Episode 36: Sweather Weather (Or Brenda Castiel Knits a Twenty-Year Sweater)

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Today’s episode is sponsored by the Mean Girls’ Yarn Club, Episode 6: And So It Begins! There are a few spots still available. The More The Scarier! Visit the website for all the gory details. http://meangirlsyarnclub.blogspot.com

Catching Up: (0:38)

Laura has been catching up with summer television. She’s really enjoying Continuum, Suits, The Last Ship, and is going to start watching Turn. She’s finished dying yarn for Yarnosphere and CogKNITive and is excited to have 3 new colorways for Lambie Toes and 1 new colorway for Dizzy Blonde sock. She’s happy she just paid off her car as well. She had a bit of an accident with bacon grease, which is unfortunate. She also has a bit of hand pain right now.

Jen opened her show and is thrilled with how it’s going, especially since it’s inspired by true stories from people who live in the community. She shares this video about a sewing circle and the power of crafting to create a community, which is one of the stories that inspired her show. She’s taking a Shakespeare class, which is really exciting. She’s been watching Gotham and she sees potential, even if the show isn’t great yet. She’s been doing some cross-stitch with a kit from Watty’s Wall Stuff. And she’s learning some new music for a Bob Dylan/Dylan Thomas tribute, which is also a fundraiser for Interval House.

In the Knitting Bag: (15:23)

Laura has been working on her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Mocha. She’s done with the center panel. She’s doing another hat for Halos of Hope. She wants to do some lace but she’s not sure what.

Jen started her Chickadee Cardigan by Ysolda Teague again. She’s much happier with the colorwork this time around. She’s making it out of Quince and Co. Chickadee. She’s done with the yoke and working on the first sleeve.  She’s been working on her Heirloom Layette Set by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence out of Cascade Heritage in Snow. She’s done with the lace section, so now she just has the garter stitch and then the knitted on border. And she’s been working on her Ohana mitts (her own design).

Finished Objects: (20:22)

Laura finished her Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt for her step-granddaughter. They were knit out of Knitpicks Brava Worsted in dark pink with rainbow scales from The Ringlord.com. And she finished a hat for Halos of Hope out of Knitpicks Brava in Camel Heather and Vanna’s Choice Lavender.

Jen hasn’t really finished anything. She needs to block things. Lots of things!

We mention Craftsy, specifically their Intarsia Class by Sally Melville.

Devil’s Tower: (24:24)

Laura has been UFO free, because she cleaned out all of her UFOs and frogged them.

Jen pulled out her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts (made of of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant) and finished the knitting. She still has to weave in ends, block it, and do all the finishing work so she’s not counting it as done.

Frog Pond: (27:15)

Laura hasn’t been knitting much so she has nothing to report and she’s more used to the Yggdrasil pattern, so she’s able to fix her mistakes quickly.

When Jen picked up her Leah’s Lovely, she had put the stitches on waste yarn because she needed the needles for something else. Since the pattern has you hold the yoke stitches on waste yarn and pick them up for the neckband. So she picked it up, assuming she was done with the yoke and started the button bands. The she realized that she hadn’t actually completed the yoke (it was maybe an inch short) and done the last decrease row. She didn’t want to rip out the button bands so she did the last decrease row and tried it on and it fits, so she left it. But she probably should have marked where she was in the pattern.

Jen also had a bit of trouble with her Chickadee, mostly because she can’t count when she’s sick.

On Deck: (29:50)

Laura wants to make to make Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of Knitpicks Chroma in Jam Jar and Gloss in black, Ink by Hanna Maciejewska out of Dizzy Blonde Studios Superwash Sock in Applegate, Motoring Madness mittens by Audrey Nicklin for her husband, and the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK.  She also wants to makeDeath Star by Patricia Castillo, the Crochet Fan Shawl by Valerie Martin, and Art Déco by Nadita Swings.

Jen has the same baby stuff on her list (Dump Truck Cardigan, the Porcupine Blanket from 60 Quick Baby Knits out of Cascade 220 Superwash, another Playful Stripes Cardigan, the Baby Yours Sweater, and more sweaters for herself.

We mention the Knitmore Girls and their Fit, Flatter, and Feel Wonderful KAL, Susan B. Anderson’s Project Sweater Chest, and Marly Bird’s Curvy Knits Craftsy Class.

Knit Culture: (35:58)

We interview designer Brenda Castiel. We talk about her history as a knitter and a designer. We talk about her newest shawl, the Winona Shawl. She also has a great blog, Knits and Travel, where she documents her knitting and travel life.

We give a recap of Knit Dizzney, which was awesome and we had a blast. Thank you to everyone who came; we loved seeing you all. And thank you to our awesome sponsors. Pam Haschke of Halos of Hope and Erika Hernandez of Cooperative Press provided the prizes. Mad Color Fiber Arts, Skeindalous Yarns, and Dizzy Blonde Studios provided the mini-skeins and coupon codes. One Geek To Craft Them All provided the stitch markers. Cheryl Joy Kong of Thirty One Gifts provided the pen and mini-catalog. And Alamitos Bay Yarn Company provided the skeins of sparkly yarn. So thank you to all of them!

We mention our September Stashdown Challenge which is Pirates vs. Ninjas. And our October challenge, which is Fall Festivals (Halloween, Samhain, Harvest, whatever you celebrate).

Geek Culture: (59:26)

We mention the Stash2Go app, another app that works with Ravelry (like Yarma and Wooly).

We also point out the Firefly fan film “The Verse.”

Events: (1:01:57)

We will be at Yarnosphere on October 4th and 5th at the Expo Arts Center in Bixby Knolls in Long Beach. Dizzy Blonde will be a vendor and Jen will just be there for fun.

And Jen and Laura will both be at the CogKNITive Fiber Retreat on October 11 in the La Quinta Inn in Tehachapi. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending.

That same weekend (October 11) is the Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta in Downtown San Diego. We aren’t going, but it sounds great.

WeFF will be November 2nd, 2014 in Torrance. Dizzy Blonde Studios will be vending.  It’s a lot of fun, with great demonstrations, raffles, and lots of cool vendors.

Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don’t forget to post your finished September projects in the thread! Keep stashing down!