Episode 84 Slip, An Unsung Hero

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This show by sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.

The folks at Quince & Co believe that businesses can be good citizens—should be good citizens—without making too much a fuss about it. So, they have created a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool or sourced from earth friendly overseas suppliers. Find them at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there, sign up for their free e-newsletter.

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.  My business site is longaberger.com/paula

Pipeliner Notes

Carol asked how to distinguish yarn weights.  I talk about wraps per inch tool.  The best way is to do a gauge swatch.

I read a letter from LaLaLand

Nature Notes

Spring Beauty aka  Claytonica virginica  Closes up at night or on cloudy days.

Spring Beauty

Shepherd’s Purse is the flower/weed of the week.  Botanical: Capsella bursa-pastoris

The Flowers

 by Robert Louis Stevenson 

All the names I know from nurse:

Gardener's garters, Shepherd's purse,

Bachelor's buttons, Lady's smock,

And the Lady Hollyhock.

Fairy places, fairy things,

Fairy woods where the wild bee wings,

Tiny trees for tiny dames--

These must all be fairy names!

Tiny woods below whose boughs

Shady fairies weave a house;

Tiny tree-tops, rose or thyme,

Where the braver fairies climb!

Fair are grown-up people's trees,

But the fairest woods are these;

Where, if I were not so tall,

I should live for good and all.

My bench in the woods, surrounded by spring beauties and other fairy things.

 Needle Notes

Mystery Mittens for Me by Laura Linneman

Clever use of the slipped stitch...and that got me thinking about slipped stitches and how they are unsung heros.

Shetland wool fingering weight from Schoolhouse Press. 

Knit Stitch is like the good well behaved child.  Purl is rather like the black sheep of the family, in some circles anyway. The Slip Stitch is like the forgotten wall flower or perhaps the one we wouldn’t miss until it was gone.

I talk about some of the ways that the slip stitch, if it can be called a stitch at all, is used in knitting.

Edges, SSK and other decreases, colorwork patterns, texture patterns, slipped stitch heel flap, brioche, and mosaic knitting are some of the occasions when slipped stitches are essential.

Barbara Walker is probably the Queen of Slipped Stitches with her invention of Mosaic Knitting. I believe she is the inventor of it and certainly the mistress of it.  One piece is a tea cozy that is done in mosaic and then lined in red wool, a most effective way to keep a pot warm.

Faithful mosaic knitting tea cozy and faithful teapot.

It has at i-cord piping along the edge.

Inside lining is also mosaic knitting.

If you are doing stripes you can decide to slip a stitch at regular intervals and it looks a bit like stranded work.  On the next round, try purling your slipped stitch for a completely different effect.  It is fun to play around with color and slipped stitches.

The Blethering Room

Story about neglected wildflowers  Bastard Toadflax and Hoary Puccoon

In the Pipeline

Watching

Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables

Reading

Maisie Dobbs #3 and #4 Pardonable Lies and Messenger of Truth

Listening

Louise Penny Still Life

Knitting

Socks

Cardigan (in the planning stages)

Quince & Co Finch in Icelandic colorway. Waiting to become a sweater.

Quince & Co Tern in Boothbay Blue, a potential sweater for me.

Music

Lydia McCauley

Hawthorn from Quieting

www.magnatune.com

Haste ye back!

Episode 73 A Gift for Georgia

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This show is sponsored by my Longaberger Home business,  Quince & Co and Ewe-nique Yarns in Morton IL.  Thank you to our sponsors!

 If you are looking to support American goods, then you can start with Quince & Co with their beautiful and reasonably priced wools sourced in the US.  Check out Finch, their new fingering weight in colors inspired by nature. www.quinceandco.com

Ewe-nique Yarns is a full-service yarn shop located at The Field Shopping Center in Morton IL.  Among the items they carry are a full line of Addi needles, Chiagoo, and Knit Picks.  They also stock Malabrigo, Madelinetosh, Frog Tree. Elsabeth Lavold, Debbie Bliss, Claudia Handpainted, Louisa Harding, Rown, Sublime and dozens more.  Debbie and Jenny are happy to ship to Pipeliners.

Ravelry Tip 

“Earburning” another Raveler is highlighting their Ravelry name so that it links to their profile.  The person who is earburned will also get a message in their box that basically says, “Psst, we’re over here saying good things about you”. 

A BIG THANK you to all the volunteers for test knitting my first to-be published design, Piper’s Journey.  Thank you so very much EVERYONE for your support for the design. 

 Another video by my nephew, Eric.

Nature Notes 

I haven’t seen any snowy owls but have seen a lot of white plastic bags that pretend to be. 

We nearly broke a record for the most days without 1” of snowfall!  The record is 330 in 1918.   

Naturalist and writer Edwin Way Teale born Joliet IL 1899

Wandering Through Winter was first nature book to win a Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction. 

“Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among the trees.”
― Edwin Way Teale

 Needle Notes 

Maine Morning Mitts by Clara Parkes made for Georgia.   

Reprinted from The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes.  Now a free pattern. 

Only mod is that I did simple backward loop instead of M1 R and M1 L in the thumb gusset.  Noro and ribbing hide every flaw.

In the Pipeline

Hitchhiker by Martina Behm is almost done! 

Ten Stitch Twist Blanket by Frankie Brown is more fun than ever! 

Finished reading on my Nook.  Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.

Recommend reading in order.  Book 2 is Birds of a Feather. 

Currently reading (actual paper book)  Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. Cooking memoir.  Raw, honest, well-written.  Not for the faint of heart. 

Watching Downton Abbey Season 2.  Did not disappoint! 

The Blethering Room

 Knitting Classes at The Blend, our local coffee shop and hang-out.

Susan Dolph of the Knitajourney Podcast mentioned that a piece of garter stitch knitting could be sewn on the seam and turned into wristers.  I've written up instructions for such and Mildred is going to test knit it along with the students in the class. 

White whole-wheat flour is flour milled from hard white spring wheat,^[2] rather than traditional red wheat. 

Recycling Sweaters into pillows and other things.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat

March 2-3 (Friday night and all day Sat)

Washington IL 61571

$50 or $40 for Sat only

Registration form available on show blog in the side bar. 

Make check payable to Paula Emons-Fuessle and mail to:

Knitting Retreat

PO Box 549

Washington IL 61571

 Thine Am I by Robert Burns 

Thine am I, my faithful Fair,
Thine, my lovely Nancy;
Ev'ry pulse along my veins,
Ev'ry roving fancy.
To thy bosom lay my heart,
There to throb and languish;
Tho' despair had wrung its core,
That would heal its anguish.

Take away those rosy lips,
Rich with balmy treasure;
Turn away thine eyes of love,
Lest I die with pleasure!
What is life when wanting Love?
Night without a morning:
Love's the cloudless summer sun,
Nature gay adorning.

 A Celebration of Robert Burns by Shira Kammen.  www.magnatune.com 

Episode 71 Handmade Holidays

Listen here or use the Flash Player on this site for current and past episodes.

This show is sponsored by my Longaberger home Business  and Quince & Co.

If you are looking to support American goods, then you can start with Quince & Co with their beautiful and reasonably priced wools sourced in the US.  Check out Finch, their new fingering weight in colors inspired by nature. www.quinceandco.com

Needle Notes

Love the shoulder detail.  Front of sweater.

Back of Saddle Shoulder Sweater

Paula’s Projects:  Woodturner’sPully.  Elizabeth Zimmermann’s SaddleShoulder Sweater.  After washing and blocking it measures out perfectly!  Photos with nephew wearing it coming after Christmas!

Label for sweater.  I tried a wool label, first ironing onto freezer paper to stiffen the fabric.  Bronwyn suggested printing oncomputer.  I may try backstitching on counted cross stitch fabric.  Ecological Wool makes a very light but warm sweater.

Big Snowy Owl

·         Free Pattern by Purl Soho

·         My original estimate was about $80 and then I backed off and said it was an exaggeration.  It wasn’t.

·         Mine cost $10.    Pronto by Sandnes was $5 per ball.

·         Charted the texture pattern.

Bronwyn on Ravelry

• Pinterest…ask one of us if you want an invitation.
• Bbknits   
• Nubby Noro Mittens and Fingerless version 
• Palindrome
• Little Turtle Knits Braided Cap by Theresa Belville 

Sarah on Ravelry  aka MotherEarthKnits

• Those Mitts by Leslie Friend 
• Christmas Tree Hat and Elfin Socks 
• Textural Healing Shawl by Shannon Squire
• Incognito (Mustache Cowl)  by Mercedes Tarosovich-Clark  

Handmade Holidays

Our Ravelry Thread

Just some of the great ideas:

• Hot Chocolate on a Stick/Cocoa Blocks
• Santa Hat Brownies 

Sarah's Homemade Granola 

• Bronwyn’s Sugar Scrub and Lotion Bars  (Episode 68)

• Summertime Neck Chillers 

Paula:  Whole WheatCinnamon Rolls. Partially bake them, freeze, and recipients bake them for a yummy breakfast.  I used this technique from King Arthur Flour.  Sarah and Bronwyn are trying them out.

Feel Free to copy and paste my instructions to include with the gift.  I printed on card stock.

Paula’s Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Rolls

Night before: Take buns out of the freezer and  put in the refrigerator. (See note below.)

In the morning: Take them out of the refrigerator. Let them warm a bit as you preheat your oven to 350°F. 

Bake for about 10 minutes, until they're a very light golden brown. Remove from the oven, brush with butter. Add streusel topping and bake another 5 min.

Enjoy!

Paula

You can also take them out of the freezer in the morning and just bake them a little longer.  (They are partially baked).

In the Pipeline

Per last week’s episode, the Doc Martin second movie wasn’t good.  Two stars.

Enjoyed The Pit Pony.  Has piping in it.

Downton Abbey Season 1 watching again. New season Jan 8.

2KnitLitChicks

High Note Low Note

High Notes:

• Paula: The Week Between Christmas and New Years
• Sarah: Christmas Cards
• Bronwyn: Fondue

Low Notes

• Paula: Stickiness
• Sarah: Accidental Felting
• Bronwyn: Poorly tied skeins of yarn

Knitting Pipeline Retreat

March 2-3 2012

(Friday evening and all day Saturday)

Crossroads United Methodist Church, 1420 N Main St., Washington IL 61571

$50 or $40 for Sat only

Mail check to Knitting Pipeline, PO Box 549, Washington IL 61571

Merry Christmas!  Haste ye back!

Episode 31 Knitting in Disguise

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Quince & Co is now a sponsor of Knitting Pipeline.

Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye--it also includes the inner pictures of the soul. -- Edvard Munch

For photos of "Bliz-aster" visit my personal blog, A Piper Knits.

I recommend: Cornell Lab of Ornithology   Birds of My Region  DVD   Their website and all publications are fantastic!  Project Feederwatch is a way to become involved in their research.

Needles Notes

Sofia Cowl by Jessie Dotson from One Skein Wonders: 101 Yarn-Shop Favorites.  Is it knitting or crochet?  You decide.   I knitted this one for Emily in Quince & Co Chickadee in the color Nasturtium.

Alright.  It is knitting, but wouldn't it fool a lot of people?

I used Quince & Co Chickadee (sport weight) in Nasturtium.

Suspended Bind Off that was used in the Sofia Cowl Pattern.  Thank you, Stitch Diva!

My Daybreak with Garter Border by Stephen West with Garter Border.  Daybreak is a pattern by Stephen West of Westknits Designs.

In blocking stage.

Gartery Goodness.

Increases in first section.

Norwegian Sweater Knit Along

The Most Important Thing is keeping your carries loose in the back.  You do not want the floats to pull and distort the pattern.



I used Crow, Glacier, and Storm for the wrister aka Swatch. Gauge is 6 stitches per inch.  In the sweater I am using Crow and Egret. 



Piecework Jan-Feb 2011 Review 

I mention the following articles (I got a little carried away):

Two-Ended Knitting: A Living Tradition by Carol Rhoades

Not Just an Instruction Pattern by Ingrid Murnane

The Bestaway Gloves Today by Ann Budd

Practical Insanity: A Giddy whirl through the Pages of Weldon's Practical Needlework by Franklin Habit

The Gordon Highlanders and their Socks by Anne Berk

Classic Highlander's Balmoral Bonnett by Anne Carroll Gilmour

First Lady Grace Coolidge and the Story of the Knitted Counterpane by Kristine Byrnes

In the Piping Circle

My husband's uncle remembers the piper, Bill Millin, playing on the beach at Normandy.  Bill Millin was the personal piper to Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat.

I talked about Bill Millin's death in Episode 9 of Knitting Pipeline.

Dutch Pipes and Drums

In Harmony

Dancing Feet, Kalabakan, and Itchy Fingers

Thank you to Dutch Pipes and Drums!

Episode 25 Wristers and Muffatees

Listen Here

A Winner!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on the blog!

If you order from Quince & Co please mention the podcast. Thank you!

The winner of the giveaway from Quince & Co is Sabra!  Sabra, please contact me as I do not have your contact information.  Congratulations!

Leave a comment below to enter the new giveaway for 3 patterns of your choice from Stephen West of Westknits!

These are vintage patterns that I meant to talk about on the show but forgot!
Muffatee Pattern from the Swaledale Museum, Yorkshire, U.K.

Vintage Patterns from 1843.  Muffatees and Wristers

Robin Hansen.  Fox, Geese, and Fences.   Down East Books.  1983
Robin Hansen and Janetta Dexter  Flying Geese and Partidge Feet.  Down East Books.  1986.

Patterns mentioned in this podcast

The first two patterns were published in Knitty.

• Fetching by Cheryl Niamath
• Dashing by Cheryl Niamath

Fetching in Cascade 220.

These 3 patterns were published on Leslie's Blog A Friend to Knit With

• Those Mitts by Leslie Friend
• Toast by Leslie Friend
• Toasty by Leslie Friend

3 pair of Those Mitts by Leslie Friend.  Two pair have the Baby Cable Rib and one pair is as the pattern is written (far right).

I added Baby Cable Rib to my version of Those Mitts.  Directions are on one of the pages in the sidebar.  I believe it is the same as Mock Cable Rib.  No cable needle necessary!

Baby Cable Rib

The music is from the Eastern European Vocal Ensemble, Kitka.  The song is Shen Khar Venakhi ("You are a vineyard, just blossoming") from the Magnatune Christmas CD. 

Please contact me at PaulasBasketNews@aol.com if you wish to sign up for my Longaberger e-newsletter.  You will receive all the latest information and sales news.