podcasts

Episode 270

March 8, 2021May 21, 2021 by Sara

EZ and BSJ

This episode is chock full of finished and new projects, plus I’ve added a new post-apocalyptic life skill and some quilting to my list!

THE BACK PORCH

Glynn by Whitney Hayward in Harrisville nightshades (vinyl)

Curlew Hat by Linda Shearer in scraps of J&S and MW British Breeds

shortie socks in KnitSpinFarm corriedale sock (cherry blossom festival)

THE FRONT PORCH

The beautiful colors of Berroco Vintage I’ve chosen to knit a Baby Surprise Jacket. Join in the fun and check out progress of fellow YAYH listeners on our Ravelry thread, where there is lively chat about my conversation with Dr. Lilly Marsh.

EVER-EXPANDING SKILL SET

I first encountered this Nordic method of woolen washing on the Yarniacs’ podcast. After finding a bit of advice from WJ Johnson, also known as Sagahill, I decided to give it a try with some knitted pieces that have been getting a lot of wear this winter. First, I spritzed everything thoroughly with SOAK. Then, I left in the snow for one hour, shook out, flipped, left in snow for another hour, shook out. The pieces were NOT wet, just damp and they dried quickly once inside. The result is freshened garments — not exactly cleaned ones. Given the time and effort, though, I would say this is a success and I will use the method again to make the most of a snowfall!

OFF THE SHELF

“I Worship Every Bird that I See” interview with Drew Lanham with Krista Tippett ON BEING
“Bird Feeder” by Marilyn Nelson

AND SEW FORTH

TATTER’s Whole Cloth Quilt class with Aaron Sanders Head was an opportunity for me to learn some techniques and try my hand at quilting, as I use some fabric from a failed eco-printing project! Check out the class offerings at Tatter and consider giving one a try.

In this episode, I share my tips for sashiko mending of jeans. This is a pair of VERY worn stretch jeans that my mother had just about given up on. Now I hope she will enjoy getting some additional wear out of them.

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 270

EZ and BSJ

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