Episode 298 Gramps, Knit Night Hat, New Year

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Thank you for joining me today.

This episode is sponsored by Quince & Co and Knitcircus Yarns.

At Quince & Co Beautiful brioche goes to colorful new heights in our newest shawl: Introducing Tiger Flower, in soft, silken Tern!

Designed by Katrine Birkenwasser, this crescent shawl uses two colors of our fingering-weight wool/silk yarn, with pretty welting stripes and a border of blossoms of alternating color.

A shawl in Tern is a shawl for all seasons, and Tiger Flower is one to reach for any time of year.

Read more about our newest shawl to knit from Quince & Co.

www.quinceandco.com.

Knitcircus

Find us at www.knitcircus.com and be sure to join our Ravelry group and listen to our podcast.

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Ravelry Group

Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group.

Pipeliner Notes

Welcome to our newest pipeliners, moodyknitter who is Lisa from VA, thehorsebuck who is MeMe from WI, an ChrisPCraft who is Christine from WI.

Hi Paula! I’ve recently discovered this podcast, and I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been listening to old episodes over the holidays, and I’ve learned a lot and I’m so motivated! Not just for knitting, but reading, watching and listening, too.

I learned the word synchronicity from an old episode, and had an experience with it when I heard the newest ones. This December I tried knitting gloves for the first time, and ended up making 3 regular pairs and one fingerless pair. I’ve never been part of a KAL, but I guess I unwittingly was!

ChrisPCraft (Christine from WI)

iTunes: Thank you, JLange, who left a review on  12/17/17/1

Events

Links to retreats and registration materials are in the Knitting Pipeline Retreats Group on Ravelry. There is also a sticky thread with all upcoming retreat dates.

Knitting Pipeline Retreat in Washington Illinois…Registration in progress. Feb 16-17, 2018. Room for about 30 more.

Georgia Retreat Update. Retreat is full. There is no Wait List so if you are interested, please mail in your registration. There may be cancellations between now and then.

Littles KAL moderated and led by JanMarieKnits

Land of Sweets Cowl

Land of Sweets Cowl KAL Moderated and led by Jo, Qwiltnknitnut

Glove KAL winners! (from thread—not FO’s)

Congratulations! Please get in touch with me.

#85 Bayjena 2 Guys Yarn Co Prize!

#13 Dianelaces may choose a pattern of her choice on Ravelry.

#43 shpizl (ellen) may choose a pattern of her choice on Ravelry.

Nature Notes

The Midwest has been in deep freeze mode ever since we returned from balmy NC a few days after Christmas. We broke two records on New Year’s Day: -16 F was the low and -2 F was the High. That’s -26 C for the low and -19 C for the High. I know a lot of people experience even lower temperatures. We’ve been in the single digits and negatives since Dec 27. While us humans are whining about the weather, our feathered friends are busy eating as much as they can to get them through the cold days and nights. Juncos…there are about 20 outside my window right now are hopping along the top of the snow and bobbing down for seed. Bob spread seed on top of the snow on the deck and that was been a busy place for the birds and a great source of entertainment for us. Cardinals are moving about in groups and we see them in the greatest numbers between 3 and 5 pm. Right now there are about 10 out there—it’s 3:45 PM as I write.

We added suet for the birds and it is popular. My neighbor down the street posted Facebook that she has a problem with starlings at the feeder. I advised her to remove the suet until the starlings go away. Also, we use black oil sunflower seeds at the platform feeder, which starlings don’t seem to like much. A smaller perching space on the feeder also seems to help. We see the occasional starling and don’t worry about it but if they start coming in numbers, we remove the suet.

I went out today at noon for a walk. It was -3 F with a light wind. The sky was clear blue and the sun was bright. I was layered from head to toe and then some. On my return, heading north, movement in the sky caught my eye. It was a large bird, circling a thermal, and it kept getting closer to me. Finally I could confirm my suspicions when I saw a white head and white tail…a mature American Bald Eagle! I’ve never seen one so close to our house! As I neared our home and kept my eyes on the eagle, it soon turned and flew in the direction of the Illinois River. What a reward for going out on a bitter cold and snowy day!

Velvet Shoes

Let us walk in the white snow

          In a soundless space;

With footsteps quiet and slow,

          At a tranquil pace,

          Under veils of white lace.

I shall go shod in silk,

          And you in wool,

White as white cow's milk,

          More beautiful

          Than the breast of a gull.

We shall walk through the still town

          In a windless peace;

We shall step upon white down,

          Upon silver fleece,

          Upon softer than these.

We shall walk in velvet shoes:

          Wherever we go

Silence will fall like dews

          On white silence below.

          We shall walk in the snow.

 --Elinor Wylie

Needle Notes

Sleepy Kitten Set by Susan B Anderson

Making Magazine

PrairiePiper’s Sleepy Kitten

PrairiePiper’s Toddler Mittens

Loosely based on TinCanKnits The World’s Simplest Mitten

Shepherd’s Mill yarn from Rhinebeck. Red and natural

I bought a pattern at Rhinebeck called Annie’s Mittens by Cindy Craft. Toddler Mittens in sport weight with heart intarsia.

Knit Night Hat by Judy Marples suggested by my friend, Nancy. Judy Marples is a well-known and respected knitwear designer.

PrairiePiper’s Knit Night Hat

I am looking for free patterns to use with beginning knitters. They know knit and purl but they need to get some knitting mileage under their belts.

Mt Rutsen Studio Max in Mistakes Happen colorway

Due to the lighter weight yarn I went down a needle size on both.

Gramps by TinCanKnits in 9 Months of Knitting

Size 3-4

Plymouth Encore from Ewe-nique Yarns Regal Red

Sweet Georgia Superwash Worsted from Warm and Fuzzy in Cary NC. Color is Charcoal. Tonal. Perfect!

PrairiePiper’s Gramps

Contrasting color used nearly all of the skein of Sweet Georgia. The shawl collar uses quite a bit and then with the ribbing, cuffs, pockets…it adds up.

I tried to make heart elbow patches but didn’t like them. EZ’s heart patch was too big and I did not have the brain power to scale it down. I tried another heart (Tincanknits Heart on the sleeve book) and didn’t like the looks of it. The oval patches in the pattern worked up quickly but after sewing one on the elbow, I took it off. It looked sloppy and I had a feeling my granddaughter wouldn’t like it.

In the future, I will avoid patch pockets. They are very tricky to sew on properly. Afterthought pockets are much easier. I picked up the lower edge with a size 000 circular needle and knitted the pockets upward per the pattern. Despite careful counting of vertical stitches and horizontal stitches (from button band), one pocket is too close to the side seam. Since the pockets were knitted from the pattern as prescribed, I can only figure two possibilities. One is that the fronts of the sweater are not identical; however, that is very unlikely with a raglan because I counted carefully when dividing. The only other possibility is that I picked up the wrong size dpn’s to knit the second pocket so it is slightly larger. When I child is running around playing in the sweater, this will not be noticeable.

Pocket Pals—Sleeping fox and Russian Doll from Fabulous Felt by Corinne LaPierre

In The Blethering Room

Quilting! Quilt for our son and his wife. Shibori II Debbie Maddy for Moda

Quilt as you Go by Jera Brandtvig. Ballard Blocks

In The Pipeline

Land of Sweets Cowl by CuriousHandmade

The Hat Quartet by Green Mountain Spinnery

Lush  from Handmade in the UK in Quince & Co Phoebe in the Andromeda colorway

Tchaikovsky Hat by Helen Stewart (Knitvent) using Malabrigo Silky Merino Ravelry Red colorway

Conversationalist by Plucky Knitter (for beginning knitters) FREE

Winter Forest Cowl by Fishhead Creations (free at the time I got it). Shepherds Mill Red and natural.

Lagom by Susan Ashcroft (DK or light worsted) I’ll use Seven Sisters Arts or Brooks Farm Solo Silk

Happiness Runs Hat by Lee Bernstein (chunky or bulky) which I have in stash due to project nose dives that happened before Christmas.

Happy New Year and Haste ye back!