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Episode 189

January 15, 2018January 15, 2018 by Sara

This episode includes introductions, projects in progress, the very short history of my first fermentation experiment, and an update on the Knit Local Getaway. I also announce the winner of the FiberCrafty giveaway.

GIVEAWAY

Thank you, Pam for generously sponsoring this giveaway. FiberCrafty is an online marketplace for fiber lovers, and received a writeup in Yarn Market News.

CURRENT PROJECTS

I’m using handpun yarn from a set of Hobbledehoy battlings as the weft of this scarf project. The warp is a combination of handspun and alpaca yarn from Spinner’s End Farm, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Creating knit garments with a combination of machine and handstitching. The tunic is an interpretation of the Endless Summer Tunic. I’m also stitching a bolero using the pattern from Alabama Chanin’s Sewing + Design.

The knitting on my Ohra shawl is almost complete, so I started experiments with the technique of adding fringe. I anticipate that the fringe will require a lot of yarn, so I’m concerned about having enough of the colors I want to use!

EVER-EXPANDING SKILL SET

I like the texture of these biscotti . The recipe by Ashley English is from the SHARE issue of Taproot magazine. I used fig and almond for one batch, and then pulled together some flavorings from my pantry to created another batch of chocolate-orange-cranberry-walnut.

To begin my year of fermentation, I ordered a water kefir kit, which includes cheesecloth, strainer, thermometer, and sugar in addition to the kefir grains. I also ordered milk kefir grains. Cultures for Health has been impressive in terms of the education it provides for customers. When I ordered, I was immediately given access to a selection of ebooks on the fermentation process.

Pictured is the activation stage of water kefir. The water and grains are a brownish color because of the organic can sugar that is used. My current concern is whether I my home is warm enough to maintain the 68-85 degree temperatures needed to achieve fermentation. This topic seems to have wide appeal among Yarns at Yin Hoo listeners, and there is already some great conversation on the #powerpantry thread in our group.

KNIT LOCAL GETAWAY

Meet the cashmere goats of Saint Mary’s on the Hill, shop for local products, and have fun with friends at the Knit Local Getaway, April 27-29, 2018. Carole Foster of the Foster Sheep Farm Yarn Shop and Mary Jeanne Packer of the Battenkill Fiber Mill have generously stepped up to host this year’s event. If you want to receive registration information and updates on the retreat, contact Carole. For general information about the Washington County Farm and Fiber Tour, visit the website.

Arrows and Doorways

The design for this super-cozy cowl was inspired by textiles in a hotel lobby. Concentric geometric shapes kept playing in my mind until finally I was able to chart the pattern and get it onto my needles. The interplay of this chevron-like patterning has a mesmerizing effect–while you’re knitting and when you wear the finished accessory.

Knit up a cowl with yarn from your stash, adding some magical new mini-skeins from your advent calendar, or exchange leftover yarn with a friend. The design invites frequent color changes, and makes an ideal knit for the advent season. It could be just as striking knit with two high-contrast colors.

While most cowls of this type are seamed within a band of a single color, this pattern incorporates a technique called stranded donut grafting, an incredibly clever and completely seamless graft that allows you to maintain colorwork patterning so that your starting and ending rounds are undetectable. Really! With many possibilities for color play and a new technique to add to your skill set, this cowl pattern is really an opportunity for knitters to level-up!

NEW PATTERN DESIGN!

ONE DARK BLUE NIGHT

This hat is the third in a series of patterns inspired by teachings in Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ Women Who Run with the Wolves. This time, I drew inspiration from Estés’ retelling of a Japanese tale, Tsukina Waguma or “The Crescent Moon Bear,” in which a young woman travels to the cave of an incredibly intimidating and ferocious bear. She makes several journeys to the cave, leaving food and quickly retreating, until “one dark blue night,” she musters the courage to stand her ground and ask for what she seeks--one hair from a moon-shaped patch on the bear’s chest--which she is granted. The young woman returns, triumphant, to the old healer who has sent her on this quest. She believes this single hair is the magic ingredient in solving the problem that plagues her. She holds it forth, but the healer tosses the hair into the flames. The young woman is in despair until she realizes the true lesson of her quest: that using her determination, courage, and patience, as she did with the crescent moon bear, will help her to confront the challenge at hand.

The moon phase motif of this colorwork hat is meant to capture the magic of a dark blue night--when the moon shines brightly overhead, the frosty air sparkles with possibility, and we succeed in summoning accumulated wisdom from deep within ourselves so that we can apply it to our own healing. Choose colors to conjure a wintery night sky, or select a palette of your signature colors.

Available on Ravelry December 20th.

Episode 189

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