Knitting Pipeline: Episode 306 Baby Basics and Antler Cardigan

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This episode is sponsored by Quince & Co and Knitcircus Yarns.

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Show notes are found at www.knittingpipeline.com.

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Ravelry Group

Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group.

The last episode was video and is available on YouTube. In it you will see the baby sweaters I will be talking about today along with my latest embroidery and quilting. Todays’ episode has Pipeliners Notes, Events, Nature Notes, Needle Notes and In the Pipeline.

Pipeliner Notes

Welcome to our newest Pipeliners who have said hello to us on the Welcome thread or to me in a personal message. CheeleInstitches who is Michelle from Maine, terrimesu, Chickievicki, and claudesco who is new to knitting and Ravelry.

Thank you for your star ratings and reviews on iTunes. There were new reviews from alabamalizzie on 4/5 and abellaknits on 4/13.

Events

Links to retreats and registration materials are in the Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group on Ravelry. There is also a sticky thread with all upcoming retreat dates.

Maine Retreat Registration is in progress.

Eagle Crest Retreat Information will be coming out in a few weeks.

Nature Notes

We cannot remember ever having a spring as late as this one. Usually by the 3^rd week in April our trees are leafing out. The woods is still naked. Our grass is greening up and daffodils are blooming in the front. Despite the cool temperatures, the birds are right on schedule as their mating and nesting is more tied in with hours of daylight than the temperatures. Our goldfinches are mostly all finished molting and are now wearing their bright spring and summer wardrobe of yellow and black—for the males only. I am witnessing mating behavior which is often a tousle in the air like acrobats. Bob is busy keeping the three feeders full of niger seed. Last week I had a first sighting at this house where we have lived for almost 11 years—a Ruby-crowned kinglet! I saw them quite a few times at our old house where they enjoyed visiting the apple trees in spring. The ruby crowned kinglet is a very small bird and the red crown is not always visible. But there was no mistaking this beauty that was flitting about right outside our bedroom window. Bluebirds are looking for homes and we hope they choose our bluebird house. I’ve seen both individual bluebirds and the occasional pairs.

Bob and I hiked down to the creek last week in the late evening. It was one of our warmer days and the spring peepers were beginning to sing. If you are a long time listener then you know I can be a bit obsessed about the spring peepers, which are small frogs that sing in the spring near bodies of water. The average size is about the size of a quarter. Our goal was to see them in action but when we arrived at the creek the sounds seemed far away. We don’t know whether they stopped singing because we were there or if they really were not close in the first place. We will try again. While we were down there we talked about some of the changes in the creek bed and surrounding area. We already knew the creek bed had changed course due to fallen logs. This is not uncommon but it still surprises us because it is not just small change. One whole u shape is barren of water. There are small trees on the hillside that have fallen over due to very wet soil and probable lack of surrounding plants to hold it in. Erosion is a mighty force. We’re thinking about ways to slow it down.

Earth Week was last week and our town had the annual Take Pride in Washington Day. I got a crew of 9 people together and we cleaned up our usual spot which has a lot of garbage. Sometimes it doesn’t look like much until you get close and then there is more than you think because some is partially hidden. My husband volunteered at the Earth Day Celebration at Forest Park Nature Center in the afternoon so he made a whole day of it.

Harshness vanished. A sudden softness
has replaced the meadows' wintry grey.
Little rivulets of water changed
their singing accents. Tendernesses,

hesitantly, reach toward the earth
from space, and country lanes are showing
these unexpected subtle risings
that find expression in the empty trees.

--Rainer Maria Rilke

Needle Notes

Socks that Do Not Rock. Update.

Simple Skyp Socks by Adrienne Ku. 7,500 projects on Ravelry.

Nephew and wife and expecting a baby in July. Their first!

Box from JoAnn Fabrics.

Basic Baby Cardigan by Susan B Anderson from Kindred Knits. Using Quince & Co Lark in Glacier colorway. Antler Cardigan by TinCanKnits.

PrairiePiper’s Basic Baby Cardigan