Knitting Pipeline is sponsored by my Longaberger home businessn and Quince & Co.

Knitting Pipeline is sponsored by Quince & Co. and Knitcircus Yarns

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Craftsy Sale and a New Sweater

I'm taking this week and next week off from the podcast to rest my voice and spend time with family.  Believe me, you do not want to hear my voice right now.

Craftsy is having a sale on popular knitting classes!  I just signed up for Susan B Anderson's Wee Ones for just $9.99 and Shoot It! A Product Photography Primer.  This might be a great time for you to take a Craftsy Class.  I have enrolled in several Craftsy classes and I just love that I can access them at any time and at my own pace.  Hurry to sign up for the classes at these fantastic prices.  Sale ends December 24.  You can also send a Craftsy Class as a gift.  As a Craftsy affiliate I do get credit for your purchases when you access Craftsy through my blog.  Thank you!~

I finished my nephew's sweater and will be talking about it on the show.  I can't wait to get photos of my handsome nephew modeling the sweater.  I used the Elizabeth Zimmermann Saddle Shoulder Sweater for a Guernsy style sweater.  I am quite pleased with the sweater. I used Quince & Co Lark in the Sabine colorway.

Yoke and neck detail

Saddle Shoulder decreases

Why is Blogger rotating my photos?  The color of the yarn is more like the first two photos.

This sweet little babe is my great-nephew.  He is wearing the Bene Bebe Hat I made for him.  Isn't he gorgeous?
Have a blessed Christmas!  Thank you for supporting the show this year. You are THE BEST listeners I could ever hope for.

Paula





Friday, December 14, 2012

Episode 113 Handmade Christmas 2012


Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. Flash Player is not compatible with Internet Explorer.

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co produce a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns in an historic spinnery in the state of Maine.  The wool comes from Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia sheep raised west of the Mississippi River.  You will find that Quince & Co 100% wool is a living fiber, beautiful, practical, sustainable, and affordable. Find them at www.quinceandco.com

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.

Pipeliner Notes

Last week I talked about the word eponymous and that I can never remember the definition.  I don’t think I will ever forget it now. 

Other words in the “can’t remember category” submitted by Pipeliners: metaphysical, homonym, prosaic, arcane, bemused, and hegemony.

List of most looked up words at Merriam Webster’s Dictionary.

Events:

Ellison Bay KAL will start on January 1 or thereabouts and I’ll be posting a schedule so you can complete the shawl in little bites.  This seemed to work well on the Hyla Brook KAL and makes the project manageable.  You will need 3 skeins of Quince & Co Chickadee or the equivalent in a sport weight yarn. Started a thread for the KAL so you can post your yarn and ask questions before we start.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced in January 2013.

Nature Notes

We still have not had snow here in Central Il.  The last snowfall was in early March 2012.

Needle Notes

Bronwyn finished Double Garter Stitch Cowl by Susan B Anderson.

 

Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelley Kang. I’m calling it my Kindness of Knitters Blanket. 

New contributions from Mariaeb, Stitchmistress, JaneSezKnit, KathyG, nanaelliott, shanalines, TheaMidnight, Pergola, Traci/4girls, Patfrag, Kissknits, Gumbygoogoo, PMack17, Auntea, CBaaknits, Texasmidwife, QuiltnKnitnut, fivepointedstar, Madmum, and Betsy/enw001.  That’s 25 Pipeliners so far. Thank you!
Lovely little skeins from a Pipeliner.

You can still send scraps of sock yarn to me for my KKB.

Knitting Pipeline, Box 549 Washington IL 61571

Progress Report. Started Nov 13 so after 4 weeks I have 65 blocks.

This week joined TheaMidnight and Madmum. Thank you again, Friends.  This is so much fun.

Andy’s Sweater.  Started on Dec 1, 2012  Saturday.  Ready to join sleeves to body.

Myth or Truth

Is it necessary to read through the whole pattern before knitting?  In our opinion this is a myth.  Just read ahead a little bit to catch any pesky “at the same times”.  Bronwyn and I agree that we have a good idea of the basic construction of a design before we even purchase the pattern.  If we had to read through the whole pattern then why would we jump on board with Mystery KALs?

Come into the Blethering Room for a Bit

Handmade Christmas 2012

Vanilla Extract recipe from Denise, one of our Pipeliners.  Post is here.

I bought 1# extract grade Madagascar Bourbon Planifolia vanilla beans from vanillaproductsusa.com
The recipe that came with it is as follows:
  1. Use 1/4 pound for every quart of extract
  2. Chop beans into 1/2 inch pieces. Slicing is ok, but it is a waste of time
  3. Use inexpensive name band Vodka, 70 to 90 proof Shake daily for one month.

Hmmmm.  I need Bronwyn’s help with these notes.  The thread is here.
Beaded Bracelets.  Pattern by Betsy Hershberger
Ladder Necklace sent to us by QuiltNknitnut aka Jo
 

High Note
Paula:  You Tube Tutorials
 

Knitting

Thank you to show sponsor Quince & Co and my Longaberger Home Business. 

Have a great week.  Haste ye back and Hold your knitting close.

 

Friday, December 7, 2012

Episode 112 Myth or Truth?


Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes.
This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co produce a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns in an historic spinnery in the state of Maine.  The wool comes from Merino, Rambouillet, and Columbia sheep raised west of the Mississippi River.  You will find that Quince & Co 100% wool is a living fiber, beautiful, practical, sustainable, and affordable. Find them at www.quinceandco.com

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.

I enjoy your feedback, comments on the blog, and questions.  Feel free to write to me at Paulaef@aol.com or on Ravelry as PrairiePiper.

Pipeliner Notes

Thanks to everyone who was in touch with me in the past week. I also want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes on Sunday.  Thank you very much.  This might be a good time to say that I generally don’t talk about gifts on the show until I use them or if the item comes up in the natural course of things.

I read a post from Michelle, Hapi2run.  You can read her lovely post here.

Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day.
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear.
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree.
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.

Events:
Ellison Bay KAL will start on January 1 or thereabouts and I’ll be posting a schedule so you can complete the shawl in little bites.  This seemed to work well on the Hyla Brook KAL and makes the project manageable.  You will need 3 skeins of Quince & Co Chickadee or the equivalent in a sport weight yarn.  The Ravelry Group thread is here.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced in a few months.

Nature Notes

Remember Bertie the Bat in Florida?  Karin wrote that Bertie is back in the shed as of Thanksgiving.  We’ve had unusually balmy weather for December. We haven’t even had snow yet and it is December 6th.  I’m sure most people are not complaining about that but it does seem a little odd when it is in the 60’s, nearly 70 degrees F as it was on December 2.  We still have lots of birds at the feeders even though the weather is mild.  Right now I am watching a female cardinal, a nuthatch, chickadees, goldfinches, purple finches, and a tufted titmouse at the feeder while a red bellied woodpecker looks for insects in a tree.  He occasionally flies to the feeder for a few sunflower seeds and then goes back to bob upwards along the trunk of the locust tree.  I told you that locust tree is a bird magnet with it’s bark full of insects and a knot that holds water. A blue jay is waiting to fly to the platform feeder.  He cocks his head and then decides to fly away.  I’m so glad to be seeing blue jays now after they took a hit with the West Nile Virus.  A bit deeper into the woods a hairy woodpecker is diligently pecking at the bark on a snag. Snags are dead and rotting trees that are still standing.  They may not look that pretty to us but they are rich for birds and other wildlife. There is no longer any green out in the woods except for patches of moss.  We have a path to our compost pile that is mostly moss.  At first we tried to vary our route to the compost so we wouldn’t wear a path but later gave up and decided that a path was a good thing.  There is so much activity at the feeders today that I would suspect a sudden weather change.  The birds seem to know when a storm system is coming through but I don’t think one is predicted.

Last week I talked about the pronounciation of Henry David Thoreu’s last name but it is hard to say it with the accent on the first syllable.  I found this information on a site.


A note on pronouncing the name Thoreau: in determining the way in which to pronounce his name, it seems best to bow to the authority of those who knew the Thoreau Family well. Edward Emerson, the son of Ralph Waldo Emerson, is very clear. In a letter to Dr. Loring Holmes Dodd, October 11, 1918, he wrote: "We always called my friend Thó-row, the h sounded, and accent on the first syllable." [The Goddard Biblio Log, Spring 1973, p. 7]

From A WINTER WALK

We sleep, and at length awake to the still reality of a

winter morning . The snow lies warm as cotton or down

upon the window-sill ; the broadened sash and frosted

panes admit a dim and private light, which enhances

the snug cheer within. The stillness of the morning is

impressive. The floor creaks under our feet as we move

toward the window to look abroad through some clear space over the fields . We see the roofs stand under their

snow burden . From the eaves and fences hang stalactites

of snow, and in the yard stand stalagmites covering

some concealed core. The trees and shrubs rear white

arms to the slay on every side, and where were walls and

fences, we see fantastic forms stretching in frolic gambols

across the dusky landscape, as if Nature had strewn her

fresh designs over the fields by night as models for man's

art. 

Needle Notes

Herbivore by Stephen West/Westknits  Sept 2009 published. $6.00.

I used size 3 needle. Wonderland Dyeworks fingering weight in Ocean Cliff colorway. Purchased at Sock Summit 2011.  Earthy tones with an overall impression of green.
 

Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelley Kang. I’m calling it my Kindness of Knitters Blanket. 
In case you missed last week you can still send scraps of sock yarn to me for my KKB.
Knitting Pipeline, Box 549 Washington IL 61571
Progress Report. Started Nov 13 so after 3 weeks I have 58 blocks.  I did stick with the 31 stitch block.  Each week I will have a blog post on the yarn I have received and post photos with tags of the knitted blocks with Pipeliners names.  Just first block knitted from each.  This week joining Charr and Beewing are Goldybear, SeashoreSharon, and Jpeled. Thank you again, Friends.  This is so much fun.


Blogger insists on rotating this photo.  Sorry, Beewing!
Pretty yarn from SeaShoreSharon.
 

Andy’s Sweater.  Started on Dec 1, 2012  Saturday.

Usually start with a sleeve and I did on this sweater also.
 

Using EZ’s percentage system and Quince & Co Lark in the Sabine colorway.  The Quince & Co Lark is a dream to knit with.  Feels like a different base than Chickadee.  Maybe not as soft but still very squishy and a fiber pleasure.

Come into the Blethering Room for a Bit



Sometimes we need something to help us slow down during the holidays. Too often it is hurry up that we hear. I suppose you could call this a KALM: Knit Along Meditation. I am not aware of anything else like this on Ravelry so I wanted to share it with you.

What about those words that you look up, once, twice, or maybe five times, and you still can’t remember the definition?  This was a topic on one of the episodes of the podcast A Way with Words.  One of those words for me is eponymous.

This morning I read in the paper:

Brian Setzer rocked the forefront of two musical revivals, thumping out 80’s rockabilly as leader of the Stray Cats and blasting out ‘90’s swing with his eponymous orchestra.

: of, relating to, or being the person or thing for whom or which something is named : of, relating to, or being an eponym

Now that I know what eponymous means, I am not so sure I like the word.  Isn’t it just better to say or write the actual name or at least say “named after” or “of the same name”.  What do you think?  What are words that you cannot remember the definition of?

Myth or Truth?

Note from Cperrine=cindi from Wheaton

Another myth I have heard is that crochet takes 3 times more yarn (or twice as much yarn) than knitting. (some stitches can take more yarn but not 3 times - more like 1/3 more and a lot of it depends on the pattern, yarn, hook, etc. etc.)


The Inner Child Crochet  (beware… if there is a militant crocheter then this might be it)

I've heard it over and over. Crocheting is so much thicker and stiffer than knitting. Crochet is so much boxier than knitting. Crocheting takes so much more yarn than knitting. Although some of this is just plain wrong (crochet does NOT use three times the yarn knitting does, thanks, at worst only a third more when all else is equal), all of these comparisons hold knitting up as the standard to which we should aspire.

Top 8 Reasons Why Crochet is Better than Knitting  1. Crocheting takes 30% more yarn than knitting. While some might view this as a disadvantage, I view it as a positive. Any compulsive crafter would have to agree. The bigger dent you make in your overwhelming yarn stash at one time, the better.

The official word at Knitting Pipeline is that it is a myth that crochet uses twice the amount (or a third) as knitting.

In the Pipeline

Knitting

For Good Hat by Meghan Williams of The Stockinette Zombies. Thank you Cori, irockknits.


Listening

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2nd book of The HungerGames)

Pandora. George Winston Winter channel

Watching

Art Science Nature Knit by Natalie aka coolwaterhotsun on Ravelry.  Podcaster Tribute in Rap form. Quirky and knowledgable at the same time.

Game of Thrones on Netflix. Quite graphic at times…just warning you if you are sensitive to these things. We’re on episode 3 and we’re not exactly hooked but we’re engaged enough to stay with it.

Reading.  The hard copy versions…

Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

Susan Elia MacNeals blog

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans. Fiction that seems like non-fiction

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Highly recommended.  Probably one of my favorite books of this year.

Have a great week.  Haste ye back and Hold your knitting close.

Magnatune Relaxing Classical

www.magnatune.com

 Medieval and Traditional Carols, Chansons and Festive Dances" by In Nova Cantica Carols and chansons from the 13th - 17th Centuries for dancing, festivities and mayhem . Track one. Psallite Unigenito

Friday, November 30, 2012

Episode 111 Elowen Shawl and the Gibbous Moon

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. Flash Player is not compatible with Internet Explorer's most recent version.

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co have created a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool and other fibers sourced from earth friendly suppliers.  You can view the beautiful yarns and designs at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there sign up for their free e-newsletter.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.

I enjoy your feedback, comments on the blog, and questions.  Feel free to write to me at Paulaef@aol.com or on Ravelry as PrairiePiper. 

Pipeliner Notes

  • Thank you for the star ratings on iTunes and the lovely and encouraging written reviews by knitster59, sklnouye, irocknits, and JacquieKK.  You are all so kind.
  • I sorted out the situation on iTunes with the older episodes and all the episodes are posted now.
As always thanks for your feedback on the last show.  There is a lot of fodder for the show on knitting urban myths, rules and such but I have too much information today to deal with a myth so I’ll be getting back to that in upcoming episodes.  Keep the myths and rules coming!

Events:

Ellison Bay KAL will start on January 1 or thereabouts and I’ll be posting a schedule so you can complete the shawl in little bites.  This seemed to work well on the Hyla Brook KAL and makes the project manageable.  You will need 3 skeins of Quince & Co Chickadee or the equivalent in a sport weight yarn.
 

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced in a few months.

Nature Notes

When Bronwyn was here last time we told you about the buck we saw at the edge of the woods.  I said he snorted at me…well, not really at me.  Apparently he was snorting at me.  I learned from a hunter that snorting is a warning signal.  The buck did see me and was letting me know he didn’t like it at all.  Had I not left his sight he probably would have run off.

Hav e you been out to look at the full moon in the early evening sky? Tonight, Nov 29th, it is actually a Waning Gibbous moon.  Don’t you love the word gibbous? The bright and gorgeous white gibbous Moon and Jupiter close to it behind the silhouette of the bare branches of the mighty oaks.  Also in this same area you can see the Pleides or the Seven Sisters on a clear winter night.

November 2012 Night Sky Sky Map Gallery

gibbous [ˈgɪbəs], gibbose [ˈgɪbəʊs] adj
1. (Astronomy) (of the moon or a planet) more than half but less than fully illuminated 2. having a hunchback; hunchbacked 3. bulging
[from Late Latin gibbōsus humpbacked, from Latin gibba hump] gibbously adv gibbousness n 


A Winter Walk by Henry David Thoreau

Needle Notes


How fitting that I planned to talk about the Elowen Shawl this week.  This pattern was actually gifted to me by Karrie/KnitPurlGurl.  As many of you know, Karrie was the host of a video cast, KnitPurlGurl, until she passed away quite suddenly and unexpectedly this past week.  She was an avid blogger and previously hosted an audio cast.  I actually had not watched her videocast yet and I think Karrie knew that but we did correspond now and then.  I knew her from her audiocast but even more from her online presence on Ravelry.  She was very active on Ravelry and had recently begun the Tuesday RAP movement or Random Act of Patterns.  If you can purchase one of Karrie’s patterns either for yourself or to gift to another person, then this is a way we can support Karrie’s family.  Friends ofKnitPurlGurl. 

One of my favorite of Zig Ziglar’s quotes made me think of Karrie.
If you go looking for a friend, you're going to find they're very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you'll find them everywhere.
Zig Ziglar



 

Slip stitch pattern makes this shawl work great for variegated yarn.  This slip stitch pattern is also used down the spine so you learn it when you are on the plain part of the shawl and then launch full steam later on.

I did the lace border and I think the lace contrasts nicely with the texture and sets off the shawl.  The only modification is that when doing the applied lace border I slipped the first stitch on the inside edge of the border, just after turning and I think this made a nice clean line for the join.

Doing the slip stitch pattern was a little fiddly for me…lacked rhythm but results are worth it. Love the texture, especially  with the semi-solid blue and dark red.  Really stunning combination.

Come into the Blethering Room for a bit

 
Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelley Kang. I’m calling it my Kindness of Knitters Blanket.  If you would like to donate to the cause 2-3 g (size of walnut)will make a square and 5 g (small plum sized)will make 2 to 3 squares.  Fingering weight/superwash wool or wool blends.  Pastels and neon colors don’t work as well but I will try to fit them in.

Knitting Pipeline
Box 549
Washington IL 61571

Sweater for My Nephew Andy.  Got the yarn.  Did the swatch.  Now I have to plan the sweater and get it started!


High Note

Pomegranates…where have you been all my life.

The exact number of seeds in a pomegranate can vary from 200 to about 1400 seeds, contrary to some beliefs that all pomegranates have exactly the same number of seeds.[6] Each seed has a surrounding water-laden pulp—the edible aril—ranging in color from white to deep red or purple. The seeds are embedded in a white, spongy, astringent pulp.[7]Ancient fruit from Persia,

Bowl and Water method is the best.
 

You can also cut it and then hit it with a pestle.

The pomegranate has it all.  Beauty, color, taste, mystery, history…and it is good for you too.

Book Notes

Mabel’s Closet by Hannah Fettig aka Knitbot
 

Highly recommended!

In the Piping Circle

Kirkin’ of the Tartan’s at St. Paul’s.
Veteran’s Day Events
Played for our piping instructor Glenn at the retirement home.
A Grace Family Christmas in Peoria IL at Grace Presbyterian Church.

Magnatune Relaxing Classical

Kummer- Duet Op 156 No 5- Allegretto (Phoebe Carrai and Tanya Tomkins)

www.magnatune.com

 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Episode 110 Our Crazy

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes.  Flash Player does not work well in the new version of Internet Explorer and there isn't much I can do about that.

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co have created a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool and other fibers sourced from earth friendly suppliers.  You can view the beautiful yarns and designs at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there sign up for their free e-newsletter.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.
I enjoy your feedback, comments on the blog, and questions.  Feel free to write to me at Paulaef@aol.com or on Ravelry as PrairiePiper.

Squares For Comfort Charity KAL –Hurricane Sandy Relief.  All the info for the KAL can be found on the KB boards here.

Sock Patterns from Lorna’s Laces : Four great sock patterns for $5 with ALL of the donation going to Feeding America for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced in a few months.

Pipeliner Notes

Last week’s myth was about the statement that socks are as much work as a sweater.  It isn’t true.  Some may argue that a size 13 foot takes a lot longer but a person with a foot this size usually has a body in proportion to it so a sweater for said person takes longer also.

Also I am talking about actual knitting time, not the perception of time.  Of course it seems that a pair of socks takes forever if it is your purse project and you only knit on them when stuck in traffic.  (In our area you would never finish a pair.)  Perception of time is a whole other issue and cannot be quantified.

Lee Bernstein wrote, I loved this podcast so much. I, too, have heard many a knitter say that knitting a pair of socks is more effort than a sweater, and all I can say is: I've knit many a pair of socks with little effort (except perhaps for the first pair), and every pair has fit perfectly.

Sweaters? Not so much. It takes more time, it takes a greater understanding of how to properly fit a garment, and it usually takes a much greater monetary investment, not to mention patience and prayer.

From FrancesWeyr: The needles are shorter, so you don’t shift them around quite as much. There is more to manipulate in a sweater, which can slow you down. I have almost finished a sock in an evening, but it was a simple pattern and I was in the mood.

Myth #2 came from Lynette:

If we’re talking about knitting superstitions and urban legends, what better place is there to start than the ‘sweater curse’? Is knitting a sweater for a boyfriend a sure fire way to kill the relationship?

Bronwyn and I discuss this.  We are going to ask for your input.  My thoughts are that most people date more people than they marry.  So the odds are that if you knit sweaters for the people you date then the superstition will prevail.  It also might be that a big commitment like a sweater might scare off a person who is afraid of commitment.

Nature Notes
Handsome buck.  He snorted 3 times!

Pretty doe.

Buck in our woods!  He snorted.

Needle Notes

Little Colonnade by Westknits

Why this is a good pattern for variegated yarn.  Ladder pattern barber pole effect.  Ladders are why lifelines are important.

Bronwyn finished:

Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana Dakos

Basic Mittens by Ann Budd

The Blethering Room

Paula’s Crazy Story

I’ve told the story about how Bob and I were married in Denmark and then traveled for two months by rail with backpacks and camping gear through Norway, Sweden, and down to Italy.  This wasn’t very crazy but the original plan was to bicycle camp!  It was Bob’s idea to ship our bicycles over to Denmark and outfit them with panniers for our gear.  We would happily cycle through the countryside and camp along the way. Given the mountainous geography of Norway, it was good that I convinced him to abandon this plan. We might still be in the mountains had I agreed to it.

I did knit 7 items for a baby shower in July.  That might have been a tad overboard.

New Crazy:

Sock Blankie by Shelly Kang
Some of my fingering/sock yarn waiting to be knit into mitred squares.

I plan on knitting a man-sized sweater for my nephew for Christmas.  He’s not puny either!

High Note Low Note

Low Note

Bronwyn: both cars needing to replaced at the same time.

Paula: Frequent software updates and especially the ones that take forever.

High Note
Bronwyn: Legos
Paula:   Dr. Russell Dohner in Rushville IL.  Amazing story about a true country doctor not far from us. 87 years old.  No appt.  First come first served.  $5 per visit.

Have a great week.  Haste ye back and hold your knitting close.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Episode 109 Debunking a Knitting Urban Myth

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes.

Ellison Bay Shawlette
This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co have created a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool and other fibers sourced from earth friendly suppliers.  You can view the beautiful yarns and designs at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there sign up for their free e-newsletter.
 

 

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.

I enjoy your feedback, comments on the blog, and questions.  Feel free to write to me at Paulaef@aol.com or on Ravelry as PrairiePiper.

Pipeliner Notes

My designs that are on Ravelry are now in the shopkeepers program through Ravelry so shops can sell the digital version.   Thanks to a listener/shopowner who gave me the nudge I needed to do that.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced in a few months.

Nature Notes

Set our clocks back on Sunday.  I like falling back better than springing forward.  I don’t spring forward very well at all. Sunrises are magnificent!  Like a gradient yarn from orange to pink to purple to gray.  I watched a hawk circling over the top of the woods.

Nobody loves a good rant about turkeys are much as Pipeliners.  There has not been a sighting of Franklin the Wild Turkey lately but I did read an interesting article about the comeback of wild turkeys.


The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky.
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge



Needle Notes

Little Colonnade by Westknits
Be sure to use lifelines!  The lace is very simple but fixing a mistake can be a nightmare.
 

 

I used Miss Babs Yummy in the Deep Sea Jellyfish colorway.

 

The Blethering Room

I have heard on several podcasts over the past 4 years or so that knitting a pair of socks as much knitting as a sweater.  I think the person who started this idea was probably was trying to make the point that socks are more work than people think; however, I think others took this literally and have repeated it.  It is not true.

I estimate that an average pair of socks has about 23,000 stitches (based on 64 st per row).

I estimate that an average sweater with a 40” circumference has 49,000 stitches.

Time factor:

Socks have little prep work. 

Sweaters do require gauge swatches, sometimes multiple swatches that should be washed and blocked.  In general more planning is required.

Socks have very little finishing work.  Usually just tail at the beginning to weave in and a tail at the end.  Sweaters often have a lot of finishing work.  Even a seamless sweater generally has multiple ends to weave in, kitchener stitch on the underarms.

Actual knitting time:

I can knit one sock in a day.  And these were not vanilla socks.  Can you knit half a sweater in a day?

I’ve done a man-sized sweater from start to finish between Thanksgiving and Christmas…a period of about 3 to 4 weeks but with other things going on.  Even if I worked exclusively on that project it would take at least 2 to 3 weeks.

I look forward to hearing your feedback but only if you agree with me!  ;)  Not really.

Are there other knitting urban myths out there?  We know that there are a lot of misunderstandings about knitting from non-knitters but I’m talking about myths perpetuated within the knitting community. 

In the Pipeline

Knitloon share that there is a PBS app for iPad and that I could watch Call the Midwife via the app. I downloaded the app but have not used it yet but it sounds great.

Why am I boycotting buying e-books from Barnes and Noble?  (no longer have a Kindle)

1. cost of books has escalated to a point that I can no longer justify the cost. 

2. Barnes and Noble use book lending as a selling point but only certain books are lendable.  These are usually the free or cheap books and have never been the ones I want to loan.  I have never had the option of loaning a book that I have paid $10 or more for.

Have a great week.  Haste ye back and Hold your knitting close.

Still Waters by Keri Newdigate

www.magnatune.com

Tune: Awakening

Music to soothe your soul, soothe your nerves, soothe your child... Music to help to you relax, unwind, meditate, go to sleep, recharge your batteries, refresh your inner self, rejuvenate your spirit, think, ponder, wander, meander, remember.

If your life is busy and you feel bombarded by noise, images or deadlines, Still Waters will help you unwind, de-stress, relax and find a peaceful sanctuary. Suitable for massage, reading, creating, work, quiet times, before bed or to calm your children. 

About Me

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I play the Great Highland Pipes, knit, observe nature, and read. My name on Ravelry is PrairiePiper. Find me on Instagram as KnittingPipeline.