Saturday, November 27, 2010

Episode 10 delayed til next week

Hey folks,

Feeling a bit under the weather today, so I'm delaying the podcast til next week when I should be feeling better. My knitting is continuing apace...how's yours?! Let me know in either the comments or on the Ravelry board. :)


Friday, November 19, 2010

Episode 9: New Hats and Party Dresses



This week was busy, what with wonky work schedules and inclement weather.

We went to the mall and picked out a couple of new hats from Chapel. The Husbeast got a bowler, and I picked out a sexy new top hat! I also managed to find a party dress at Addition-Elle for my company Xmas party. I may be able to post pictures after the event :)

Our order from Spud.ca was...um...mixed up. This has since been fixed, and not in the 3 hours that was estimated. Hooray! Awesome customer service continues from this company. And the free-range eggs, though expensive enough to be a "treat" look delicious.

I do a kind of introduction/review of the current issues of:
- Knitting Today
- Creative Knitting
I also mention Interweave Knits very briefly.

I spent most of my time bewildered and confused by not only the whole spud drama, but also a very talkative cat who was trying to cause as much trouble as possible.

This episode was recorded approximately 6 times to varying degrees of "done" before it was finally put in the can. What you get is...well...what you get ;)

Nothing is off the needles. No progress on The Sweater, the stocking, and two out of three socks. The socks for Robin are past the heel and on the way to the toe. The gusset has just been finished.

This week's shoutout goes to welovecolours.com for making plus-size tights. Thanks, Lisa, for pointing out the company to me (prompted by a post on my personal blog, inkyblack.net)

Song at the end is "Avada Kedavra" by Steve Goodie & Nuclear Bubblewrap. Check them out at The Fump. There's also an animated video on Youtube. No, really. Happy Harry Potter movie day.

(I'm also blaming some of the bewilderment on Susan Powter, though I don't mention her in the podcast. Why? Because I found her on blip.tv. If you remember her from the 90's, she was a rather manic infomercial personality who felt very passionate about fitness, low-fat, and stopping the insanity. If you ever want to watch an entirely different form of Theatre of the Absurd, check it out. I may not subscribe to her low-fat leanings, but I can appreciate her passion for what she does. I found it just before I went to podcast, and I've been a little stunned ever since. Her videos are a somewhat surreal experience.)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Episode 8: We love to talk about socks!



We love to talk about socks!


In this episode, Maire is joined by her friend Chelsea. We very quickly learn that Chelsea not only has really freakin' long hair, but also knits continental.

Chelsea mentions the Naturally Curly Crafters group on Ravelry as a resource for long-hair-growing, should you choose to do so.

On Chelsea's Needles:
- Homegrown Moebius Scarf in k3, p3 ribbing out of Blue Sky 50% silk/suri alpaca
- Hawthorne Socks are off the needles and currently being worn. Another pair about about to be cast on.

On Maire's Needles:
- February Lady Sweater: still stalled
- September Mystery Sock: ditto
- Falling Snow by Jennifer Hoel: OMG a Xmas stocking!
- Robin's Beer Socks: About halfway through the leg of sock #2.
- Fair Leonore: Might look like socks you've seen elsewhere....

We give a very brief explanation of the difference between garters and garters.

We have a discussion on the Fleegle Heel, and how it is awesome for those who like to knit toe-up socks.

We mention, however briefly, the following:

- Gina Brown's yarn store in Calgary, AB
- Make One Yarn Studio in Calgary, AB
- Knitmore Girls podcast
- Brass Needles Podcast (please, please, please find a reliable rss feed for those of us who don't use iTunes!)

We geek out on the non-Apple universe and a mild distaste for iTunes.

I'll be reviewing the podcast again in the coming week, so will add any extra links as I come across them!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Episode 7: The Short One


Aka "The One with Issues"

Had a few issues getting started recording. You may notice that the intro song has changed! Actually, it has not. I re-cut the intro from the original recording of 8-Bit Junkie by George Wood. I've included the song in its entirety at the end of the podcast so that anyone interested in hearing the whole thing can do so. I may re-cut an outro next week. :)

We've been on vacation (staycation?) this week and have been getting all prepared for winter.

We took a trip to IKEA for storage & had my Dad over to fix our doorbell.

The order from Spud came in! Lots of fresh produce to last the week.

We took a trip to the Crossroads Farmer's Market & not only had a boo at the flea market aspect, but also picked up some nice Bison Steaks and a Pumpkin pie from the food vendors. Yummay!

We're grooving on Walmart's photo center & the ability to make prints from digital photos for a reasonable price. It's helping us personalize our house a bit more.

I mention the fact that we've been collecting figurines from Schleich's World of Knights and Bayala sets.

We're on Season 2 of the BBC's Being Human.

Rockband 3 finally arrived! I give a bit of a review after having a chance at some gameplay from the perspective of a very rusty former pianist.


On the Needles:

I mentioned last week that the Hermione Socks were done...they've since been blocked & are now awaiting picture-taking in the back yard.

The February Lady Sweater is still in progress. It gained two whole rows this week.

The Return of the Hermione Socks: Cast on a pair for the Husbeast in Zauberball, Fuscienbeet colourway. Loving them!

Traveler's Stockings by Nancy Bush: Um. Not liking this as much as I would have hoped. Plus, my gauge is really off (now that I'm into the stockinette and can measure properly). Looks like this effort will, again, be ripped out. Back to the drawing board.

- I mention the possibility of casting on a fairly simple sock out of Vanna's Choice "Glamour" yarn.
- I also mention the possibility of casting on this month's Mystery Sock from Sock Knitter's Anonymous. Why yes, I AM a glutton for punishment! Why do you ask?

No review this week due to the vacation. Next week I'll have some writing time & find something good to talk about :)

Shoutouts:

- HeatherWB and theyarngoes on for participating in the Essential Sock Resources thread on the Rav Board.

- Big T's BBQ for making an awesome dinner that much more awesome.

- Simple Simon Pies at the Crossroads Farmer's market for making some of the best punkin pie I've had in a while.

- Pudding Yarn in Downtown Calgary, for having manly yarns that will make cute (but butch. Can't forget the butch factor) froggie mittens. Ribbit.