Episodes
Tuesday May 15, 2018
38 - Knitting Is Back!
Tuesday May 15, 2018
Tuesday May 15, 2018
Episode 38 – 5/15/18 - Knitting and Running in 30 minutes or less
WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Visit my new website at WindsweptKnits.com and stream the podcast or read shownotes.
Thanks so much for listening! There are 1000’s of podcasts for you to choose from and I am honored you take time out of your busy life to listen to mine.
Segments this week include: Stash Acquisition, Wips, KALs, Running
Stash Acquisition
I held off recording last week because I had no knew knitting and also I knew what I’d be getting for Mother’s Day which is… a spinning wheel! My finger still isn’t healed yet so I’m in a finger brace part-time and still can’t knit nearly as much as I want to, so my boys bought me a Lendrum! They also got the Very Fast Flyer so I can spin cotton. I am SUPER excited and slightly daunted. I’ve tried using it a few times and I’m horrible at the moment. I hold my fiber too close to the wheel to get a good spin in the cotton. Also, I’m used to having the fiber not move while I’m drafting. So balancing the spin with the pullup on to the bobbin is challenging. Luckily, I know exactly what I’m looking for in the spun cotton so a few times I’ve managed to get a small amount of decently spun single on the bobbin. And I cannot tell you how excited I am to have a tensioned lazy kate and the plying head to I don’t have to ply on a drop spindle!
Spinning
I’ve been working on a new spinning project using Hipstring’s A Beautiful Day cotton colorway. This is from the first shipment of her Cotton Club, which I highly recommend. I’ve only gotten a little bit done but it is coming along beautifully. Jill’s cotton is a joy to spin.
Wips
Lady and the Unicorn, as I mentioned last week, this is part of a series of medieval tapestries held at the Musee de Cluny. In particular, the one I am stitching is based on the one labelled “A Mon Seul Desir” and a few days ago I finished working on the current chart page! I’m pretty sure I started that page at least 5 years ago. And I’m heading to stitching group tonight so I get to stitch some more.
I’ve put a row or 2 onto my Changing Staircases shawl by Jenga Knits. This is a shawl inspired by the Harry Potter books, the way the stiarcases are constantly changing and I’m working on it in Mousou a 100% bamboo yarn from The FiberLady.
I’ve also put a few rows 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.
Last but not least – I have a new cast on! I cast on a shawl on Mother’s Day! I’m joining the Addition By Subtraction Mystery Knit A Long, albeit a few weeks late. This is a “mystery” mystery knit along – a murder mystery knit a long to be exact. I love a good murder mystery novel – Agatha Christie is one of my favorite authors – so even though the story is more of a film noire type it’s still right up my alley. I’m on the first clue and I’m having a blast playing a long. I did have to rip back a few rows because my 4th color wasn’t quite working right with the others, but luckily I had another good colorway on hand.
This pattern was designed and released along with the LYS day so I chose stash I had on hand from my yarn store that closed, one from another localish yarn store and ordered one skein from an indie dyer that I love, Birdie’s Knits from Florida. Her hand dyed organic cotton is to die for (har har!). The pattern calls for a light color, a dark color, a slightly zany color and a color to tie it all together, all in fingering weight. 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 ‘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.
Knit A Longs
Geeky Girls Sheepy Spring AL runs through May 31st and I am a sponsor.
TheKnitGirllls’ Stash Dash is an annual WIP-finish KAL. Compete against yourself to see how much yardage you can complete from May 25th to August 27th. Can you knit 1000m? Maybe a whole 5k? The bonus here is that if you knit a row on a project you can cound ALL the yardage for the project. Also, spinning counts, where last year you could count the length of all the singles so a 200m 3-ply yarn would count as 600m. I should note, there are rule changes up for voting at the moment so take that last spinning rule with a grain of salt.
In A Sknit’s Batter Up KAL has begun – knit your way through baseball season! I’m a sponsor for this one, too. There are many opportunities for prizes across the season including at the All Star break and during the World Series.
Last but not least – My Summer 2018 Be A Helper KAL. I will run this in tandem with Stash Dash because I know a lot of you will be trying to use up every last scrap of yarn for those 3 months and preemie hats and Knitted Knockers are perfect stash-busting projects. Project rules will be the same as last winter – ANYTHING you knit, crochet, weave or spin for ANY charity counts. One entry per FO – you can enter 10 preemie hats will count as 10 entries. Also, donating blood counts as 1 entry, just post a photo of yourself either in the chair, or with the bandaid, or selfie sipping your OJ afterwards. If you would like to offer a prize for this KAL, please PM me on Ravelry or email me at WindsweptMonique@gmail.com, any prizes would be greatly appreciated! I will be offering two skeins from my own stash, the first is a skein from FishKnits Yarn in the At Sixes and Sevens colorway, a self-striping Merino-nylon sock yarn. The other one will be a non-wool yarn TBD; I’m currently debating between a silk yarn, a Japanese paper-style yarn, or a plant-based yarn. If you have any thoughts on which I should offer, please let me know!
Running
My running training is going well so far. I’m walking my son home from school most days, so that’s 1.5 miles each afternoon. Some days I run, and some it’s just a lazy stroll as an “active rest day”. Yesterday I did my first 4-miler since before I was pregnant with my youngest son, who’s almost 3, and it felt great! Historically, the 4-6 mile area was my least favorite distance but I wonder if that will change since I haven’t tackled that distance in years. I’ve been lax about strength training the last few weeks because of the brace on my finger, but now that I’m only wearing the brace part time I’m going to start strength training twice a week. I need to listen to my own advice eh? Keep strength training!
Friday Feb 16, 2018
Episode 32 - Knitting Fails and Be-A-Helper 2.0
Friday Feb 16, 2018
Friday Feb 16, 2018
Episode 32
WindsweptMonique on Ravelry and Instagram, windsweptmonique@gmail.com. Show Notes at knittingontherun.podbean.com
Stash, Wips, Knitting Fail, Out and About
Before we start – planning on getting back to having knitting and running topics, now that the holidays are over and we’re starting to get healthy again (knock on wood). What do you want to hear about? I have a few topics lined up but I’d love to hear from you. Come to the Ravelry group and let me know or send me an email at windsweptmonique@gmail.com
Stash
Got 4 new skeins of CoBaSi by HiKoo – sock weight yarn without wool - 55% Cotton/ 16% Bamboo/ 8% Silk/ 21% Elastic – planning on using the Blarney colorway to knit JavaPurl’s Peppermint Mocha socks, and the blue-gray multi colored Wave Caps colorway to knit the Vanilla Is The New Black socks by Anneh Fletcher
Also got my first shipment from HipString’s Cotton club. Got 2 coordinated 2-oz braids of sunset colors, with oranges and blues – one with lighter tones and one with darker tones. Normally I’m not a fan of orange but I have to say these two colorways are beautiful.
Wips
Vanilla sock in Berroco Comfort Sock in Bali colorway. Still chugging along at this 2+ year old WIP, it’s my car knitting – planning on putting the heel scrap yarn for an after thought heel in today
Star Wars sweater for Thing 1 – finished the main body, on the bottom colorwork. Using Nordic Yoke Pullover, a free pattern from Patons, as the base and altering the charts to have Star Wars characters/spaceships/icons.
Frosted by Paper Daisy Creations - finished the first sleeve, started second sleeve. Hoping to finish the second sleeve this week and this will be my Ravellenics entry. Knitting up in some old stash, Longmeadow (discontinued) from Valley Yarns in white, and the blues are 2 old skeins of Debbie Bliss Amalfi (discontinuted), 1 color of Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy and 1 color of Nettle Grove from Plymouth Yarns.
Emerald Deep shawl – took this to Karate Movie Night at my son’s Dojo and finished Chart 3 and started Chart 4. I’ll definitely have this done for the auction in March. this shawl is a charity knit for AGC Scholarships, a group that raises money for families dealing with infertility or who are trying to adopt. Worked in Ito Yarn’s Kinu, 100% silk. Kinu has a colorway, Aqua, which is almost the exact color of AGC’s logo so it was too perfect not to use. The shawl will be auctioned off at AGC’s annual gala to raise money. If you or someone you love would like to learn more about AGC, visit agcscholarships.org
Knitting Fail
As mentioned a few months ago, I was planning on fading a Lush by Tin Can Knits using color-coordinated yarns I picked up at Rhinebeck in gold, gold with pink specks and pink with gold undertones. I washed the pink and gold/pink yarns to wash out extra dye – and unfortunately, it looks like the pink speckled yarn wasn’t set properly. It wasn’t just the extra dye that came out, a lot of the pink washed out of the yarn – so much so that almost looks like the gold. :( Definitely not going to fade it with the pink now, it would be a huge change in colors and not a fade at all, more like stripes. Maye I’ll “fade” the gold into the gold/pink and treat them as hand-dyed yarns and just alternate skeins. I’ll let you know what I decide to do. Very sad.
2nd knitting fail – started knitting handspun for the Ravellenics, but I have the wrong needles. Whereas the 2.5 and 2s I swatched with were too big, the 0s are too small and using magic loop is just not working. So I’m putting this homespun earband on hold until I get 16 inch US size 1s
3rd knitting fail – I’m on a roll, eh? Got to the heel of my ancient Vanilla Socks and realized I hadn’t increased for the wide par of the foot before reaching the heel. Boo! Lots of frogging there. They won’t be ready for Knit Aid’s deadline. http://www.knitaid.org/
Out and About
I did not make it to Boston Fiber event – had some previous commitments that ran over. Heard from some friends that they had a great time and saw pictures if beautiful, squishy yarn.
Will be away next week visiting both my parents and my in-laws, so no episode next week. But expect some Instagram posts involving pools or palm trees as we’re headed to Florida!
On The Run
I’m back :) I've been cross-training and strength training and even hopped in the local YMCA pool for a few laps and discovered just how out of shape I am!
Tuesday Dec 05, 2017
Playing Catch Up
Tuesday Dec 05, 2017
Tuesday Dec 05, 2017
Episode 27 – Playing Catch Up
Knitting and Running in 30 min or less
Segments this week include: Fos, Wips, Stash, Out and About, On the Run and Patterns
Be A Helper KAL - extended through January 6th so you can also participate in the Knitmore Girls Do Some Good KAL.
FOs
MIL hitchhiker shawl, pattern by Martina Behm, knit in Ito Yarn’s Kinu 100% silk
Thing 2’s Christmas socks, 4 toddler vanilla socks knit in Plymouth Diversity in the Multi Blue Taube colorway which is self-striping white, taupe, aqua, navy and bright orange.
Thing 1’s Christmas knee socks in Berroco Comfort Sock in Red
Lillesand cowl by Monika Eckert for my aunt in some deep stash, Rozetti Yarns Soft Payette and Cascade Sateen Solids
Blue baby socks for friend’s son, just a simple vanilla sock in some deep stash that I don’t remember the name of
Husband’s super secret scarf in Pendenza by Plymouth Yarns. At Thanksgiving, as I was audibly working mn my LAST Christmas gift, he commented that I wasn’t making him anything for Christmas. So when mom and I went shopping on Small Business Saturday I stopped into A Great Yarn in Chatham and bought this lovely gradient yard and knit him a Hitchhiker by Martina Behm, which I knit in secret and finished yesterday.
Mom’s Christmas shawl – this is my new pattern, which hasn’t been released yet and I’ll talk more about it later, but I knit it in some Bernat worsted weight Handicrafter Holida yarn that I’ve had for a while, with the white on the lace edge and red for the body
Wips
My 1st non-vanilla socks! – Mahalo by Dana Gervais in CoBaSi by Hikoo
My 2nd non-vanilla socks – Newlin by Sarak Jordan, aka Knit/Wit Designs – Berroco Comfort Sock and I’m working these on my brand new Size 2 Lykke needles to test them out.
New shawl sample, hoping to release around Christmas, knitting it in
Triyang, by Lee Meredith, in Araucania’s Yumbrel, a cotton thread/laceweight yarn in Pastels colorway, which is pastel peach, pink, blue and purple.
Out and About
Vogue Knitting in January! It’s my birthday gift from my boys as it’s happening right around my birthday. I’ll be there on the Friday so if you see me, say hello!
Probably going to Stitches United in March in Hartford, CT. Not planning on taking any classes at the moment, just enjoying the market and hanging out with people.
Stash
Rhinebeck:
9 skeins of bamboo dyed by Artisinal Yarns, 3 gold, 3 pink & gold blend, 3 pink with gold undertones. Think I’m going to fade a Lush by Tin Can Knits and possibly make it in the round instead of a cardigan, since I’m always cold.
2600 yards of lace-weight bamboo dyed by Spinnaway Farms (so nice, btw)
Pendenza by Plymouth Yarns, bought at A Great Yarn in Chatham, MA over the Thanksgiving holiday
1 mini-skein of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd sock in “ooak” colorway
2 skeins of Elsebeth Lavold’s Hempathy in Light Denim (looks more like a light purple)
1 skein of Firefly by Classic Elite in a warm pinky-beige colorway called Delos – destined to be embroidery on a Downton Abbey themed Garden Kimono sweater I knit years ago
Fiber (!) – have not started spinning any of these
16 oz Green/Mocha/White Show Special by Little Barn - a blend of 3 naturally occurring, undyed cottons, one which is tan, another greenish, and the third the traditional whitish.
2 oz Tussah Silk from Fiber Kingdom
1 oz Yak/silk blend from Liberty Ridge
1 oz camel/silk blend from Fiber Kingdom
2 oz Tencel from Fiber Kingdom
2oz Bamboo from Fiber Kingdom
Patterns
I bought 4 patterns during the Indie Design Gift-A-Long kal, including the 2 sock patterns I mentioned earlier, Newlin by Knit/Wit and Mahalo by Dana Gervais.
I also bought Peppermint Mocha by CC Almon of Java Purl Designs the Isis Talicoat by Kari-Helene Rane (Side note for clarity – this pattern was released in 2012 before the current jihadist movement and was named after the ancient Egyptian goddess) it looks like the old fashioned Victorian women’s tailcoat but without all the frilly nonsense. It has a detailed edging but the body is stockinette and fits under the bust with a large decorative button, then the edges gently angle towards the hips. I plan to wear this with knee high boots and leggings in the spring and fall as an indoor/outdoor coat.
On The Run
As I mentioned last week, I threw my back out again after Rhinebeck and finally went to the doctor, the result of which is I’m now in physical therapy, again. It’s been about 4 weeks now and I am seeing definite progress. I am already stronger and I’ve been cleared to start basic exercises, within reason. No running yet, but I’m walking a few days a week and learned today that I can swim, ride my bike or even row if I take it slow and easy to start. So I am very excited to get back out there.
With the PT I’ve been concentrating on strength training since my last On The Run segment, for obvious reasons, and it is definitely paying off. My shoulders and upper back are a lot stronger and I’m starting to work on the middle and lower back and transverse abdomis, which is your central core muscle, what lays under your 6-pack abs (or lack thereof, in my case) and it’s the muscle that actually holds you upright. Having a stronger core is awesome and I know will help me a lot in running once I’m cleared to start that. In the show notes I am linking to some articles on Transverse Abdominis workouts that could help you.
So if you want to work your abs, focus on your transverse abdominus, NOT a 6-pack. Crunches make your tummy look pretty but it won’t make you stronger. Try exercises like planks, modified planks, side planks, wood chops, burpees, or dead bugs – and as always, please check with a medical professional if you have any pain, especially any recurring pain. I am not a medical professional, I am only trying to arm you with knowledge.
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
Episode 21 - Back
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
Thursday Sep 07, 2017
Episode 21 - 9/7/17
Wips
Hitchhiker for my MIL in Ito Yarn’s Kinu 100% silk
New CO, Second Grace by Bristol Ivy in Berocco Modern Cotton. Gotten a lot done since I threw my back out and have been sitting a LOT. Body just a few rows from the underarms, also have 1.5 sleeves done. Using 7 colors, the main color is green, a medium-dark green with a hint of blue to it, then the fair isle parts are in navy, light blue, yellow, rust, medium-purple, and turquoise. It’s forced me to learn 3-colors-at-a-time colorowork and since I cannot get tension holding yarns in 2 hands, I’ve adapted the 2-color-continental hold for colorwork to be a 3-color hold, all in the left hand. I’m not a fan, but I’ve gotten to the point where I can do it and make it look decent.
Triyang Shawl by Lee Meredith in Araucania’s Yumbrel, a lace-weight cotton in the pastels colorway, peach, pink, sky blue and light purple
Stash
Blue Heron Yarn’s Cotton/Rayon blend from A Great Yarn in Chatham, Cape Cod, MA. Love this yarn, love Blue Heron colorways I’ve knit with them several times in the past. With all the talk Laura of the KnitGirlllls has been doing about the Evenstar, I’m debating making it again. I’ve already knit it 1.5 times, that is, 1 finished in a sport weight yarn (basically made a blanket) and 1 skirt made out of it, but haven’t made the top for the dress yet. Someday I’ll finish it. But yeah, totally tempted to make Evenstar again, I LOVE that pattern
Pattern Stalking
Lillesand by Monika Eckert – a colorwork cowl that I’m debating making for my aunt for Christmas. I have a white sparkly yarn and red yarn that this would look GORGEOUS in. Haven’t bought it yet but don’t be surprised if you hear me cast this one on soon
Wearables
Mommy’s Tunic, knit last spring/early summer in Juniper Moon Farm’s Neve in a cornflower blue
Empire Top, just finished a few weeks back and got to wear it for the first time on a col evening :) Knit in Picoboo by Frogtree, a discontinued bamboo/cotton blend
Out and About
Spent Labor Day weekend at my parent’s place on Cape Cod, which was good because I threw my bavk out the day we drove down. And my parents are super awesome. Even though I’m over 30 and have kids of my own, my parents took great care of me and it was feeling much better till I threw it out again yesterday wrestling my tantrum toddler into the car. Sigh. But we had a great visit even though it was chilly.
On the Run
No running, since I threw my back out, but I have been able to walk my oldest son to school, thankfully. But I would like to talk more about injury prevention this week. I want to talk about a common foot problem that can lead to injuries in your kinetic change, which we discussed last time: pronation.
In rough, non-medical terms, you can think of pronation as how your foot rolls through a step. I know you medical folks are probably yelling at your devices, but work with me here, I’m trying to avoid medical jargon and anatomy terms on purpose. Like me, you could be an over-pronator, meaning your ankles roll inward when you walk and you push off primarily from your big toe. You could be a supinator, or under-pronator, whose ankles roll outward and push off from your outer foot. Or you could be a neutral walker and push off using basically all your toes. There’s no good way to determine this yourself because once you start thinking about it, your gait will change. If you’re dealing with knee or hip issues, that is, issues further up the kinetic chain, you should go to a running store and ask them to determine if you have a neutral gait, over-pronate or supinate, because once you know that you can get the correct shoe to help correct any pronation problems, if you have them. Any good running store will have people there who know how to determine your gait type.
Friday Jul 14, 2017
Episode 16 - Cape Cod ramblings
Friday Jul 14, 2017
Friday Jul 14, 2017
Episode 16 – 7/14/17
Nice to be back after taking last week off. And thanks for your patience with the delay this week - Thing 1 woke up Tuesday with a high fever and needed his mommy. Family always comes first. Thank you very much for your patience while he recouperated - he's back to 100% and is being his happy, normal self again.
FOs, Wips, Stash, pattern stalking, out & about, On the run and In the Garden
FOs
Mommy’s Tunic – it’s done! And just in time for the 2nd knit-a-long for SSK. I had 3 hours to spare. Unfortunately, it rained most of the day so it’s still wet. I’m waiting for sun and less humid weather for it to dry. Knit in Neve by Juniper Moon Farm, a chain-ply cotton. It’s hollow so it’s light-weight. While it’s called a worsted weight yarn, it can do 4.5 to 5.5 sts per inch so you can use it on DK projects too
Green Hitchiker shawl – Valley Yarns Greylocke 100% cashmere – Thanks to the delayed recording schedule, this is done!
Wips
Purple Hitchhiker shawl – Cascade Ultra Pima Fine in Periwinkle, still about 30%
Firebird by Romi Hill – k0% through chart 2. Starting to be a little more lacey and interesting. Using Egyptian Mercerized Cotton by Blue Heron Yarns in the Carnelian colorway
MIL hitchhiker – new, Christmas gift for MIL
Stash
Went to A Great Yarn in Chatham, MA, a combination yarn and book store. A seriously great store that you should definitely check out.
Ito Kinu – 100% silk in the Hydrangea colorway. A bright, rich pink that I think my mother-in-law will love; destined to be a hitchhiker shawl for her for Christmas
Plymouth Yarn Diversity in the Multi Blue Taupe colorway – navy, aqua, orange, taupe and white. To be matching socks for my boys for Christmas
Akerworks stitch gauge – yes, I actually own one WOOHOO! And yes, it’s as amazing as The Knit Girllls and other podcasters said it was. I was hoping to track one down next week while in Tennessee, but I found one in Cape Cod, MA. If you’re on the Cape head to A Great Yarn ASAP, they expect to sell out quickly.
Pattern Stalking
Emerald Deep – pattern for green yarn
Out and About
Just got back from a week on Cape Cod. Thing 2’s birthday, 4th of July and date night with my husband
On the Run
I ran! For the first time since January or February I actually ran!!! It was only 30-second bursts of running followed by 90-second walks but it’s a start. I’m taking things slow and steady so I don’t get another injury.
In the Garden
Picked sugar snap peas and gooseberries in the backyard. Tomatoes are flourishing on the deck – lots of small fruit though none ripe. Peppers are getting bigger. Fresh basil, mint and lemon balm!
Thursday Jun 29, 2017
Episode 15 - All the Wips
Thursday Jun 29, 2017
Thursday Jun 29, 2017
Episode 15 – 6/29/17
FOs, Wips, Knitting Fail, Stash, Wearables, Tip Time, Out and About, On the Run and In the Gardenp
FOs
Maris Stella shawl – it’s finished! End aren’t woven in yet, but it’s done. Knit in Ocean View gradient kit by Birdies Knits
Wips
Green Hitchiker – Valley Yarns Greylock 100% Cashmere; approximately 90% complete. So close! I’m limiting it to 3 rows before washing my hands so the progress is sort of slow going, but it’s nearly done.
Purple Hitchiker – Cascade Ultra Pima Fine 100% Cotton in Periwinkle (but really more of a royal purple) – about 20% complete. I’ve been focusing on other projects, so not much progress on this one
Firebird – Cast on the Firebird Shawl by Romi Hill in Blue Heron yarns Egyptian Mercerized Cotton in Carnelian. On row 5 of Chart B. The beginning was fairly simple (side note – knitting fail) so I worked on this while watching the America’s Cup. Ironicaly Knitting Fail occurred after the races ended!
Empire Top – Cast on again. Figured out what the problem was last time around. For background, I’d gotten 1 extra st per inch over 4 inches so I cast on 1 size smaller to compensate for those extra few inches over my ribcage circumference. I sat down with a tape measure last week to double check my math and discovered that I’ve lost 3 inches around my ribs at 2 around my bust! No wonder the blasted top didn’t fit, I’d shrunk! I’ve been working my tail off at Physical Therapy the last 4 months and I’ve only lost 5 pounds so I hadn’t bothered to re-measure myself. Thankfully I did before I got any further on the Mommy’s Tunic pattern so I could adjust that down a size too.
Mommy’s Tunic – I finished the cable band and grafted it, then began knitting bust. As I mentioned previously, I ended up going with a smaller size. I’ve finished bust darts and split for front and back – currently working on the back panel.
Knitting Fail
Firebird 2.0 – Finished Chart A and the first few rows of Chart B and I just couldn’t get the right # of sts on the last repeat so I finally just gave up and unraveled and started again. It was so early in the process that I’m not upset – though I am now using lifelines again, lol
Stash
No actual stash, but I need to find some pink yarn. My mother-in-law saw the pink hitchhiker shawl I made for my Family og Hitchhikers project and she really liked. So I need to track down a similar color pink, if I can – alas Webs, where I bought the yarn, has been sold out of that color for the last month. I will keep looking, and I’ll check some fun yarn stores I know on Cape Cod next week. Wish me luck!
Wearables
Thoughts by Joji Locatelli, knit in Araucania’s Yumbrel a discontinued yarn in the Pastels colorway. I find myself wearing this a lot now that the weather is warm. It’s ¾ length sleeve and made in lace-weight yarn so it’s nice and light, the perfect sweater to wear to a movie theater or cool restaurant on a hot day. I’m seriously debating making another one in a very different color.
Tip Time
When picking up sts, use a smaller needle so you don’t get that baggy-looking first row of knit stitches. I try to go at least 3 sizes smaller when I can – for socks this isn’t always possible, but for garments I just grab whatever small needles are handy. Today I used a US Size 1 (2.25mm) to pick up sts on a garment I’m knitting on US Suze 6 (4mm). That’s a smaller needle than I would normally use, but I had it handy so I used it.
Out and About
Next week I’m off to visit my parents on Cape Cod and one of my favorite LYS, A Great Yarn in Chatham which is also a book store. Seriously, if they served tea or mimosas it would be the perfect store. Planning on packing my Mommy’s Tunic, the 2 hitchhikers, and maybe and old sock or the Hamilknit hat. Can’t decide if I want something else mindless, or something I want to actually work on. I know I could finish the hat and the green hitchhiker easily, and make good progress on the others which is why I’m thinking of bringing 4 projects. There’s definitely a part of me that wants to bring something new to cast on, which I just should not do, but the Second Grace sweater by Bristol Ivy is calling my name and I already have the yarn for it…. Gah! Too many choices!!!
July 20-23 off to Nashville for the Super Summer Knitogether with The Knit Girllls
August off to NS, Canada to visit family
On the Run
I graduated from Physical Therapy! Woohoo!!!! Very happy to be done. I have come so far and I feel a LOT stronger than I did 3 months ago. My abs and glutes in particular are much, much stronger which should really help when I start running again. Fingers crossed, I’m hoping to do some very simple runs next week on holiday – something like run 30 secs, walk 90 secs repeat 2-3 times. I’m starting back slooooooowly so I don’t re-injure myself.
In the Garden
First crop – sugar snap peas are ripe and delicious. Also, we debate moving the garden itself next year because our trees have grown a LOT in the past 10 years and the garden is now part shade.
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Back in Vermont
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Tuesday Jun 06, 2017
Episode 12 – 6/6/17
Thank you for your patience last week – I had caught my kids’ cold and ended up with laryngitis. It is hard to record a podcast when you’ve lost your voice!
FOs, Wips, Stash, Pattern Stalking, On the Run, In the Garden, On the Road
FOs
Stash Dash has begun! Which means there are FOs!
Tanwen scarf by Thayer Preece Parker (ilikecake) in Berocco Remix, worsted weight tweed that is a silk/nylon/linen/cotton blend – pattern as written is reversible but I switched it up to make 1 full row knitting only because I rib slowly and knit very quickly so it made the pattern go faster. This is the 2nd teacher gift for Thing 1’s preschool teachers. He graduates from preschool on Friday!
Hamilknit Hat – Emily Straw from Knitting Butterflies podcast – using Schachenmayer Baby Smiles a fingering weight cotton. I love this pattern!!! Going to cast on a 2nd one soon for a person with a 2 inch bigger head - I think using the same needles and a sport-weight yarn might just do the trick
Wips
Empire Top by Lily Go – fitted tunic that crosses across the bust, fits around the rib cage and flairs out with an A-line bottom. Knitting this in Frogtree Picoboo, which is a discontinued bamboo/cotton blend. I am NEARLY done with the cross-bust part. Got a lot done while sick, which worked out well as someone contacted me on Ravelry to ask if I had extra – they had the same dye lot and ran out during an attached edging on a shawl. Was able to get far enough along to know that I would have at least a skein of leftovers, so I got that skein in the mail
Hitchhiker 3 – back to the blue hitchhiker since I’ve been healthy again, now about 75% complete. Working on this in Cascade Ultra Pima Sport
Mommy’s Tunic – I am starting a new version of my Mommy’s Tunic pattern in Juniper Moon Farm’s Neve cotton. I keep wearing my sample, which I really need to stop doing if I want to keep it for shows, but it’s soooooo comfy I need to make a version I can wear.
Stella Maris – Bought the beads and started this lovely lace-weight small shawl. It’s almost crescent shaped. Working on it in a hand-dyed gradient kit from Birdie Knits. I have the Coney Island set which gradiates from turquoise to white. Shawl starts at the center and works out – started it in the darkest color and it will work out towards the lightest. Chose this directions because I might not have quite enough yarn in the gradient kit and I have some plain white yarn leftover from my hamilknit hat that I can use to finish the edges
Stash,
Nettle Grove – cotton/linen/silk/nettle blend
Pattern Stalking
Let’s talk about Romi Hill. I’ve been drooling about her patterns for years, but never knit one. I know, it’s my loss. Being so sick last week, I spent a morning trying to find the perfect pattern for 1000 yards of variegated crimson red lace-weight yarn. After posting some thoughts/suggestions on Instagram and Twitter, Romi herself responded on twitter regarding her Firebird pattern – and if Romi, herself, says “yes”, who am I to say no? So I bought the pattern and wound the yarn, but haven’t cast on yet
On the Run
No running, but did a lot of walking this past weekend as we just spent 4 days in Burlington, VT – more on that later. Heels held up well, so I’m optimistic.
In The Garden
No gardening this past week, it’s been cold and rainy, but the previous week we got the deck plants and seeds planted. Tomatoes and peppers live on our deck as it’s sunnier than our veggie garden. Planted morning glories and nasturtiums in the pots next to the sliding glass door, where we have trellises. Planted convolvulus and cascading petunias amongst the veggies. Also planted chamomile, cilantro and basil in the herb garden.
On the Road
Just returned from 4 days in Burlington, VT. Lovely time! IT was the 15th college anniversary for my husband and I and we had a lovely time. Got to show the boys around our old college and catch up with people we hadn’t seen in years. Also, caught up with some god friends who are still in the area that we don’t get to see as often as we’d like. We stayed in a hotel with a pool, which was a HUGE hit with the boys. Also went to the Echo Center which is a fresh-water aquarium on Lake Champlain – lovely! And we went to both Magic Hat and Switchback breweries; the Champlain Valley is now full of craft breweries so that was fun! When we lived up there it was just Magic Hat.
Also – go to Church Street! Have lunch outdoors in the summer, its wonderful and very kid friendly.
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Episode 10 - Lots of KALs
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Tuesday May 16, 2017
Episode 10 – 5/16/17 - we’ve hit double digits!
Considering I’ve listened to podcasts since 2005, and have listened to a few for 10+ years, it seems a little silly to be celebrating 10 episodes but to me if someone reaches the 10 episode mark then it shows they are in it for the long run and to me, I’m more likely to start listening to them.
Welcome to our new international listeners! New listeners from Canada, Bievenue! I suspect I’m related to most of you, lol, I’m half Canadian. Also Australia, Germany, Sweden and India! Wilkomen! Tak! Dhanyabad – ok, that last was Nepali, not Hindi, but I speak Nepali (or used to). Languages are a hobby of mine so forgive me for geeking out about listeners abroad.
FYI - No FOs until Stash Dash starts
KALS
PALKAL2017 – annual KAL by Actually Knitting podcast, it’s a podcaster KAL and I’m super proud to be a sponsor. I’m offering a prize and a discount code. Use code PALKAL2017 for 25% off ALL Ravelry patterns now through September 1, 2017. Thanks for the shout-out on yesterday’s episode, Michelle!
Stash Dash – annual KAL by TheKnitGIrllls. “Race” against yourself to knit a certain distance. Prizes in the following distances: 1K, 3K, 5K, 10K. I’m aiming for 5K, but will probably end up in the 3K.
Splash Pad Party from Down Cellar Studio – I’m back again this year as a sponsor donating a prize. Summer themed KAL with lots of prizes all summer long.
Wips
Empire Top – Lily Go – frogtree picboo, a discontinued cotton/linen blend. Now roughly 5 inches tall
Tanwen – Thayer Preece, ilikecake
Hitchiker 1 – Valley Yarns Greylock, 100% Cashmere about halfway
Hitchiker 3 – Cascade Ultra Pima Fine in a blue-green color, about halfway
CO Hamilknit Hat
Fishy Sweater
Stash
Birdie Yarns – gradient kit, Ocean View
5 skeins of Old Glory, hand died pretty much the exact colors of the actual Star Spangled banner, a faded navu blue and red, with a hint of white in places.
Pattern Stalking
Maris Stella Lace Shawl by Anna Victoria – eyeing this for the gradient kit I just received
Wearables
Poema by Vera Sanon, knit in Be Sweet’s Bamboo
Vivian by Ysolda Teague in Plymouth Yarn’s Covington, 100% mercerized cotton
In The Garden
Resurrected most of the seedlings I dried out! Too cold and rainy for me to plant – a really crappy week. Cold drizzle almost all week – felt like April! Mother’s Day was only 46!!! Today it’s 78 and it’ll be 90 on Thursday. In New England if you don’t like the weather, wait 5 min.
On The Run
Still walking half mile per day. Also, getting lots more mobility back in my ankle, yay!
Also, Color Run 5K as a family. Thing 1 wants to run a race like mommy and daddy and this is not timed, so he can walk (or be carried)
Out And About
Burlington, VT 1st weekend in June
SSK retreat July 20-23
Canada! First week in August in Nova Scotia visiting family
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Episode 8 - Stitches United
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Tuesday May 02, 2017
Episode 8
Welcome!
Cameos by Thing 2 and our noisiest cat, Dubz.
Giveaway
Mommy’s Tunic - Winner is alikat2004 - Alicia from London, Canada! Contact me within the next 30 days to claim your prize :)
Stitches United!
Sunday – lots of knitting vendors as well as some for other crafts
Erin Lane Bags – Harry Potter, Start Wars bags; Doctor Who notions case
Bar Maids – Lolo bar in Bergamot
Birdies Knits – hand dyed cotton!!!!! Not allergic!!! So excited
Stunning String Studio – Star Wars and Doctor Who stitch markers :)
Knitting photography class with Shiba Guyz – sooooooo much fun, learned sooooooo much; will definitely take another class with them again. Learned about photographing flat and on people and I ended up a model which was a definite hoot – if you know me, then you know I am so not a model I spend 5 min on hair and makeup in the morning
FOs
2 Linen sweaters are now finished-finished-finished, as the Knitmores would say – both have grosgrain ribbon and buttons! Finished them for the Knitting Photography case – our homework was to bring something to photograph
Wips
Tanwen – Berocco Remix, recycled blend of silk, cotton, linen, nylon on Size 8 needles. Green hitchhiker in Valley Yarns Greylock, 100% cashmere, 6 points done. Cashmere is making my hands itch so only can only knit 15-20 minutes a day then wash and rest my hands for a little
New – cast on Pink Hitchiker, same pattern, the 2nd of 4 hitchikers for a family that is very dear to me. Ultra Pima Fine which is sport weight not fingering weight, so I’m doing a 6-row repeat instead of 8-row repeat
Pattern Stalking
Correction – It was Danielle Brown, not Deb Brown, who has the beautiful version of Changing Staircases
In The Garden
Lots of Rain - better than the drought of the last 2 years!
More seedlings - need some dryer weather before I plant in our clay soil.
Tuesday Apr 18, 2017
Episode 6 - Boston Marathon
Tuesday Apr 18, 2017
Tuesday Apr 18, 2017
Episode 6
Wips
Robin Shawl by Lee Meredith – on last section! Teacher’s gift for son’s pre-school teacher – she wears lots of grey and lots of shawls and the 2 colors of Ito’s Kinu 100% silk are a light gray and a charcoal gray
Linen sweater – finished back and button band; bought buttons and grosgrain ribbon – still needs short sleeves
Empire Top by Lily Go – got a few more rows done on Friday
Hithicker Shawl by Martina Behm – Valley Yarns Greylock, 100% cashmere fingering weight - 4 points done so far
Stash
Forgot to list one bought last week at Webs – Berocco Remix, a recycled yarn made of 30% Nylon/27% Cotton/24% Acrylic/10% Silk/9% Linen in color Strawberry. For the 2nd and last teacher’s project of this year – going to be a cabled scarf for head teacher
In the Garden
Got some seeds planted in the garden! – lettuce, mesculin greens, swiss chard – first round of each. Hoping to get out more this week and plant carrots, kale, parsnips, turnips and sugar snap peas
Knitting Fail
Robin shawl – I dropped a stitch at PT yesterday and didn’t realize it, but it only dropped about 4 rows. Thankfully it’s like a raw silk and very grabby so it didn’t go far. I laddered it back up and at the end I’ll cut a piece of yarn to lock it in place and weave the ends in. Then I decided to take a closer look… and found 2 more dropped stitches further down that I hadn’t noticed!!! How long have I been knitting???
Giveaway!
Mommy’s Tunic
Must be member of Ravelry group to win, 1 entry per person, answer the question in the opening post. Lock thread May 1st. Winner announced the next podcast
On the Run
No running – lots of PT. Lots of scar tissue release which is helpful but can feel worse than rolling out your IT bands!
Plus – BOSTON MARATHON! I’m a local girl, born and raised in the Boston suburbs, I watched the race growing up and I would love to run someday as a charity runner, but it’s unlikely. I am waaaaaaaay to slow to qualify. When the boys are a little older I’d love to take them in to watch the race, once we don’t need a wheelchair. Race security is tight, especially near the finish line, since the bombing.
So I should probably answer the obvious questions – no, I was not in Boston when the bombs went off but my husband was, several friends and a cousin were. All were safe, thankfully.
Plus, I go on a little soap box about how awesome runners are. But I’m biased.