Seeking inspiration - Episode 9 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:

On the needles:

Gigi- checkerboard socks out of Casbah in Monarch

Jasmin- still working on the Blackberry Swirl socks, and has cast on the Adamas shawl out of Colrain Lace in Grape Jelly on size 4 needles.

Gigi is going to cast on her Somoko yarn. Pattern will be the Curved Lace shawl from Victorian Lace Today


When Knitting Attacks:

Gigi needs a bout of startitis. She's out of interesting UFOs. Jasmin needs to finish an 8 year old UFO.

Mother Knows Best:

Spit splicing. A good idea, but spit is icky, and so is chewing on yarn. Use a shotglass, dip your joined section, and rub between your hands. This way, your garment stays spit-free!

Announcement!

WorldWide Knit in Public Day! Saturday, June 14th. We'll be at Santana Row from 1PM- 4PM. Be there!

Seasonal Knitting:

What do you knit in the summertime? We knit socks, lace, and microfiber ribbon shells.

Jasmin needs to finish her Tempting shell.

Do what you love, love what you do - Episode 8 - The Knitmore Girls

Listen here:



On the Needles:

• Gigi is knitting the Icarus Shawl (by Miriam Felton). Miriam also designed Juno Regina and the Persephone Scarf that Jasmin is still working on.
• Gigi is working on a cabled sock made out of Lisa Souza's "Miss Violet's Pink Ribbon".
• Jasmin is knitting socks out of her handspun Fiber Fiend "Blackberry Swirl".
• Gigi negotiates trading quilting for some handspun yarn.
• Gigi talks about tripunto quilting. Woo!

Review: Heritage Sock Yarn by Cascade Yarns (courtesy of Purlescence Yarns)

Jasmin is getting roughly 8 sts/in on US 1 1/2 Hiya Hiya needles. (Buy them at your LYS!) The yarn has fabulous stitch definition and a terrific hand. It also has a decent price point for a handpainted sock yarn. ($17-$18/ 100g)


Mother Knows Best:

Try new things! You don't have to stick with a hobby if you don't love it anymore.
You also don't have to do 100% of everything for your interest. If you buy a fleece, you don't have to process it yourself. Send it to Shari at Morro Fleece Works! (She's fabulous.)
If you're not sure, process a handful of the fleece yourself. That's a decent representative sample of the whole process.

Out and About:

Spinning at the Retzlaff winery. Lots of people, more vendors, and TWO chickens! Good wine, good company, good wool. Good times.

Join us for Worldwide Knit in Public Day! We'll be at Santana Row.

When Knitting Attacks!

• Busy and dark yarns don't suit heavily textured patterns.
• When knitting slip-stitch patterns, add a little ease for those slipped stitches.
• Jasmin attends Man of La Mancha with Nathania, Sandi, and Kathy in San Jose, and drops her tape measure LOUDLY at Man of La Mancha, and everyone drops stitches. That's how good it was.

Special Thanks to:

Stitch Stud- banner and badge in Ravlery
Purlescence Yarns- Heritage Yarn
Patrick Lydon- Theme Song
Gretchen - laugh track and ambient drop spindle-dropping

Get out and knit! - The Knitmore Girls - Episode 7

Listen here:


On the needles:

Right side wrong side socks - Gigi (from the Little Box of Socks) knit with the Jojoland Melody sock yarn.

Persephone scarf- Jasmin - by Miriam Felton (she also designed the Juno Regina). Out of handspun Buffalo Gals bison.

Mystery socks are: Pagewood Farms Yukon Bamboo Sock yarn.
Desirée Baby Sweater Knit-a-long:
Gigi is knitting the Baby Yeti, Jasmin is knitting the Garter Rib sweater.

When Knitting Attacks:
Memorial Day sales lend themselves well to splurging on cashmere.

Mother Knows Best:

Get out and knit! Socialize! Go to Stitch and Pitch!

Knitting News:

Spinning at the Retzlaff Winery- Saturday, May 31st.
Worldwide Knit in Public Day- June 14. We'll be at Santana Row

Other Stuff:
Franklin's Blog

Now available in mp3 format!

You asked for it, and we listened!

The Knitmore Girls Podcast is now available in mp3 format. Access for all!

Knit more!

-Jasmin

Socks and Stuff - Episode 6 - The Knitmore Girls

Even snowmen knit socks!
(Snowman is posing with my mystery sock.)

Listen here:

On the needles:

Lots of socks.

• Swatching for the Not-Your-Standard-Issue Sweatshirt from the The Yarn Girls' Guide to Simple Knits. To dart or not to dart? In Divé Autunno.
• More spinning than knitting. "Blackberry Swirl" from Fiber Fiend in Superwash Corriedale.
• We placed a co-op order from Crown Mountain Farms. We love Klaus! (We also love his superwash merino roving!) He's also dyeing yarns now.

When Knitting Attacks:

• Gigi realizes that there is not enough yardage in the Artyarns Supermerino worsted to knit them on itty bitty needles.
• Jasmin is still Sock Blocked.

Mother knows best:

• Swatch for your socks. Really.
• Graft "Hand wash only" socks with red yarn. This is a visual cue to not just throw them in the wash. Also, differentiated labels (red font vs black font) are also quite effective.

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Let us know if there's a topic you'd like to have covered.

World Wide Knit in Public Day!
Saturday, June 14th. We'll be at Santana Row around 1 or 2 PM, knitting until (at least) 4 or 5 PM. Join us! (You may want to bring a chair.)

Plan ahead. Start your winter holiday knitting now! We know it's hot, but really, you'll thank us later.

The First Knitmore Girls Knit-a-Long!

The "Desirée Baby Sweater Knit-a-Long". Knit the baby sweater of your choice. Start soon! (We're putting together a Ravelry group, I promise.)

Mother's day special - Episode 5 - The Knitmore Girls

Happy Mother's Day! Have a Margarita.

Listen here:

Pause the podcast and call your mother!

Done? Good, let's move on.

Gigi reminisces on past Mother's days.

On the Needles:
Mother's day gifties! Red lace yarn, glass circular needles from Michael & Sheila Ernst, and the Persephone Scarf

Learning together:

• Knit to fit- Rick Mondragon
• Corset making
• Judith MacKenzie Dyeing clss
• TA-ing for each other

When Knitting Attacks:

• Gigi's Einstein goes haywire. The "Frankenstein Sweater". (Available in The Knit Stitch
• Jasmin's Einstein kills her knitting mojo. Gigi finishes it, and Jasmin gives the accursed thing to Ursula.

TV to knit by - Knitmore Girls - Episode 4

Listen here:


This week, we talk about TV shows to knit by.

On the Needles:-Jasmin's Monkey sock, part deux-Fighting Sock Block

-Gigi works through the The Little Box of Socks


When Knitting Attacks:-Jasmin can't close a toe.

Mother Knows Best: Fighting Second Sock Sydrome

- Cast on both socks simultaneously.- Cast on Second sock as SOON as the first sock has been completed.

TV to knit by:
Garter St Shows- these need most of your attention on the screen:-Lost

-Boston Legal

-Dancing with the Stars

-Mythbusters

-Dexter (MA)-The Tudors (MA)

Ribbing shows- these shows need only partial attention to the screen:-Blood Ties

-Buffy the Vampire Slayer-Project Runway

-Top Chef ** (Drool advisory)-Dirty Jobs** (Drool advisory)-Bones

-Heroes

-BBC Robin Hood

-House

-Chuck



Lace shows- you don't even need to look at the screen for these:-One Tree Hill

-Charmed

-Naked Archaeologist

-Desperate Housewives

-Grey's Anatomy

-Hell's Kitchen