Episode 11: Sitting in a Closet Eating Rice for a Week (Or Melissa Builds a Better Yarn Crawl)

KnottyGirls Knitcast

Today’s episode is sponsored by Dizzy Blonde Studios. For beautifully hand-dyed yarns and inspired knit design, please visit DizzyBlondeStudios.etsy.com

Throwdown Update (1:28)

Check out Episode 8.5 for Throwdown information.

Knit Knit Cafe has joined the fray!

If you donate a hat for Team Knotty in October, you’ll receive the Full Tilt Hat pattern. Post in the thread to get your pattern. Also, join the Podcaster Throwdown Ravelry Group.

CozyCouch is awesome and has knitted 11 hats!

In addition to the lovely prizes from last week, JoniLvsNeddy has donated some really cute project bags for prizes.

Don’t forget to ship your hats to Purlescence Yarns, tagged for Team Knotty. Shipping information is here.

Purlescence Address:

Purlescence Yarns your name & the name of your team 564 South Murphy Ave Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Catching Up (4:52)

Jen sang at two charity gigs and she enjoyed it. She's started a new book about the Rocky Flats nuclear plant called Full Body Burden. She and Ron have been watching cheesy horror films, because it's October, including Carnival of Souls. She took a drop spindling class at CogKnitive, and she loved it.

Laura has returned from New Mexico, visiting her stepdaughter. She saw her stepdaughter in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She also started watching Doctor Who and Downton Abbey. The registration for the Sunnydale Yarn club are closed and the names have been drawn. Her dad is doing much better; thanks to all of you for your concern. And her remodel is almost done!

Melissa had to explain to her coworkers what a fiber retreat was. Also, they think yarn crawls involve a lot more booze than they do. Jen references this experiment.

In the Knitting Bag (12:22)

Jen has been working on her Bed Socks in Lemon Pattern with Fancy Knit Stripe from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush for Ron and the Socktober KAL/CAL out of Koigu in a very multi-colored colorway. Jen mentions Foxy Knits.

She's also working on her 30 Day Sweater out of Dizzy Blonde Superwash DK in the color Anna. She spent a lot of time working on cable charting. She also worked on her Rocky Coast Cardigan out of Fibre Company Organik in Highlands.

Laura has been working on her second pair of Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves by Jenny Williams out of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes in the Thistle Colorway. She’s also still working on her Udones (Roman socks0 in Knitpicks Palette in the color Clover.

We talk a bit about Naalbinding and the History Channel show Vikings.

Laura has also been working on her Sassitis (Clapotis) and her Gridiron Scarf (Lattice Wingspan), which are both very close to done.

Melissa knit a huge Mountain Ash Shawl and it killed her will to knit shawls, so she is working on Leah's Lovely Cardigan (her first sweater) from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo Sock in Archangel. She is also working on a lot of hats for Hatoween (with some help from Jen).

Finished Objects

Big Damn Heroes Two Butterfly Hats

Laura finished one pair of Tree of Life Mittens in the Forest Heather color of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes, two Olivia's Butterfly Hats for Halos of Hope out of Knitpicks Brava, and she finished her Mother Bears (faces and all). But really, Barbara from 2 Knit Lit Chicks did the faces.

Melissa has finished several Hatoween hats.

On Deck:

Laura is going to be test knitting a hat pattern for Steamlolita. She will be reworking a sock pattern to be rewritten for Lambie Toes Yarn for Socktober. We mention Four Weddings.

Jen will be jumping into crochet, making a Basic Stitches Crochet Hat for the Throwdown. Also other throwdown hats. She will be making a little sweater for her nephew's first birthday out of Delicious Yarn from Stitch Cafe.

Melissa will be making Throwdown hats with her leftover Hatoween yarn. She will also be making a very colorful striped cardigan.

Knit Culture (30:10)

We answer a question from MillieHanS. Any tricks, tips for knitting with two yarns - not necessarily together. Say one is a wool that can be blocked as for a lace edge but the ‘body’ of a rectangular shawl isn’t as stretchy. I can’t figure out a good way to determine repeats so they are the same width even tho I swatch.

Swatch. A lot. Wash and block the swatches. Swatch them together. Or find two yarns that are more similar if you can, because that might be more easy. Also consider if you're picking up stitches, changing yarns, knitting on a border--they will all change how it behaves.

A lifeline might be your best friend. Also don't be afraid to re-do things.

Jen and Melissa bought some great yarn at CogKnitive retreat including Forbidden Woolery, Knitted Wit yarn, bags from RKs Mom and Slipped Stitch Studios. Melissa bought a lot of Dizzy Blonde Yarn. And a lot of her yarn was pink. Jen and Melissa both bought some Indigo Dragonfly yarn and they love her color names. There were some great metal shawl pins. Jen got some great Bee Mice Elf fiber for spinning and wants to get some Red Fish Dye Works fiber when she's a better spinner.

Jamie of the Awesome Metalwork Pins in the Cogknitive Marketplace.

We also mention Dye for Yarns and Ladybug Fiber.

Geek Culture (46:26)

We geek out over Doctor Who and Torchwood.

Upcoming Events: (52:49)

We are having a Knitalong in October! The Socktober Knitalong! Knit something (anything (hats)) out of sock yarn (fingering weight or any yarn that would make good socks) or knit socks out of any weight yarn between October 1st and October 31st. Post finished projects there for a chance to win a prize. Please do a separate entry for each project. Hiya Hiya has provided some prizes and Joni has given a project bag as a prize.

We will be at the Southern California Handweaver’s Guild Annual Weaving and Fiber Festival (WEFF) at the Torrance Convention Center on Sunday November, 3rd. Parking is free, entry is seven dollars. Laura will be vending. You can drop off Halos Hats at her booth. We may be doing some knitalong action with Yarn on Tap there for the Throwdown; we will keep you posted. Come say hi.

We are working on some knitalong events for the Throwdown. We will keep you updated.

New milestone drawing at 500 members, so join our Ravelry group!