Episode 173: Die, Scammers

Wendy hosts all alone this week, and there's not a lot of fiber-related action going on.  WIPs include the nearly-completed Deathflake Mittens, and Rita the Rabbit.  Wendy shows her 3 completed skeins of sweater yarn based on her latest spinning for color experiment.  She also shows an Octopus hanger and reviews her latest tech crush, the CPR Call Blocker, which has finally stopped scam callers from harassing her via land line.  A winner is drawn for the Gone-A-Courtin' contest.  Only two more weeks to enter the other contests!

SHOW NOTES

KAL/CAL:  We are hosting a Stash Busting KAL/CAL for the month of August.  Post a pic of your finished project made from yarn purchased at least 6 months ago in the August Stash Busters Thread and get that stash under control!  A winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

We are also hosting a Donate a Shawl Charity KAL/CAL.  A wonderful viewer donated a skein of Into The Whirled in the "What's This?" color way!  Check out all the fabulous prizes in the contest thread!  Also, big thanks to Sharlene of The Yarniacs Podcast for the gorgeous shawl donation!

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen in Fleece Artist Saldanha 2 in the Starlight colorway.

Rita the Rabbit by Lydia Tresselt in Caron Simply Soft Light

Deathflake Mittens by Sissel KB, using her warm/cool color experiment in Portfiber Polwarth (4oz) in the Prickly Pear color way

Rate Your Date:

Nothing this week

Whirlwind Romance:

Wendy is currently spinning:

Frabjous Fibers in the Breeze colorway and Into The Whirled in the Take it to the Bridge colorway (by spinning them randomly together).  She completed 3 skeins of worsted weight for a total of almost 900yds.

Future Dates:

Wendy needs to finish all of her WIPs and maybe have a little Frog It or Finish It session.  She also plans on knitting Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu (about $2 on Ravelry)

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy purchased:

Ikea Pressa (also known as Wendy's Socktopus).  She will use this to hang her hand knit socks to dry.

CPR Call Blocker (Wendy purchased hers on Amazon.  They are also available via this website.)  So far it works great!

Gossip & Innuendo:

Contests:  This week, we drew a winner for the Went-a-Courtin' contest.

Charity Comfort Shawl KAL/CAL:  This is a new contest organized by our friend Lise from Webs! She organizes donated comfort shawls for people in her church community, but she has recently lost a few of her helpers.  If you donate hand knitted or crocheted shawls to her effort, you can be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Webs (one prize will be drawn), a skein of Webs anniversary yarn custom dyed by Lorna's Laces yarn (two prizes will be drawn), a pattern of your choice from KNitDesigns, or a skein of Wollmeise donated by our amazing viewer, Katluvz2knit, a bag, yarn and stitch markers donated by the lovely Samantha Boggia of Knitrundig, or a skein of BFL/Nylon sock yarn from ITW in the "What's This?" color way.

The contest will run until August 31, 2014.  Shawls should be sent to:

Webs Warehouse
ATTN:  Lise Gill
6 Industrial Parkway
Easthampton, MA 01027

(Note:  The earlier address will still work, but this is the much more direct mailing address which Wendy should have used the first time.  Oops!)

You can knit or crochet shawls specifically for this charity event OR go through your stash and give away some shawls to a good home.  There is no specific fiber content required - they can be machine washable or handwash only.  There is no specific pattern or size.  Lise will make sure your donations go to people in nursing homes, hospice care, new mothers or other people that need a comfort shawl.

You may post a picture of your donation (one picture per shawl - make sure to post them separately to get multiple chances at the prize) in our Contest Thread.

Upcoming fiber events in our area:

Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival at Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NY 9/27-9/28/14.  We do not plan on attending.

VT Sheep and Wool at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT 10/4-10/5/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Stitches East in Hartford, CT 10/9-10/12/14.  Wendy plans on attending the Saturday marketplace.

Rhinebeck at Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY 10/18-10/19/14.  We plan on attending for the weekend.

New England Fiber Festival at Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA, 11/1-11/2/14.  Wendy plans on attending.

The Gathering at Sunday River, Newry, ME, 11/7-11/9/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Episode 172: I'll Fix Your Crack

This week, WIPs include Sheila's vanilla sock and Mad Tosh cowl, and Wendy's Deathflake handspun mittens. Baubles and bling include the latest Hello Yarn Fiber Club offering, Stitched by Jessalu notion pouches and Enchanted Knoll Farm sock yarn in the Margaritaville color way. We draw a winner of the Mystic Shawls PDF book and review Big Foot Knits, a book about custom designing socks for larger feet and legs.

SHOW NOTES

KAL/CAL:  We are hosting a Stash Busting KAL/CAL for the month of August.  Post a pic of your finished project made from yarn purchased at least 6 months ago in the August Stash Busters Thread and get that stash under control!  A winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

We are also hosting a Donate a Shawl Charity KAL/CAL.  A wonderful viewer donated a skein of Into The Whirled in the "What's This?" color way!  Check out all the fabulous prizes in the contest thread!

Pattern Contest  Win a copy of the Went A Courtin' Cowl by KaRi Wymer of the The High Fiber Diet audio podcast.  Just post in the contest thread in the group and tell us what yarn you would use to knit this lacy, textured cowl.

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen in Fleece Artist Saldanha 2 in the Starlight colorway.

Rita the Rabbit by Lydia Tresselt in Caron Simply Soft Light

Deathflake Mittens by Sissel KB, using her warm/cool color experiment in Portfiber Polwarth (4oz) in the Prickly Pear color way

Sheila is working on:

City Creek Cowl by Susan Lawrence in Madelinetosh Vintage

Improvised cable socks in two colors of Miss Babs (Denim and an unidentified color way from the Podcaster Challenge).  Sadly, Sheila ripped out the cable and is now just making plain socks.

Rate Your Date:

Nothing this week

Whirlwind Romance:

Wendy is currently spinning:

Frabjous Fibers in the Breeze colorway and Into The Whirled in the Take it to the Bridge colorway (by spinning them randomly together).  She completed 2 skeins of worsted weight 3-play with one ready to be skeined on the bobbin.

Future Dates:

Sheila plans to knit a baby present. Wendy needs to finish all of her WIPs and maybe have a little Frog It or Finish It session.  She also plans on knitting Hitofude Cardigan by Hiroko Fukatsu (about $2 on Ravelry)

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy purchased:

Enchanted Knoll Farm superwash sock in the Margaritaville color way

Stitched by Jessalu notions pouches

Hello Yarn July Fiber Club offering in Head Banger on BFL

Gossip & Innuendo:

Review:  This week, we review Big Foot Knits by Andi Smith, published by Cooperative Press.  This book focuses on the fact that standard sock patterns don't account for feet/legs that are wider, larger, or differently proportioned.  The first 56 pages of the book give detailed explanations and worksheets to help you customize the toes, instep, heels, cuffs and legs of your socks.  There are also guides to adapting stitch patterns to work with your modifications.  The book also features 12 different sock patterns with various textured, cabled and lacy stitch patterns, beautifully styled and photographed with Fluevog shoes.  This book would be terrific for people who want to move beyond the standard sock pattern and find the perfect fit.

Charity Comfort Shawl KAL/CAL:  This is a new contest organized by our friend Lise from Webs! She organizes donated comfort shawls for people in her church community, but she has recently lost a few of her helpers.  If you donate hand knitted or crocheted shawls to her effort, you can be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Webs (one prize will be drawn), a skein of Webs anniversary yarn custom dyed by Lorna's Laces yarn (two prizes will be drawn), a pattern of your choice from KNitDesigns, or a skein of Wollmeise donated by our amazing viewer, Katluvz2knit, a bag, yarn and stitch markers donated by the lovely Samantha Boggia of Knitrundig, or a skein of BFL/Nylon sock yarn from ITW in the "What's This?" color way.

The contest will run until August 31, 2014.  Shawls should be sent to:

Webs Warehouse
ATTN:  Lise Gill
6 Industrial Parkway
Easthampton, MA 01027

(Note:  The earlier address will still work, but this is the much more direct mailing address which Wendy should have used the first time.  Oops!)

You can knit or crochet shawls specifically for this charity event OR go through your stash and give away some shawls to a good home.  There is no specific fiber content required - they can be machine washable or handwash only.  There is no specific pattern or size.  Lise will make sure your donations go to people in nursing homes, hospice care, new mothers or other people that need a comfort shawl.

You may post a picture of your donation (one picture per shawl - make sure to post them separately to get multiple chances at the prize) in our Contest Thread.

Upcoming fiber events in our area:

Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival at Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NY 9/27-9/28/14.  We do not plan on attending.

VT Sheep and Wool at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT 10/4-10/5/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Stitches East in Hartford, CT 10/9-10/12/14.  Wendy plans on attending the Saturday marketplace.

Rhinebeck at Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY 10/18-10/19/14.  We plan on attending for the weekend.

New England Fiber Festival at Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA, 11/1-11/2/14.  Wendy plans on attending.

The Gathering at Sunday River, Newry, ME, 11/7-11/9/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Episode 171: Just Go Without Me!

This week we draw prize winners for 3 contests and announce a new pattern giveaway. We still have two KALs and a PDF book giveaway, so go to the group for all the contests! WIPs include the Deathflake Mittens and Sheila's cowl and improvised sock. FOs include the Little Scallops hat and Mystik Spiral socks. The Saga of the Sh*t Vinyl concludes with Wendy getting her new floors at last.

SHOW NOTES

KAL/CAL:  We are hosting a Stash Busting KAL/CAL for the month of August.  Post a pic of your finished project made from yarn purchased at least 6 months ago in the August Stash Busters Thread and get that stash under control!  A winner will be drawn at the end of the month.

We are also hosting a Donate a Shawl Charity KAL/CAL.  Check out all the awesome prizes we have in our contest thread on Ravelry.

We are running a contest to win a copy of the Mystic Shawls PDF from Cooperative Press as a part of our series of reviews.

Big thanks to a kind viewer who is donating a skein of yarn as an additional prize for the Shawl Chairty

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen in Fleece Artist Saldanha 2 in the Starlight colorway.

Rita the Rabbit by Lydia Tresselt in Caron Simply Soft Light

Deathflake Mittens by Sissel KB, using her warm/cool color experiment in Portfiber Polwarth (4oz) in the Prickly Pear color way

Sheila is working on:

City Creek Cowl by Susan Lawrence in Madelinetosh Vintage

Improvised cable socks in two colors of Miss Babs (Denim and an unidentified color way from the Podcaster Challenge).

Rate Your Date:

Wendy finished:

Little Scallops in Plymouth Encore

Sheila finished:

One vanilla sock and one Mystik Spiral Sock in SKnitches Syncopated Sock in the Seriously? colorway.

Whirlwind Romance:

Wendy is currently spinning:

Frabjous Fibers in the Breeze colorway and Into The Whirled in the Take it to the Bridge colorway (by spinning them randomly together).

Future Dates:

Sheila plans to knit a baby present. Wendy needs to finish all of her WIPs and maybe have a little Frog It or Finish It session.

Baubles & Bling:

Sheila received:

a Knittingsmybag notions pouch, which is large enough to hold a sock project!

Wendy purchased:

A Tervis straw lid.

Wendy and Sheila received the Banbury Woods Cowl pattern by Sara Mims

Gossip & Innuendo:

New Pattern Contest!  Win a copy of the Went A Courtin' Cowl by KaRi Wymer of the The High Fiber Diet audio podcast.  Just post in the contest thread in the group and tell us what yarn you would use to knit this lacy, textured cowl.

Charity Comfort Shawl KAL/CAL:  This is a new contest organized by our friend Lise from Webs! She organizes donated comfort shawls for people in her church community, but she has recently lost a few of her helpers.  If you donate hand knitted or crocheted shawls to her effort, you can be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Webs (one prize will be drawn), a skein of Webs anniversary yarn custom dyed by Lorna's Laces yarn (two prizes will be drawn), a pattern of your choice from KNitDesigns, or a skein of Wollmeise donated by our amazing viewer, Katluvz2knit, or a bag, yarn and stitch markers donated by the lovely Samantha Boggia of Knitrundig!

The contest will run until August 31, 2014.  Shawls should be sent to:

Webs Warehouse
ATTN:  Lise Gill
6 Industrial Parkway
Easthampton, MA 01027

(Note:  The earlier address will still work, but this is the much more direct mailing address which Wendy should have used the first time.  Oops!)

You can knit or crochet shawls specifically for this charity event OR go through your stash and give away some shawls to a good home.  There is no specific fiber content required - they can be machine washable or handwash only.  There is no specific pattern or size.  Lise will make sure your donations go to people in nursing homes, hospice care, new mothers or other people that need a comfort shawl.

You may post a picture of your donation (one picture per shawl - make sure to post them separately to get multiple chances at the prize) in our Contest Thread.

We drew 3 prizes this week!  Contact Sheila if you are one of the winners!

Upcoming fiber events in our area:

Fiber Revival at Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbury, MA 8/9/14.  Wendy attended this event.

Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival at Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NY 9/27-9/28/14.  We do not plan on attending.

VT Sheep and Wool at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT 10/4-10/5/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Stitches East in Hartford, CT 10/9-10/12/14.  Wendy plans on attending the Saturday marketplace.

Rhinebeck at Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY 10/18-10/19/14.  We plan on attending for the weekend.

New England Fiber Festival at Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA, 11/1-11/2/14.  Wendy plans on attending.

The Gathering at Sunday River, Newry, ME, 11/7-11/9/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Episode 170: Down East

This week's episode comes to you live from Maine! Wendy, Lois (Knittingsmybag) and Thing 1 show their WIPs including a cardigan, Bunny Nugget, Deathflake Mittens and Little Scallops hat. FOs (and PhDs) include one Deathflake Mitten, vanilla socks and Seamless Baby Booties. We show yarn and felting fiber from our stop at Heavenly Socks in Belfast, ME and Bartlett Yarns in Harmony, ME. We also review Mystic Shawls by Anna Dalvi at the end of the show. You can win a copy, so check the Ravelry Group for details.

SHOW NOTES

KAL/CAL:  We are hosting a Stash Busting KAL/CAL for the month of August.  Post a pic of your finished project made from yarn purchased at least 6 months ago in the August Stash Busters Thread and get that stash under control!  A winner will be drawn at the end of the month.  We will draw July's winner in Episode 171.

We are also hosting a Donate a Shawl Charity KAL/CAL.  Check out all the awesome prizes we have in our contest thread on Ravelry.  Contest runs until the end of August.

We will also draw winners of the TdF thread and the Mitred Square PDF in Episode 171.  AND there is a new PDF contest starting this week.  Don't miss the book review at the end of the show!

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen in Fleece Artist Saldanha 2 in the Starlight colorway.

Rita the Rabbit by Lydia Tresselt in Caron Simply Soft Light

Deathflake Mittens by Sissel KB, using her warm/cool color experiment in Portfiber Polwarth (4oz) in the Prickly Pear color way

Little Scallops Hat by Maria Carlander in Plymouth Encore.

Lily is working on:

Bunny Nugget by Rebecca Danger in an unknown acrylic yarn.

Lois is working on:

Cardigan in Miss Babs Yowza.

Rate Your Date:

Wendy finished:

Seamless Baby Booties by Tanya Laptsina in Plymouth Encore

Lois finished:

Vanilla socks in self-striping yarn.

Whirlwind Romance:

Wendy is currently spinning:

Frabjous Fibers in the Breeze colorway and Into The Whirled in the Take it to the Bridge colorway (by spinning them randomly together).

Lois finished:

Random fiber spun 3-ply to may a bulky weight yarn.

Future Dates:

Lily plans to knit a scarf for her brother's dog toy.  Wendy needs to finish all her WIPs.

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy and Lois bought:

Bartlett Yarns sport weight yarn.  Wendy bought teal and gray, and Lois bought blue and white.

Wendy bought/received:

Encore Plymouth yarn in orange and bright green at Heavenly Socks Yarns in Belfast, ME.

2 Knittingsmybag medium project bags.  Lily also showed her cat-themed project bag and notions pouch that she received from Lois last year.

Lois bought:

Blue Heron Rayon Metallic in the Bluegrass colorway, also from Heavenly Socks.

Lily bought:

Felting roving in multiple colors and a set of cookie cutters in spring themes to help form felted shapes.

Gossip & Innuendo:

Book Review:  Mystic Shawls by Anna Dalvi.

This book has 14 beautiful shawl designs in lace and fingering weight.  The patterns range in size from a small crescent shawl to a large square shawl, and the designs include square shawls, triangle shawls, rectangular wraps and crescent shawls (curved and pointed).  The lace motifs are varied enough to interest even an experienced lace knitter.  Basically, this book offers something for everyone who wants to knit lace.

Charity Comfort Shawl KAL/CAL:  This is a new contest inspired by our friend Lise from Webs! She organizes donated comfort shawls for people in her church community, but she has recently lost a few of her helpers.  If you donate hand knitted or crocheted shawls to her effort, you can be eligible to win a $50 gift certificate to Webs (one prize will be drawn), a skein of Webs anniversary yarn custom dyed by Lorna's Laces yarn (two prizes will be drawn), a pattern of your choice from KNitDesigns, or a skein of Wollmeise donated by our amazing viewer, Katluvz2knit, or a bag, yarn and stitch markers donated by the lovely Samantha Boggia of Knitrundig!  More prizes to be announced in episode 171, so tune in!

The contest will run until August 31, 2014.  Shawls should be sent to:

Webs Warehouse
ATTN:  Lise Gill
6 Industrial Parkway
Easthampton, MA 01027

(Note:  The earlier address will still work, but this is the much more direct mailing address which Wendy should have used the first time.  Oops!)

You can knit or crochet shawls specifically for this charity event OR go through your stash and give away some shawls to a good home.  There is no specific fiber content required - they can be machine washable or handwash only.  There is no specific pattern or size.  Lise will make sure your donations go to people in nursing homes, hospice care, new mothers or other people that need a comfort shawl.

You may post a picture of your donation (one picture per shawl - make sure to post them separately to get multiple chances at the prize) in our Contest Thread.

Tour de Fleece runs from July 5 through July 27th this year.  Wendy will be spinning for Team Dyeabolical.  There is a TdF contest thread in our Ravelry group where you can win a bump of fiber from Wendy's personal stash by posting a pic of your finished TdF projects.  Prizes will be drawn in Ep 171.

Upcoming fiber events in our area:

Fiber Revival at Spencer Pierce Little Farm in Newbury, MA 8/9/14.  Wendy will attend this event.  See you there!!

Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival at Washington County Fairgrounds, Greenwich, NY 9/27-9/28/14.  We do not plan on attending.

VT Sheep and Wool at Tunbridge Fairgrounds, Tunbridge, VT 10/4-10/5/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Stitches East in Hartford, CT 10/9-10/12/14.  Wendy plans on attending the Saturday marketplace.

Rhinebeck at Dutchess County Fairgrounds, Rhinebeck, NY 10/18-10/19/14.  We plan on attending for the weekend.

New England Fiber Festival at Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA, 11/1-11/2/14.  Wendy plans on attending.

The Gathering at Sunday River, Newry, ME, 11/7-11/9/14.  We do not plan on attending.