Episode 123 Acer and Quercus

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

This episode is sponsored by my Longaberger Home Business, Quince & Co, and Ewe-nique Yarns.

The folks at Quince & Co produce a line of thoughtfully conceived yarns in their historic spinnery in New England.  Their wool comes from domestic sheep and other fibers come from earth friendly suppliers.  You will find that Quince & Co 100% wool is a living fiber, beautiful, practical, sustainable, and affordable. Find them at www.quinceandco.com


Gill's Rock by Paula Emons-Fuessle.  To be released March 5 as part of Scarves, Etc. by Quince & Co
Yarn is Finch in the color Pomegranate

 

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 as well as the new Karbonz.  They also stock Malabrigo, Madelinetosh, Frog Tree, Elsabeth Lavold, Debbie Bliss, Claudia Handpainted, Louisa Harding, Rowan, Sublime and dozens more.

Debbie and Jenny are happy to ship to Pipeliners.

You can find my Longaberger Home Business at www.longaberger.com/paula.  Please contact me if you would like to be on my preferred customer email list. 

Pipeliner Notes

Introduction by drmellow 

This will warm the hearts of anyone who has every knitted a preemie hat.

Hi! My name’s Greg and I started knitting last June when my daughter was born. My daughter was 2.5 months premature and ended up staying in the hospital NICU for about five weeks before coming home. While in the hospital, one of the nurses came over with a handful of wonderful preemie hats that were knitted and donated by volunteers. I looked at the hats and decided that was something I could do for my daughter while she was in the hospital. I convinced my mother-in-law to teach me how to knit and knitted her a simple preemie hat. I’ve since knitted her several hats, booties, and a toy bear, as well as knitting other objects for my wife and friends. I’ve been bitten by the knitting bug, and absolutely love it.

A few months ago, I started looking for knitting-related podcasts to listen to during my 75-minute-each-way daily commute to work, and was thrilled to find Knitting Pipeline. My heritage is Scottish and I keep telling myself that some day I will learn to play the pipes. So I love that being incorporated in the podcast, along with the nature notes. It really makes the whole experience feel very comfortable and homey -- family-like. I’ve downloaded the entire archive of podcasts and am slowly working through the backstock from the beginning while keeping current as new episodes come out. Well, I did go ahead and find all the ones that seemed to be related to Elizabeth Zimmerman and listen to them first since I’m working on my first baby surprise jacket right now. The podcast really makes my drive to and from work so much more enjoyable. Thanks!

Events:

Knitting Pipeline Retreat  April 26-27, 2013 with Yarn Crawl Fun Day on April 25^th.  We have over 80 registered now but there is room for more.

Current Retreat Sponsors

Quince & Co

Ewe-nique Yarns Morton IL

The Fiber Universe in Peoria IL

Klose Knit in Urbana IL

Knit4Together in Dunlap (on the outskirts of north Peoria)

 

New Design! Gills Rock

Quince & Co Scarves, Etc to be released March 5, 2013.

Susan B Anderson Ebb Cowl.  She’s doing a KAL for Ebb starting March 15^th.

Gill’s Rock KAL  March 8 through April 30. 

Dianne of Knitabulls is doing a Piper’s Journey/Gill’s Rock KAL!

Gill’s Rock by Paula Emons-Fuessle

Favorite shape:Shallow Triangle with long ends that can be wrapped or tied.

Yarn: 2 skeins of Finch Pomegranate.  $7.50/skein.  This is a fingering weight.

Join the Gill’s Rock KAL by going to the thread in the group and posting there.  I will add your name to list at the top of the thread

Tag:  gillsrockkpkal

Yes, there will be prizes!

Nature Notes

The Northern Cardinals stay together in flocks during the winter.  This is why we see so many at one time at our feeders.  These flocks will soon break up as individual birds establish breeding territories and mate.

 

For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.—Martin Luther

Needle Notes

Acer Cardigan by Amy Christoffers.  (Savory Knitting) $7.00

My Acer

Acer Cardigan by Amy Christoffers.  In blocking mode.

Feb 2 start and finished Feb 25.

What I learned:

·        Fixing cables

·        I like this construction method.

·        I tried knots with the joins.

·        I learned how to do a top down set in sleeve which I will talk about later because with all the leaves and trees we have today there isn’t time.

·        New buttonhole.  I used a variation of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s one row buttonhole. One Row Buttonhole.  Main difference is that instead of a bw loop cast on and twisting stitches on the next row you turn the work and do a cable cast on which is a lot neater in appearance and firmer.

·        Should choose buttons before knitting buttonband.  (I’m having second thoughts about this because making a buttonhole to fit a specific size button can be tricky.)

Fits me perfectly!  I might actually wear this sweater.  I hope so.

The Blethering Room

Cindy puts dpn’s in bead tubes.

Acer is the genus of Maple—128 specias

Quercus is genus for Oak—over 600.

Acer comes from Latin word meaning “sharp” and refers to the points of the leave.  Think of the word acerbic.

The fruits are called samaras.  You might know them better as maple keys, whirlybirds, helicopters.  Samaras are not just maple seeds.  They are a seed with a flattened wing of fibrous papery tissue that is usually distributed by wind.  Elm seeds are another samara.

During WWII the US Army developed a special air drop supply carrier that was based on the maple seed, or samara.  This drop carrier could carry up to 65 lb of supplies.

Book Notes

Botanical Knits: Twelve Designs inspired by trees and foliage by Alana Dakos

You can buy it here: www.botanicalknits.com

Preorder the print book for $22 and you get the digital version immediately.  The book will ship in May 2013 with an exclusive free pattern.  How brilliant is that?  Thank you to Alana Dakos for the review copy!

This is where the Quercus part of the show comes in because Quercus is the genus for oak.  Many of the leaves in Botanical Knits look very oak-like.

·        Interactive with web.

·        Variety of construction styles, variety of yarns, wide range of sizes some up to size 60 or more.

·        Color palette:  Autumn Leaves.  All so harmonious.

Favorite sweaters (I actually love every single design in this collection!)

Twigs and Willows

"A classic and simple cardigan shape with two leafy branches elegantly framing the neckline. Twigs and Willows is knit in pieces from the bottom up and seamed together at the end."

Buds and Blooms

"A warm and cozy jacket complete with a rounded fold-over collar and 3/4-length sleeves. A budding vine stalk climbs up the back and adorns the circular pockets. The jacket is worked in pieces from the bottom up and seamed together at the end; the pockets are joined as you knit the jacket fronts."

Quince & Co Osprey

Alana’s Ravelry Group for Botanical Knits  already over 1,000 members!

Five star rating for this beautiful collection.  Go buy it.  Botanical Knits available at www.botanicalknits.com  $22 print and e book or $18 digital only.

Susan Branch has a blog! www.susanbranch.com

Product Notes

Buttons from BohemianFindings on Etsy

Painted wood buttons mostly with floral designs. Old wallpaper, botanical prints, whimsical dots and butterflies.  Reasonably priced.  49 wooden buttons for $5.50

In the Piping Circle

Celtic Cross Pipes and Drums will be playing two tunes with The Chieftains on Sunday March 3 in Bloomington IL

Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago~~Warren Buffett

Killecrankie by Kev Thompson and Ross Hunter as Krosbreed.  Love and Liberty (Songs of Robert Burns). (iTunes)

Killiecrankie

Whaur hae ye been sae braw, lad?
Whaur hae ye been sae brankie-o?
Whaur hae ye been sae braw, lad?
Come 'ye by Killiecrankie-o?

An' ye had been whaur I hae been
Ye wadna been sae cantie-o
An' ye had seen what I hae seen
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o

I fought at land, I fought at sea
At hame I fought my auntie-o
But I met the Devil and Dundee
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o

The bauld pit cur fell in a furr
And Clavers gat a crankie-o
Or I had fed an Athol gled
On the braes o' Killiecrankie-o

Oh fie, MacKay, What gart ye lie
I' the brush ayont the brankie-o?
Ye'd better kiss'd King Willie's lofe
Than come tae Killiecrankie-o

It's nae shame, it's nae shame
It's nae shame to shank ye-o
There's sour slaes on Athol braes
And the de'ils at Killiecrankie-o

Meaning of unusual words:
braw=excellent, brave
cantie=cheerful
braes=hillsides
furr=furrow
gled=buzzardbrankie=violence
lofe=honour
shank=walk
slaes=blackthorns