Episode 110 Our Crazy

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This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business and Quince & Co.  The folks at Quince & Co have created a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns spun from American wool and other fibers sourced from earth friendly suppliers.  You can view the beautiful yarns and designs at www.quinceandco.com and while you are there sign up for their free e-newsletter.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  If you wish to be on my email preferred customer list, please send me an email at paulaef@aol.com with your name, mailing address, and phone.

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.

Squares For Comfort Charity KAL –Hurricane Sandy Relief.  All the info for the KAL can be found on the KB boards here.

Sock Patterns from Lorna’s Laces : Four great sock patterns for $5 with ALL of the donation going to Feeding America for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with optional loosely structured day on April 25^th.  Signups will be announced in a few months.

Pipeliner Notes

Last week’s myth was about the statement that socks are as much work as a sweater.  It isn’t true.  Some may argue that a size 13 foot takes a lot longer but a person with a foot this size usually has a body in proportion to it so a sweater for said person takes longer also.

Also I am talking about actual knitting time, not the perception of time.  Of course it seems that a pair of socks takes forever if it is your purse project and you only knit on them when stuck in traffic.  (In our area you would never finish a pair.)  Perception of time is a whole other issue and cannot be quantified.

Lee Bernstein wrote, I loved this podcast so much. I, too, have heard many a knitter say that knitting a pair of socks is more effort than a sweater, and all I can say is: I've knit many a pair of socks with little effort (except perhaps for the first pair), and every pair has fit perfectly.

Sweaters? Not so much. It takes more time, it takes a greater understanding of how to properly fit a garment, and it usually takes a much greater monetary investment, not to mention patience and prayer.

From FrancesWeyr: The needles are shorter, so you don’t shift them around quite as much. There is more to manipulate in a sweater, which can slow you down. I have almost finished a sock in an evening, but it was a simple pattern and I was in the mood.

Myth #2 came from Lynette:

If we’re talking about knitting superstitions and urban legends, what better place is there to start than the ‘sweater curse’? Is knitting a sweater for a boyfriend a sure fire way to kill the relationship?

Bronwyn and I discuss this.  We are going to ask for your input.  My thoughts are that most people date more people than they marry.  So the odds are that if you knit sweaters for the people you date then the superstition will prevail.  It also might be that a big commitment like a sweater might scare off a person who is afraid of commitment.

Nature Notes

Handsome buck.  He snorted 3 times!

Pretty doe.

Buck in our woods!  He snorted.

Needle Notes

Little Colonnade by Westknits

Why this is a good pattern for variegated yarn.  Ladder pattern barber pole effect.  Ladders are why lifelines are important.

Bronwyn finished:

Rustling Leaves Beret by Alana Dakos

Basic Mittens by Ann Budd

The Blethering Room

Paula’s Crazy Story

I’ve told the story about how Bob and I were married in Denmark and then traveled for two months by rail with backpacks and camping gear through Norway, Sweden, and down to Italy.  This wasn’t very crazy but the original plan was to bicycle camp!  It was Bob’s idea to ship our bicycles over to Denmark and outfit them with panniers for our gear.  We would happily cycle through the countryside and camp along the way. Given the mountainous geography of Norway, it was good that I convinced him to abandon this plan. We might still be in the mountains had I agreed to it.

I did knit 7 items for a baby shower in July.  That might have been a tad overboard.

New Crazy:

Sock Blankie by Shelly Kang

Some of my fingering/sock yarn waiting to be knit into mitred squares.

I plan on knitting a man-sized sweater for my nephew for Christmas.  He’s not puny either!

High Note Low Note

Low Note

Bronwyn: both cars needing to replaced at the same time.

Paula: Frequent software updates and especially the ones that take forever.

High Note

Bronwyn: Legos

Paula:   Dr. Russell Dohner in Rushville IL.  Amazing story about a true country doctor not far from us. 87 years old.  No appt.  First come first served.  $5 per visit.

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