Saturday, April 29, 2017

Episode 29: Sprinkle Time

Welcome to the newest episode everybody! Today we talk about our WIP's, FO's, and our progress with the Initiate Knit Design Challenge. We have a small segment that we recorded during Marcy's baby sprinkle. Grab your knitting, a soothing beverage, a delicious snack, your knitting and join us.

Episode 29 Audio



Marcy & Kim at the Shower!
The blanket is perfect for the belly, I mean Baby!





What's in our Lesson Plan?

Marcy @ 38 Weeks!
  1. Administrati
  2. On the PA system
  3. Show & Tell
  4. Sprinkle Time!
  5. What's on our Black Board?

Administrati

Kim surprised Marcy with a new segment, "Pop Quiz." She asked her who her fantasy Knitter's Dinner Party would include. She was able to choose 3 knitters and Marcy chose: Her Grandma Dodie, Julie Weisenberger and the amazing woman behind Habu Textiles. I'm certain that they would have a fun and interesting evening! Who would you choose?

On the PA System

All knitters need a well curated library and right now KnitPicks has 40% off of all of their books. Go check it out. 

We also discuss the topic of pulling your yarn from the inside or outside of the yarn ball. Marcy and Kim are both interior pullers...there are knitters on both sides of the aisle that feel strongly about their position. Either way, you may enjoy using a yarn cozy. Marcy found an Etsy shop that carries them: Precious Knits

Show and Tell

Marcy has a beautiful finished object! Her Sandshore cardigan by Alicia Plummer was a super quick, fun and easy knit and she's very happy with it.  She used FibraNatura Good Earth Solids which is a linen & cotton blend and it feels amazing. Many of the women in the knitting group tried it on and they all loved it and it looked great on everyone.

Kim showing off my Sandshore Cardigan!
Doesn't Kim look lovely in my new Cardigan!














Marcy has a new CO, the Sakasama Jacket by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. She is using Habu N-35 viscose sizing yarn held double and she's really enjoying the knit. It's working up quickly and she thinks that it'll be a great postpartum garment and also light enough for our hot climate.

Kim's WIP's include her St. Patty's socks and her Veronika  pullover by Julie Weisenberger using Shibui Pebble.  She has continued to work on her design from the Initiate Knit Design challenge and has joined the paid for Swatch Studio program from Aroha Knits. She described the swatching in the round technique which you can search for in many knitting books and You Tube videos. 
The back of Kim's IKD swatch that was knit in the round.
Although the back looks messy, it allows you to lay the front
flat and accurately measure your gauge.

Marcy discussed her continuing progress on her design from the IKD challenge and you can read all about it on her project page, here and in our last episode's show notes, here. 

Marcy's blocking gauge swatches. The orange is perfect!

Sprinkle Time

We did a short recording during Marcy's sprinkle (that's the new term for a 2nd baby's baby shower,) and our knitting group gave her a knitted baby blanket. The pattern is Polygon from TinCanKnits and we used Cascade Cherub Aran yarn. This is a large FO that Kim has been working on for over a month that she hasn't been able to discuss on the podcast. We all knitted the different colored polygons and Kim sewed them together and crocheted a border. We hope that the baby enjoys it!
The baby "Sprinkle"

Our group with the Polygon baby blanket

Back row Left to Right: Terry, Priscilla, Michele, Sue, Linda, Kathy, & Kim.  Front Row Left to Right: Marcy & Jean.


What's on our Black Board?

Kim is going on a field trip to her hometown for a small, informal knitting retreat with family. She will be visiting a LYS and hopefully playing and recording a fun knitting game with her 1st knitting group. We should also have news about the baby and 1st pics! Happy knitting everyone!


Monday, April 10, 2017

Episode 28: Encountering Designing Knitwear

Hello Knitters! Welcome to Episode 28. In this "in the classroom" edition we talk about our knitting, the Initiate Knit Design challenge that we are both participating in, some uber craftiness and we introduce a new segment! Grab your knitting, a soothing (or bracing) beverage, get comfy and enjoy the show.

Episode 28 Audio


Marcy & Kim after recording, Kim is wearing her
Art Walk Cardi that she made for her Legacy Sweater Spin.

Marcy at 35 Weeks!

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. Administrati
  2. On the PA system
  3. Show and Tell
  4. We are Uber Crafty
  5. What's on our Black Board?

Administrati

Head on over to our Ravelry group and join, sign in and let us know how you've been Uber Crafty recently. We'd appreciate it if you would write a review and rate the podcast wherever you listen, thank you!

On the PA System

In this new segment we will pass along new and interesting (and hopefully helpful!) information about the knitting world. 
  • The video podcast, Stitching the High Notes, that is hosted by JoAnna (operajo,) has a forum in their Ravelry group that lists all current KAL's: List o'KAL's 2017.
  • If you use Instagram, tag your post with #Ravelry and it'll automatically be sent to your message box on Rav and you can quickly and easily import the picture into your stash or onto a project page.
  • Craftsy classes are wonderful! If you have an account with them, you can put a class that you're interested in in your cart and within a week or two you should get an email letting you know that that class has been discounted. Also, you can go to the teacher's website and see if they have a discount code for their Craftsy classes listed there. 

Show and Tell

Marcy has made great progress on her new cast on, the Sandshore by Alicia Plummer. She is using FibraNature Good Earth solids yarn which is 53% cotton and  47% linen and it's an aran weight in the Jade color. She is also continuing to work on her ZickZack scarf by Christy Kamm. This will be a long term knitting project.
Marcy's Sandshore cardigan.
Kim is still on a sweater kick and has finished her 2nd Whispers pullover by Veera Valimaki. This was CO in 10/2016 and the yarn is Dragonfly Fibers on the Pixie base in the Apollo color way.  The Twigs and Willows cardigan by Alana Dakos is almost finished...all of the knitting is done and most of the seaming. Kim is going to use a new button band technique (new to her at least!) from the book Splendid Apparel by Anna Zilboorg. She'll report back about that in ep. 29. There was a large howler with the "Goldilock's" sleeves on this cardigan: 1st they were too long, then too short and finally just right! 

Kim has another sweater going, the Veronika by Coco Knits. She is using some of the yarn she bought while in Portland, Shibui Pebble. She also has a pair of vanilla socks OTN. The yarn is also from her trip to Portland, Three Irish Girls in the Dublin Bay color. 

***We mention the Knitmore Girls podcast, our LYS Got Your Goat in Roseville, Ca, the audio knitting podcast Knitting Pipeline and the magic knot You Tube video. 

Both Marcy and Kim are participating in the Initiate Knit Design Challenge by Aroha Knits. This free 10 day challenge has 5 steps and is a great program to help aspiring designers learn the steps and process involved. You can read all about it here. Marcy has created a project page for her design. We will tell you all about our finished designs and the process next time. #initiateknitdesign
Marcy's Swatches for her design, they are not blocked yet.


Just after recording I went to our LYS and
I found the perfect solid yarn to go
with my multi color yarn that I am using.  

We are Uber Crafty

Kim has been dyeing more yarn and really having fun with it. She has been experimenting with multi step dyeing processes that she has read about and seen on You Tube videos.
3 mini skeins that Kim dyed
4 large skeins that Kim dyed
Baby Isla's drool bibs!


Marcy has sewn some drool bibs for a friend's baby.


What's on our Black Board?

We are not certain yet! It'll be a surprise for you, but we can guarantee that there will be lots of yarn involved!



Thanks for joining us today! Have a wonderful couple of weeks and Happy Knitting.