Episode 55 Leafprints Shawlette & Westknits Mystery KAL

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Thank you to Quince & Co for sponsoring this show.  Visit their web site and sign up for blog and pattern updates. 

I am taking a week off so the next podcast will be released after Stitches Midwest.

Pipeliner Notes

I heard from new pipeliners: Nancy in Alabama, AuntTea/Ellen, Abbysknits, Julia, MaggieGrl, Cheryl, and Helen.

New iTunes reviews from GuruNam and Listening in the Adirondacks made me happy!  Thank you.

Nature Notes 

The Barred Owls are very busy these days, or really these nights.  

Louise of the Caithness Craft Collective Podcast noticed that I talked a lot more about butterflies last year than I have this year.  She is absolutely correct.  It hasn’t been the best summer for butterflies. 

Needle Notes

Leafprints Shawlette by Anne Hanson. 

Review of Creamy by Kollage. Creamy is a blend of milk and cotton. 80/20 .  A little slippery but it is a lovely material.

Westknits Mystery KAL

Intarsia has not killed me....yet.

Quince & Co Tern in Barnacle, Driftwood, and Seagrass.

Don't worry if you are a few stitches off.  I don't think it will matter.
Intarsia has not killed me yet.  In fact, I'm enjoying it!  (But know better than to overdo it.)

Events 

Stitches Midwest is August 25-28.  I will be there on the 25^th and 26^th.  There will be a Pipeliner Meet and Greet on Friday August 26 starting at 11 AM in the Concession area of the Market.  I will be sitting there with my knitting and I hope you can join me. 

Betty Hay asked questions about attending big knitting events such as Sock Summit and Stitches.  Betty, I apologize for not answering sooner. 

The Market:

• Set a budget and perhaps some goals.  I try to think ahead of time what I am looking for.
• Take cash for the Market.
• If you are wavering on a purchase then think about it for a while.  Come back later.  Sometimes you have more perspective.  

I take easy project to work on so I can chat with people easily.

Take some business cards with your Ravelry information, your blog if you have one, to exchange with people you meet.

Keeping up energy among a lot of people:  Are you and introvert or an extrovert?  A definition is that an introvert gathers energy from being along and an extrovert gathers energy from being with others.

The Blethering Room

AJ 's favorite dishcloth is Chinese Waves by Margaret Radcliffe.  Join in our discussion on Episode 54 on dishcloths and natural cleaning.

I knitted two Chinese Waves Dishcloths.  I know, I thought I was done but I needed the palate cleanser of knitting.  Thanks, Angela!

Check out 1to1's Dishcloth Binge of over 100!

In the Piping Circle

Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band won The World Pipe Band Championship Games!   

BBC Scotland Coverage

Haste ye back!

Episode 54 A Dishcloth Binge

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Thank you to Quince & Co for sponsoring this episode! www.quinceandco.com Sign up for their free e-newsletter.

Emily in The Kilkenny Cowl by Pam Allen.  Knitted in Chickadee in the Clay colorway.

Pipeliners

I heard from new pipeliners Carolyn and Jenn.   

There were two new 5 star reviews on iTunes.  Kitten Little and Lyn862.  Thank you so much for your kind reviews. 

Dilemma is the proper spelling.  Is "dilemna" a regional issue?  According to Common Errors in English Usage by Paul Brians "dilemna" with the "n" is clearly wrong!

Nature Notes

We finally have a break in the heat.  It was so wonderful to open up the house.   This morning it was in the 50’s when I went on my morning walk. It is noisy here with the grasshoppers and cicadas buzzing and chirping all day and most of the night.  I listened to the grasshoppers while knitting the Leafprints Shawl by Anne Hanson, and noted that the buzzing started up faintly at 8 AM and was quite a bit louder at 8:30 AM. 

On the Grasshopper and Cricket  

The poetry of earth is never dead:

When all the birds are faint with the hot sun,

And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run

From hedge to hedge about a new-mown mead;

That is the Grasshopper’s – he takes the lead

In summer luxury, - he has never done

With his delights; for when tired out with fun

He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed.

The poetry of earth is ceasing never:

On a lone winter evening, when the frost

Has wrought a silence, from the stove there shrills

The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,

And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,

The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.

--John Keats  1795-1821

Needle Notes

I have 3 patterns that I go to when I feel a dishcloth frenzy coming on.  I have no idea what propels me to stop what I am doing and knit up a pile of dishcloths.  It is a nesting instinct that hits me every two years or so.

Mason-Dixon Knitting by Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner.  These ladies are hilarious. 

Petal Dishcloth by Hazel Schrock
Waffle Dishcloth from Debbie at Homespun Living Blog.  Visit the Firefly Farm Goods!
Eloomanators Diagonal Knit Dishcloth.  Variation of Grandmother's Favorite.

Petal Dishcloths

Waffle Stitch Dish Cloth from Homespun Living

Eloomanator's Dishcloth

New one I tried.  It is just ok.
Holes and Ridges Knitted Dishcloth Debra Proctor USU Extension Agent.

Holes and Ridges

Peaches and Cream site  Cotton yarn
Knit Picks Dishie
Lily Sugar and Cream carried by Michael's and Wal-mart in my area.

Events

Stitches Midwest.  Meet me in the Market in the Concession/Snack Area about 11 AM on Friday, August 26th, 2011.  I will be arriving Thursday morning and leaving after lunch on Friday.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat March 2-3.  Details will be announced in late September.  The place is reserved as well as some local accommodations.

Blethering Room

Bronwyn is going ahead with her cardigan with the twist in it.  She knitted up a baby version of the sweater with the twisted join.  I think she can pull it off!  Check it out on our board on Ravelry under Episode 53.

Franklin the Turkey has been banging on the window occasionally.  He flew to the rooftop when Bob walked around back with our son's two dogs on leads.  He knows that dogs are more dangerous than people. 

High Note

The New Best Recipe: All New Edition by Cooks' Illustrated  $35 but $21.47 on Amazon.
A hefty volume that would be even heftier if it had photos of the food.  I love food photos!  Reliable, extensively tested recipes.  A must for my kitchen.

Foolproof Hard-Cooked Eggs from Best Recipes.  (my abbreviated version)  Put 6 eggs in a pot with water at least one inch above eggs.  (You can cook more eggs as long as the water is 1" over the top of the eggs. )Bring to a boil over high heat.  Turn off heat.  Cover and let sit for 10 min.  Meanwhile, fill a bowl with water and a tray of ice cubes.  Put the eggs in the ice water for 5 minutes.  Peel eggs from the blunt end.  Perfect!

These instructions from Simply Recipes are quite similar. 
Martha Stewart has her egg say here.

In the Piping Circle 

Celtic Cross is preparing for a competition on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend Sept 3 in Waukesha WI.

Harry Potter Fans take note.  You can learn to play Quittich at the Waukesha Games.

BBC World Pipe band Championships  Live streaming begins at 9:00 BST on Saturday August 13 that would be about 3 AM for those of us in the Midwest.  Later on you can catch video of the highlights.

Visit my business site at www.longaberger.com/paula. 

Thanks for listening.  Haste ye back!

Haste ye back!

Episode 37 A Startling Shawl Discovery

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Come forth into the light of things. Let Nature be your teacher.  --William Wordsworth

Quince & Co offers a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool.  Leave a comment in the show blog to enter the contest for your choice of 3 patterns and the Tern yarn to make it.  Choose from Sabrina Mitts, Abbey Road Socks, and Barcelona Scarflet.

Pipeliner Notes

I read a letter from Elseline about seeing a large number of Short Toed Eagles.  She sent me this link as well as photos.  The Short Toed Eagle is probably a descendent of the old world vulture. 




Elseline's photo of a Short-toed Eagle.  Note the beautiful markings.

 I got to meet Jen when she visited Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums rehearsal.  I also met Kathleen!

Paula, Jen, and Kevin.

Nature Notes

My friend Mr. Fox on his way to the bird feeder.

A busy Fox Sparrow.

Visit Pileated Woodpecker Central, a site solely dedicated to this woodpecker.
Our resident Red Fox visits daily and he is very shy.  A flock/den of Fox Sparrows entertained me with their scratching in the leaves at the edge of the wood.  Fox Sparrows are the largest of our sparrows.

Panthers in Illinois

Needle Notes


Blethering Room

I finished a ribbed stocking cap that is too small for all the men in my family.  This will go to charity.
Sewing in the ends on a piece of ribbing is like magic if you know where to put it.



Find the row of bumps where a line of knit stitches meets a line of purl stitches.  I call it "the gutter". 



You sometimes have to spread the fabric a bit to see the row of bumps that is nestled in here.

Run your threaded blunt needle through the bumps for about 3 inches.

See it?

I left a little tail sticking up so you could see where the tail is threaded through.  Pretty nifty, eh?  This is the wrong side of the hat so you are essentially making a ribbed hat reversible by hiding the ends so well.

Is anyone interested in a KAL?  I have to knit this cardigan!
Estelle by Melissa LaBarre

The Leila Cap by Carrie Bostick Hoge reminds me of Flower Fairies.  I also mention Annabel Babe Cardigan because when I talked about it last week I did not say the name.

Book Notes

Knitting Traditions  Winter 2011 on display until 5/15/11  $14.99
Color, Texture, Lace:  45 Projects frm around the world
Special edition of Piecework by Interweave Knits.  Contents comprised of articles selected from Piecework's 17 year archive, favorite Interweave Books, and new stories and projects.

How could I resist with this beautiful pair of mittens on the cover?

Highly recommended for those who enjoy historical knitting, traditional knitting, folk traditions, and colorwork. 

Music is from Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums, recorded at our rehearsal on Thursday March 25, 2011.

Here another photo of the band in the St. Patrick's Day.

Episode 33 Of Lice and Men

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Quince & Co is a sponsor of Knitting Pipeline.  Visit them to find beautiful, natural fiber yarns from American sheep and responsible non-domestic sources.
Thank you for your prayers and greetings for my mom and her recovery.  Her arm is healing and it looks as if she will not need surgery. 

Imagine!  An entire podcast episode revolving around the lowly and despised louse.  Crazy as it sounds  I will link Traditional Norwegian Knitting, a Scottish Poet, and an American Poet.

I give a short background on the Norwegian Setesdal Sweater, also known as Luskofte, literally "Lice Jacket".  The sweater tradition started about 1860 in Setesdal, a region in southern Norway.  The Luskofte is somewhat of a Norwegian national costume and the hallmark of Norwegian knitting.

To a Louse by Robert Burns is read by Alan Wood, friend of Louise Hunt of the Caithness Craft Collective Podcast.  You can find Louise's delightful podcast on iTunes or Podbean.  Thank you, Louise and Alan.

If you want to read more about the poem, check it out here.
To a Louse Interpretation

Robert Frost (1874-1963) was an American Poet with Scottish and English ancestry.  This is one of his lesser known poems.

A Considerable Speck by Robert Frost

My Book Recommendations for Norwegian Knitting

If you want to knit a Norwegian Drop Shoulder Sweater you can get the design information and charts from Elizabeth's Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears, Knitting Workshop, or Knitting Around.  All are available from Schoolhouse Press and other booksellers.  Any one of these books will give you all the information you need.

For more background in Scandinavian Knitting I recommend Sheila McGregor's The Complete Book of Scandinavian Knitting.  The reprint by Dover is called Traditional Scandinavian Knitting.

Norwegian Knitting Designs by Annichen Sibbern Bohn is no longer in print.  If you can get your hands  on a copy, it is a little gem of a book.

The newest addition to my Scandinavian knitting book library is, Setesdal Sweaters: The History of the Norwegian Lice Pattern by Annemor Sundbo.  Torridal Tweed.  2001.  Available from Schoolhouse Press.

I found some photos of my first Norwegian Drop Shoulder Sweaters and other Elizabeth Zimmermann designs.

Our Family at home in 1984 with everyone wearing my handknits.  Bob is wearing EZ's Hand to Hand.  I am wearing a Norwegian Luskofte.  Torben is wearing an Aran Vest.  Nils and Peter are wearing raglan sweaters with a texture pattern in the yoke, made using the EPS. (Elizabeth Zimmermann Percentage System.)

In front of our old house where we lived for 25 years.  (Sniff.)

Torben age 9 in his Norwegian Lus Vest. 1987



Torben age 10 in another Norwegian Style Drop Shoulder Sweater. 1988



Stranded Knitting Tutorial

Needle Notes

My finished project turned out lousy (groan).  These are the felted Baby Slippers from Knitting at Home by Leanne Prouse, a book that was reviewed in Episode 29.  Bronwyn helped me with the Bickford method of sewing the pieces together.  They should probably go through the washing machine again but nothing is really going to help that colorwork. Felting is really not my thing but I'm going to attempt the French Press Slippers before throwing in the towel.

After Mom fell my Norwegian Sweater went into hibernation for a week.  I started on a new project (shawl) which I will share next week.  I also picked up a pair of socks that had been in hibernation since June.

In the Piping Circle

Bruce Gandy, World Champion Piper, plays a set from his album My Father's Son.  Order the CD from Bruce's website.  Thank you, Bruce Gandy!

Thank you for listening to the podcast and for visiting the blog!

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 21 Westknits Book One Review and My Finished Hap Blanket

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Sunday Brunch Longaberger Open House

November 21, 2010

11 AM to 4 PM

at my home

contact me for details at Paulaef@aol.com

Rose Beck of Rosy Posy Designs has donated a prize for the November Drawing:  choose any 3 of her patterns!  I will choose the winner from comments on this blog or in the thread on Ravelry.

Also, until November 30, 2010 you may take $1 off the purchase of any two patterns by using the code KP2010 at checkout.

Patterns I mentioned by Rose Beck:

• Flourish
• Simply Pretty Shawls
• Falling Water

Westknits Book One by Stephen West
8 patterns, all scarves and hats.  Very architectural in design.  Well done.  Would appreciate more readable font which means black ink and a bit larger typeset.

I ask for advice on my Pogona by Stephen West, a pattern I purchased before the book was published (it is also in Westknits Book One).  A good pattern but not a good yarn choice.  I knew it was risky.

Should this go to the FROG pond?

I finished by Hap Blanket by Ysolda Teague.  Whimsical Little Knits.  A quick and easy project.  I used heavy worsted yarn instead of bulky weight and added about 30% more stitches.  It measures 43", which is perfect for a lap blanket or small wrap.

Used the crochet provisional cast on so I would have live stitches on both ends when picking up stitches for the border.



A one week project, mostly garter stitch.



Correction on Alma Ella Shawl by Robin Lynn that I mentioned last week.  It is not garter stitch, but rather, stockinette.  I believe you could do garter instead of stockinette and if I knit this design, that is what I will do.  I substituted garter stitch for stockinette in Ysolda Teague's Ishbel (did it both ways) and the result was great.  Ishbel #1 and Ishbel #2.
 
Thank you to all those who served our country, or their own country.
 
Music by The Dutch Pipes and Drums, Tilburg, The Netherlands.  CD In Harmony.  Tunes:  The Shoals of Herring, Castle Dangerous, and Collin's Cattle.
 
This Wednesday, November 17, only!  on my website.  Exclusive Basket at a great price!

 

Episode 19 Pipeliner Post and The Swallowtail Shawl

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You are invited!

 My annual Longaberger Holiday Open House.

November 21st 11 AM to 3 PM at my home.  Brunch will be served.  contact me for details.

I visited with knitters from the guild in Springfield IL when they held their retreat at the Cornerstone Inn on The Square last weekend.  Great group of ladies!
Then I spent the afternoon piping at Reformation Days for Providence Church. 



With several of the lovely ladies from Reformation Faire Days.  I wore one of my old shawls, a woolen triangular shawl designed by Linda Carlson.  It is about 30 years old now.  It is total coincidence that it looks good with the band tartan.



My Swallowtail Shawl is finished! My project notes are here. Materials are Pearl in Chimney Sweep from The Woolen Rabbit. (merino and bamboo blend).  The Swallowtail Shawl is a pattern by Evelyn A Clark.



Swallowtail Shawl Blocking





If you see any suspect nupps here, please report to the Knitting Police.

 


 Tune at the end of the podcast is The Rose of Kelvingrove.  Dutch Pipes and Drums.  In Harmony CD
available here.