Episode 32: Heidi"s Yarn Haven

Welcome to ep. 32 everybody! We have a lot of great content for you; including field trip notes, an interview, a research paper, show and tell and more goals! Grab your knitting, a cool beverage and put your feet up  and relax while you join us for this episode.

Episode 32 Audio

 

Pippa is helping me knit at 5 weeks old!

What's in our Lesson Plan?

1. What's on the PA system?
2. Fieldtrip notes: Heidi's Yarn Haven in Ukiah, CA
3. An interview with Heidi
4. Show & Tell
5. Button band research paper
6. Goals
7. What's on our Black Board?

What's on the P.A. System?

We are joining a group of other podcasters and hosting the "Summer Stripe Along CAL." This is a craft along and there are some amazing prizes you can win! Hop on over to the group page for this CAL and read all about it. Happy striping!

Field trip Notes and an Interview

Kim had a wonderful time visiting the LYS in her hometown of Ukiah, CA last week. Heidi's Yarn Haven is a fantastic shop that has an amazing inventory of beautiful yarns. She mainly stocks wool and wool blends and she also has a great selection of fiber, buttons and lots of needles and notions. If you are in Northern California on your way to Mendocino or visiting the wine country, take  a little extra time and visit Heidi; I'm certain that you'll find lots of treasures (like Kim did!) Check out our LYS evaluation spreadsheet to learn more about the shop.

Some local yarn 

Heidi's Yarn Haven, and there's Heidi!

 

So much pretty yarn!

Show & Tell

Marcy has started a new sweater project for the Summer Stripe Along CAL. She CO the ...a hint of summer by Isabel Kraemer. She is using Claudia Hand Painted yarns, Linen in the Lemon Ice and Caribbean Blue colors. The WIP is beautiful and this will be a beautiful striped sweater that is perfect for our climate. 

Yamma's Dress for Zoe.

Marcy has a 2nd new CO; Yemma's Dress by Devon Clement. This cute little girl's dress has a knitted bodice and a sewn skirt, which makes it a quick make and a darling gift. She is using deep stash that is so deep that the yarn isn't even on Ravelry!

Pippa is one lucky little baby, her talented mom is knitting her the cutest little dress; Marian by Taiga 

Hilliard. She is making the 12 month size and using Hedgehog Fibres Sock in the Fly color way. 

Marcy is continuing to work on her Cullum Tee by Isabel Kraemer using KnitPicks Lindy Chain yarn in the Ivy color way. She has made several cute modifications, including adding a lace motif to the back. 

Kim has finally finished her Twigs and Willows cardigan by Alana Dakos. She is tired of talking about it and is certain that you all are tired of hearing about it! The yardage for Stash Dash is 1,100 meters. 

She also finished her 2nd So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry. She's already worn it and is loving it. This time Kim used Madeline Tosh Dandelion yarn which is a 90/10 wool/linen blend and it was lovely to work with. She used the same modifications as on her 1st sweater and she also played with the stripes a bit more on this one. 

Kim is continuing to work on her St Patty socks and is almost done with these vanilla, 2 at a time on magic loop socks. She also has a new sweater cast on that will be based on the So Faded sweater, but will have many modifications. She is using Cricket yarn for this project. 

Kim and Marcy are doing an informal KAL with the Cullum Tee. Kim got off to a slow start by  not swatching and by casting on with a US4 when she knew that a US3 would be better (it was all knitter laziness!) She ended up having to frog and re knit a portion due to the needle size issue.  Then, she had a huge pile of yarn barf and spent 2.5 hours trying to untangle and finally had to cut the yarn anyway...HOWLER! She is back in the saddle though and is enjoying the knit and looking forward to the FO. 

Kim has finished her sample for her design cowl (no final name or project page for this one, yet,) and is unhappy with the size. She will continue to work on this project and give an update when it's finished. She has also been spending time on other design projects, but can't post anything about them yet. 

Button Band Research Paper

Kim used the "Perfect Buttonholes" tutorial from the book Splendid Apparel by Anna Zilboorg. We will do a book review for this book in a few episodes; its' main premise is embroidering your knits, especially cables and lace. The button band tutorial is very thorough and the finished product is a double layered, beautiful, stable edge that won't flop or pull. I encourage you to check out the book at a library, LYS or other book store. 

A finished, beautiful buttonhole!

Knitting the button band

Kim's finished Twigs and Willows

 

 

Goals

Here's the post mortem for last episodes' goals; Kim wanted to finish:

1. The 2nd So Faded sweater: YES
2. Her Twigs and Willows cardigan: YES
3. Her St. Patty Socks: NO, but almost!
4. The Flutter Sleeve Cardigan: NO, she didn't even touch it : (
5. Knitting the sample for her cowl design: YES

and she wanted to CO or carry on with:

1. The Cullum Tee, to have this cute sweater well on its way: YES
2. Spinning, in order to meet her 10K Stash Dash goal!: YES
3. Weaving (for SD,) either a scarf for her DH Tim or a runner for her dining room table. : NO
4. A new CO using either her hand dyed Soft Linen yarn or her Shibui Linen. Hmmm.....:YES, but the new CO was with Cricket yarn.

Here're Kim's new goals for the next episode:

1. To remember that she has set goals...this helps a person to accomplish them!
2. Weave
3. Finish spinning 2 skeins of yarn
4. Finish her Cullum Tee
5. Finish the St. Patty socks
6. Finish the Flutter Sleeve Cardigan

What's on our Black Board?

In our next episode Kim will share her acquisitions from her LYS visit and Marcy and Kim will review the magazine Making, #3. We will share all of our current WIP's, new cast ons and FO's in addition to any other making that we've been up to.  

We wish you a wonderful 2 weeks with  your knitting and creating and we will see you next time! Thank you for joining us. 

Episode 31:Summer of Stripes CAL

Welcome to episode 31 everybody! Pippa joins us in the classroom today as we discuss all of our FO's (yay!) WIP's and knitting of the future. Grab your beautiful knitting, a soothing beverage, put your feet up and join us!

Episode 31 Audio

Marcy (wearing her Sakasama Jacket,) Pippa and Kim (wearing
her 1st So Faded sweater, having fun after recording.

What's in our Lesson Plan?

• On the PA system
• Show & Tell
• Kim's Goals
• We are Uber Crafty
• What's on our Black Board?

On the PA System

1. The Destined2knit podcast is now officially participating in the "Summer Stripe Along CAL." The other participating podcasts are: AndersMill Knits Podcast, simply stash less podcast, Giddy Knits Podcast, and  Hudson Valley Knits. We have a Ravelry group for the CAL. The idea is to create stripes using knitting, crochet, sewing, spinning or weaving between June 1st-August 31st and there are some awesome prizes! Go ahead and start striping, posting and enjoying your making.
2. Stash Dash 2017. This is a fun summer event that encourages you to knit, crochet, spin, weave, etc... in order to use up your stash. Read all about it here.
3. Kim wants to encourage you to use your magazines. Take 15 minutes and sit down with a few  and reacquaint yourself with the patterns and articles that you already own. For example, Kim found these great items in a few of her Summer magazines: 

• Interweave Knits, Summer 2007: the Oriel Lace Blouse by Shirley Paden; Josephine Top by Deborah Newton (particularly the short rows used to shape the cap sleeve.)
• Interweave Knits, Summer 2010: Marigold Sweater by Amy Polcyn; and the Lace Saddle Tee by Lisa S. rowe.

Show & Tell

Marcy has finished her Sakasama Jacket by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. She used Habu Textiles N-35 Viscose Sizing and she's really happy with the FO! It looks great on her and  she knows that she'll get a ton of wear out of it. 

First direction you can wear this top.

First direction back view.

Second direction you can wear this top.

Second direction back view.

Marcy's Mom helped her to finish the Puff Daddy's Baby by Anna and Heidi Pickles. She used Bernat Collegiate Chunky yarn and a size US 13 needle. The FO is beautiful and she was able to take some amazing pics of Pippa on it!

Pippa showing off the poof.

Kim has decided that she wants to complete the 10K in Stash Dash (that means to knit or otherwise produce or use 10,000 meters of yarn,) and she's charging ahead in order to meet that goal by 8/20/17. She finished her So Faded sweater (731 meters,) by Andrea Mowry using 3 of her own hand dyed skeins. This is a fun, easy and fast knit and she made several mods that she's really happy with. Check out her project page to read all about them.

Kim wearing her finished Veronika sweater.

Kim also finished her Veronika sweater (1,005 meters,) by CocoKnits. She used Shibui Pebble yarn and she's really pleased with the FO.  The only mod that she made was to  change the rate at which she picked up the neckline on this sweater, she picked up fewer stitches because she wanted a tighter neckline.

Pippa's dress.

Marcy has two new CO's: 1) Her Cullum Tee by Isabel Kraemer and she is using Lindy Chain yarn from KnitPicks. Kim and Marcy are doing an informal KAL with this sweater, join us if you'd like! 

Marcy has also cast on the MOST adorable little dress by Taiga Hilliard for Pippa. It's the Marian Dress and she is using Hedgehog Fibres in the Fly color and it is beautiful!

Marcy is contemplating 2 new cast ons: 1) A Hint of Summer by Isabel Kraemer using some deep stash  (Claudia Hand Painted yarn) or, 2) Boxy by Joji Locatelli mixed with the Cancun Boxy Lace Top by  erin kate archer. The Raveler, pooki, has mixed the 2 patterns together for an amazing result! Knitters are so creative!

Kim has several WIP's: 1) Her 2nd So Faded sweater by Andrea Mowry (again!!! because she just couldn't resist another CO of this fast and cute pullover.) This time she is using 3 skeins of Mad Tosh Dandelion yarn, and 2) The Cullum Tee by Isabel Kraemer...although she did have a HOWLER due to laziness with this tee. Kim knew that she should use US3 needles, but was too lazy to go get them and she CO with a US 4 instead. Now, 2  hours into the project she has finally admitted that she needs to Riiiip it out and CO again with size 3's. Sigh. 3) Her cowl design project. 

Kim's Goals

Yes, the crazy goals are baaack! Kim enjoys making goals and finds that they help to motivate her. By the time they record next she wants to finish:

1. The 2nd So Faded sweater
2. Her Twigs and Willows cardigan
3. Her St. Patty Socks
4. The Flutter Sleeve Cardigan
5. Knitting the sample for her cowl design

Her WIP goals are:

1. The Cullum Tee, to have this cute sweater well on its way
2. Spinning, in order to meet her 10K Stash Dash goal!
3. Weaving (for SD,) either a scarf for her DH Tim or a runner for her dining room table. 
4. A new CO using either her hand dyed Soft Linen yarn or her Shibui Linen. Hmmm.....

Review

We thought it would be informative to do a review of the Polygon Blanket by Tincanknit using Cascade yarn Cherub Aran yarn that Kim and her knitting group knit for Marcy and Pippa. Here are the pros and cons that we spoke about:

1. Both Kim and Marcy are happy with the cute pattern. The downside could be that it's knit in pieces and needs to be sewn together, (which ironically, is an upside because you're able to knit it on the go,) and there will be LOTS of ends to weave in. Also, a border needs to be knit or crocheted around the finished blanket. Being knit in pieces though, it does work well for a group project. 
2. The yarn got both thumbs up and thumbs down ratings. It is a nice weight and very easy to care for  and Marcy is using it a lot with Pippa; however, the ends come out even after being woven in for many inches.  Several of the polygons have begun to unravel after laundering as well.  After finishing the blanket, Kim was very unsure about the size/shape as it was a long rectangle; however, Marcy says that she really likes that shape and is able to use it in many situations and she's very happy with it. 

For more information about this project, check out Kim's project page here. We hope that this helps you if you're thinking about knitting a blanket for a baby in your life.

Pippa enjoying her blanket.

Octagon blanket size 30"Wx60"L

Marcy has continued to make cute decor items for Pippa's nursery. Her husband cut the wood and she painted it to make an adorable  set of wooden arrow. She found the tutorial on the site  cherishedbliss.com.

Wood arrows Marcy created with the help of her husband.

What's on our Black Board?

Kim has re-scheduled her trip to her hometown and will be visiting an LYS there. Marcy also has a trip planned for the end of the month and will be visiting her hometown in Washington. 

Thank you for joining us! We hope that your knitting is going well and that you're enjoying your summer and having a fantastic creating and making.

Episode 30: Welcome Pippa!

Welcome to #30 everybody! In this "in the classroom," episode Marcy and Kim share their WIP's, uber  Craftiness and most importantly, Marcy's new baby girl Philippa LaVerne! Grab your knitting, a cool beverage, put your feet up and join us!

Episode 30 Audio

Introducing Miss Pippa! Isn't she adorable and perfect?
Marcy, this is your best  FO of 2017! 

What's in our Lesson Plan?

Marcy at 39 Weeks!

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

On the PA System

• Stash Dash 2017 begins on Friday, May 26th. This event, which is hosted by the KnitGirllls video podcast is a fun way to finish up some WIP's and use up stash. You can read about all of the details in the Knitgirll's Ravelry group. 
• We are going to co-host a Summer of Stripes CAL (craft along,) with a group of other video and audio podcasts. 

Show and Tell

1st and foremost, Marcy got to "Show and Tell"  beautiful little Pippa! This little bundle of preciousness was born 1 week early and her Mama was ready. They are both doing really well and Pippa is sleeping like a pro (not like a baby!)

Pippa sporting her cute Big Bow hat that I made her.

Pippa & Wilson, he love's his little sister.

Pippa at 3 Weeks old!

Next, Marcy shared her almost finished Sakasama Jacket by Olga Buraya-Kefelian.  She is using Habu Textiles N-35 viscose sizing and it's looking great. Last month Marcy finished her Sandshore sweater by Alicia Plummer and she very kindly gifted it to her Mom for Mother's Day. It looks fantastic on her Mom and I'm sure she'll wear it all the time.

Kim is playing to win Stash Dash this year! By win, she means finish...because she's never finished it before. She has 3 sweaters on deck with a little bit of knitting left until they are finished and then they will all count towards SD '17.

From left to right: Twigs and Willows, So Faded and Veronika

1. The Twigs and Willows cardigan by Alana Dakos. This cute cardi only needs to have the button bands knit and buttons sewn on and it'll be all ready for Fall.
2. Veronika by CocoKnits. This poncho-esque sweater needs a neck band, the ends woven in and a bath and then the meterage will count for SD.
3. A new CO that flew off the needles, So Faded by Andrea Mowry. Kim used 3 skeins of her hand dyed yarn and knit the cropped short sleeved version. She made several mods and they're all listed on her project page. This is such a fun, quick and easy knit that she wants to make another and she encourages you to knit one too! Partial skeins work beautifully and you can really play with color and striping.

Kim and Marcy are going to do an informal  KAL with Cullum which is a cute little summer tee by Isabel Kraemer. They plan on casting on sometime this week and will tell you all about it in episode 31.

We are Uber Crafty

Marcy and her Mom spent several weeks before Pippa was born prepping the kid's rooms. Wilson is moving into his big boy room and Pippa is moving into the nursery. Marcy found lots of cute fabric on Spoonflower and also great ideas from Pinterest. They painted furniture, covered bulletin boards, and made many adorable decor items for both rooms. 

Foot paintings on the wall and the valance.

Painted dressers, push pin board, and valance.

Pippa at 1.5 weeks old.

Bed spread Marcy & her mom made.

What's on our Black Board? 

Well, we really don't know! Kim's trip that she talked about in the last episode was canceled due to her Aunt Dorene's illness and death. She was such a lovely woman and will be missed. We hosted a Celebration of Life. In ep. 31 we may have a field trip...or we might be in the classroom. We can promise you that there will be knitting and cute babies!

Have a wonderful couple of weeks, thanks for joining us and Happy Knitting!

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!

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.

Episode 27: SKP'17 and lots of Plum!

Welcome to episode 27! In this out of the classroom episode Kim shares all of her experiences at SKP'17 (Spring Knitalong Portland 2017,) we share all of FO's and a WIP or two. Grab a beverage, your knitting, get comfy and join us!

Episode 27 Audio

Kim and Marcy after Recording Episode 27!

Marcy 34 weeks pregnant,
6 more to go!

What's in our Lesson Plan?

• Administrati
• Show and Tell
• Fieldtrip Notes
• What's on our Black Board

Administrati

Both Kim and Marcy are participating in a free 10  day "Initiate Knit  Design Challenge" with Aroha Knits. This begins on April 3rd.

Show and Tell

Kim has had major sweater knitting mojo ever since finishing her #legacysweaterspin sweater. She pulled out her Breathing Space pullover, designed by Veera Valimaki, in order to finish it by the retreat. She used Mad Tosh Merino light for this beautiful, asymmetrical pullover and was able to finish it and get a picture taken with Veera at SKP.  When Kim pulled out this UFO she was so thrilled to see her Sirka counter in the project bag. It told her everything she needed to know to pick up this sweater and continue knitting.

Here's the Sirka counter

Veera was so sweet to don her Breathing Space pullover
to take a picture with Kim in her "just barely finished" sweater!

Kim then decided to pull out of ALL of her sweater UFO's and she ended up frogging her Yin Yang Bolero by Helene Rush. She does want to cast on this cute,  cotton, summer top again but she'd like to use circular needles, not straights! She also uncovered her 1/2 finished Flutter Sleeve Cardigan by Pam Allen. This short sleeved summer top is definitely in the immediate queue. The Classic Elite Classic Silk yarn is yummy and will be wonderful to wear.

Kim met a listener while at the retreat. Shaybear is an amazing
knitter! She is wearing the Radiate pullover by Joji.

In addition, Kim found her languishing Twigs and Willows cardigan by Alana Dakos. This was CO in 2014 and it's a lovely sweater that she really wants to finish and wear. The yarn is Shepherd's Wool worsted in the Roasted Pumpkin color and it's fantastic to knit with. This is an active WIP right now and there have been several HOWLERS...you can read all about them over on her project page. The goal is to have this finished by ep 28.

Marcy has finished her beautiful Light Gale by Alicia Plummer. She used the Sublime yarns Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK in the plum pie color. This is listed as a sweater but she really feels that it's much more of a poncho. She made a few mods and you can read all about them on her project page. She really enjoyed using both the tubular cast on and tubular bind off.

Tubular bind off that I did on my Light Gale.

Marcy also finished an adorable baby hat for her little girl who is expected to arrive in about 6 weeks. The Big Bow Hat by Casey Braden is a free pattern on Ravelry. She used stash yarn and had to tweak a few things because she was using a lighter weight yarn than the pattern called for. It all worked out beautifully and the hat is super cute.

The Big Bow Hat, I can just see my little girl in it now!

Marcy is currently working on her ZickZack scarf by Christy Kamm. This is another free pattern on Ravelry and she is using Meadowcroft Dyeworks Cross Creek Sock yarn in the Corsage and Penny Candy colors. This is a chevron scarf that she is certain will take many months to finish but it'll be super colorful and beautiful when it's done.

I love how these colors are looking together, they make me happy!

Field Trip Notes

Kim felt very lucky to be chosen by a lottery draw for SKP '17. This is a retreat put on by Laura and Leslie from the KnitGirllls video cast. The incredible teachers were Joji Locatelli and Veera Valimaki. This is the Knitgirlll's 1st West Coast retreat and it was held at the beautiful Kennedy School in Portland.

Laura and Leslie from The KnitGirllls Podcast 

on the opening night of the SKP'17  retreat

There are many amazing yarn shops in Portland. Kim visited Knit Purl, Dublin Bay, Twisted and Pearl Fiber Arts. Check them out if you're in the area. She did come back with some stash enhancements and will talk about them as she knits and spins with them. She was very excited to run into the Knotty Knit Wits (Michelle and Leslie,) while at Twisted for a Meet Up with the KnitGirllls. If you haven't watched their fun video cast on You Tube, go take a look, they're a hoot!

Here are our amazing teachers, Joji and Veera, shopping at
Twisted. (They are looking at all of the beautiful Quince
& Co yarn!)

Kim took 3 amazing classes and a lecture from Joji and Veera: Knitting Sweaters that Fit, Style for you, Knitting stripes and Multi colored Projects: How to use your Stash. She learned a ton and left feeling very inspired. Both Joji and Veera were very generous, knowledgable and lovely. 

What's on our Black Board?

In ep 28 Kim and Marcy will have an "in the classroom" episode. They will share all of their knitting, spinning and uber craftiness that they have been up to. 

We hope that you have 2 wonderful and howler free weeks until we see you again. Happy knitting!