her favorite Leonard Nimoy story. Upcoming Events: (1:08:32) Vogue Knitting Live, April 17-19 at the Pasadena Convention Center. Laura is taking Amy Herzog's class. Camp CogKNITive, August 21-23, Camarillo, CA. Yarnopshere, October 17-18 EXPO Art Center in Bixby Knolls, Long Beach.
A retrospective of my 2014 yarn crafting adventures and a look ahead to 2015. Recorded on Monday, December 29th, 2014. Released January 1, 2015 - Happy New Year! You've Arrived At Your Destination 2014 Finished Objects (no, you cannot do the same organizing in the stash page that you can in the project page and queue) 4 pairs of socks - 3 for me, 1 for Carlos 2 sweaters - Hitofude and Ginny's Cardigan 3 kids' sweaters 1 hat 1 cowl 1 bedspread I mention The Knit Girllls Stash Dash, the Prairie Girls Knit & Spin podcast and their "Legend-Prairie" project. Drive 14 WIPs started in 2014 Oranje Elfe Pomme de pin 6 pairs Socks, socks and more socks 2 hats 1 Kids' sweater 1 pair mitts 1 shawl Rearview Mirror - 2014 Goals Bring back old WIPs - of the 12 FOs this year, 3 were old WIPs, but the Mario Blanket should count for quite a few! More socks for me - 3 new pairs added to the sock drawer Thoughtful with yarn purchases - I did well up until recently Expand my skills The one I couldn't remember was to knit more sweaters for myself - finished 2 and cast on 3 more Trip Planner - 2015 Goals Knit through my 30 (!!) WIPs - tackle them one at a time to chip away at them Knit from stash Knit from pattern library More socks for Carlos Sweater or vest for Carlos Finish cross stitch projects Road Map to Achieve 2015 Goals Search within myself - a theme for me both inside and outside my crafting life Shopping from my WIPs, stash and pattern library Road Trips CT Sheep and Wool Stitch n Pitch Stitches East (which, sadly, has been cancelled for 2015 in Hartford) Rhinebeck Thank you to all of you for a wonderful 2014 and a great year for the podcast despite the bumpy ride Come Find me on the Interwebs Ravelry - ndjen04 Ravelry Group - Commuter Knitter Podcast Twitter - @CommuterKnitter Facebook - Commuter Knitter Email - commuterknitter@gmail.com Show notes - http://commuterknitter.blogspot.com Google + - Commuter Knitter Podcast Instagram - ndjen04
Upstairs Downstairs: A Cowl in Three Sizesis available at special release price of $3.00 through Sept 1, 2014. I talk about finished projects Tripartite by Stephen West and Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu. I talk about my Stitches purchases from Handwork Hardware, jelby.etsy.com, Lost City Knits Pathways Sock, Dragonfly Fibers Dragon Sock, Dragonfly Fibers Pixie, Kollage Creamy Flame. Kindly sponsored by Quince & Co and my Longaberger Home Business. Show notes are found at www.knittingpipeline.com. Haste ye back!