Episodes
Wednesday Oct 02, 2019
65-Summer Is Over/Into The Wool
Wednesday Oct 02, 2019
Wednesday Oct 02, 2019
Episode 65: Summer is Over
Segments include: FOs, Wips, Out and About:Into The Wool edition; On The Run
FOs
3 shawls! I finished 3 shawl samples since I last recorded, one of which will be launching next week keep an eye on social media for details on the Pont du Marais shawl, inspired by the fog in my grandmother’s village.
WIPs
Aggregate Shawl – my first piece for the BIPOCMAL2019, this pattern is designed by JimiKnits and I’m knitting it in two colors of handspun. I am nearly done, hoping to finish today.
Hitchhiker – my 10th (I think?) hitchhiker, in Serenity Garden Sport yarn, some very old stash. I just started the 3rd skein – debating whether it will be 3 or 4 skeins.
Another shawl sample for an upcoming pattern; my 3rd Rent inspired pattern _Into the Wool folks – this is the one with the pink and gray braid you were commenting on. I promised to keep them posted on this pattern.
Triyang – by Lee Meredith - still chugging away. Laceweight on size 0 needles this is going to take forever and I am ok with that, it will be gorgeous when complete
Go With The Flo – Over halfway done. May tweak this pattern. Don’t have enough yarn to make the whole thing one color. Debating making the central lace panel a different color or skipping it altogether.
Spinning
Continuing my first sweater spin. About 4.25 oz left. I realized I had 5 oz left and I’m trying to squeeze it onto 3 bobbins by overstuffing them.
Out and About:
Upcoming:
Rhinebeck! Oct 19th and 20th; I’ll be there both Saturday and Sunday this year.
I can’t make these, but maybe some of you can:
VT Sheep and Wool – Oct 5&6
Fiber Festival of New England – Nov 2-3
Into The Wool
I’ll spare you a complete blow-by-blow of the whole weekend but I highly recommend Into The Wool. If you’ve been on the fence, or were worried about going alone to a retreat I say, go for it! These women are amazing and super welcoming. I definitely want to go back. I can’t go next year, as it starts on my 15th wedding anniversary, but in the future I will go again.
On The Run
We’ll save the whole fitness segment for next week, but I have been doing very well at making fitness a habit again.
Monday Mar 18, 2019
60 - On The Mend (fixed)
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Monday Mar 18, 2019
Episode 60 – Thank yous, FO, Wips, Wearables, Out and About, On the Run, Fitness Talk, Knitting Talk
Apologies for sound – laptop died. Recording this on travel mic in my car. Need to get an amp to get my mic to work with old laptop. Hopefully I’ll have it all sorted before next recording.
Thank yous
Thanks for bearing with me during this last delay. Turns out the antibiotics did not get rid of strep throat, I was sick again a week after they ended and back at the doctor to get something stronger. Feeling better now!
Big thank you to my test knitters! I have one test knit winding up in the next few weeks, with pattern ready to release in early April and I’ve lucked into some amazing test knitters this time. You ladies are wonderful! Also, if you have any interest in summer knit tops, I have 2 coming out in the next 2 months, so be sure to visit WindsweptKnits.com and join my email list for access to the best discount codes. I promise to only email once or twice a month at most and to never, ever share your data with a 3rd party. No spam, no selling your data, I promise. That’s a personal pet peeve of mine.
FO
Rhinebeck Shawl – Changing Staircases pattern by Dragon Hoard Yarns knit up in bamboo/cotton fingering yarn from Great Adirondach Yarn Co
Wips
2 preemie hats, 1 held single, 1 held double
2 new patterns, a shawl and a cowl
Wearables
All the shawls – Rhinebeck, murder mystery knit along, tan house brook, changing staircases,
Sweaters - Frosted, Second Grace
Boys wearing star wars adaptation of Nordic Yoke pullover from Patons, Thing 2 grew into Thing 1’s Monomoy Sweater, still fits in an ancient sweater I knit for Thing 1, pattern no longer exists, I forget the name.
Pattern Stalking
Ice Time Hat and Cowl set from Jennifer Lassonde of Down Cellar Studio. Full disclosure – Jen gifted them to me for free, but I’d seen her photos and loved this hat even before she sent it to me.
Knitting Talk
Fiber allergies.
Out and About
- Wayland Farm and Fiber, met Boston Jen again. Wearing her Tan House Brooke shawl!
- CT sheep and wool April 27 Vernon, CT – not sure if I can make it
- Sheepshearing festival, Gore Place, April 27th, Waltham, MA
- NH SHeel & Wool May 11-12
- Wool Days, Old Sturbridge Village, May 25-27
- MA sheep and woolcraft fair, May 25 Cummington, MA
On the Run
Actually ran! Well, run-walk-run 1 mile Jeff Galloway-style, when the pool closed suddenly on Monday. Swam 20 laps Wednesday, a new record for me .55 miles (.88km)
Fitness Talk
Tennis ball used like a foam roller on deep/fleshy muscles
Thursday Nov 29, 2018
53-Indie GAL 2018
Thursday Nov 29, 2018
Thursday Nov 29, 2018
Episode 53 – 11/29/18 – Indie Gift-a-long Wips
FOs, Wips – lots, Knitting Fail, Spinning, Knitting Talk, Wearables, On the Run, Out and About
FOs
Mom’s Christmas socks – both are done; Plymouth Yarn Diversity in Deep Sea
Thing 2’s Christmas socks – both are done; Plymouth Yarn Diversity in Pizazz
Wips
Icon Dress by Kari-Helene Rane in some very old stash that I want to get rid of.
New hat for Thing 2 (not xmas gift) – in Valley Yarn’s Southwick that he chose while we were on holiday in Bermuda.
Find Your Fade shawl. I’m on section 3, the 2nd garter section and still in color #1, the raspberry-dyed handspun cotton that I’ve mentioned in past episodes
Changing Staircases shawl in 50/50 cotton/bamboo blend from Great Adirondack Yarn in the Hydrangea colorway blue, turquoise and purple
1 handspun kippah, yarn from Hipstrings Cotton Club in some beautiful handspun yarn made with fiber dyed in Pittsburgh. Pattern is To Life by Sarah Jordan (all proceeds to Tree of Life Synagogue).
Spinning
I finished spinning the Midseason Replacement and Recurrent Theme, both 2oz cotton sliver from Hipstrings. Roughly 400 yards total together and they’ll be paired beautifully in a shawl, I expect.
Started spinning new fiber
Knitting Talk
I was able to take some time to get back into design work this week and it felt sooooo good. Garment design is my favorite, and I am working on 2 new patterns. But I’m also trying to branch out and design some accessories that I want to wear. This is all long term, likely coming in 2019 or beyond, but I am really excited by the what’s coming on the horizon!
Down Cellar Studio Pigskin Party
Knitmore’s Grinchalong
Indie Designer Gift-a-long sale ends Nov 29 at 11:59opm Eastern
Be A Helper 3 will run from December 3 to February 15th
Wearables
Oh so many!
Pattern Stalking
Harry Potter and the Strange Persistent Font by Mary Annarella
Don’t Panic by Nim Teasdale (nimble knits)
Willowbrook Shawl by Brenda Castiel – use my handspun
Heroes of Yarnia RPG scarf with draogns and castles that my son would adore, could be done in double knitting or stranded colorwork
On the Run
Until yesterday I hadn’t done a blasted thing since I last recorded. I lost my fitbit about a month ago and I’ve been a lazy bum ever since.
Out and About
December 1st - Norwood Adult Day Health Center, a community VNA
December 8th, 31st Framingham Auxilliary Police Fair, my 4th or 5th time there
Thursday Aug 02, 2018
43- No Knitting Police
Thursday Aug 02, 2018
Thursday Aug 02, 2018
Episode 43: 7/31/18 – Knitting and Running in 30 min or less
WIPS
Dahlia - pattern by Brenda York for Berroco Yarns. Finished garter stitch and am about 1/3 way through the stockinette colorwork section. Blue body is Juniper Moon Farms Neve in Lagoon colorway from my LYS that closed. Red is Cascade Ultra Pima Fine in the Cranberry colorway held double, yellow is Berroco Modern Cotton in the Del colorway. Green is also Modern Cotton in the Breakers colorway.
50-st sock in Plymouth yarns Diversity in the Fruity colorway, which is white with stripes of green, yellow, orange, pink and purple.
Spinning
Finished my Tour de Fleece spin! 1lb of cotton became roughly 950 yards of 3-ply sport weight yarn. I am soooooo glad I participated in TdF for the first time. Spinning that much over about 3 weeks really helped me become more consistent in my spinning and by the end I was generating some good yarn!
Out And About
Was out in western MA last weekend for a friend’s wedding and was lucky enough to meet up with Shelley, aka Knitting Travels (hello Shelley! It was lovely to meet you!
Northampton Wools - Great shop; Good selection of wool-less yarns! Old favorites like Penzance, Diversity Sock. New to me yarns too! Came home with 2 skeins of 365 Yak from Lana Grossa
Upcoming:
Aug 11th – Fiber Revival at the Spencer Little Farm in Newbury, MA, coast north of Boston
Oct 20th – Rhinebeck. Current plan is to take the Webs bus on Saturday
Nov 3rd & 4th – Fiber Festival of New England at the Big E – not 100% sure I’m going, but thinking about it.
Knitting Talk
Bringing this older segment back. “cheating” at knitting – I’ve heard a couple people recently talk about how they feel using stitch markers for repeats or using a lifeline is cheating and that’s something I wanted to address here. There are NO knitting police.
On the Run
Actually went for a run today!
Running Talk
This is a re-visit of a topic we discussed a year ago or so and that is shoes. Short version: get a gait analysis from a professional.
Friday May 25, 2018
39 - Be A Helper & Knitting Charity Ideas
Friday May 25, 2018
Friday May 25, 2018
Episode39 – 5/25/18 – Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less
Today’s segments include Be A Helper Craft-a-long, including Prizes and some Charity Ideas, Wips, Spinning, Running and today’s Knitting Talk will answer the question – “Why did you start a podcast?”
Be A Helper Summer 2018
As I mentioned last week, the Be A Helper KAL is back for the summer. We went over most of the details but I’ll go over a few updates quickly today and a few addendums (thanks to those who reached out with some questions!)
- Last episode I said that this was a KAL for anything you knit, crochet, weave or spin but someone pointed out that during the last KAL I said any craft. I’m going to go with what we used previously – ANY thing you make for ANY charity will count. I’m still running the craft-a-long on Ravelry, but you do not need to link to a project page. Just post a photo of your finished item in the thread on Ravelry and tell us who you are donating it to! Donating blood still counts, too.
- Another listener point out that it’s a pain trying to get all the photos up in time for Stash Dash and ending things the same night could be an issue for some, and I whole heartedly agree. So I’m giving you an extra week. We start on May 25th and will end August 31st. You have all summer to finish your charity work. Please post 1 picture per finished object in the thread.
- Wips are allowed! Double or triple dip in any KAL you want, I totally encourage this!
Prizes –
So far we have three prizes , one skein of FishKnits Yarn in the At Sixes and Sevens colorway, a self-striping Merino-nylon sock yarn, one skein on non-wool yarn of my choosing though I’d love to hear any input for you folks – anything you’ve been tempted to knit with? And lastly a huge thanks to Tiffany from The Project Bag who is offering a free project bag and matching notions pouch and she will ship it anywhere in the world! Tiffany sent over an example photo and I’m posting it in the Ravelry group. The prize won’t be the exact fabric pattern shown, but the bags will coordinate and her photo will give you an idea of her gorgeous handiwork.
Charity Ideas
If you don’t have a charity you currently craft for, I’m going to talk about a few here that may be of interest to you:
- Preemie Hats – check with your local hospital for yarn requirements. These need to be washed in an industrial strength washing machine so there may be limits. If your local hospital isn’t accepting hats, Dana from the Unwind Yarn Company is collecting them from her retreat attendees this fall and may be willing to accept a few more via mail if you contact her. Greg, aka Knitting Daddy of the Unraveling podcast also has accepted mailed hats in the past for his local hospital.
- Knitted Knockers – these are prostheses for breast cancer survivors who have not or cannot have reconstructive surgery. Knockers must be made with plant based yarn – wool is too scratchy on scar tissue – and a list of acceptable yarns is linked in the who notes along with the free patterns.
- Mother Bears – I learned of this charity from the 2 Knit Lit Chicks and they are currently running their Mother Bear KAL. These bears provide comfort to children who are victim of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Afrca. Mother Bear will snail mail you the knitting or crochet pattern for a small fee. All they ask is that you return the finished bear with $3 to cover the shipping to Africa.
- KnitAid – has USA and UK Neither is currently collecting, but you could knit scarves or hats or baby clothes for next winter. All items must be knit in dark-colored yarn because the recipients will not be able to wash them easily.
Do you have a charity craft idea that you think others would like to hear about? Let me know and I’ll talk about it on a future episode. Send me a PM on Ravelry, I’m WindsweptMonique, or email me at windsweptMonique@gmail.com
WIPS
I’ve put a couple of rows onto my Changing Staircases shawl by Jenga Knits. This is a shawl inspired by the Harry Potter books, the way the staircases are constantly changing and I’m working on it in Mousou a 100% bamboo yarn from The FiberLady.
I turned the heel on my 52-stitch sock, which is using the Fish Lips Kiss heel and Cobasi by Hikoo, which is a bamboo, cotton, silk and nylon blend. Those of you who’ve used that pattern will understand why I can be so precise about the 1/3!
The Addition By Subtraction Mystery Knit A Long, I am 1/3 of the way through Clue #2. I am working on this in 4 colors of 3 different yarns. For the light color I’m using Ito Yarn’s Washi in the Crocus colorway, a pale purple. This is a Japanese style paper yarn, laceweight, and I‘m holding it double. The dark is Ito Yarn’s Kinu, a laceweight silk in the Grey colorway and I’m holding it double. The zany is Your Crazy is Showing from Birdie’s Knits and it is a crazy combination of every color you can imagine but it looks beautiful. Lastly I’m using another Kinu, the Plum colorway which is actually a dark pastel pink, not purple as the name might imply. There is a slipped stitch section which caused me a little bit of a headache given that silk and paper yarns have absolutely no stretch to them, but I’ve learned how to knit that section more loosely than normal and it’s actually working out nicely.
Spinning
Still practicing on my wheel. Don’t quite have the hang of it yet. Tried spinning the bamboo sample I got from The Fiber Lady at stitches United and boy was that easier! I now understand why long staple fibers are much preferred! But I am going to keep trying. My problem seems to be getting that first bit twisted and onto the bobbin. Once I have it I can sustain it for a little while, but getting started is not my forte!
Knitting Talk
I was recently asked, why did I start a podcast? As I’ve now passed my 1st podaversary, I decided to tackle that question here.
First off, I LOVE podcasts. I started listening back in 2005 and currently on my phone I am subscribed to 109 podcasts, 12 of which are for my kids. Some are weekly, some put out 15-20 a year and some are like Serial and every now and then you get 10 in a row. So it’s not quite as insane as it sounds. No, I do not keep up do date with all of them – I am still far behind after going to FL for 10 days in February but I’m slowly catching up while driving, cooking, cleaning, etc. I also listen at 1.5x which makes a 60 minute podcast take only about 40 minutes so that helps.
Back to this particular podcast – I had been considering starting a podcast for about 2-3 years and kept putting it off because of family, kids, lack of time, etc. I was super stressed and a bit down in the dumps and I finally decided to take on a project just for me. I’d just gotten in to SSK a few weeks before and then listening to the Just One More Row podcast, Dana was talking about exactly that, getting lost in motherhood and the doldrums of thousands of thankless tasks and how taking time for herself and doing projects just for herself was really helping. That was the lightbulb moment I needed and I decided to just go out and do it. I bought a microphone, downloaded Audacity and released the first episode on March 14th, 2017. The sound quality was horrible, and I was so incredibly nervous, but I did it. And I’m so glad I did! Now more than a year on, I have met so many wonderful people because of this podcast. It’s been a joy.
Running
How long should your shoes last? “Experts” say 300-500 miles, depending on how much wear and tear they get. But if you see any damage, change shoes right away! Also, if you see uneven wear on the bottom of your shoe, (e.g., more wear on the inside edge than the outside edge, or vice versa) then be SURE to go to a running store (and bring your current shoes!). They can help you find the right type of shoe to stop that and help prevent injuries down the road.
Friday Dec 22, 2017
Episode 28- Wool Allergies
Friday Dec 22, 2017
Friday Dec 22, 2017
Episode 28
FO, Wip, Stash, Wearables, Knitting Plans, Knitting Talk – wool allergies, On the Run, Out and About
FO
Purple shawl in some deep stash, Queensland Sugar Rush, for myself! Also, it’s the last sample made of a new pattern that I will be releasing over the holiday weekend – keep an eye on Instagram/Facebook/Ravelry group because it will be free for the first few days as a thank you to the knitting community. This year has been amazing and a lot of it is thanks to the amazing women and men in the fiber world. I started this podcast, went to Stitches United and SSK for the first time, went back to Rhinbeck and have interacted with so many of you and this is my small way of saying thanks.
Wip
Only other wip I worked on was my Mahalo sock by Dana Gervais. Full disclosure, she’s my tech editor, but she’s also an amazing sock designer and I am loving this pattern. I have scrawny ankles so I tweaked the narrowest size to be a little narrower and it was easy to adjust – you could also easily adjust it bigger, and the lace pattern is memorizable after a few times through so I’ve really enjoyed working on it. Knitting it in CoBaSi by Hikoo, a cotton, bamboo, silk and nylon blended sock yarn.
Stash
Coming Next Week
Wearables
It’s been cold the last 6 weeks and I didn’t have time to put this segment in the last episode, so I’ll quikly summarize – I’ve been wearing Poema by Vera Sanon a lot. Also, I’ve been wearing my (until now) only two shawls a lot, Maris Stella by Anna Victoria and May Flowers, an old pattern of mine, over store bought sweaters to stay warm. Also I’ve been going back and forth between wearing my Hamilknit Hat by Emily Straw from Knitting Butterflies podcast and the Twist and Shout hat by Michele DuNaier which is a simple cabled hat.
Knitting Plans
I want to lengthen the sleeves of my Empire Tunic by Lily Go, knit in Frog Tree’s Picobo, a cotton/bamboo blend. I love this top but since I’m always cold I’ll get more wear out of this if it has long sleeves and not ¾ sleeves.
Also, I want to pull out my English Garden Wedding Kimono that I knit years and years ago and finally do the embroidery. This is from the Unofficial Downton Abbey Knits from Interweave and I picked this pattern because the embroidery makes this sweater just amazing. The Firefly I got at my LYS the last few weeks are destined for that.
Knitting Talk
I’ve had a couple of people ask about my wool allergy recently so I thought we’d devote this section to fiber and animal allergies. I am not a medical professional, so please take what I am saying with that in mind, but I will share what I know with you. First off, yes, wool allergies are real – you can be allergic to sheep just like you can be allergic to cats and dogs. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to all 3 to varying degrees, and also to horses and goats. I just happen to get the worst physical reaction to sheep whereas I have 2 cats and all I get is a stuffy nose sometimes when they shed.
You can also have a reaction to the lanolin in the wool – if that’s the case then you might be able to work with a superwash wool where all the lanolin is stripped out so they can smooth down the scales in the wool fibers. Well meaning knitters often try to tell me I’m just sensitive to lanolin. I usually just nod and smile.
Lastly, your skin could just be sensitive, in which you get itchy with certain wools. This isn’t an actual allergy but a form of contact dermatitis, which is just a fancy way of saying that your skin is sensitive and something is irritating your skin. Wearing a t-shirt underneath usually solves the problem.
So, how do I know I’m allergic to sheep? I found out when I was 4. My great-grandmother bought me a lovely little coat and hat set. Mom bundled me up and sent me off to pre-school and I came home covered in hives. Poor Gram felt awful, but she had no way of knowing, I just happen to have very severe allergies. A skin-prick allergy test the next year confirmed I am allergic to every animal they tested for, to varying degrees.
Last time I had a major reaction was 2002 in London, England. My now-husband and I had just gotten to Europe for a 45-day backpacking trip around the continent. We went to bed very jet-lagged and I never even thought to check the content of the blanket because in the US budget hotels do not have nice blankets. It was hot and we didn’t pull it up over us. Sometime in the night I must have tucked my feet under the blanket because when I woke up in the morning my ankles had literally doubled in size. I could get 2 pairs of socks to fit, but none of the 3 pairs of shoes I brought. I finally had to un-lace my sneakers and jam my feet into them so I could leave the hotel room. It took about a week for them to shrink back to normal size – if I hadn’t been power-walking around European capitals it probably would have gotten better a bit faster but I was NOT about to miss anything, swollen ankles be damned.
Out and About
January – Vogue Knitting Live in NYC, if you’re coming too let me know!
March – Stitches United in Hartford, CT. A quick note for any of you debating coming, Stitches United 2018 is in CT but in 2019 it will be in Georgia. Knitting Universe has announced that Stitches United will be alternating between the Northeast and the Southeast. So, if you were planning on going to CT in 2019, go this year instead.
On the Run
Keep on walking and strength training
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Episode 25 - Stress Knitting
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Monday Oct 16, 2017
Segments include: Be Helper craft-a-long, FOs, Wips, Wearables, Knitting Fail and Knitting Talk
Y’all knit when you’re stressed, too, right? I don’t want to get into the details but it has been a very stressful week at our house, luckily with mostly good outcomes. Let’s just say that the the least crappy thing was being a cloth diaper family and having our washing machine break. Pun intended. Because I had diapers that needed washing.
The result being, I did LOTS of knitting the last 2 weeks.
Also, I am getting a cold as you probably hear in my voice. I don’t want to push this recording any later since I skipped last week due to sick kids and I have a feeling this cold will be worse tomorrow…
Be A Helper Craft-a-long
In case you missed it, I’m hosting a charity craft a long. You can get entries by 1) donating blood or 2) making ANYthing for ANY charity. No FOs in the thread so far! I know lots of you craft for charity regularly so go ahead and enter – you do NOT need to be a member of my Ravelry group to win. I honestly don’t care if you join or not, my only goal with the KAL is to encourage others to stop feeling frozen with all the crazy, hard stuff going on in the world and give you an impetus to go out and help others.
FOs
Knitted knocker in Cascade Ultra Pima in ivory. I made size C using top-down magic loop pattern. Visit KnittedKnockers.org to learn more about the great work they do and see a list of approved yarns.
3 preemie hats using Java Purl Design’s Top-Down Preemie Hat pattern – free on Ravelry – in Caron Simply Soft Paints
1 preemie hat also using Java Purl’s pattern using Loops & Threads
Another Itty Bitty Kitty preemie hat, the same test knit pattern in the Maldives colorway of Berroco comfort sock
Wips
Emerald Deep by Romi Hill – finished charts B, C & D. Halfway through E. Finished that Irish-style lace section I mentioned. It was lots of fun but you have to place close attention because it’s knit lace on both sides – no rest rows. Gift for my cousin’s wife for Christmas in Prism Delicato Layers in Kale colorway. Only 30 rows left!
Lillesand cowl by Monika Eckhert, working on this in some deep stash, Cascade Yarn’s Sateen in a burgundy-red color and Rozetti Yarns Soft Payette in white with a few sequins for sparkle here and there – got a few more rows done on this cowl for my aunt for Christmas
Toe-up Vanilla Socks with an afterthought heel for Thing 2 – first sock done, about to reach the heel on sock 2; looking to make 4 for him for Christmas in Plymouth Yarns Diversity
Wearables
Heat wave here in New England most of October!
Marshes Cabled Sleeveless Shell – one of my first patterns released. Need to go grade it for larger sizes and get it re-tech edited. Will let y’all know when that happens
Mommy’s Tunic – Juniper Moon Farm’s Neve in Blue
Knitting Fail
That sweater got shrunk in the dryer! We went a little crazy washing stuff after we got the new washing machine and my husband tossed the cotton tunic in the dryer and it shrunk. So I gave it to my LYS to model the yarn since I bought it there.
Knitting Talk
To design or just knit a shawl for AGC Scholarships? AGC is run by a woman I went to high school with who chnoicled her battle with infertility on her blog, later published as the book Infertility Inferschmility which you should definitely check out if infertility is something you or a loved one has been dealing with. Also - what color? Black to go with Everything? Or use their turquoise logo color? Or perhaps a gradient kit - they look so impressive to non-knitters :)
Tuesday Sep 26, 2017
Episode 23 - Wips, Ease and Increasing Mileage
Tuesday Sep 26, 2017
Tuesday Sep 26, 2017
Episode 23 – 9/25/17 Knitting and running in 30 minutes or less
Topics this week include FO, Wips, Out and About, On the Run
FO
Itty Bitty Kitty Preemie Hat test knit from Sarah Jordan, aka Knit Wit. To fit 2-3lb baby hat worked in Berroco Comfort Sock
Wips
Emerald Deep by Romi Hill – finished charts B & C, started chart D. Finished that Irish-style lace section I mentioned. It was lots of fun but you have to place close attention because it’s knit lace on both sides – no rest rows. Gift for my cousin’s wife for Christmas in Prism Delicato Layers in Kale colorway
Another Itty Bitty Kitty preemie hat, the same test knit pattern in the Maldvies colorway of Berroco comfort sock
Lillesand cowl by Monika Eckhert, working on this in some deep stash, Cascade Yarn’s Sateen in a burgundy-red color and Rozetti Yarns Soft Payette in white with a few sequins for sparkle here and there – got a few more rows done on this cowl for my aunt for Christmas
Hitchiker by Martina Behm in Ito Yarn’s Kinu, 100% silk – still plugging away at this a few rows a week. It’s my purse knitting
Knitted Knocker in Cascade Ultra Pima – literally just cast this on waiting for my toddler to fall asleep so I can record this show – visit their website at www.knittedknockers.org
Knitting Talk
Fit and Ease
Ease - how much extra room (or lack thereof) do you want in your garment?
An inch or so of ease will be a fitted garment but the material will not stretch to fit you. Negative ease, where the material is actually less around than your body, will give you a very fitted garment where the material itself is stretching to fit around your body – think a typical sock.
2-3 inches of you will give you a comfortable fit without feeling fitted. 4 inches or so and we’re getting more into loose-fitting cardigans and approaching boyfriend sweater territory. Some of the huge boxy sweaters out there these days may have as much as 8 inches of ease to give you that boxy effect.
Out and About
Rhinebeck! I’m headed to Rhinebeck for the day via the bus from Webs. Gonna be a long day – I have a grad school reunion at the MFA in Boston the night before then I have to leave my house around 5-5:30am to drive to Webs.
I cannot wait! The artichoke line was waaaay too long by the time I found it so I hope to grab one of those earlier in the day. I’ll be at the podcaster meetup, of course, and probably at the Ravelry meetup too. I’m also hoping to locate the bag check this year – missed it last year, but I’ll have a big ‘ol day pack with me for the bus and car ride. On the plus side, with a minimum of 4 hours on the bus I should get a bit of knitting done that day!
On the Run
After walking to school for 3 weeks today I started a Galloway-style run-walk-run on the way home and it felt good. Rolled out my quads, IT bands and solias muscles, which have been cranky with the sudden mileage increase, but they felt OK too. Will try again in a couple of days.
Mileage Increases – keep it low, keep it slow
As I mentioned last week, I broke one of the cardinal rules of running by suddenly drastically increasing my mileage by walking my son to kindergarten. That’s an additional 3 miles or so per day for me. Now, we mitigated this by not walking every single day – we’re averaging about 3 days a week and some days we only walk one way and not the other. But this is a huge faux pas and something even us veteran runners forget.
If you’re new to running, an important rule to remember is to keep your mileage increases small, no more than 10% increase per week. This is super important because most injuries are directly linked to increasing intensity or duration of exercise too much too soon.
Now, let’s unpack this statement – this does not mean you should increase your mileage by 10% every week – on the contrary if you look into the data, most folks should be increasing your mileage by a MAXIMUM of 5-10% every OTHER week. You should also be incorporating rest weeks where you run less than your baseline, or average weekly miles. The reason for all this is your body needs time to adjust to the changes your asking of it.
Particularly when starting out, don’t plan on increasing mileage or speed any time soon. Listen to your body. Take more rest weeks if you need it, or put mile increases off till next week if your body is feeling off. The whole point is to start running or increase running without injury and that means giving yourself time to adapt. If you have existing injuries, then you REALLY need to take it slow. Thinking of starting a couch-to-5k program? You can plan on repeating the 1st week 3 times to give your chronic issues time to adapt slowly. Or something I did when I did my marathon training I took the marathon training plan and slowed it down by adding more rest weeks because I knew my body and knew that I had to be careful of asking too much of it too soon.
To sum up – take it slow and stay injury free.