Sunday, July 26, 2015

Episode Nine - In Which I Spin


Welcome to episode nine of "Stitching Between Pages"! I hope you enjoy watching, and thank you for checking it out.

Please get in touch!
Ravelry Group: Stitching Between Pages Podcast
Ravelry: halfpass92
Twitter: @medievalisting
Instagram: medievalisting

WIPs:
1. "Castle Socks," using the "Vanilla Bean Socks" pattern by Emily O'Grady. Knit in KnitPicks Felici in the "Wizard" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm ChiaoGoo Premium Stainless Steel DPNs. (Modifications: Slipping every fourth stitch rather than every other stitch.)
2. Vanilla socks. Knit in West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-ply in the "Blue Tit" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
3. "Red Robin Shawl," by Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade. Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock in the "Bunting" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" fixed circular. Knit for the Bakery Bears' Brit-A-Long KAL.
4. Granny square crochet blanket - which last appeared on episode five.

Spinning:
I'm spinning some Cephalopod Yarns Bugga! Fiber in the "Ursula" colorway. It's 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. The braid had 4 oz. but I don't have the entire braid since it was a very sweet gift from my friend who gave me a spinning lesson! I'm spinning it on my Schacht Hi-Lo Spindle.

Pretty New Yarn (& Fiber!):
1. Purl Soho Line Weight, "Toasted Charcoal" and "Pink Grapefruit" colorways
2. The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway
3. Fibernymph Dyeworks, "Rainbow Riot" colorway (thanks, Jeanette!)
4. Space Cadets Mini Skein Club minis (thanks, Jeanette!)
5. Malabrigo Nube fiber in the "Piedras" colorway
6. Naturally Knitty puni-style rolags in the "Crazy like a Fox" colorway (thanks, Jeanette!)

Books:
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. Letters from Skye, by Jessica Brockmole
3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamine Alire Saenz

Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. Here's links to Purl Soho (in Manhattan) and Argyle (in Brooklyn).
2. The Brooklyn Brainery is amazing, and if any of you are in Brooklyn, you should check it out!
3. Also while in New York, I walked past my favorite building, the Flatiron, stopped at Bryant Park and the New York Public Library for their "Over Here: WWI and the Fight for the American Mind" exhibit, and ended up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the John Singer Sargent exhibit. The Jaharis Lectionary is the Byzantine manuscript that I mentioned.
4. If anyone's curious about We Need Diverse Books / #weneeddiversebooks, here's some more information.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Episode Eight - In Which I Share My Love of Historic House Museums


Welcome to episode eight of "Stitching Between Pages"! I hope you enjoy watching, and thank you for checking it out.

Please get in touch!
Ravelry Group: Stitching Between Pages Podcast
Ravelry: halfpass92
Twitter: @medievalisting
Instagram: medievalisting

FOs:
1. "Turkish Bed Socks," by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas. Knit in Koigu KPPPM, dye code P118C290. Knit on US3/3.25mm Knitter's Pride Cubics DPNs.
2. Vanilla socks with a fish lips kiss heel. Knit in Malabrigo Sock in the "Lettuce" colorway with heels/toes in Cascade Heritage Sock in the "Snow" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm ChiaoGoo Premium Stainless Steel DPNs. The green & cream socks -- at last -- are finished!

WIPs:
1. "Vanilla Bean Socks," by Emily O'Grady. Knit in KnitPicks Felici in the "Wizard" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm ChiaoGoo Premium Stainless Steel DPNs. (Modifications: Slipping every fourth stitch rather than every other stitch.)
2. "Red Robin Shawl," by Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade. Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock in the "Bunting" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" fixed circular. Knit for the Bakery Bears' Brit-A-Long KAL.
3. "Reyna" shawl, by Noora Laivola. Knit in Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply in the "Coffee Break" colorway. Knit on US4/3.50mm Knitter's Pride Karbonz, 40" fixed circular.
4. "Campside" shawl, by Alicia Plummer. Knit in Loop Studio in the "Charcoal" colorway. Knit on US7/4.50mm Knitter's Pride Karbonz.
5. Welcome Pineapple cross stitch.

Pretty New Yarn:
1. KnitPicks Felici, "Wizard" and "Baker Street" colorways
2. KnitPicks Stroll, "Dogwood Heather" colorway (destined to be the Strand Hill Cardigan)
3. KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway (destined to be a top - either Featherweight or Lobelia are possibilities)
4. West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4-Ply, "Blue Tit" and "Bullfinch" colorways

Books:
1. Anne of Green Gables, by L. M. Montgomery (and yep, she's Lucy Maud)

Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, which I visited in 2013 (I'm not sure if that was clear from the podcast or not -- this wasn't a recent trip!). Absolutely worth a visit if you find yourself in NYC. The tour I went on was the "Sweatshop Workers" tour; I'd highly recommend it. I hope to go on more of their tours in the future!
2. Here's a little bit of history about the pineapple as a symbol of hospitality beginning in the early modern world, as explorers first brought the pineapple to Europe and North America.
3. Monticello! It's a beautiful house; if you ever find yourself in that part of the world, it is worth a visit. Jefferson may not have chosen the greatest location from an 18th-century standpoint, but this 21st-century visitor loves the views from the hilltop. I didn't mention the tea room, which is possibly my favorite room in the house. Also, Jefferson is the one who famously wrote to John Adams, "I cannot live without books." He sold his substantial collection to the US government in order to pay off some of his debts (he still died over $100,000 in debt) -- that collection became the foundation of the present Library of Congress, after the initial collection burned during the War of 1812. He then bought more books. You can see Jefferson's revolving bookstand in this image of his cabinet. (Fascinatingly, similar bookstands were in use during the medieval period.)
4. Here's the website for Beekman 1802, a beautiful historic farm in upstate New York. I purchased their Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook at Monticello.
6. And, as promised, here's the photo of the butterfly I spotted at Monticello. Does anyone know what kind it is?