Knitcentric

2006-08-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

ALright it has been two weeks, and I still have no notes from my last podcast. I had some blogger issues the night I posted the podcast, and then I got very busy with my family in town. All I can really say in my defense is I have been a bad pocaster. Bad knitter, no new yarn for me.

As a peace offering, until the full notes are put up, here is a very recent picture of me and my daughter taken at Shuri Castle here in Okinawa Japan. It is not the best picture of me, but since my loving husband did not take this one, you get more than just my rear end.

I hope to have everything back to normal soon, with the show notes from my last show, and another show coming out this week.

It's nice to be back(ish)!

2006-07-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

Alright, I don't know who the wise guy is, but I am having issues with posting pictures today. I know I promised a picture of me, as well as pictures of my knitting, but alas. Not here, not today. Since pictures are pretty much the point of show notes, I will try again in the morning. I know with family arriving in about an hour you might think I'll blow it off. I'll keep trying for pictures every day until it works.

Hopefully, show notes soon!

2006-07-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, here are the show notes from episodes 13 and 14. Sorry they took so long!

First off, last week I spoke about knitting I have seen on tv recently. For some truly inspired knitting check out the 1991 show Dinosaurs. I also spoke a bit about where I would like to see some knitting in entertainment.

I knit a Watermelon hat, based off of the hat knit by the Yarn Harlot recently. I’m having a bit of trouble with the seeds, I don’t want to leave a string going through the inside of the hat, but I’m not sure how else to do the double stitching.

I finished my World Cup Knitting. I had knit the Fuzzy Reception Cardigan designed by Joanna Sieff and available through knitpicks.com. I ran out of the Merino Style wool before I could do the button band, so I’m going to look for a clasp of some sort.

Lastly I worked on a tank top for Joanna. I cast on and started knitting in the round. I’m not sure how I’ll do the straps, but I’ll figure it out.

Episode 13 Reviews

Spin Off summer 2006
www.interweave.com
Rating-Full stash box It is full of information, a variety of things. I’m not ready for all of it today, and some I’m not sure when I’ll get around to it, but full of possibilities

The Yarn Girls Guide To Kid Knits, patterns for babies and toddlers by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs

Rated-Bright colored stockinette sweater- simple enough to make, goes over big with the parents, but the kid cares more about what color.

The Imperfect Mom

Rated sweater knit on the wrong size needles that still keeps you warm.

In Episode 14, I finally talk about knitting in Okinawa. I have looked for Okinawa knitters, but alas I have found none. Since I have no tales of Japanese knitting, I shared my adventure as I searched for a yarn store.

I have nothing new to report on my needles. Since I finished my world cup knitting my focus has been on Joanna’s dancing girl quilt. I have 3 ½ squares left to finish before my mother gets here. I really want to finish before then, so I can have my mother’s help putting top, batting and bottom together.

Greetings From The Knit Café by Suzan Mischer

Rated-Handspun silk and cashmere socks. You might not need them, but who wouldn’t want them?

Songs for episode 14 were provided by my lovely daughter Joanna. She has desperately wanted to help with this podcast, and was thrilled at such a fun contribution.

I've been having trouble with links lately, so I am sorry to not have any today!

Thank you everyone for waiting on Episode 13 notes!

2006-07-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hey happy knitters.

I just finished the show notes for episode 13. They were glorious, I swear. Wonderful pictures, links to fascinating bits of information and what could have possibly been the meaning of life.

You might notice it's not here.

After an hour's work writing the show notes and creating the links, the post disappeared into the void known as "Evil Computer Glitches." I spent another half hour trying to recover or rewrite the post and it didn't work. I couldn't even get pictures to load. Here is were I have decided I accidentally posted the meaning of life. There is obviously a conspiracy to keep me from posting today's notes until after I have forgotten the meaning of life.

I will attempt show notes again tomorrow. Happy 4th of July to all Americans, Happy late Canada day to all of you Canadians, and if you're not covered in one of those have a great day anyways.

2006-06-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I had a great week, and this show isn't out too late. I'm working through some personal issues right now, so things don't always happen when I intend them to. Nothing real big going on, I just don't handle stress well. What may seem simple to some is awful for me. I have also wanted to work on some knitcentric related projects, like my cafe press store.

Since I didn't want to talk about my father today I talked about the other men in my life. I talked about my wonderful husband Trent, and my six older, protective brothers.

On my needles I have my world cup sweater. I am rockin this sweater, I have half the back and both sleeves done. I think I needed a much harder project for a month long event.

I also have the project I am cheating on my world cup knitting with, a little baby sock. Congrats to my brother Ben and his wife Angelica. Thank you for giving me my first baby to knit for!

I also talked about the three yarns I dyed last week. I loved the blue-green one, even if it was't what I was trying for. The orange and yellow one, I'm sure I'll find someone who loves it. The pink and blue one is destined for the dye bath.

I also talked about the gadgets I want, but do not need. I swear someday I will have a Niddy Noddy! I think I need to work harder to rationalize an electronic yardage counter.

Well, that's all. Thanks for stopping by!

2006-06-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I know I'm late, and if you noticed, I'm sorry. I've had a few issues lately, and I'm going to try to be on time this week.

Before we go any farther, I never did get a picture of this contest yarn up. This yarn is 880 yards of hand dyed lace weight merino wool. I think the color comes out okay, I had to take a couple of pictures to get a good color shot. This yarn will be given away in the next show to the person who can give me the best dumb advice. Tell me what advice you were given, that you already knew but needed to hear anyways.

This week I talked about my knitting in public. I mentioned somethings you might already be familiar with, The Stare, The Question, The Beg and The Brush Off. I did go off on a small male knitting tangent. If I offended anyone with my random thoughts, I really didn't mean to!

Off my needles I have the 'tank you very much' tank top from Yarn Girls Guide To Beyond the Basics. I also started spinning my first merino yarn, and picked out my World Cup Knitting Project. I'll have pictures next week, with my progress on both. I might put a picture of my tank top, but I probably won't be in it, I don't photograph well. I prefer to put the cute child on!

I reviewed The Yarn Girls Guide To Beyond The Basics, by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs. I was so tired I forgot to put an actual rating on this, but I did babble for quite a while about it. To remedy this, I will rate it now, with a rating of 100% Merino wool. Good quality, very versitile, and warm and snuggly. Of course 100% wool is not for everyone, and thigns can go wrong, but still very good.

Well, That's all for today. I'm hoping to get back on track this week, so I should have a father's day show out in a couple of days. I hope you don't get too tired of me right now!

2006-06-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Episode 10 You Spin Me Right Round

Hey everyone!

Sorry it took a little longer to get this weeks show out! I had a couple of issues to smooth over before I could post. I got temporary fix, so sadly it might happen again next month.

Thank you to everyone who left me comments last week. I love hearing from everyone! For those who asked, I do give a "pattern" for my s'mores socks in this weeks show.

Don't forget World Wide Knit In Public Day, June 10th. If you happen to be on the island I'll be knitting at the starbucks by the Jusco ferris wheel at around 11 am. I will be the frazzled american knitting and guzzling coffee with an impatient 4 year old. If you don't live on the island, find a knit together near you, and show your sticks!

This week I talked all about spinning. It wasn't the easiest thing I have ever learned, but I got some help from here and The Spindles. I found my fiber and spindle here.

On my spindle is my next mini skein. I used a dusty purple, a dusty pink and a purply maroon.

I haven't finished yet, but it's going now.

The winner of the frappr map drawing was Melissa from San Jose, Ca. Congratulations!!!

I also announced the next contest, which will get it's own special post in a couple of days. This next contest is for 880 yards of hand painted lace weight merino wool yarn. It is in light green and tan. I think it looks very natural, and pretty. To win this yarn, send me a message or post a comment with the best stupid advice you ever got, something you already knew, but needed to be reminded about. Make sure you pass on your wisdom before June 15th. You don't have long this time!

My reviews were more of a list of referances this week.

Spin it! by Lee Raven found hererecieved a rating of CD Spindle. It's great for a beginner, but if you want to get serious about spinning, you'll need to upgrade later.

Spin Off Magazine was rated with 2 lbs of merino wool roving. A lot of good quality stuff there, but a little intimidating to a beginner.

Spindlicty an online magazine was given 2 ounces of bright colored roving. Cheerful, fun and informative, without being scary.

The Spindles some wonderful people are the finest cashmere or the softest silk. They are a wonderful group and I am proud to be a part of them.

Thank you everyone! Until next time!

2006-06-04T15:54:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

I am having a slight issue with my libsyn account, and I can't post episode 10 yet. I'm hoping to be able to post the show soon, within a couple of days. But just in case it takes a little longer to post the show, I wanted to announce the winner of the frappr map drawing.

Congratulations to Melissa of San Jose, California!

Thank you everyone for making me feel less lonely on the frappr map! Hopefully the show will be up soon!

2006-05-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone!

Quick reminders, click on the frappr map link before June 1st to win the yarn! If you miss this drawing, I will have another one next month, so listen next week for the winner and the next contest.

Also spot by http://knitspot.com to find out how you can participate in the yarn rant, also on June 1st.

Remember, Knit in public day is June 10th. You can read more, or pick up a button for your blog herehttp://www.wwkipday.com/ .

Lastly, the knitting World Cup is coming up, starting June 9th. Pick your project and sign up here, http://yarn-monkey.blogspot.com/2006/05/knitting-world-cup-announced.html

This week I talked about passionate knitting, losing the passion for what I was working, and finding it again.

I also talked about all of the things I have had on my needles lately. I only have a couple of pictures today. I finished my toe-up socks from a few episodes ago, then I knit a pair of socks for Joanna, the green ones above. I also worked my "coffee" socks, using knitpicks Memories S'mores. I'm also finishing a workout towel, working on my daughter's quilt and drawing some plans for christmas knitting. Busy busy!

I did two reviews, first Knitters Magazine. This was my first and last time reading thia magazine. I rated it red heart acrylic, a bit scratchy and in an unattractive color.

The other review I did was Knit 1 magazine. We get it, Lion Brand still makes fun fur yarn. I rated this, scarf made with fun fur and lion brand wool. All of the patterns are easily done, with easy to aquire yarn. There are some interesting articles, and some of the patterns are simple and nice. However, there is also a lot of loud, flashy fun fur patterns. If you like them, great, but I am strangly against cruelty to muppets.

That's all for this week. Next week, all about spinning!!!

2006-05-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back All!

I only have a short show for you today. I've been trying to play catch up on spring cleaning, and a little spring knitting. I had no reviews, and I will do a nice long On my needles next week.

Stop by knitspot http://www.knitspot.com to find out more about We're Knot going to take it!

Today I talked about the yarn for the frapper map drawing. There is a picture and all the details about the drawing on the previous post, so scroll down to read that. Then go put your pin in the frapper map!

This yarn was inspired by the ocean. I love looking out here and seeing the endless shades of blue. For those who were wondering, this one was not kool-aid dyed. I used actual yarn dye so I could do slightly better shading.

Well, I'll be back next week with a full show. And for those who want to see the pattern of the sweater in my mind, click herehttp://www.knitpicks.com/Projects/itemid_50434220/Projects_Display_Yarn.aspx

2006-05-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

Here is the frapper map drawing yarn! It is 440 yards of hand dyed merino wool. The color is pretty close to the actual yarn on my computer, but in case it isn't on your computer this yarn has shades of blue, purple and a little aqua. The winner of this yarn will be the only person in the world (besides me of course) to have yarn I dyed.

To win this yarn, stick a pin in the frapper map before June 1st. I will draw a name out during my show recorded the weekend of June 3-4. You will hear the name drawn live on the show.

I will send an email out to the winner right after I post the show. The winner will have two weeks to send a message back with their mailing address. If I do not get a mailing address within two weeks, I will draw another winner.

Good Luck Everyone!

2006-05-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again! Happy mother’s day to all those motherly knitters!

This week I talked about my wonderful mother. She truly is the best human ever, and I am so lucky to have her.

I didn’t do any new knitting this week, I’m almost done with my toe up socks from last week, and I might have finished them but I dyed some yarn, and spent a lot of the week untangling it. I also got some new yarn from Knit Picks, the red is my new sock yarn, the blue an alpaca silk blend, and the pink is 100% baby alpaca. There is a ball of red-ish yarn that I wasn’t too happy with, and the ball of green was an experiment in self-striping for Joanna. On the side is my rip-off of the lemonade yarn from episode 1 of the Craftborg. I kind of like the yarn, but it has slightly uneven shading, and has been awful to detangle.

I also talked a little about a contest for free hand painted yarn. I dyed a special skein of yarn for this using Knit Picks Color Your Own. This is 440 yards of 100% Merino wool. It’s still drying as I post this, so I’ll do another post tomorrow with a picture. If you want to win this yarn, look to the side of this post and click on the frapper map. Stick your pin in, and listen the first week of June to see if you’re a winner.

I also asked if anyone would be interested in sending yarn for future contests. I’m looking for yarn with stories. If you bought the yarn, why did you buy it? Does it make you think of anything? Did the color remind you of anything? Is it your favorite kind? Why do you like it? If you dyed the yarn, or spun the yarn, what made you do it? If you think you might want to send your story yarn, for another lucky knitter to try let me know. Leave a comment or contact me on the side, and I’ll talk about it a little more next week.

I did two reviews, The Shop On Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber, which I loved, and the magazine, Family Circle Easy Knitting for Spring/Summer 2006 which I didn’t.

I’m not sure if I’ll have a full show next week, but I’ll come back with some more details on how to win the yarn, and maybe a little about how to send yarn for future drawings.
Happy knitting all!

2006-05-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well, As promised here are my pedicure socks. I thought about waiting until after my next pedicure, but you can't see my nails really anyway.
So you might be wondering why there is a picture of two coins and a measuring tape on a short knit blog. My Darling daughter managed to swallow a 10 yen coin. It is just like the dark coin right next to the quarter and they are exactally the same size.She did this half way through the last round of my second sock. All I had left was the ribbed round, then a bind off, and I had to put it down. We spent two hours at the ER, and a nice follow up visit the next day. Joanna is fine, and I obviously finished the socks but I don't think I will ever look at those socks and not remember these two days of x-rays and the ER.I guess they definately have a distinct memory attached!

2006-05-06T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

I almost didn't post this week, it was hard to find a minute to record! Well, this episode I whined a little about a online yarn store. I left the name of the store out intentionally, but I was very unhappy with the experience. I also talked about my dream for an Angora rabbit.

On my needles I have the toe up socks I was working. I forgot to mention the yarn brand, Knit Picks Sock Memories in the color Flower Power. It has been on sale lately, so if you like it, now is the time to order! I'm not totally happy with how the heel came out, but I think I just prefer the heel flap.

I also have a pair of pedicure socks going. I'm almost done, so I'll post those pictures in a few days when I finish them. The socks are based on the pattern by Ruthie Nussbaum. You can find her pictures at Knitty.com.

I reviewed a couple of books, firstly Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton. It is the first in the Knitting Mystery series and was a good read. I wanted to crawl into the book and move into the yarn store!

I also reviewed Not Just Socks and Not Just More Socks, both by Sandi Rosner. I'd been waiting for the books for a while, but for the most part I wouldn't recommend them. The patterns are cool, and worth a look, but it's mostly because self striping yarn are so pretty.

I also gave a mention to the podcast Craftborg. I love it! Geeks unite!

Thank you to everyone who left me a comment last week, and a huge thank you to those who left me sweet comments on itunes! I'll be back next week with a special episode devoted to my favorite human, my Mother.

Thank You all for coming back!

2006-04-28T16:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone!

Well, I had a lot of fun planning my show this week. I recorded first thing in the morning, so I hope my voice isn't to sleepy. Joanna helped me to edit this morning, so I hope it came out okay. She got a little bored, but what else do you expect from a four year old.

Well, I talked about patience today. I would love to teach Joanna to knit, so she might learn a little patience. She's four, so naturally she wants everything now, now, NOW! She loves yarn, and has her own needles now, so she's on her way to learning. For now she asks me to knit her socks, sweaters, blankets and teddy bears.

I have had to use patience a lot in being a mother, and it has not been easy for me. I am most certainly not a patient person by nature. Knitting has helped me to focus a lot on the process of life, taking things one step at a time. As lessons go, this is one of the best. I'm learning patience, and getting nifty socks.

On my needles this week I knit a small stack of washclothes. It was a lot of fun, I was able to use mostly leftover scrap cotton, and make some cute cloths. I never thought knitting for function could be so much fun.

I did one review this week, Knitting, A Novel by Anne Bartlett. There were some good parts to this book, her descriptions of the yarn and knitted projects were so vivid I ended up with serious yarn envy. However, I really didn't like the main charecter, Sandra. Reading an entire book about a person who I would not hang out with if she was real, wasn't exactally my idea of a good time, so the review wasn't too flattering on that aspect.

I also did two Podcast mentions, Irie Knits, and Math4Knitters. Both of these were very good, and you should definately give them a listen.

Lastly I sent out a small plea for help. I cast on a pair of toe up socks just before recording, and I am trying to find a pattern for the heel, that isn't an afterthought heel. I have a couple of ideas, but I'm looking for some other ideas as well.

Well, that was all this week. Thanks for listening!

2006-04-21T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Thank's for tuning back in, or at least stopping by. I almost didn't record this week. A silent house is so rare here! I'm glad I did though. This week I talked about some of my stashing down falls. If you look above you can see my wonderful yarn storage area. For those of you shuddering, I'm right there with you. I hope to be able to post a picture of a well organized stash soon. It will probably be a month or so, but I swear I'm trying to reform. I did babble on for a while about my stashing woes, but as I bought more yarn yesterday, and am anxiously awaiting some more yarn from knit picks I guess my stashing conquers all.

I didn't have anything new on my needles this week. I worked a lot on catching up on a quilt for Joanna this week. I need to do 8 more squares after that one, and that's before I can sew the quilt together and start the actual quilting. I'm glad I didn't wait to start my Christmas crafts. It's April, and I'm already a bit behind. Oops! I did finish my koigu socks between recording and posting, though I'm pretending those are someone else's legs pictured. If you don't believe it was my imaginary friends legs, then I'll try bad angle. The socks are nice and comfy, soft, but I'm not sure if I'm a Koigu convert yet. It's hard to be super excited over hand wash socks. I'll have to force myself to actually wear them, knowing the work I'll need to put into washing them.

I did a very lengthy review of Mason Dixon Knitting. I do babble for a while about all of the projects I'll try from it, and why I like the book. If you're a busy person, the short cut version, buy the book. It's worth it. I also reviewed Lily Sugar n'Cream cotton yarn. I've used this yarn for a bunch of things, and I never get tired of it. I've used it for baby hat's and booties and am going to clean out some of it in my stash for washcloths. It's good yarn for only a little cost.

I also talked a little about my brillant idea gone over done. I was thinking of doing a log cabin pattern afghan. I thought it would be a fun, original idea. I opened Mason Dixon Knitting, and saw my blanket. I hope I'm not the only one who is less than original sometimes! Tell me what idea you thought was brilliant until you saw it had been done before.

Well, I should have another show next week. Hope you'll tune back in!

2006-04-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome back everyone!

This episode seems to have gone much better than the last, but my testing isn't quite over. Hopefully I manage to get the full episode there. I know my editing is a little rough still. I don't have a lot of time for take after take, or quiet for that matter. I kind of have to make due with what I get from take one with a little editing. I know it makes the flow off in some points, but I'm working on it! This episode was a lot longer than the others I have done. I guess it's easy to talk a lot when you love what you are talking about.

My stash is something I truly love. Each ball of yarn is full of possiblities and memories that nothing could replace. Today I have pictures of my sock yarn up. That's right, only my sock yarn. I will get to my other yarns next week, as well as some of the dark side of stashing. The bottom picture is my darling daughter with my palette collection from knitpicks.com. These are my favorite yarns from my stash right now. I love the colors, but I'm almost afraid to use any of them yet. As soon as I use one, I won't have it anymore. I know, I know I can buy more, but I love having the entire collection to choose from.

Up top I have a picture of Joanna with all of my sock yarn. She was helping me to drag it all out, and insisted on modeling. I also have an adorable picture of her hugging my yarn. She is indeed a child after my heart. As we worked with my yarn she started asking if she could have her own stash. Of course she doesn't knit yet, but she knows good stuff when she finds it. When she suggested sharing my stash I did have to get a little firm. Maybe we don't need to have knitting in common.

I also have a picture of my Koigu socks up. They are working up very nicely, smooth and with a lot of texture. I don't think the picture quite captures the subtle color changes in the yarn. At some points it is a darker blue, at others almost pink and others still a soft lavender. They colors flow seemlessly from one to another, almost as waves in the ocean. I really cannot describe the beauty of this yarn, the color waves are simply magnificent.

I reviewed two books this week. Compassionate Knitting by Tara Jon Manning, which received high honors. I love the natural spirtuality of the book, and how she spoke of colors having an impact on what she knit. I will be knitting several patterns from this book. It's only downside was a lack of color pictures. They were there, but in a very small dose.

Book two was Knitting Into The Mystery by Susan S. Jorgensen and Susan S. Izard. I think I killed their names on the show, but I did try. This book was not quite my style. It seemed geared more towards knitting groups than an individual. It does however have a lot of interesting information and stories about knitting prayer shawls. If you want to knit just one for one person, don't bother with this book. Think good thoughts as you knit and buy some nicer yarn with your money. I don't mean to be mean, it is a good book, but it wasn't what I was looking for.

Lastly I did a podcast spotlight. I don't knit to music, but I love knittunes. Maura has managed to perfectly capture the essence of a stitch or style of stitches in music. The collections she has are perfectly suited to different types of knitting, and beyond that are just good tunes. I never would have thought a person could capture knitting in music, but she has found great music to knit to.

Well, that is all for now. I hope everyone enjoyed my extended show, I know too much of me is probably a little annoying. I'm not sure if this longer length will continue. I guess we'll have to see how much of me you can stand!

2006-04-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

I am so sorry about the Episode 2. I mentioned I was working with a headache, and I figured a rough podcast was better than none at all. I was wrong! I have reloaded episode 2. I think there is now 3 different versions out, so I guess that should tell you how incredible un-techie I am! The full episode is now out, as Episode 2 Again. Sorry about that, and thank you Shannon in Michigan for letting me know it hadn't loaded the entire episode!

This does give me a chance to try loading pictures onto the blog though. If the pictures don't turn out, then enjoy some neat captions, and pretend you see pictures.

I tried to post a picture of my brown and blue striped socks, I don't remember what brand the yarn was, but the green bag in the background is from lantern moon.

The adorable girl in the striped socks is my daughter, Joanna. Those are the kool aid socks we dyed together.

I also tried to post a picture of my Chill Out Cardigan. I don't know if the pattern picture is big enough to see, but I swear, the picture is cute!

Well, until next time! Hopefully Episode 3 will go smoothly!

2006-04-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Welcome Back everyone!

First off, sorry my editing was a bit off, I was editing with a headache, so I know I missed some things! Second, a thanks to everyone who stopped by and left comments, it's great to know people are listening. I have added a link to my podcast feed, so I hope everyone who wants to is able to listen now. I'm still learning how to do this, so please tell me if I'm missing something!

This last week I recieved another knitting injury. I now have a sore on my finger where I poke it with the needles over and over in the same spot. Naturally this will eventually begin to hurt. Badly. After a while it goes bakc to normal, but it leaves me unable to work socks for a little while.

This made me think of all of the other knitting casualties there are. Running out of yarn, accidental felting, and of course stolen needles. So, what is your worst or wierdest knitting injury?

On my needles I have a sweater, the Bernat Chill Out Cardigan. It's worked with Bling Bling yarn which is a glittery fur yarn, with little fabric pieces. I know the yarn sounds bad, and it doesn't work much better. I still like the pattern, but I'm afraid to finish it. I'm pretty sure all the knitting resentment is being saved in the stiches of that sweater. I like the pattern still, but if I ever try it again, I am working it with a different yarn!

I also have a simple pair of striped socks on right now. I'm trying to finish them in order to move on to working a pair of socks with my new koigu yarn. I have never used Koigu before, so I'll let you know next week how it's going. Let me know if you have a opinion on Koigu.

Lastly my reviews. Both got a rousing 2 needles up, or I guess since they are sock related they should get 4 needles. Firstly, I recently aquired Vogue Knitting On The Go Socks Two. I love making socks, so new ideas are always good. I'm planning on doing a pair with the pattern from the cover for Joanna, and I am dieing to try the 2 needle socks.
I also reviewed the Simple Stripes Sock Yarn from knitpicks.com. I love the colors, and the fact that they ship to APO boxes. They work up very easy on size 1-3 needles, and the socks wash very well.

Well, That's all for this time! I'm going to try this week to get pictures on my site, so hopefully by next time I'll be able to show you what I'm talking about.

Episode 1 Knitcentric

2006-03-31T00:47:00.000-08:00

Welcome All!

I really enjoyed working on my first Podcast, it has been a learning experience! I don't have a lot of notes for this episode, but here they are!

Today I talked a little about myself, I am married with a four year old and I live in Okinawa Japan. I've been knitting for around three years, but I'm still a little of a newbie. I started knitting when I inherited my grandmother's knitting needles. I didn't get hooked until after I moved here and made my first sweater. Since then I have built my stash and been slowly pretending to work my way through it.

I was going to talk about a pair of white socks I had been knitting with Bernat Sox Yarn, but I finished them too quickly. I'm not really a plain white socks kind of girl, so they were too boring. Instead I decided to talk about my first time dying with kool-aid. I used the left over white sock yarn and berry blue kool-aid. The yarn came out great! I'm going to use it with some lemonade sock yarn (also kool-aid dyed) and make little socks for my daughter. If you want to try cheap yarn dying, visit knitpicks.com and look under their free patterns link to find their instructions.

Lastly I reviewed the book At Knit's End Meditations For Women Who Knit Too Much by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. I loved this book! Each thought was short and funny, making it easy to read around my daughter's schedule. The only problem I had with this book is the title. Knitting too much? Not possible!

Knitcentric Podcast

2006-03-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I put the promo for my podcast on iTunes. I am so excited! I'm planning on having my podcast out by April 1, and I am having a blast planning my show! Well, I guess, I need to go back to planning out my show notes.

I Carry A Sock In My Purse

2006-03-20T21:59:00.000-08:00

I recently learned that there are knitters who know how to knit socks, but do not carry a sock in thier purse. I understand the reasons why, and to be honest I don't always have a sock to work on with me, but more often than not I wish I had one.

Today I went for a walk with my daughter. I've been working on a pair of plain white socks, and am working two pairs from one skein. This makes for lots of yarn working everywhere, and is a little to bulky to fit in the purse I generally carry. When I was getting ready to go out the door I briefly thought about grabbing my socks to work on. We would be going to breakfast, than walking to an appointment to get our hair cut. I normally would not even think about bringing my big knitting bag on a walk with me, but something made me pause and consider it. I instantly shook off the thought, knowing I had a couple of stops to make on the way home, and my knitting bag would take up all of the space in the bottom of the stroller.

Off Joanna and I went on our way, with no sock. As I'm sure you can guess, I ended up with a little bit of a wait, and wanted the socks to work on. As I sat, waiting for 45 minutes, I wondered why I would ever leave the house without a sock in my purse.

Socks and Sock Yarn

2006-03-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

I reached an important point a short time ago. I have now knitted myself enough pairs of socks I no longer need to wear store bought socks on a regular basis. There are of course factors making this possible.

1) I almost never wear shoes. I mean I'm a stay at home mother. If all I need to do outside one day is check the mail, I'll wear flip-flops.

2) I do a lot of laundry. I only have 4 pairs of socks I wear, 2 regular weight, 2 thick woolly warm ones. I normally buy superwash wool for my socks, and I have a load of laundry I can throw a pair of socks in at least every other day.

3)My husband will not wear anything hand knitted. I know, this is a tragedy. A devote knitter married to someone who will not wear hand knit items. I did consider divorce, but it does leave me more time to knit for myself, and others who will truely appreciate it.

4)My daughter's feet are very small. I can make socks for a four year old very quickly.

In spite of this momentous occasion, I still have a large problem with my sock knitting. It is my obsession, and the down fall of my stash. That's right. SOCK YARN.

I will freely admitt, I am a sock yarn addict. How could a knitter not love sock yarns? They come in every color of the rainbow. They are easy to find and generally inexpensive. Most importantly, they are cute!! Pre-patterned yarns! The hard work is already done for you, making it easy to make cute socks even when you can't bring the pattern with you.

The problem with socks yarns is their mind bending ability to seduce you into buying more. You always need to buy at least two skeins or hanks in one color, and each pattern always comes in several colors. Usually if I like one color, I am going to like them all, so I need two of each color. This can lead to a serious storage problem.

Of course the sock yarn always manages to convince me my husband will never notice a few more skeins. Worse than that, the yarn is always right.

Buying Yarn Online

2006-03-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

Living overseas has made yarn buying hard. Not impossible, I do have a reasonable stash, and nothing my husband says will convince me otherwise. However I miss out on the most important part of yarn shopping. I no longer get to feel the yarn before I have purchased it. I am no longer positive about the color of my yarn before it arrives. I can read reviews of yarns, examine yarn specs, and compare pictures for color, but I am still unsure of what I will get. There is something missing when I shop for yarn now. I've never had the cute little yarn shop where I know the owner, and they have my devotion to their store, and their store alone. But I miss the seduction of the chase.

There is something about walking into a yarn store, and looking around at all of the different yarns. Maybe having a project in mind, maybe just waiting for something to call out to you. As you go along, you can stop and feel the different wools. You can compare colors, and sometimes even dyelots. You see right away when there are little odd colored flecks in the yarn. And sometimes, sometimes you walk by and a yarn just grabs you. You see the yarn out of the corner of your eye, and it pulls you over. You look at the gorgous color, and somehow you can't help but reach out and touch it. You find yourself caressing this yarn, and feeling the softness in your hands, running the yarn across your cheek and imagining the cozy, warm sweater this would make. It's not hard to imagine the yarn running through your fingers as you knit the sweater. As you stand there caressing this yarn you can almost feel the finished sweater brushing against your skin as you wear it on a cold day.

In the end you are helpless in the face of this yarn. It doesn't seem to matter how much the yarn costs. Your life savings, your house, your husband. You know you have found the perfect yarn, and it will be worth whatever the costs. I do not doubt the yarn shop seduces.

Online yarn stores are much like online dating. You can read the profile, look at the picture, and still be deeply disapointed. Somehow it doesn't look the same in person, and rubs you the wrong way. While it is possible to find the yarn of your dreams online, it takes longer, and feels less personal somehow. After a while of searching you end up with a large stash of yarn you will never use, but can't get rid of.

Of course that doesn't mean online yarn shopping is pointless, but it does take a little research. Always read customer reviews and yardage very carefully. Understand that the color might be off by several shades, but if you hate what you end up with, there is always Ebay.

If you sell yarn online, make sure you put every possible bit of information possible. If you can put a picture of the sheep it came from, do it. Assume the shopper wants to pretend they made the yarn, and show as much sheep to hank as possible. And for God's sake make it possible to ship to APO boxes. We're still US shipping rates, and we have been moved around the world, at someone else's whim. Take pity on us, or yarn shopping can be limited.

Hoo-Hoo I'm starting!

2006-03-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone out there in knitter land! Welcome to my first blog!

Since this is my first blog, I should tell you about myself. My name is Shannon, I am 23 years old. Boo is a very old nickname used only by my big sister. I have a beautiful 4 year old girl, who still loves to have Mommy knit for her. I will have been married for 5 years in May to a wonderful military man. That's right, I have become a part of the large gypsy clan known as the US Air Force.

While I don't hate the military, it has changed my life a lot, and not always in a good way. I'm currently living on the Beautiful island of Okinawa in Japan. It has beautiful beaches, trees everywhere, and of course cultural activities you just can't find in the states. The one thing I have not been able to find here is a good yarn store. I'm sure it exsists, but there is that language barrier, and of course the problem of finding someone who cares about yarn enough to know.

I guess now would be the perfect time for a confession. I have been knitting for 2 or 3 years, as a solitary knitter. That's right. I never took a class. I have never been a part of a stitch and bitch group, or any other knitting group. I have never even had a cute little yarn shop I go to, with the sweet owner who loves to answer questions. All of my knitting has been by the seat of my pants. It has been through pure luck and stupid, but fortunate mistakes that I have gotton this far in my knitting.

Until recently I had no idea there was such a big internet knitting community. While looking at books recently I saw a book, Yarn Harlot by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and I could not leave the store without it. After reading the book I discovered her blog, and it wasn't long after that I discovered knitting Podcasts. Long story less long, I ended up here. This is a potential first step to starting my own podcast, or at least finding more people who understand the need to knit.

I now know I am not alone in this knitting need. My fingers are not the only ones that itch for the feel of needles. I am not alone in my search for the perfect yarn store. I am not the only one who longs for the perfect yarn, is the perfect range of colors. The yarn which could as easily become a pair of socks as a beautiful sweater or blanket, and always knits knot free. I am not alone in wondering why people would rather buy mass produced socks when they could easily make their own with a perfect fit, as they watch tv. I am not the only person who has let laundry pile up while I try to finish a pair of warm wooly socks.

I am not obsessive. I am a part of history, passing an ancient legacy on. I am a part of history, bringing the past into the present. I am a part of keeping knitting alive.

Wow, it almost sounds believable.