Full show notes are always available at www.stitchedtogether.co.uk, under the Podcast Button.
Plotting
Winter Warmer KAL has got going and several people have posted finished objects. You still have plenty of time to start a Winter accessory, so go and have a look at the Chat thread for inspiration and assistance or add a photo to the FO Thread to enter. A new prize has been added by the very kind LauraSue. She has offered to send a prize of 7 skeins of Louisa Harding Grace in colourway 01, a very very light pink. The yarn is 50% merino, 50% silk and 101m/110yds per skein and a DK weight. This is an amazingly generous prize donation.
The Ravellenic Games is upon us. I had very mixed feelings about joining in with this.News reports regarding the Games can be found here and here, and Human Rights Watch give a good summary of the situation here. I have decided to join in loosely after reading this post.
I'd love to know what teams people are joining in the episode chat thread. I managed to get some rainbow fibre dyed by BabyLongLegs in a destash (Sarah no longer dyes fibre) that I think is perfect to spin along with in support of LGBT rights being smothered in Russia. It is 100% corriedale and weighs 100g.
Spinning it will help me focus on something important without distancing myself from the athletes and all their struggles and sacrifices on the way to excellence. I also bought a skein of the Old Maiden Aunt yarn that Lilith has dyed in order to raise funds for Stonewall UK, who do really good work in raising awareness of LGBT issues.
The yarn is 100% Superwash Merino 4ply, and cost £15.00 +P&P. £5.00 of the price will be donated to Stonewall UK. This Old Maiden Aunt yarn that I am going to use to knit something during the Winter Games, is in the "Nothing to Hide Colourway". It is 100% superwash merino in a 4ply/fingering weight. It has 395m/400yds from 100g of yarn.
I'm also planning a spin-a-long for March. Think about what fibre you would like to spin and how. I'm not going to set any "criteria" other than you must spin at least 100g of fibre. If you want to talk about it, do so in the Episode Thread.
Done and Dusted
Vanilla Socks with Fish Lips Kiss Heel, made with Knitters Nightmare Boogieman Sock in the "Thank You For Being A Friend" colourway, that I told you about last episode.
Now I've made the leg an inch taller than previously and incorporated increases in the back of the calf, these socks fit me the best out of any socks I've made before.
French Can-Can Shawl by Mademoiselle C. I used Stylecraft Ethical Twist 70/30 in Camel colourway. I used 529yds/484m of yarn.
It's already been nabbed by my friend.
I've finished spinning some fibre that I shared in the last episode, Fondant Fibre Falkland Silk. It's a chain plied, worsted to heavy worsted weight yarn, from 97g, I got 110m/120yds.
I've also finished the fibre that I dyed yellow. It is happy yarn!
This superwash merino produced 89g of sport/fingering weight yarn, measuring 227m/248yds.
Nose to the Grindstone
For the Winter Warmer KAL I cast on Lerryn Mittens by by Rachel Coopey in Countess Ablaze The English Gentleman DK in the Shiver colourway, that I told you about last episode.
The pattern is from Scrumptious Collection Volume 3, which I reviewed on the blog. There is a giveaway of the book which you can enter on the review post, before Friday, 7th February 2014.
I've done a tiny bit on the infinity scarf in Madeline Tosh Tosh Sock and the Viajante is nearly at the point where the lace mesh starts.
I've been working on sock yarn blanket squares. I've been saving up sock yarn scraps for several years. I'm using Sock Yarn Squares by Sharon Geddes. My only difference to this pattern is NOT to knit in the back of the loop on YOs. This makes the squares look quite a lot like the Barn Raising Quilt Squares. I blame Aimee and Darren of the Knitting in Circles podcast.
I already have 9 squares done.
I cast on Shaped Capelet with Braided Cables. The pattern is from Knit.Wear Premiere 2011 and is by Erica Patburg. I'm using Deramores Vintage Chunky in colourway 008.
I've obviously cast on another pair of vanilla striped socks with a Fish Lips Kiss Heel, using Nicole C. Méndez Ringel Sockenwolle in colourway #33.
I'm seriously addicted to self striping socks now. I blame Megan of The Stockinette Zombies Podcast! I keep entering in her Self Striping KAL thread.
Splashed Out
I bought the yarn I'm using in my new self striping socks, from Nicole C. Méndez, who is a German ETSY seller. She does interesting colours in yarn and fibre.
It's is comprised of 75% wool/25% nylon in a 4ply/fingering weight and is 395m/432yds in length from a 95g skein. It is tightly plied and has good stitch definition.
Pamela Sock from Posh Yarns, in "The Door Just Opened For Someone" colourway.
It's a 4 ply/fingering weight yarn comprised of 75% Merino/20% Nylon/5% Other and gives 400m/440yds from 100g.
Fyberspates Scrumptious Lace in the Teal colourway, has 1000m/1094yds from 100g. It is made up of 55% merino/45% silk. I'm going to use it for the Simene Stole from the book I reviewed.
Malachite Punis from Fondant Fibre. They are made of 65% Merino/20% Shetland/15% Yak. I got 100g. This is a repeatable colourway.
Deeply Dippy Nests from Fondant Fibre are made from 70% Merino/15% Cashmere/15% Nylon. I have 100g. I mention Elly of Ellys knit (in)sanity.
Toolbox
There was a sale on at Moo (they happen fairly regularly if you get on their mailing list you will be notified of them). I got these postcards printed to use for keeping record of what I'm spinning to use as reference material.
The idea is to wrap the sample singles and different plying around the card to keep accurate.
Then there was another sale and I got some MiniCards to use for the fibre I spun into yarn and also my hand dyed yarn.
I got rounded corners so it wouldn't snag my yarn! I got my business cards printed by Moo and also some stickers I use when I send out prizes etc. If you want to give them a go, use this link and I get some credit against my next purchase. I cannot fault their quality or service.
Quest for Knowledge
I studied the Craftsy class by Anne Hanson, The Ins and Outs of Grafting. It is a free class and useful for showing clearly and slowing the different types of grafting you might need to do.
There is also a good tutorial on www.socknitters.com, that focuses on grafting toes of socks.
Wise Hilda has put together a good aide memoire for grafting that is useful to refer to when you know how to graft but always forget the order you do it in.
I have used Woolly Wormhead's tutorials several times and they are very good for grafting, these tutorials and others can be found here.
Online Community
Thank you to Emily of the FibreTown podcast for her iTunes review. I love her video podcast and highly recommend you check it out. I only check the UK and USA iTunes stores for reviews, so if you post one on a store for a different country please let me know so I can check it out.
I have added the podcast to Stitcher, if you use that service for listening to podcasts. The show is linked here.
If you use a different podcatcher and haven't found Stitched Together on it, please let me know and I'll see what I can do about getting it added.
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