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

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

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Episode 200 Elizabeth and Uncle Tom Cobbley

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.


 I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on my website and purchase a class, I receive credit for it. It is an easy way to support the show. Thank you!

You can also find me here:

Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.

Instagram: knittingpipeline

Twitter: knittingline




I can hardly believe this is the 200th episode of Knitting Pipeline. It seems somewhat monumental. The first Knitting Pipeline Episode started on July 3, 2010 so we will reach the 5th anniversary this year. I thought the 200th episode should be special so I’m sharing one of my favorite letters from Elizabeth Zimmermann. Today we will have Pipeliner Notes, Nature Notes, A Letter from Elizabeth, and The Blethering Room.

Pipeliner Notes

I want to thank all of you for writing to me over the course of these 200 episodes. I have learned so much from you and my life is so enriched by your friendships. I should have thought of this sooner but I have never done a retrospective of any kind on the show. If you would like to share a favorite, tip, favorite show topic, or anything that I could include in the next few months leading up to the 5th anniversary of Knitting Pipeline, I will incorporate some of those in upcoming months. Once in a while someone shares about a previous episode and it might be something I haven’t thought about in a while. A show evolves over time which is the way it should be. This does seem a bit self indulgent but I think we will have a chance to review some valuable tips and materials. You can leave these thoughts in the thread for this episode or in the show blog comments section.

Thank you for the reviews and star ratings on iTunes that you have given over the years.


Events and Announcements

Next week Bronwyn and Sarah will be here and we will talk about the upcoming Spring Retreat in Washington IL Mar 13-14. If you are coming to the retreat you might want to listen to this episode before you come although all important information will be sent to you via email. We will also post links to the PDF in the Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group.

Georgia Retreat April 12-15, 2015 Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield GA (east of Atlanta, about 1 hour from airport)

Download Registration Information here.

Wednesday will be as long as you want to stay until 6 PM.

Home: 18 Knittable Projects to Keep You Comfy by Pam Allen Quince & Co 2014

Please make sure you left your comment in the Quince Giveaway Thread.

Nature Notes

We are still in full winter mode although Spring is waving to us now and then. Occasionally we see a goldfinch that has a hint of yellow in the plumage which indicates that they are beginning to moult into their vibrant mating and nesting feathers. Our resident raccoon or raccoons is stirring more often and has started flinging the lid of our compost bin off of the bin and towards the wood pile. Bob is going to find a heavy stone in the creek bed to see if that will weigh the bin lid down enough to ward off the raccoons.

This morning the temperature was -8 degrees F when I looked about 6:20 AM. We had a few more inches of snow on Wed night. By the time the retreat rolls around with St. Patrick’s Day right on the heels of it, I’m hoping we’re having spring-like temperatures. It usually works out that way. Our track record is pretty good.




Needle Notes

I read a letter from Elizabeth Zimmermann written to me on April 21 1981.





The phrase Uncle Tom Cobley and all is used in British English as a humorous or whimsical way of saying  often to express exasperation at the large number of people in a list. The phrase comes from a Devon folk song "Widecombe Fair", collected by Sabine Baring-Gould. Its chorus ends with a long list of people: "Bill Brewer, Jan Stewer, Peter Gurney, Peter Davy, Dan'l Whiddon, Harry Hawke, Old Uncle Tom Cobley and all." The surname is spelt as "Cobleigh" in some references.


Tom Branson: You're very late. Won't they worry?

Lady Sybil Crawley: They're all so excited, they won't care where I am.

Tom Branson: I'm pleased. I like Mr. Matthew.

Lady Sybil Crawley: He announced at dinner that he wants to get married at Downton. Somehow, it made me feel more than ever that the war is really over and it's time to move forward.

Tom Branson: Do you mean you've made your decision?

Lady Sybil Crawley: Yes. My answer is...that I'm ready to travel and you are my ticket to get away from this house, away from this life.

Tom Branson: Me?

Lady Sybil Crawley: No, Uncle Tom Cobley. [they both laugh]

Tom Branson: I'm sorry. But I've waited so long for those words, I can't believe I'm hearing them. You won't mind burning your bridges?

Lady Sybil Crawley: Mind? Fetch me the matches! [Branson leans forward but stops] Yes, you can kiss me, but that is all until everything is settled.

Tom Branson: For now, God knows it's enough that I can kiss you. [They kiss]


The Opinionated Knitter by Elizabeth Zimmermann, Knitters Mag Fall/Winter 1985


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

Friday, February 20, 2015

Episode 199 Home


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.

 I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on my website and purchase a class, I receive credit for it. It is an easy way to support the show. Thank you!

You can also find me here:

Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.

Instagram: knittingpipeline

Twitter: knittingline




Events and Announcements

Spring Retreat March 13-14. (with March 12 as optional Yarn Crawl Fun Day). Registration started

Georgia Retreat April 12-15, 2015 Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield GA (east of Atlanta, about 1 hour from airport)

Download Registration Information here.

Wednesday will be as long as you want to stay until 6 PM!

Needle Notes

Birthday socks for Peter

Desert Vista Dyeworks Proud as a Peacock #operationgiftsocks

3 x 1 ribbing is now my fave!


I took another Craftsy Class: Start Free Motion Quilting by Elizabeth Dackson

Book  Notes

Home: 18 Knittable Projects to Keep You Comfy by Pam Allen Quince & Co 2014


Home is a collection of 18 projects for keeping comfortable and warm at home. You’ll find patterns for cozy socks, slippers, and sweaters, a shawl that wraps around you like a favorite blanket, a soft afghan, pillows, and more. The patterns are straightforward knitting that beginners and advanced knitters alike will appreciate. Instructions are thorough and the techniques used, various cast ons and bind offs, seaming, etc., are spelled out in detail.


Highly recommended!

Giveaway! Leave a comment in the group. Go from link in my blog to Quince & Co. Tell me what you would knit first from the collection. Lookbook.

In the Pipeline

Reading:

Home by Marilynne Robinson

New Word: Susurrus: A whispering or rustling sound

Listening/Watching

Hi Paula,
Thanks for the many hours of pleasure I have gotten from your podcast. I also wanted to let you know about my new audio podcast, Teaching Your Brain to Knit. Inspired by your Nature Notes, my co-host Catherine and I have a segment called Behind the Redwood Curtain, all about the North Coast of California where we live. We also talk about what we’re learning from our knitting, a knitting note, and what we called a Brainy thing -- something about the brain, learning, or teaching and how it relates to knitting (or crochet.) http://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/ We’re on itunes, Miro, Stitcher, Downcast and ipodder. The rss feed is here(http://teachingyourbraintoknit.libsyn.com/rss) and the show notes here at http://teachingyourbraintoknit.com/. If you think your listeners would be interested, we’d appreciate you letting them know about us.

Thanks,
Margaret aka Margaret924
Haste ye back!

Monday, February 16, 2015

Episode 198 Hayward Shawl


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.


 I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on my website and purchase a class, I receive credit for it. It is an easy way to support the show. Thank you!

You can also find me here:

  • Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.

Pipeliner Notes
From Blue China Doll: Thanks for EZ

Sent at 11:30 PM January 16, 2015

Hi Paula,
It is after midnight, and I really should get to bed, but I had to take a moment to thank you for introducing me to Elizabeth Zimmerman. I had absolutely no idea who she was when your show started, but you made her sound so intriguing that I ordered Knitting Without Tears.
When I first got the book 2 or 3 years ago, her methods sounded like WAY too much trouble. “Why not just get a good pattern and follow it?” I thought. But I am more experienced, and wiser now. I do try to get a good pattern and follow it, but I have learned that if I want it to fit, I’d better not follow it too slavishly.
That’s where EZ (and Amy Herzog, my other hero), come in. I do start by following a pattern. However, I now know that while gauge is important, it is more important to create a fabric that I am happy with. EZ helped me understand the concepts of sweater construction enough to be able to adjust most sweaters to fit my needs.
If I get into a pattern and get confused, I refer to her book to help me understand the construction so that I can carry on. (Unfortunately, I don’t have any knitter friends yet.) Recently I also used her wisdom to convert a 3/4 length sleeve to a long sleeve, with the proper proportions. I can remember when I would have just lengthened the sleeve without the shaping, resulting in a sweater that I didn’t want to wear.
Tonight I have used EZ’s wisdom to help me attach sleeves and body together on a seamless yoked sweater. My stitch counts don’t match those of the pattern any more because I made adjustments to get the fabric and shaping right. No matter. EZ explained how to get the right number of sleeve stitches on the needles, and calculate the correct number of underarm stitches to leave open. I may have to tweak the stitch counts a bit once everything is on the needles, in order to get the correct multiple of stitches for the cables I will make, but EZ has reassured me that that will not be a problem either.
I really feel like the boss of my knitting! :)

Thank you so much for all you share. I hope to meet you at a retreat someday. I had intended to try to come to Washington this year, but alas, my daughter’s wedding plans have put my travel plans on hold.

Enough blethering. I must get to bed!

Good night, and thank you again,

Chelly 
Blue China Doll

Events and Announcement

Washington IL Spring Retreat March 13-14. (with March 12 as optional Yarn Crawl Fun Day). Registration started

Georgia Retreat April 12-15, 2015 Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield GA (east of Atlanta, about 1 hour from airport)

Download Registration Information here.

Nature Notes

Great Backyard Bird Count Feb 13-16, 2015.

Download Great Backyard Bird Count PDF here.

From Aizome aka Nancy:

Loved your latest episode. Thank you! We had red-headed woodpeckers at our last home. It seems to me I read part of their decline was due to creosote on telephone poles. I did notice the ones in our backyard prefered the telephone poles for their pecking. I don't think they use creosote anymore. My dad, who is 89 years old now, said red-headed woodpeckers were one of the most common bird around when he was a kid. They are such beautiful birds.

From my journal: Seeing a cardinal or a flock of cardinals in the snow is as perfect a snapshot of winter here as I can imagine. Nonetheless those same male cardinals are starting to stake out their mating territories with occasional calls in the early morning and later afternoon. I learned recently that the female cardinal also sings but I have never observed that. Perhaps I just wasn’t looking for it. I heard one just now at 3:30 pm. This song is so beautiful and has many variations. To me it sounds like a sliding whistle and “Cheer, Cheer, Cheer”. As I’ve said before, the cardinal has it all: beauty and a great voice.

We’ve had our share of snow storms across the US. I found this for you by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the withered air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveler stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, and housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.
-  Ralph Waldo Emerson
Needle Notes
Béguin de Printemps by Lili Comme Tout

Paula, In case you haven't gotten a note on this....
Béguin de Printemps is Spring Bonnet…if I am not mistaken.
 
Certainly enjoy your podcast!
 
Varian
Ravelry: varianbrandon

Hayward by Susan B Anderson



From Mandy:
I am a new knitter and to built my stash of needles I also purchased bamboo needles from China. I wanted a sharper tip so I used a pencil sharpener and realized I couldn't get it quite smooth enough not to catch. After a light sanding, I applied two coats of clear fingernail polish and now it's sliding right along again. I thought I'd mention it because it sounded like a quick and easy solution.

Desert Vista Dyeworks Zombody It’s Cold Outside


I did complete a whole class!

Piece, Patch, Quilt: Basic Quiltmaking Skills by Gail Kessler

Yarns at Yin Hoo Podcast by Sarah Pomegranate

In The Pipeline

Reading

·        When It Happens to You by Molly Ringwald

·        Landline by Rainbow Rowell

·        The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith


Housekeeping 1980

I read the books in the following order:

1.      Lila 2014

2.      Gilead 2005 Pulitzer Prize

3.      Home 2008

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


Saturday, February 7, 2015

Episode 197 Sharing News with Bronwyn and Sarah

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.
Bronwyn and Sarah...do we have fun, or what?


 I am also a Craftsy Affiliate. This means that if you click from the Craftsy ad on my website and purchase a class, I receive credit for it. It is an easy way to support the show. Thank you!
You can also find me here:

Ravelry: PrairiePiper Feel free to include me in your friends.
Instagram: knittingpipeline

Twitter: knittingline

Ravelry Group

Infinite Twist Giveaway

Congratulations, gwilkiu!  from New Mexico!

Please get in touch with me so I can send out your beautiful yarn from Infinite Twist


Needles Notes
Sarah
Garter Ear Flap Hat


Bronwyn
Premie Hats

Paula
  • Quilt finished by Nancy Bekedam aka Aizome on Ravelry or Grace and Peace Quilting.  Here's her Instagram feed.
I made the quilt top in 2010.


Nancy's craftsmanship is impeccable!



The Blethering Room

High Note Low Note

Sarah

  • Slow Cooker. AllRecipes.com Slow Cooker Recipe Collection


Bronwyn

  • Adult Library Program/2 Knit Lit Chicks Podcast


Paula

  • Sweater I knit fits Sarah and she likes it! Simple V Neck Pullover by Heidi Kirmaier. Sarah is wearing the sweater in this photo.

Bronwyn and Sarah

www.zippershipper.com

In the Pipeline
Bronwyn:


The Thing With Feathers: The Surprising Lives of Birds and what they reveal about being human by Noah Strycker:

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.