Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report & Finished Objects
TinyKiwi shows off all the small crafts she’s making for a craft fair (it’s a lot!)
She also gets the unicorn horn made when she decides to knit it flat but needs to seam it and add the ridge.
RambunctiouSky works on socks and talks knit plotting.
TK discusses changing her name to Heather Danger. ❤
Brainy Moments (16:10)
RS shows a way of winding small bits of yarn for small projects or intarsia so that it pulls out as you go without tangling.
Hyperventilate (19:40)
TK shares an artist she loves Emily Carroll. Some of the stories on there are horror and may not be suitable for children, so use your own discretion. TK’s favorite story is “Out of Skin.”
I Spy (26:45)
TK sees a grub (blurg!)
RS sees a Jack Russel Terrier that is a hiker. Ground spiders, Coast Live Oaks.
Tangent! We question how the Queen wears her fascinators.
Walks in the Urban Wilderness (31:40)
We don’t do well cause of the heat, and RS even forgets she has goals. So hot we have brain melt! Woeee
Ear Party (34:40)
RS continues to listen to Put Your Hands Together podcast
TK listens to the audiobook for The Amulet of Samarkand
And we’re off into Random: CONTEST RESULTS:
CONGRATS URBANIZER; YOU’VE WON! We’ll contact you on Rav. 😉
Scotland! Will it or won’t it go? We’ll find out soon!
(We are working on a new place to store our audio. We won’t update in iTunes until we resolve this. Your patience is requested, but hopefully it will be soon!)
Projects of the Moment: WIPs Report
TinyKiwi works on her light-blue rosary and (re-)designs some hair bows based on the ones from Nikki Trench’s Geek Chic Crochet.
She also has to do some maintenance on a handmade (not by her) purse.
TK makes a Tonka Truck Necklace with just a found object Tonka truck wheel and some ball chain. Easy peasy but loads of fun to play with! Zoom!
Brainy Moments (5:00)
TK uses a chisel to chip off the heads of rivets that attached the clip to a clipboard (after unsuccessfully trying to drill them forever.) Now she has a lovely strong particle board to carry her portable cutting mat around on for portable papercrafting!
TK also shows off a plier rack she made using a thick paint stir-stick and some scrap 2×4 that she sawed at a 45 degree angle. 6 nails later, and voila!
Heels by Number – RS used the V heel; this site is great for figuring out how many stitches you need for a heel!
Bug proofing yarn – a Ravelry search through the yarn forum, and we talk about all the ways we’ve heard of for dealing with bug problems in yarn.
I Spy (14:20)
RS goes camping. So relaxing! She spies stars! Like the kind in the sky. She also gets a chance to use the app where it shows you the constellations wherever you are. She also sees crows at school.
TK talks about maybe throwing some of her stuff into a craft show. We’ll see!
RS starts teaching again soon!
We talk about our KAL (Knit Along) with TinyOwlKnits’s Care of Magical Creatures Charm Bracelet #1. We’re offering the pattern as a prize if you go post in our Introduce Yourself thread in our Rav group or in the Ear Party thread, also in the Rav group. (If you’re not on Ravelry, that’s ok; drop us a comment here.)
(We are working on a new place to store our audio. We won’t update in iTunes until we resolve this. Your patience is requested! Also, if this is a feature you use, please let us know; your feedback is important.)
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!
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.
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.
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!
RS finished her Sashiko sweater! Bottom half fits, top half is a little loose, but overall she’s pleased.
This time the links are to our personal project pages on Ravelry, now that we’ve finally finished them, so click on through for more pictures!
We talk about how this term in the Harry Potter Knit Crochet House Cup went for us in relation to over planning as well as ideas for next term.
Brainy Moments
RS references episode four of the Knit.fm podcast “Buttonholes and Bands.” She tried and used both the double yarn over and the one row buttonholes. Lots and lots about buttonholes.
RS works on some striped vanilla socks. Sleeves are done and pieces are sewn together on her Sashiko Cardigan. TK is knitting the Fibonerdy Shawl. The Color Affection Shawl is everywhere. TK is making more buttons with vintage fabric and turning them into rings. Very pretty!
Brainy Moments (10:12)
“Jogless stripes” blog post from Tech Knitter. RS is using Traveling Jogless Stripes for socks. TK makes a container for holding needle files out of a glass jar, a piece of crochet fabric, and a plastic drain to keep tools handy and organized.
Shiny! (17:37)
RS shows a few of the different skeins of 2,000 yards of organic heathered gray bulky wool yarn for a future blanket. One of the blanket patterns RS is considering is the Knitted Garter Stitch Blanket by Elizabeth Zimmerman and she mentions Umaro. TK went crazy at the craft store and returned with skull beads and little black felt hats. We mention Lolita style.
Books to Stick Your Nose In (27:55)
TK continues reading the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.
I Spy! (28:21)
RS went to the beach and saw a sea lion swimming in the surf, an invertebrate (probably some kind of snail), a large black fish, and a snowy egret. The Oak Titmice are the ones that make the “tweetweetweetweetwee.” TK saw great blue herons nesting in palms, a flyby pheobe, squirrels, house sparrows, a red tail hawk, hummingbirds, and lots of pill bugs.
RS gets her walks in, including walking to work, but no yoga. TK got her four walks in AND is working out while volunteering in the garden!
Random Remnants (41:10)
RS relates a story about teaching loud and soft to first graders and students relating to the material through monster trucks. TK discovers some new cds in a car junkyard. Score! TK makes her own Ravelry “Hello My Name is” button. We make a vow to go to Stitches someday. TK shares her Kiwi Monocle.
TinyKiwi works more on her Fibonerdy Shawl, and despairs of getting it finished by the end of the month.
TK tries out a scrapbooker’s glue on her potion jar earring stoppers. Hopefully it works!
She then also shows off some of her patterned fabric stash, most of which was originally intended for purses, but TK’s trying to get ridof purses, not make more…so she’s trying to think of something else to do with the fabric.
Rambunctiousky makes good progress on her Sashiko Cardi! Sleeves are cast off, but yarn isn’t cut until they get blocked to make sure that they fit. If not, math may be in her future!
RS also works on a washcloth! The ubiquitous washcloth…
As follow-up from last week, there is also progress on her kiwi cross-stitch bookmark–it’s over half-done now, although RS now remembers that cross-stitch always takes longer than one thinks it will, and fights her need to make her stitches perfect. Sneaky cross-stitch!
TK has one small finished object this week, which is kind of a continuation of last week…but we’ll let her get away with it. She took the shank-less button she made from her grandpa’s shirt fabric scraps, and hot-glued an adjustable ring shank to the back of it. Voila! Instant vintage fabric ring.
Brainy Moments (16:23)
RS talks about wet blocking vs. steam blocking, and shares a link that she’s found useful to a video on youtube about steam blocking your knits. She’s going to use steam blocking for piecing together the parts of her sweater.
Shiny! (20:14)
TK gets new potions jars, including some weird…memory capsules? She’s not quite sure what to do with those guys, so if you have ideas or a link to a pinterest idea, do share!
RS shares the tip that using wool for stranded knitting is better, ’cause the scales of the wool fiber help keep things in their proper places, but as TK’s weaving in as she goes, this property is not as important.
Hyperventilate (29:25)
Murder She Wrote TV series with actress Angela Lansbury. RS talks about episode 2.5 “Sing a Song of Murder.”
Books to Stick Your Nose In (31:50)
TK reads the 5th book in the Mercy Thompson series, called Silver Borne, by Patricia Briggs.
She also reviews One Yard Wonders by Yaker and Hoskins, and shares the errata for the book (of which there’s a lot!) This book has so many mistakes that it’s really better as an idea book, more than a pattern book.
TK also shares the tidbit that interfacing is best when washed, as well as shares a link on the importance of washing (certain kinds) of interfacing, from the sewing blog Male Pattern Boldness. She also talks about pre-shrinking your interfacing by steaming it with the iron (like when you steam block) to keep it from being bubbly when you attach it to your pattern fabric.
Here’s a link to the Japanese book of simple bag patterns that TK talks about: (基礎からていねいに) 手づくりバッグレッスン “From the ground up, handmade bag lessons” with it’s lovely pictorial instructions. ❤
RS requests a WIP bag that’d hold two sweaters. TK may comply or might get lazy! There’s a 50/50 chance!
I Spy! (44:12)
TK hears a Flicker/Woodpecker, and sees a Kestrel, House Sparrows, Hummingbirds and some Red Tailed Hawks having a disagreement of sorts.
RS lures in Juncos and a mystery bird…perhaps a Towhee?
Ear Party (50:02)
TK recommends the CD “Dark of Days” by Bourbon Princess, a sort of lo-fi slowed down alt-rock/funk/jazzy group that’s kind of hard to pin to a genre. The lead singer Monique Ortiz has a deep smokey voice and plays the bass, with saxophone, drums and guitar filling up the rest of the sound. TK usually feels sax makes a piece sound very dated, and that it’s often an overpowering sound, but for some reason I dig it in Bourbon Princess (and Morphine.)
She’s also been listening to Fitz and the Tantrums’ “Out of My League”
RS is still digging on Kasey Musgraves, (not Musgrove as we thought last week! Sorry Kasey!) We worry a little about the hyper-sexualization in her videos, but without knowing the intention, we try to avoid passing judgement.
TK falls short of her goals, with only 3 sessions this week, but as she busted her buns gardening on Tuesday, she’s not really sweating missing the mark a little.
RS gets her two walks and a (questionable) yoga session in!
Random Remnants (59:31)
We start tangenting talking about yoga, and the benefits of doing something aerobic in a class, as it forces you to work harder for longer in a way you don’t on your own.
TK expresses her disappointment that the fabric paint she got is just Puffy Paint in disguise. She’s still searching for an easy way to do something similar to silk-screening.
TK also talks more about the iron-on letters from a different episode, and her trepidation with working with them, but thankfully she found a tutorial, so hopefully she’ll get working with them soon.
RS makes cream-puffs and dreams of her own chef knives! She tries to convince TK to do a knife-sharpening demo…which really just depends on whether or not TK remembers!
And that’s all for this week, folks! Thanks for watchin’/listenin’!
Projects of the Moment: WIPs Progress Report (0:50)
RambunctiouSky makes significant progress on her Sashiko Cardi–Look at all that progress–fronts and backs done! Now it’s time for two-at-a-time sleeves!
RS mentions The Knitter’s Handy Book of Sweater Patterns by Ann Budd, although she couldn’t remember it’s name, so here’s the link!
She’s also working on an owl plushie but needs to make some felt eyes, so it’s sitting on the WIPs shelf for now.
TinyKiwi reaches the 50% mark for the row count on her Fibonerdy Shawl! She shows her progress on the octopus knee-warmers, but admits they may not get done… her enthusiasm for this project is waning. She also finally breaks down and uses her fabric button maker, and starts making little Harry Potter-inspired potions jar charms. RS wants some!
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s FOs! (15:12)
TK counts her one button as a finished object, in her desperation to showcase something finished. 😛
Shiny! (18:01)
RS got her yarn that she bought from a destash! Show-and-tell time!
Books to Stick Your Nose In (with Brainy Moment Tangent!) (21:24)
TK’s button book that she shows off: 手づくりくるみボタンの本which is full of cute ideas for embroidered, painted and crocheted fabric buttons. We both geek out a little bit. Stay tuned next week to see what TK ends up making out of this book.
We discuss “best” ways to attach buttons to knit fabric. Our consensus is to use a backing button, but if you have any other ideas, we’d love to hear them!
I Spy! (35:30)
TK sees Crows & Hummingbirds, hears Mockingbirds, and sees Ash trees in need of some TLC/pruning.
RS isn’t a fan of meadows, but sees some cool ….
INSECT/SPIDER WARNING! Skip to time stamp (39:48) if you can’t stand that kinda talk, and skip the rest of this paragraph. Ok…so she saw some cool brown spiders all along the side of the path in their in-ground lairs. So cool!
Phew! It’s safe now! Never let it be said that we don’t care about you, dear listeners! ❤
RS also sees something that she thinks is a Junco, but isn’t entirely sure.
Then TK talks about Slavic Soul Party, with their version of Opa Cupa (or Opa Tsupa) being a favorite of TK’s (although the female vocalist isn’t part of the band,) and Gogol Bordello…for which TK gave up finding a song of theirs with G-rated lyrics (they have some, but they’re not easy to find on the YouTubes), so she recommends the very NSFW Huliganjetta, which although it’s a great song, comes with a very strong language warning. Advisory! It’s got a couple of curse words.
RS finds a new podcast through the Knitmore Girls, called Geeky Girls Knit Podcast, which is also another mother-daughter podcast. We can dig it!
Walks in the Urban Wilderness (52:38)
TK hit within her flex goal (4-7), with 5 walks this week, while RS met her goal of 2, and adds one yoga session to her weekly goal.
Random Remnants (54:49)
Then we’re back to slightly bad video/sound for a bit as TK rambles on about sewing some new pillowcases, maybe for the Headmistress’ Challenge??
RS talks about her new vegetarian cooking class. Different teaching styles, ftw? Ftw!
Sisters Of The Holy Fiber 