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

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

Friday, July 25, 2014

Episode 178 SSK Recap

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. Flash Player is not compatible with Internet Explorer.  Try a different browser like Safari.  Or jaunt on over to iTunes to find the show there.

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co. I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on this site and purchase a class, I get a little credit for it. It is a painless way to support the show. Thank you!
Quince & Co Piper is our pretty little southern bird. We sourced the softest super fine kid mohair we could find from a Texas herd of angora goats and blended it with super fine Texas merino to make a lighter-than-air, almost lace weight single-ply yarn. Piper has a pretty halo and a subtle sheen, thanks to the long, silky fibers of the mohair. Find Piper and the other Quince fibers at www.quinceandco.com.
You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula. Please send me a personal message to sign up for my customer email list.
You can also find me here:
Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.
Instagram: knittingpipeline
Twitter: knittingline
Events

Sister Bay in Quince & Co Camel and Bird's Egg


Sister Bay (Shawl) KAL
We currently have our Sister Bay KAL in progress.  I am so enjoying the chatter in the thread. There are so many beautiful pairings of Quince & Co colors!  I cannot wait to see your finished projects. Take good photos (no bathroom mirror shots) as I would like to feature some of the FO’s on my blog.
Tag your projects sisterbaykal.
Prize Drawings September 1, 2014
I will be donating Quince & Co yarn and Leslie Wind has generously offered 3 $40 gift certificates! (I didn’t even ask—she’s that nice!)
Week 1 starts July 20
Week 2 starts July 27
Week 3 starts August 3
Week 4 starts August 10
Bonus Week starts August 17
Post your photos in the Sister Bay KAL Prize Thread by Sept 1.
Craftsy Kal
Stitches Midwest August 7-10
Knitting Pipeline Maine Retreat September 21-25 2014  Full with waiting list
Knitting Pipeline Cornerstone Inn Retreat October 22-25 2015 Full with short wait list
Woolybear368 of Knitting Dish Podcast
Mitten of any size and we will donate to The Maine Mitten Project. Any fiber is probably ok.
Nature Notes
We’ve had the most beautiful weather this summer. This morning it was 57 Deg F when I went for my walk. We’ve had some really not days but that is to be expected. It is cool and breezy now and I’m sitting on the porch with the windows open as I write show notes. I hear the squeaky call of a Blue Jay in the distance. We are also hearing the flutelike song of the Wood Thrush quite often this year.  I like to think of the Wood Thrush thriving in the deep part of the woods. Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers enjoy the sugar water at the hummingbird feeder along with the hummingbirds, although they don’t usually enjoy it together.  Both are territorial. Butterflies are starting to come to the zinnias that are blooming out front. I’ve seen Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Black Swallowtails in addition to the Silver spotted Skippers. Our House Wrens are still with us trilling away through the day.  They are the first birds to settle down at night. We’ve also had plenty of rain so things are not parched as they can be at this time of year.  As you drive through the country it sometimes feels like a tunnel of corn when there are corn fields on both sides of the road.  The corn is twice as tall as I am now.
The Blethering Room

Thanks to Leslie and Laura for putting on such a great event!
Charity Hats—almost 600!
Free, Calls for DK weight  Sizes S, M, Large.  I knit 3 Med and 1 Small.
I used Plymouth Baby Boutique which is microfiber and nylon.  Super soft.
Plan to knit same hat for Halos of Hope at Stitches Midwest.
Some Memories of SSK 2014  (Sorry not enough time to link all to blogs and podcasts)
Dinner on first night with Amy Beth of The Fat Squirrel Speaks and Fat Squirrel Fiber Fame, Malia of YarnRaising Podcast and consummate spinner and teacher, Cori, new friend from Indiana who traveled with Malia and Amy Beth, and Kristen aka Biscuitgirl who knits beautiful sweaters. Grab your opportunity when you can!
Steve of Dramatic Knits and co-host Callie.
Sharon of TV Knitting Podcast, Sarapomegranate of Yarns at Yin Hoo Podcast, MaryBeth Outofthisworld, Robin aka Robfish from Missouri, tracey from NC, Irene BlueBirdNest, Qwiltnknitnut, Amy of Ross Farm Fibers, Cindy TalesofYarn, Jonel, Martha aka KnitCrit who is going to be at Stitches too, Tanya from Canada, and Jo from Nashville who is hilarious.


Allison, Hollywood Knitter Audio Podcast, in her Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl
Jo aka Qwiltnknitnut on Ravelry


Tasting Room:
I tried out a few spinning wheels.  Laura helped me with her Lendrum and Ladybug. I was curious to see if I could still spin. I thought I could because I can feel it and see it in my head but it didn’t go so well.  \I’m not thinking of getting a spinning wheel or a spindle but it was a good experience.
Needle Table  DyakCraft, Hiya Hiya, Signatures and more
Looms, drum carders, hand cards,
Try it On Room
Over 200 items: Sweaters, shawls, hats, accessories!
Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl and Piper's Journey among many gorgeous shawls in Tasting Room

Tubularity is getting shortened—a lot!
Nymphalidea might be moving down the queue or off
Fit to Flatter with Amy Herzog
Excellent class. Articulate! Knows her stuff.
Examples of sweaters that will flatter different body types (3)
I’m planning on trying one of her designs and her Custom Fit. Bought her book too.
Missy, left, looking at Amy Herzog's sweaters
With Amy Herzog! She's the greatest!

Farmer’s Market on Friday Night
Haus of Yarn Bus=Your Yarn shop on Wheels!
Purchased notions pouch (clear) and skein of Malabrigo Sock

Tanya, Jonel, Tracey, Missy, Patti at Farmer's Market
Tracey in Haus of Yarn Bus

Market
Want to buy from everybody!
Self-striping from Desert Vista Dyeworks (2), selfstriping from Stacie of Must Stash Yarn, sock yarn in Gamut from Sara, AnotherCraftyGirl, Leading Men Fiber Arts fingering from Steve of Dramatic Knits
Bags: The Fat Squirrel (same designer as last bag purchased)
Notions bag from Absolute Wonder (Ginger) Such a lovely lady
Needle holder from Absolute Wonder and Stitch Markers
Market Haul.  I was restrained due to Stitches Midwest in two weeks!

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


Friday, July 11, 2014

Episode 177 Sister Bay Shawl and Knit-Along




Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes. Flash Player is not compatible with Internet Explorer.  Try a different browser like Safari. Or jaunt on over to iTunes to find the show there.

Sister Bay
This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co. I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on this site and purchase a class, I get a little credit for it. It is an easy way to support the show. Thank you!
Quince & Co Piper is our pretty little southern bird. We sourced the softest super fine kid mohair we could find from a Texas herd of angora goats and blended it with super fine Texas merino to make a lighter-than-air, almost lace weight single-ply yarn. Piper has a pretty halo and a subtle sheen, thanks to the long, silky fibers of the mohair. Find Piper and the other Quince fibers at www.quinceandco.com.
You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula
You can also find me here:
Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.
Instagram: knittingpipeline
Twitter: knittingline

Pipeliner Notes

From Queen Busick:
Hello Paula, I wanted to share my raptor experience with you in regards to the Barred Owl who keeps coming close to your house. You may have experience in this area, so disregard if so!
In Missouri, we are blessed to have a Raptor Society at MU. I will put a link to their page at the end. They will come out and rescue raptors who are needing help.
Our raptor (Barred Owl as well) appeared several times close to the house as well. At night, it would sit on our mailbox and hunt. It was really awesome to drive home at night and see him sitting there. It was very Harry Potter. As time went on, the poor bird landed in the yard and would not take off. We observed him for several hours. After 3 hours, the raptor society came out and picked him up.
It turned out our owl had been going blind and was down to its last eye. The first eye had become separated due to injury from hitting a car/house. The second eye became torn as well and that was the reason it was hunting close to the ground and the house for months. It was easy to see prey against a house, esp our white house. The animal’s vision was not able to be restored and as a result, they put the owl down.
All that to say, keep an eye on your owl. It doesn’t hurt to put a call into a local society if you have one. Our society is very active in helping animals for health and study of the populations in our area.
Best to you and your owl! 
Tina B

 Events


THANK Susan B Anderson!  For posting about the release of Sister Bay on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!


Susan B Anderson Videocast and she is also on You Tube!

Tag your projects sisterbaykal.
Sister Bay Progress Tracker (PDF) When in doubt follow pattern not tracker! Tracker is not tech edited!
  • Start date is July 20 
  • Ending date September 1, 2014 at midnight.  I will draw for prizes from the finished objects thread.
Follow the Sister Bay Progress Tracker for an assignment for each week of the KAL. Each assignment is about 25% of the total knitting. The chart shows % accomplished for the body of the shawl so can keep track of yardage. There are tips on the Sister Bay Progress Tracker for estimating your yardage. No playing yarn chicken here!
  • Week 1 starts July 20
  • Week 2 starts July 27
  • Week 3 starts August 3
  • Week 4 starts August 10
  • Bonus Week starts August 17
Post your photos in the Sister Bay KAL Prize Thread by Sept 1.

2 Knit Lit Chicks Mother Bear KAL/CAL is in July and August lots of prizes!
Craftsy Kal—Prairiegl moderator started a new thread. Thank you!
SSK July 16-20
Stitches Midwest 2014 August 7-10
Stash Dash 2014 TheKnitGirllls

Nature Notes
I read an article by Jan Riggenbach who is a syndicated columnist who writes about gardening.
Common milkweed can spread rapidly through underground rhizomes. Common milkweed may not be suitable for all gardens. Monarchs will use other milkweeds as host plants.
Asclepias tuberosa, knows as butterfly weed is a native plant that is more garden friendly and non aggressive. Also consider Pink-Flowered Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnate)

Letter from Turbogal:
Paula, I love to hear you talking about butterflies! Last summer, I became very motivated to help butterflies, after seeing a BBC documentary where I learned about the need for both host and nectar plants in pairings. So, I as I planned my garden this year, I planned to make sure I had pairings for some specific butterflies that live in this area. I have left a Milkweed patch in my garden, and have lots of nectar flowers for Monarchs. I planted thee Spice Bush plants (two survived our winter) and Joe-Pye Weed for the Spicebush Swallowtail. And, I planted a Dutchman’s Pipe vine and a honeysuckle for Pipevine Swallowtail. Many of the plants are still small, so perhaps next year, they may start to attract and support these beautiful butterflies! I have found “The Family Butterfly Book” by Rick Mikula to be a nice, simple resource in order to start identifying and learning about these creatures. Thank you for the information you share on this topic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In my own backyard I can feel that we have passed the summer solstice.  I awoke this morning about 5 AM and listened to the birds for a while.  Although they are still singing it is not as strong nor as varied as it was in April, May, and June.  Among the songs I heard the faint melodious song of the shy wood thrush and the vibrant song of the house wren.
It seems to be a good year for moths, not clothes moths I hope!  On Instagram I’ve seen a lot of photos of beautiful moths such as Luna and Cecropia.  When I was walking in the morning last week I saw a large moth on the sidewalk, lying very still.  The wings were folded and I touched it very gently.  It fluttered a little but was not able to move much.  It seemed to be in that moment between life and death. I watched it for a while and considered putting in on the grass but I thought that might do more damage. I took a photo of it and was able to identify it as a Polyphemus Moth.  If you have read A Girl of The Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter then you might remember that this was the moth that the young girl searched for in the swamp. The Polyphemus has large purple spots on the wing that resemble eyes.  Its name comes from the Greek myth of the Cyclops.
Another sighting this past week was again on one of my walks.  I spotted a Cedar Waxwing in a tree quite close to me.  The bird was eating berries on the tree.  You will not often hear the song of the Cedar Waxwing as it is a series of high pitched squeaks.  Usually I’ve seen Cedar Waxwings in flocks and I can’t remember seeing a single one.
The summer night is like a perfection of thought. ~Wallace Stevens
Needle Notes
Sister Bay on Ravelry
Sister Bay on Quince & Co
Piper’s Journey was a hit and I wanted to change it up at bit. Mel aka Mskiknits is the queen of the Piper’s Journey 2 color version and a lot of knitters took that and ran with it which was great fun. I love combining colors and at first thought it might be striped but then went with two colors and in one case 3 colors.
Sister Bay is a top-down crescent shawl in two colors with an applied border. The body of the shawl is simple garter stitch and the border is a combination of texture and lace. The easy geometric border with a clean edge adds a contemporary twist to this classic style. Choose from two sizes: Medium and Large.
Sister Bay is one of our favorite vacation spots in Door County WI. My grandparents traveled there in the 1930’s when it took several days to drive up from Southern Illinois. Two generations later we took our own children camping there. Overcast days with gray skies, white caps on the water, little boys in sweatshirts skipping stones…these are among my cherished memories that are wrapped up in this cozy and elegant shawl.
Some other color choices...

Camel/Sedum/Wasabi.  Knit last ridge (2 rows) of the body of the shawl in Sedum
Iceland/Egret



More pretty colors in Quince Chickadee

Egret and Chanterelle

Egret, Clay, Chanterelle


yarn
chickadee
2 (3) skeins camel 144
2 (2) skeins bird’s egg 106

needles
32” circular needle in size US 7 / 4.5 mm
double-pointed needles in size US 7 / 4.5 mm


The Blethering Room
July 4th with family


Our boys!

Mom is in on Corn Hole.

At the brew pub in Grafton

Project Passenger Pigeon: Lessons for a Sustainable Future
Great activity for classrooms, scout troops, families.
Bronwyn immediately folded a Passenger pigeon! If you fold a pigeon please log it on the site of www.foldtheflock.org and include Knitting Pipeline as your organization. Thank you!


Bronwyn's Fold the Flock Pigeon

In The Pipeline
Update on Reading/listening
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.  I liked it better as it went on and I’m sure I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read it instead of listened to it. Recommended.
Knitting
Planning knitting for SSK
1.      Tubularity by Martina Behm
2.      Tripartite by Stephen West (do not recommend)
3.      Soon to be named. 

Thank you for spending time with me today. Thank you to Quince & Co for sponsoring the show and to my Longaberger Home Business.

Have a great week, haste ye back, and hold your knitting close.
July 4th table decorated by Mom


Watching World Cup!

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.