Podcasts about ravellenics

Ravellenics, for those that haven't heard the term, is an event hosted on Ravelry during the Olympics.  There are events you can enter projects, and win digital medals.  The rules state you start at the opening ceremony and finish by the closing ceremony. I have done this many years now, every two years. Most years I do a spinning project, but the last two times I have done knitting projects with hand spun yarn. This podcast talks about three of this years projects for Ravellenics, two completed and one still in progress.

In this episode, the girls catch up on what all they've been knitting lately. Danie knits for not-her-baby, and Susie makes peace with the fact that she's only going to shrink from here. Events Susie will be at DFW Fiber Fest April 5th-8th in Irving, Texas. If you will be too, let her know! And don’t forget the on-going Loosey-Goosey Sweater KAL! Finished Projects Danie finished a couple of #notherbaby knits: her (but not *her* hers) Baby Hat and her Pink Better Than Baby Booties. Susie finished her Tracie. Current Projects Danie started a Baby Verebrae using Universal Yarn Bamboo Pop. She worked a little on her Daeyln Pullover, and on her 2018 New Year Socks. She also started a blanket for the Ravellenics. She also started a test knit for Greg/KnittingDaddy's new design called Smoke in the City Hat using Malabrigo Rios in the Aquamarine colorway. Susie finished two more squares on her Oh, Scrap! Blanket. She also started a Fly Away blanket using Plymouth Yarn Worsted Merino Superwash Solids, and the first two colors she's working with are Dress Blues Navy and Primavera. She also worked on (and re-worked) her Winter Remix Hexi Socks, and started a pair of Zigzagular Socks using Suburban Stitcher Glitter Sock in the Blonde Squad. She also got Ryo to the point where it's joined for knitting in the round, and she's been chugging away on her Berlin Soft.  Enhance the Stash  Susie acquired a skein of Ines from Yoshi and Lucy in the Cheshire Cat colorway. She also had her birthday wish granted in the form of a Fringe Supply Co. Field Bag, the orange one exclusive to PurlSoho.

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!

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 131 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included: Off the Needles On the Needles Brainstorming From the Armchair KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus Ask Me Anything On a Happy Note Quote of the Week Off the Needles   Newborn Vertebrae Pattern: Newborn Vertebrae by Kelly van Niekerk Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Dark Side Colorway (rainbow with charcoal gray stripes) Needles: US 2 + US 3 On the Needles   Scrappy Halloweeny Socks Yarn: Leftovers of black, white, gray, orange, yellow, tan Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams   Christmas Stockings 2 more under way: 3 to do in 2018. One for my cousin Kara who is expecting a baby girl in August! 2 that my mom's cousin in VA asked for for grandkids. 1 girl (Noelle), 1 boy (Noah) Pattern: Granny Square Christmas Stockings from Family Circle Magazine 1977 Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Red, Everglade Heather and White Hook: F (3.75 mm)   Imprim Bleu Socks Yarn: Bergere de France Goomy 50 in the Imprim Bleu color way Pattern: OMG Heel (most likely) Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Worsted Boxy Pattern: Worsted Boxy by Joji Locatelli Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) & US 8 (5 mm) Yarn: Cloudborn Fibers Wool Worsted Twist in the Slate Heather Colorway Swatched with 8, 9 and 10s. 8 worked well. Definitely a twisted yarn. Doesn’t plump up all that much. Not SW yarn. So far I’m enjoying it but I’m not head over heels in love with the yarn. But I bought 9 skeins for total of $27 after Christmas during Craftsy sale can’t beat that for 100% wool handmade sweater. Cast on Friday 2/9- Ravellenics project Looked through Project Pages linked to the pattern. Impressed by the split hem on this project. Cast on for the back with US 7s. Put stitch markers 5 stitches in on each side. RS: (k1, s1wyif, k1, s1wyif, k1) WS- (s1, k1, s1, k1, s1). Garter stitch for the bottom hem. Then kept up with the edging and switched to US 8 needles and stockinette stitch. Knit the back longer than the front then joined them together to work in the round. Brainstorming   Pig Miniature Amigurumi by Miss Dolkpots (free crochet pattern)- looks like piggy bank pig   Non-Euclidian sock pattern by Sarah Jordan- $5 Ravelry download     From the Armchair   Tune in to hear the details of my review of the Rittenhouse Bag from Fairmount Bag Co. This bag is not available in retail yet but if you want to support this company and are company funding Kickstarters you can check out their Kickstarter campaign which runs through March 2nd.   KAL News   12 Months to Christmas KAL- winners announced! Thundertwist hat from Greg Cohoon  Victorian Yuletide Ornaments- 1-5 by Jenn Sheelen Bundle Up Betty Doll and outfit patterns from AndreSue Knits     Pigskin Party KAL Tune in to hear if you won a participation prize for January or February or one of the 10 Grand Prizes!! All prize details can be found here.   Thank you to our Pro Shop Sponsors! Atelier De Soyun  Colorful Eclectic Daisy Girl and Company Fancy Image Yarn Fibernymph Dye Works Inner Yarn Zen Joy in Rugging Knit Style Yarns Knitted Wit Knitters Brewing Company Knitty Kitty Bags Mekamika Nekozuki Knits Plum Deluxe Tea Prairie Bag Works Queen City Yarn Sunsoaked Yarns Woodsy and Wild Yarn Love     Slay the Stash 2018 Each month you can declare a skein of yarn to knit/crochet/weave to its very end. Let’s use up those older special skeins that are soooo pretty we don’t want to touch them. In 2018, we are turning those sacred skeins into beautiful projects you can enjoy-- and maybe win a new beautiful skein of yarn from one of our sponsors along the way! Full details and rules can be found here. February Post: 80 skeins declared. Can't wait to see how many finish! Use and follow #slaythestash2018 on Social Media Slay the Stash 2018: Sponsor List January: KnitCircus-- January Winner announced this episode! February: Kathryn Frank Fiber Arts March: Blue Skin Yarns April: BlueberryChick Yarn May: Legacy Fiber Artz June: Knitters Brewing Co July: Fish Belly Fiber Works August: SixandSevenFiber September: Fibernymph Dye Works October: Marigold Jen November: Dyenamixx Yarns December: Sunsoaked Yarns  Events   2018 Box O' Balls Round Robin Mini Swap: sign up anytime during 2018.  Find all of the details in this thread in the Ravelry Group. Ravellenics: knit along with the Winter Olympics on a project of your choosing (runs from February 9-25) Ravellenics Group- here you can find the rules + another handy link that's a good place to start. Team Sasquatch group Contest, News & Notes I joined Emily on her Tightly Spun Podcast this month. Check out my episode here! Tune in for details about two shawls for which that I'm looking for test knitters. Would you like to know when I'm looking for sponsors for upcoming KALs? Sign up for my newsletter and check the box saying you might be interested in sponsoring. Life in Focus I am still going strong making weekly goals that align with my 18 in 2018 and also other important things I need to do for that week. Not 100% success rate but I am doing things that I know for sure I’d put off if I wasn’t setting the goal for it. Project Life 2017 album 2 done, ordered from Picaboo. It arrived and I love it! Ask Me Anything This episode I answered this question: I have a kinda behind the scene question : how long does it take you to produce the podcast? From preparation to recording to KAL maintenance. Because it seems to me you must spend quite a lot of time, and yet you work and are a very productive knitter/crocheter and have other crafts projects and a busy family life. Are you a speedy knitter?   On a Happy Note   Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice stir fry Making time for date nights even/especially during busy weeks Carina and Ella sleepover weekend! My niece Hattie Louisa is here! Quote of the Week “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.” - Carrie Fisher ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Twitter: Instagram: BostonJen1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio!    

  Thank you for tuning in to Episode 130 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week's segments included:     Off the Needles On the Needles Brainstorming From the Armchair Crafty Adventures Knitting in Passing KAL News Events Contest, News & Notes Life in Focus On a Happy Note Quote of the Week   Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Colorful Eclectic     Off the Needles   Sensory Crochet Ball Pattern: none Yarn: Lily Sugar and Cream Cotton in Seabreeze & Hot Orange Hook: E (3.5 mm)   Teething Ring  Pattern: None Yarn: Cotton dish cloth yarn Hook: D   Baby Gym Toys I purchased supplies from Amazon- Wooden Beads by Darice - 25 mm and 20 mm & an 8 piece wooden animal teether set 25mm were good size to crochet around. 6 single crochet then increase on first round. knit straight, then decrease down to 6 on last round.   Baby To Be Hat Yarn: Online SuperSock Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm) Pattern: Used the numbers from Barley Light by Tin Can Knits but omitted Garter Section   Baby Socks Pattern: Newborn Hat and Sock Set by Shelley Mackie Yarn: Online SuperSock Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Written for DPNs so I made notes about how to change for 2 needles On the Needles   Rainbow Frankenstein Socks Yarn: Scraps of fingering weight (mostly Patons Kroy) Started with Blue Raspberry from Laura's socks, then Spring Leaf Stripes from Dan's socks Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams I use Cate's Clasp Weft Join to join the yarn   Imprim Bleu Socks Yarn: Bergere de France Goomy 50 in the Imprim Bleu color way Pattern: OMG Heel (most likely) Needles: US 1 (2.25 mm) Past first heel. Patons Kroy charcoal gray in stash. Looks great. Forgot that I cast on 60 instead of my normal 56 so my heel had 2 extra stitches didn't realize until end. Will try them on but think it will be fine. Newborn Vertebrae Pattern: Newborn Vertebrae by Kelly van Niekerk Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in the Dark Side Colorway (rainbow with charcoal gray stripes) Needles: US 2 + US 3 Brainstorming   Tin Can Knits has two relatively new DK color work sweater patterns that I'm really intrigued by:   Strange Brew & Dog Star     From the Armchair   Season 1 Dark (Netflix Original)- I recommend changing the settings to Closed Captioning instead of dubbing.   Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu & Mayday Podcast     Crafty Adventures   I repaired the sleeve on my friend's sweater and added pom poms to my suitcases.     Knitting in Passing Started rehearsals for Cabaret and found that some of my friends may be interested in learning to knit (or to knit again).   KAL News   Pigskin Party KAL Wondering what this crazy KAL is? Check out this page which gives you the best overview with all necessary links. There's also a helpful "Start Here" Thread in the Ravelry Group Check out the Rules but if you still have questions, come over to the Questions thread and ask. We’re happy to help. Put your Name on the Roster then claim your spot in the End Zone Dance Thread where you'll track your points. Continue to update this with all of the points you earn during the KAL For every 100 points, you'll earn an entry into the drawing for the Grand Prizes Check out our amazing Sponsors; if you use their products, you'll earn more points per FO Find the coupons here. Some of our Pro Shop Level Sponsors will be creating exclusive items for Pigskin Party participants. They may come out at different times and will likely be limited in quantities, so keep your eyes on this Exclusive Items thread in the group for all the latest news Scope out the prizes! Some will be given out during the KAL; some will be part of the Grand Prizes. Don’t forget to use #DCSPigskinParty17 on Instagram so we check out what you’re doing and you can be eligible for participation prizes. Thank you to our Pro Shop Sponsors! Atelier De Soyun  Colorful Eclectic Daisy Girl and Company Fancy Image Yarn Fibernymph Dye Works Inner Yarn Zen Joy in Rugging Knit Style Yarns Knitted Wit Knitters Brewing Company Knitty Kitty Bags Mekamika Nekozuki Knits Plum Deluxe Tea Prairie Bag Works Queen City Yarn Sunsoaked Yarns Woodsy and Wild Yarn Love   Key Details Mentioned in this Episode: Superbowl weekend is this weekend!! Don't forget you have until Monday February 5th to finish knitting, get your photos and update your End Zone Dance Post. I will close it first thing on Tuesday morning. If the thread is unlocked you can enter.   Slay the Stash 2018 Each month you can declare a skein of yarn to knit/crochet/weave to its very end. Let’s use up those older special skeins that are soooo pretty we don’t want to touch them. In 2018, we are turning those sacred skeins into beautiful projects you can enjoy-- and maybe win a new beautiful skein of yarn from one of our sponsors along the way! Full details and rules can be found here. February Post Use and follow #slaythestash2018 on Social Media     Sponsor List January: KnitCircus February: Kathryn Frank Fiber Arts March: Blue Skin Yarns April: BlueberryChick Yarn May: Legacy Fiber Artz June: Knitters Brewing Co July: Fish Belly Fiber Works August: SixandSevenFiber September: Fibernymph Dye Works October: Marigold Jen November: Dyenamixx Yarns December: Sunsoaked Yarns Events   2018 Box O' Balls Round Robin Mini Swap: sign up anytime during 2018.  Shipping cost of $13.50 (within US; have option to send Internationally) The contents will include: at least 20 mini yarn balls (each ball will be minimum of 5g/ 20 yards) to choose from, a handwritten note or card and a small gift. Find all of the details in this thread in the Ravelry Group.   Ravellenics- knit along with the Winter Olympics on a project of your choosing (runs from February 9-25) Ravellenics Group- here you can find the rules + another handy link that's a good place to start. Team Sasquatch group Contest, News & Notes I am looking for test knitters for my Jean Marie shawl pattern (due by the end of February). PM me on Ravelry (Bostonian) if you're interested. Life in Focus Project 2018 is well underway. Set 18 goals for the year. Each week I set action items to get me closer to those goals. In this episode I reviewed some recent progress. How is 2018 going for you? Let's chat about it in the Ravelry Group!     On a Happy Note Cabaret Rehearsals started! I'm psyched to be dancing with my high school dance friends, to get my brain working in new ways, for brushing up on my tap skills and for fun costumes! Ice Skating with friends outside at Gillette Stadium (where the Patriots play) Baby shower for Megg- 9 years since last baby. Could use some new things. Watched Pats win AFC championship while she opened gifts. Will and Aila sleepover! Premier Protein- heard about at WW. I've only tried Chocolate so far but I like it.   Quote of the Week Breath is the bridge that connects life to consciousness, the bridge that units your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.   -Thich Nhat Hanh ------   Thank you for tuning in!   Contact Information: Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group Twitter: Instagram: BostonJen1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downcellarstudio Sign up for my email newsletter to get the latest on everything happening in the Down Cellar Studio!        

In the first part of this podcast I explain just what is this thing called ravellenics.  Then I go into the details of what I did for the event. First is spinning, and after that, the next knit with hand spun yarn project, the Oslo Shawl.   In the second part of the podcast, I talked about the seven items I took to my state's fair for the spinning category. A few links for sources of the fiber I used to spin the yarns: The Painted Tiger Yarn Hollow fibers Kundart Spindles  The spindle shown on this website is exactly like the one I got! Photos of what I entered in the state fair can be seen here.      

Megan and Amy are loving their Ravellenics projects, Stitches Midwest, and oh so many purchases. Grab your knitting and join us! Read more »

In this episode, the girls chat about Danie's spectacular Tour de Fleece finish and start pre-gaming for Ravellenics. Miscellaneous things mentioned include the suspended bind-off, Hopkins Sewing Studio bags, a collection of Christmas stocking patterns, and Slo' Moe. Finished Projects Susie finished her her A Night at the Theatre, persevering through two different sons-of-a-stitch while binding off. Danie met her Tour de Fleece goal with seventeen bobbins worth of singles. Seventeen. SEVEN. TEEN. Current Projects Danie worked on her Stained Glass Sock Blanket and her Rhinebeck Campside Cardi. Susie's progress on her Oh Scrap Blanket has slowed, but she did finish another square and she started a test knit for Lucia of the Pearl of the Pacific video podcast. She also cast-on a new cowl design using Yarn Geek Fibers Maven DK in the Boxcar Gallery colorway, as well as Threshold using Sun Valley Fibers Merino Cashmere Silk 75/15/10 Fingering in the Interlude colorway. She also worked on the previously-not-mentioned 4th Birthday Socks using Another Crafty Girl Strong Sock in the Tickle, Tickle colorway. She's digging the tweaked design so much she's already planning a pair for herself using One Twisted Tree Prime in the Frozen Forest of Dean colorway.

 SHOW NOTESThis week, Wendy finally got her Webs order after it was mysteriously lost for 15 days. WIPs include No Purl Scarf, Basic Beanie, North Shore sweater and Bubble socks. FO was a Lined Beanie. Baubles and Bling this week was the missing Webs yarn! We drew a prize for the Ellsworth Tee contest and introduced the Riley Rose shawl, which we will be giving away in two weeks!!! Don't forget the Shawl Charity gift-along. Shout Outs:There will be no KAL/CAL this month.  Instead, please consider knitting a shawl to donate to our friend Lise at Webs.  Or, check through your stash of handknits to see if you have a gently used shawl to donate.  Every donation allows you a chance to win prizes.  The shawl drive will run through the end of September,Sheila is also hosting a Blue Moon Fiber Arts KAL/CAL that will continue throughout the year and includes any projects made from Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn.On The Dance Card:Wendy is working on:Bubble Socks (Wendy's own design) in Knitpicks Felici in the Bubble colorwayNorth Shore by Tincanknits in MadelineTosh DK, Dream in Color Classy and Cascade 220.Sheila is working on:Patons Basic Beanie with Patons yarnNo-Purl Ribbed Scarf by Purl Soho in Valley Yarns superwashRate Your Date:Sheila finished:Fingering weight beanie based on Patons Basic Beanie and Lined Beanie Jawoll cotton blendWhirlwind Romance:NothingFuture Dates:Wendy really has to finish Jedi the GiraffeSheila will knit the Endeavor Socks by Sockmatician for her Ravellenics knitting.  She is also thinking about doing the Yowza Weight Shawl No. 4 Baubles & Bling:Wendy purchased (and finally received) 2 skeins of Cascade 220 and a skein of MadelineTosh DK in the Esoteric colorway.Gossip & Innuendo:We drew a winner of the Ellsworth Tee pattern by Carolyn Noyes!We also introduced the newest pattern by Jennifer Lasonde:  Riley Rose Shawl.  You could win a copy of this pattern by telling us in the contest thread which colors you would choose for this beautiful textural and multi-colored pattern.Fiber EventsFiber Revival Aug 13, Spencer Peirce Little Farm, Newbury, MAFinger Lakes Fiber Festival Sep 17-18, Hemlock Fairgrounds, Hemlock MESouthern Adirondack Fiber Festival Sep 24-25, Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NYVermont Sheep and Wool Festival Oct 1-2, Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VTNew York Sheep and Wool Oct 15-16, Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NYFiber Festival of New England Nov 5-6, Eastern States Exhibition, Springfield, MA

January 25, 2014In this episode I show progress on just one of my knitting projects. We talk a bit about Knit-topia and the available spots. I share my step goals for 2014. I talk about my unofficial challenge for Ravellenics. There is a book review and a drawing, and I also share the answer to how I take care of my hand knit socks.Read more »

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

Catching Up: (1:07) Laura has been basking in the afterglow and trying to recover from Stitches West. She's also been dying custom colorways for two stores for the Los Angeles Yarn Crawl. She's been watching Broadchurch. And she's been working with her nephew to design a new Dizzy Blonde website. And she's really wanting a Disneyland trip. Jen wants to go to Disneyland too, but her back needs to recover from Stitches. She's been doing some music with Ron (who's been nicely recovering from his surgery). She's been reading Sandman Overture. And she's been watching a lot of West Wing and Star Trek. In the Knitting Bag: (8:04) Laura has been working on her Leftie by Martina Behm, out of a Miss Babs kit in slate and red. She's also been working on a Teddy Bear Wash Cloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick in Berroco Comfort DK in some shade of brown. Jen has been working on her Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Fibre Company Organik in Highlands.  She's also working on a vanilla sock out of Opal Sock Yarn (Petticoat series in greens and purples and yellows).   She's worked a bit on her Watership Down KAL shawl.  And she finished the Mustachioed blanket by Christina Behnke out of Cascade 128 Superwash in Aporto and Black. She might want to line it, because she hates the backside of intarsia. We mention the Playful Stripes Cardigan by Alana Dakos, 60 Quick Baby Knits, 60 More Quick Baby Knits, and 60 Quick Baby Blankets. Finished Objects: (16:46) Laura finished the Scallop Hat by JT creations out of Knitpicks Brava Sport in Sienna Brown. Jen finished her shawl for the Ravellenics out of Mean Girls Yarn Club. Frog Pond: (18:16) Jen had some trouble designing her shawl because she kept realizing she was going to run out of yarn and having to change the way she was going to knit it. She realized that designing a pattern for Ravellenics is probably not the smartest thing. Devil's Tower: (20:07) Laura has put Assquack into Devil's Tower.  It needs to be assembled, but she is sick of hats. On Deck: (20:37) Laura will be making a Nigh Side Hat by Preita Salyer for her brother in Broncos colors of Knitpicks Brava. She will also do some blanket squares for some of her Browncoat Nerd Wars friends who are expecting. Some will be in the Dizzy Blonde DK. Jen wants to make the Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a pink and a natural. She also wants to make Chickadee by Ysolda out of Quince and Company Chickadee. She wants to make more baby things for the new niece or nephew, but she will have to buy more yarn because she does not have a lot of baby-appropriate (aka SUPERWASH) yarn. Knit Culture: (23:45) We do a little more of a Stitches West recap.  Jen loved all of her classes, even though recommends Edie Eckman’s Where Do They Get Those Numbers? class for mathphobic knitters. She makes it really easy. Laura loved her Brooke Nico class about German and Japanese lace. We mention Brooke Nico's new book, Lovely Knitted Lace: A Geometric Approach to Gorgeous Wearables. We mention the Yarnover Truck. We are proud to be knitting aunties to the youngest of the Knitmore Girls. We loved meeting Miss Kalendar's baby, Steve from It Takes Balls to Knit, Pam from Halos of Hope, Tammy and Ben from Fiber Hooligans, Rick Mondragon, and all the listeners we got to meet. And one final special huge thank you to the girls from Namaste for their support of the Podcaster Throwdown. And Laura wants to thank Erika, Donna, and Liz for the help in the booth. Jen wants to thank Melissa for being a great travel companion. We talk about the Podcaster Throwdown. We WON! Despite having a lot fewer listeners than some podcasts (which just makes our listeners even more awesome!). But everyone put up a great fight. Thank yous to all of you who sent hats, donated money or prizes, to Pam, Ben, Purlescence Yarns, all the podcasters, Steve Haschke (who coordinated all the hats), and the El Segundo Slipt Stitchers. Finally Tally: Team Knit Knit Cafe: 126 + 26 = 152 Team CraftLit: 280 + 20 = 300 Team Knitmore Girls: 802 + 125 = 927 Team Knotty Girls: 876 + 89 = 965 Team Sock-A-Holic: 442 + 165 = 607 Team Ready, Set, Knit: 300 + 8 = 308 Total Podcast Throwdown contribution: 2,826 + 433 = 3,259 General hats, on Stitches West show floor: 289. Previous 10 virtual hats were identified as belonging to Team Sock-A-Holic and now appear in their totals. GRAND TOTAL for Stitches West, 2014: 3,115 actual hats + 433 virtual hats = 3,548 For the Ravellenic Games, Laura didn't even cast on. She was too busy with Stitches West prep. Jen finished, but just barely, because she frogged the shawl too much. We talk about the Stashdown. March's theme is March Madness. Post a finished object on the theme in the thread to win a prize! We announce winners for February.  Jill Serenity wins the love challenge with her two cowls. She wins a copy of Cascadia by Amanda Milne and Fiona McLean, courtesy of Cooperative Press. Buzzedangel won the Red flash challenge with her red Hexipuff. She wins a set of conversation hearts stitch markers from k8erpillar. Geek Culture: (42:29) We point out some amazing math-geek knitting articles by Evelyn Lamb. Go read "The Stunning Symbiosis Between Math and Knitting" and "Roots of Unity: Knotted Needles Make Knitted Knots. We're also a big fan of the infographics that Casey put together in celebration of Ravelry reaching 4 million members. Events: (43:55) The Los Angeles Yarn Crawl is April 3rd-6th. Jen is not crawling (she is out of town at Craftcation). Laura is having a meet and greet on Thursday April 3rd from 6:30 to 8:30 at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company. She is having a second meet and greet (also at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company) on Saturday April 5th from 12pm to 3pm. We will be doing something for WWKIP, so watch this space for details. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group.

We get a little bit of innuendo and silly in this one.  No bad language, but a little less clean than you are used to, so you may want to listen first if you have small ones. We sort of fly by the seat of our pants in this episode! We are joined by Special Guests Melissa and Erica. We are at Stitches West and are exhausted and overwhelmed and a little sleepy and maybe a little tipsy (but we're legal so it's okay). In the Knitting Bag (1:43) Laura has no knitting! Melissa is knitting on Leah's Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo Sock in a blue and the McIntosh Cardigan by Gudrun Johnson from Knit With Me out of Madelinetosh in Tosh Merino Light in Tern and Edison and Button Jar Blue. Erica is working on the Brier Island Sweater out of Miss Babs Heartland Worsted. She cast on for cowl in Skeindalous Buddy Sock, but had no time to knit. Jen finished her Sweetheart of the Rodeo Cardigan and her Barley hat and gave it to the Knitmore Girls for the Throwdown. She is also working on her Ravellenics project, a shawl out of Mean Girls Yarn Club. Melissa finished some shawls that had been long-term WIPs for the Ravellenics. Frog Pond (10:05) Laura frogged some of her homework to make hat tags--but there aren't sad knitting stories when you're not knitting. Melissa learned from Brooke Nico how to fix mistakes in lace in her Stitches class. Erica calls her mistakes "design decisions" and so does Melissa because "perfection is only for God." Devil's Tower (11:44) Laura is sick of hats, so she's not going to finish the hats she's working on for the Throwdown for later and donate them to Halos of Hope later. We're all a bit hatted out. Stitches Talk (13:48) Laura has been working at her booth and it's been amazing. We had our meetup, which was great. But she is so busy. She wants a little time to shop. Erica is glad she only bought one sweater quantity worth of purple yarn. But she's bought a lot of blue sweater yarn. She got some yarn from Verdant Gryphon, Sweet Fiber, and giant skeins of fingering weight from Miss Babs (yarn Babies). Melissa and Jen also bought yarn babies from Miss Babs. Melissa bought a lot of vintage buttons. And she continues to buy pink yarn, green yarn, and neon yarn. She might have bought and entire rainbown. Melissa took some classes. She took the Fixing Mistakes in Lace Knitting with Brooke Nico and Intentional Patterning with Hand-dyed Yarns with Laura Bryant. She loved them both and recommends them. We talk about the Pajama Party with Marly Bird. Jen got some laceweight from Terilyn Needle Art for a sweater (and so did Melissa) and some laceweight cashmere from Stitch Sisterz. She also got a Miss Babs yarn baby and some Miss Babs sock yarn, some Quince and Company Chickadee to make the Chickadee by Ysolda. Melissa and Erica both got measurements take by Amy Herzog and we talk about Amy's Custom Fit Software and the myth of Standard Size. Jen got a consultation with Amy as well and thought it was great. We talk about the Fit to Flatter group on Ravelry. Jen took Christine Bylsma's Design in a Day class, which was awesome. She also took Edie Eckman's Where Do They Get Those Numbers?, which she recommends for math phobic knitters. And she took Design Inspiration with Lily Chin, which was great. Laura took a class about German and Japanese lace with Brooke Nico and she loved it! Jen and Melissa both saw Myra Wood's keynote where she talked about her Knit in New Directions book. Jen's sweater (made with Laura's yarn) was in the Friday fashion show. We met Steve from It Takes Balls to Knit. Laura, Jen, and Melissa went to the pajama party, had fun, and Jen and Laura won yarn from Malabrigo and Fiesta Yarns. We also mention Skacel and Ben from the Fiber Hooligans and XRX. Jen and Melissa went to the student fashion show. We also had our meetup and got to meet a lot of our listeners. And then Jen and Laura went to the podcaster meet up. Shout outs to the Yarniacs, Just Another Bay Area Knitter, Knitmore Girls, Two Knit Lit Chicks, Hollywood Knitter, Dr. Gemma and anyone else we might have forgotten. We talk about Namaste and how amazing they are. To support the Podcaster Throwdown, they gave the leader of each podcast team a free Harlow bag and t-shirts. We can't say enough good things about these ladies and their products. They are wonderful. Melissa and Jen recommend audio books for their long road trips. We talk about fangirling Myra Wood, Amy Herzog, Brooke Nico, Pam Haschke, Ben Levinsay, Steve from It Takes Balls to Knit, the Yarn on Tap girls. (And Jen loves their sock kits). Melissa talks about a neon yarn baby she bought from Newton's Yarn Country. Melissa is very proud that Stitches is the first time she's bought yarn all year, since last year she bought so much yarn she became a Loopy Legend. We also mention Shalimar Yarns and Plucky Knitter. In closing, Miss Kalendar has the cutest baby ever!

Today’s episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design, please visit DizzyBlondeStudios.etsy.com. Look for us at Stitches West in Booths 906 and 908! Podcaster Throwdown (1:17) Check out Episode 8.5 for Throwdown information. Hat Tallies are updated in the Running Tally thread in the Podcaster Throwdown Group. There is virtual way to participate. You can now donate for your favorite team. Click here and choose your team. $5 is equal to one hat for your team! Each $5 lets Halos of Hope to ship 16 hats to cancer centers and hospitals around the country. The board is all volunteer, so all the money goes to shipping. Check out the Podcaster Throwdown group in Ravelry. There will be prizes for participating in the Throwdown group on Ravelry, courtesy of XRX. Check out the Halos of Hope website and Ben’s interview with Pam Haschke on Fiber Hooligans. Designer Brenda Castiel has all of her hat patterns and hat/mitt set patterns at a discount until February 28th, just use coupon code HALOS. Also, thank you to Brenda for her generous donation to the podcast. The February incentive pattern is Tenderfoot. Post in the February Thread in the KnottyGirls Group. There are some some awesome prizes for participating for Team KnottyGirls.  Check out Episodes 10, 11, 12, and 13, as well as the Prize Page for prize listings. XRX has some overall prizes, see Episode 19 for those. There are some other prizes from Marly Bird, Webs, Heather Ordover, Annie Modesitt, and Dizzy Blonde Studios. Send your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here. Purlescence Address: Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Shoutout to El Segundo Slipt Stitchers. We also mention Fiber Hooligan Podcast. Catching Up: (9:58) Laura has been working on her yarn clubs (Mean Girls Yarn Club and Sunnydale Yarn Club as well as prepping for Stitches West. She's been watching Almost Human and making stitch markers. Jen has been working at work. Ron is getting surgery soon, which she hopes will help with some of his health issues. She's been prepping for Stitches West. She's also been working on some music. In the Knitting Bag: (15:35) Laura has been working on an Assquack in Berroco Comfort in Licorice and Knitpicks Brava in Pumpkin.  She is also working on converting Steggie Bib by Elaine Fitzpatrick into a blanket square for WendyLadyWares' bereavement blanket.  And she is working on Down the Garden Path by Michele DuNaier out of Lambie Toes in Special Hell. Jen is working on her Sweetheart of the Rodeo sweater (her own design) out of Wollmeise DK in So Long Kitty (pink), Shalimar Breathless DK in Snopea (green), and Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps (yellow).  She is also working on a shawl out of Mean Girls Yarn Club for the Ravellenics, a plain hat in Knitpicks Brava in Wine, and a preemie hat out of Baah La Jolla in My Sweet Valentine. We mention the Roosimine Socks by Caoua Coffee. Finished Objects: (26:33) Laura finished a Scallop Hat by JT Creations out of Knitpicks Brava Sport in Sienna Brown. She resized the pattern for using sport weight yarn. Jen finished a Barley hat by tincanknits out of Peter Pan Wendy Yarn in Milk Chocolate.  And she finished her secret cowl, which will be revealed soon, but it's out of Sunnydale Yarn Club yarn. On Deck: (29:40) Laura will be making some pompoms for her Jayne Hats for the passport game at Stitches West. She will figure out and start a hat to knit at Stitches, and she wants to make a Broncos hat for her brother for his birthday. Jen will be making more hats, her Watership Down KAL shawl, and her Stitches homework. We mention the Gerri Hat by Marly Bird. Knit Culture: (33:51) We interview Lauren Riker, winner of the Fiber Factor. For those of you brave enough, she does have a pattern for a Santa Costume. And she is running a a knit-a-long for her Owl in One pattern. We check in on our stashdown goals. We're both doing okay, although Jen has slipped in her no buying yarn goals on some Wollmeise sock yarn and Fab Funky Fibres. And she got some Wollmeise lace (which was allowed). Laura fell down on some yarn for the passport game, but we wonder if it's stash or work. We talk about how hard it is to resist sales. Laura hasn't knit a lot, but she has been destashing. Jen has knit up a lot of her stash. Post your February’s Theme is Love. Post your finished “Love-themed” object in the thread and you might win a copy of Cascadia by Amanda Milne and Fiona McLean, courtesy of Cooperative Press. We announce a flash prize. From when the episode goes live until February 28, post your knitting with something red (or red knitting or red stitch markers--it's open) in the thread and you can win a set of conversation hearts stitch markers from k8erpillar. We mention the Mr. Show sketch with the pre-taped call-in show. (This may not be safe for your kids--watch it first and decide). Geek Culture: (1:02:57) We talk about the new Captain America: Winter Soldier trailer, the casting of Paul Bettany as Vision in Avengers 2, and the upcoming season of Orphan Black. Events: (1:14:05) We will be at Stitches West, which is February 20-23 in Santa Clara, CA at the Convention Center. You can use the coupon code W20 to get $2 off a marketplace ticket. Dizzy Blonde Studios and Skeindalous Yarns are sharing a booth (booth 906 and 908). The Dizzy Blonde booth is a collection point for Halos of Hope hats for Team KnottyGirls (the final collection point!). With prizes! Shout out to the Purlescence Girls (who have the booth across from us) and we are right next to Halos of Hope (Booth 904) and across from Purlescence. We are both doing the stitch marker swap. We will be doing a meet and greet Saturday 12:00-1:00 at the Dizzy Blonde Booth. At the Dizzy Blonde Booth there will be products from: *Dizzy Blonde Studio *Skeindalous Yarns *Hiya Hiya *5elementknitr *RKs Mom *Jamie’s Metalworks *Jelby *Cards By Erika Follow KnottyLa on Twitter and/or Dizzy Blonde Studios on Facebook for Flash sales. Jen will be at the Student Fashion Show and Banquet on Saturday night as well. The Los Angeles Yarn Crawl is April 3rd-6th. Jen is not crawling (she is out of town). Laura is having a meet and greet on Friday April 3rd from 6:30 to 8:30 at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  Thanks to lasknit2 for a new review on iTunes. Off The Needles Cirrus Mitts for Ravellenics    Cirrus Mitts in its WIP stage   Apologies: no errata for mitt pattern, I simply didn't switch to other chart  On The Needles Billow Cloud Infinity Scarf Provisional CO: what do you like to use? Review Issue 4 of Amirisu--Spring/Summer 2014 architecture issue Love their template, so easy to use (on iPad) and with links to patterns, advertisers. 12 patterns including designs by: Stephen West, Gudrun Johnston, Leila Raabe, Michele Wang, Veera Valimaki, Melanie Berg, Bethany Hick, Yuki, nest-design Laboratory, Reiko Kuwamura, Kirsten Johnstone, Kristin Ford.

On The Needles Cirrus Mitts (aka Ravellenics #1), HO! Very fast. Forgot how quick it is to knit with heavier weight yarn. Wrong turn with the right mitt. BFF cowl: decided to keep it separate, so using yarn until very last bit. Got back seat due to Ravellenics. First Strickmich Club shipment arrived! Pristine, no wrinkle on the pattern at all. Dye For Yarn merino-silk fingering, Knit Your Love pattern--Valentine-themed. Interview of Martina Behm on Subway Knits podcast.   The Whirligeek Bought PLY magazine woolen issue; loved!    Ravellenics Special Who watches the Olympics while knitting for Ravellenics? Still couldn't find a reliable channel that airs lots of Olympics coverage here. Tried BBC iPlayer, but not available for Indonesia. Cable sub doesn's include NBC or sports channel unfortunately.   Love the team Sasquatch, Coggie from High Fiber Diet has been holding up for the team and creating threads. I've been busy creating and editing the team roster. Can't imagine how mods in big groups cope...You can find me on Ravelry as thelostgeek, on twitter as lost_geek, and on Instagram as thelostgeek. Do join The Lost Geek Podcast group on Ravelry. You can subscribe to the show on iTunes, or through the RSS feed. iTunes star ratings and reviews are always welcome to help bump up the show and let other people know about it, and it would really help me get feedback about the show.Thank you for listening, and until next time... don't get too lost!

This is the first of several episodes that will be reviewing British rare breed fleeces.  I am doing this project during the Ravellenics.  This episode covers the Norfolk Horn breed. Music is from Music Alley and in by Jon Schmidt, a powerful paino piece called Winter Wind. The website I mentioned for sheep breed info is sheep101.info

Podcaster Throwdown (0:38) Hat Tallies are updated in the Running Tally thread in the Podcaster Throwdown Group. There is virtual way to participate. You can now donate for your favorite team. Click here and choose your team. $5 is equal to one hat for your team! Each $5 lets Halos of Hope to ship 16 hats to cancer centers and hospitals around the country. The board is all volunteer, so all the money goes to shipping. Check out Episode 8.5 for Throwdown information. Check out the Podcaster Throwdown group in Ravelry. There will be prizes for participating in the Throwdown group on Ravelry, courtesy of XRX. Check out the Halos of Hope website and Ben’s interview with Pam Haschke on Fiber Hooligans. Designer Brenda Castiel has all of her hat patterns and hat/mitt set patterns at a discount until February 28th, just use coupon code HALOS. Also, thank you to Brenda for her generous donation to the podcast. The February incentive pattern is Tenderfoot. Post in the February Thread in the KnottyGirls Group. There are some some awesome prizes for participating for Team KnottyGirls.  Check out Episodes 10, 11, 12, and 13, as well as the Prize Page for prize listings. XRX has some overall prizes: An Almost the Works Package for any Stitches events in 2014 or 2015 for the person who makes the most hats (no matter what their team is). An Almost the Works Package for the person who makes the most hats on the winning team. A Second Patrol membership to the Dizzy Color Sunnydale Yarn Color. This is for the person who sends in the most hats (team captains are exempt). Team Captains for the winning team will receive fashion show tickets to any Stitches fashion show in 2014 to 2015. Each team captain will receive a two year subscription to Knitters Magazine to distribute to the person that they decide is their team's MVP. Send your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here. Purlescence Address: Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Shoutout to El Segundo Slipt Stitchers. We also mention Fiber Hooligan Podcast. Catching Up: (9:26) Jen has been working. Her parents came to visit and they had a nice time. She saw a rough cut of a documentary about The Found Theatre and its founder Cynthia Galles, who died from breast cancer. She saw Inside Llewyn Davis, which had some fantastic sweaters in it. Laura finished Season 3 of Downton Abbey and she is upset about it. (Spoilery discussion ensues). She is working on Nerd Wars stuff for her final tournament (for a while). One of her projects will be part of a bereavement blanket for someone who passed away suddenly. And she has been trying to learn to crochet right-handed. In the Knitting Bag: (20:00) Jen is working on her Sweetheart of the Rodeo sweater (her own design) out of Wollmeise DK in So Long Kitty (pink), Shalimar Breathless DK in Snopea (green), and Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps (yellow). She is also working on a Twistygoo hat by Lisa M. Beamer in yellow Plymouth Encore Yarn and Knitpicks Brava in Blush.  She is working on Barley hat by tincanknits out of Peter Pan Wendy Yarn in Milk Chocolate. And a secret cowl. Laura is working on a Scallop Hat by JT Creations. She is also working on an Assquack in Berroco Comfort in Licorice. We also mention the Olivia's Butterfly Hat. Finished Objects: (26:04) Jen finished a Twistygoo in Knitpicks Brava in Wine. And she finished a preemie hat out of Baah La Jolla in My Sweet Valentine. Laura finished a striped hat out of remnants of worsted acrylic. She also finished a preemie hat all in seed stitch out of Berroco Vintage. We mention the Knitmore Girls Podcast and their preemie hat collection for their local hospital. Devil's Tower: (30:44) Laura is taking a break from her Follow Your Arrow MKAL. She didn't choose the right yarn, doesn't have the bandwidth for it, and she will revisit it. Frog Pond: (32:19) Laura had to frog her entire 22 Leaves Shawlette by Lankakomero.  Her yarn was acid burned and kept breaking. On Deck: (35:56) Jen will be knitting lots of hats and a shawl of her own design for the Ravellenics. Laura will be doing Down the Garden Path by Michele DuNaier out of Lambie Toes for the Ravellenics. And more hats. And a secret project. Knit Culture: (39:49) We talk about the final challenge of the Fibre Factor. Lauren is leading a knitalong of her Owl in One pattern. We review Cascadia by Amanda Milne and Fiona McLean sent to us by Cooperative Press. We highly recommend this book. It is lovely. We talk about the Stashdown. February's Theme is Love. Post your finished "Love-themed" object in the thread and you might win a copy of Cascadia courtesy of Cooperative Press. Laura amends her stashdown goal. We announce the winners for January. lasolou13 wins the Stripe it Up Challenge. She will win a collection of our favorite stripey patterns. tygherknits wins a copy of Doomsday Knits for her entry in the Flash Challenge. We talk about the Ravellenic Games and Team Sasquatch. It's not too late to join. Geek Culture: (1:06:22) We talk about the Twelfth Doctor's new look. We both approve. Flags Made with Traditional Foods. There is a new Firefly comic out. Laura is really excited about the new trailer for Maleficent movie. Jen is somewhat underwhelmed, but open-minded. We mention Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman. Events: (1:15:11) We will be at Stitches West, which is February 20-23 in Santa Clara, CA at the Convention Center. You can use the coupon code W20 to get $2 off a marketplace ticket. Dizzy Blonde Studios and Skeindalous Yarns are sharing a booth (booth 906 and 908). The Dizzy Blonde booth is a collection point for Halos of Hope hats for Team KnottyGirls (the final collection point!). With prizes! Shout out to the Purlescence Girls (who have the booth across from us) and we are right next to Halos of Hope (Booth 904) and across from Purlescence. We will be doing a meet and greet Saturday 12:00-1:00 at the Dizzy Blonde Booth. At the Dizzy Blonde Booth there will be products from: *Dizzy Blonde Studio *Skeindalous Yarns *Hiya Hiya *5elementknitr *RKs Mom *Jamie's Metalworks *Jelby *Cards By Erika Follow KnottyLa on Twitter and/or Dizzy Blonde Studios on Facebook for Flash sales. There is a podcaster meetup on Saturday from 4:30 to 6:00 in the Hyatt bar or a nearby meeting room. Come join us! Games to play at Stitches West: *Stitches West Passport Game *Stitch Marker Swap (Laura and Jen are both participating) *Yarny Poker Run Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry group! And don’t forget to knit hats and donate.

Its all gone a bit grey in Caithness this month. The Blether finds me embracing the clattering of Jackdaws at the back of my garden. Wots e Craic has Feedly, Ravellenics, Retreats - See the Ripplescrafts Raverly board for sign ups. The Lost Geek pattern Traipsing Vines Shawl/Wrap for sale to raise money for Red Cross to help flood victims. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/traipsing-vines-wrap-shawl New Runny Runny Runny section - the books are 5k and 10k by Graeme Hilditch and Running made Easy by Sarah Whalley and Lisa Jackson Swap Section Me Me Me section with a request for us all to knit or crochet a couple of (not yellow) hats for your nearest Special Care Baby Unit. Caithness Segment Drams Section where we taste a Ledaig Single Malt Whisky Contact me at caithnesscraftcollective@gmail.com Ravelry as LouiseHunt Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as CaithnessCraft and Flickr as LouiseJ2010 and www.caithnesscraftcollective.podbean.com for all episodes and show notes. Music from www.musicalley.com with Lizzie Davies and All about the Weather.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design, please visit DizzyBlondeStudios.etsy.com. Look for us at Stitches West in Booths 906 and 908! Podcaster Throwdown (1:18) We have at least 1038 hats contributed for the Throwdown total! We are in third place with 180 hats. It’s crunch time! There is virtual way to participate. You can now donate for your favorite team. Click here and choose your team. $5 is equal to one hat for your team! Each $5 lets Halos of Hope to ship 16 hats to cancer centers and hospitals around the country. The board is all volunteer, so all the money goes to shipping. Halos of Hope plans to send the hats collected at Stitches West to cancer centers and hospitals in the Bay Area. Check out Episode 8.5 for Throwdown information. Check out the Podcaster Throwdown group in Ravelry. There will be prizes for participating in the Throwdown group on Ravelry, courtesy of XRX. Check out the Halos of Hope website and Ben’s interview with Pam Haschke on Fiber Hooligans. The January incentive pattern is Assquack. Post your finished hats in this thread to get your incentive. There are prizes for donating to Team Knottygirls. Check out Episodes 10, 11, 12, and 13, as well as the Prize Page for prize listings.  New prizes include a custom-dyed skein of Dizzy Blonde yarns. Send your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here. Purlescence Address: Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086 Catching Up: (5:58) Laura and her husband took the weekend off to recuperate after having family visit. She's working to catalog her stash. She is also preparing for her last round of Nerd Wars for a while. And she's getting ready for Stitches West. Jen has been working seriously long hours because of Flu season (stay healthy). The only good thing is that the extra lab time has given her more podcast listening time. She saw several movies, including The Hobbit, American Hustle, and Nebraska. She's been seeing her friend's band play. She and Ron also had a Disney Day to see the Winter World of Color and the last performance of Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. In the Knitting Bag: (17:08) Laura made a stripey hat out of acrylic remnants for Stripe it Up January. She's also making a premie hat for the Knitmore Girls Head to Toe collection. She's also working up the Olivia’s Butterfly Hat, reworking the pattern to be done in sport weight yarn for the Stitches West Passport Game. And she worked on her 22 Leaves Shawlette by Lankakomero, out of Mean Girls Yarn Club in Heart in a Box. She is still struggling with bead placement. Jen is working on her Sweetheart of the Rodeo sweater (her own design) out of Wollmeise DK in So Long Kitty (pink), Shalimar Breathless DK in Snopea (green), and Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps (yellow). She is also working on Twistygoo by Lisa M. Beamer in Knitpicks Brava in Wine. And she is working on a secret cowl. Finished Objects: (23:37) Laura finished two stripey hats. One was out of mystery acrylic and one was out of Dizzy Blonde DK mini skeins. Jen finished a Twistygoo out of Delicious Yarns Frosting Worsted in Blueberry and Pistachio, leftover from the gramps sweater she made for her nephew. She striped them for Stripe it Up January. She finished the California Poppy Shawl by Lydia Tsymbal out of Baah La Jolla in My Sweet Valentine for Melissa and a Gerri Hat in Peter Pan Wendy Yarn in the colorway speckled blue. And she finished her vanilla socks in very old Opal Sock Yarn (the Rainforest series, colorway Flamingo, which is pink). Frog Pond: (26:50) Jen had lots of gauge issues this week. She frogged her Kently Socks by Heather Ordover from Hitch: Patterns Inspired by the Films of Alfred Hitchcock because they were too big. She also had to completely frog her entire sweater, because her Wollmeise DK and her Shalimar Breathless DK do not give the same gauge on the same needles. She would have known that if she had swatched with both yarns. On Deck: (31:38) Laura is planning to do many stripey knit hats and crocheted hats and something for the Ravellenics. Jen will be making another stripey Twistygoo out of yellow Plymouth Encore Yarn and something else. She will also make other hats, she will make two pairs of Kently socks for the Knitmore Girls #matchymatchyKAL (a pair for her and a pair for Ron). She will also have her Ravellenics project. Knit Culture: (35:19) One of Jen's favorite Yarns We answer questions from our Knotty Talk Thread about stash and yarn. We talk about stash and how we store it. We also talk about our favorite yarns (Laura: Brooks Farm Primero (her oldest stash), Jen: Vice Yarn Paradigm in Drunken Cherries, also 1000 yards of white cashmere laceweight), needles (Laura: Hiya Hiya, Jen: partial to Knitpicks needles (affordable and sharp tips), Karbonz, and Chiaogoo, and Addi Lace), and knitting bags (Laura: Namaste Zuma Bag and Jordana Paige Bella Bag, Jen: Namaste Harlowe also Slipped Stitch Studios bags, but she also uses grocery totes and clear bags from Loopy Ewe). Don't forget to Flash Your Stash to win a digital copy of of Doomsday Knits courtesy of Cooperative Press. And post your stripey FOs for a chance at another TBD prize. We talk about the Ravellenic Games and Team Sasquatch.  Knit for Ravellnics, Team Sasquatch, or both. Laura will be working on Down the Garden Path by Michele DuNaier and Jen will be doing a one-skein shawl of her own design. Geek Culture: (1:01:10) Neat Doctor Who baked goods picture gallery from a BBC America party. We want to know if you have thoughts on casting Michael Douglas in Ant-Man (which also has Paul Rudd). And we both love the Muppets Most Wanted trailer and are super excited! Events: (1:07:06) We will be at Stitches West, which is February 20-23 in Santa Clara, CA at the Convention Center. Dizzy Blonde Studios & Skeindalous Yarns are sharing a booth (booth 906 and 908). The Dizzy Blonde booth is a collection point for Halos of Hope hats for Team KnottyGirls (the final collection point!). With prizes! Shout out to the Purlescence Girls (who have the booth across from us) and we are right next to Halos of Hope (Booth 904). We will be doing a meet and greet Saturday 12:00-1:00 at the Dizzy Blonde Booth. We will be at the Friday Fashion Show and Banquet. Jen has a sweater in it (made with Laura's lovely yarn). We will be doing a World Wide Knit in Public event sometime between June 7 – June 15, 2014, location to be determined. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry group! And don’t forget to knit hats and donate.

Jen brings you a Tuesday edition of the podcast in anticipation of possible storms on Wednesday which may make for tretcherous driving and podcasting conditions.  She wraps up Ravellenics, challenges listeners to help the Halos of Hope hat count at STITCHES East exceed that of Midwest this past weekend, and offers up some pre-road trip prep tips.  Enjoy!

Jen hits a few speed bumps & the check engine light comes on for her Ravellenics project - can she recover to reach the finish line on Sunday??

A shorter episode this week - Ravellenics are here! 

(sub-titled ... also 5 months until Christmas - eek!!) Jen talks about the Color Affection, brainstorms about Christmas knitting (just a little), gives a quick 2-circ tutorial, gets really excited about the Ravellenics, continues to talk about Halos of Hope, and discusses a new-to-her event coming up this fall in Boston

We have a Thursday episode this week due to the rain-soaked commute on Wednesday.  This week, Jen is afflicted by a bug going around the knitting world, finishes something, has a bit of stash enhancement, and announces a KAL for Halos of Hope.  And let's not forget - gives away some PRIZES for the pre-Ravellenics finish-along! 

Travel, lots of projects, a magic loop tutorial, Ravellenics talk & events