happy thanksgiving

This week is Thanksgiving here in the states, and we plan to eat, eat and eat some more. There is also knitting and lazing around planned. (And truth be told, a few walks in the park.) Here's hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday and gets plenty of pumpkin pie!

a little podcast love

Knitting video podcasts are everywhere these days, aren't they? It seems like they are the new "influence bloggers" in the knitting world. Which is great, since prepping, skeining, re-skeining, labeling, measuring and fluffing fiber and all those other little tasks that go with running a yarn business take a some time. And how better to pass the time than with some podcasts?

While I'm not the podcast watching expert that others may be (I know there are tons I haven't watched or even heard of), I've got a few current faves:

The Gentle Knitter
This is a new podcast for me, and it may be my favorite. It's hosted by Nicole who lives in Ottawa, Canada and boy, she does some serious knitting. She does quite a bit of sample knitting for some major designers, which is interesting to hear about. She also spins and has a dog, so you know...yay! Nicole's aesthetic and project choices are right up my alley. She likes "quiet things" and soft colors. A definite must watch for me.

By the Lakeside
This is also a new podcast for me, and it's another Canadian gal. Sandy lives by the lake near Toronto and knits, sews and does crafty things. What hooked me here, besides her lovely demeanor and interesting projects, was her love of planners, journals, sketchbooks and paper. I'm a paper, planner and sketchbook lover too, so this was a happy discovery.

Grocery Girls
I'm guessing most podcast-watching knitters out there already know about Jodi & Tracie of the Grocery Girls, but you never know. These girls are just fun. They remind me so much of my aunts, and the crazy good times we would have just hanging out, shopping, and eating. If by some chance, you haven't seen them yet...go watch. You'll smile.

Suburban Stitcher
I've been watching Dianne for a while now, and I'm constantly amazed at the amount of knitting that comes off her needles. For someone who's running a business, raising kids and you know... generally living a life, you would think she knits 24/7.  Sock knitter extraordinaire, shawl knitter and frequent enabler of "lovelies", she's definitely worth watching.

Do you have a favorite podcast?

Casting On: Cinnamon Girl Cardigan

I have cast on my newest WIP, and this is one I've been wanting to make for a while now. It's the Cinnamon Girl by JuJu Vail and Susan Cropper of Loop London.

I love the way this cardigan looks. I can foresee getting a lot of wear out of it, kind of like the recently completed Hitofude. Yay for me. But I'm also excited to knit it. There are several things going on and I think it will be an absorbing knit.

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do the moss stitch on the upper body, or change it to stockinette. I'm very undecided at the moment, but I better make up my mind, since it's a top-down sweater. You start with the little cable-lace band (which is where I'm at) and go from there.

Plus, these two projects have me doing some mulling over which version to make: The blousier version by Facile Cecile, or this straighter version by Millsington. It appears most people have made the blousier version, although it's hard to tell sometimes, and not many people have noted which version they made in their notes.

Anyway, I'm making mine out of Sojourn Sport in the Cloud Burst colorway. I think the gray will be very versatile, since it goes with everything I own. It's in my newest project bag, which I love, from ZigZagStitches on Etsy.  It's actually a shawl-size bag, but it holds my yarn, pattern and book perfectly.

Hopefully, this will begin a trend of knitting some sweaters that I've had in my queue for some time!

Party in Progress

I cast on last week for a new shawl, and lo and behold, it's even a popular one...Party on my Needles by Joji Locatelli.

I've been in a serious blue and green mood this year, and the greens won out this time:

I'm using Sojourn Sock in Cabana for the main color, and I'll be doing the stripes with my Linden Sock Mini Skein Kit in Bouquet Garni, which is a series of greens. It's so fresh looking, I keep wanting to take a bite! :)

I think this will be a pretty quick knit, even for me, Miss Slowpoke. And all the cushy garter stitch should make it very cosy and squishy.