Episode 14: A Yarn Less Raveled

Welcome to episode 14! In this "out and about" episode we will talk a little bit about our knitting and fiber fun and Kim will share her field trip experience with us along with an interview.  Grab your knitting, a soothing beverage and enjoy!

Episode 14 Audio

What's in our Lesson Plan?

Marcy & her finished Monkey, Kim with her beautiful
birthday flowers from her husband.

• Administrati
• Show and Tell
• A field trip to the LYS "A Yarn Less Raveled"
• An interview with Mindy
• What's on our Black Board?

Administrati

We are running our 1st KAL! Come on over to our Ravelry group and join in on the Christmas in August KAL/CAL. This will actually run through September and is an opportunity for all of us to get a leg up on our Christmas knitting. Here are all of the guidelines. Happy Holiday crafting!

Show and Tell  

Kim has been having fun dyeing yarn with some friends. They solar dyed yarn in Mason jars using Jacquard acid dye and Knit Picks bare yarn. Then, she went home and did some "garbage bag" dyeing! The whole process was very fun and of course, slightly addicting. If you decide to give dyeing a try please make sure to follow all safety directions for the acid dyes.

Kim's solar dyed yarn "cooking"

The first 2 dyed skeins

The final 7 dyed skeins

Kim has also been getting a fair amount of spinning done recently, especially while watching the Olympics. She finished her 1st hand spun sock yarn, spun from a braid of  Greenwood Fiberworks in the Jingle Bell color way. This fiber is 100% BFL and was a dream to spin. Her biggest goal right now is to find some patterns (probably shawls) that she can use both her hand spun and hand dyed yarn together.

Kim's hand spun sock yarn

Marcy has finished her Monkey Jacobus by Annita Wilshut. She used Classic Elite yarn, Mountain Top Crestone. She knit this for her son Wilson as a birthday gift, but was unable to wait and gave it to him early. He loves his monkey! She did have a small howler and forgot to sew the eyes on before sewing him up and had to do a little top down surgery and place the safety eyes in afterwards. 

Wilson loving on his monkey!

Wilson is proud of his new friend.

Marcy is also working on the New Ancestral Christmas Stocking from Mason Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines book. She will be posting pics in our Christmas KAL forum and of course you can see them on her project page as well. She is knitting this stocking  for her cousin's baby and she is using Cascade 220 in Seattle Seahawk's colors: navy blue, citron, silver gray and brown.

Field Trip Notes

A Yarn Less Raveled

Kim and Knittybarb were pm-ing on Ravelry and Barb was kind enough to offer to show Marcy and Kim her LYS. Kim was going to be in the area so she was able to meet Barb (from the wonderful audio podcast, 2 Knit Lit Chicks that she makes along with her daughter, Tracie,) at A Yarn Less Raveled which is located in the Rose Garden shopping center at 730 Camino Ramon #186, in Danville, California. Kim had a great afternoon shopping, getting a tour of the shop,  having lunch and knitting with Barb. Thanks Barb!

 Kim had a great shopping experience and came home with some gorgeous stash enhancements: 2 skeins of Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn, Regia "Pairfect," Canon Hand Dyes in the "A Yarn Less Raveled" color way and a mini skein set of Canon Hand Dyes. Feast your eyes on these pretty skeins below.

All of these pretties insisted on coming home with Kim 

Interview

Kim was able to sit down with Mindy, the owner of A Yarn Less Raveled, and talk about all of the wonderful things that the shop has to offer. They discussed the incredible sweater workshops that a very talented, local knitter and teacher, Sultana, created and teaches. These multi skill level workshops run for about 4 months and teach beginning sweater knitters how to create and knit sweaters that fit and compliment their shape and style. There are intermediate and advanced workshops for knitters that would like to design more complex sweaters. You can read all about these workshops and the schedule, here. 

We talk about some projects that have gone viral in the shop: The Sandshore sweater and the Naranja poncho which was designed by a staff member, Yvonne Poon. Mindy also mentions several designers that her customers favor: Melanie Berg, Joji Locatelli, Stephen West, Martina Behm,  and Alana Dakos.

The shop stocks so many incredible yarns! There are too many to list, so go check it out here. Mindy is currently knitting the Time Traveller's Shawl by Elizabeth Abate and she is using a special local indie dyer's yarn, Luna Purl Yarn, which you can find in the shop.  Mindy was wearing her Drachenfels shawl designed by Melanie Berg and knit from Madeline Tosh sock yarn.

There are many exciting classes and events coming up at A Yarn Less Raveled: the designer Kira K is coming back, Carson Demers who teaches knitting ergonomics, a needle felting class by Wendy Lacy, "Woolbuddies," and a special 5th anniversary event in November. You can see all of these special classes and events, here.

What's on our Black Board?

Our next episode will be an "In the Classroom" episode and Kim and Marcy will talk about all of their FO's, WIP's and new CO's, as well as any Uber Craftiness that they have been up to. 

Thank you joining us and happy knitting!

Episode 13: The Lucky One

Welcome to episode 13! In this "in the classroom" ep Marcy and Kim talk about all of their FO's, WIP's and new CO's. We review a beautiful knitting book, talk about our "Uber Craftiness" and roll out our 1st ever KAL. Grab your knitting, a cool, refreshing beverage and join us!

Episode 13 Audio

What's in our Lesson Plan?

Marcy is holding her stash enhancements
Kim is holding her Wedding Afgan.

• Show and Tell
• A book review: Baby Botanicals by Alana Dakos
• Christmas in August KAL/CAL
• We are Uber Crafty
• What's on our Black Board?

***We were both wearing hand knit tops while recording. Marcy was wearing her new "Wind Wave" tee by Jo Allport and Kim was wearing her "Radian Yoke" top by Wendy Bernard.

Show and Tell

1. Kim is knitting a blanket for her niece's wedding in September. Her "Wedding Afghan," is knit using Cascade Cherub Aran yarn in the white, gray, black and teal (#47) color ways. The pattern is "Moderne Log Cabin Blanket" from the book Mason Dixon Knitting by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne. 
2. Kim is also currently working on her "Summer Insouciant" top, which is the Insouciant pattern by Julie Hoover. She's using Juniper Moon Farm Zooey DK yarn in the #13/ketch and #2/ toasted coconut colors. This is a linen and cotton blend yarn and she's really enjoying knitting with it. She's adding stripes to the sweater and hoping that she won't run out of the white yarn and that the stripes will look great!
3. Another WIP is her "Summer Symmetry" top by Vera Sanon. The pattern is "Symmetry in Motion" and Kim is using Forbidden Woolery yarn on the proverbs base in the blue cymbidium color. She's really enjoying working on this top and is looking forward to finishing and wearing it.

***We mention Marcy's "Tuscarora top" designed by Patty Lyons and knit using Zooey DK yarn that she knit last summer. She loves wearing it and enjoyed knitting with the yarn.

Marcy in her
Cap Sleeve lattice Top

1. Marcy had a beautiful FO to share! Her "Cap Sleeve Lattice Top" by Purl Soho knit using Forbidden Woolery yarn on the proverbs base and in the Earl Grey rose and Yellow Celosia colors is done and it's gorgeous! Marcy made 8 modifications and you can find them all listed and explained on her project page. 
2. Marcy also has a new CO. The adorable "Monkey Jacobus" by Annita Wilschut is being knit out of Mountain Top Crestone yarn by Classic Elite in the Frost and Plymouth Rock Hen colors. She's using a US 4 needle. This will be a gift for her son Wilson's 2nd birthday in August. 
3. Marcy had some fun stash enhancements to show us. She bought some O wool from their website on the balance base which is a 50/50 cotton/merino blend. She's planning on knitting the Om shawl with this pretty yarn.
4. Marcy also picked up some Sublime yarns "Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK" yarn from Jimmy Beans Wool. Her plan is to knit the new pattern, "Light Gale" by Alicia Plummer with this amazing yarn.

Book Review

Marcy picked up a copy of the beautiful book, Baby Botanicals, by Alana Dakos when she was in Alana's LYS, Never Not Knitting, last month. The book has 5 "pint sized" patterns of the women's adult sweaters from Botanical Knits 1 & 2.  The sizes are really generous and range from 6 months to 12 years. You can purchase this book on Ravelry as an e-book for $12 USD or get the print book along with a coupon code to download the e-book from the NNK website or your LYS for only $14. USD. We both give this book a thumbs up and encourage you to check it out!

***In 2013 Marcy knit two of the adult sized sweaters: 1) Autumn's End and 2) Entangled Vines. 

Christmas in August KAL/CAL

We're very excited to be opening up our 1st KAL! Our goal is to help and motivate you (and ourselves!) to finish Christmas items early and decrease holiday stress and increase Christmas joy. Here are all of the parameters for the Christmas in August KAL (it's going to run through September!):

1. You may use any new CO or old WIP. 
2. Must be either a Christmas (or Hannukah!) gift, decor item or something for yourself or your family to wear during the Holiday. 
3. We'll open a forum on our Ravelry group page on August 1st, our time (pacific standard US time,) and we'll close and lock it on September 30th at 11:00 pm our time.
4. We will award two gifts (a Ravelry download pattern of your choice up to $7 USD in value,) at the end of the KAL: 1) a randomly chosen number from our FO thread and 2) to the person who finished the most items. In case of a tie, I'll write all names on a piece of paper, throw them in a hat and have Wilson choose the winner!

Have fun and happy Holiday knitting and crocheting.

***Marcy has set her 1st goal on the podcast! She intends to CO a Christmas stocking for her cousin's baby boy. It will be similar to this one, that she knit last year for her cousin's older son. Both will be in Seahawk's colors, but they'll be slightly different. 

We are Uber Crafty!

Kim has been spinning again and having a great time. She went back to her Craftsy class, "Spinning Dyed Fibers" with Felicia Lo and learned how to chain or Navajo ply her singles. This creates a 3 ply yarn. She's got 2 finished 3 ply skeins: 1) Garden Shadows and 2) Perfect Colors. She's also got a finished 2 ply from Three Water's Farm that needs to be wound on the niddy noddy. This was Kim's 1st time spinning BFL and she really enjoyed the process and is looking forward to knitting a lace shawl with this pretty yarn. Right now she's got some Finn Wool on the wheel in an amazing coral color. There'll be more about that yarn next time.

Kim's chain plied "Garden Shadows" handspun

Marcy and her family have also been Uber Crafty! She and Wilson made a fort out of a large cardboard box and decorated it. She and her husband have been working hard in their garden, building a fort for Wilson, planting and moving 10 yards of bark mulch.

Wilson and his fort.

Marcy's gardening work.

What's on our BlackBoard?

In episode 14 Kim will share her field trip experience of visiting the beautiful LYS in Danville, California, "A Yarn Less Raveled." She's looking forward to spending the afternoon with the  lovely, Barb (knittybarb) one of the hosts of the 2 Knit Lit Chicks audio podcast. We'll update you on the Christmas in August KAL and we'll probably share a little bit of knitting and spinning.

Happy knitting everybody!

Episode 12: Buyer's Remorse

Welcome to episode 12! In this "out of the classroom" episode Marcy shares her experience of visiting  Tolt Yarn and Wool in Carnation, Washington. We'll talk about our knitting, have our first book review and also share a wonderful interview with Rachel from Tolt. Grab a (large!) beverage, pick up your knitting and enjoy the show!

Episode 12 Audio

What's in our Lesson Plan?

Marcy holding her yarn treasures from Tolt,
Kim and Smitten are holding the book we reviewed.

• Show and Tell: FO's, WIP's,  and stash enhancement 
• Field trip notes: an interview, a book review and an evaluation of Tolt Yarn and Wool
• What's on our Black Board?

***We will be hosting our 1st KAL in August! "Christmas in August," wherein you can knit gifts, ornaments, stockings or whatever makes you happy as you get a head start on Christmas knitting. More information to come in ep. 13. Start thinking about what you might like to cast on...or finish!

Show and Tell:

Marcy is currently working on her Cap Sleeve Lattice Top which is a free pattern from Purl Soho. She is using her Forbidden Woolery Proverbs yarn in the Earl Grey Rose and Yellow Celosia color ways. She has made many mods and they are all detailed on her project page.

***We mention Marcy's Wind Wave top, Kim's Nesoi Tee, Marcy's Nesoi Tee and Kim's Elsie Shawl (Itineris.)

Marcy has some fun stash enhancements:

Wilson Checking out Marcy's
yarn treasures from Tolt.

1.  From Tolt LYS she bought some Hazel Knits, Lively DK in the "Chocoberry" color. She listens to The Yarniacs audio podcast and wants to join their "Colors of Fall KAL." This is inspired by the Pantone colors and Marcy's new yarn is almost identical to the Dusty Cedar color. 
2. From Alana Dakos's Never Not Knitting LYS she picked up the Baby Botanical book and some Quince & Co Tern yarn and she'd like to knit one of the sweaters in the book with the yarn for a friend's baby. 
3. Also from the NNK LYS, she bought some Yoth, Little Brother yarn in the Honeydew Melon and Thyme color ways. 

Kim shared an FO; her Whispers top by Veera Valimaki is done and she loves it! Read all about it here. She also has a WIP, her Stardust Socks. You can see them here. 

Kim has some stash enhancements:

Kim's finished Elsie Shawl

1. From Churchmouse Yarns and Tee LYS on Bainbridge Island, Washington, she picked up some Shibui Linen. She's planning on knitting the Gretel top by Coco Knits and a summer shawl with this yarn
2. From her LYS, Kim bought some Shibui Rain yarn to knit the Interval pullover by Shibui. 

Field Trip Notes:

Marcy & Rachel

Marcy was able to visit the beautiful LYS, Tolt Yarn and Wool, in Carnation, Washington which is owned by Anna and Greg Dianich. She really loved the shop and encourages you to check out their website,  where you can read all about their classes and special events. You can also learn more about the shop by reading our Yarn Shop Evaluation spreadsheet. 

Rachel, who is eravera on Ravelry, was kind enough to sit down and talk to Marcy about Tolt, their philosophy and everything that they have going on. I hope you enjoyed the interview! Everything that they mention can be found on their website, which is linked above.

Cozy knitting area by the fire place.

Upstairs classroom area.

Walking in the front door.

Down stairs classroom area.

Book Review:

While she was at  Tolt, Marcy picked up a copy of their book, Farm to Needle- Stories of Wool,  by Anna Dianich. This book sells for $29 USD and was published in 2015 to celebrate Tolt's 2nd anniversary. Its a very special and beautiful book that highlights farmers, wool producers and  designers. There are great schematics, sizing and 6 original patterns ranging from a hot pad to sweaters. Each chapter has interesting stories about the fascinating people that worked to grow the sheep, mill the wool and design the knitwear. Go check it out and pick up a copy for your bookshelf.

What's on our Black Board?

In episode 12 we will be in the classroom. We'll discuss our FO's, WIP's and new CO's. We will also tell you all about our upcoming Christmas in August KAL.  Hopefully there will be some spinning and NO Howlers! 

We hope you have a fantastic couple of weeks with your knitting, spinning and other crafty pursuits. Cheers!

   

Episode 11: SO many Howlers!

In this "In the Classroom" episode we talk about all of our FO's, WIP's and knitting in general that we've been involved with over the past three weeks.  We discuss "What's Hot Right Now" and also chat about some Uber Craftiness. Get settled in with your knitting, a soothing beverage and enjoy this meaty episode!

Episode 11 Audio

In our Lesson Plan:

Kim with her Stardust Socks and
Marcy with the start of her cap sleeve lattice top.

• Show and Tell
• What's Hot Right Now
• We are Uber Crafty
• What's on our Black Board?

Show and Tell:

Kim's projects: 

1. Stardust Socks: This WIP is knit 2 at a time, top down, on magic loop with an after thought heel. Using Greenwood Fiberworks in the "Stardust" color for cuffs, heels and toes and Lolo Did It in the "Pretty Young Thing" color way. 
2. Whispers pullover by Veera Valimaki using Dragonfly Fibers in the gorgeous "Walkin' on the Sun" color way. There was a HOWLER with this project when Kim discovered that a stitch had dropped down to the cast on edge while she was on the 2nd row. She had to frog, cast on again and re knit. *** The Knit For Fun retreat and the Fixing Mistakes class with Ann Budd were mentioned.
3. Kim has finished a baby blanket to donate. It was knit using Berroco Comfort Chunky yarn and using a 5 by 5 knit and purl checkerboard and finishing with a simple crochet bind off. There was a HOWLER with this blanket. Originally, Kim had knit two rectangles and sewn them together to make the blanket. She had woven in the ends and washed and dried it in the machine. Sadly, when it came out of the dryer some stitches had unraveled and  a checkerboard square was compromised. She decided to separate the rectangles and make each of them into a blanket by edging them with a crochet border using a blue cotton yarn. 

   

   Kim's finished baby blanket (post Howler!)

4. Summer Symmetry: Kim's Symmetry in Motion short sleeve tee by Vera Sanon using Forbidden Woolery yarn on the Proverbs base (100% organic cotton) in the Blue Cymbidium color way. This had been going along quite nicely and she was really enjoying the yarn, needles and pattern before a HOWLER occured! Kim made the mistake of bringing this project along on a family trip and getting distracted and one of her stitch markers was moved and her increases are off on her sleeve. In the next episode, Kim will talk more about the contiguous sleeve construction method that is used on this tee.
5. Crazy Zauber Socks: These have been frogged back to the cuffs. Knit 2 at a time on magic loop , top down. Kim had wanted to try a 3 by 1 rib and was just not been happy with it. When she got down to the TOE, yes the Toe! HOWLER! ***Jasmin and Gigi from the Knitmore Girls podcast were mentioned. Marcy's mom, Pansy2horses on Ravelry, also had a huge HOWLER a few years ago. She had misread a pattern and ended up putting all of her increases on the front of a sweater and had to frog it. SO many howlers! The sweater is the High Relief Dolman by Courtney Kelley from Knit.Wear, Spring 2013. After frogging and re knitting, she is really happy with the sweater and wears it all the time.
6. Kim has finally finished her Elsie Shawl! The beautiful Itineris shawl by Hilary Smith Callis knit using Anzula Cloud yarn in the aqua and black colors. This shawl was knit as a prayer/memorial shawl in memory of their precious pup, Elsie, who died in 4/2014. There was a HOWLER (of course there was!!!) Kim was sailing along happily knitting on this shawl and ignoring the pattern, when she discovered that she was supposed to be increasing along the end of the edge that would form a nice, small triangle. Well, no more frogging for her! Kim decided to go free form and she used short rows to make the last portion fit the pattern and she loves it!
7. Kim has another FO, her Nesoi Tee by Miriam L. Felton using Anzula Breeze yarn. She made several mods, you can read all about them on her project page. She is really happy with this tee and has worn it several times already. 
8. Kim mentioned the "Crochet Crack Cardigan," (not the pattern's real name!) and you can see her's here, here and...well, nowhere because she doesn't have a project page for the one that she mentioned when she combined crochet and knitting. Sadly, that was before she was consistently making project pages. The yarn she used was Berroco Fuji. 

   

   Kim and Marcy in their finished Nesoi Tees!

Marcy's projects:

Marcy very cleverly added a lattice lace
triangle to her Wind Wave Tee

1. Marcy has also finished her gorgeous Nesoi Tee by Miriam L. Felton. She used the Anzula Breeze yarn in the "Key Lime" color. She made a few mods to her tee as well, you can find all of them on her project page.
2. Marcy has an FO that she finished in record time! Her Wind Wave  tee by Jo Allport was knit very quickly! She used Louisa Harding Azalea yarn (100% cotton.) There were many mods that she made and you can read all about them on her project page. 
3. Marcy has just cast on the Cap Sleeve Lattice Top by Purl Soho. She is using her Forbidden Woolery yarn in the "Earl Grey Rose" and "Celosia" color ways. Many mods to come for this sweater! There was a HOWLER! Marcy had decided to CO and knit a row or 2 using the Celosia color, but ended up casting on with the Earl Grey instead and frogged and CO again. Then, she discovered that she had changed colors on a row that ended up giving her a design element that she wasn't happy with. She decided not to frog her project again, instead she very cleverly knit and turned her work so that she made the wrong side the right side and no one will ever know!

   

   New right side of project, where the purl
   bumps are now showing the connection of
   the gray it's hidden now on the wrong side.
   I think this looks much better!

   

   Original right side of project, purl bumps
   show the connection of yellow to gray.
   I didn't like the look of this as much!

   
   

What's Hot Right Now?

1. Kim talks about Stash Dash 2016. The Knit Girllls sponsor this yearly WIP and Stash "down" KAL every summer and you can read all about it here. 
2. Marcy has read about a really cute crochet top, Amaa Granny Square Top. This is a free pattern on Ravelry and is crocheted using lace weight wool yarn. 
3. Marcy is also eyeing a free pattern from Knitty.com, the Icarus by Leah Goldstein. This cute top is knit using Berroco Fuji yarn.
4. Finally, Marcy doesn't usually knit shawls, but she is really attracted to the Om Shawl by Andrea Mowry on Ravelry. This is a beautiful and versatile shawl that is knit in a rectangular shape and then you place buttons on 2 sides which allows you to wear it in a multitude of ways.  The colors and patterning reference a Southwest aesthetic.

We Are Uber Crafty

Kim has been spinning a lot and really enjoying it. She has spun up all of her bandless/label-less fiber and has 4 finished 2 ply skeins thus far. She has purchased and been watching a Craftsy class on spinning; "Spinning Dyed Fibers" with Felicia Lo. Her 1st spinning class that she watched on Craftsy was; "Drafting from Worsted to Woolen," with Jacey Boggs Faulkner. Kim has a goal of spinning up ALL of her fiber before she goes to the fiber event, Lamb Town, in Dixon, Ca on 10/6/16. Also, her goal is to have fewer HOWLERS for the next episode!

Kim's 2nd finished handpsun skein on the niddy noddy

2 of Kim's handspan skeins drying outside after taking a bath

What's on our Black Board?

In episode 12, Marcy will talk about her visit to Tolt Yarn and Wool in Carnation, WA, and share an interview and a surprise! She will let us know all of the wonderful things that this cute LYS has to offer. 

Thank you so much for joining us! We hope that your knitting has been Howler free and we look forward to connecting with you on our Ravelry group, on our blog and out in wild where knitters gather! We will see you soon.

Episode 10: Shibui yarn tasting and high fives!

Welcome to our 1st double digit episode! We share our WIP's, several high fives,  do our own mini Shibui yarn tasting and have an interview with the charming Sandy Barnes from Shibui Knits.  It's a hoot, and you don't want to miss it. Grab your favorite WIP, a fun beverage and get comfy!

Episode 10 Audio

Marcy, Kim and marcy's beautiful Be My Angel shawl 

What's in our Lesson Plan?

• Admin notes
• Show and tell
• Shibui yarn tasting
• Interview with Sandy from Shibui

Admin Notes:

1. The show notes from episode 9 contain all of the information (and if its not there, you can find it in the threads on Ravelry,  to which I've linked,) about the sock KAL's going on right now with other podcasts. Get on in there and join, knit some socks and win some prizes!
2. Head on over to our Ravelry group, we are taking roll and would love to get to know YOU! 

Marcy in her Sloping Hem Boatneck sweater

**Marcy mentions her Sloping Hem Boatneck sweater by Norah Gaughan that she knit in 2013 using Berroco Versa yarn. She entered a KAL with the Yarniacs and won a prize, which was very exciting as this was her 1st KAL!

Show and Tell:

1. Kim is working on her Frankensocks and is almost done. She decided to  make them "shorties" because the needles are driving her crazy. These are knit two at a time, top down on magic loop with a true after thought heel. You can find our research paper and discussion about after thought heels here. 
2.  She is continuing to work on her lovely Nesoi Tee by Miriam L. Felton out of Anzula Breeze yarn in the Irene color. She has shortened the tee in several places and has moved 5 stitches from each side of the neck to the shoulders (Marcy has done this as well! Great minds : ) in order to tighten up the boatneck opening.
3. Elsie's shawl is continuing to get some love and is coming along nicely, and
4. The Crazy Zauber socks are still a WIP. but Kim's not thrilled with the combo of the stitch pattern, needles and yarn. She might felt them lightly before putting the after thought heels in. 
5. Marcy is also continuing to actively work on her Nesoi Tee in the Key Lime color and she's almost done too. She's really enjoying the yarn and is looking forward to wearing this pretty top. 
6. Marcy has finished her Be My Angel shawl by Martina Behm. She is super happy with this gorgeous FO and really enjoyed knitting with the Huckleberry Knits Singular yarn in the Winesap color. .

Shibui Yarn Tasting:

At her recent retreat, Kim was happy to receive a bag filled with 9  samples of Shibui yarn along with their "Mix Cheat Sheet," (try saying that 5 times fast!) Kim and Marcy each knit up many samples using a combination of the yarns on a variety of needle sizes. You can get a copy of the mix cheat sheet here. There's really too much information to list about the yarn tasting,  so if you have any questions after listening to the episode, please PM me (Kim, AKA Destined2knit,) on Ravelry and I'll try to answer your questions. We encourage you to try your own yarn tasting at home and preferably with some knitting friends! Using Shibui or other yarns mix it up with a variety of needle sizes and make sure to wash and block your swatches and see what new amazing fabrics you end up with.

Kim's swatches

Marcy's swatches

Interview with Sandy Barnes:

Sandy Barnes is the Sales Manager for Shibui knits which is located in Portland, Oregon. She was kind enough to sit down and talk with me while we were at the Knit For Fun retreat last month in Park City, Utah. The LYS from Salt Lake City, Blazing Needles, was partnering with Shibui during the retreat and we were all lucky enough to have access to this amazing market for the duration of the weekend. 

At the retreat we were treated  to a yarn tasting. We all received a bag with a sample of each of the current 9 Shibui yarns along with their wonderful Mix Cheat Sheet. Sandy tells us that she swatched all of these mixes and the gauge listed there is her's! She encourages all of us to swatch widely while mixing yarns and to always wash and block.

Sandy worked for the Cameron Design Group, owned by Darcy Cameron, for 5 years in their Portland, Oregon LYS, Knit Purl. She's been working on the wholesale side of the business, with Shibui Knits, as Sales Manager, for four years. 

She really likes their new cotton yarn, Rain. It is very unique for a cotton yarn because it has memory. In addition, Rain is a mercerized chainette yarn which adds to its unique qualities as a cotton yarn. Sandy's favorite Shibui yarn is Pebble (cashmere, silk and wool,) which she views as a great year round yarn. She also really likes Twig   (linen, silk and wool,)for summer garments.

We discuss the beautiful, elegant and classic Shibui designs. Sandy tells us that their in house designer, Shellie Anderson, always puts in one special construction element to keep the piece interesting and special, but also relatively simple.

Thanks Sandy! 

Kim's Goals:

Kim hasn't set goals for several episodes and so she decided it was time to get back on that saddle! This time she's set 11 goals:

1. To use scrap yarn as a basting/running stitch in order to keep track of decreases, increases, or rows.
2. Swatch again with Estonian traveling stitches using the pattern from the retreat. Also, work on tinking the traveling sts.
3. CO a pair of Estonian socks that has traveling stitches. 
4. Finish her Nesoi Tee.
5. Finish her Frankensocks.
6. Finish her Crazy Zauber Socks.
7. Spin at least 5 times before episode 11.
8. Pick up and work "heartily" on her Summer Symmetry top.
9. Write up a knitting schedule in order to keep all projects in her active knitting rotation...AND...follow it!
10. Join in on at least 3 of the sock KAL's that are going on on Ravelry and Instagram right now, and,
11. CO a baby blanket.

That's it, good luck Kim!

What's on our Black Board?

In our next episode, Marcy will have returned from her trip to the Pacific Northwest and will tell us all about her experiences visiting LYS's in that area. We'll also have show and tell and talk about our goals and progress with sock KAL's.

Thanks for joining us everybody! We hope that your knitting is treating you well and we'll "see" you next time.

Episode 9: Susanna IC

Welcome to episode 9 everybody! We are almost in the double digits and we're excited about that. In this episode, Kim continues to share her experiences from her recent "Knit For Fun" retreat and has a special interview with designer Susanna IC. Enjoy!

Episode 9 Audio

The "Knit For Fun" retreats are put on by Ann Budd and Kim discusses her classes there, which were taught by:

1. Ann Budd: Steek and Zippers and Fixing Your Mistakes.
2. Nancy Bush: Estonian Traveling Stitches
3. Susanna IC: Cables and Lace

Admin notes: We are taking attendance! please join us in our Ravelry group if you are a new or returning "student," we promise that we won't let you sit alone at lunch or play by yourself at recess!

Marcy, Kim and Wilson after recording

What's in our Lesson Plan?

• Lots of retreat info!
• All of my retreat classes
• An interview with the designer Susanna IC

Retreat Info:

1. Goody bag donation items: Cloudborn Fibers, Merino Superwash Sock Twist in the Majestic Purple color, Cloudborn Fiber Alpaca and Highland Natural in the Camel Heather color, Vice blurred Lines in the Canyonlands color way to go with the Park City Cowl pattern by Ann Budd, Elemental Affects yarn and the Midsummer bouquet pattern by Karen Kendrick-Hand and Buffy Ann Designs yarn cozys.
2. The yarn shops that vended at the retreat were: Wasatch and Wool, from Park City, Utah and Blazing Needles from Salt Lake City, Utah.
3. Our fund raiser was the Haapsalu Lace center in Estonia and $1,110 was raised over the weekend!

Kim's cup cozy that has been steeked and zippered!

The awesome goody bag and its' contents

Podcasts hosting sock KAL's: 

There are so many sock KAL's (knit-a-longs) running right now that I thought we'd mention a few for you all to jump in on. Remember that you can double, triple and quadruple dip on these! So, go knit some socks, post some pics and win some prizes!

• The Knitmore Girls audio podcast has an on going KAL, "Operation Sock Drawer". Use #operationsockdrawer on Instagram and you can also post in their group thread. 
• Yarngasm Video Podcast has a year long (until 1/1/17) "Box of Sox" KAL. Use #boxOsoxkal on Instagram and put your 12 pairs of adult socks in a pretty box. 
• Grocery Girls video podcast has a "Fancy Feet" KAL  from 5/1/16 thru 6/14/16 and the goal is to try a new technique. #ggfancyfeet on Instagram. 
• Bakery Bear's Video podcast has a "Summer of Socks" KAL running from 5/25/16 thru 8/31/16. #summerofsockskal on Instagram.
• The lovely ladies from the Mason Dixon blog are having a "One Sock" KAL and 1st time sock knitters are welcome! 5/1/16 thru 5/31/16. Post using the #onesockkal on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or on their Ravelry thread.

Susanna IC interview:

I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with Susanna IC at the Knit For Fun retreat. Susanna is "zuzusus" on Ravelry and her website is artqualia.com. She is very active in her Rav group and hosts at least 2 MKAL's a year in addition to other knitalongs using her gorgeous lace and cable patterns. Susanna has 150+  patterns on Ravelry and more are in the works!

Even though it was a challenge to do so, Susanna did choose a few of her designs as her favorites: Annis, Belarra, Brina and a cardigan, Eadon. Head on over to Ravelry and take a look at all of her beautiful designs. 

***The "Fruity Knitting" video cast was mentioned. Andrea knits lots of Alice Starmore sweaters and does a lot of great tutorials, go check it out!

What's on our Black Board?

In episode 10 we be talking about our knitting (Show and Tell,) and doing a Shibui yarn tasting with yarn that Kim received at the retreat. We'll play an interview with Sandy who was helping us all weekend with our Shibui buying needs : ) . 

Have a great week everybody! Happy knitting!

Episode 8: Snow Dance

Welcome to Episode 8! Kim is back from the "Knit For Fun" retreat filled with excitement and inspiration to knit new things. Both Marcy and Kim have some WIP's to share and are enjoying their knitting. Grab your knitting, fill your thermos with your beverage of choice and settle in for a nice meaty podcast!

Episode 8 Audio

Marcy with her beautiful shawl and
Kim with her howling socks

Whats in our Lesson Plan?

• Show and Tell, including howlers
• Revisiting Got Your Goat LYS
• Field Trip Notes
• What's on our Blackboard?

*** Admin notes: 

• Our podcast is organized around a classroom/school theme: Show and Tell, Field Trip notes, What's on our Blackboard. etc..
• Our original goal was to create a podcast wherein we could share our passion for knitting with each other,  our listeners AND to celebrate Local Yarn Shops (LYSs',) fiber festivals, expos, retreats, knitting groups and anywhere else that knitters gather in the wild.
• We mention "Spinning at the Winery" in Livermore, California at the Retzlaff Winery. 
• Some podcasts that are hosting retreats are: Twinset Designs, Knitting Pipeline, The 2 Knit Lit Chicks and The Yarniacs.

We thanked the 2 Knit Lit Chicks, Tracie and Barb, for the kind words and shoutout on their podcast! Thanks ladies!!! We are thrilled to be fellow Northern Ca podcasters. 

Show and Tell

Kim is continuing to work on her Crazy Zauber Socks knit with Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball in the Cafe Flair color. These are knit 2 at a time on magic loop, top down, with a 2 x 2 rib and a 1 x3 rib down the body of the sock. These socks were Kim's Knitting Howler due to the abundance of black yarn which is SO hard to see! She also cast on some "Frankensocks" and is really enjoying knitting those. Finally, she's been working on her Nesoi Tee by Miriam Felton knit out of Anzula Breeze yarn in the Irene color.

Kim's two bobbins are ready to be plied

Kim has been doing some spinning and is still using up her beautiful fiber that has sadly been separated from its bag a/o band. This time she pulled the braid in half and spun 1/2 with intentional barber poling and the other 1/2 without. Then, she will ply these together and hopefully have a spectacular result! She mentioned the Fat Squirrel video cast with Amy Beth who spun a braid in this way and was Kim's inspiration.

Marcy and Kim with their Nesoi Tees

Marcy is also knitting a Nesoi Tee. She's using the same yarn in the Key Lime color way. We are both knitting size medium, but Marcy is using US 4 needles and Kim is using US 3's based on the results of her gauge swatch, which was also washed and blocked. Marcy is also continuing to work on her beautiful Be My Angel shawl by Martina Behm. She's just about done with that and really enjoying the knit.

Marcy's method of stitch markers
 to keep track of her increases and decreases.

We talk about Marcy using stitch markers to keep track of her increases and decreases. Kim mentions the waste yarn method for keeping track of increases, decreases, counting rows and many other uses. She learned this at the Strungalong Retreat from Stephanie Pearl-McPhee.

We talk about inserting princess seams and lace motifs into a simple tee. We'll keep you posted with our progress on that and post pics, etc... I see a research paper in our future!

Revisit Got Your Goat:

We both felt that we needed to revisit our Got Your Goat yarn shop review that we did in our last episode. We wanted to add more detail to the ratings that we gave and explain more about our spreadsheet and how it can be a useful resource for knitters. You can find that here. We highly recommend that you visit GYG if you are in the area!

Field Trip Notes:

Kim has just returned from Ann Budd's "Knit For Fun" Retreat held in Park City, Utah. It was Ann's first retreat, and she will be hosting two a year: one in April and one in September. These are fun and relaxed events with wonderful instructors and they are all held in beautiful locales.  Ann and Cindy do an excellent job of creating an inviting, friendly and informative event. Kim met and was able to interview Ann last November, you can find that interview here. 

Snow!!! Kim really enjoyed the snow and was hoping for more

At this retreat, the instructors were: Ann Budd, Nancy Bush and Susanna IC. Kim enjoyed all of her classes, met wonderful people and had a fantastic time. We will be revisiting the classes that she took and play an interview with Susanna IC and another with Sandy from Shibui yarns in the upcoming episodes. We want to give them the time that they deserve as we really appreciate them spending time with Kim for an interview.

Some of the amazing women that Kim met at the retreat!

What's on our Black Board?

In our next episode we will revisit the Knit For Fun retreat that Kim attended. She'll talk more about the interesting and informative classes that she took and play an interview with the amazing designer, Susanna IC. 

Thank you joining us today! We hope that you enjoyed the episode and we ask that you  join us on our Ravelry group and subscribe to the podcast. We'll "see" you in a week or so and we wish you happy, well behaved knitting with no howling involved!