Friday, April 13, 2018

Episode 48: Spinning research and lots of FO's!

Welcome knitters and thank you for joining us for our 48th episode! Marcy and Kim share all of their new co's, wip's AND many fo's! In addition, Kim has a short spinning research paper to share; Spring/Summer are the perfect time of year to get into spinning! So, grab your knitting, a bracing beverage (why not?!) get comfy and settle in.

Episode 48 Audio


Pippa & Marcy wearing there knitwear at the ski hill.
Marcy is wearing here Light Gale.
Pippa is wearing a top made by Gaga called Cameron Cardi.

What's in our Lesson Plan?

  • On the PA System
  • After the Finish Line
  • Show & Tell
  • Spinning Research Paper
  • We are Uber Crafty
  • What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

TNNA (The National Needlearts association,) announced "The First Local Yarn Store Day!" This will be held on April 21, 2018 and it's a day for all of us fiber arts enthusists to celebrate our brick and mortar local yarn shops...because what would we do without them? If you have an LYS, reach out to them and ask what they have planned and then go and support them!


After the Finish Line

Marcy showing off her P-Rex!
Marcy was finally able to wear her P-Rex by Susanne Sommer and it looked amazing! She blocked it and is happier with the length and fit of the sleeves. You can hear more about this FO in episode 38. She also wore her ...a hint of summer top by Isabel Kraemer and it was a huge hit with our knitting group. You can hear more about this project in ep. 32.  The beautiful Light Gale was a perfect outer wear piece for Marcy to wear to Tahoe. Ep. 25 has all of the details about this lovely cape.  It was way back in ep. 4 that Marcy talked about her True sweater by Joji and she enjoyed wearing it last week when it was chilly here. 

Kim wore her Little Bird sweater so much that she had to wash and re block it. Sadly, the neck line unraveled a bit and needs mending. She has been wearing her Zweig  color work pullover a lot and she's seriously thinking about knitting a 2nd next Fall. Her poor Cullum Tee got taken out to dinner but was drenched by a glass of white wine! Thankfully, linen is hardy and will wash easily. Her new Fo, the Waiting for Rain shawl has been Kim's go to shawl for chilly days and evenings and she loves it and is planning on taking it to Europe this summer. 

Show & Tell

Kim has finally finished her Hermione's Everyday socks that she co last March. The Malabrigo sock yarn was a dream to knit with and the pattern is always fun and easy. However, she made these socks a bit too short and so they will be a wonderful Mother's Day gift for her very knitworthy Mom. 

Kim is still working on the gorgeous Tegna top by Caitlin Hunter. She is using 3 skeins of her hand dyed yarn and the base is merino and silk from KnitPicks. She also has a new co, a pair of socks using a skein of Zauberball in an unknown color way. She is putting in contrasting cuffs, heels and toes and is knitting these 2 at a time, top down and with magic loop on a US 1. 

***Kim mentioned that she wants to get another shawl on her needles and is thinking of casting on one of Hunter Hammersen's gorgeous shawls from the book Curls.

Marcy working on her 2nd
Sand Shore Cardigan.
Marcy has been knitting up a storm and has 2 Fo's! She finished her lovely Chaleur pullover by Julie Hoover. She used 2 types of Habu held together and it's beautiful. Make sure to check out her project page and read all about it. She also finished her Olympia socks which she co during the Olympics. She used a special kit from Jimmy Beans Wool and the socks are so cute and patriotic. 

Marcy is almost done with her 2nd (can you believe that she's knitting something again?) Sand shore cardigan by Alicia Plummer. She cast this sweater on almost a year to the day after she co her 1st one, which she ended up giving to her Mom for Mother's Day. She is once again using Fibra Natura Good Earth solids in the Jade color way. This is a fast and fun cardi to knit for Spring through Fall. 

In addition, Marcy has another new co! The Wavelets tee by Yumiko Alexander and she is using DanDoh yarn Cotton Fine in 2 colors and she is holding them together. So far, the project is a little tedious, but the fabric is looking gorgeous and she's excited to get it finished and wear it. 
The start of the Wavelets Tee!

***Marcy won a prize from a KAL that she participated in with the Yarniacs. It was the self indulgent KAL and she won a gorgeous skein of Yarn Ink tough sock yarn. The dyer, Trisha, has just started a video podcast on You Tube called 'The Best Day Ever!' podcast, go check it out!
Marcy's skein of yarn she won!

Spinning Research Paper

  • It's a good idea to begin with a drop spindle
  • When/if you decide to commit to a wheel, try to spend some time with a few and see how you feel with them. Good places to try out different wheels are: fiber festivals, Stitches events, borrow one from a friend or reach out to your local Spinning/Weaving Guild. 
  • 3 main types of wheels are: Saxony, Castle and e-spinners. 

We are Uber Crafty

Kim had a little tendonitis last week and FINALLY got her Cricket Rigid Heddle loom out after 3.5 years because she couldn't knit.  She is excited to use up her stash of novelty yarn from 20 odd years ago and also to become reacquainted with weaving. She is weaving a scarf and plans on casting on another one soon. 
Kim was weaving on her scarf while watching
the Walking Dead.

What's on our Black Board?

In our next podcast Kim and Marcy will share all of their current wip's, Fo's and new cast on's...spoiler alert; there will be many new cast ons! There will be spinning and weaving and who knows what other types of Uber Craftiness!

Thank you for joining us! We hope that you are enjoying Spring and also that your knitting and making are bringing you joy. Happy Knitting!