Episode 148: Cheaters

This week's episode is sponsored by Two Grey Dogs Designs! WIPs include the Fuse cardigan, Duotone cowl, modified sockhead hat and felted clogs. FOs include Wendy's blocked Brickless and Sheila's Windschief hat. Featured baubles and bling include gorgeous sparkly lace yarn from Enchanted Knoll Farms. Wendy shows continuing progress on her cross stitch project and we discuss the details of the latest contest where you could win a free item of your choice from Two Grey Dogs!

SHOW NOTES

IMPORTANT:  Our feed has changed to http://feeds.feedburner.com/knit1hearttoo.  This means you may need to adjust your aggregator.

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Duotone Cowl by Orange Flower Yarn in Mad Color Fiber Arts Swoon base, the Campfire colorway, and Cascade Epiphany in purple.

Sheila is working on:

Sockhead Hat (modified)

Felted Clogs by Bev Galeskas

Rate Your Date:

Sheila finished:

Windschief by Stephen West

Wendy showed the wet-blocked version of the Brickless she finished several weeks ago after steam-blocking.

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (will be a wedding shawl) in Enchanted Knoll Farms lace with stellina.

Sheila will be knitting:

All of her ongoing WIPS.

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy showed:

Progress on Gracious Love cross stitch pattern from ModernFolk 

Boston You Are Here Mug from Starbucks (mine didn't cost as much as the one linked!!)

Sparkly Stellina Lace yarn from Enchanted Knoll Farms (specially ordered for me, because Josette ROCKS!)

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

North Shore Yarn Crawl, Massachusetts, 3/13-3/16, various yarn stores.  Sheila may attend with a friend, Wendy is skipping this year.

Conn Sheep and Wool in Vernon, CT 4/26/14.  Sheila and I plan on attending if possible.

Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place, Waltham, MA 4/26/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

NH Sheep and Wool at Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield, NH 5/10-5/11/14.  Wendy plans on attending with her family.

Webs Tent Sale at Webs Yarn Store, Northampton, MA, 5/17-5/18/14.  Wendy plans to attend on Saturday.

MA Sheep and Wool at Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA 5/24-5/25/14.  Sheila may attend, Wendy will be unable to attend.

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.

TWO GREY DOGS DESIGNS CONTEST!!

Brianna and Bronwen, the two lovely New England ladies behind Two Grey Dogs Designs, are sponsoring an AWESOME contest this week.  Check out their shop HERE and then join our Ravelry group and post in our contest thread telling us which item you would like to win!  We will draw a prize winner next week!

Episode 147: We Believe in Child Labor

This week's FO is Sheila's Spice Man Socks. Featured WIPs include the Fuse Cardigan, Duotone Cowl, and Windschief Hat. It's school vacation week, so there are a lot of interruptions! Wendy shows some of her latest cross stitch purchases and we remind everyone that the itunes feed is in transition right now.

Show Notes

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Duotone Cowl by Orange Flower Yarn in Mad Color Fiber Arts Swoon base, the Campfire colorway, and Cascade Epiphany in purple.

Sheila is working on:

Windschief by Stephen West

Rate Your Date:

Spice Man Socks by Yarnissima in BMFA medium (mill end, unknown colorway)

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (will be a wedding shawl)

Sheila will be knitting:

Felted Clogs by Bev Galeskas

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy showed:

Carrot Thread Organizer from TreasuresFromTexas

Gracious Love cross stitch pattern from ModernFolk

Finished Totoro Cross Stitch Pattern from EpicKawaii

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

Conn Sheep and Wool in Vernon, CT 4/26/14.  Sheila and I plan on attending if possible.

Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place, Waltham, MA 4/26/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

NH Sheep and Wool at Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield, NH 5/10-5/11/14.  Wendy plans on attending with her family.

Webs Tent Sale at Webs Yarn Store, Northampton, MA, 5/17-5/18/14.  Wendy plans to attend on Saturday.

MA Sheep and Wool at Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA 5/24-5/25/14.  Sheila may attend, Wendy will be unable to attend.

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.

Episode 146: Depressing

This week, we draw a winner for the Subversive Socks pdf! WIPs include Sheila's Spice Man socks and Wendy's Fuse cardigan, the sweater that never ends. No FOs this week, although Wendy has progress on her Totoro cross stitch project. Wendy talks about her 8th year of survival after heart failure and her current winter depression, and Sheila talks about her new dryer! We also talk a bit about the Olympics and things we learned about Russia. 

Show Notes  

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Sheila is working on:

Spice Man Socks by Yarnissima in BMFA medium (mill end, unknown colorway)

Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson in Knitpicks Main Line (black, cream and taupe)

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Seacoast Handpainted Silk and Ivory in the Antique coloway.

Rate Your Date:

None this week.

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (will be a wedding shawl)

Duotone Cowl by Orange Flower Yarn

Sheila will be knitting:

Windschief by Stephen West

Felted Clogs by Bev Galeskas

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy showed:

Rabbit Thread Organizer from The Cottage Needle

Progress onTotoro Cross Stitch Pattern from EpicKawaii

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

Conn Sheep and Wool in Vernon, CT 4/26/14.  Sheila and I plan on attending if possible.

Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place, Waltham, MA 4/26/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

NH Sheep and Wool at Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield, NH 5/10-5/11/14.  Wendy plans on attending with her family.

Webs Tent Sale at Webs Yarn Store, Northampton, MA, 5/17-5/18/14.  Wendy plans to attend on Saturday.

MA Sheep and Wool at Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA 5/24-5/25/14.  Sheila may attend, Wendy will be unable to attend.

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.

This week, we drew winners for the Subversive Socks pdf contest.

Episode 145: Party On, Dude

This week, we draw prize winners for the January Stash Down Thread and the Doomsday Knits pdf file contest. WIPs include Wendy's Fuse Cardigan and Sheila's Clapotis and Spice Man socks. FOs include the Colorful Striped Cowl, which Sheila modified into a scarf. Baubles and bling include a ton of scarves Sheila's sister in law gave her, cross stitch supplies from epickawaii on etsy and the cottage needle, also on etsy, and Wendy's finished chubby bird project. Show Notes   KAL/CAL:  We are hosting a Stash Busting KAL/CAL for the month of January! Post a pic of your finished project made from yarn purchased at least 6 months ago in the January Stash Busters Thread and get that stash under control!  A winner will be drawn next week.

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Sheila is working on:

Spice Man Socks by Yarnissima in BMFA medium (mill end, unknown colorway)

Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson in Knitpicks Main Line (black, cream and taupe)

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Seacoast Handpainted Silk and Ivory in the Antique coloway.

Rate Your Date:

Sheila showed:

Striped Cotton Cowl by Purl Soho.  Sheila modified the pattern to be a scarf.  It was finished several weeks ago, but this is the first time her husband wasn't wearing it during the show!

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (will be a wedding shawl)

Duotone Cowl by Orange Flower Yarn

Sheila will be knitting:

Felted Clogs by Bev Galeskas

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy purchased:

Rabbit Thread Organizer from The Cottage Needle

Totoro Cross Stitch Pattern from EpicKawaii

Wendy also finished the Chubby Bird pattern from Red Gate Stitchery

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

Conn Sheep and Wool in Vernon, CT 4/26/14.  Sheila and I plan on attending if possible.

Gore Place Sheep Shearing Festival at Gore Place, Waltham, MA 4/26/14.  We do not plan on attending.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

NH Sheep and Wool at Deerfield Fairgrounds, Deerfield, NH 5/10-5/11/14.  Wendy plans on attending with her family.

Webs Tent Sale at Webs Yarn Store, Northampton, MA, 5/17-5/18/14.  Wendy plans to attend on Saturday.

MA Sheep and Wool at Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA 5/24-5/25/14.  Sheila may attend, Wendy will be unable to attend.

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.

This week, we drew winners for the Doomsday Knits pdf contest and the January Stash Down thread.  If you won the yarn prize, please contact Sheila on Ravelry with your address.

Episode 144: Warning: Subversive!

This week's episode features a review of the book Subversive Socks, which has some explicit language. There is a warning at the end, so you can skip that review if you like. WIPs this week include Wendy's Fuse cardigan, Sheila's Clapotis and Spice Man socks. FOs include Brickless in fingering weight. Lots of baubles and blings, including cool gnome stuff from Gnome Acres, lots of Sock Monkey goodies, yarn for Sheila, sheepy stitch markers, and some really cool needle gauges. Wendy also shows some cross stitching goodies. 

Show Notes 

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Sheila is working on:

Spice Man Socks by Yarnissima in BMFA medium (mill end, unknown colorway)

Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson in Knitpicks Main Line (black, cream and taupe)

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Seacoast Handpainted Silk and Ivory in the Antique coloway.

Rate Your Date:

Wendy finished:

Brickless by Martina Behm with Malabrigo sock in the Solis colorway.  This is an impromptu knit-along with a couple of friends who also missed the Brickless boat a few months ago, so join in if you did, too!

Sheila half-finished:

One Spice Man sock!

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Star Leaves Shawl by Jenny Johnson Johnen (will be a wedding shawl)

Sheila will be knitting:

Stitch Surfer by Louise Robert (free on Rav).  She will be using a tutorial from the Knitabulls Podcast for some extra instruction.

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy purchased:

Kelmscott Needle Minder from NeedleGoods on etsy.

A gnome-themed medium bag from Knittingsmybag on Big Cartel and was gifted a cute wedding cake themed bag to hold her wedding shawl!

Wendy and Sheila received lots of amazing presents from a viewer (Rav name Lavisa) and a wonderful prize donation from another viewer (Rav name 4kittieshavei).  There was so much to show that we won't be listing the links for the items.  PM us on Rav or ask a question in the thread for this episode if you have questions.

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

Last weeks book contest for Doomsday Knits will continue for another week to allow everyone a chance to participate.

This week, Cooperative Press sent the following book for review:

Subversive Socks by Tabetha Hedrick.   We put up a warning in the podcast as some of the patterns were named and/or contained language that might be offensive to some viewers.  As the title suggests, the book contains sock patterns.  There is a section for more subtly subversive socks that contained a couple of patterns we really liked, such as the Stinky Socks and XXX socks.  As we noted in the review, even though some of the sock patters contain potentially offensive language, the designs are cute and could easily be modified to have no words or alternative words.  The overtly subversive sock section had a lot of designs that we admitted we probably wouldn't wear (although we both like the one with a word on the toe).  These patterns, too, could easily be modified.  At first glance, it's not a book that will appeal to everyone, but if you are willing to look beyond the language, there are a bunch of great patterns that you could really run with and make your own.  As always, Cooperative Press did a great job of setting up an easily-navigable PDF book.

If you'd like to win a free copy of this PDF, enter the contest on our Ravelry group and tell us which of the designs you would knit if you won the book, and who the socks would be for.  We will draw the winner in two weeks.

Episode 143: It's Apocalyptic

We review Doomsday Knits by Alexandra Tinsley this week. WIPs include Sheila's Clapotis, simple socks in medium weight Socks That Rock, and the Wallaby child's sweater, as well as Wendy's Fuse sweater and Brickless shawl. This weeks' FOs include the Colorful Cotton Cowl and the Little Sweetheart hat. Featured baubles and bling include the December 2013 Hello Yarn fiber club offering and Wendy's recent cross stitch purchases. We discuss some upcoming events in the fiber community as well. 

  Show Notes 

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Brickless by Martina Behm with Malabrigo sock in the Solis colorway.  This is an impromptu knit-along with a couple of friends who also missed the Brickless boat a few months ago, so join in if you did, too!

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Sheila is working on:

Spice Man Socks by Yarnissima in BMFA medium (mill end, unknown colorway)

Wonderful Wallaby by Carol A. Anderson in Knitpicks Main Line (black, cream and taupe)

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Seacoast Handpainted Silk and Ivory in the Antique coloway.

Rate Your Date:

Wendy finished:

Little Sweetheart Hat by Melody Rogers in Bernat Felting Natural Wool.

Sheila finished:

Striped Cotton Cowl by Purl Soho in Sugar and Cream kitchen cotton with DMC floss.

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year, but so far has failed in keeping up with that resolution!

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Sheila will be knitting:

Stitch Surfer by Louise Robert (free on Rav).  She will be using a tutorial from the Knitabulls Podcast for some extra instruction.

Baubles & Bling:

Wendy purchased:

Hello Yarn December 2013 Fiber Club in Southdown, colorway A Little Zip and Sizzle

Little Elephant cross stitch pattern from Red Gate Stitchery on etsy, which was completed last week.  Wendy also purchased a Chubby Bird pattern from the same etsy store.

Gossip & Innuendo:

SPA 2014 in Freeport, Maine 2/28 - 3/2/2014.  Sheila and I will not be attending the marketplace this year, unfortunately.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2014 at Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, MD, 5/3-5/4/2014.  Wendy plans on attending.

Last weeks book contest will continue for another week to allow everyone a chance to participate, since the blog post went up a bit late.  The rest of the book review contests will also run for 2 weeks.

This week, Cooperative Press sent the following book for review:

Doomsday Knits by Alexandra Tinsley.  Wendy and Sheila liked the quirky and innovative design features of the garments and enjoyed the fun descriptions and comic book style apocalypse schematic.  Although some projects were definitely skewed towards younger and thinner knitters, there were definitely several patterns that would work for heavier and older knitters, and the author made a good effort to provide broad ranges of sizes.  There are a lot of great accessory projects that would work for all knitters.  As always, Cooperative Press did a great job of setting up an easily-navigable PDF book.  The only draw back was that some projects did not have photos that gave the knitter a good idea of the style or fit of the garment/accessory.

If you'd like to win a free copy of this PDF, enter the contest on our Ravelry group and tell us which of the designs you would knit if you won the book.  We will draw the winners in two weeks.


Next week,  Subversive Socks by Tabitha Hedrick (in two weeks).

Episode 142: Spolier Alert: Chatty!

This week's WIPs include the Cotton Cowl by Purl Soho, the Fuse Sweater by Veronik Avery and the Brickless shawl by Martina Behm. We have no FOs this week because we recorded only 3 days after the last show! Book reviews this week include Dishcloth Divas and Hank and Gracie Save The Day from Cooperative Press. 

Show Notes 

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

On The Dance Card:

Wendy is working on:

Brickless by Martina Behm with Malabrigo sock in the Solis colorway.  This is an impromptu knit-along with a couple of friends who also missed the Brickless boat a few months ago, so join in if you did, too!

Fuse by Veronik Avery in Reynolds Revue, red color way (this yarn is discontinued).

Sheila is working on:

Striped Cotton Cowl by Purl Soho in Sugar and Cream kitchen cotton with DMC floss.

Clapotis by Kate Gilbert in Seacoast Handpainted Silk and Ivory in the Antique coloway.

Rate Your Date:

Nothing this week.

Whirlwind Romance:

None this week.  Wendy plans to try and spin at least 15 minutes a week this year.

Future Dates:

Wendy will be knitting:

The Bees headband by Alana Dakos (gift from Fraydele)

Little Sweetheart Hat by Melody Rogers (gift from Knittingsmybag)

Sheila will be knitting:

Stitch Surfer by Louise Robert (free on Rav).  She will be using a tutorial from the Knitabulls Podcast for some extra instruction.

Baubles & Bling:

None this week.

Gossip & Innuendo:

Cooperative Press sent the following books for review:

Hank and Gracie Save The Day By Stacy Klaus.  Wendy reviewed this book, which is a children's story about two Westie dogs.  It has bonus coloring pages, a website with further adventures and two cute knitting patterns.  You can win a PDF copy of this book by entering the contest on our Ravelry page.

Dishcloth Diva Knits On!  by Deb Buckingham.  Sheila reviewed this book, which contains 15 dishcloth patterns perfect for individual gifts.  It also has information on using wool instead of cotton and creating an amazing afghan with the squares.  You can win a PDF copy of this book by entering the contest on our Ravelry page as well.

Upcoming reviews will feature the Cooperative Press books Doomsday Knits by Alexandra Tinsley (next week) and Subversive Socks by Tabitha Hedrick (in two weeks).