podcasts

Episode 203

August 8, 2018 by Sara

The Back Porch

Iris by ririko in Elsbeth Lavold LinSilk
I-cord + tassel necklace in Samite yarn with copper hardware
a variation on the Humblebee sock pattern

TOUR DE FLEECE!

97 grams of spindle-spun battlings and assorted bits.

800 yards of indigo-dyed 3-ply yarn from Hog Island fiber. I split this fleece with Emily of the FibreTown podcast at MDSW 2017.

The Front Porch

Lotta by Marie Green in Beaver Slide Dry Goods 2-ply sock yarn
Lovage by Marie Wallin

Ever-expanding Skill Set

I’m inspired to keep working with Dori Sanders’ recipe for no-churn lemon ice cream to see how far I can take it from the original. In this version, I reduced sugar to 2/3 cup, substituted lime rind and juice for the lemon, kept the heavy cream, but substituted coconut milk for the whole milk. Scoopable, creamy, and delicious.

FERMENTED PICKLES!

With Mom’s help, I started a vat of fermented pickles. They should age to taste over a period of 4-8 days, and can then be stored in the refrigerator.

I started by scrubbing and rinsing small pickling cucumbers in cold water, removing the blossom end of each one and trimming the stem off. In a clean glass jar, I layered some grape leaves, whole fresh dill heads, peppercorns, and peeled garlic cloves. Then I added all of the cucumbers, one whole jalapeño pepper, and the garlic, peppercorns, dill heads. After filling the jar with salt brine (1/3 c salt to 1/2 gallon water) I covered the top with grape leaves and added a glass weight to keep all of the contents below the level of the liquid.

Every day, I will skim the “scummy stuff” from the surface and after a few days, I’ll start tasting the pickles. I can also remove, rinse, and replace the grape leaves to keep the top of the jar clean. This is my mother’s recipe. For companionship on your fermented foods journey, join in the chatter on our thread.

And Sew Forth

Here is my first go at the Matcha Top from SewLiberated. I love the look the collar creates. It is perfect for framing a pendant necklace. I also love this fabric, but I’m not sure what it’s called. Any guesses? If I were to make this top again, I might lengthen it by several inches and belt it at the waist.

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.

Yarns at Yin Hoo

Episode 203

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