FO:
1. "Upstairs Downstairs" cowl in the smallest size, by Paula Emons-Fuessle of the Knitting Pipeline podcast. Knit in Mrs. Crosby Hatbox sport-weight in the "French Chambray" colorway. Knit on US7/4.5mm KnitPicks Caspian 16" circular.
WIPs:
1. Vanilla socks. Knit in Night Owl Fibers yarn (the base with stellina) in the "Peppermint Swirls" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
2. "Kaerlig" fingerless mitts, by Ysolda Teague. Knit in Quince & Co. Finch in the "Bosc" colorway. Knit on US2.5/3.00mm 32" HiyaHiya circular.
3. Granny Square Blanket, crocheted with an E/4 hook from random sock-weight scraps.
Pretty New Yarn!:
1. Madelinetosh DK Twist in the "Chicory" colorway
2. Skein Top Draw Sock in the "Industrial Age" and "Silva" colorway
3. Misti Alpaca Handpaint Sock Yarn Fingering in the "Eiffel" colorway
4. Lopi Lettlopi in four colors (light gray, dark gray, green, and blue) plus other lovelies from Mina of the Knitting Expat podcast and her 3,000 subscribers giveaway
Book:
1. Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin
Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. I was wearing my Pebble Beach Shawlette (link to my Ravelry page). I love this shawl!
2. The Lettlopi skeins are destined to become the Baa-Ble Hat.
3. The Newberry Library in Chicago has an annual used book sale which is absolutely amazing. If you are in the area on the last weekend of July, I highly recommend going along and taking a look! In the meantime, the Book Fair Blog is always good for a chuckle.
Welcome to episode twenty-one of "Stitching Between Pages"! I hope you enjoy watching, and thank you for checking it out. Also, thank you for your patience with these delayed show notes.
FOs:
1. "Conversationalist" hat no. 2, by The Plucky Knitter. Knit in KnitPicks City Tweed HW/Aran in the "Orca," "Snowshoe," and "Lemon Curd" colorways. Knit on US5/3.75mm and US7/4.5mm KnitPicks Caspian 16" circulars. In the end, I kept the second hat I knit (with Snowshoe as the ribbing/first color and Orca as the pom-pom). It bore up very well to the -25°F (approximately -31°C for my Centigrade friends) windchill.
WIPs:
1. "Upstairs Downstairs" cowl in the smallest size, by Paula Emons-Fuessle of the Knitting Pipeline podcast. Knit in Mrs. Crosby Hatbox sport-weight in the "French Chambray" colorway. Knit on US7/4.5mm KnitPicks Caspian 16" circular.
2. "Kaerlig" fingerless mitts, by Ysolda Teague. Knit in Quince & Co. Finch in the "Bosc" colorway. Knit on US2.5/3.00mm KnitPicks Sunstruck DPNs.
3. "The Doodler," by Stephen West (2015 WestKnits MKAL). Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway; Dream in Color Jilly, "Basalt" colorway; and Manos del Uruguay Fino, "Ivory Letter Opener" colorway. Knit on US4/3.50mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
4. Vanilla socks. Knit in Night Owl Fibers yarn (the base with stellina) in the "Peppermint Swirls" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs. I linked in the show-notes for episode twenty to the tutorial I used for the picot edge.
Spinning:
1. After a while away, I finally finished the third ounce of my YarnRescue Polwarth braid in the "Eggplant" colorway. I'm spinning it on my Schacht Hi-Lo spindle.
Pretty New Yarn!:
1. Two skeins of MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light in the "Modern Fair Isle" colorway.
2. Freia Fine Handpaints fingering weight in the "South Beach" gradient colorway. AHHHH!
Book:
1. Parrot and Olivier in America, by Peter Carey.
2. I mentioned in passing Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton.
Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is fantastic. It's a group of glacial lakes on the Minnesota/Canada border (and the BWCAW in the US abuts Canada's Quetico Provincial Park and Voyageurs National Park). And yes, I have carried both a 50lb backpack and a 60lb canoe over quarter- to half-mile portages. If you are curious, here is the website of Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, where my mug is from and the canoe outfitters that my group used (and has used for years).
2. I was wearing my Strand Hill Cardigan (link to my Ravelry project page). Although the sleeves look a bit skewed on the video, they are not that way in real life!
3. Hamilton the musical. Here's their official website. The original cast recording is available as a CD and for streaming on Spotify. The musical, by Lin-Manuel Miranda (the link goes to his bio on the MacArthur Foundation website, because he received a MacArthur Grant this year), is based on the biography by Ron Chernow. And here are the super-helpful annotated lyrics to the full cast recording.
4. If you're in Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium is well worth a visit. I greatly enjoyed visiting with a friend after many years since my previous visit.
5. I am so, so excited to be playing Dan Jones of the Bakery Bears podcast in their knitting quiz show, "Knit or Forfeit," this spring! Our specialist topic will be -- what else?! -- history. Coming to the Bakery Bears podcast sometime this spring.
1. Vanilla socks. Knit in KnitPicks Felici in the "Baker Street" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
2. "Hermaness Hat," by Gudrun Johnston. Knit in Brooklyn Tweed Loft in the "Almanac" colorway. Knit on US2/2.75mm Knitter's Pride Karbonz, 16" circular.
3. "Conversationalist" hat, by The Plucky Knitter. Knit in KnitPicks City Tweed HW/Aran in the "Orca," "Snowshoe," and "Lemon Curd" colorways. Knit on US5/3.75mm and US7/4.5mm KnitPicks Caspian 16" circulars. (I gave the wrong name for the dark gray on the podcast! It's "Orca," not "Onyx.")
WIPS:
1. "Conversationalist" hat the second. Same details as the FO, just with the colors in a different order!
2. Vanilla socks. Knit in Night Owl Fibers yarn (the base with stellina) in the "Peppermint Swirls" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNS. I used this lovely tutorial for the picot edge.
3.. "Featherweight Cardigan," by Hannah Fettig. Knit in KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
4. "The Doodler," by Stephen West (2015 WestKnits MKAL). Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway; Dream in Color Jilly, "Basalt" colorway; and Manos del Uruguay Fino, "Ivory Letter Opener" colorway. Knit on US4/3.5mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
5. Granny Square Blanket, crocheted with an E/4 hook from random sock-weight scraps.
Pretty New Yarn!:
1. Three gorgeous skeins of Blacker Yarns Cornish Tin DK from Raza Wool in the "Levant Grey," "Pengenna Green," and "Wheal Rose Red" colorways. (I checked, and they do still have some DK-weight Cornish Tin as of Sunday evening, December 27, 2015.)
2. Lambspun Great American Buffalo Yarn in the "Aubergine Eggplant" colorway.
3. Camelot Dyeworks Galahad Sock in the "Sunflower" colorway. (Plus a fun miniskein!)
Books:
1. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard
2. Quilt As-You-Go Made Modern: Fresh Techniques for Busy Quilters, by Jera Brandvig
Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, TX, is really delightful. If you're in the area, I definitely recommend going! My favorite painting in their permanent collection is "The Cardsharps," by Caravaggio. The special Caillebotte exhibit was a real treat, too. Here's the "Floor Planers" painting that started Caillebotte's career. The "Paris Street, Rainy Day" painting, which is normally at the Art Institute of Chicago, was on display in this exhibit. Previously, the exhibit was on display at the National Gallery of Art in DC; they have a slideshow of some of the paintings from the exhibit, including "The Boulevard Seen From Above," which is the painting I loved with the ginkgo tree. And, here's a bit of information about the Castiglione exhibit.
3. For those curious about Mary Beard's blog, "A Don's Life," it is online here (it's for the Times Literary Supplement). Her Twitter handle is @wmarybeard. If anyone is curious about 1453 as an "end date" for the Roman Empire, the Wikipedia article is rather good -- the capitol city of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople, fell to the Ottomans.
1. Vanilla socks. Knit in KnitPicks Felici in the "Baker Street" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
2. "Featherweight Cardigan," by Hannah Fettig. Knit in KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
3. "The Doodler," by Stephen West (2015 WestKnits MKAL). Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway; Dream in Color Jilly, "Basalt" colorway; and Manos del Uruguay Fino, "Ivory Letter Opener" colorway. Knit on US4/3.5mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
Upcoming Projects:
1. Some fingerless mitts or mittens - pattern TBD (let me know if you have any suggestions!) - out of Quince & Co. Finch in the "Bosc" colorway.
Pretty New Yarn!:
1. Gorgeous miniskeins from Julie as part of the JunkYarn minis swap!
2. Two gorgeous skeins of fingering weight yarn from February Storm Yarns on Etsy. One for me, and one for a lucky winner in the upcoming Post-Christmas Blues KAL!
3. Two gorgeous skeins of sock yarn from Night Owl Fibers on Etsy -- thank you, Rachel, for your kind donation to the podcast. It looks like she still has some Christmas colors in her shop!
Book: 1. The Dovekeepers, by Alice Hoffman. I did not mention it, but if you enjoyed The Dovekeepers, you might also enjoy The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant -- and vice versa, if you enjoyed The Red Tent, you might also enjoy The Dovekeepers.
Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. I mentioned the BeeCount app, which is the app I've used for counting rows. It is basic, but I really like it. Helpfully, it keeps your phone screen turned on while the app is open, so you don't constantly need to unlock your phone while you're knitting. I'm not sure if there is an iPhone version -- I'm a committed Android user.
2. If you're interested in learning about Josephus the Historian (37-c. 100 AD), the Wikipedia page is a pretty good starting place. He was Jewish, as I mentioned, and was captured by the Romans. In exchange for his life, he wrote for Vespasian -- when Vespasian became emperor, he granted Josephus his freedom.
3. I showed the little house ornament that I knit last year -- here's a link to my project page for it, and that includes a link to the pattern.
Post-Christmas Blues KAL!:
1. A reminder that the rules for the KAL are posted over in the Ravelry group in the "Chatter" thread. Please wait to cast on until January 1!
2. As promised, I'll come up with a hashtag for the KAL for Instagram in the next few days. Once I do, I'll post about it in the "Chatter" thread. It would be great to be able to see everyone's progress that way.
3. We have THREE really exciting prizes! I'm really looking forward to giving them away at the end of the KAL. One is a gorgeous blue skein from February Storm Yarns. The second is a generous donation of some self-striping yarn from Rachel of Night Owl Fibers in the "Flying Solo" colorway. The third is an equally-generous donation of the winner's choice of bag from any bag in the Jibbyroo Sews shop (thank you so much, Michelle, and I am so sorry that I blanked on your name while I was filming!).
WIPs:
1. Granny Square Blanket, crocheted with an E/4 hook from random sock-weight scraps.
2. "Hermaness Hat," by Gudrun Johnston. Knit in Brooklyn Tweed Loft, "Almanac" colorway. Knit on US2/2.75mm Knitter's Pride Karbonz, 16" circular.
3. "Featherweight Cardigan," by Hannah Fettig. Knit in KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
4. Vanilla socks. Knit in KnitPicks Felici in the "Baker Street" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
5. "The Doodler," by Stephen West (2015 WestKnits MKAL). Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway; Dream in Color Jilly, "Basalt" colorway; and Manos del Uruguay Fino, "Ivory Letter Opener" colorway. Knit on US4/3.5mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
Book:
1. Muse and Reverie: A Newford Collection, by Charles de Lint. (I also mentioned his novel The Onion Girl.)
Other Miscellaneous Mentions:
1. The Post-Christmas Blues KAL will be taking place in January and February 2016! Get your blue yarn ready; more details will be forthcoming in the next episode.
2. I was wearing my Reyna shawl, knit from Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply in "Coffee Break."
Welcome to episode seventeen of "Stitching Between Pages"! I hope you enjoy watching, and thank you for checking it out.
I filmed this episode before hearing the news about Paris. To any and all of my viewers in France, please know that my thoughts are with you and your country.
WIPs: 1. "The Doodler," by Stephen West (2015 WestKnits MKAL). Knit in The Wool Barn Luxury Sock, "Butterfly" colorway; Dream in Color Jilly, "Basalt" colorway; and Manos del Uruguay Fino, "Ivory Letter Opener" colorway. Knit on US4/3.5mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
2. "Featherweight Cardigan," by Hannah Fettig. Knit in KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular.
3. Granny Square Blanket, crocheted with an E/4 hook from random sock-weight scraps.
Book: 1. The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman.
Other Miscellaneous Mentions: 1. I mentioned one of the hats I've knit previously, the Druidess Beret (I got the name wrong!), and my Endpaper Mitts.
2. I mentioned Ysolda Teague's pattern, Blank Canvas, which I have not knit but would love to, and also her new fair isle pattern.
2. The Post-Christmas Blues KAL will be taking place in January and February 2016! Get your blue yarn ready, and more details will be forthcoming in early December. There's going to be some fun prizes, and I can't wait to share them with you all!
FO: Vanilla socks. Knit in Fibernymph Dyeworks in the "Rainbow Riot" colorway. Knit on US1/2.25mm HiyaHiya Sharps DPNs.
WIPs: 1. "Hermaness Hat," by Gudrun Johnston. Knit in Brooklyn Tweed Loft, "Almanac" colorway. Knit on US2/2.75mm Knitter's Pride Karbonz, 16" circular.
2. "Reversible Mug Mat," by The River Knitter. Knit in Brooklyn Tweed Loft on US1.5/2.5mm ChiaoGoo needles, 36" circular. 3. "Featherweight Cardigan," by Hannah Fettig. Knit in KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud, "Beth" colorway. Knit on US6/4.00mm HiyaHiya Sharps, 32" circular. 4. Granny Square Blanket, crocheted with an E/4 hook from random sock-weight scraps.
Spinning: 1. I've made a bit more progress on my YarnRescue Polwarth braid in the "Eggplant" colorway. It's a 4.2oz braid, 100% Polwarth. I'm spinning it on my Schacht Hi-Lo spindle.
Pretty New Yarn & Fiber: 1. Lovely mini-skein swap from Celine (CirceBellesB on Ravelry and Instagram). She included a skein of Regia Nuance Color and a skein of Rowan 4-Ply Soft. Plus, the amazing woodland friends bag from JibbyRoo Sews!
2. Pencil Roving Tarts in the "Harvest Festival" colorway, 100% merino, 2oz., from Narwhal Needlework. (She has beautiful yarn, too!)
Books!:
1. Regeneration, by Pat Barker.
2. Up the Line to Death: The War Poets, 1914-1918, edited/anthologized by Brian Gardner. 3. I, Claudius, by Robert Graves (briefly mentioned).
4. All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (briefly mentioned).
5. If you are looking for other war novels to read around Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day (11 November), I've got a few other recommendations that I didn't mention that are not WWI-related. The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is the classic collection of Vietnam War short stories. Last year's National Book Award winner was Redeployment, a collection of short stories by Phil Klay about the war in Iraq (I have a lot of complicated feelings about this anthology, but I do recommend it). For a book set during wartime but not about soldiers, if you have not read All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, it was shortlisted for last year's National Book Award and is set during WWII. It's incredible. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is a fantastic young adult novel about two young women and their friendship during WWII.
Other Miscellaneous Mentions: 1. Mentioned Knitting Expat and Fluffy Fibers podcasts, both on YouTube.
2. I mentioned my Parson mittens which I knit out of Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Here's a link to my project page on Ravelry, which includes a link to the pattern. They are great mittens!
3. I also mentioned my Beltane shawl, which I was wearing this episode. That link goes to my Ravelry project page.
4. Here, from the Poetry Foundation, are a selection of WWI poems organized by the year that they were written, so you can trace the change in tone as the war dragged on. Among the most well-known war poems are "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen; "Anthem for Doomed Youth" also by Wilfred Owen; "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon (with the famous lines: "They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: / Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn. / At the going down of the sun and in the morning / We will remember them."); and "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae. The poem I read was "The Dug-Out" by Siegfried Sassoon.
5. If you'd like to listen to some amazing readings of these powerful poems, here are a few. Christopher Eccleston's reading of "Dulce et Decorum Est." Dame Helen Mirren reading Siegfried Sassoon's "Attack." Gemma Arterton also read "Attack" -- it's always interesting to see what two readers do differently. I'm certain Tom Hiddleston has read some WWI poetry, but wasn't able to find it (alas, alas). If you only listen to one of these links, Christopher Eccleston's reading of "Dulce et Decorum Est" is absolutely haunting and devastating.
6. What do you all think about a "Post-Christmas Blues" KAL? The idea would be to knit something with blue yarn (more than 50% blue, anything larger than a blanket square or tiny tiny project -- hat, socks, shawl, etc.).
