Episode 11: Holiday Sockapalooza

We are transitioning over to www.stringchronicity.net. You'll be able to find show notes there from now on.

Cheers!

M

Episode 10: Surviving the Mall...

Listen here!

Somehow we survived the mall (we went to try and get the last of our Yule presents for family. We didn't quite succeed).

I acknowledge that I am obsessed with socks. SOCKS, I tell you!

I am also probably coming off as being as manic as a chipmunk on speed. It's been a day, folks.

The Knitting Is As Follows:

- Robin's Shiny Happy Beery Zauberbally socks: Off the needles 2 days after I last podcast*. Booyeah.

- September Mystery Socks: Surprise! I cast on the second sock! And I'm through clue one and into clue two. Bet you didn't see THAT coming...

- February Lady Sweater: Got a few more rows on it. Not into the lace part YET, but we're working on it.

- Falling Snow stocking: Couple more rows were put onto this before I passed out last night from exhaustion.

I also have a sneaky-type sock on the go, a man's size out of Kroy with size 3 needles. Shhhh! It's a seekrud!

And a second sock that I cast on to try out the whole Fleegle Heel thing. I will probably now rip out the FIRST sock so that I can re-do it with the Fleegle Heel method. But not until I have finished this second-(that will be first) - sock. Wow, I even come close to confusing myself.

I also apologized to Wendy D. Johnson for erroneously assuming that she did not cover Fleegle Heels in her wonderful book "Socks from the Toe Up". She did. She just didn't call them a Fleegle Heel. They're referred to as a "Gusset Heel".

I also apologized in advance for going off about parents with large strollers who try to take out innocent passers-by. What's up with that?

If I keep apologizing, I think I'm going to start sounding like the Wit from the Knitwits podcast. Oops.

I mentioned Bicycle Advocacy, and Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Go check it out...yes, it's people on bicycles, but they're stylish, and they wear a lot of knitwear, particularly at this time of year...

I did a half-arsed review of Interweave Knits Winter 2010, and got nitpicky about the promise on the front cover that indicated socks for everyone. I was disappointed. But, as mentioned, only because I hold Interweave up to a higher standard due to their market penetration and longevity.

Heh. I said penetration.

I MUST be tired to have found that funny. Actually, it WAS funny, but I must be tired because I don't generally go for that kind of humour.

We here at the Stringchronicity Podcast do not have a sense of humour that we are aware of.

(Let's just stop now, shall we? Oi.)

I mention my co-worker Jean and his generous wife Cassy, and the absolutely wonderful wool that she sent to me. I blogged about it at inkyblack.net. There are pictures. Go have a look!

I very incidentally mentioned Pinterest. It's the new crack. All the cool kids are doing it. I'm even following Ysolda Teague and Jessica and Mary Heather from Ravelry, and Lolly and...and...yeah. There's a lot to like over there.

I talked about The FUMP! What is The FUMP? So glad you asked. It's the Funny Music Project, and it's where I find most of the fun stuff I've been sharing with the rest of y'all. I was going to put a song at the end called "Wasted on the Sleigh" by Robert Lund and spaff.com, but thought better of it afterwards. Why? Because some folks might not appreciate the idea of St. Nick getting hammered on magic ho-hos and having a Merry-wanna Chrismas.

Though, if you want me to, I can totally set that up for next week. Really. Let me know either in the comments (down below! Click the link! You're already more than halfway there if you're reading this!), or by going to the Stringchronicity Podcast board on Ravelry and posting in the show thread there.

Instead, I played Podsafe Christmas Song by Jonathan Coulton (off his Thing a Week One album). Go to his website. Give him moneys. He writes absolutely awesome music, and could probably use a bit of cash around this time of year. He, apparently, had a birthday recently. He writes songs about ZOMBIES, and ROBOTS, people...how is this not the ultimate awesome?

I sense something for me to pin on Pinterest. Yep.

Til next week, folkses. Here's hoping I'm not so loopy I'm all over the place again (unless you like that sort of thing, and then I'll have to attempt it. It could be messy).

Stay frosty!

*what IS the correct verbiage of podcast? Is the past-tense just podcast, or is it podcasted? Inquiring minds and all that...

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. :)

Episode 9: New Hats and Party Dresses

Listen Here!

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.)

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

- Livin' La Vida Low-Carb 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!

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.

Episode 6: Wrapping up Socktoberfest

Wrapping up Socktoberfest

This week we take a look into the world of Socks, and a couple of good resources on how to get started. I'm hoping to get into a series of essentials one should be able to find out to make learning that particular knitted project just a little bit easier.

spud.ca update: Still no delivery. The end of the delivery window is 9pm, so there was nothing here for the time of the podcast. Maybe next week :(

Mixed Media Week in Review:

Books: Nothing new. Spilled some Bpal on my Elizabeth Zimmermann Knitter's Almanac, though...

Audio: Still getting caught up on podcasts

Video: Watched Being Human, a DVD from the BBC. We recommend it!

Gaming: Oh, don't get me started. I'm ticked off at the whole "pre-order" system this week.

On/Off/Near the Needles:

- Hermione's Everyday Sock is off the needles! Pictures soon enough, we're in the process of blocking.

- February Lady Sweater: No new progress. But that means nothing horrific has happened, yay!

- Black Tie Optional (Sept. Mock) is back on the needles, at least temporarily as I fix the whole "how long is long enough" issue.

- Traveler's Stocking by Nancy Bush: Hoping to cast on soon!

Sock Knitting:

I mention the following sock knitting resources:

- Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

- Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd

- Silver's Sock Class

- Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush

- Favorite Socks (25 Timeless Designs by Interweave)

- Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy Johnson

- Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

- Ravelry

I talk briefly about seasonal videos to watch on the lead-up to Hallowe'en, or while you're waiting for the trick-or-treaters

- Donnie Darko (I actually recommend the original, not necessarily the Director's Cut)

- The Crow

- Hellboy

- The Nightmare Before Christmas

- Coraline

Shoutouts:

Harmonix for making compelling games

My husbeast, Robin for being generally awesome.

My cat. For being a cat. You can't get much simpler than that.

Episode 5

or: I'm a bad, bad wife...

Mixed-Media week in review:

Took a trip downtown on Friday and stopped at some of the following places:

- Mountain Equipment Co-Op for some Really Great Shoes

- Fiore, a wonderful Italian restaurant

- Pudding Yarn, where I picked up some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock

- Steeps

Mentioned Cat Fud. Mischief endorses the following two products:

- Orijen Cat & Kitten

- EVO 95% Beef Canned Cat Food

You might like the movie Waydowntown. It was shot in Calgary and features some pretty unique city architecture!

I mention spuds.ca grocery delivery service, and that the palate for fruit has changed over the years.

Books:

- Still reading Terry Pratchett's Moving Pictures

Video:

- Just finished watching Max Headroom on DVD. Have also been idly watching Firefly.

- About to get started watching Being Human.

- Found a new TV Miniseries, The Pillars of the Earth.

Gaming:

- Just Dance 2

- Fallout: New Vegas

- Rockband 3

- at some point I mention World of Warcraft.

What's on the needles:

FOs: Pink BSJ, Baby Yours Jacket

- Hermione's Everyday Sock: Finished Sock 1, on to sock 2!

- February Lady Sweater: Still in progress, still on the Yoke.

- Black Tie Optional: Still in the penalty box

- Patchwork Weasleys: Buh-bye.

Yarn Review!

- Indigo Moon Merino Superwash in the colourway Denim

Shoutouts/Reviews/These are the podcasts in my neighbourhood:

- Knit Wits Podcast

- Knitmore Girls

- Brass Needles

- Round the Twist with Carin

- Knit Girllls

- Casually Hardcore

- Livin' La Vida Low-Carb with Jimmy Moore

I mention:
- Lime and Violet

I also mention Youtube, Blip.tv and HTC.

Yes, I got lazy with the links. If I've forgotten anything, please post it in the comments! :)

Episode 4

Listen Here

I talk about the past week in review as always, mentioning the following:

- Helping friends move

- Canadian Thanksgiving

Video:

- The Big Bang Theory

- Max Headroom

- Being Human

Books:

- Listening to Terry Pratchett's "Moving Pictures". Finished "Guards! Guards!" and "Faust/Eric" as well as Jim Butcher's "Dresden File" series.

- The Husbeast got to attend a reading by William Gibson, and managed to get my copy of Idoru signed!

Video Games:

- Picked up "Just Dance II" for Wii.

- Rockband 3 will be coming out soon.

- There's a wave of computer games coming out - Fallout: New Vegas, Fable III and Force Unleashed II amongst others.

Knitting:

- Robin's sweater off to the frog pond

- Patchwork Weasley Socks might be headed there next.

- Pink Baby Surprise Jacket has been seamed! Needs buttons.

- Baby Yours sweater is still being seamed.

- Cast on Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder in Crazy Zauberball frische Fische

- Cast on February Lady Sweater in Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Dusty Purple

You can see my Ravelry page for all the details

I talk about knitting frustrations, stress, and startitis...and things you can do to combat knitting distress.

I review (better late than never) Sock Innovation by Cookie A.

Shoutout:

Rigamarole Winery for tasty red wine!

(Oops) wine - not so much a shoutout as it set the bar really really low with the bottle we drank. Ugh! Could have been a bad bottle, but still...ugh.

Intro Music: 8-bit Junkie by George Wood.

(I wrote this week's script while upgrading the intrepid Salome, my computer, to Ubuntu 10.10. So far so good!)

Episode 3

or: the whole toof and nuffing but the toof.


Just a very short one today...only about 25 minutes! I've been to the dentist, so the mouth is a little sore.

Off the needles are:
- Sock #1 of the SKA September Mystery Sock
- Online Vanilla Socks are done.

Also worked on the Baby Yours sweater for my friend Sherri. Need to learn more about mattress stitch & whether it applied towards this wee jacket.

Talked about the other two current Supersock Scarefest socks & why I didn't cast them on.

Cast on the Patchwork Weasley Socks by Erica Lueder using a somewhat unappreciated sock yarn.

...and then I babbled for a few minutes before finally signing off. Til next week! :)

Episode 2

Or: How I wound up in Saskatoon & what I found there.

This week we got caught up on the past 2 week's worth of rambling due to a trip to Saskatoon (the bride was lovely, the groom was short...but rather handsome and good-natured) as well as a bad head cold.

I talked about yarn shopping in Saskatoon, specifically at Prairie Lily Knitting & Needlework.

Finished Objects:

- Willow by Janine Le Cras , Pair #1 from Super Sock Scarefest KAL

- Redrum by Jenny Lee, Pair #2 from Super Sock Scarefest KAL

Still working on 'em:

- September Mock (aka Black Tie, Optional by Adrienne Fong), Sock Knitter's Anonymous KAL

I have the new Interweave Knits Weekend! I ramble on, somewhat coherently, about the patterns inside. My final verdict? Flip through it at your LYS or Grocery/pharmacy and see if you think it's worth the money. The cover sweater and the gloves are cute. The rest are really a matter of whether it's to your taste. Not a lot of "classic" designs, but lots of originality.

I rave on about the new Knitty Deep Fall. There are socks. And hats. And pretty sweaters. And an Electra Townie bicycle. You really ought to ride more. The upright bikes are really comfy and you can wear pretty clothing while you ride. Take back the road! (yes, I was dead wrong about the spelling of Electra. Oh well. Can't win all the time)

I give a shoutout to Tanis Fiber Arts for having awesome Blue Label Fingering weight Merino yarn. I made my Dad's Yule present from them last year, and the yarn was a joy to work with. I have another ball of the Green Label Aran that is destined to be a cheery hat for the dead of winter (even if I can't remember the name of the pattern).

Finally, a small apology for the rambling nature of this hour's worth of gibbering. Hopefully, as we go on, I'll get back in the groove. And will hopefully find the perfect intro and outro music. Whee! Isn't technology grand?

Episode 1: Just like starting over

Listen Here:

In which Maire, formerly of the Socktart podcast, relaunches under a new name, with renewed hopes for continuing to podcast.

On the needles:

- Marled Pink & White Baby Surprise Jacket
- Sirdar Snuggly "Baby Yours"
- Seamless Raglan Sweater
- Vanilla Socks,
- Sock Knitter's Anonymous Mystery Sock (Mock)
- Bloody Vampy Willow Socks (Supersock Scarefest)



We talked about sock KALs and Yuletide knitting preparations.


Shoutout:

thechickswithsticks (aka sprouty25). Scented soaps, colourful rovings and yarns.

Artfire
Etsy