Do you want the recipe?

I will not actually write a pattern for this sweater, but I could write a customize-it-yourself recipe, if anyone says they want it.

The Stitch Pattern for the Sweater

It's called Dragon Skin and it's in Barbara Walker's second treasury of patterns, I believe, the one with the red cover.

Episode 28: Finishing and Blocking

This week I talk about tig welding wires and why you might want them, my GORGEOUS GREY SWEATER and why I stuck wires through it (but those will come out), some of my scattered design process and how I carefully avoid sewn seams.

I also mentioned:

My Local Yarn Shop

Film and Fiber - A great new podcast with a podcaster who is taking a tenny break because of her morning sickness. Everyone go tell her it gets better (I've been told, I don't know).

Greetings from Knit Cafe

If you look, you may notice that the link to the book is a UK site I heard about on Sticks and String. I have not tried this shop, but it looks like a good alternative to Amazon, if you want to try it.

and then I went online and looked for corrections for the above book.

It's a great book and I don't think I've reviewed it yet, but it's in the pile.

Download Episode 28

And now, my dragontooth sweater:

The Promised Meg Swanson Interview

Ok, well, first of all, everyone who is commenting is awesome and I'm really psyched to do my next show soon (even though I don't know when). I should confess...

Meg and I did record another interview. It still wasn't stitch-by-stitch perfect, so I haven't used it. I am considering chopping little tidbits out of it, but I haven't yet. I am bound and determined to get a good interview with her someday, somehow, I just don't know how or when.

Sigh.

Oh, and thanks for the heads up. My show was mentioned in a magazine and I didn't even know it. Yaay!

My Goodness

Ok, you know how things sometimes get worse before they get better? That's happening to me right now. Suffice to say I'm stretched a little thin. I still love you all and I am still simmering away a great show for you, but it may still be just a little bit.

And, thanks for all of your support and expressions of loving the show. It means a lot to me.

Confession

My last show brought a torrent of comments and I think it's wonderful. I'm glad that other people have seen how knitting or other hand-work brings out courage and problem-solving. Also, letting go of relationships that are bad for us.

I must now confess why I haven't podcasted recently.

You, see, something is keeping me up late at night, I almost don't want to eat because I can't tear myself away....

I am knitting a sweater of my own design and I already love it so much I just can't put it down. It's from the top down with little saddle shoulders in a pattern called Dragon Skin.

It's grey and I love it love it love it.

I hope you will all understand. I will resurface when it is finished. Soon, I hope.

That New Floor Smell

I couldn't podcast on Friday because there were men in my basement laying a fake-hardwood floor (I've had the supplies to do it since October). The project came in ahead of schedule and under budget, just the way I like it. This is yet another Big Step in my life forward. Some women (like Crazy Aunt Purl, who I love) used to put their finances in the hands of the men in their lives. I have allowed any home management that doesn't include sweeping, dusting and such to be ruled by men. That's why I was so excited when I changed that outlet without killing myself. Was it fiddly? Yes. Did it take longer than I thought? Yes. But did I do it and do it well? Yes. Are the people at Home Depot really nice to the girl who doesn't know what anything's called? Yes. So, I'm making myself do the things that don't involve saws, like scraping wallpaper, switching out the thermostat, and, one day, painting, which I hear is mostly just taping and a little dull but not hard. For saws, I hire people. Also, drywall. Because that's just plain messy.

Before, I paid in so many more ways and SO much more. Now I know what I'm getting and I can trust the work will be right.

I also want to point out that it isn't just that I am afraid of saws. I could get over that. The dang things just cost so much. By the time I buy the saw, I could have paid the guy to bring his own saw. Yeah, that it....

Episode 27: Another FSS solution, a romantic book and courage in knitting form

This week I talk about how knitting has built my confidence in other arenas, like not zapping myself, Romantic Style and another solution for First Scarf Syndrome. Also, taking good notes to keep track of what you're doing, especially with Elizabeth Zimmermann patterns.

There is a KAL for Romantic Knits here.

The publisher's website had no corrections for this book (although it did for others, which is a good sign).

Download Episode 27

Finished

My first "real" lace project, Icarus, is blocking on my guest bed. Boy that sucker is big and pretty. I'll hopefully take pictures tomorrow or Sunday.

On the next show, I plan to talk about a different solution to the First Scarf Syndrome, a Romantic book, and keeping track of your EZ shoulder shaping.

Oops

I have fixed the problem. Thank you for letting me know that you couldn't download, Barbro.

Episode 26: Magknits, Yarn Subs and First Scarf Syndrome

This week I talk about why I don't do longer shows anymore (sort 0f), the new MagKnits, how Knitters Review can help you choose substitute yarns, and First Scarf Syndrome (and how to deal with it).

Just in case you couldn't follow my little ditty about how I figure when I need to decrease, here is a graphical representation.

To decrease every fourth row three times, I write out
1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12

I cross off the rows as I go and know that, at the end of each line of writing, that is the row that I decrease.

Download Episode 26

Episode 25: Fox, Geese and Thank Yous

This show features a thank you, an attempt to explain how to change the size of a hat and a new book.

The Book of the Week:
Favorite Mittens by Robin Hansen.
This is the description from School House Press
"Two long out-of-print books, Fox and Geese and Fences and Flying Geese and Partridge Feet, have now been combined into Favorite Mittens, which, after considerable delay, has finally appeared. The patterns are The-Best-Of from those two wonderful old books. and, as anticipated, it has been worth the wait. The new title contains dozens of historic mittens from 'Up North and Down East'. Softcover."
In my opinion, it's worth it just to look at it, but it's also rich with the history of mittens and traditional techniques that you could glean from somewhere else, but they're very well described and illustrated here.

Download Episode 25

Handywoman

I am not a handy woman. In fact, you pretty much have to say "saw" or "ladder" to get me completely off of doing any given household project. I don't love to dust or vacuum (although I seem to have, belatedly, latched on to a fomer lover's extreme joy in putting objects in boxes to go to Goodwill), but I will do them since I'd rather not live in filth.

So, the long and the short of it is that I, just now, really do want to fix up my house. I also lack any skilled, free labor. So, I have to take my big, over-educated brain and apply it to actually doing things that involve ladders (I will probably pay someone to do the sawing).

Does anyone out there know any good blogs or podcasts about overcoming fears/ignorance like mine?

I'm already madly in love with the Toolbelt Diva, but I don't think she's coming to help me.

About the name post...

I should point out that I did try out an extremely unusual last name of a friend of mine and it wasn't even in the database. So, he should stop being so cranky when people can't spell it.

I'll make no promises

about when I will do the next show. I am going through a large personal upheaval.

But, I did just find this on the internet.

HowManyOfMe.com

There is: 1 person with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

It's nice to feel unique.

Hello Everyone

I'm still not all of the way better. For the record, this is the sickest I've ever been, except for mono in HS and chicken pox when I was a kid. And, by far, the grossest illness I've ever had. If you're reading the comments, you'll notice that Plain(s)Feminist lives about 200 feet away from my house and is a very good friend. She dropped off my Christmas present, although I couldn't give her hers for fear of spreading this thing, so it will sit in my gift closet for another ten days or so until I see her again.

I'm flying away to see my family on Friday, so there won't be any podcast this week or next week. See you in the new year!

Meanwhile, my extra-cool Miss Violet's Pink Ribbon came, much faster than I thought. It's beautiful. I was going to do the sideways baby sweater from Greetings from Knit Cafe, but now I'm thinking an Elizabeth Zimmerman baby surprise and maybe some baby leggings if I have enough left over. This is great because I really needed some plane knitting and knitting I could do around my sister without ruining her birthday surprise. I've been feeling too sick to knit (ok, I am just tired of putting it down every 15 minutes and sprinting across the house), but maybe I'm just too sick to knit lace or finish in ends. I really should finish the ends, though, on the last piece of Christmas knitting I'm doing this year. You heard me. I'm DONE. Even nearly a week of incapacity couldn't stop me.

What I get

Ok. so I was feeling all better Friday morning and then bam - awful, horrible no good stomach flu that had me up all night, not doing anything at all fun. I'm now sipping gatorade and enjoying my cat's loving attention, but I'm not up to the microphone. Sorry, folks.

Run, don't walk and buy this yarn

http://www.limenviolet.blogspot.com/

In response to Miss Violet finding a lump in her breast, the great and very cool Lisa Souza created a new colorway of her fantastic yarn.

This is what she said about it on her blog:
"This time it is different. When Lime & Violet asked me a few months ago, if I could create a sock color to help them to raise funds to keep the lights on, I was flattered and wondering exactly who these two young women were. Then, with the birthday I-pod, I got to know their voices and just fell into the fun and entertaining ways that they have about them. Along the way, Miss Violet has had some tough days and this week has brought her full on into the scary world of women who find a lump. How an insurance company can tell a person that there is a 1K deductible to be met before any help kicks in is more than a person with this stress should be able to endure. Once again I have been asked and have created Violet's Pink Ribbon, to help to generate funds to defray the costs of finding out what comes next. It will be a self striping colorway with the pink ribbon swirling with the party that is Lime & Violet...effervescent and full of life. No matter what happens, this colorway will be earmarked for Breast Cancer, with an emphasis on Life and the pursuit of happiness."

The sock yarn is here http://www.lisaknit.com/yarn/animalfibers/sock.html

The merino sock yarn is here http://www.lisaknit.com/yarn/animalfibers/sock-merino.html

The superfine, superwash sport yarn is here http://www.lisaknit.com/yarn/animalfibers/superwash-sport.htm

There's something there for everybody. I know it's the holidays and money is tight for many folks, but if you can scrounge together something I would be so grateful. No one should have to go through something like this feeling alone and this is a chance for us all to put our arms around a knitter we may not have met, but love just the same.

For just $6, you can also get this fantastic pattern
http://www.lisaknit.com/patterns/bp/twist-lace.htm
which uses just one skein of the yarn, and gives you short-row and lace chops to boot.

No podcast this week

I'm ill. I thought I'd be better enough to podcast today, but now I'm coughing and I don't want to edit those out. So, see you next week, folks.

Oopsie

Someone pointed out that the mp3 file in my last post was for the week before's show. I fixed it now. :)