Episode 79 Capricious Slips

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This episode is sponsored by Quince & Co, The Blend Cafe, and Knit4Together.  Thank you!

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 overseas suppliers who grow plants, raise animals, or manufacture a yarn in as earth- and labor-friendly a way as possible. Find them at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there, sign up for their free e-newsletter.

The Blend Café is an independent coffee shop in Washington IL  The Blend's slogan, “Where coffee and community come together,” is more than just a catchy phrase to them - It is their passion! Our desire is to provide a comfortable place for those in our community to gather together and enjoy good company along with GREAT coffee. If coffee is not YET your beverage of choice, come anyway - we serve wonderful teas, smoothies, and ice cream drinks to go along with our fresh baked goods, desserts, and sandwiches.  I would like to congratulate Yvonne and all The Blend employess as they were recently awarded the 2012 Outstanding Business Award from the Washington Chamber of Commerce! 

Knit 4 Together is an knitting and fiber shop in Dunlap IL just north of Peoria IL.  Knit 4 Together Yanr Company specializes in a fine variety of fibers to meet a variety of budgets.  Co-owned and run by five ladies who love to knit--and love to teach--there is a chair wiating for you.  Just bring your needles...we're certain you'll find som crumptious yarn for your next project.  www.knit4together.com or call 309.243.9499

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.

Charity Notes

Jessica of Knitting Brooklyn podcast is hosting a charity KAL.  Preemie hats will be donated in memory of Remy who was born premature. 

 

Prize Drawing and Pipeliner Notes

The prize is a skein of yarn from Roman Hills either Dowager Countess or Lady Sybil

The winner is #40!

Congratulations Sarah aka smurphy2!  Please contact me with your mailing information.

Nature Notes

Another Pipeliner has seen the Snowy  Owl!  Martha/aka Goldybear.

February is a month of light.  In the Northern Hemisphere our mornings and evening are filled with more hours of daylight.  We are moving away from the short dark days of the Winter Solstice. It is that first hint that winter will be leaving us…but not yet.  Bob and I both noticed independently that the birds are singing more in the mornings.  The chickadees and cardinals are staking out nesting territories.  Birds have different sounds for different situations. These calls seem to say, “This place is mine!  Here I am.”  Despite the warm winter don’t worry too much about the birds.  They have been around for a long time and their nesting, migratory, and mating patterns are more related to light than temperature.  They won’t accidentally lay eggs in February just because it is warmer than normal.  Today I saw the red-wing blackbirds lined up along the fences that line the farm fields.  I was looking for snowy owls.  I saw red-wings.  And that is good too, especially the first red wings of the season.

Thanks to Alisonc I just read the most fascinating book.  Goat Song: A Seasonal Life. A short history of Herding and the art of making cheese by Brad Kessler.  Highly recommended!

Needle Notes

Piper’s Journey KAL.  Wave 2 starts on March 5, 2012.

Note that the shawl will grow considerably since you are knitting at a looser gauge than recommended for a tighter fabric.

Slipping Stitches make a cleaner edge but there are times when this is not advised.  Slipping the first stitch of a row will tighten the edge, which is sometimes not what you want to do.

If a pattern says to slip a stitch and the pattern does not specify then you should slip as if to purl.

In general

• You slip as if to purl if the stitch is not going to be worked at that time.
• You slip as if to knit if the stitch is going to be worked.

The Blethering Room

I blether about a house we looked at when we first moved to this area, Norwegian Gjetost, and a few more tips on things to take to a retreat.  A notebook is a good idea.

About those Autumn Glory Apples…our local market will probably be sold out by the time of our retreat.  I didn’t want to be greedy and buy up the whole bin.

In the Pipeline

Knitting:  Spectra by Stephen West.  2 Knit Lit Chicks KAL  60 wedges done and 25 to go!

I need to figure out my retreat knitting.

Watching:

Downtown Abbey is over.  It is sad.  Thankfully there is another season to look forward to.  And to those of you who do not have television, I applaud you! 

Listening:

Finished The Paris Wife by Paula MacClain.

This Birding Life/Bird Watcher’s Digest Bill Thompson III  Snowy Owl Invasion

Music by Lydia McCauley.  Apples on the Tree.  www.magnatune.com

Haste ye back!