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 15- Life is Full of WIPs

Sisters of the Holy Fiber Episode 15 <Click here to listen to audio only!

Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report (0:37)

TinyKiwi works on one of her longest long-term WIPs–a colorwork crocheted shell scarf!  RambunctiouSky tries to convince her to make it into a cowl. TK also makes a smidge of progress on the stained-glass “swatch” (actaully wristers) she’s making based on the  Tracery Vest out of the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits Magazine.

RS makes the ever-exciting washcloths! (Hey! Somebody’s got to!)

We talk break month, more O.W.L. plotting, the Hedwig Memorial Society in Slytherin, and other things to do with the craziness in the Harry Potter Knit/Crochet House Cup on Ravelry.

SPOILER ALERT at (7:20) as we discuss some of who dies, on the very off chance you haven’t read the 6th or 7th Harry Potter books (or movies.)

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Finished Objects! (9:30)

TK finishes a small shuttle-tatted flower.

Brainy Moments (13:34)

RS talks about how the border for the Evenstar Shawl requires more of the color that’s to be used for the border section and The Unique Sheep makes it so!

TK plots to give a beginning tatting demo, but hasn’t figured out how to make it happen yet.

Shiny (15:55)

RS shows off her new hand-dyed 50% silk 50% merino gradient yarn in the Winter Wonderland colorway from the aforementioned Unique Sheep (we don’t get paid for this name dropping, people!) which she bought with the Evenstar Shawl pattern, as the yarn is one of the recommended choices listed in the pattern page.  RS talks about how the Evenstar Shawl is gigantic and needs a lot of heavy blocking, so the yarn choice for the pattern has to hold up to that need and if you decide you want to substitute your own yarn, keep that in mind.

Books to Stick Your Nose In (20:50)

Reads a smidge more of Orphan Train by Christina Baker, and re-reads The Tempest by William Shakespeare. Oh noes! It’s true! TK is an unashamed Shakespeare fan, and is probably one of the only people in her age group who can spell Shakespeare right on the first try. MacBeth has been her favorite ever since she was a wee child (she was a strange child.)  She also talks a little bit about the 75 Floral Blocks to Crochet by Betty Barnden that she’s talked about before.

RS reads Singing Games for Children by Denise Gagné, and sings a song game from it!

I Spy (28:16)

RS sees llamas in someone’s backyard while she was hiking.  We squee.
TK only sees the neighbor’s cat.

Ear Party (29:15)

TK listens to some EDM Trap by Baauer, notably Swerve, and gives a very brief overview on her understanding of the differences between Trap (Rap) and Trap (EDM/Electronic Dance Music) as genres of music.

RS listens to Meshell Ndegeocello (Sorry we butcher your beautiful name Meshell! which Wikipedia tells us is pronounced N-deh-gay-o-chel-o), and RS is listening to the album Weather

Walks in the Urban Wilderness (32:52)

TK gets her 9-5 gardening work-out in on Tuesday, and one extra session of gardening in, but has otherwise missed her exercise goals.

RS wanted to walk or bike to work more than she rode in the car to work, but that didn’t quite happen this week, but she still biked and walked and biked again, so she’s still doing great!

Random Remnants (A bit before 36:35)

RS and her S.O. sign up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box and talks about what that is and how they’re using it.  They’re loving it, so tune in to find out more about it!

We talk again about fresh food. (Sorry we talk about it so much! We can’t help it! Apparently we just love fresh food!)  Then we talk about freezing bread to extend the shelf-life, especially for preservative-free breads.

Sisters of the Holy Fiber – Episode 6 – Strangers in the Night

Sisters of the Holy Fiber Episode 6 <Click here to listen to audio only.

Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report (0:25)

Tiny Kiwi goes ahead and starts her “wacky knee warmers” project, which she thinks is going to be an octopus for one knee, and fish for the other, but as she’s winging it–we’ll see! Also, progress is made on her Fibonerdy shawl. The colors are working well together! Phew! Mad cackling  ensues, but that might be because TK is part mad-scientist.

TK also talks about an on-going paper-cutting project (there really needs to be a better term for this craft! (In fact, there are several nicer-sounding words, but they’re all in other languages! (and pretty much mean the same as paper-cutting!)(Parenthesis in parenthesis! (Oh the humanity!)))) TK likes annoying language formalists, even though she’s an amateur linguist. ❤  What is language for but to bend to our will?

Moving on!

Rambunctious Sky is plugging away on her Sashiko cardigan. The back is knit and a good portion of the front right side. RS is a knitting machine! She also talks about the saggy nature of silk, and the benefits of working things in pieces. We discuss options for knitted toys for a baby shower.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Finished Objects! (8:50)

TK finally shows off her Mullein Leaves Phone Cosy–even though it was finished a few weeks ago–as she promptly lost it in a purse! It was an experiment in crocodile stitch, and needs a few more incarnations before TK will really like it, so she’s sending it off to RS!

Hyperventilate! (10:12)

TK talks about two blogs she recommends: The Tearoom of Despair–mostly comic and movie reviews
& Hermione’s Garden (Although it doesn’t appear to update anymore, sadly!) which is one person’s look at herbs, their past, and their uses.  TK is mostly stuck on the idea, more than the execution.

RS geeks out about the GoodReader app for iPad, which she uses to mark up her knitting patterns. The app allows you to write on and mark up pdfs using text, highlighting, boxes, arrows, note tabs, lines, and more. Good for teachers, knitters, or those who just like to deface their own PDFs! Wooo!

Books to Stick Your Nose In (17:25)

TK recommends the aptly, if succinctly, named Tropicals by Gordan Courtright, a book on tropical plants that are used in landscaping, & the New Zealand comic series Footrot Flats by Murray Ball, which is a favorite in our family.

RS talks more about the contents of The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, and we note the parallels between the short story in that and Fahrenheit 451.

Brainy Moments (26:08)

Link to a Chinese paper cutting of a bird, similar to what TK mentioned

TK makes a bamboo pressing tool to help her in her paper crafting

RS talks about the modifications she’s made on the selvage edges of her Sashiko, so that they seam up nicer.  She re-asserts it’s OK to modify your patterns!

We also talk about how TK calls RS in the midnight hour when she’s panicking about a dropped or missing stitch or something.  A true story, or as TK says, “Tru Fax.”

I Spy (33:36)

RS is visited by an Oak Titmouse, and laughs at her cat chit-chattering at it. We also get a cameo from RS’s other cat, Sweetie, who has perfected the “not-amused” look that Timber is an amateur at, comparatively. Sweetie’s the little old lady of the cat world. ❤

TK talks about the adult raccoon she saw, and her part-time-lover/time-share cat of her landlord, Felix.  If you ever hear her talk about “my old man,” she’s not talking about her boyfriend, she’s talking about her borrowed cat. They’ve been friends for 15+ years, so they have a lot of history. ❤

Ear Party (38:08)

TK listens to Dry & Dusty by Fever Ray, and pretty much loves all of Karin  Dreijer Andersson’s work, both independently in Fever Ray, and in the duo The Knife, which is her and her brother.

RS recommends the Downcast app, for managing your podcasts and making playlists, & recommends the podcast knit.fm

Walks in the Urban Wilderness (43:27)

TK only meets her minimum goal, with 4 walks this week. It’s been a schlub-y week.

RS gets in her two, despite (finally!) recovering from illness. Yay!

Aaaand we accidentally move on to…
Random Remnants! (44:33)

We laugh at a “modern” take on Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte

TK reviews the purple ORLY nailpolish… color is Elizabeth #534…beautiful color, but chips easy at the tips of her fingers.  Holding up pretty well on toes, though.

RS talks about the spinach soup she made out of the vegetarian cookbook The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen …TK suggests possibly adding konbu seaweed.

And that’s all for this week, folks! Thanks for joining us!