Episode 111 Elowen Shawl and the Gibbous Moon

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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 25^th.  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 29^th, 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 

The Thoreau Society

A Winter Walk by Henry David Thoreau

Needle Notes

Elowen Shawl

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

My project page

 

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!

Knitted Ski Masks Circa 1965

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