Sisters of the Holy Fiber -Episode 25

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Sorry for the sound of wind! TK forgot to turn the fan off! -_-;

Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report

TinyKiwi has almost finished a scrubby washcloth–she’s keeping the ends to weave in for detention next month, or it’d already be done.  It’s based on a nubby flower block out of 75 Floral Blocks to Crochet by Betty Barnden.
She also works on Miss Jane’s Hat by Heide Petroski. Almost there with the cabled band (hopefully!)

TK works on another rosary, this time with slightly better beads!

RambunctiouSky rips out Terri’s (new) socks and re-casts on in a smaller size.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Finished Objects!

RambunctiouSky is a fount of finished objects, but most importantly she’s finished her Evenstar Shawl! Huzzah!

Origami Place Card written and pictorial directions

RS’s tutorial of how to make the origami place card

RS also made vases out of regular food jars and canning jars by hot gluing a strip of ribbon around the rim with a button accent. She made colorful votive candle holders by gently scuffing the candle holders with sand paper, wrapping in rubber bands, spray painting, and then taking off the rubber bands. Pretty!

Tip! Spray paint is much cheaper at home-improvement stores than at the craft stores–only problem is color selection is isn’t always as extensive.

Brainy Moments (17:32)

RS talks getting the kink out of frogged (re-used) yarn.

RS uses Jeny’s Stretchy Slip Knot Cast-On when re-casting on Socks for Terri.

TK shows how she makes “master-keys” out of eye-pins so she can cut wire to the same length every time while she’s beading.

Hyperventilate (24:50)

RS’s partner is playing through Zelda without a sword.  We also talk about how we enjoy watching people play video games while we craft.

Shiny (26:54)

TK goes on a crazy bead buying spree–so much cuteness.  She ponders making an H.R. Giger Alien-head necklace. Anyone got a spare Alien head?

TK also showcases her “don’t-tell-the-boyfriend-how-much-I-spent” shiny: new skates from SureGrip! Atom wheels! Avenger plates!

RS got new T-pins to block the shawl and a curling iron to make pretty hair.

I Spy (39:28)

RS visits a botanic garden, enjoys a docent lead tour and learns about how hummingbirds always have food throughout the year, as there is always something red blooming. Also, bumblebees! She’s also is going camping later today and expects to have something good to report next week.

TK sees (and loves) Turkey Vultures. Hawk of some sort. Agave? *sigh*

Books to Stick Your Nose In (42:52)

RS has had no time for reading due to above wedding crafting, but is going to re-read Slow River by Nicola Griffith. She bought it off of Better World Books, a good alternative to Amazon, that participates in humanitarian efforts. Check ’em out!

RS also buys new bowls and plates (extra belated shiny!)

TK borrows a book by Nicky Epstein called Knitted Embellishments and talks about all the unexpected fun she’s learned you can have with I-cord. She’s particularly interested in the Celtic knots made of I-cord…

Ear Party (47:42)

TK again enumerates the joys of pop-artist Sia.

Walks in the Urban Wilderness (49:40)

RS has been wedding-focused, so everything took a back burner to that, except the one walk in the botanic garden.

TK walks and gardens and skates (sorta) but has back-slid a little herself.

Random Remnants (51:30)

More placecards!

InkScape is like Photoshop but it’s freeee!

dafont.com has the Mathilde Font that everyone thought was hand-written by RS!

We are also planning a KNIT ALONG! Care of Magical Creatures Bracelet #1 by TinyOwlKnits, so feel free to join us.  We’re hoping to start the 1st of September. Hopefully? Yes! No hoping, it’s happening!

Sisters of the Holy Fiber -Episode 18- Be Kind, Rewind!

Sisters of the Holy Fiber Episode 18 <Click here to listen to audio only!

Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report

RambunctiouSky plugs away at her Evenstar Shawl

TinyKiwi makes only a smidgeon of progress on her knitted slouchy hat.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Finished Objects!

Nothing this week!

Brainy Moments

In which we make more empty promises about buttonhole and tatting tutorials. We’ll get there~!

Shiny (4:23)

TK shows off her Slytherinish-colored fan.

RS shows off the second ball of color that she’s using for her Evenstar, and gives a quick brainy moment about blending in the color transition when switching between your gradient yarns.

Hyperventilate (10:16)

RS talks about Papercraft Dioramas by Davy and Kristin McGuire!

TK mentions the papercraft version of Howl’s Moving Castle, with a time-lapse video of the guy making it, and RS mentions a lifesize elephant origami made by artist Sipho Mabona.

RS looks forward to playing the old-school version of Zelda. Huzzah!

Books to Stick Your Nose In (14:50)

TK shows some thread crochet designs in the book:
( かぎ針で編む花レース ) トゥーオヤのアクセサリー
(Flower Lace Crochet) Turkish Oya Lace Accessories

RS ponders a trip to the Cliffs of Insanity, and thinks about beading the edge of her Evenstar.

I Spy (21:50)

RS sees dolphins! Pods and pods of dolphins and pelicans.  Apparently, there was a whale to see, but RS didn’t.

TK reports that her resident Mockingbird has picked up an agitated Blue Jay call to his car-alarm remix, and TK has also seen a Phoebe, but that’s all there is to report.

We squee over CuteOverload.com and talk about its ability to make a bad day better. ❤

Ear Party (27:03)

TK geeks out about Chromeo coming out with a new album White Women and listens to their single Jealous (I Ain’t With It)

RS talks about how Ani DiFranco’s Living In Clip album is good angry-girl music to clean the house to.

Walks in the Urban Wilderness (31:42)

RS plays bocci ball, but othewise misses her goals.
TK gets a long day of gardening one day, and gardens 2 extra times, but gets no walks in.

Princess Sweetie Cat appearance! We’re so humbled, Your Highness!

Random Remnants (34:24)

TK geeks out about Grumpy Cat and the Pout Pout Fish (her spirit animals.)

Fava beans! Who knew they were so difficult to find?! That and Pigeon Peas (guandu.) Thanks for the help produce guy! Falafel ensued! It’s TK’s (third) favorite food!

We (re-)geek out on TinyOwlKnits’ Care of Magical Creatures charm bracelets. Adorbs! Check em out, buy the patterns on Ravelry.

RS ponders making her own stitch markers.

Sisters of the Holy Fiber -Episode 4- Informational Placards!

Sisters of the Holy Fiber -Episode 4- Informational Placards! <Click to listen to audio only!

Shownotes!

Projects of the Moment: WIPS Progress Report (0:26)

Rambunctious Sky plugs away at her Gemini shirt, while Tiny Kiwi finally cracks into her Fibonerdy Shawl.  Progress! Glorious progress…

Timber  makes an appearance!  He’s always nosy, but then appears less than enthused by his moment of fame.  Oh the fickleness of cats!

TK needs to sit down and calculate how many rows a day she needs  to accomplish her shawl in time.  50% needs to be accomplished by the 28th of February, and it needs to be done by the end of March.  Will she or won’t she, friends?!  RS is taking bets now! (Ok, she’s totally not, and probably won’t condone betting, but she’s not typing the show notes! Bwah ha ha! Here’s to hoping she doesn’t read through them!) >_>  Moving on…

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane–It’s FOs! (4:14)

RS gets inspired, gets fabric scraps from the creative re-use place and makes a mini-quilt collage to hide her sinks knobbly knees. Pink topstitching!  TK warns RS not to try sewing over Velcro made for hard surfaces, as the glue is super tacky and will gum up your machine, but thankfully RS’s machine couldn’t handle it anyway! Crisis averted!

TK makes the Dahlia Circle, but mis-pronounces the book it’s out of (she’s slightly number dyslexic aka dyscalculic, so bear with her)–it’s *75* Floral Blocks to Crochet by Betty Barnden, and it is an all-around lovely book.
Now what though? Is it a doily? Is it a coaster…perhaps even a knee-warmer?…Pillow cover?  Sigh.

Things to Hyperventilate Over (4:10)

TK enthuses about the old anime show called Mushi-shi that she’s watching.  Available on YouTube for who knows how long, so check it out! She’s really enjoying it.  The little supernatural mushi are pretty adorbs.

Check out this Pride & Prejudice engagement! Squeeeee~!

RS is STILL SICK! This is a redonk amount of time to be sick so the doctor prescribes 6 hours of “Yummy Man” aka Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.  A&E version of P&P wondrous, and soothes the soul.

TK watches the much older BBC P&P on Netflix, laughs at it’s stiff & dated Darcy, and enjoys its saucy Lizzie.

Shiny! (15:28)

TK gives a tip to jewelers or anyone aspiring to be one…spring for good ear wire/hooks, and round the ends with a cup burr! Use nickel-free silver! Real silver! People have allergies! It’s a real thing!

Slytherin Nails! The mini-segment (17:03)

Star Attraction nail enamel by Revlon,                  color is Reality Star

Polish has steel(?) filings as very fine glitter suspended in the green polish, and the bottle comes with a magnet on the lid to make a sort of star-burst pattern of glitter in your wet polish.  On my hands, this one chipped too much and too often for me to be completely happy with, but the color was nice and the starburst pattern was something a little different. I may try it on my toes to see if it holds up better and if it stains with long use (it didn’t with 1 week of wear!).  I’ll probably do this one again for St. Patty’s Day as the starburst reminds me of 4-leaf clovers.

I recommend gooping it on in one coat to make sure there’s enough filings to make a pattern and to make sure it doesn’t dry too fast (which were two problems I had), and you really have to hold the magnet there for a while to make sure it sets properly without dripping back out into a uniform color.  It’s really hard to keep the magnet close, hovering over your nail in just the right spot to make the pattern without dinging it.  I tried using another strong magnet, but it was too small to work the same as the one in the lid. This one really is a balancing act and while over-all I still liked it well enough to use it as a once-in-a-while color,  it definitely didn’t make the cut for every-day nail color.

OT…Off Topic–We talk about how good we’ve been not buying yarn and reigning in our spending…by not going anywhere.  No mink yarn for us! Sadness!

Brainy Moments–How To: Tips and Tricks (20:35)

RS rambles on about waist shaping, tells you to compare your project to a piece you have that already fits well, and modify your pattern to add or take out waist shaping so that the finished project fits you properly! RS would like to get the book Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague because it has a good reputation for teaching you how to make sweaters that fit your body.

TK discusses the Fit to Flatter group on Rav and elsewhere

TK also shows off how to make some cute decorative LED flower lights, out of a battery-operated string of Christmas lights and some cheap flowers from the Dollar Tree.

I Spy: nature lover’s segment (28:00)

We love trees!  The Huntington Gardens are splended and quite extensive.

TK’s critter count is high this week with a visit to both the Huntington and the Nature Center: Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Allen’s Hummingbirds, Mallards, American Coots (so cutes!), Red Eared Silders (turtles), Pied-Billed Grebe, Crow, Fox Squirrels, California Ground Squirrels, Western Fence Lizard and a Western Box Elder Bug (or two).

Also, if you dislike my willy-nilly capitalization of bird, plant and animal names, read this, and heap it up with a side of I really don’t care.  But with LOVE. ❤ Always with love.

For bigger pictures, go to our Flikr.  If you know what the plants are, drop us a note! We’d appreciate it. 🙂

 

Such pretty purple stems with the green leaves. A+ job, Nature!

Lovely bracts, as well

Some enterprising child or squirrel stuck a nut in the center of this stump

Musical Menagerie/Ear Party! (33:15)

RS talks about Brian Eno–no wait! Don’t change the channel!  RS appreciates ambient music for it’s power to help you chill out. RS has BE’s Music for Airports on every device she has, so maybe you should check it out too, if you feel a need to relax. We seem to have a need for relaxing things to listen to. What does that say about us?! Maybe we should go tuck seeds in stumps ourselves.

TK talks about the Armenian Duduk, a wind instrument, and the Chinese Pipa, a stringed instrument. Check them out and broaden your musical horizons, you won’t regret it!

Here’s also a link to a Chinese ensemble. This one just cracks me up at how hard they’re working and how into it they are.  This other group is much more mellow, if you’d like to start with something less frenetic, although I’m not always enthused by the Erhu parts…

Walks in the Urban Wilderness (36:08)

RS met her goal of walking twice a week, even while STILL being sick, so wow!

TK met her goal of walking twice a week, and exceeded it so talked about upping the ante.  She also discusses the merits of setting a flexible goal, with a minimum that’s attainable and a max that pushes you a little harder.  TK’s new goal for this week is walking 4-7 times.  We’ll see how she does!

Random Remnants (39:10)

TK talks about the wacky legwarmer/kneewarmer challenge in Slytherin House this month.  TK references RS’ Octopus Phone Cozy. The pattern for the applique octopus is the Demi Octopus. (Which is really a sextopus because it only has six arms, but hey! Accidents can happen.)  She also talks about the colorful geometric beaded leg decorations that the Kuna Indian ladies in Panama wear, but to make a knit version sounds a lot more problematic.  Got a good wacky idea? Drop us a note here or in our Rav group!

Here’s some links to Kuna ladies and their rockin’ awesome beaded leg bangles.

That’s it for this week! If you have any questions about any thing we cover in our podcast, feel free to drop us a note here, or in our Ravelry Group. 🙂 Thanks for tuning in and stopping by!