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

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

Friday, January 25, 2013

Episode 118 Happy Robert Burns Day

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes.  Flash Player does not work well on Internet Explorer.  Try Safari or another browser.
 
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 their historic spinnery in New England.  Their wool comes from domestic sheep and other fibers come from earth friendly suppliers.  You will find that Quince & Co 100% wool is a living fiber, beautiful, practical, sustainable, and affordable. Find them at www.quinceandco.com
Black-capped Chickadee just flew back from the feeder and is busy cracking a sunflower seed.
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

Thanks to everyone who was in touch with me. I heard from new Pipeliners. Qmtoohot, Judith, OrchidRachel, onabranch, Shari3433, OlyKnitPurl, and JC Ellison from Morton IL.  Thanks for introducing yourselves.

Thank you so much for the star ratings on iTunes.  There were 3 new reviews on iTunes thanks to Blandy50, GuestDude, and MaddyBarone.  The reviews and star ratings help others find the show.  Thank you!
There was feedback on our board from Megan Williams, designer of the For Good Hat
Events:
Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with Yarn Crawl Fun Day on April 25th.  When we receive your registration we will earburn you on Ravelry. 
Peek into last year's retreat.

Nancy and Susanna showing us how to make fabric labels.
 

Nature Notes

Touch Possum gift from Sheepchick in New Zealand.  CPerrine and others sent links such as this Possums Compared to Opossums: What’s the Difference?.

Both are marsupials but that is about all they have in common.
Needle Notes

Sarah knit a pair of Susie Rogers Reading Mitts which is a free pattern on Ravelry.


 Bronwyn is working on Clearwing by Amy Christoffers.


We are in Week 4 of the KAL but we have until Feb 15 so you still have a month to finish.

Bronwyn finished her Ellison Bay!
Bronwyn used Quince & Co Chickadee in the Egret colorway.

Bind off looks a little sloppy so she is going to take it out and try a different BO.
 

I am finishing up two design projects.  One is for the forthcoming Quince & Co Collection Scarves II!

Myth or Truth

The myth was proposed by RevKnits as follows: There are only two stitches in knitting - knit and purl. This is a major oversimplification of all the stitches in knitting - this one drives me crazy!

Verdict:   Truth. In our discussion we agree that this statement is truth (sorry we are driving you crazy, Revknits.)  Yes, it is an oversimplification but if you know knit and purl then the learning curve is very short from that point.  I used a counter-example by saying, “There are only 9 notes on bagpipes.” While this is a true statement many aspiring pipers learn these 9 notes and never become pipers because the learning curve is a long and steep one from that point.  In knitting, once you master the knit stitch and the purl stitch it is generally easy to learn variations on these basic stitches.  Many people are quite happy to knit all their lives knowing only knit, purl, plus the basic cast on and bind off.

Come into the Blethering Room for a Bit

Wendy Johnson Summer Soltice Mystery KAL.  I set the dye in my finished shawl.  It worked but setting the dye in the remaining yarn from the project resulted in burned yarn in the microwave.  “Don’t try this at home.”

Tutorial from Tina of Knitting Blooms 

High Note Low Note
Paula:
Low Note.  I miss twist ties.  Packages are going to the flat plastic tabs that break.  I can keep a good twist tie going for months, even years!
High Note:  Electric Blanket.  Part of my emergency supplies now and it also turns me into a couch potato on the chilly sunporch.
Sarah:
(Major) Low Note:  Moth Damage.  I refer her to Episode  92 M-O-T-H An Herbal Guide.
High Note: Hal Borland’s Twelve Moons of the Year.
I mentioned that Sarah would also enjoy works by Gladys Taber.  She was also a friend of Hal Borland.
Bronwyn: High Note: Knit alongs!

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

Between Late and Early - Romantic Songs of Robert Burns (1759-1796)" by Susan Rode Morris  www.magnatune.com

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.-For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o'kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fit,
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd
Sin' auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

And there's a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.




Friday, January 18, 2013

Episode 117 A Revelation For Good

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. 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.  Their wool comes from domestic sheep and other fibers come from earth friendly suppliers.  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

Celia said she is also an Elizabeth Zimmermann fan and when she talks to non-knitters she describes Elizabeth Zimmermann as “The Patron Saint of Modern Knitters.”

Thank you so much for the star ratings on iTunes.  There were four new reviews on iTunes thanks to westomyers, JShoke, Decolliber, and Babsbutterfly.  Your reviews were so kind and encouraging. 

Franklin Habit’s Blog post Me, Me, Me

Events:

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with Yarn Crawl Fun Day on April 25th.  When we receive your registration we will earburn you on Ravelry.

New to Yarn Crawl Fun Day!  Field Trip to Heritage Farm to see Leicester Longwools and maybe baby lambs.

Nature Notes


It is very cold today as I look out to the feeders and the ground below.  I am occasionally startled by the crystalline sound of an icicle falling from a tree onto the skylights of the sunroom. The birds are trying to keep their metabolism up.  It has been around 16 deg F in the mornings when we get up and has been staying below freezing during the day.  We are supposed to get a few days in the 40’s and then its going to plummet down to zero.  That’s 0 degrees F so it is quite cold.  Polar Blast, Plummet, Winter’s Icy Grip are some of the dramatic terms we hear to describe normal winter weather. Right now at the crowded feeder there is a Redbellied woodpecker, purplre finches, female cardinal.  Downey woodpeckers, a hairy woodpecker, tufted titmice, nuthatches, black capped chickadees and several male cardinals round out the scene in the trees.  Below on the ground the scavengers include the sweet little juncos and several squirrels.  There was also a little sparrow with an eye stripe that I was not able to positively identify before something scared him off.  The suet is a special treat at the feeders during this very cold weather. A little gray squirrel sits motionless on top of the wood pile.  His tail is curved up on his back like a cloak. He is the same color as the bark on the logs. Our creek is iced over but not entirely covered with ice so the wild life can still drink there.  Birds do need water even in cold weather so if you do not have a natural source of water you might try to provide for them.  

Have you heard the expression “eat like a bird”?  My grandmother would say, “You don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive.”  This phrase would fall into the myth category because birds do eat a lot.  They must consume a great deal of food to stay alive.  A sparrow can only go 15 hours in very cold weather without food whereas in the summer that bird could last for 3 days.  Comparing birds with other types of animals and their food needs is tricky because climates, size, and behaviors all have bearing on the issue but if you compare a fish a lizard a bird and a mammal of the same size, the bird would be the biggest eater.  The fish needs the least amount of food, the lizard would need a little more, then the mammal and then finally the bird.  (Backyard Birds newsletter Dec 2012)  Kevin Cook author

Nature Quote of the Day
Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.
Edward Abbey


Needle Notes


We are in Week 3 of the KAL but we have until Feb 15 so you still have a month to finish. If you have had trouble keeping your yo’s in place you are not alone.

“One more row” at Midnight….equals disaster in the daylight! :). But I’m back on track which is all that matters!—Seashore Sharon.

So many people, including me, are enjoying the Project Sheet from Joyce Garris’ After This Row. I am just a little bit behind with the Small Bites but not too much.

Tip: (I've said it before, I know) Use two long circulars when you have a lot of stitches and are knitting back and forth.

Tip from Bronwyn and I do this too.  For establishing border.  If you find yourself making mistakes and having to go back and check.  Put a safety pin style marker in where you stopped checking, do a little more, then you only have to check from the marker on.

For Good Hat by Megan Williams



Color is actually like first photo.

Hand-turned wooden buttons.  The walnut one is not broken.  That is just the shape of  it.


Touch Possum gift from Sheepchick in New Zealand.  Possum is a very warm fiber. 

Thank you, Cori, for giving me the pattern!

The Revelation:  Used two strands of possum fingering weight as a worsted weight.  It works!  What a wonderful way to revolutionize your stash.  Thank you, Megan.

I had enough left over to knit a little shawlette for her.  In other words: one color but two projects, one in medium weight and one in light weight. Genius!

I'm still undecided about the buttons. I've been through my button stash and nothing seems quite right.  My husband made wooden buttons on his lathe but I think that’s a lot pressure for a hat. 

Sweater for my nephew Andy

I chatted about finishing up this sweater.  It is the Elizabeth Zimmermann Saddle Shoulder turned Gansey.  
At least I knew if it did not fit nephew Andy I could give it to son Nils.  Love this color of Quince!

This one of the fun poses when he was imitating models in ads. 

Update on Herbivore.  If a scarf has a point on it in any way shape or form it will not go over among the males of my family.  I’m sorry Stephen West.




Cool Wool Hat by Katy Tricot. Gift from Liz, AriadneWeb. Thank you, Liz!
A cozy, quick to knit hat and cowl set is easily adapted to difference sizes: toddler, child, teen,and adult.  It is also a great way to use up a single skein of chunky weight yarn.



My lovely daughter in law likes this hat because all her long hair fits in it!
Come into the Blethering Room for a Bit

Helen Stewart’s new web site is Curious Handmade

To celebrate the launch of her new site pattern Twinkle Twinkle Blanket Pattern is only 99 cents through Jan 31, 2013 on Ravelry.  It will be $6 after that.

Twinkle Twinkle is a charmingly simple baby blanket or shawl. It is constructed of four triangles knit “in the round” from the centre out to form a square blanket with a starry centre and an understated lace border. It was designed to be plain enough to be unisex but special enough to celebrate any new arrival. It can be knit in either fingering or DK weight yarn depending on the desired effect.

Possum that visited when he heard his name.

I was thinking that there must be beauty in a possum and it is quite possibly in the form of a hat and shawlette.

from A Winter Bluejay by Sara Teasedale

...There, on the black bough of a snow flecked maple,
Fearless and gay as our love,
A bluejay cocked his crest!
Oh who can tell the range of joy
Or set the bounds of beauty?

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

Today we have a medley of traditional tunes by Healing Muses.  Tis the Gift to Be Simple, Be Thou My Vision, and Amazing Grace.  Enjoy

www.magnatune.com

Monday, January 14, 2013

Episode 116 Pete's Hike Report

Our son, Peter, hiked The Colorado Trail starting June 26, 2012 finishing July 21, 2012.  I interviewed him in August 2012 about his trip.  More photos are posted on my personal blog .

You can listen here or find it on iTunes.  I have not added it to the Flash Player yet.

Pete at the end of the 485 mile through hike of The Colorado Trail on  July 21, 2012 in Durango CO


 

Friday, January 11, 2013

Episode 115 Knitting Pipeline Retreat 2013


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.  Their wool comes from domestic sheep and other fibers come from earth friendly suppliers.  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.

Today’s show all about the Knitting Pipeline Retreat and it will be a short episode without the regular segments.  Episode 116 is the interview with our son Pete after he finished his through hike of the Colorado Trail last summer.  Next week I plan to be back with the regular segments.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat Basic Information


Retreat: April 26-27, 2013 with optional Yarn Crawl Fun Day on April 25th
Crossroads United Methodist Church1420 N Main St, Washington IL  61571 (corner N Main and Rt 24)
Friday April 26th Doors open at 2 PM.  Dinner at 6 PM
Saturday:  8 AM doors open.  Retreat hours 9 AM to 4 PM
Thursday April 25th and Friday morning:  Stay tuned! Yarn crawl and activities TBA
Washington IL is quaint with unique shops, a fountain in the middle of the square and lots of Midwestern charm.
Registration is by mail.  Cost is $65 which covers Friday and Saturday. You will get three meals and a Knitting Pipeline Bag and loads of fun!  There will be some mini workshops.  If you have an idea for a workshop either to do yourself or something you want to learn, let me know.

Registration PDF  if link doesn’t work then paste this into your browser
Accommodations.  You will arrange your own accommodations.  We have two listed here and there are others if these fill up.  For the campers you may stay at Camp Knitting Pipeline and sleep at the church on Friday night only.  If link doesn’t work then paste this into your browser. 
Knitting Pipeline Retreat Accommodations
Crossroads United Methodist Church 1420 N Main Washington Il 61571.
The facility is easily accessible and has plenty of parking.  Everything is on one level.
The overnight facilities are located about the same distance from Crossroads, only one is in the center of town and one is closer to Peoria.  There are other options in Morton, East Peoria, and Peoria.
A limited number of participants will be able to stay at the facility.  Please bring your own bedding, towels, etc.  Be sure to let us know whether you are planning on sleeping at Crossroads.

309.242.5678 or book online

SleepInn 309-481-0450
1101 N Cummings Ln, Washington IL 61571
2 Queen beds in each room $76.49
Call to reserve and ask for the Knitting Pipeline Retreat block. 
When I receive your registration I will post your Ravelry name in the thread so you will be notified.  If we get too many registrations I will post on the blog and in the thread. The registration deadline is April 1, 2013 or when I cut off registration and start a wait list.
Vendors:  I am adding a vendor fair on Saturday afternoon after lunch.  There will be a limited number of independent vendors who are attending the retreat.  It will be a $35 add on to your $65 registration fee.  If you have an Etsy shop or fiber related business and are interested, please send me an enquiry by email not on Ravelry.
We are accepting door prizes for the retreat if you are so inclined. We will give you credit and talk up your product at the retreat.
Thanks for your interest!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Episode 114 Knit or Purl


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.  Their wool comes from domestic sheep and other fibers come from earth friendly suppliers.  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.

I appreciate all the ways that you participate in the Knitting Pipeline Community whether it is leaving a comment on the show blog, participating in the Knitting Pipeline group on Ravelry, or just downloading and enjoying the show.  Show notes will be found at www.knittingpipeline.com.

Pipeliner Notes

Thank you so very much for your emails and messages and also for Christmas cards that appeared in my mailbox AND the packages of sock yarn scraps for my blanket.

I have enough sock yarn for the blanket now and am so grateful of every single bit you have sent me!  Please hold off on sending more until I get the current lot under control.

I had a question from MadameDeFarge about my rating for the adorable Béne Bébé hat by our friend Dawna of Dawna Rego Designs. You might remember that I knitted this little hat for my great nephew and enjoyed both the process and end result; however, Janice asked why I had rated it 3 stars.  Oh my goodness.  I had no idea I had done that.  It is definitely a 5 star pattern.  I might have been confused because I was not too fond of the yarn I used and probably thought I was rating the yarn.  So I fixed that.

In case you didn't see my adorable great nephew in the previous post, here he is again wearing the Bene Bebe hat.  


As always, thanks for your feedback on the last show when Bronwyn was here.  There are more ideas in the Handmade Christmas thread.  I have some felted projects that I’m ready to let go of but I’m thinking of repurposing the felted wool for these little bags.  The post came from PrairiePoet and with the link she gave there are tags that you can give with the handwarmers. 

Events:

Ellison Bay KAL started on January 1, 2013.
Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25th.  Signups will be announced soon.
We had a chat in the Knitting Pipeline chat room on January , 2013  Thanks to those who joined in the chatter!

Nature Notes

We finally had snow on December 20, the day our son Pete was traveling from Portland OR to Illinois for the holidays.  We didn’t have a lot of snow but we had a lot of wind and it was a blizzard.  That melted and then we had snow a few days ago, just enough to cover the ground and due to very cold temperatures that snow is staying with us for a while.  Underneath the bird feeders there are many little footprints of birds and squirrels.  The ground feeding birds are led by our little slate colored juncos. 

Oh my goodness.  I have to tell you what just happened.  It is about 11:15 am and I’m here on the sunporch writing my nature notes and I heard the most unmistakable call of the Great horned Owl.  This is my favorite of all the owls I’ve seen but we have not often heard them here in our woods until recently. Our neighbors called one day to tell us that a pair of Great Horned Owls were in the woods behind their house but we didn’t get the message until it was too late.  Early on New Years Eve Bob and I were watching a movie and we heard a pair of Great Horns calling back and forth.  They were so close to the house that at first I thought the sound was coming from the television.  It was too dark to see anything.

As soon as the Great horned called today all the birds at the feeder and on the ground below suddenly flew away in unison.  I started scanning the woods, high up in the trees for the owl which called again several times.  I thought maybe it was on the roof of the house or on the side of the house that I cannot see from inside.  So I grabbed a coat, my binoculars, stepped into my boots and quietly stepped outside.  I think he had flown by then because he was nowhere to be found.  I’m back inside with binoculars on the table beside me.  All the regular visitors are back at the feeders, male and female cardinals, purple finches, gold finches, tufted titmouse cracking a seed on a branch nearby, a pair of nuthatches and quite a few groundfeeding birds like juncos.  They seem quite comfortable so I believe the Great Horned Owl is not in the vicinity.  I’m sure I will see them soon.

Nature Quote of the Day
What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?E. M. Forster
 Needle Notes

Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelley Kang. I’m calling it my Kindness of Knitters Blanket.  Thank you to everyone who has sent yarn for my blanket.  It means so much and I’m grateful for every single bit.  I have quite a lot of yarn now, probably more than enough for the blanket so if you have been planning on sending yarn, please hold off until I catch up and get the current lot under control.  I have a box that I still need to process.

 Started Nov 13. I now have 81 squares.

This week I knitted with yarn from PMack17, SeashoreSharon, Patfrag, Chessie, CbaaKnits, Pengwenn, and MariaEB.  MariaElenaBliss sent me a project bag and she has an etsy shop.  I’ve been keeping some of the yarn in the project bag which is a bucket bag and so very well made.  Her etsy shop is MariaElenaBliss.  Thank you, MariaElena!





Thank you to Joyce Garris for her Project Sheet from her site After This Row. Joyce provided a free download for those participating in the KAL.  Small Bites approach. It is not too late to join.  I actually have not started yet.  I am using Quince & Co Chickadee in Carrie’s Yellow.







Tips:
Use stitch markers that fit your needles.
Read your knitting.
Question from GramCyn that might be helpful for many knitters and also applies to the Ellison Bay KAL.

Hi Paula,
I have a Fingering weight yarn, which recommends size 2 needles. My question is why does he recommend size 4 needles for the fingering weight? he purposefully wants a certain look with a larger needle? I am doing a swatch now just to see on the size two.
Thanks.
Cindy

Cindy doing the right thing by swatching to see what the fabric looks like with different needles sizes.

Needle sizes are just a guideline.  For shawls the needle recommended is often larger than what the yarn label recommends because we want a looser drapier fabric.  People will often go down a needle size or two for socks because they want t denser fabric.  If you knit a shawl in fingering weight yarn with a gauge like a sock the fabric would be very dense and it would take forever too.  Remember my first Pi Shawl?  I used a size 9 or 10 needle with fingering weight because Elizabeth Zimmermann said to use a larger needle than normal.  That was overdoing it a bit.

Remember that needle sizes are always just a guideline.  The needle size you use may be different from the one recommended.

Myth or Truth

Is the purl stitch more difficult than the knit stitch?  Bronwyn and I believe it depends on your style of knitting.  For continental knitters purling takes a little more maneuvering with the needle, at least for us.  Your mileage may vary.

The tune is Lovely Star from the collection by Steve Eulberg.  Twas in the Moon of Wintertime.
www.magnatune.com

I appreciate your support this past year as without the Pipeliners there would not be a show.  You are as much a part of this show as I am.

A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

About Me

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