Friday, December 21, 2018

Episode 62: Welcome December, bring your cheer!

Hello, Dear Knitters and welcome to our 62nd podcast. We hope you are enjoying December and that your knitting and making are going well. Today, Kim and Marcy will share all that they've been working on: FO's, Wip's and new cast on's too. Grab your knitting, a warm and soothing beverage, possibly an emergency snack and join us!

Episode 62 Audio

Marcy wearing her Confetti, and Kim is wearing her handspun
Christmas cardigan. Marcy is holding her peace project

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. On the PA System
  2. After the Finish Line
  3. Show & Tell
  4. We are Uber Crafty
  5. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

Kim has been enjoying watching many of the Vlogmas videos that are on You Tube right now. Go on to You Tube and search for Knitting Vlogmas and find some that you like!

After the Finish Line

Marcy wearing her Arve hat, with her family.
Marcy has been wearing:
  •  her new and beloved Wool & Honey pullover by Andrea Mowry (ep. 60,)
  •  her Casual Kamono cardigan by Bonnie Riley (ep. 7,)
  •  her Veronika pullover by Julie Weisenberger  and 
  •  her Arve hat by Tanis Gray (ep. 44.)
  • and the Turion mittens by Linda Dubec made for her by her Mom.
and Kim has been wearing:
  • her Ninilchik Swoncho by Caitlin Hunter, and
  • hand knit socks everyday, and
  • her P-rex poncho by SoSu, and
  • her 2nd Color Affecton shawl by Veera Valimaki.

Show & Tell

Kim finished her handspun Christmas cardigan. The pattern is Stillwater by Marie Greene. She also finished two pairs of Christmas socks that she cast on last year. She tried knitting 2 pairs of socks at a time using the Afterthought Everything sock pattern by Erica Kempf Broughton. She used Cascade Heritage sock yarn in color #26, Holiday and Greenwood Fiberworks Stardust yarn in the Jingle Bells color. 

Much of Kim's knitting has been driven by her desire to cast on yarn that she has dyed (it's so fun to see it knit up!) She dyed self striping yarn and cast on her Destined2stripe socks. She also dyed some sock blanks and has cast on her Sock Blank Uno

Kim has been enjoying opening and using (some!) of her yarn advent calendar minis. She has a set from KnitStyle yarns and has decided to use these minis to knit the Dust of Snow shawl by Helen Stewart. She also bought the advent set from Forbidden Woolery and has cast on the MKAL that is included in the kit. 

The Rose Gold Shawl by Andrea Mowry has been put on hold while Kim spins more yarn. She is using her handspun  yarn and a set of gradient minis from Blue Moon Fiber Arts to knit this beautiful brioche shawl. Finally, she has cast on a new sweater, the Ravello pullover by Isabell Kraemer. She is using KnitPicks Stroll tweed yarn for this sweater.

Marcy has finished her gorgeous Wool & Honey pullover by Andrea Mowry and she used Brooklyn Tweed Loft in the Tartan color. She also finished The Weekender by Andrea Mowry and she used Lani's Lana Fine Sport Rambouillet in the Natural white/black color to knit this comfortable and cute pullover. She is enjoying wearing both of these pretty sweaters.
Wilson showing off the fox hat.

Both Fox hats Marcy made for
her friend Gayle's kids.













Marcy also finished knitting the Baby/Practice Cardi by Julie Weisenberger. She used Trendsetter Yarns Autumn Wind Confetti in the Surely it's Sherbet color. She also finished the adorable Sly Fox crochet hat by Lisa Gutierrez and the Failynn Fox Cowl by Heidi May for a friend's children.

 She has cast on the Project Peace 2018 cowl which is a KAL by Christina Campbell. She is using Primrose Yarn Co. in the With Enxy color. Read all about this wonderful project here
This is Kim's Sock Blank Uno.

We are Uber Crafty

Kim has been having a ball dyeing bare sock blanks that she purchased from KnitPicks. She bought and dyed 3 and tried both dyeing them dry and wet. She had a great time dyeing with a friend and is also having fun knitting with them. 

It's that time of year again, Marcy has sewn a cocktail dress for her husband's office Christmas party. She bought some gorgeous fabric and wanted to use a simple pattern to allow the fabric to be the star of the show. The pattern is Quik Sew #3561.
Full length view of the dress Marcy made.















What's on our Black Board?

In our next podcast we'll talk about any new Fo's and Co's that we have and we'll go over our 2018 goals and see how we did. 

Happy knitting everyone, we hope that your Holiday season is going well and that you're having a fabulous time with your knitting and making. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Episode 61: Marcy's Fiber Filled Field Trips!

Hello Dear Knitters and welcome to our 61st podcast! It is December and the Holiday season and hopefully (if you live in the Northern Hemisphere,) it is cold where you live and you are able to enjoy wearing your cozy and warm knitwear! We've got some great PA System announcements and lots of fun field trip news for you today. Grab your knitting, get a warm (possibly bracing : )beverage and join us.

Episode 61 Audio


Marcy and Kim are admiring all of Marcy's beautiful new stash
that she got on her fiber field trips.

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. On the PA System
  2. Marcy's Fiber Filled Fieldtrips
  3. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

  1. Heart Strings Yarn, the Lys in Chico, CA, has set up a donation fund on their site to help all of the makers from Paradise and the local environs who lost everything in the devastating Camp Fire last month. You can donate $$$ or mail them yarn, needles, notions, etc... to help the knitters who are getting back on their feet after the fire. All info can be found on their site.  Thanks to @carpeyarn on Instagram for sharing this post.
  2. Also, we received an email about another great philanthropic opportunity. Yarn Canada has partnered with Bernat Yarn and Patons Yarn to give 12 individuals and groups $2,000 worth of yarn to use towards their good works. The application and all information can be found on their site

Marcy's fiber fieldtrips
Marcy with her friend Brooke and baby Jonas.

Marcy has had a wonderful couple of months visiting fiber festivals and fairs. She attended Lamb Town in Dixon Ca in early October and she had a great time. She added a few beautiful items to her stash:

  1. Lani's Lana Fine sport Rambouillet wool and she is planning to knit a Weekender pullover by Andrea Mowry with it. She also mentioned that you can buy wool fabric made localy from here wool.  The fabric is made in the Sacramento area at a mill called Huston Textiles. Marcy and Kim want to go take a tour of the facility, they offer them on their website. You can buy the fabric online from Lani's Lana if your interested in purchasing some its so lovely. 
  2. End of Bolt yarn which is also Rambouillet wool. 
  3. Stitchsisterz 6 ply Mongolian Cashmere where she got to catch up with Bonnie Riley.
She also attended the brand new Stitches SoCal in Pasadena Ca. She found some gorgeous yarn to take home there as well:
  1. Leading Men Fiber Arts spotlight yarn.
  2. Fiber Lady BaaBoo and she is planning on knitting Poet by sari Nordlund from the new Laine magazine. 
  3. Forbidden Fiber Co fortitude yarn and she is going to make the Emmanuelle sweater by Mercedes Tarasovich.  She also found some fun neon minis.
  4. Stunning String Studio Serenity yarn and she is planning on knitting the Zweig pullover by Caitlin Hunter. 


The yarn Marcy won as a door prize.

Cool Pin and Patch Marcy got at Stitches SoCal.

What's on our Black Board?

In episode 62 Marcy and Kim will share all of their new cast ons, wipes and fo's. We'll also dust off the goals that we set in January and see how we've done. 

Thank you for joining us! Happy knitting.

Friday, November 30, 2018

Episode 60: All the new cast ons!

Hello Dear Knitters and welcome to episode 60! It's been a minute since Marcy and Kim sat down and shared all of their Wip's and new cast ons with you and we are excited to talk about ALL of them today! Grab YOUR favorite wip, a soothing beverage, get comfy and join us!

Episode 60 Audio



Marcy has tried on her Wool & Honey while its in progress
and Kim is holding her Rose Gold shawl.

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. On the PA System
  2. After the finish line
  3. Show & Tell
  4. We are Uber crafty
  5. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

  • Marcy found out about a fun and funny YouTube channel, "I am Brandon Farris." Check his channel out! Look for his learn to knit and learn to crochet videos.
  • Kim recommends checking out the kristy glass knits YouTube channel. Her "Tell me about your Rhinebeck sweater episodes are wonderful (and dangerous for your queue!) and her Halloween ep this year was a hysterical spoof on other video podcasts. 
  • Marcy talked about the 2018 Project Peace by the Healthy Knitter. This is a lovely and worthwhile project during this busy time of year. 

After the Finish Line

Kim wore:
  1. Her Gilead pullover by Leila Raabe. Fo from 8/18.
  2. P-Rex poncho by SoSu. Fo from 1/18.
  3. Lots of socks, but especially my Thanksgiving self stripping socks from 11/15.
  4. Lintilla shawl by Martina Behm. Fo from 3/14.
  5. Little Bird pullover by Veera Valimaki. Fo from 3/18.
  6. Veronika pullover by CocoKnits. Fo from 5/17.
  7. Handspun granny stripped crochet blanket. Fo from 12/16.

Marcy wore:
  1. Arizona Tee by Amy Gunderson. Fo from 8/18.
  2. Wavelets Tee by Yumiko Alexander. Fo from 4/18.
  3. Chaleur pullover by Julie Hoover. Fo from 2/18.
  4. Om Shawl by Andrea Mowry. Fo from 12/16.
  5. After the Rain  pullover by Heidi Kirmaier. Fo from 10/15.

Show & Tell

Kim has some new cast ons! She started the Rose Gold shawl by Andrea Mowry using her handspun yarn and a set of gradient minis from Blue Moon Fiber Arts (this is some Stiches West yarn from 2018.) She also cast on her handspun "Gingerbread Christmas' sweater. The pattern is Stillwater by Marie Greene. She did have a huge howler because she didn't read the darn pattern and Kim ended up having to rip out over 16 rows : ( . But, she's back on track now and will be done by 12/1.  Finally, Kim and a knitting friend dyed self stripping sock yarn. She immediately cast on some vanilla socks with the yarn because she was very excited to see how the yarn stripped. 


Marcy has some gorgeous new cast ons the as well! Her 'Just Like Honey' shawl by Lesley Anne Robinson using Aberdeen Wool Co Tangled Gypsies in the brit pop color and Neighborhood fiber Co. capital luxury sport in the rock creek color.  She also cast on the Wool & Honey pullover by Andrea Mowry. She is using Brooklyn Tweed loft in the Tartan color. 

We are Uber Crafty

Kim hand dyed self stripping sock yarn with a friend and it was very fun and also very time consuming! There was lots of uber craftiness with the wedding, rehearsal dinner and day after brunch, but this isn't a wedding podcast!

Marcy has done some sewing. She is making a robe, baby hat, baby onesie, baby sheets, 2T pj shirt and bottoms. 
All the beautiful things Marcy made.
Sleep sack with hat, onsie
with foooted pants.
Robe for mom.


Gauze reciving blanket, fitted sheet, sleep sack,
and hat with custom name.


What's on our Black Board?

In our next podcast Kim and Marcy will share everything that they've finished, started and are currently working on. We hope that your knitting is behaving (hint, read the pattern, it does help!) Have a wonderful couple of weeks and allow your knitting to soothe you during the stressful moments during this Holiday season. Happy Knitting!

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Episode 59: FO's and Magazine Reviews

Helloo Dear Knitters! We are back after a 6 weeks hiatus and we are both excited to share our finished objects and our thoughts about four beautiful knitting/lifestyle magazines with you. We hope that you are all doing well and that your making is going beautifully and we invite you to grab a soothing beverage, get comfortable, grab your knitting and join us!

Episode 59 Audio


Marcy and Kim after recording. Marcy is wearing her Color
Block Poncho and Kim is holding up the finished crocheted
afghan. 

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. Our recent FO's.
  2. Magazine reviews

Finished Objects

It has been a hot minute since we have podcasted and so we wanted to share our FO's with you. Kim has finished the crocheted afghan that she made for her son and new daughter in law for their wedding gift. She is very happy to be finished with this large project and she was thrilled to be able to gift this to her favorite newlyweds!

She also knit 8 baby hats for her niece who is pregnant with twins. She gifted them already and forgot to take pictures of the last few, but here is the project page. Both of these were a labor of love and Kim was very happy to gift them to her family and now she's excited to get back to her regularly scheduled knitting!

Marcy has finished her beautiful  #17 Color Block Poncho by Rosemary Drysdale. This sweater/poncho is super cute and Marcy has been getting a lot of wear out of it. She made some mods and they'll all be listed on her project page. 

Marcy also finished her Ramble Shawl by Andrea Mowry. This fun brioche shawl is stunning and there are so many color combinations to play with. She is now hooked on brioche again!

Magazine Reviews

  1. Amirisu is from Japan and it was founded in 2012. Its a bi-annual publications and the price for the year is $58. With the newest issues you will get an electronic code to download to your Ravelry library. 
  2. Making Magazine is from the US and was founded in 2016. With a subscription you'll get 2 issues per year for $49. 
  3. Laine  is a Nordic Life Magazine. Founded in 2016, there are no subscriptions available. You need to purchase from your LYS at a price of ~$30 per issue. 
  4. Pom Pom quarterly is a magazine from the UK. With a subscription, you'll pay ~ $48 for a year. There is an electronic download code. 
Kim and Marcy were very torn about which magazine they liked best! They're all beautiful with amazing photographs and gorgeous knitting patterns as well as many other crafts and interesting articles mixed in. 

When we had to choose, we both were very drawn to the Poet pullover from the latest Laine magazine, issue 6. 

What's on our Black Board?

In our next episode, we'll get back to basics and have an 'in the classroom' podcast where we'll talk about all of our new cast ons and wip's.

Thank you for joining us! We hope that your knitting is going well and we look forward to seeing you again in episode 60.

Monday, October 1, 2018

Episode 58: Vogue Knitting Live & Happy Birthday Marcy!!!

Hello dear Knitters and welcome to our 58th podcast! Today, Kim and Marcy are in the classroom and they share their current Wip's , Fo's and new Co's. We'll celebrate Marcy's birthday with a toast and some yarny goodness. Grab your knitting, a soothing beverage, a party hat and join us!


Episode 58 Audio



Marcy is wearing her Arizona Tee and holding the birthday yarn that Kim dyed
for her. Kim is wearing her Zinone top and holding the crochet afghan that
she is making.

What's in our Lesson Plan? 

  1. On the PA System
  2. After the finish line
  3. Show & Tell
  4. We are Uber Crafty
  5. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

Lambtown is coming! This fiber festival is held in Dixon, California on Saturday, 10/6 and Sunday, 10/7. Marcy will most likely be there and Kim is hoping to go. If you see us (or hear us!) come say hi! 

After the Finish Line

Kim wore her Gilead by Leila Raabe and she was wearing her Zinone by Andi Satterlund during filming. These 2 linen tees are perfect 3 season tops for our hot climate.

Marcy is commuting to work at a very early hour and she has been enjoying wearing shawls to keep her warm. She wore her The Shift by Andrea Mowry and her Color Block Bias Wrap by Suzanne Shaw. She also wore her favorite hat, the Spring Cloche by Alana Dakos. Also, Marcy was wearing her beautiful Arizona Tee when we recorded.

Show & Tell

Kim is working on gift knits and doesn't have any new cast ons or Fo's. She is continuing to crochet a granny square afghan for her son and future daughter in law. Their wedding is in a few weeks and she will be gifting it to them then. Hopefully, this will be a much loved and cozy blanket for them to enjoy for many years. 

She is also continuing to knit baby hats for her nieces' twins that are due in February. These have proven to be very addicting! The pattern is free on Ravelry and it's the Tegan Baby hat with Top Knot by Julie Taylor. 

Marcy is continuing to work on her #17 Color Block Poncho by Rosemary Drysdale. She underestimated the amount of yarn that she would need for her contrasting colors, but luckily a lovely knitter on Ravelry came to her rescue and sold her another skein of the discontinued color way.

Thanks to quicksilver62, who is Sue.  
#17 Color Block Phoncho that Marcy is working
 on, isn't the Neon Peach lovely!

She is making great progress on her Ramble Shawl by Andrea Mowry. This is an asymmetrical shawl that ends with gorgeous brioche herringbone. She is using a skein of KnitPicks stroll fingering in a charcoal color and a skein that Kim dyed for her as a birthday gift last year. She is ready to start the brioche segment, but 1st she needs a refresher course on how to do brioche!
Kim's speckled hand dyed yarn looks so beautiful knit up.
I am excited to see it shine in the Brioche section. 

Marcy and her Mom went to Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco last weekend and they had a great time. They took a class from Julie Weisenberger called "The Cocoknits Method for Knitting a Seamless Set in Sleeve." In order to learn the elements of this ingenious method, they worked on a baby sweater.  Marcy's Baby/Practice Cardi will be for Pippa and it's a great and fast way to learn the elements of the Cocoknit's method. 
Marcy and Julie just after the class Marcy took at Vogue. 
Marcy was sporting her birthday head piece that VKL gave
 her sense she decided to celebrate her Birthday at the event.

The most beautiful color combinations that Marcy has ever seen!
She is thinking of making a Tegna out of it.

The complimentary greens yarn Marcy found to go
with the Aberdeen's Wool Co. Tangled Gypsies yarn
she got. She wants to make Just like Honey with them.

We are Uber Crafty

We celebrated Marcy's birthday with some wine and Kim gifted her some cute wooden alpacas for her family to decorate. She also dyed some yarn for Marcy. This time, it was KnitPicks Bare Preciosa, which is a single ply 100% Merino yarn. Kim dyed several full skeins and also some minis so that Marcy could play with the tonal colors and knit a colorful shawl or fun sweater. 
The beautiful hand dyed yarn Kim made for Marcy's birthday.
They are so bright, beautiful, and happy.

What's on our Black Board?

In our next episode, Marcy and Kim are going to compare and contrast these 3 magazines: Laine, Making and Pom Pom. Hopefully, this will help you decided which one(s) might be a goof fit for you or any other maker in your life. Have a wonderful few weeks! We'll be back in late October, (AW- After Wedding! : )

Happy knitting everyone!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Episode 57: Come on Autumn!!!

Hello knitters and thank you for joining us as we sit down to chat about all of our FO's, WIP's and new CO's! Marcy and Kim have a lot of projects on and off the needles this week and they also both have uber craftiness to share. Grab your project,  pour yourself a nice beverage,  put your feet up and  and join us for our 57th podcast.


Episode 57 Audio


Marcy wearing her Camaro top, Kim is showing off her
hand spun/dyed yarn and her boquet she made for her daughter in-law.



Marcy & Kim being funny after recording.

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. On the PA System
  2. Show & Tell
  3. We are Uber Crafty
  4. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

  • For the 1st time Kim has purchased a yarn Advent Calendar from an indie dyer. These have become very popular and she thought that she'd try one. She bought it from Sharon of KnitSytle yarns and the Knit Style video podcast. 
  • Marcy and Kim are very in sync! Marcy wanted to let us know that the wonderful Forbidden Fiber Co. has an Advent Calendar available for pre order and it looks like a beautiful one. 
  • Marcy and her Mom will be attending Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco on Marcy's birthday weekend, 9/25-9/26. 
  • The Lamb Town fiber festival in Dixon, California is coming up and we are both hoping to attend. 10/6-10/7. 

Show & Tell

Kim finally finished her Gilead top by Leila Raabe. She used the original and now discontinued Shibui Linen yarn and she's very happy with the FO... although she didn't enjoy the knit very much! She also finished the Jessie's Girl tee by Elizabeth Smith. This was a fun and fast knit. She used Juniper Moon Farm Zooey DK yarn and she added in random stripes because she knew that she wouldn't have enough of her main color. 

Kim has several new cast ons. She has started a crocheted corner to corner blanket for her son and future daughter in law as a wedding gift. She's holding 2 strands of fingering weight yarn together and she's using magic knots to join new yarn, so at the end there will be little to no finishing and it should crochet up quickly!  She has also started knitting baby hats because her niece is pregnant with twins. She is using the free pattern, Tegan Baby Hat with top knot by Julie Taylor.

For 4-5 years Kim has been looking forward to knitting with her Habu tsumugi silk yarn. She finally cast on a top down raglan sleeve tee and she is marling and fading it.  She is really hoping that she can get in one more warm weather top before Winter. She would like to finish her Arizona Tee or cast on the Derecho  top by Berroco. 

Marcy's #17 Color Block Poncho
sporting her Neon Peach.
Marcy has finished her Arizona Tee by Amy Gunderson using Shibui Reed yarn in the bone color and it is stunning! She's very happy with the FO and is enjoying wearing it with a black camisole underneath. She has also finished and was wearing her Camaro top  by Tanis Lavallee. She used CotLin yarn by KnitPicks and really enjoyed knitting with it. This beautiful top has interesting and unusual construction methods and it's very flattering. 

Marcy also finished the super cute Failynn Fox cowl by Heidi May.  She used the yarn that the pattern called for- Wool Ease Thick & Quick Solids by Lion Brand. This is for a friend's 5 year old daughter. Marcy has cast on the #17 Color Block Poncho by Rosemary Drysdale. she is using Madtosh Vintage and the pattern is from the Vogue Knitting Holiday 2012 magazine. This top is part tee and part poncho and she is excited to finish and wear it. 
Pippa modeling the Failynn Fox Cowl,
its to big for her but she sure is cute in it.

We also have a frogged object; Marcy wasn't happy with the way the colors were working with the Kallara Shawl by Ambah O'Brien and she's going to use the same yarn and knit the Ramble shawl by Andrea Mowry instead. 

We are Uber Crafty

Kim has finished washing both of her 1/2 fleeces. Yay! Now, onto the processing.
She also finished both of her sweater spins that she started last September. One will be knit up into a Christmas sweater and the other will grow up to be either a sweater or a shawl. 

Marcy did some sewing. She made the cutest dress for her friend's daughter. The pattern is Clara by Violette Fields Threads.
The Shirt dress Marcy Made for Lena.
Pippa trying on the dress.
Lena & Pippa, a min Brooke & Marcy.















Thank you for joining us everyone! We hope that your knitting, spinning and making are all going well and we'll see you again in a few weeks.  Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Episode 56: The husbands speak! How much do they know about the Fiber Arts?

Hello knitters and thank you for joining us for this special episode. In this podcast Kim and Marcy sit down and interview their husbands, individually, and find out exactly how well they've been listening to all of the knitting talk that they've been exposed to for 15-33 years. Let's see how the guys do!

Episode 56 Audio


Please feel free to use these questions with your spouse, significant other, parents, children, friends, etc... any Muggles(non knitters,) that have spent significant time with you and really could (should?) have absorbed some knitting/fiber arts knowledge & jargon along the way. If you do use the interview questions, please email us here or DM us on Ravelry or Instagram and let us know how it went! Have fun and let's make more knitters!!!

Well, evidently Kim's DH, John
Smith, has declined to be in the
photo and he's asked Major Chip
Hazard (from the wonderful 1998
film, Small Soldiers,) to step in for
him.

Who are you and where's my husband?



















Here is the list of questions:

  1. Introduce yourself. What do you do and what are your hobbies?
  2. What is your favorite thing that I’ve ever knit for you?
  3. What is your favorite thing that I’ve ever knit in general?
  4. How long have I been a)crafting, b) crocheting, c) knitting, d)weaving, e) spinning?
  5. Would you go to a fiber festival with me?
  6. Does it bother you when I go to an Lys (and take you with me,) when we travel?
  7. What is the coolest that you’ve learned from my knitting addiction?
  8. Have you ever wanted to learn to knit?
  9. Does it bother when I buy yarn?
  10. What do you think about me podcasting? Did it surprise you that I wanted to?
  11. Can you name the different weights/types of yarn?
  12. Can you name any yarn companies or Indie Dyers that I talk about?
  13. How much does the average skein of yarn cost? How about Indie dyed yarn?
  14. If I asked you to buy yarn for me, what would you do?
  15. How much yarn do you think I buy per year (#of skeins.)
  16. Do you considered me obsessed with knitting and the fiber arts?
  17. Do you know what these abbreviations stand for? A) FO b)UFO c)WIP D)HO e)BFL  f)MCN  g) Lys 
  18. Do you know what these words mean? A) tink b)Frog 
  19. Can you name any knitting/fiber events that I attend?
  20. What would you most like me to knit for you?
  21. Can you think of another use for knitting needles?
  22. Do you think I’m a product or process knitter?
  23. Do you think I need more stash? Do I have too little, enough or too much?
  24. Do you think I’ll ever run out of yarn?
  25. How does knitting/fiber arts help me?
  26. Can you explain the difference between knitting, crochet, spinning and weaving?
  27. How do you explain me being a knitter, crocheted, spinner, Weaver, Dyer to other people?
  28. What is something you wish I did as much as I knit?
  29. If I died tomorrow what would you do with my yarn?
  30. Does it embarrass you when I knit in public?
  31. Does anyone ever talk to you about my knitting when I’m not around? If so, what do the say?
  32. What do I knit the most of?
  33. What is my crafting skill level? 1-5
  34. Have you ever listened to our podcast?
  35. Can you name a podcast that I watch or listen to?
  36. Do I need to go on a fiber diet?
  37. How do you feel about my recent purchase of a fleece and washing and processing the wool?
  38. Would you wear a sweater vest if I knit one for you?
  39. What would you guess that my stash is worth

    ?

***we mentioned Jimmy Bean's Wool Alana Dakos and her LYS and the Yarniacs podcast.


Thank you for joining us! We hope that your making is going splendidly and we'll see you again in a few weeks!
Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Episode 55: Summer tops, Trouble and a Tesla!

Welcome knitters and thank you for joining us for our 55th show! Marcy and Kim both have FO's, WIP's and new CO's to share. Kim has part 2 of her "My 1st Fleece" research paper and Marcy has some uber craftiness and a birthday gift for Kim! We are bursting with fiber-y goodness and we are happy that you're here. Grab your knitting, a cool beverage and enjoy the show.

Episode 55 Audio


Marcy & Kim after recording, Marcy has her Shift project and Kim is holding her rolags.

Do you have a mustache or a goatee like us?

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  1. On the PA System
  2. Show & Tell
  3. We are Uber crafty
  4. Part 2 of the Research Paper: My 1st Fleece
  5. What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

  • Have you ever looked to see which one of your projects has the most likes? (hearts.) Head on over to Ravelry and check it out!
  • Marcy has a new job and she will be starting in September- congratulations Marcy!!!

Show & Tell

Kim has finished her Leaves Shell top by Kay Hopkins and she loves it! This pattern is interesting and well written and the Shibui Fern yarn (100% cotton,) is great to work with. She is continuing to knit her Gilead top by Leila Raabe. This is slow going because she's not enjoying working with this discontinued Shibui linen yarn. Kim has set a goal of finishing this cute top by the next podcast as well as her shorty socks.

Kim has two new summer top cast ons. First, Jessie's Girl by Elizabeth Smith and she's using 3 colors of Juniper Moon Farm Zooey DK, which is a cotton/linen blend. She really wanted and needed a simple tee for social knitting and this garter stitch top is perfect. She did have a howler though....when joining to knit in the round she ended up twisting her stitches and had to tink back and fix it. Kim also cast on the Arizona Tee by Amy Gunderson. She is using Shibui Fern which is 100% linen and it's wonderful to knit with. So far, this CO is just a small mustache!

Marcy sporting her Shift!
Marcy has finished her gorgeous cowl/shawl, The Shift, by Andrea Mowry. She used Spincycle Yarns and the FO is stunning! She's very happy with it and is looking forward to cooler weather so that she can wear it. Marcy is also knitting the Arizona Tee and she's finished the back and is knitting the front of this beautiful all over lace top. Both Kim and Marcy are hoping that they don't end up playing yarn chicken since they've only got 2 skeins of yarn. 

Marcy has a new cast on, the Kallara shawl by Ambah O'Brien. She is using a skein of yarn that Kim dyed for her for her birthday last year as well as a skein of Pigeon Roof Studios sock yarn in the charcoal color. So far, her shawl looks like a goatee... : )

We are Uber Crafty

Marcy sewed the cutest tea towels for Kim's birthday! She used 4 knitted theme fabrics (linen, cotton, canvas fat quarters,) from Spoonflower: 1)Knitted rows, multicolor heather 2) Knitted rows, Peacock knit  3)We love yarn 4) Maritime Yarn. She also knit a Tea4Me mug cover for a 16 oz. MIYO mug. This is a free pattern on Ravelry. She used the leftover yarn from her Shift cowl and she also added a in the same color work that is used in the Shift. It's so beautiful and it's the perfect gift for a knitter!
The tea towels Marcy made Kim for her Birthday.
The cute MIYO mug cover Marcy made.
Marcy's son Wilson is turning 4 and they are having a Ninja themed party and Marcy has made Ninja headbands for all of the kids. She also made a punch out game board and lots of fun goodies for the party guests to take home. Happy birthday to Wilson!
Wilson showing off his Ninja headband.

All the Ninja themed craftiness Marcy did for her son's 4th birthday.
Wilson with his friends at the party.

Research Paper Part 2: My 1st Fleece

Kim bought two 1/2 fleeces 1.5 months ago and last week she finished washing one of them. It's a lot of work and she's not sure that she wants to wash her own fleece in the future. She also started processing the fiber for spinning using both hand carders and a blending board that she borrowed from her guild (The Sacramento Weaving & Spinning Guild.) She really enjoyed this part of the process and would like to do more. Kim is excited about Lambtown which is a fiber festival held in Dixon, California every Fall. This year it will be on Saturday & Sunday, October 6 & 7th and she is looking forward to buying lots of different fibers to play with on the blending board. 
Kim's raw fleece before skirting and sorting and washing. This
is about 4.5 pounds.
Kim's raw fleece, Tesla, and
look who loved napping on it! 
This is 1/2 of Kim's fleece drying outside in the shade.


This is the rinsing process and Kim rinsed at
least twice or until the water was clear.
This is the blending board before picture...
and these are the rolags after clearing off the
board.








This is the hand carder before picture...

and these are the fluffy rolls after hand
carding. 


What's on our Black Board?


Once again, we are not sure! Marcy has a lot going on with a new job and we are not certain what our recording schedule will look like. We do have some fun ideas for some unique podcasts, so stay tuned!

Thank you for joining us! We hope that your knitting, spinning and making are going splendidly and we will see you in a few weeks. Happy Knitting!