Episode:41

1. Production scheduling

   1. I’m semi freshly back from camp KIP. I have so much to talk about regarding camp that I think it’s going to be an entire podcast. SO instead of launching into that now I’ll use this week to get caught up on what I’ve been doing and will recap Camp in depth next episode. I will say this. Camp Kip was absolutely awesome. I had an amazing time and I will be stalking Jackie so that I can do it again. If she woub

1. Production

2. What’s in My Teapotbb

3. Materials Sourcing

4. Shipping

5. After 5

2. Production

   1. Drop stitch Scarf by Lisa Buccellato found in the spring and summer 2012 issue of vogue knitting. Knitting this our of Cascade Ultra Pima.

      1. I think Last week I called this Pima Silk. I shocked my self when I wound the second skein and saw that it’s 100% Pima cotton. No silk… <huh>

      2. I finally have this chart for the most part memorized. Which maded me feel brave enough to pack this as my knitting for CAMP Kip. That lasted about ½ a chart repeat. No sooner did I settler into a chair to knit the conversation started and it was really good conversation so I lost my spot in the pattern. Then we decided it was too cold where we were and moved off in search of sun… again I lost my place in the pattern. At that point I put the scarf down. This wasn’t going to work.

      3. Now that I’m home I’ve picked it back up again I have about 3 feet of the six foot length done. I just wound the second ball of yarn. I’m getting antsy I _Really_ want to drop those stitches!

3. What’s In My TeaPot

   1. Metropolitan Teas Ice Wine Tea

   2. I got this at Warm Glow Candles off of I 70 in Indiana. Not only did they have tons of yummy candkles, they had the best beef brisket I've had in a while and I found tea!

   3. A sweet offering from the originator of Icewine Tea

In recent years Canadian made Icewine has begun winning awards at prestigious wine shows the world over. To make the sweet flavorful treat, Vidal or Riesling grapes are plucked from frozen vines in temperatures below 17°F or -8°C. Brrr! Our fabulous Icewine tea blends real I cewine with premium high grown Ceylon black tea and100% natural flavors. Just like the real thing, our tea has started winning accolades from customers the world over!

1. A touch alcholic but more floral than anything. Not as boozy as the rum tea. Sweet on its own and very yummy. I drank a pot on my own before bed. (And then paced the floor all night the black tea base packs a caffeine punch.)

1. Shipping

   1. The Cotton Candy Merino is off the bobbins and came in at 342 yds of a fingering-ish yarn. I was immediately in love with this yarn so I finished and balled it to head to camp with me.

   2. The intent was to cast on the Wingspan by Maylin Tri’Coterie Designs after I realized how distracted I was going to be at camp this was just the ticket. Short rows with stitch marker telling me where to turn and all in garter! Just what the doctor ordered!

      1. I loved this pattern and I love the way my handspun looks knit up. But as with my last project knit with handspun I didn’t have quite the yardage I would have preferred to have had. My wingspan has 7 triangles and I had to unravel my swatched to finish and bind off. It does fit me but I think I would have preferred to add on a few more sections. I toyed with gifting it to my one of my more petite friends but the handspun is just too yummy. 

      2. I will make another one. I keep looking at the ravelry page for this pattern and those projects done in swing knitting are calling my name… and I have some new stash to burn up.

5. Material Sourcing

   1. I think I got more spinning done at camp than knitting.

      1. I brought the last chunk of the Nantucket to finish. I would call it about an ounce (It’s the fiber B found under the couch.) I this wasbv sweater I ordered 4 oz of Cormo from Herman Hills Farm in southern Ohio. The Cormo is lovely stuff but the pin drfting doesn’t seem to agree with me. This may just be something I need to get used to. I meant to spin this at camp but I ignored it.

      2. What got the most action was the PotLuck fiber from paradise fibers in the Party Colorway. I bought 16 oz of this to get a discount not knowing how much 16 oz really was in terms of spinning. I did 4 ozs a long ways back. I took the remaining 4 oz of the 1^st ball as loaner fiber for anyone that wanted to use my wheel. The bright colors caught some eyes and I spent most of my time spinning this. I finished that ball the day after I got home. Now I’m looking the second ball thinking that I may just start on that. bbbb

         1. The last time I spun this fiber I stripped out all the color repeats and Navajo plied. That gave me a worsted-ish weigh yar with long color repeats. This time I left the roving intact, Pre darafted, and spun back and forth across the top of all the colors. With the difference I think I’d going to do some ply tests before I break into that second ball.

6. After 5

   1. The house is standing. I didn’t get any panicked phone calls. I even came home to a clean house! Maybe I should leave more often.

   2. Joe took B to the Kindergarten Fair. This little event sounded pretty cool the was supposed to be a petting zoo, a clown, games an prizes. Joe unlike me is on time for everything. In fact he’s so on time that it sometimes border on rude. (45 minutes early for a job interview..) Joe and B got there before the clown and while the animals were still getting set up. Which brought B face to face with a tarantula. Who the heck brings a tarantula to a Kindergarten petting zoo? Needless to say he freaked and wouldn’t stay for the balloon guy and wouldn’t look at any more animals.

   3. As if the Kindergarten Fair weren’t emotionally scarring enough B also had a dentist apt. which is now required for entrance to kindergarten. From what I hear everything was going fine until joe got his big ol’ size 15 shoe on the pedal that starts the drill. The drill went off and scared everyone in the room and once again B was done. Though to tell the tale now B believes he is an expert at the dentist and proudly tells me about the watermelon paste the dentist put on his teeth.

   4. Last episode I recoded a bit on the new issue of vogue knitting the episode would have been an hour long so I kept it for this week…

      1. Vogue Knitting – spring and summer. Think Pink!

         1. I bought this issue for the drop stitch scarf. But I feel it’s worth picking up. Articles of note that caught my eye… A write up on Ysolda Teague she talks about how she became a knitwear designer. I love that her parents thought she was “depressed”. There’s also a series on finishing that started this month with “Finish before you start” which contains some good reminders that a poorly written pattern may be the first challenge in finishing. I like articles like this because it brings the tips I know but have managed to forget back to the fore. Like reading through a pattern to take a look at the sizing or to make sure everything makes sense. I hate when I look at the pattern and look at my stitches and I have no idea how to get from point A to point B in the pattern.

         2. This month also has cute spring knits.

            1. I could see my self swaning around pool side in the Summer Poncho by Sheri more. The pattern as written is tunic length in the front and knee length in the back. If I decided to cast this one I would look into making it ankle length and the same length in the front and back. Which would be a TON of knitting. But I’m pretty short at 5 ft 1 so it may be doable. Lace, panels, cabling, and drop stitch detail.

            2. I really like The Shaped Hemline sleeveless pullover by Vicki Square. This is in the running for Camp KIP Knitting. I’ve been looking at the summer tops in here and even though I prefer sleeves the A line body and collar are styles that I find appearing in my wardrobe over and over.

            3. The second runner up in my “summer top to Knit” race is Joan McGowan’s V neck Top with the leaf – lace band. Looking at the finished sweater it doesn’t look bad but the side close zipper spooks me… hmmmmmm.

            4. Think Pink… There isn’t one project in the Think Pink Section I wouldn’t consider. But I need another shawl like I need a whole in the head. Maybe the lace beret?

Episode: 40

1. Production scheduling

   1. Production

   2. What’s in My Teapot

   3. Materials Sourcing

   4. Shipping

   5. After 5

2. Production

   1. Gnome Socks By Spilly Jane

2. Drop stitch Scarf by Lisa Buccellato found in the spring and summer 2012 issue of vogue knitting. I’m not usually one for pink and girly but I really like this! I’m knitting this from Cascade Pima Cotton in a lovely pinky lavender color # 3710

1. I cast this on last night and tore through the chart the first time. Started a second round on the chart and noticed that <Gasp> that little chicken foot symbol that I had been reading as an Sk2P (a centered decrease) was in the 1^st part of the pattern a K3TOG ( right leaning decrease). <DOH>. It’s a good thing I was only 1 ½ chart repeats in, frogging won’t be as painful as it could have been.

3. Knitted Knockers of a Good Yarn Shop

   1. Knitted Knockers is part of Debbie Macomber’s Knit 1 Bless 2 initiative for 2012. I found out about them through a suggestion on my knit groups face book page. The pattern is free and can be linked to through Debbie Macomber’s web site or through www.agoodyarnshop.com

   2. I cast on the second of the pair I hoped to get from my little ball of Rowan Hand Knit Cotton. It’s my night stand knitting. I don’t usually knit in bed but now that we have net flix in the bed room it’s become tempting.

4. Hexipuff Count for the week.

   1. Zero :P

3. What’s In My Tea Pot

   1. Lipton’s Green Tea Super Fruit white Mangosteen and Peach

   2. There is no information about the tea on the back of the box!

   3. Ingredients include Soy Lecithin and Sunflower Lecithin. I thought this was a preservative. I found a blog from 2007 with a ton more information on Lecithin and its health properties. Not for the squeamish though as they talk about how Lecithin is made which almost made me spit out the tea. The words “foul smelling Sludge” were involved.

   4. I found this tea unremarkable. I can taste the peach. I have no idea what a mangosteen tasted like so I’m not sure if that’s in there at all. I’ll finish the box but I won’t rush out to replenish it.

4. Shipping

   1. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers

      1. Finished on the day of the party. I was even a bit late…

      2. I think it went over pretty well. Lot’s of oohs and ahhhs over how soft the Alpaca / Acrylic was. I wonder if something like Ultra alpaca or and alpaca silk blend would have received better or worse reviews… would a non fiberphile know to be suitably impressed?

      3. I finally got to knit the flower! Last time I ran out of yarn. My flower ended up being about muffin sized but turned out quite well. The thought was that the flower could be used as an accessory to other pieces when it’s too warm for the scarf. The flower is great but to attach it to a hat would be a pretty big statement.

      4. I still love this pattern and I wouldn’t hesitate to pull it out again for another semi quick gift knit.

2. Uber Secret Christmas socks

   1. I’m ashamed to say that after Christmas I didn’t jump right on resizing the Uber Secret Christmas socks. They instead languished on the project pile. I tore back the 1^st one a few weeks ago and got it the point that I was ready to graft the toe. Then I over thought it and decided I’d better have my mom try them on before I graft it just to be sure on size. Back to the pile it went. I finally saw my mom this week and had her try it on. Nate just happened to walk past as this was happening and said …. “Geez mom… How many months has it been?” He’s great for a guilt trip. I’m happy to say that both socks have been adjusted, the toes have been grafted, and mom can wear them to Camp Kip.

5. Materials Sourcing

   1. On the wheel

      1. 4 ozs of Merino from Copperpot Woolies in Cotton Candy. Still on the wheel Minimal progress so far. I started the second bobbin and I got to the point where I want to move to the second hook.

1. In the market for a fleece.

   1. It’s one of my goals this year to knit a sweater that fits me. I’ve picked the Rivulet by Shanon Okey

   2. The Knitmores are doing their Spakal but I’m not fond of their KAL sweater so I figured I’d spin along and then do my own Knit thing.

   3. I’ll be on the lookout for a fleece. To get some education on what to look for I’ll be visiting with Liz from Ewenique Fiber’s in a few week.

   4. I will NOT be processing this fleece my self. I’ll be sending this one out. Besides it’ll be much more fun when several lbs of roving show up at the door and Joe flips over “is that MORE WOOL!”

2. Bobbin winder

   1. Since I still have problems spinning a consistent single I’ve decided to spin all the singles 1^st and then ply all at the end hoping to even everything out. Which led me to wonder does Babe make a bobbin winder? Sadly they do not. But I’ve had some good advice from ravelry.

1. After 5

   1. Strep Throat

      1. B and Joe have been under foot all this week. B has been home sick since last Thursday. We thought it was just a cold and didn’t think much of it as we had a doctor apt for him on Tuesday (Kindergarten registration is this week and I wanted him to get his shots up to date.) When we took him in they diagnosed strep. He never even complained about a sore throat.

   2. Knook – Knitting But Not

      1. A few weeks ago I was wandering in the knitting needle aisle in Hobby Lobby. I went in for fiber fill for Hexipuffs ended up looking at sock yarn and needles. I loose dpns all the time. So when ever I see a good price or a new color I pick up a set. They have sz 2s in purple….

      2. They also have knitting oddities like adjustable sock looms, heart shaped pom pom makers, and The Knook

      3. How are they not getting sued by Barnes and Noble?

      4. When I first saw this I thought I was buying a Tunisian crochet kit. This is NOT Tunisian Crochet.

      5. What’s in the kit

         1. Three lovely little wooden crochet hooks with pointed tail ends that have holes in them. (Wha….?)

         2. 3 different colored silk cords that I thought were yarn samples to make the 1^st project with.

         3. Instruction book.

      6. Method to the madness

         1. Thread the silk cord though the hole on the crochet hook.

         2. Crochet a starter chain.

         3. Pull up loops along the chain and instead of finishing a crochet stitch the loops get left on the hook. If your cast on edge is longer that the hook the stitches will slide onto the silk cord. (ahhhhh so that’s what the cord is for….)

         4. At the end of the row slide the stitches onto the cord and turn the work.

         5. From here on out it’s basically knitting with a hook and no needle in the left hand.

         6. I found the Knook incredibly wonky and counter intuitive. Perhaps if I hadn’t had so much experience with having a needle in my left hand and having the work be a bit more rigid I would have taken to the nook. But I couldn’t get over how “wrong “it felt. The knook is an interesting novelty that I’m sorry to say some well meaning non knitter will probably buy as a gift for an unsuspecting knitter. Fun if it’s free not worth the 10 bucks I paid.

bbbbb

Episode: 39

1. Production scheduling

   1. Production

      1. Knitting Mojo exhausted

   2. What’s in My Teapot

   3. Materials Sourcing

   4. After 5

2. Production

   1. Gnome Socks By Spilly Jane

      1. Another week of little progress. Last time we talked I wasn’t liking my tension which was skewing my gauge. The big debate was to Frog, perfect and frog, or Plunge on. I’m taking the path of least resistance and plunging forward with an eye to perfect and frog. I also manage to botch the pattern this week. Which has made me lay these down in disgust. (With myself… and my lack of skills…) So Despite having a few more rows done I’m pretty much in the same conundrum … “To frog, or not to frog, that is the question:
         Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
         The Slings and Arrows of outrageous color work,
         Or to take up needles against a Sea of troubles…”

      2. Back onto the project pile they go.

2. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers

   1. Ruffed and Ruched Redux

   2. The party is next weekend! ARGH! Where have I frittered my time away to?!

   3. I finished the 1^st half. Unraveled the provisional cast on and will be starting the final ribbing on the scarf. With any luck my knitting mojo will hold up and I’ll be able to finish this before I have to wrap it on the 31^st.

   4. As mentioned last week this is a gift for someone who I’m not totally convinced will not A) turn it into a cat bed or B) toss it in the wash so I’m using and acrylic / alpaca blend. I believe this is a Hobby Lobby house brand. I like the color, the feel is nice and soft… about as far away from crunch as acrylic get but I’m _really_ not happy about the knots. I had one knot that was a complete break and 2 that one ply had a break and was knotted and plied to a non – broken single. REALLY?!

3. Knitted Knockers of a Good Yarn Shop

   1. Knitted Knockers is part of Debbie Macomber’s Knit 1 Bless 2 initiative for 2012. I found out about them through a suggestion on my knit groups face book page. I try to be fairly open to trying any thing once so why not try to knit a prosthetic breast. The pattern is free and can be linked to through Debbie Macomber’s web site or through www.agoodyarnshop.com

   2. The pattern calls for cotton or any soft and washable yarn. I picked up some Rowan Hand Knitting Cotton at the yarn shop this week for mine in a mauve that Joe calls “Bright Red”. All in all the pattern is easy. The hardest part was starting out with the i-cord and then increasing in each stitch to work in the round. Doesn’t sound hard but the needles were a bit “fiddly” in my opinion with only 2 stitches a piece. Nothing insurmountable and since the back side is decreased in the same way at the front increases knitting the back before the front doesn’t help. I knit a B cup the pattern can be sized to a DD. I went with the smallish size so as to maybe be able to complete a pair from my tiny ball of yarn. I finished it in one night so this is a quick and easy piece of charity knitting that can be done socially. Note for the squeamish… it looks like a baby hat. No one need know what it truly is… unless of course you’re like me and my knit group co hort who though maybe a piercing would jazz it up…

4. Hexipuff Count for the week.

   1. ½ I took it along to knit group and I ran out of yarn ½ ways into my puff. <Knitting Fail>

3. What’s In My Tea Pot

   1. Oriental Treasure Green Tea (The Boston Tea Company)

   2. I was bumming around Tuesday Morning looking for yarn and I found tea! Almost as good.

   3. Back of tin:

   4. Even though the canister says Connoisseur’s Favorite. I beg to differ. For a Green this tea goes bitter quick. This may be a case of “I bought tea at Tuesday Morning….” But BLECH. Even the packaging is clunky the top of the canister has come off several times and dumped the canister into my desk drawer. (Why I have some sort of crushed herb in my desk drawer is not something I want to discuss with HR! “It’s tea! Honest!”) I also don’t believe that what’s in this canister could be considered “Loose Leaf” It’s crushed beyond belief and could at best be considered Fannings.

   5. Lesson learned… if it’s marked down from 6.99 to 2.99, probably not worth drinking.

4. Materials Sourcing

   1. Whatever it was that sapped my knitting Mojo didn’t extend to my spinning,

   2. Finished!

      1. The Jacob Fleece from the Anne Arbor Fiber expo.

         1. A lot of burrs and that wonkiness with the staple length.

         2. But with all that kvetching and complaining what I think was 4 oz of fiber turned into gorgeous and squishy DK worsted – ish (some heavier some lighter…) yarn. When I first started swatching for plying. I thought I’d want a nice rustic, chunky, three ply. But when I knit up the two ply the gray and black made gorgeous stripes that faded into each other. While the heavier three ply just muddled the colors. In the end I could part with the stripes. SO another thinner yarn into the stash.

         3. Squeezing this yarn makes me happy this week. So I have it hanging in the dining room so I can squish it every time I walk by.

      2. Black Cherry Mystery Wool Roving

         1. Finally this ball of roving is done.

         2. In my world just about everything has its place. I do tend to get grumpy though when I buy something expecting it to behave a certain way and find out that I’ve been sold a bill of goods. When I bought this fiber the section I “tested” was too small and I was too inexperienced to see what I was getting. The small piece I drafted out looked smooth and lovely. What I got was a textured roving that was never meant to be the smooth yarn I had in my head. It’s spun now in to a pretty cool “arty” yarn full of lumps and bumps. Not the softest thing in the world but will make an awesome hat or Pair of mittens. 4 oz came in at 297 yds.

   3. On the wheel

      1. I took a look through my stash and I wanted something with bright colors and something easy. I need a break from the veg matter and issues the Jacob and to a lesser extent my homemade camel batt had. So I pulled out a 4 oz ball of Merino from Copperpot Woolies in Cotton Candy. This was the ball I had to go “Hockey Mom” (A well place elbow / hip combo…. Just Kidding. But I did grab it and ran away when she turned her head to talk to her friend…) the colors in this are lime green, Aqua Blue, and an Electric purple. I’ve about half a bobbin so far and it’s spinning like “buttah”. The colors make me smile. I can’t wait to see how this plies up.

5. After 5

   1. What a Week.

      1. Joe had a Brush with unemployment.

      2. The stress is what probably killed my knitting Mojo.

      3. St Patty’s Day Truffles

         1. So Rich…. Sooo Good…. Soooo Simple.

1 Package of Cool Mint Oreos 22 with Filling 8-10 Without

1 Brick of Cream Cheese

Smash the Oreos and combine with cream cheese.  Roll mixture into balls for centers and cool in fridge or Freezer on Wax paper to firm up.

Melt Chocolate for Coating.  I got mine at party city green was on sale.  Zap in Microwave for 30 second intervals until smooth.  Coat centers.  (use a fork to coat and then tap off the excess chocolate.)   Melt white chocolate in a Ziploc.  Snip off corner and drizzle whit over green or Pipe on shamrocks.  (Use a tooth pick to smooth out the shamrock)

It’s that easy.

4. B’s Birthday party at the Science Center

   1. Dry Ice + Bubble Solution = Awsome!

   2. People who RSVP and don’t show… GRRRRR

5. The Vacation that wasn’t

   1. We had planned to see the Shed Aquarium and the Field Museum in Chicago this week. Long story short… there were some “Elder Health” issues and my Ollie sitter had to cancel so we stayed home. Oh well…. There’s always next year.

bbb

Episode 38:

1. Production scheduling

   1. Production

   2. What’s in My Teapot

   3. Materials Sourcing

   4. After 5

2. Production

   1. Gnome Socks By Spilly Jane

      1. I had a little progress on these this week. I’m in to the three color rows which include the tip of the gnomes beard, his shirt, and the main color.

      2. I have a feeling that my gauge is too loose. There aren’t any blatant holes but… I think in my quest to make sure my floats aren’t too tight I’ve over compensated and the stitches are too loose.

      3. For a bit of inspiration I took a look at Mary Scott Huff’s video for the Rockin’ Sock Club Where she discusses stranded color work.

         1. Can I just say that I love Mary? Her Sense of humor kills me! Do check out her blog on the exploding over head lighting. This is sooo something that would happen to me and I would be blogging / hiding under the dining room table as well. Don’t even get me started on the Laundry – cano.

      4. Right now my gnome socks are resting in my project pile. I have to decide whether or not the gauge issue is an issue and they should be frogged or to press on and get a better handle on the technique and then possible frog and do it right or press on boldly and cross my ankles to show only sock #2. (which will surely turn out better… right?)

2. Ruffled and Ruched Scarf by Pam Powers

   1. I have a friend whose mom is Turning 65 at the end of the month. I gave her a choice of what she’d like hoping she’d take an FO and she requested a rosette. Which I was baffled by. I offered socks, hats, shawls, mitts, and she asked for a rosette.

   2. So I sent her daughter the picture of the Ruffled and Ruched scarf and that’s what we’re doing.

   3. I’m knitting this from _______________ which is an Acrylic Alpaca blend with Grey, Teal, Bronze, Purple, and Magenta in it mixed with Alpaca. Which may be a bit sacrilegious to mix lama and acrylic but the fabric looks nice and the yarn feels not so crunchy. 

      1. Acrylic has 2 redeeming qualities in my book. How well it takes color / colors available and ease of care.

   4. Of course Hobby Lobby didn’t have more than 3 skeins of the same dye lot so I’m switching skeins every row to avoid the patchy dye lot problem.

3. Hexipuffs!

   1. Still Hexipuffing away. Another 2 down 352 to go. :P

   2. I’m thinking I may get a quilt faster if I start making my puff out of worsted weight on Sz 8 or 9 needles…

4. The Bangle yarn Experiment

   1. While I was n hobby lobby I checked the sale rack and found 2 Skein of white “Bangle Yarn”

   2. This stuff look like White fuzzy packing peanuts strung on a cord.

   3. At first I tried to Q hook crochet it. And found it was too hard to find the little cord in the packing peanuts.

   4. Then I did some research on You tube for how to knit wit this stuff and found a video on the red heart version. The video tutorial showed casting on 2 stitches between each peanut puff. The ht worked out pretty well but I was knitting in Garter stitch and the peanut puffs were stacking up so that 10 rows gave me three inches of fabric. I pilled it off the needles. When I’m feeling adventurous again I’ll see if stockinette distributes the peanut puffs any better. Until then just another oddity in my stash.

3. What’s In my Tea Pot

   1. Blueberry Tea From Adagio Teas

   2. A delightful blend of bright Ceylon black tea, fresh blueberry flavor and playfully accented with dried blueberries. An aromatic cup, definitely more like the 'highbush' variety of blueberry (highly fragrant and delicately tart). Fresh flavor, slightly sweet and rounded texture - not too juicy. Great hot or iced and easy to blend with other teas, too. Try it with Vanilla Black or Cream for added creamy texture.

   3. The ceylon is nice and my first thought was mmmmm.... black tea. It reminds me of the Oh SO yumy black tea my favorite Vietnamese restaurant #1 pho uses in their bubble tea. The blueberry is really more of an after thought that's more of a scent in the back of the sinuses than a flavor. Very warm and comforting. I collapsed on the couch with this at the end of a rough day and it perked me up quite a bit.

   4. Speaking of perking up I found a few fact about tea and caffeine this week via Choice Organic teas http://www.choiceorganicteas.com/caffeineintea.phpb

      1. The more oxidized the tea the greater it's caffeine content.

      2. Beverage Caffeine Per 8 oz Cup

      3. White Tea 30-55 mg

      4. Green Tea 35-70 mg

      5. Oolong Tea 50-75 mg

      6. Black Tea 60-90 mg

      7. Coffee 150-200 mg

      8. Consider this:

If an 8 oz cup of brewed coffee contains 150 mg of caffeine, a 16 oz cup of coffee will have 300 mg.

Similarly, when you drink an 8 oz cup of tea served from a brewed pot of tea, doubling the serving size to 16 oz results in double the caffeine.

But steeping tea in a mug is different.

If you were to brew a mug of tea using 8 oz of water and one tea bag, the total caffeine could be around 40 mg. If you were to brew a larger mug of tea using 16 oz water and one tea bag, the total caffeine would not double. It would still be only around 40 mg

4. Material Sourcing

   1. I had a bout of Start – itis for the wheel but when I looked around all my bobbins were full of half started things.

   2. So grudgingly I decided that I had better get on with something that was in progress.

   3. Back on the wheel is the Jacob fleece from the Anne Arbor Fiber expo

   4. This was giving me fits last week and I think I figured out why. The roving is half black and half grey and for some reason the staple length of the black is totally different in spots to that of the grey. So I’ll be spinning along moving from grey to black back and forth across the top of the fiber and hit a short spot in the black and get a break in the single. Now that I know what I’m looking out for things have been going along a bit better. I finished that 1^st ball and I’m a bout a ¼ of the way into the second ball.

   5. I’m also running out of bobbin so I may need to Andean ply the 1^st bobbin to free it up… Or perhaps just send out the search party for another Bobbin. I think there is one somewhere unaccounted for!

   6. Speaking of things unaccounted for. B found about and 18 inch long chunk of roving under the couch. He was rooting around under their looking for his Firey – Flynn the Fire truck and said “Here mommy, here’s some of your fluffy stuff.” It’s some of the Nantucket from Copper pot Woolies that I made my awesome dragon rider hat from. I have a bit of that yarn left over and now it looks like I’ll get a smidge more! But this doesn’t say much for the house keeping around here. Hey there’s knitting and spinning to be done!

5. After 5

   1. Spaghetti Sauce

      1. Despite my polish last name my MIL is Italian.

      2. My genealogy geek did some digging much to my in-laws dismay and found that the Italian side is also Sicilian by way of Palermo.

         1. Palermo has PALM TREES and Mummies! It must have been _really_ bad for the family to leave that for SNOWY non Palm Treed CLEVELAND.

      3. My mil’s Spaghetti Sauce contains meat balls, sausage, ground meat, mushrooms, and hard boiled Eggs. It’s a meal unto itself.

      4. I’ve never understood the hard boiled eggs but my husband assures me they are absolutely necessary. Much like the Pupa Cu L’ova http://www.food.com/recipe/Italian-Easter-Egg-Basket-Pupa-Cu-Lova-218686 (Italian Easter basket cookies). Which also have hardboiled eggs in them and can not ever be absent at Easter.

      5. Joe spend all of Saturday crafting a pot of sauce and we’ve been eating it ever since. Of course when we have a ton of warm hearty food in the house the weather perks up a bit and I feel like grilling out…

   2. Pinterest

      1. I finally bit the bullet and joined Pinterest this week.

      2. WHY ON EARTH DID I WAIT SO LONG!

      3. I usually have to be dragged kicking and screaming into new things. Like facebook… I waited forever to get a facebook acct and now I live on FB.

      4. Pinterest is like browsing Etsy with recipes! I found a couple of blogs with Jar cakes and even better Jar Pies! Mmmmmmmm! Can’t wait to try that.

      5. I’ve been adding a few FO’s up to pinterest as well. It’s really easy to get that little “Pin it” button on your blog page.

   3. Rifftrax

      1. Joe and I rewatched the Twilight movies with rifftrax this weekend. If you’re a fan of Mystery Science Theater you’ll love Riff Trax.

      2. Riff Trax is an MP3 that is downloaded from the Riff Trax website. When you start your DVD the mp3 gives you prompts to line up the riff Trax with the movie. What you get is a bunch of guys cracking jokes about the movie as you watch it.

      3. Yes, I know that can be the most annoying part of going to the theatre. But I own the DVD’s I’ve seen them a million times so the jokes enhance the experience plus they make my husband more inclined to watch chick flix.

bb

Episode 37:

1. Production scheduling

   1. Production

   2. What’s in My Teapot

   3. Materials Sourcing

   4. After 5

2. Production

   1. Gnome Socks by Spilly Jane

      1. Camp KIP Theme

      2. Using the recommended Brown Sheep Nature spun. Tried to use Knitpicks “palette” but couldn't find colors I liked.

      3. Tension is a bit wonky. I think it's mostly because I'm concerned about the floats getting to tight across the back.

      4. Through the hats and faces of the first row of gnomes. Getting ready to cast on the white for beards and then the next row is the start of the oh so scary three color rows! <EEEEEK>

1. The Bee Keeper’s Quilt by Tiny Owl knits

   1. Hexipuffs!

   2. I tried to avoid it I even found the vlog post mildly annoying and yet I bought the pattern and am happily hexipuffing away.

   3. My puffs are a bit smaller than what the pattern is calling for as I'm knitting mine on two sz one circular needles. I found the method in the pattern of knitting them on DPNs a bit hard on my hands .

   4. I have 7 out of the 345 some odd puffs that I'll need. Woohoo! Gonna be a long ride!

2. The Brea Bag

   1. My Brea Bag came back out of the prjectbag thid week. I tore out the previously made gussett anf reknit it stranding with a new hank of Alpaca Ultra. (I had previously rant out. I'. not happy with the tension at the very end of the gussett. The beginning is knit much more tightly than the end. I'll be tearing this back AGAIN this week and hopefull be able to put it together and have it finished and ready for use!

2. What's In my Tea Pot

   1. Republic of Tea Hot Apple Cider Tea

   2. A naturally-caffeine free blend of apples, cinnamon cloves and ginger. Reminiscent of apple cider, with the luscious aroma of cinnamon and cloves, make this cup the perfect accompaniment to the colors of the harvest season.

      1. This is no replacement for the mulled cider recipe I shared in Episode 26 “Double Bubble or Mulling it over” but in a pinch if there is no way to get the real deal... it's better than nothing. Has a tendency to go bitter when over steeped. I think it's the ginger and clove that get a bit to aggressive if you forget the bag in the bottom of the mug.

3. Materials Sourcing

   1. The Merino Camel is done! Plied and washed.

   2. I've never seen so much dirt come out of yarn! Humphrey must have been filthy. The dirt was coming off in clouds!

   3. The end result is really soft with a bit o a tweed look. All in all I'm happy with the finished product. I’m still looking for that elusive consistent single but that will come with time. I came up with abut 250 yds of yarn so I'll be looking for a small project to use it on

   4. Back on the wheel currently is the 4 oz of Jacob. I had one bobbin done previously and I'm still working through the 1^st 2oz ball.

2. After 5

1. Happy Birthday B

2. Cowmoons

1. I have no Idea what these are.  They may be some strain relate to Highland Cattle at least that’s what they most resemble from an image search.

2. B has always argued that what ever they are they are not cows. They have previously been Moose.

3. He loves to tell me stories about them.  One is how the “cowmoons” eat apples.  I got a whole in depth story about ho the cowmoons use their “Antlers “ to knock down the apples.

4. This morning on the way to school I asked him if he thought the Cowmoons would be 9ut and he said “No,  they won’t be out because there’s snow and they’ll get cold toes.”

1. Monster meat

   1. Sasquatch Jerky.

bb

Episode 36:

1. Production scheduling – It feels so good to be back infront of the microphone! Not to be to Excusey but... there's a chineese curse. Or a saying that's been attributed as a chineese curse... That says May you live in interesting times. Life over here ahas taken a turn to the interesting to say the least.

   1. Production

   2. What’s in My Teapot

   3. Shipping

   4. Materials Sourcing

   5. After 5

2. Production

1. Soft Serve by fervid Design

   1. I found this while surfing Ravelry for interesting hats to make for my knit groups year of the baby contest. It looks like a swirl ofhbh DQ soft serve. I’m using the left overs from the Top Down raglan sweater.

2. 10 stitch Blanket by Frankie Brown.

   1. My knittign grup is having a blanket drive for Project linus. I have a large amount of recycled afghan yarn ans thought this blanket mayhe a good use as It doesn't include my main turn off when it comes to blamkets. Long never ending rows. I have this cast on and I'm to the point of adding in the contrast color. I've ripped it out twice as I'm not happy with how the joing look. The prescribed SL1 K1 PSSO isn't workign for me. I may tear this out again and tinker with it some more.

   2. Find out more about project linus at www.projectlinus.org it is our mission to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.”

3. What’s In my Tea Pot

   1. casablanca twist

      1. An interesting twist on classic Moroccan Mint tea, which traditionally combines Gunpowder green tea from China with fresh mint. We kept the latter, and replaced the smoky notes of Gunpowder with the muscatel highlights of a First Flush Darjeeling from India. The result is very a refreshing cup, with bold, cool minty notes, smooth and relaxing texture and flavor. Very intriguing cup.

4. Shipping

1. The Cupcake Hat

   1. The Cupcake Hat is done! In the end I gave up on the Heart Shaped Pompom as the cherry. I can’t believe that I do not have a pair of scissors in the house that can cut well in the channel of the pompom makers. <Grrrr> That’s one for the Christmas List! What I ended up going with was a cut Amigurumi cherry that I crocheted and stuffed with one of my misshapen heart pompoms. Instead of multi colored “sprinkles” I did a series of French Knots in red for “Cherry Chips” It’s Flat out adorable and since it’s red and White Vaentinesy I’ve been wearing it around town today.

   2. Top and side views are on my project page. (Yes, this may be a sign of the Apocalypse.)

2. Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes

   1. Knit from my Nazar Boncugu Wollemeisse. ("nah-zahr bon-joo-ooh")

      1. I’ll butcher this name no more! I Looked it up and was surprised to find my blue yarn was named for the Turkish Evil Eye talismans. http://www.turkishclass.com/picture_11212 “Nazar Boncuğu is traditional Turkish talisman, usually made of glass, in many stiles, from simple to ornate. There is belief between Turkish people that it absorbs bad energy coming from evil eyes.” Learn something new everyday!

   2. I have 4 more rows and the bind off to go!

   3. I had to tink back the last garter stitch rib 2X. <Grumble> I was too involved with Mathew and Mary on Downton Abbey and the 1^st time purled the wrong side row as normal. The second time I knit the wrong side row but for got the YO increases. Then my screw together interchangeable needle fell apart and luckily nothing fot away. It was at that point that I put the project down and went off to cook dinner and take a breather. I sat down to pick it up again while watching yet more Downton and found that some grubby little fingers had moved Mommy’s sticky note and I knit the wrong row on the chart. Every thing in back in place for another go at it tonight. Hopefully I’ll have a better time of it.

5. Material Sourcing

   1. Merino Camel Blend

      1. I’m still working on the Merino Camel blend. I have all the camel blended into the merino. I have all the rolags sitting on the entertainment center so that they yell “Spin ME!” every time I walk by. My goal was to get them done for the winter Spin along but seeing as that ends today…. I don’t think I’ll be making it.

      2. I am still less than thrilled with these merino locks. In addition to having all sorts of second cuts in this bag I found that the other half the bag was poorly washed and is sticky. From the smell I don’t think it’s lanolin I think it’s excess detergent. A LOT of excess detergent. My thought was to try and spin some of this merino from the lock… But I think I’ll be re washing some of this.

      3. From the looks of things I’m estimating that I’ll fill my second bobbin and maybe a bit of a third.

      4. Cant’s wait to see this plied!

6. After 5

   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet

      1. Snow Storm

      2. Winter Fest in February

      3. Brakes

   2. Crock Pot Yogurt

      1. OMG Soooo Good!

      2. http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html

      3. Use whole milk for thicker yogurt. I used 2% and mine was a bit on the runny side. It was thick just not as thick as commercial yogurt. That first swipe with the spoon through the crock pot was soooo worth the wait!

Episode 35:

1. Production Scheduling

   1. Production

   2. What’s In my Tea Pot

   3. Shipping

   4. Materials Sourcing

   5. After 5

2. Production

   1. The Holden Shawlette by Mindy W ilkes being knitted from Wollmeise Twin in Nazar Boncugu ( merino super wash, semisolid) Electric Blue. Ignored for hats.

   2. Cup Cake Hat by Jane Mack What can I say I can't resist a funky hat. I'm knitting this out of stashed left over acrylic. I'm on the 2^nd row of Bobbles in the icing

3. What’s In My Tea Pot

1. Trader Joe’s Candy Cane Green Tea

i Don the wonder Intern found this one and was nice enough to gift me a box for Christmas.

ii. The Back of the Box:  While out Candy Cane Decaffeinated Green Tea may lack the traditional red and white stripes and candy cane shape associated with your traditional candy cane, that familiar minty taste is ever present.  We’ve taken some of our favorite holiday flavors like refreshing peppermint, creamy vanilla, and spicy cinnamon and mixed them with a naturally decaffeinated, rich green tea.

iii.Sooo yummy and just the ticket for when a winter cold settles into the sinuses. Plus and I know this has nothing to do with the tea… It has a festive Narwhal on the box! What is not to love about a Narwhal with ornaments on his horn! I give the tea high marks ad Don get’s big brownie points for getting me my own box.

4. Shipping

   1. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carol Barenys from Loops and Threads

   2. The Perfect Beret by Janelle Masters Knit from my Lake Effect handspun. Great no nonsense beret pattern to have on hand. I did knit the medium size and the opening grew a bit I may ,make the small size for myself next time.

5. Materials Sourcing

   1. I got the yen to do something with the fiber I have from Humphrey the camel. 

   2. When I bought the fiber I was told that the staple length was too short to spin on its own and that I’d have to blend it with something.

   3. Belleoftheball from #Spinchat recommended merino.  So after some thought I went to Etsy and bought some Merino locks.  The locks came pretty dirty and there are quite a few second cuts.  Not happy with them but I had been so Jazzed about taking this project to guild (and the drum carder!)  that I took it anyway.

   4. My research

i. Earlier in the week I did some trolling on the internet for advice on blending fibers and how to use a drum carder.  Ask the Bellwether sent me to … you guessed it YouTube!  (The Frugal fiber artists best friend) and once again to Rexenne.  (I’ve run into Rexenne’s videos before.  I used one when learned to Navajo Ply.)  Holy energy Batman!  She is really PUMPED about fiber in her videos!

ii. Rexenne had a 4 part series on You Tube on how to use the drum carder. How to make a bat, how to lend colors, and how to mix fibers.  (AHA!)

iii. Incredibly informative

5. When I got to Guild I had a good idea of how things were supposed to work.

6. My Process

i. First I ran through the merino Locks fluffing them out by hand so that they I could almost see through them. 

1. The merino was so fine that it was sticking to our hands and may have had a bit of static in it.

a. Things that I forgot

I A Pan / or bag to put the bats in

ii. My Hand card to use as a burnishing tool

iii. My sushi mat looking place mat to roll the bat off the drum (though we did fine without it)

2. We ran through enough locks to make 1 good size bat

3. I then Split the bat in halve and then quarters and ran one quarter onto the drum

4. Once I had the 1^st layer off merino on the drum I applied a layer of the camel directly to the large drum over top the merino.hb I used pretty much the same motion that I would use to load my hand cards.

5. After that the second quarter of merino went through the carder producing a big sandwich which we sectioned off and ran through a few more times to blend.

6. Then f course I decided there wasn’t enough camel and had to do most of the process over a few times.  The 1^st bat took FOREVER!  The second bat went much more quickly once we had the process down

7.      My only regret is that I only did about half my fiber and I have it all spun those 2 bats gave one of my small bobbins full.  I now either have to wait until the February meeting to use the drum carder on the rest or blend it with my cards at home. I may try to do some on the cards and see what the noticeable differences are in the single.  It might make an interesting juxtaposition between the two plies.

8.      Interesting thing I learned in this process…  My dad …who goes to guild meeting to eat…J  Likes to play with the drum carder.  Look out Hank’s in the Hood!  Bob on the Boulevard may be comin’ for ya!

6. After 5

   1. Cheese Crackers

i. I’ve been looking out for a recipe that was similar to the cheese crackers I ate at the guild Christmas party. I think I found one!

ii. http://busycooks.about.com/od/quickbreads/r/cheesecrack.htm

iii. I found one on about.com (there’s a link in the show notes)

iv. They take a whole stick of butter but the boys had them gone in one night and were asking about them the next day.  So double up the batch they are small. J

v.This is also a great use for left over grated cheese.  We usually have grated cheese in bags in the fridge for on top of Tacos, chili, and pizza… we love our cheese. So you can imagine my dismay that I didn’t have the 2 cups I needed for the recipe. So I went through the fridge and combined all of the cheesed I had.  Mostly cheddar, some fiesta taco blend, some mozzarella….  They turned out soooo good. Just like a cheez it with out the sonic orange coloring.  (And no Cheez food product!)

vi. I keep trying to make another batch of these but the butter has to be really softened to mix with the cheese.  I keep taking out the butter to soften and it either meets with an untimely demise… sat to close to the toaster oven and turned to goo or I forget about it which had been driving Joe a bit batty.  “Something weird is going on and I don’t think you’re doing it.”  “Oh really?  What’s that”  “I keep finding sticks of butter left out in the kitchen.”  Hahahahahah!  “Seriously that was me!  I’ve been trying to make cheese crackers all week and I keep forgetting or get distracted!”

2. Nifty gizmo

i.A while back I tried to buy a pompom maker for hat’s and such. I saw one on sale at hobby lobby and picked it up only to realize when I got it home that it made heart shaped pom poms instead of round ones. It’s been languishing in my project bin. I’ve been playing with it this week and have yet to get any more than a vaguely heart shaped mass of yard. It’s fun to play with but will take some mastery. May be a good use for some ratty acrylic I have around the house.

3. 3 videos up on the show notes for Humble Pie or … Episode 34 A few more to go. They are o frills but a few sections are interesting

4. Still haven’t heard from 2 of the winners from the Christmas memory contest. I’ll give it another week and then I’ll ear burn you on Ravelry just incase you’re behind on podcasts like I am.

Episode 34: New Year's Round Up or “Live From NE Ohio”

1. Production Scheduling

   1. Events

   2. Production

      1. Finished Objects

      2. UFO's

      3. Favorite Project

      4. Ugliest FO?

   3. What's in my tea pot

   4. Materials Sourcing

   5. After 5

2. Events

   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.

   2. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO

3. Production

   1. The Holden Shawlette by Mindy W ilkes being knitted from Wollmeise Twin in Nazar Boncugu ( merino super wash, semisolid) Electric Blue.

      1. Through the chart the 1^st time, once more to go. I blanked out on this I thought I was done until I checked the pattern to make sure I was supposed to bind off in picot. That's when I noticed the note to knit the chart twice.

      2. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys

         1. One sleeve most of the way done. About ½ inch more of ribbing. Then pick up the second sleeve...

   2. Year of the baby projects. Ave been ignored I'm starting to hate baby hats.

   3. Finished Objects

1. Melissa's socks

2. Baby Swirl Hat

3. The Pedestrian Crossing Cowl by Melissa Sibley

4. 2 Toddler sweaters for Wool-Aid

5. The Day Break Shawl By Stephen West.

6. The Clapotis by Kate Gilbert

7. the EMBASSY SCARF by Amy Polcyn

8. The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief by Orange Flower patterns

9. Kitschy Teacup Pot Holder

10. The Summerflies Shawl by Holly and Ella Knits

11. Nate's Beard Hat

12. Twisty Sister Cabled Hand Warmers by Kate Gondwana

13. I heart lace by Inese Andzane

14. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale

15. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater by Pamela Costello

16. Beaded Ornament from 12 Exquisite Beaded Ornaments to Knit published by Leisure arts

17. Mom's Christmas Sock's

18. The Dragon slayer Ear flap Hat by Pixiebell Elfinwear

1. UFO's

   1. Juno Regina by Miriam Felton

   2. Fulled Lopi Tote done in Plarn

   3. The Brea Bag

2. Favorite Project

   1. Summerflies Shawlette

   2. ___________________

3. Ugliest FO?

   1. Age of Brass and Steam Shawl.

4. Goals for 2011

   1. Color Work

   2. Entrelac

   3. A sweater for myself that fits

   4. Update my project page and be a better picture taker.

2. What's in my Tea Pot

   1. Adagio Teas “Christmas”

   2. The tea to get you into the holiday spirit! This blend of bright, tangy Ceylon black tea flavored with warm cinnamon, pungent cloves, and orange peels is a Christmas delight. Spicy and fresh aroma, outdoorsy and cozy, with a balanced tangy flavor and slightly sweet finish. Perfect to sip while decking the halls, being jolly, or dreaming of a white Christmas.

3. Material's Sourcing

   1. Counter Weight Brake Tensioning System

      1. I bobbin of corriedale to test it out,.

   2. Mystery wool Black Cherry from wool fest.

4. After 5

   1. Austentatious Crochet

   2. Winner's of the Christmas Memory Contest.

      1. WiscKnitter The Sassafras Creations Jewelry

      2. RealYankee Skein of Lorna's Lace's in Amy's Vintage office

      3. WV Crafty wins the Tea themed project bag

      4. Creative Vibe wins the 20.00 knitpicks cetificate

Episode 33

1. Production Scheduling

   1. Events

   2. Shipping

   3. Production

   4. What's in my tea pot

   5. Materials Sourcing

   6. After 5

2. Events

   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.

   2. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO

3. Production

   1. The Holden Shawlette by Mindy W ilkes being knitted from Wollmeise Twin in Nazar Boncugu ( merino super wash, semisolid) Electric Blue. Pattern has charted and written directions for the lace. I've not gotten as far as I would have liked on this. I'm still in the stockinette section.

   2. My knitting group has declared 2012 as the year of the baby. In honor of that they are currently having a contest for baby hat's, mitts, and booties. It's team Sugar and Spice vs team Snips and Snails. My hooks and needles are laboring for team Snips and Snails. The competition has been fierce and the crocheter's are kicking the knitters butts. I started out thinking that I could quickly knit up …

      1. Sock Yarn Baby Hat and Easy Peasey Project by Malia Mather. Out of my left over Opal Rainforest Tiger. I knit it up quickly enough in 2 days (to save my hands and not ignore my family) but even though I swatched the hat fit B. So I 've been tearing it out and knitting the pattern again using only half of the stitches. Which makes it still dividable by 4 so the the 3x1 ribbing still works and the decreases at the top work as well. The second try came out much better. I did decide to forgo the I cord top.

      2. So I thought maybe I can knit faster with a thicker gauge yarn so I cast on A vanilla hat from a pattern in the knit groups library. No dice not really faster at all and the heavier yarn just hurt my hands. But at least now I had 2 hats.

      3. I was beginning totally left in the dust as I only had one hat done and others were posting 6 or seven and one crocheted and additional pair of booties! I thought I was moderately quick if not fat but Holy Toledo! So I took a cue from them and switched to crochet. A quick trip to Ravelry found the Looks Like Knit Crocheted Shaped Baby Hat by Yarn Cottage LLC. AHA! I have been able to rocket through one of these in about 3 hrs. I like the look of these hat's in their pics they all have pom poms on the top. I'm not a fan of Pom Pom's so I leave them off and the hat's still look good. I finished two of those and now I’m up to 4 hats.

      4. As a side contest it was posted that the 1^st team to post a completed pair of booties would get bonus points. I don't know why I thought I could beat the crocheter's but I cast on Christine's Baby Booties (free on Ravelry) I have made these before out of fingering yarn and found the 5 needles to be a bit hard to maneuver at times. I thought that by using left over sock yarn they would be easier. WRONG 2 days after Donna Marie the fastest hooker I know has posted the completed crocheted booties I was at 50% on the first bootie and and the I dropped a stitch and then fixed it only to purl when I should have knit. With all of those fixable issues aside. I took a look at my yarn and I've decided that I don't have the yardage to finish the second bootie. So I'll Be tearing this one out and turning it into another Sock Yarn Baby Hat.

4. What's in My Tea Pot

   1. Barry Mitterhoff's Fret No More Herbal Tea

   2. I have to admit that I had to Idea Who Barry Mitterhoff was a quick search on Wikipedia show's he's an incredibly versatile (any one who can swing from Klezmereh to Bluegrass I call versatile) On their bands site they sell a few tea's I don;t see this one currently but it's available at whole foods.

   3. The back of the tin reads:

   4. Meh.. just another Chamomile blend with mint. I'm not impressed and I don't hate it. This tea is all about the name and the Picture of the guitar on the package. Pick it up if it's in the dollar bin.

   1. Material's Sourcing

      1. Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com) 8 oz of Mary's Lake effect is done plied and finished. I ended up with abt 450 yds of a 2 ply DK. I love the colors! Dark purples, burgundy, and oranges like a sunset on fire. The yarn has a lovely loft to it and my swatch very fuzzy. Can't wait to figure out what to make with this!

   2. Shipping

      1. The Dragon slayer Earflap Hat by Pixiebell Elfinwear

         1. I was cruising the revelry patterns and fell in love with this so I cast it on with my Nantucket hand spun. The pattern calls for Super bulky I held my hand spun double with a sz 15 needle and got gauge. I love this hat! It's soft and smooshy. And it has ears! I was a bit put off by the price of this pattern. This hat can be knit up in abt 3-4 hrs the pattern was 5 dollars. But I adore this hat! So I obviously need to stop being cheap and just enjoy this great hat.

5. After 5

   1. The inventory is in the hands of the auditors. HALLEJUAH!

   2. 2 knit group dates woohoo!

   3. Mommy You're going to Jail

Episode 32

1. Production Scheduling

   1. Events

   2. Shipping

   3. Production

   4. What's in my tea pot

   5. Materials Sourcing

   6. After 5

2. Events

   1. Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival http://www.pbbbbghknitandcrochet.com/ February 10, 11, 12 of 2011.

   2. Camp KIP Session #1 will run April 21-24, 2012 The 2nd Annual Camp Kip retreat will be hosted at Cedar Creek Conference Center in New Haven, MO

3. Shipping

   1. Mohawk Hat by Darlene Dale provided free on www.caron.com I did this in Nate's school colors. Not sure if this was as big of a hit as the beard hat was only time will tell... He says he likes it, but he is a teenager.

   2. The Incredible Custom fit Raglan Sweater by Pamela Costello www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html I'm using this pattern B's horse sweater. I finished a sample of the Loopy the Appaloosa Cloth by Rhonda K white.

      1. This one came down to the wire. I did both sleeves in one night.

      2. Ended up finishing the neck with a simple backward crochet edge.

      3. B wears it but the first time he tried it on he yelled “get it off! Get it off!”

   3. Beaded Ornament from 12 Exquisite Beaded Ornaments to Knit published by Leisure arts. In all I finished 6 Ornaments all but one given away as gifts I still have the one made with my first skein of hand spun. I have what I think is Just enough Mohair to make one last ornament for myself.

   4. The Uber Secret Christmas project was of course the pair of socks my mom asked me to knit for her. I used my go to Light Weight sock pattern by Pattons. The leg and heels fir well, foot width is good the toe is about and inch too long. So these will bounce back from shipping into production for next week.

4. Production

   1. Top Down Raglan Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys time to pick up this sweet baby sweater and get some sleeves on it.

   2. Cable Braided Necklace by Olga Buraya-Kefelian this is what I'm using the bulk of my remaining beaded mohair for. The strips are knitted. They need to be blocked before I start the “braiding” process.

   3. To be cast on...

      1. Mittens in Hand spun

      2. The Shape shifter Shrug from Vampire Knits

         1. That's it I have enough of this hand spun. I'll be checking my yardage carefully s and so as not to have another Ruffled and Ruched scarf on my hands.

      3. Holden Shawlette by Mindy Wilkes. I have a Skein of wolmeisse I'm thinking of using for this. But another shawl?

      4. Or Koolhaas by Jared Flood.

      5. I'm Free! No Pressure I can knot what I want!

5. What's in my Tea Pot

   1. Paromi Tea Lemon Ginger

      1. Oolong Tea (Fair Trade & Organic)
         or
         Our oolong is produced in Ambootia, a tea estate in the Darjeeling district.  Nestled in the Himalayas at an altitude of 4000 feet, the gardens of the estate enjoy a unique combination of climate and elevation that contribute to the gentle, flowery aroma of this distinctive oolong.  The addition of zesty Egyptian lemongrass, coupled with the warmth of ginger from Sri Lanka, makes our lively brew one that can be enjoyed throughout the day.
         
         Ingredients: organic oolong tea, organic lemon grass, organic lemon peel, organic ginger, natural flavor.
         
         

         1. Paromi packaged their tea in amber or painted glass. Cracking open the jar in itself was a treat. The ginger lemon Scent is fantastic. I over steeped this a bit so the ginger was string enough to make my lips tingle. This is a well balanced tea the lemon is more of a floral note and is not acidic like the Tazo Berry tea was. This is another good one and I'll be on the look out for more blends from Paromi in the future.

6. Material's Sourcing

   1. Nantucket from Copper pot Woolies. http://www.etsy.com/shop/copperpot is done and plied. I decided it liked the Navajo plied version of this yarn best. I'm hoping to have enough to make the Shape shifter but it's looking doubtful so I'll be calculating up ,y yardage and whop knows maybe another Ruffled And Ruched scarf or another cowl will be in the works. I really love these colors I wish I could have gotten another ball.

   2. Hidden Valley Farm and Woolen Mill (http://www.hiddenvalleyfarmwoolenmill.com) 8 oz of Mary's Lake effect is on the wheel now, I have one bobbin done and the start of the second this fiber is flying! And I love love love these sunset colors!

   3. I got a HUGE bag of fiber from my mom for Christmas in the bag is some more Mohair YAY! And some goodies from Ewenique Fibers in Alliance, Ohio. I also bit the bullet and bought another bat From Copperpot Woolies called toasted coconut which has Cashmere, Bamboo, polwarth, Merino and copper stellina. I may break into that next or I may save it for when I “Suck Less”

7. After 5

   1. Algonquin Spinners a d Weavers Christmas Party

   2. Inventory Bleck!

   3. Freedom House: Project Christmas.

   4. Lobster Suprise.

   5. Christmas Run Down.

   6. Christmas Memory Contest still open until 12/31!

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