Luuuuucy! We're knitting! - Episode 46 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:

This week's episode has been sponsored by:

Simply Socks Yarn Company caters to the sock knitter with thousands of colors and styles of sock yarn. Whether you’re looking for Lorna’s Laces, Dream in Color, or that special small dyer, we have what you’re looking for- in stock and ready to ship. Don’t forget to visit our sale section for up to 50% off yarn and accessories.

Just in this week: Cookie A's new book, Sock Innovations, full of beautiful sock patterns and lots of inspiring information about sock design, patterned stitches and more. We carry a ton of beautiful sock yarns featured in the book: Blue Moon Socks That Rock, Colinette Jitterbug, Louet Gems. We also carry Lucy Neatby's remarkable sock knitting DVDs. Remember, we happily ship mail orders anywhere in the world!



Subscribe using code: KNITMG

Administrative:

Jasmin Knit(more)-a-long thread in our Ravelry group.
Gigi Knit(more)-a-long thread in our Ravelry group.
The Sock Summit class list (and costs) have been posted!
The "What do you want to hear about" contest ends this Friday (4/3)
Things that are discussed in the chat with Lucy Neatby:

Kauni Yarns
Asciano needles by Deborah Doyle
Navajo knit cardigan = the Venus Rising cardigan
The "cables after whiskey" pullover

And, we're off! - Episode 45 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's episode has been sponsored by:

New this week: Cascade Eco Alpaca, and dyed colors of Pure Alpaca, new certified Free Trade yarns from Frog Tree Alpaca, including the new Picaboo, bamboo, pima cotton, and Green Line
DK and Worsted merino from Lorna's Laces.

Administrative: (00:30)

Knit's up has moved to Libsyn. If you're having problems updating your feeds, find our tutorial here.
On the Needles: (2:00)

Gigi is making good progress on her On the Vine scarf.

Jasmin cast on a sock to chase away her bad knitting mojo. She is using the Abstract Fibers "Supersock" in Newport. (Jasmin and Gigi will be reviewing this yarn in a later podcast.) Jasmin also discusses working with the square knitting needles. Jasmin suggests that LYSes should have "tester" needles so that knitters can try them. (Jasmin refers to the Addi Turbo interchangeable review episode.)

Gigi is working on the Par Five sock out of the brown Malabrigo Sock. Jasmin tries to understand golf. Gigi describes golf as "banhoff".
The Knit(more)-A-Long!
Jasmin's: Katarina (by CocoKnits), in Tess Yarns' Silk and Merino.

(Jasmin is knitting hers in one piece, as opposed to the way that the pattern is written. She talks about how she blocked her Twist.) Jasmin is knitting this at a tighter gauge than is recommended in the pattern (Jasmin is knitting it at 5 sts/6 rows per inch) because she disagrees with both the math in the pattern, the schematic, and the gauge of the recommended yarn.
Gigi's: Carli (by CocoKnits) in Malabrigo worsted, Burgundy. Gigi is matching gauge and knitting the pattern as it is written, thus far.

They talk about substituting yarns and the need to occasionally recalculate a pattern. They also discuss picking colors.

Mother Knows Best: (30:24)

Gigi and Jasmin discuss warm weather knits; they LOVE the Tess Yarns' Microfiber Ribbon. Some of Jasmin's favorite patterns include the ribbed turtleneck (by Jill Ramos), the chevron ribbed tank by Ann Budd, and the perfect periwinkle turtleneck tube vest from Fitted Knits.

Jasmin seals the end of the ribbon with Fray-Check, talks about the best way to wind it,

Straw into Gold: (42:13)

Jasmin is still spinning Talullah, she wants to knit something with cables (like Mariah). Jasmin talks about "swatching" your spinning. Jasmin is going to use her Maggie mini skein-winder to make tiny test skeins.

Reviews: (46:10)

They review the Malabrigo sock yarn. Four Knitmore thumbs up!

They also review the Leslie Wind cable needle necklace. (Video tutorials can be found here.) Jasmin loved it, Gigi didn't.

When good knits go bad - Episode 44 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's podcast is sponsored by:

New this week: Takhi Cotton Classic, Rowan Cotton Glace, Rowan Handknit Cotton, Classic Elite Provence, RYC Siena, Blue Sky Organic Cotton.

Admin: (00:35)

Here are the links for some of the podcasts that have changed feeds. (Thanks to the Knitting Podcast blog for collecting a comprehensive list.)

Belle of the Ball Podcast
Stitch-It Podcast
Knit Naturally Podcast
Knaked Knits
CogKNITive Podcast
BarknKnit Podcast
High Fiber Diet Podcast
She-Knits Podcast
Brown Eyed Mom
Destiknits
Knitters with Critters (Promo!)
Yarn Thing

Please check out our tutorial on how to update your feeds on this site (our show notes). Please remember to go and give your favorite podcasts reviews (or re-review their new feeds) on iTunes.

On the Needles: (3:50)

Gigi has cast on a pair of socks out of Abstract Fibers' Lady Macbeth colorway. Lady Macbeth says she wants to be a Coriolis. Gigi is knitting a pair of Par Five socks out of the Malabrigo sock yarn (in brown). Gigi and Jasmin both went stashdiving for projects.

Jasmin talks about being the Rain Man of yarn (when looking for the yarn for her Cire-Perdue). Gigi is knitting some tiger-stripey socks out of Fancy Image's sock yarn. Gigi has been swatching!

Gigi and Jasmin will be doing a Knitmore-A-Long, where we'll have several projects that we'll be working on. Simultaneously. Stay posted for details.

(Jasmin talks about the most recent episode of Cast-on, where Brenda talks about brain waves.)

Contest! (13:18)

Post your show topic ideas to our Ravelry thread! Prizes include: Friday Night Knitting Club, the 365 Knitting Stitches a Year Perpetual Calendar, At Knit's End, stitch markers from Brenda Patipa, a subscription to Verena Knitting, and a signed copy of "It Itches" with the matching tote bag!

Contest ends 4/3/2009.

When Knitting Attacks: ( 18:14)

Jasmin's knitting HATES her. Jasmin has ripped out her Coriolis sock ANOTHER two times. Then, her pink cashmere swatches refused to cooperate, despite being knit on fabulous Asciano needles. (You can find some of the Holz and Stein needles here, by the way. Which are Alison's favorites.)

Jasmin thought the Chic Knits hoodie would be a set-in sleeve, fitted hoodie, because she wasn't paying attention. Jasmin finds that she is less patient when she lacks knitting.

Gigi knit her "Franklin's Panopticon" socks on itty needles with the same stitch count, which resulted in a too-small sock. Gigi is also looking for a fine-gauge cable needle. Gigi also had some issues reproducing the channel island cast-on, from lack of practice.

Listen to Gives Good Knit!

Straw into gold: (36:26)

The fleeces from the Monterey Wool Auction and Booneville are starting to arrive! Jasmin talks about having multiple spinning projects. She uses a bobbin winder and small plastic bobbins, and spins large projects 1 0z/29g at a time, lets it rest for 24 hours, then moves it to a plastic bobbin. This saves money on additional bobbins, and allows for more even spinning throughout large projects.

Jasmin is plying the "Romney Thing". It is a 4-ply yarn, 1 ply of burgundy romney, 1 ply of natural black romney, 1 ply of Sheila (Lincoln/Corriedale from Janet Heppler)- silver/grey, 1 ply of Carlos (Lincoln/Corriedale from Janet Heppler)- gunmetal grey. (We got Carlos at the Retzlaff Winery spinning day two years ago.) This was when Jasmin discovered the processing wonders of Shari at Morro Fleece Works.

In getting her spinning chops back, Jasmin grabbed some Crown Mountain Superwash merinoAqualung) to re-calibrate her spinning.

Jasmin is in love with Talullah; a charcoal grey merino that is so soft that it will curl your toes. Jasmin is spinning Talullah fine and tight, and thinks she will make a lovely Twist.

Tutorial - how to update your podcast feeds

Ok. So you know that quite a few of your favorite podcasts have changed hosts and feeds. Here's how to update your feeds in iTunes, step by step.

Step 1: Open a new window in your web browser. (That way, you can follow the directions here, step by step.)

Step 2: In the new window, go to the desired podcast's web page. (You can find a list of the new feeds for moving podcasts here.) For this example, we're going to use Knaked Knits:

What's this? An updated feed! The link will look like this:

Step 3: Highlight the new link, copy it.

Step 4: Launch iTunes. Your screen should look (roughly) like this:

Step 5: At the top of the screen, select "Advanced", then "Subscribe to Podcast..."

Step 6: Paste in the url of the RSS feed (from step 3). Click "Ok".

It should start downloading, and look like this:

(Well, without the poorly drawn arrows.)

Happy listening!

Fit, function, and fashion - Episode 43 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's episode has been sponsored by:

New in: Tanis Fiber Arts fingering weight and a pattern written specifically for it: the April Showers sock.

Check out our weaving supplies!

Administrative stuff: (00:39)

Stitch It! has moved. Subscribe to the new feed in iTunes by clicking here.
Cognitive's new feed page.
BarknKnit's new feed page.
(When you re-subscribe to these, please give them a new iTunes review.)

On the Needles: (3:58)

Gigi finished a pair of vanilla ribbed socks in the Kaffe Fasset Regia, a pair of vanilla Claudia's Handpaints Argyle. Gigi has also finished the first skein of yarn for her On the Vine scarf.

Jasmin finished her pair of Ellen's Half-Pint Farm socks (out of the Merino/Tencel sock yarn) in the greens. Jasmin is "chain-knitting" her socks. She cast on the Creatively Dyed Calypso (80% Superwash Merino/20% Nylon) in the Jamaica colorway. The color reminds Jasmin of Lisa Souza's South Pacific colorway.

Gigi is working on a former UFO - she is working on her white Einstein jacket again.

Jasmin and Gigi discuss knitting with neutrals for "lasting" garments. (You can see the "Mimosa yellow" shawl here.) They discuss balancing fashion and timeliness with how long it will take to finish the project. Jasmin talks about Tim Gunn's 10 essential items list and how to encorporate that into your knitting.

Jasmin and Gigi will be swatching this week! Gigi will be swatching some of the Tess Yarns' Silk and Merino (in charcoal grey) for a Cocoknits design. Jasmin has some of the same yarn, but in a pale blue from a few years ago. Jasmin is using it for the Cire-Perdue from the third Norah Gaughan book.

Gigi brought over a children's loom so that Jasmin can determine whether or not she really, really wants to weave.

CONTEST!

Go into our Ravelry group and suggest show topics in the "What do you want to hear about?" thread.

Mother Knows Best: (26:04)

Gigi and Jasmin discuss matching yarns and patterns. Vanilla socks are a great way of testing new techniques (like the channel island cast-on). We also encourage you to treat your swatches the way you would treat the garment.

When Knitting Attacks! (33:26)

Gigi has been too efficient with her knitting, and ran out of on-the-go vanilla socks. Cat Bordhi is a genius, and Jasmin is not, and proves it while working on a pair of Coriolis socks. (The test drive pair is in Myra Hansen's Fancy Image Yarns sock yarn.) Jasmin notices the correlation between knitting attacks and the hours in which they happen. Also, her complete inability to do math into the late hours of the evening.

Straw into Gold: (40:50)

Jasmin is spinning 70% Alpaca/30% Silk roving from Abstract Fibers in a deep, rich blue/black colorway. Jasmin talks about showing surface area and shine while spinning, spinning posture, and is honest about how she feels about spinning cotton. Jasmin recommends taking a beginning spinning class from Sandi Luck (at Purlescence) if you're in the Bay Area, and any spinning class from Judith MacKenzie McCuin.

(Next week, Jasmin will talk about cleaning spinning wheels.)

Jasmin talks about spinning merino/silk batts from Crystal Creek Fibers for Gigi (pictured above). Jasmin talks about using a Fricke skeinwinder with a yardage counter. Jasmin also had spun up some of the Fat Cat Knits 50% SW Merino/50% tencel roving in Spring Bulbs. Jasmin also talks about winding up the Black Magic Woman that she had spun up and was still resting on the bobbins.

Stitches recap - Episode 42 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:


This week's episode is sponsored by:

New in: Tanis Fiber Arts fingering weight and a pattern written specifically for it: the April Showers sock.

This week's special: Colinette Jitterbug (3/4-3/9, 20% off)

On the Needles:

Gigi is working on (mostly) vanilla socks this weeks. She has finished her Bulky Boot Socks, and has started a vanilla sweater, but ripped it out in favor of a new pattern.

Events:

Jasmin and Gigi discuss Stitches West. Jasmin and Gigi took the same classes - mostly. Colleen and Jasmin took Ergonomcis of knitting with Carson Demers, where they learned some stretches, life strategies for balancing knitting with physical health. Jasmin recommends standing up during commercial breaks.

On the way to class, Jasmin was accosted by Cat Bordhi! Jasmin and Gigi, at Cat's recommendation, are going to try and get to Sock Summit. Thursday evening, Jasmin and Gigi went to the market preview.

Using her wish list, Jasmin bought some batts (in Purr-ple and Tropical Fruit) and Wensleydale from Lisa Souza. Jasmin thinks it is going to grow up to be a Ribbi Pulli. Jasmin also got some Superwash merino in "Graphite".

Jasmin got some interesting fibers from Tactile (babydoll, carbonized bamboo) and A Verb for Keeping Warm (targhee). Jasmin also ran into WonderMike, of YKnit notoriety. Jasmin bought a kit from Sheldrige Farms (the Inverted V top).

Jasmin fell in love with Abstract Fibers. Jasmin bought a set of lace circular needles from Asciano Fibers, made of Cocobolo.

Gigi fell in love with the Cocoknits patterns. Gigi found some Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a beautiful peacock blue and some red Kauni at WEBS.

Friday:

Jasmin and Gigi took Lucy Neatby's "Cool Socks - A" class all day. They learned the channel island cast-on, as well as loads of other nifty tips and tricks. (We will be reviewing her fantastic DVDs on the podcast, courtesy of Lucy Neatby and Sheldrige Farms.)

Saturday:

Jasmin and Gigi met Dr. Gemma of CogKNITive! Jasmin and Gigi had the meet and greet. Jasmin and Andrew went by the Redfish Dyeworks booth, where she got some mango colored 80% merino/ 20% tussah silk roving and Andrew picked out some 50/50 Silk Merino (project TBD). Jasmin picked up some replacement roving in Freestone Firecracker from the Royal Hare.

After the market, Jasmin, Gigi, and Rosemary (from Designs by Romi) went to the party at Bobbin's Nest, which was lovely. Afterwards, we took a brief detour to get some AMAZING frozen yogurt, then went to the show-and-tell at Purlescence.

Sunday:

Jasmin and Gigi took the "Design Your Own Sock Architecture" class with Cat Bordhi, who we chatted with in September. Combined with the Lucy Neatby class, our minds were blown.

Jasmin went to the show floor to pick up some Oak Grove yarn (to darn a pair socks) for Andrew. Jasmin went to talk to Cheryl Oberle, and while Andrew was waiting in line to pay, he picked up two skeins in "Stones". Jasmin also picked up some of the Creatively Dyed sock yarn to test drive, NOT in pinks and purples, selected by Andrew.

Gigi bought some Silk/Merino from Tess Yarns in a beautiful charcoal grey, which will become a Cocoknits sweater. (Sweater TBD.)

At the show, Jasmin and Gigi got audio with Lucy Neatby, Galina Khmeleva, Cheryl Oberle, and Lily Chin.

Administrative stuff:

Jasmin and Gigi are trying to get to Sock Summit, and they need your help. A donation of $5 or more gets you a logo magnet, and for a donation of $10 or more, we'll send you a logo pin (and a magnet).

We will be adding a new segment called "Straw into Gold" about spinning! Until then, Meghan from Stitch-It has an AWESOME, regular spinning segment.

We need ideas for contests! Send them our way.