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292 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Ep 84: Fiber Friends and Sweater Study
14 januari 2018 · 1 uur 10 min
The Two Ewes are both in Seattle! Assembling spinning wheels, meeting listeners, weaving, knitting, and comparing notes on sweaters are just some of the activities from their fun week. Lees meer
Project Updates
Marsha is knitting a new project since the last episode. The pattern is Opteka by Isabell Kraemer and the yarn is Imperial Yarn Tracie Too. This is Marsha's second long-sleeved pullover. She is wearing her Combo Spin sweater so much she decided to make another sweater with similar characteristics.
Marsha has also finished a project already this year. In fact, it was finished in two days! Her first weaving project was a huge success. There will be more information about this in the next Winter Weave Along episode.
Kelly is almost exclusively working on the Indigo Frost by Isabell Kraemer. The Ewes are definitely enjoying her patterns these days! Kelly's version is a vivid spring green cormo yarn from Sincere Sheep in the Virid colorway. The color work portion is being done with handspun left over from her Funky Grandpa cardigan. This will guarantee that she will stand out in a crowd!
She also has weaving as her first finished project of 2018. The woven pouch is finished, sporting one of her favorite buttons from the button stash. The directions for the woven pouch can be found in the first Winter Weave Along lesson.
Fiber Adventures
Marsha's new/old Ashford Traditional got a good spin at the Spin-In. Many interesting wheels were there, including an interesting Dutch Moswalt wheel and an antique Norwegian Wheel with matching spinning chair that was for sale.
The Ewes also made fiber purchases from a variety of fun vendors. Huckleberry Knits, Fleebers Farm, Sauked In Farm, and Homestead Hobbyist all got added to the stash.
Fiber in the Wild
Kelly was delighted to find that a new mill with spinning capability has opened in California. Valley Oak Wool and Fiber Mill in Yolo County is now the only mill in the state that spins yarn. This article details the story o…
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Ep 83: One Ewe's Year in Rev-EWE
1 januari 2018 · 39 min
Kelly looks back over the year 2017 and shares her best projects, the most popular podcast episodes, and interesting facts about the listener base. Marsha has a bad cold with a cough, not a good mix with podcasting. Lees meer
The shop is back open after a short break for the Christmas holiday.
Upcoming Events
January 6, 2018: The St. Distaff Day Spin-In at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, from 10 am until 4 pm.January 7, 2018: Seattle Crafternoon starting at 1 pm.
Contact us on Ravelry or email us here for location information.February 22-25: Stitches West in Santa Clara. On Saturday afternoon the Yarniacs and 2 Knit Lit Chicks meet-up will be in the hotel lobby of the conference hotel.
March 15-18: Edinburgh Yarn Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Marsha will be attending and is hoping to meet some of our UK listeners!
Kelly's project year ended up with 23 finished projects and 5 of them are adult sweaters! A 6th should be finished by the time we ring in the new year.
The Handspun Cowichan was finished in time for the camping trip and it was so nice and warm--the perfect camp sweater. This was The Orca Run by Beth Brown-Reinsel. Kelly's camping trip knitting was the blue crochet cardigan that she stalled out on some time ago. The pattern is The Curious Case of the Crazy-Stitch Cardigan by Michele DuNaier . She made great progress and hopes to have a finished sweater by New Year's Day. Other camping knitting included a charity hat out of some alpaca spirit yarn. It will be really warm.
Happy New Year everyone! -
Ep 82: Finished, Finished, and Nearly Finished
17 december 2017 · 1 uur 7 min
Two finished projects and an almost finished project are the big knitting topics this week. Marsha continues to combo spin and Kelly starts a weaving project. Thanks to all who visited the Two Ewes Shop during the Shop Small sale and supported the making of this podcast! Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha has finished her second Among the Shadows Shawl by Kelene Kinnersly. The yarn is Stonehedge Fiber Mill Crazy, made from mill ends.
Marsha has also finished her Beeline Compost Spin pullover using the Beeline pattern by Heidi Kirrmaier.
Marsha's second combo spin is underway. She thinks the skeins look similar to her last one even though her color planning was very different. These skeins will have a variety of fibers, including silk, and the yarn is quite lustrous.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly is almost finished with her Handspun Cowichan sweater. It is the Orca Run by Beth Brown-Reinsel. She is adding an applied i-cord edging to the fronts to give the sweater a little more room, provide a neat zipper placket, and give the whale snouts a little more room.
Winter Weave Along
Marsha has her yarn ready to go, but realized there is no reed in her loom. She'll be using worsted weight yarn so a 10-dent reed is the best choice. Kelly will be visiting soon and the Ewes will get Marsha started on her weaving. Meanwhile Kelly has wound warp for green and red dishtowels.
Kelly has found a Ravelry Group that does a year-long weave along using the Marguerite P. Davidson book, A Handweaver's Pattern Book. The group chooses chapters from the book and then within each chapter, weave structures to experiment with.
Meet the Ewes!
Marsha and Kelly will be attending the St. Distaff Day Spin-In on January 6, 2918, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, Washington from 10 am until 4 pm. Here is a link with further information.
On the next day, Sunday January 7, The Ewes will be holding a Crafternoon starting at 1 pm. Refreshments, a spirit yarn table, and other surprises will make f…
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Ep 81: Compost Bins and Combo Spins
3 december 2017 · 1 uur 9 min
Monogamous sweater knitting, a little yarn dyeing for the Two Ewes Shop, and some weaving homework for Marsha are all featured this episode. Click here for complete show notes with photos. Lees meer
Marsha's projects
Marsha is now obsessed with knitting with her combo spin yarn. She is knitting Beeline by Heidi Kirrmaier. She has renamed the project Compost Spin after listener GloriaMcC from Michigan reported that she had been hearing this project as the Compost Bin project. Combo Spin... Compost Bin. Guess it's a good thing we have show notes so people can see what we're saying!
Kelly's projects
Kelly is back to working on the Handspun Cowichan sweater. She has the body done and is ready to work the sleeves and collar. Like Marsha, she has been focused only on this knitting project over the last two weeks.
Kelly has also been doing some dyeing. Right after Thanksgiving new colors were added to the shop and new items for spinners are coming in the upcoming week. The shopsmall2017 discount code is good for free shipping until December 10. One of our listeners has created a beautiful shawl from our textured Raucous Rambouillet yarn. It's a great example of pattern and yarn pairing. She used the the Among the Shadows pattern that Marsha has used twice now and created the Blueberry & Cream Shawl.
Weaving
Kelly and Marsha talk a little about how Marsha can prepare for her Winter Weave Along project. Marsha will be selecting yarns that she wants to use to make a sampler on her 4-harness table loom.
Announcements
If you are in the Seattle area, save the date for the Two Ewes Seattle Crafternoon on January 6, 2018.
One of our spinning friends from the Spinning With Friends Ravelry Group, Eileen aka Leprkon on Ravelry, had a severe stroke in September and her community is having a fundraiser. If you'd like to contribute, check out the flyer in our show notes for this episode.
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Ep 80: Shop Small Flocks--special episode
21 november 2017 · 9 min
Visit the Two Ewes Shop, twoewesfiberadventures.com between November 24 and December 10. Use the promo code shopsmall2017 to get free shipping on all orders of $20 or more. The shop will be updated throughout the promotional period with additional items. Lees meer
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Ep 79: Busy as Bees in November
18 november 2017 · 1 uur 16 min
The Ewes are busy and so are the bees! Knitting with yarn from the Two Ewes Shop, combo-spin mania continues, charity hats, camping trips and a host of other topics make for a bonus-sized episode. Lees meer
Marsha's project updates
Marsha finished her Recoleta by Joji Locatelli made with Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Worsted. Marsha loves this sweater!
After testing several hat patterns for our Single Shot contest, in the end Marsha made up her own hat pattern using Two Ewes Raucous Rambouillet from the shop.
Marsha is obsessed with combo spinning. She cast on Beeline by Heidi Kirrmaier with her first combo spin. She is loving knitting with her yarn and seeing the colors change.
Marsha started her second combo spin with rovings she bought from vendors at Fiber Fusion Northwest. At Fiber Fusion she also bought a breed study sampler pack of 32 fibers from Fleeber Fibers.
Kelly's project updates
Kelly has been knitting charity hats and cowls. So far five hats are finished, all using very old spirit yarn. Another hat and cowl are in progress. A fun long weekend camping trip was the place for three hats to be finished.An upcoming conference will allow for finishing the cowl.
Kelly has some sweater plans. One is an old pattern from a 2007 magazine. She got rid of old knitting magazines, but did save some of the patterns that she had marked as potential so long ago. Knit it Down is one of those patterns. An Elizabeth Doherty pattern also caught her eye as a MUST KNIT! The pattern is Bodie, a textured cardigan with a long, almost coat-like, silhouette.
The Handspun Cowichan sweater is moving quickly but hasn't been worked on in almost two weeks. The colorwork is giving Kelly a challenge (3 strands, 2 hands!), so she is being selective about when to work on it.
Bee update:
What's happening with bees in November? One the California Central Coast they're still busy as bees! Bringing in pollen and nectar and going strong. Well, two of the hives are still going strong at l…
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Ep 78: The House Cleaning Episode
5 november 2017 · 1 uur 1 min
Marsha and Kelly have been off the airwaves for about a month. Marsha was cleaning house when we last recorded and Kelly did some housecleaning instead of editing this episode. Thus the two week time warp. Wait, what? Cleaning house? Instead of podcasting? Who are these podcasters and what have you done with our regular hosts????? Lees meer
No further show notes this time since it is just time to GET THIS PUBLISHED! Join us on Instagram @1hundredprojects and @betterinmotion and chat on our Ravelry Group to hear more about our current projects.
To get some of our Two Ewes Fiber Adventures yarn, go to the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures shop.
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Ep 77: Well, They Have No Choice!
9 oktober 2017 · 1 uur 3 min
Combo-spin mania has overtaken Marsha and meanwhile, Kelly is weaving again. There's also some knitting. In the pet arena, Marsha and Enzo have earned their Canine Good Citizen Award and Kelly has a stray cat that seems to have adopted her family. Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha continues working on the Recoleta by Joji Locateli and she is having no difficulty following the pattern. It isn't social knitting, but it isn't as hard as she first thought.
Her Among the Shadows by Kelene Kinnersley continues to get a little work as well, but most of her time is being taken up by Combo Spin Mania! She has completed two skeins of 3-ply yarn and is beginning a third.
The Two Ewes talk about all the variations on the theme of the combo-spin, including using only warm colors or only cool colors, or randomly selecting not only colors, but different fibers.
This reminds Kelly of an artist, Amanda Salm, who wove many different variations of horsehair baskets while they were in weaving class together. Amanda's work explored seemingly endless variations in the types of vessels possible with horse mane and tail hair as the medium. Here is a link to her work.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has a mistake in the Summer Fjord by Trin-Annelie that has to be ripped back before she can go any further.
Meanwhile she has finished some woven dishtowels in preparation for the Winter Weave Along. It is so fun in weaving that a change in weft yarn will make a big difference in the finished projects.
Kelly also gushes about the Leg Warmers/ Boot Toppers that she's making with the Shetland yarn available in the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures shop. They are 2x2 rib tubes that will be folded down to make cozy cuffs to go with her red/orange boots. The yarn is silky and softer than she thought. This project is a quick one for the Single Shot KAL that is going on for the month of October. There is a thread in the Ravelry Group where listeners can chat and participate and a winner will be drawn on November 1 fro…
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Winter Weave Along 1
1 oktober 2017
Our first pdf lesson has vocabulary for beginning weavers. It also contains instructions for making a cardboard loom and weaving a pouch with it.
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Ep 76: Raw and Unfiltered
24 september 2017 · 1 uur 2 min
An unedited episode full of knitting, dyeing, spinning, weaving, and future escapades! Enjoy! Click here to visit the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures shop where you can support the show and get beautifully sheepy yarn at the same time. Lees meer
Projects
Kelly is almost done with the body of the linen Summer Fjord. The pattern has a drop shoulder and no sleeves. She is thinking about picking up stitches and adding a sleeve.
She has also been working on charity hats. One hat, Molly, has been finished. It's a simple textured stitch background with one large cable going up the hat. The second hat is her own pattern started flat and then joined in the round after doing a button tab brim. Both hats are made from leftovers in the stash.
Weaving off a cotton dishtowel warp that's been on table loom for almost 10 years.
Marsha has made good progress on her Recoleta by Joji Locatelli and has starting the waist shaping.
Marsha has been sidetracked knitting by her new obsession: combo spinning. She did not have any dyed braids but had 24 ounces of roving in her stash that she dyed. She then divided the roving equally by color and put in bags. Each bag is filling a bobbin with a bit of fiber left over. Very interesting project. So interesting, that not much is getting done around the house!
Advent-ewes
The Two Ewes are planning a Winter Weave Along!
It will be a 6 month learning adventure with weaving. It starts on October 1 and will go through March 31. It will include weaving instruction for beginners. Weaving information will start at the beginning so don't worry if you are new to the craft. Marsha is a beginner so she will be learning along, too. Handouts in pdf form will be delivered through the podcast feed to all the podcast subscribers. (If you aren't already subscribed there are links to subscribe on the sidebar of the shownotes. Or use your favorite podcatcher app.) The Ewes are also planning some short video tutorial. There will be a project discussion thread with weaving …
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Ep 75: Advent-ewes in Learning
14 september 2017 · 59 min
Advent-ewes in teaching kids to knit, updates on finished projects (Kelly has two very exciting finished projects!), the Monterey County Fair Wool Auction, a visit to a mill, and some yarn shops in Washington. Lees meer
Kelly attended the Monterey Wool Auction and spun all week at the County Fair. Such fun!
There were also some finished projects. Kelly finished the Octopus! The pattern is so lifelike you have to check it out. It is Opus the Octopus by Cate Carter-Evans. Kelly's version is named Orson. Also finished is the very interesting Wolkig cowl. It was a perfect pairing of yarn and pattern, with the ripples in the fabric enhancing the shine of the yarn.
One finished project was done by Kelly's husband, but is no less exciting: toilet installation. Now all toilets in the house are in working condition (with the 4th purple one still disconnected and in need of retrofitting).
Still on the Kelly's needles in active status is the Summer Fjord tee in Sincere Sheep Linen.
Marsha finished her Twice Born shawl by Magdalena Lorentz and has made good progress on the Among the Shadows shaw by Kelen Kindersley. She also discusses the challenges of starting the sweater Recoleto by Joji Locatelli using worsted weight yarn from Neighborhood Fiber Company.
Marsha visited two yarn shops and a mill on Whidbey Island, Washington.
Kitty Purls in Langley, Washington
Whidbey Isle Yarns and Gifts in Coupville, Washington
Abundant Earth Fiber Mill in Clinton, Washington
Marsha also discusses the fun day she had teaching Sarah, Aaliyah, and Crystal to knit.
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Ep 74: Sharing About Our Shop
27 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 4 min
A little knitting, a lot of knitting planning, and details about the scrumptious yarn and fiber in the Two Ewes Fiber Adventures shop. Lees meer
Kelly has taken a break from the Summer Fjord tee by Trin-Annelie She had made great progress, but then found a new fun project. Wolkig is a really interesting and EASY cowl by Martina Behm. It's a perfect pairing yarn and pattern. The yarn is a super shiny yak/silk blend handspun.
Marsha is continuing to work on her two shawls, Twice Born by Magdalena Lorentz and Among the Shadows by Kelene Kinnersly. Meanwhile, she has swatched for three different sweaters so there will be a new project on the needles soon.
The Two Ewes talk about the process of having yarn made from their fleeces and they describe each of the yarns that is available in the shop. There are three different gray yarns, a Merino, a Romney, and a Shetland. All are available in gray and also in beautifully overdyed colors.
There are two white yarns that are available in hand-dyed skeins, a soft, fluffy, and textured rambouillet is available in a worsted weight. A more rare variety, a Border Leicester/Corriedale cross, is available in about a sport weight.
The rambouillet wool is also available in carded batts. The batts are a blend of the wool, mohair, and silk noil.
In appreciation for Two Ewes listeners, one lucky listener was selected to win an item from the shop.
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Ep 73: Summer of Sweaters
12 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 5 min
More sweater knitting for the end of summer. Two kinds of linen and a cotton/llama blend--we're trying all the fibers! We also talk about organizing strategies for the transition into the school year. Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha has started a new shawl with her Stonehedge Crazy! The yarn is fabulous.The shawl is the Among the Shadows and she is making it for the second time.
Marsha has also finished her sweater using the pattern 221 Summer Cardigan by Diane Soucy. And since she has finished one sweater, she is ready to cast on another using the linen that she has been swatching. After swatching the linen biased so she is looking for a pattern that will mitigate the tendency to bias.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has finished very little. One Mother Bear and one swatch of handspun are all she has to show for two weeks. The swatch will be submitted along with her county fair entries. It is a precursor to the Orca Run sweater that she has planned once the fair is over in September.
She has started a new linen tee since the last episode. She is making the Summer Fjord and the construction is really interesting.
"Advent-ewes"
The Two Ewes have a new website with a shop! The blog and shownotes will be on the new site as well as a shop with yarns and fibers from their fiber adventures. More details in the next episode! Join in our adventures with new producers and mills. Support the podcast and get something in return!
The Two Ewes also talk organization. Kelly celebrates New Year when school starts in the fall and gets structure and organization back into her life. Calendars and steno pads are her main supplies for organization.
Don't Miss an Episode!
Want to get the podcast automatically? Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or even YouTube. Episodes will automatically load to your device. Episodes are also announced on the 1hundredprojects Instagram feed and in the Two Ewes Ravelry Group.
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Ep 72: Swatching and Washing Linen
30 juli 2017 · 1 uur 5 min
Planning and swatching for linen sweaters, a round-up of Tour de Fleece spinning, and our listener appreciation drawing winners are the main topics of this episode. Lees meer
Kelly's Projects
Kelly's Tour de Fleece was successful and she will be entering a skein of Santa Cruz Island yarn in the Monterey County Wool Show. She also made progress on two different weights of California Variegated Mutant yarn and now has a sweater quantity (or close) of each.
Her other finished projects for this episode are bears for the Mother Bear Project. She has crocheted 4 bears and knitted 1 bear.
Marsha's Projects
Marsha has made good progress on her Summer Cardigan and her goal is to finish it by next episode.
She continues progress on her Twice Born Shawl and is enjoying the knitting.
As part of the Tour de Fleece Marsha tried to spin every day. She didn't finish spinning the Targhee roving but made good progress.
Marsha swatched the Done Roving Yarns DK Sweater Pack with #4, #5, #6 needles. Marsha wanted to make the cardigan called Cloud Cover, but thinks the yarn may too springy for the cardigan that needs a yarn that drapes. More planning is necessary!
Linen Sweater Swatching
The Two Ewes are both swatching for linen sweaters. Marsha is using Fibra Natura Flax yarn in Tarragon. Kelly is using a couple of truly golden skeins of Sincere Sheep Linen lace weight yarn that is no longer available.
While swatching, both found that the linen stitches don't make a very nice fabric. Once washed, the stitches relax and are nicely shaped, even at the larger gauge. The fabric also feels much better after being machine washed and dried. The swatches originally had the feel of a kitchen scrubby! Kelly also found shrinkage with her swatch so will expect her sweater to appear too large during the knitting process. These swatches will be an important reminder during the sweater knitting process.
Upcoming Events
Want to see some wool judging? Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 12. The …
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Ep 71: Spinning Our Wheels
16 juli 2017 · 1 uur 2 min
Kelly and Marsha talk spinning! Plus they give updates on current projects and news about upcoming events. Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha doesn't have any finished projects to report but has made steady progress on her Twice Born shawl and Summer Cardigan.
Marsha had a fun day with lunch and a visit to All Wound up in Edmonds, Washington with "laterknitter" and "jchant". Look how happy we are to be together surrounded by gorgeous yarn!
Marsha had a fun day with lunch and a visit to All Wound up in Edmonds, Washington with "laterknitter" and "jchant". Look how happy we are to be together surrounded by gorgeous yarn!
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has finally finished the Playground Shawl! This pattern caused her a lot of trouble, not because it is difficult, but because of her combination of slippery yarn and slippery needles. The only other active project is the Striped CoBaSi Socks.
Oh wait! There's an octopus that needs to be stuffed and seamed up.
Tour de Fleece
Marsha has been spinning every day as time allows. Here is a link to to her Tour de Fleece project page for more photos.
Kelly has also committed to spinning every day, along with a few other spinning related goals. Her Tour de Fleece 2017 page has a list of the goals and photos of the spinning projects. The first finished spinning of the tour is the Loop Bump that she plied with silk thread from the Black Sheep Gathering.
Upcoming Events
Kelly will be presenting to the Santa Cruz Knitting Guild for their July program. The title of the presentation is How Ply Structure Affects Knitting. Presentation will be July 20, 10:15-12:15 at the Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz.
Want to see some wool judging? Mark your calendar for Saturday, August 12 at 9 am. This is the date of the fleece judging for the Monterey County Wool Show. The show is in conjunction with the Monterey County Fair and the auction is held on the last day of the fair which is Labor Day in September. But the fleeces are judged ahead of time a…
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Ep 70: That Old Black (Sheep) Magic
4 juli 2017 · 1 uur 17 min
The Black Sheep Gathering 2017 was so wonderful the Two Ewes can't stop talking about it! The wool judge was Judith MacKenzie so of course it was such a learning experience. There are also a few finished knits, some new fiber, yarn, and, you guessed it, FLEECE! Lees meer
Kelly arrived in Eugene after a long hot drive through the northern California heatwave. Marsha and Kim came down from Seattle on the train. They met and prepared for the opening of the show the next day. Marsha and Kelly spent Saturday in the fleece judging, soaking up all the information that Judith MacKenzie so generously shared with the audience.
On Saturday, there was a side trip to two Eugene yarn shops. Cozy is a newly opened shop in the old downtown area near the train station. Youthful and spacious, this shop really showed off the many indie-dyed striped and speckled yarns in its stock. It also had a good stock of Flax by Fibra Natura and Marsha snagged some for a linen tee. Then on to Soft Horizons Fibre. This shop is in an old house filled with yarn. The attraction for the Two Ewes and their friend Kim was the Stone Hedge Fiber Crazy yarn. It has the largest selection of this yarn of any yarn shop in the northwest.
Back at the fleece barn, Kelly found a gem of a fleece had gone unsold so she bought it. She also found some interesting breed blends at the Homestead Hobbyist booth. Both Marsha and Kelly found plying silk on wood bobbins and Marsha also found some batts that she loved.
At the Jorstadt Creek booth, they both bought cashmere laceweight in support of The Great Steppe Fiber Project. Maddy from Jorstadt is going to Mongolia to teach spinning and help to provide women there with the skills to have a fiber company. To help pay for the trip and learn more, visit the gofundme page.
As for the knitting, Marsha made good progress on her Twice Born shawl by Magdalena Lorentz. Friends helped her determine that the Easy Folded Poncho is finished and doesn't need the cowl neck.
Kelly worked on…
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Ep 69: Come See My Vacation Slides
21 juni 2017 · 1 uur 18 min
Are you old enough to remember vacation slides? Did you ever go to someone's house for dinner and see their vacation slides? If so, you know exactly what you're in for in this episode. If not, don't worry, once you've listened you'll understand exactly what the experience was like! Lees meer
Marsha and Kelly were both on vacation. So, in addition to sharing their current projects, they share some information about their vacations. Kelly was in in the Texarkana area, visiting cemeteries in Red Lick, Texas and Lockesburg, Arkansas to see Robert's family graves. She also visited Civil War sites and stayed in an antebellum home in Vicksburg, MS. Marsha spent some time on the Washington coast with her brother and Enzo.
To see Kelly's vacation photos, visit the show notes blog for episode 69.
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Ep 68: Experiment in Time Travel
10 juni 2017 · 42 min
This episode is an experiment in time travel. Because Kelly's Dead Relatives Tour conflicted with the recording schedule, the Two Ewes prerecorded this episode. Lees meer
Marsha shares her experiences of the shops she visited on the Puget Sound LYS Tour.
Mad Cow Yarns in Lake Forest Park
Wild Fibers in Mount Vernon
Great Yarns in Everett
Pinch Knitter Yarns in Stanwood
All Wound Up in Edmonds.
The two patterns Marsha bought are a poncho called Stone Point by Courtney Kelly and a cardigan called Harebell by Amy Christophers.
She bought a skein of Madelinetosh Twist Light call Void to pair with her Apple Fiber Studio MacIntosh in the color way Moss on a Rock. She also purchased a giant, luscious skein of Done Roving Yarns DK Frolicking Feet Sweater pack. The skein is 1500 yards and weights over two pounds!
You'll all hear more about Kelly's Dead Relatives Tour in Episode 69. Stay tuned!
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Ep 67: Real, Fantasy, and Travel Knitting
28 mei 2017 · 56 min
It's been a wild week, but some real knitting, a little fantasy knitting, and lots of travel-knitting planning are all in this episode. Lees meer
Kelly finished the Havannah. This pattern by Heidimarie Kaiser is a great casual tee. Put in the beads that are called for in the pattern, or replace them with yarn overs for a more lacy style.
Marsha is on track to finish the Easy Folded Poncho in time to wear it for Black Sheep Gathering at the end of June. It is knit in Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool that she found at the Goodwill.
She also finished the Meret Beret but this one might be frogged because the yarn and pattern don't seem to be a good match.
The two pairs of socks that have been discussed in past episodes will also need to be frogged and restarted. Neither the striped socks out of CoBaSi, nor the short socks on 9-inch circulars actually fit. Oh well. It's not sock failure, its a learning experience!
Kelly's fantasy knitting and trip planning leads to a trip through her Ravelry queue. Most likely to be cast on are the Lavender Honey tee from an interesting cotton yarn in red and gray and a Mohair Bias Loop from two Habu yarns in red and eggplant.
She is also thinking about the Huntertwasser Neptunia shawl, the Cancun Boxy Lace Top, the Icarus tank, the Sea Glass cardigan, and the crocheted Camelia Chameleon.
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Ep 66: Projects and Plans
14 mei 2017 · 56 min
This episode is all about the knitting projects and the plans. Kelly continues to work on two summer sweaters and has cast on a couple new small projects. Marsha finished a small project while keeping up progress on her stockinette rectangle! Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
The Easy Folded Poncho project continues, but meanwhile Marsha started an finished the Greenery Beret by Melissa LaBarre. She is having difficulty getting project pictures without someone to take photos of her during the daylight hours. She is planning the next sweater and has been swatching, but so far hasn't made a decision.
Kelly's Projects
A conference and a weekend with Dad means that Kelly has made good progress on both Edie and the Havannah tee shirts. Meanwhile, she started a pair of socks with the turquoise and orange CoBaSi yarn that came from Maker's Mercantile. The stripes have a small slip stitch detail and the colors are fabulous together.
While recording, Kelly cast on another one of the In Threes baby sweaters using the last of her Colorando yarn.
"Advent-ewes"
Kelly visited Yarnitudes in Sebastopol when she picked up the bee packages. The yarn shop was conveniently just down the street from Bee Kind. While there she picked up cotton blend yarns for more baby sweaters.
Despite multiple signs saying "Yarn," a customer came in and wanted to know where the antiques were. Trudy, the proprietress, said it happens all the time!
Marsha had another call from the GoodWill and she left the shop with Madeleine Tosh and some Buffalo Wool. The Tosh was what she used for the hat and she is considering some options with the Buffalo Wool. It is a Canadian unspun wool yarn used for Cowichan-style sweaters.
Upcoming Events
Marsha and Kelly will be at the Black Sheep Gathering June 23-25, and there will be a Two Ewes meet-up on Saturday, June 24. No trailer this year, but we will definitely have a get-together with our fellow fiber adventurers. More details in the Ravelry Group and on the podcast as t…
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Ep 65bee: Best Bee Weekend Ever.
6 mei 2017 · 38 min
This bonus episode is all about bees. Our regular knitting, spinning, and fiber adventures episode will be published in Episode 66 on the weekend of May 12/13. Lees meer
Kelly picked up two packages of treatment free bees to add to her apiary. They rode home in the car and were successfully installed the same day. She is so happy with the improvement of her beekeeping skills since 2015. Click here for video of the package installation.
The next day the existing hive that had been cut out of a drain pipe and had been progressing well swarmed. She saw the swarm from start to finish and describes the incredible experience. Click here for video of the swarm experience.
These are my first attempts to create YouTube videos. We won't be changing the podcast to video, but it was fun to document the experience for a YouTube supplement.
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Ep 65: Edie Tee Redux Times Two
30 april 2017 · 54 min
The Ewes have been busy as bees outside of knitting, but still there's a finished top, one almost finished, some dyeing, and a couple things on the needles. A bee shawl is on the maybe list, and Kelly is headed to pick up some real bees. Join us for our adventures. Lees meer
Marsha has finished her Edie tee! The Edie pattern is by Isabel Kramer and the yarn she used is Hempathy. This is her second Edie in Hempathy so no swatching needed. Now that's incentive to repeat a project! She doesn't yet have a finished project photo and that leads to a discussion of project pages and the Finished Object Radar feature of Ravelry. While talking about the Finished Object Radar on Ravelry, Marsha saw the Hollywood Flare Tunic by Vera Sanen and was intrigued.
Kelly is almost finished with her Edie. This is also her second time with the project, but with a different yarn. The yarn is Linen Concerto, a variegated linen, rayon, cotton blend.
Kelly's other project, Havannah by Heidimarie Kaiser, is making slow progress, but progress nonetheless.
Marsha has been making progress on the Easy Folded Poncho and swatching for some sweaters. Meanwhile, Kelly is intrigued by two crochet shawls. Archangel by Katya Novikova is a pretty lace shawl with a Victorian feel. Hotel of Bees by Christina Hadderingh is a striped shawl with color and texture changes related to bees. The pattern was inspired by the book All the Light We Cannot See.
This weekend Kelly is headed to pick up two packages of bees at BeeKind in Sebastopol, California. Each package holds about 10,000 bees who will be installed into two empty hives. During the discussion she mentions Les Crowder, an interesting and informative beekeeper who is a proponent of treatment free beekeeping.
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Ep 64: We're on a Dye-It!
16 april 2017 · 1 uur 2 min
A fabulous yarny time at the retreat and then a trip to a fiber mill and more time playing with newly milled yarn and dye pots. The Two Ewes are on a Spring Break adventure! Lees meer
Kelly's Projects
Kelly is making great progress on the Edie tee-shirt that she is making with Linen Concerto yarn she bought at Stitches West. She is also moving along on the Havannah tee that she is making with Dragon Fly Fibers Rustic Silk Dance yarn.
Marsha's Projects
Marsha brought a shawl and her Edie tee as retreat and vacation knitting.
The shawl is Among the Shadows by Kelene Kinnersly. She is using a very recent purchase of Feederbrook Farm yarn that she got during her post Stitches trip to SF.
Advent "ewes"
First there was the wonderful weekend at NoCKRs, the Northern California Knitters Retreat, held by the Yarniacs and 2 Knit Lit Chicks podcasts. Held at the St. Francis Retreat Center, it was a relaxing and fun time catching up with friends and meeting new friends. Lots of knitting and food and drink and laughing!
Then we visited Ranch of the Oaks to pick up Kelly's yarn order. On the way we had to stop at Yarns at the Adobe, the yarn shop across from the mission in San Luis Obispo.
Finally, we spent the last few days of the visit dyeing the yarn that had just been milled. So much fun!
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Ep 63: Finished Except...
27 maart 2017 · 1 uur 15 min
I'm finished knitting except I still have to...Have you ever said that about a project? The Ewes have projects in various stages of completion, but many things OFF the needles! Just like our projects, this episode is finished, except for the shownotes! We may not have photos in the show notes this week, but take a look at our project pages! Lees meer
Kelly's project page.
Marsha's project page.
We hope to be back on track with normal show notes by Episode 64. Thanks for listening!
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Ep 62: The Ewes do Stitches West
5 maart 2017 · 54 min
Knitting projects get finished and then the ewes are off on and adventure to Stitches West. Wearing ponchos and taking names! Lees meer
Marsha arrived on Wednesday and was able to hang out in the sun room finishing her NoCKRs shawl. It is Good Vibes by Nadia Cretin Lechen. Kelly finished her Om Shawl by Andrea Mowry and her Funky Grandpa by Maison Rilillie, and was able to wear both at Stitches West.
Yarn, patterns for punch needle rug hooking, knitting needles for lace, and more yarn all came home with the Ewes. We loved meeting fiber friends and getting to know listeners we hadn't met yet.
Then Marsha left to go to SF for the second half of her California adventure.
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Ep 61: Trains are great for binding off!
14 februari 2017 · 1 uur 9 min
A completed poncho, a train adventure, a handspun sweater, and an amazing beekeeping experience are on this week's show. Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha finished her Rodeo Drive Poncho. Marsha is really happy with this pattern by Staci Perry. She has also worked on her Good Vibes shawl. Even the Pismo Beach socks (yarn from the yarn crawl in our very first podcast) got a little knitting during her adventurous train trip!
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has finished 4 more Pussy Hats. She also finally got on the ball and knitted the button band the on Funky Grandpa Cardigan. This is a pattern by La Maison Rililie. The button band has an i-cord bind off and Kelly isn't sure whether it will lay flat or not. If, after blocking, it still isn't laying flat, she will need to experiment with needles that are either larger or smaller. She isn't sure which direction will solve the issue.
Kelly has also been working on her poncho and is past the halfway point! She is using Andrea Mowry's Om Shawl pattern.
"Advent-ewes"
Marsha had quite the train adventure trying to get to Spokane to visit friends. Hours of delay had her almost hysterical! On the positive side, it gave her plenty of time to finish her Rodeo Drive Poncho.
She had planned to visit a couple of Spokane yarn shops. One was closed while she was there. Another that she saw from the train, The Knitting Factory, turned out to be a music concert venue and nightclub. The third was a charm, Sew E-Z Too is a knitting and quilting shop and she was able to visit.
Upcoming Events
Marsha and Kelly will be at Stitches West on February 25-26. Come say hi to us if you see us. Also, we will be attending the meet-up organized by the Yarniacs and 2 Knit Lit Chicks. The meet-up is in the lobby bar area of the Hyatt (host hotel) and will start at around 1 pm. We can't wait!!!
Bees
Kelly had a great bee adventure last weekend. A small beehive was found in a drainage pipe where her husband works. The area is slated for some construction and…
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Ep 60: The Power of Clicking Needles
29 januari 2017 · 54 min
The Women's March website and the Indivisible Guide website are both mentioned in this episode. Marsha and Kelly both attended marches and they talk about the experience. So many knitters made so many Pussyhats! Lees meer
The Ewes have also been thinking about 2017 goals, and the political realm, along with some personal challenges of the past year, have played a part in that thought process.
If you are a new listener, you might want to listen to a different episode first. This one is not typical of the podcast, but we thought it was an important discussion to share with you.
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Ep 59: Completion, Compost, and Climate Change
15 januari 2017 · 1 uur 6 min
We review our 2016 achievements and have a Fibershed segment where our minds are blown by discovering that compost can help mitigate climate change. Lees meer
Marsha is almost finished with her #PussyHatProject hat for the Women's March that will be held in Seattle. Other than that, she has been working exclusively on her Great Poncho Adventure project. She is making the Rodeo Drive poncho from Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn. It is getting close to finished!
Kelly's Great Poncho Adventure is moving along after a mistake in the colorwork meant she had to rip back about 4 inches of work. It was painful, but worth the effort. She has adapted the Om Shawl to three colors and is working this out of three different gray yarns from Neighborhood Fiber Co.
Kelly has also been spinning. She finished plying two skeins of the endless 3-ply CVM. When combined with the bulky CVM singles she has spun, there is a total of 2.5 lbs (of the 6 lbs) that has been spun from this fiber. She also spun and plied some longwool fiber from deep in the stash (circa 2002?).
She finished 6 #PussyHatProject hats and sent them (along with 4 more of her Aunt's hats) to Washington DC for the Women's March on Washington. There are 3 more to finish for the San Francisco march that she will be attending.
Kelly was excited to share some work being done by Jeff Creque, the Marin Carbon Project and the Carbon Cycle Institute. She describes research done by Ryals, et al. in a paper entitled, "Impacts of organic matter amendments on carbon and nitrogen dynamics in grassland soils."
If you would like to hear more about Carbon Farming and other ideas presented at the Fibershed Wool Symposium, the videos are available on the Fibershed site. If you are interested in purchasing the Climate Beneficial Cloth or making a donation for application of a cubic yard of compost, click here for more information.
Marsha and Kelly will be at Stitches West on February 25 and 26. We will attend the meet-up organized by the Yarniacs a…
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Ep 58b: The Ewes Knit Seattle
8 januari 2017 · 29 min
Seattle! The Two Ewes are together in the Emerald City. Knitting hats, hitting the yarn shops, and having a great start to 2017! Lees meer
Kelly arrived on January 5 to a partly snowy Seattle. It was a quick, three-day trip, and they managed to see three yarn shops. Hear about the visit in this short episode with the ewes recording together.
Some highlights of the trip were the felted chair at Maker's Mercantile and additions to Kelly's linens and button stashes.
The lowlight of the trip was that Tolt Yarn and Wool was closed for inventory (with no notification on the website). Alas, we were disappointed.
But we perked right up by visiting Quintessential Knits only ten miles away. We also had the opportunity to visit Fiber Gallery one day while Enzo was getting groomed.
It was wonderful to start 2017 with a visit! Our next time together will be Stitches West on Saturday, February 25 for the podcast meet-up in the afternoon and Sunday, February 26 for the Marketplace. We hope to see you there!
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Ep 58: Plying Solo
1 januari 2017 · 46 min
In Episode 47 Kelly talked about handspun singles. In this episode she talks about plying handspun yarn and the properties of plied yarn for knitters who are buying commercial yarn. Lees meer
She talks about
what plying is and how it works,
why spinners might ply yarn, and
the number of plies and their effect on yarn.
She also gives tips for yarn buyers and tips for handspinners.
The pictures in the show notes show a skein of yarn, rather than a piece of plied yarn, but the three pictures illustrate how the individual fibers look in a plied yarn that is over-plied, balanced, and under-plied. Pretend each strand of yarn is a fiber in a plied yarn and you will see that in a balanced yarn, the fibers are parallel with the direction of the yarn.
Here is Kelly's project page for her Swirl Sweater.
Here is Marsha's project page for her Swirl Sweater.
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Ep 57: Percolators, Ponchos, and Pendleton Woolens
18 december 2016 · 1 uur 5 min
Podcasting about percolators, ponchos, and Pendleton woolens. Plus, we have two giveaway winners! Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha is making good progress on the Rodeo Drive poncho by Staci Perry. She has been focused on this one project and is making good progress. This despite a cabling accident caused by "knitting while podcasting" two weeks ago.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly is continuing with the Curious Case of the Crazy Stitch Cardigan by Michele DuNaier. She can't figure out why it seems to have two sides (since it is crocheted similar to the way garter stitch is knitted, doing the same thing on each side), but she thinks she now has it back on track.
Kelly has also been doing a small amount of spinning while sitting in the living room enjoying the Christmas tree.
"Advent-ewes"
Marsha visited the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon. She tells us all about the history of the company and the tour she had of the facility.
The wool that Pendleton uses is scoured in Texas--probably at the same facility that scoured the wool for the fabric in the fabric CSA that Kelly has purchased. Here is a link to the scouring company and here is an article about the expansion of their scouring operation.
Marsha took lots of pictures of the Pendleton Woolen Mill and the milling process.
Marsha also discovered that the Beach Boys wore Pendleton shirts and called themselves the PendleTones. Marsha's brother Mark splurged and bought a Pendleton blanket.
Marsha was able to visit the mill because she was spending the weekend in Walla Walla, Washington, where she and Kelly attended Whitman College together. She and Kelly reminisce about some of the familiar places and their college days.
Giveaway!
Two winners were drawn. One lucky winner will be getting a skein of Countess Ablaze yarn and a totebag that the Countess was kind enough to throw in with Kelly's order. The other will take home three skeins of Blacker Yarns from the Woolly Thistle Shop. These skeins were contributed b…
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Ep 56: Consumption is Complicated
3 december 2016 · 1 uur 4 min
A little knitting and crochet progress, and a lot of discussion about the complicated topic of consumption. Climate beneficial wool cloth, thrift store finds, supporting local farmers and small dyers, and (gasp!) knitting from stash for a year are all part of the conversation. Lees meer
Marsha has many things in progress (remember when she was a monogamous knitter?) but has been working exclusively on her Rodeo Drive Poncho. She loves the Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn and is enjoying the simple but elegant construction of the pattern by Staci Perry.
Kelly worked on socks while recording, but other than that the only other project has been some negative crochet. Ugh! Due to a mistake that she still needs to figure out, she did the second half of the back panel and the second front both inside out. The shell pattern is markedly different on these new pieces of the cardigan--until you turn them over and look at the back. But no one wants a sweater with two right fronts! Ripping out has occurred so the offending pieces can be redone. The sweater is her Curious Cobalt Cardigan, made using a Michele DuNaier pattern.
The closest Kelly has come to a Poncho Adventure is to wind one of her three skeins. Stay tuned--she hopes to have more poncho progress for next episode.
Kelly talks about her experience at the Fibershed Wool Symposium 2016. There is enough material for a regular segment on the podcast for quite a few more episodes.
The mission of Fibershed is to "develop regional fiber systems that build soil and protect the health of our biosphere." The Symposium followed a "soil to skin" framework and had panels of speakers from shepherds to clothing designers.
One of the current projects is the climate beneficial wool Fabric CSA. The wool is grown in CA, woven in CA by Huston Textile Co., and being offered for pre-sale. Kelly bought some and will be receiving it in April. She will have to do the wet finishing of the cloth since that part of the supply chain isn't available in the…
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Ep 55: The Great Poncho Adventure
22 november 2016 · 1 uur 15 min
New projects this time for both Marsha and Kelly. Also lots of poncho talk and information about The Great Poncho Adventure. The Ewes are making ponchos! There are also two yarn giveaways announced this episode. Lees meer
For photos and to subscribe to the podcast, visit the shownotes on our blog.
Marsha's Projects
Marsha has started her shawl with the NoCKRs yarns she got from Duren Dyeworks last year in commemoration of the retreat. The pattern is Good Vibes by Nadia Crétin-Léchenn.
She was ready to start her poncho with some Spirit Yarn, but decided that it was not the right yarn for the pattern. Instead she is going to find some yarn that is better suited. Late breaking news! Marsha got some yarn for the poncho! The pattern she is using is The Rodeo Drive Poncho by Staci Perry.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has made some progress on the crocheted Crazy Stitch Cardigan. It's a pattern by Michelle DuNaier. She has started on the shoulder and is almost ready to start the second side of the sweater.
She also had a project that was both started and finished since the last episode! She made two pair of Helmikuu Boot Toppers (by Sunshine Ravioli) while on a camping trip. The yarn was leftovers of Rowan Soft Tweed. Each topper took less than a skein, so about 75 yards per topper. It was great to use up these leftover skeins.
Yarn Giveaway
The Two Ewes have two giveaways this episode! Thanks to Claire from The Woolly Thistle, (and the New Hampshire Knits podcast) we have three skeins of Blacker Yarns to give away: Blacker Classic, Westcountry Tweed, and Blacker Swan. All are DK weight, 50 g balls of yarn. Go to the Ravelry group and answer the question in the Woolly Thistle Giveaway thread to be entered to win. Thank you, Claire for supporting the podcast with these three skeins to give away to listeners! Here are the skeins that will be given to one lucky winner!
The second giveaway is one of three GORGEOUS hand-dyed skeins Kelly bought from Countess Ablaze in England. Kelly …
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Ep 54: A Spirited Finish!
7 november 2016 · 1 uur 5 min
Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan is finished and the Two Ewes are celebrating! Project planning has begun for Marsha's next blanket and Kelly is once again making progress on the handspun Funky Grandpa cardigan. Join us for a fun episode full of fiber adventures! Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
The epic blanket is finished! Marsha finished Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and it is fantastic! The pattern is Garter Squish by Stephen West although it was made to be bigger than the pattern. Finished measurements are 6'8" x 5'7" and it weighs 5 pounds, 8 ounces. This blanket contains the memories of her father Frank. It was made from yarn that she used to make him a sweater many years ago. It also contains the Spirit Yarn from destashes, the Goodwill, and yarns from friends (including our listener HockeyRachel). This blanket is filled with good karma!
During the podcast we had another live bind-off. Marsha finished another washcloth or dishcloth. This one was the Atomic Washcloth pattern and she edged it with crochet while we were talking.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly is back to working on her Handspun Charlotte Cardigan. She is using the Funky Grandpa pattern and knitting with early handspun from a sheep named Charlotte. She is now working on the second sleeve and is almost done. Next is picking up the button band and selecting buttons from her button stash. Kelly talks about the joys of knitting with handspun and the importance of not waiting until your yarn is perfect or you have found the perfect pattern.
Kelly has also made progress on the blue crocheted cardigan that she is making. The Curious Case of the Crazy Stitch Cardigan by Michele DuNaier. The interesting construction is more curious than the stitch!
"Advent-ewes"
Kelly purchased yarn from The Woolly Thistle. St. Kilda Lace by Blacker Yarns is a blend of Soay and Boreray wool. Yarn from sheep she had never heard of was just too much of a temptation! For those interested in the two primitive breeds, here is a link:
Sheep of St. K…
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Ep 53: Long Project Blues
31 oktober 2016 · 57 min
There is knitting in the show, but we spend the first 15 minutes in non-fiber chit chat. Does that tell you how we feel about our knitting right now? We are both in a project low right now with long term projects and projects in transition phases. Finishing these items and the excitement of new cast-ons will come in time, but for right now we battle the long project blues. Lees meer
Projects
Marsha continues to work on the Stephen West Garter Squish afghan she is calling Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. She is working color twelve of fourteen and is ready to be done. It is hard to work on because it is getting so big and heavy. Definitely not portable! Marsha has been highly distracted by her new addiction...wash cloths! She as made WAHMingIt by Amber Perry, Spa Day Facecloth by Anne Mancine, Atomic Washcloth by Nanette Cormack, and is working on Ballband Washcloth by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne. * As I was writing the show notes I realized that I made the Atomic Washcloth completely wrong. The peach color should be stockinette and the blue garter stitch. Oh well. It's a design feature. :-)
Marsha is planning for her next project. She is looking at shawl patterns to use the Duren Dyeworks yarn she purchased at the NoCKR's retreat. Javala by Cailliau Berangere and Asunder by Lisa Mutch are under consideration. Marsha is also inspired the the poncho discussion and thinks the universe is sending her a message because she found eight skeins of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in navy at the Goodwill. Two possible poncho patterns are Easy Folded Poncho by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas and Mesa by Yumiko Alexander.
Kelly has finished the knitting on the octopus and decided to wash and block before stuffing and sewing. Sewing will be a loooooooong project with eight tentacles longer than sleeves, plus the underbelly. The NoCKRs shawl came back out long enough for Kelly to make a mistake and then proceed for two more rows. Now it is back in the bag awaiting a little tinking. Ugh! She did succ…
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Ep 52: Public Pledges
10 oktober 2016 · 1 uur 1 min
Knitting a blanket, an octopus, and some wash cloths have been keeping the Two Ewes in stitches these days. Fleeces, yarn, and fiber friends were in abundance at Lambtown last weekend. In addition, two public pledges will keep the Two Ewes accountable for some future projects! For photos to go with the links, see our blog! Lees meer
Marsha's Projects
Marsha continues to work steadily on her Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan but found she needed to take a break from it. She discovered washcloths!! She has made two from the pattern All Washed Up by Jill Arnusch and is almost done with Diagonal Knit Dishcloth by Jana Trent. Both are free patterns.
Kelly's Projects
All octopus, all the time! Kelly has more than half of the tentacles finished and has been working mostly on this project.
She did finally get back to the Mesa poncho by Yumiko Alexander so she could finish it in time for her sister's birthday. Finding buttons from the stash will finish it up!
There has also been some casting on/hooking on! The Curious Case crochet sweater by Michelle DuNair and a new pair of striping socks. were both started during the weekend away. The yarn for the socks is from Invictus Yarns and was purchased at Lambtown.
"Advent-ewes"
Lambtown in Dixon, California was great fun! Quite a few Northern California fiber friends were also attending and Kelly talks about the fun they had, including watching the fleece judging and selecting fleeces. The judge for the day was Maria Rooney, a Romney breeder at Silver Creek Lambscapes in Oregon.
Kelly bought a skein of green and yellow striping yarn from Invictus Yarns, a skein of red, yellow and gray striping sock yarn and a skein of blue gray to finish the NoCKRs Shawl from Duren Dyeworks. She also bought a smaller gauge punch needle for punch needle rug hooking from Wooly Walkers. This will join some other equipment and supplies she got at Stitches 2015 and Kelly has publicly pledged to start a punch needle rug project before the end of November.
Bee…
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Ep 51: Full On Poncho Attitude
26 september 2016 · 53 min
Beautiful Autumn days, ongoing projects, an Enzo the Poodle update, and some of our listeners' knitting are the topics of this episode. Marsha is coming to you from Seattle, as usual. Kelly is coming to you from a tin can somewhere on the Central Coast of California. :-) She forgot to plug in her microphone and was recorded through the not-so-good computer microphone. Sorry for this rookie podcasting error! Lees meer
Shortly after the last episode Kelly started to work on Opus the Octopus. He was the perfect project for her conference knitting. One sleeve of the Handspun Funky Grandpa was finished so that the needles could be re-purposed for the octopus, but that was the only other project she touched in the last two weeks.
Marsha continues to work on Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and has passed the halfway point. She'll be starting the ninth color of thirteen. She gives her hands a break by working on her Havasu Falls Shawl.
The Ewes share information about listeners' projects (including a beautiful shawl, a great poncho, a sweater, sock yarn scrap pajama pants, a knit dress and others) and they talk about future knitting plans. Kelly plans a second Edie tee shirt if she can find the yarn. A crochet sweater by Michele DuNaier is on deck next. It is The Curious Case of the Crazy-Stitch Cardigan. She'll be using a cobalt blue bamboo and cotton blend yarn, Valley Yarns Southwick from Webs. Kelly's final project in the planning stages is the Om Shawl, which is really a form of poncho! There are three colors of Neighborhood Fiber Company gray that will go into this poncho.
Upcoming Events: Kelly will be attending Lambtown in Dixon, California on October 1-2, 2016.
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Ep 50: Knitters are Like Astronauts
14 september 2016 · 1 uur 13 min
Our monogamous knitting continues, but the wool fleece auction, bees, and planning for upcoming fiber events has kept life interesting! Lees meer
Project Updates
Marsha continues to work on Frank's Spirt Yarn Afghan using the pattern from Stephen West called Garter Squish. She loves how the afghan keeps changing with each additional color. The afghan currently is about six feet wide and about 36" long. The afghan is no longer very portable, so Marsha is back working on the Havasu Falls shawl by Alison LoCicero. It's pretty good social knitting right now.
Marsha also washed the black Wensleydale-Cormo-Merino cross fleece she bought at The Black Sheep Gathering.
Kelly continues for work on her Funky Grandpa cardigan that she is calling Handspun Charlotte Cardigan because she is using handspun from a sheep named Charlotte. She reports on her experience of redoing one of the sleeves.
Kelly also discusses dyeing yarn for the her next project, Opus the Octopus by Cate Carter-Evans. She is motivated by the need to have a project for to work on while attending a conference. (Since recording Kelly has been on work conference travel and has made some good progress on the octopus!)
"Advent-ewes"
Kelly attended the Monterey County Fair and the wool auction. She sat in on the fleece judging, volunteer with set up, and attended the auction. She exercised extreme self-control and purchased only one fleece, but it is a beauty...a Santa Cruz Island fleece from Blue Oak Canyon Ranch! Here is a link to an article about these sheep to understand why we are so intrigued.
Marsha will be attending some events this fall and wanted to remind people about the terrific website called Knitter's Review that lists world wide fiber events. Nice to read about the events and dream. :-)
Bees
Kelly is so happy to report that she had a bee swarm in her garden! Check out her Instagram account at 1hundredprojects to see videos of the swarm and how Kelly got the swarm into the hive. So interesting. Kell…
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Ep 49: Yikes! Project Monogamy
28 augustus 2016 · 54 min
Knitting monogamy and the fall semester have combined to reduce the yarn crafting of the Two Ewes this episode. Both are making progress on their Epic Adventures, though. View photos, and subscribe to the podcast at our Two Ewes Fiber Adventures blog! Lees meer
Kelly has finished all the squares needed for the quilt that she started over 30 years ago. Now on to the sewing together!
Kelly also started a new sock project for meeting knitting. The Angler's Loop socks have an interesting cable pattern along the back of the sock. The pattern is designed by Andrea Mules.
Marsha has been moving along on Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. The pattern is the Garter Squish by Stephen West. She is on the third color now and, at the moment, is knitting on this project exclusively.
Marsha did something she never thought she would do. She bought a tie-dyed skirt! This is not your grandfather's tie-dye. She talked with the dyer about the technique (which includes dye removal as well as overdyeing) and is inspired to try some tie-dye.
Kelly attended the fleece judging for the Monterey County Fair Wool Show. The judge this year was Richard Jacobsen of Jacobsen Ranch. The fleeces in the show were spectacular, as usual! A "chrome" silver merino fleece caught everyone's imagination.
There are a few unusual entries this year. The most exciting was a Santa Cruz Island fleece.
This is a rare, heritage breed that had been feral on Santa Cruz Island. The Livestock Conservancy page links to a detailed and interesting article on the history of the breed by Lynn Moody. I don't know if she is the source of the fleece at the show. Here is an excerpt from the article.
"Jim and I acquired our starter flock of Santa Cruz Island sheep from Marion Stanley in July 2010. As an avid (though not particularly skilled) handspinner and knitter and beginning weaver, I was looking for a hardy, self-sufficient and fuss-free breed with nice wool, marketable to crafters and artists, and that were "endangered" and needed…
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Ep 48: Epic Projects and She Should've Worn Camo Underpants
13 augustus 2016 · 1 uur 1 min
Civil War Socks, two epic projects, and a few rants from the Two Ewes are on the episode this week! Lees meer
Finished and Started
Kelly finished the Civil War Socks (pattern by Karin Timour) and they fit her husband perfectly. The choices of yarn color were made as a result of reading this Civil War discussion board post.
Marsha finished prepping the yarn for Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and she has cast on. This will be a long-term project.
She is also continuing work on the Havasu Falls Shawl that she is making from a Freia gradient yarn.
Kelly has started working on her long-term project, too. It is a quilt top that she started while in high school. Since the last episode she has made progress on this quilt, which she is planning to use as a queen-sized bedspread. It is a hand pieced quilt in the "Split Rail" design and is made from sewing project scraps from her childhood and teen years. For example, one of the fabrics is from the "Swirl Skirt" that Kelly had in the 1970s.
Kelly has also started a Mesa poncho for her sister. She discusses the yarn structure and how that is affecting the knitting in an interesting way.
Fiber in the Wild
Marsha discusses an article about the resurgence of sewing from the New York Times (August 2, 2016). The article led her to the pattern for the Walk Away Dress.
Another NY Times article details the use of the crystals on the leotards of the US Gymnastics Team. This led Marsha to a rant about women's athletic uniforms in the Olympics, but don't worry, Kelly derailed her before she started in on the Beach Volleyball uniforms!
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Ep 47: Knitting with Handspun Singles
31 juli 2016 · 1 uur
Spinning, dyeing moth-proof yarn, crocheting bears, and knitting handspun singles are adventures in this episode. Kelly gives an extensive review of knitting with handspun singles so that spinners will know how to use their yarn without always plying it. Marsha has been researching the meaning of the old-fashioned "moth-proofing" that was done to her spirit yarn. We hope that both topics are interesting and helpful to you! Lees meer
For show notes with pictures, see http://twoewesfiber.com
Marsha's projects
Marsha has not done too much knitting recently but she has made some progress on the Havasu Falls Shawl by Allison LoCicero and completed spinning 10 ounces of golden Shetland roving that she got at the Black Sheep Gathering.
She has also been doing a little more over-dyeing in preparation for the the afghan project she is making with spirit yarn. Detailed information about the preparations for this project (including the math that we discussed in the previous episode) is in the Project Page for Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. One of the colors came out lime green, as planned. The other skein was meant to be coral but turned out gold. The yarn was labeled as "moth-proofed" and Marsha has done some research about what that means. The process includes treating the wool with a pesticide called Mitin ff, and may be the reason that the dye didn't adhere properly.
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has started back up on the second of the Civil War Socks for Robert. She has put a few more sections on the NoCKRs shawl, too, but it is now time to figure out how much yarn she will need to do the final repeats. She has modified the New Beginnings pattern by Boo Knits in order to use two colors and wants to use all 800 yards, if possible. Kelly has also continued in her addiction to crocheting bears for the Mother Bear Project! She now has 13 bears to enter into the Knit/Crochet Along that the 2 Knit Lit Chicks are hosting on their Ravelry group. To see pictures of the bears with the children…
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Ep 46: Fun with Math, Color, and Sheep Labor
18 juli 2016 · 1 uur 5 min
Math, over-dyeing, color theory, and an interesting discussion of the Faroe Islands join knitting and spinning in the topics of this episode. Lees meer
Kelly's Projects
Kelly has won the battle with the first of the Civil War socks. Several adjustments for fit were needed, but the finished sock is now perfect and it is on to the second one.
The only other knitting has been on the NoCKRs shawl. The desire to use as much yarn as possible of both colors has led to some pattern modification experiments.
Kelly has been doing a lot of spinning with two different wool/angora blends. One is a dyed gray and the other is a natural white. She also continues working on the CVM fleece with both a fingering/sport 3-ply and a bulky singles yarns on the wheels.
Marsha's Projects
Marsha was doing really well on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang but discovered she knit past the point where she should begin decreasing for the shoulders. Ugh! She now needs to do some ripping back.
She started a shawl call Havasu Falls by Allison LoCicero using Freia Handpaints Ombre Lace in the color way Ice Queen.
Since the last episode's discussion of the Tour de Fleece, Marsha has been focusing on spinning. She has one skein done and three bobbins waiting to be plied of the golden Shetland roving she purchased last month at the Black Sheep Gathering. When that project is done she plans to start spinning a big ball of unknown wool roving from Pendleton Woolen Mills.
The Two Ewes have a discussion on the planning Marsha is doing to make the Garter Squish afghan by Stephen West. There is lots of talk of math including the golden ratio!
The Garter Squish afghan is knit using two balls of worsted weight yarn. One in a main color and the second in ever changing contrast colors. For the main color Marsha will use the repurposed blue spirit yarn from the giant sweater she made for her father. For the contrasting colors she will use odds and ends from her stash. She didn't love some of the colors which…
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Winners and a Wooly Road Trip! Episode 45
8 juli 2016 · 1 uur 13 min
Show notes coming soon.
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Tangents Galore in Ep 44
19 juni 2016 · 1 uur 3 min
Knitting, spinning and preparing for the Black Sheep Gathering has Marsha and Kelly so excited that they can't stay on topic! Lots of interesting (we hope!) tangents in this episode. Lees meer
Marsha has finished her Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon. She loves the look and the fit and recommends the pattern.
She is still working on her Spirit-Yarn-a-Long project, a shawl called Sunny Delight by Brian Smith. This will be great train knitting for her train trip to Eugene for the Black Sheep Gathering.
Kelly cast on and finished a Spirit Yarn project. The Bethel Tank has been in her queue for about two years. She used some coned cotton that she and Marsha had dyed a couple summers ago in a dyeing experiment. Along with the cotton she carried along a strand of rough-spun linen coned yarn.
The Spirit Yarn Along will continue until June 30 in the Ravelry Group. Winners will be chosen randomly from the discussion participants. Share your projects and Spirit Yarn stories. While discussing the projects Marsha speculated that there was probably a podcast about buying storage units. Indeed there is! Kelly found this podcast about buying storage units. Storage Auction Shogun's Podcast.
Kelly is also working on Civil War era socks for her husband from a 19th century pattern. The toes, cuffs, and heels will be her handspun. It is a 3-ply mohair and merino blend fiber from Sincere Sheep. The leg and foot of the socks will be Invictus Yarn BFL sock in an indigo color.
Going to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon? If so, we have a meet-up planned for the evening of Saturday, June 25. We hope you can join us. Listen to the show and check out the Ravelry Group for more details.
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Ep 43: One Ewe for You
6 juni 2016 · 28 min
In this episode you will only hear one half of the Two Ewes. Kelly finished up the school year with a cold and wasn't able to record. We didn't want to miss reaching out to everyone so it is short episode with Marsha. Well, Kelly does make a short appearance at the end of the podcast since at editing time she had a little better voice! Lees meer
Kelly has finished two projects! She decided that a good day to bind off the I Love My Husband scarf was their 32nd anniversary. It was one of the projects that she brought on the camping trip they went on. She also finished the Edie tee by Isabel Kramer. She decided not to add the neckline edging, but she did add a moss stitch edging to the hem and sleeves. The yarn fabric washed up nicely in a cold water machine wash and a trip through the dryer. The hem and sleeve edges are rolling up, so it will need a bit of ironing there.
She continues work on the Latticework Cardigan and hopes to finish before the Black Sheep Gathering. Breaking News! The sweater is finished!
The end of the semester prevented her from selecting a spirit yarn project (although Pi Baby from last episode was made from spirit yarn). Now that school is over and the grading is done, she will be searching through stash for a good candidate.
Marsha has not picked up her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang for weeks since she has been working on other projects.
She is almost to the bottom edge of her Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon. She want the T-shirt to be a little longer than the pattern is written. She plans to put the bottom edge on waste yarn, finish the neck and sleeves and see how much yarn she has to make the Tee longer.
Yarnia in Portland, Oregon was awesome and sent her 2 ounces more yarn to finished her Striped Study Shawl. Thank you so much Yarnia!
Marsha is still working on her Spirit-Yarn-a-Long project, a shawl called Sunny Delight by Brian Smith.
She has been spinning and carding the Merino fleece she bought last year at the Black Sheep Gat…
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Ep 42: Further Adventures in Spirit Yarn
25 mei 2016 · 58 min
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Kelly and Marsha have been busy with non-fiber responsibilities but still made progress on various projects and even started a few. Lees meerKelly finished a crochet gift for a first-time-father-to-be. Since it was a math department colleague, she made Pi Guy for the new baby.
She is currently working on the scarf for her husband, the Edie tee and the crochet Latticework Cardigan that she cast on for the Spring Fever Knit/Crochet Along.
Marsha continues to work on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang, but progress has slowed because she has started new projects. (What was she thinking!) She has finished the deceases for the armhole and will soon start the shoulder and neck shaping.
She is making good progress on her Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon and is about to start the shaping decreases for the body.
In Episode 41 Marsha discussed her plans for a shawl using the Spirt Yarn from the NoCKR's detash room. She took home with her a skein each of Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lana D'Oro (multi), Knit Pics Capra (brown), and Ranch of the Oaks Alpaca (grey). She purchased a beautiful skein of The Fiber Company Acadia (cream) that coordinates beautifully with the Spirit Yarns. She cast on the shawl Sunny Delight MK2 by Brian Smith.
Marsha also has a self-imposed deadline to spin all, or at least part of, the two fleeces she purchased last year at the Black Sheep Gathering before she attends this year's festival in June.
Kelly discusses some Fiber in the Wild.
We have a discussion thread in the Ravelry Group for the Spirit Yarn Along. Use your spirit yarn (whether de-stash or DEEP stash) to make something between now and June 30. Talk about it, show us pictures, and share the creativity. Winners will be selected randomly from the thread.
Kelly is looking forward to Spinning at the Winery on June 4, held by the Treadles to Threads Guild at the Retzlaff winery in Livermore.
Going to the Black Sheep Gathering? If so, we have a meet-up planned for the afternoon/evening of Sa…
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Ep 41: Sitting is the New Smoking
9 mei 2016 · 1 uur 16 min
We did it! Kelly and Marsha completed the Big Sur 21-Miler walk on Sunday, April 24th and in this episode the talk about the experience. We also give updates on projects and announce the the winners of our Spring Fever Free-for-All. Lees meer
Kelly finished all her Star Wars Amigurumi! They were sent to her brother-in-law just in time for "May the Fourth be With You." He really loved them. Check out Kelly's project page to see all the fun she had posing them with each other for pictures. There are still more of them that she might make but for now the Star Wars toys are done!
Kelly is currently working most on the shawl out of the NoCKRs 2016 yarn from Duren Dyeworks.
She decided to reuse the New Beginnings pattern by Boo Knits. She has one shawl from this pattern that she loves and she decided she could make some adjustments so that it will work with the two colors and use up all the yarn.
Kelly has swatched for the Edie t-shirt out of the Queensland Collection Savannah. This is the yarn that Marsha and Kelly both bought right before the retreat. It is a linen and silk blend.
Marsha has made good progress on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang. She has finished the decreases for the armholes.
She has cast on for a T-shirt called Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon. She is using Queensland Collection Savanna a silk and linen blend. The sweater is designed for short, 3/4 length, or long sleeves, in either cotton or wool blends. Truly a pattern for all seasons.
Marsha also talks about wanting to cast on a project using Spirit Yarn from the NoCKRs retreat destash room. She brought home some beautiful alpaca and cashmere and wants to cast on a social knitting shawl. Keeping in the spirit of Spirit Yarn, she is looking for a free pattern and will use the free needles she got from the destash room. She doesn't have enough yarn so plans to purchase a fourth color from her LYS where she has a gift certificate.
Spirit Yarn Patterns:
Outdoors - Maanel
Livezey House Wrap -…
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Ep 40: Spirit Yarn
22 april 2016 · 52 min
The Two Ewes record together this week since Marsha is visiting Kelly for the NoCKRs retreat (last weekend) and the Big Sur 21-miler (coming up this weekend). You'll hear about what inspired us at the retreat, the progress we've made on our current projects, and our plans to meet more listeners. We also talk about the idea of Spirit Yarn. Lees meer
The retreat was a great way for Kelly to get miles of spinning done! She worked on more of the yarn for her mother's Shibui Axis vest. Two large bobbins were filled and that should end up being 4-5 ounces of yarn once it is plied. Kelly also knitted on the Funky Grandpa cardigan that she is making out of handspun. Both of these projects turned out to be great social projects. Marsha worked on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang. She also started the Shetland Crescent shawl by Kieran Foley, but made better progress on the sweater.
The projects at the retreat were so fabulous that Kelly was inspired to immediately queue the Mesa by Yumiko Alexander. It is a versatile garment that can be worn as a cape or as a shawl or as a poncho. She is also planning to make the Cancun by Erin Kate Archer. This boxy sweater is essentially a lace sampler. The version at the retreat was tunic length and very flattering!
Marsha was inspired by the colors at the retreat. California knitters seem to use more colorful yarns than knitters in the Pacific Northwest. One item in particular caught her eye. It was a beautiful version of the Stephen West shawl Exploration Station. She was also inspired to one day take a trip with Kelly to Rhinebeck, aka New York State Sheep and Wool Festival.
All that inspiration has led to some big plans! Kelly plans to make the Edie Tee since Marsha's finished project looked so fantastic on her. Kelly bought yarn that would be suitable while visiting the Continental Stitch in Morgan Hill just before the retreat to take advantage of the discount that they were offering NoCKRs participants. Marsha has plans to make Ricky…
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Ep 39: Lace has Holes and other Revelations
11 april 2016 · 1 uur 6 min
Our adventures continue. Marsha has a revelation about lace and another about her mama bear ferocity. :-) Listen to us discuss current projects, bees, a puppy, and some "Fiber in the Wild"! Lees meer
Kelly continues the Star Wars crochet saga and has finished Luke, Han, Leia, and Jabba.
Creating tea cosies would be a similar sculptural activity and Kelly recommends a look at the work of Loani Prior , an Australian knitter who is also on Instagram as @queenoftheteacosies.
She has also finished the Wensleydale yarn she is making for her Aunt Betty to use for a Simply Garter Vest. The yarn is loosely spun and plied--a good way to make sure that the longer, courser wools don't end up feeling like wire. In fact, the yarn is shiny, silky, and very spongy in the skein.
For the Spring Fever Free-for-All Kelly has "chained up" the Latticework Cardigan by Michele DuNaier. At this point she is almost ready to separate the sleeves. The crocheting is fun and fast. It would be even faster for an experienced crocheter. This is Kelly's first crochet garment, so learning the construction and fitting methods has been interesting.
Marsha finished the knitting of her Edie Tee by Isabel Kraemer. Next is weaving in the ends and washing. The Two Ewes discuss the sweater's short rows and Kelly recommends the free Craftsy class by Carol Feller.
Marsha hasn't had time to spin more of her Shetland fleece but she did spend some time carding.
Marsha contacted Michele Wang, the designer of the Fairfield Cardigan, after she got stuck on the double yarn over. Michele was so kind to send photos of the how to work the stitch and now Marsha is back on track.
Marsha discusses two books she is reading by Clara Parkes. The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting and Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees the World.
She also talks about two articles she recently read in the New York Times. "The Sock Queen of Alabama" is about an "artisan" sock manufacturer in Fort Payne, Alabama with two sock lines called Zka…
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Ep 38: Spring Fever Free-for-All
29 maart 2016 · 57 min
What's new with the Two Ewes? Well, not much knitting, but lots of other things have been going on. Both Kelly and Marsha are participating in the"Leave It" Division of the Caithness Craft Un-Knit-Along (UnKAL). There is also a chat thread for this UnKAL in the Twinset Designs Ravelry Group. Marsha has put her Striped Study Shawl in the closet and Kelly has sent her Playground Shawl out to recess. :-) Lees meer
Meanwhile Kelly continues crocheting on the Starwars amigurumi. She has four done, Jabba on the hook and is planning at least ten more for the May the Fourth Be With You deadline! The designer's (Lucy Collin) Flickr page has even more ideas than the book that came with the kit!
The Easter Bunny came out so cute and was so fun, Kelly decided to make a toy for both the "grands." The Purple Bunny was a free Drops Designs pattern with a few modifications that can be found in my project page. The purple mohair brushed up really nicely to make a slightly furry bunny. The companion toy was Marshall from Paw Patrol, a pattern by Melissa's Crochet Patterns.
Bee-sides the toys, Kelly has created a nucleus hive. See this blog post for more information. She has seen the queen bee for the first time. Very exciting! Here is a photo of a queen bee from the Bee Informed website. Maybe someday Kelly will be able to take photos of her own bees.
Marsha continues to work on her Edie Tee by Isabell Kraemer. She has about another 5" to knit and then will begin short rows to shape the bottom edge.
Marsha has stalled out on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang because she doesn't understand a specific stitch. She plans to contact the designer for help because she wants to work on it while visiting Kelly in April.
In January Marsha set the goal of spinning the Shetland and Merino fleeces she purchased last June at the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene, Oregon. She plans to attend again this year and promised herself she could not buy anymore fleeces until she spun what she already has! …