podcasts

Episode 254

August 16, 2020 by Sara

PODIVERSARY!

Seven years ago, I recorded Episode 1 of the Yarns at Yin Hoo podcast. Since then, I’ve been fortunate to make friends, learn new crafts, and up my knitting game as a result. Thank you for listening, whether it’s been a long time or you’re just tuning in.

The Back Porch

Rift Tee (RAV LINK) by Jacqueline Cieslak in my 3-ply handspun yarn

The Front Porch

socks in Opal wool/cotton/nylon yarn
Tokonatsu (RAV LINK) by Bernice Lin in Oysters & Purls cotton/wool blend

#powerpantry

Mark Bittman makes a clafoutis in his iconic series The Minimalist
Julia Moskin’s updated recipe from NYTimes, which originated with Julia Child (Step 3 is completely unnecessary)
This version from The Kitchn is made in a cast iron skillet — incredibly reminiscent of a Dutch baby

Off the Shelf

Recommended Reading: 15 Creative Women for Our Time
Link to Sonya Clark’s profile in NYTimes STYLE magazine
Artist’s Talk lecture by Sonya Clark (PBS)

And Sew Forth

Some elbow grease and sewing know-how took these charming folding chairs from hell, no to oooh, I’d be delighted. I’m so pleased with how these turned out and thrilled to use up more of the leftover fabric from sewing our shower curtain last September.

The Mississippi Avenue Dress from Sew House Seven is my new favorite dress. This one is sewn from deadstock rayon challis. I love the silhouette, the mostly elastic waist, the V-neckline and the spaghetti strap ties. This version has been lengthened by 1.5 inches above the waist (which means altering THREE pattern pieces). I like the longer length and look forward to one in ice-dyed fabric and another in a sumptuous black fabric with lots and lots of drape.

Ice-dyed to perfection by Jean Holmes of Tilliegirlstudio, this version of the Strata Top is so colorful, so comfy, and so perfect for the high temperatures and humid weather we’ve been experiencing.

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 254

PODIVERSARY!

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