88 We Have Adventures!

Listen here.

Latte: Ben and Abby discussed a comparison of their two takes on the  Java socks. Abby's is knit from Hazelknits Artisan sock yarn. Ben'sis BFL Flying Sock from Fly Designs What accounts for the difference? Could it just be that we're different knitters? We used the same size needles. Ben's yarn is 2 ply; Abby's is 3 ply. The properties of different sock yarns are discussed in Clara Parkes's book The Knitter's Book of Socks.

Brewing: Ben is going to "Pass the Hat" for the event formerly known as the Ravelypics. He will create a tumblr for submissions. 

Abby is thinking about knitting Eadon (the SPAKAL sweater) but she's not sure yet.

Stir: Abby finished the singles for Tour de Fleece then started spinning with her Jenkins Swan. She is now spinning Targhee roving by Abstract Fiber that she bought at the Black Sheep Gathering.

Poor Ben! Abby gave him some fiber and he couldn't spin with it. Verdict: It's TERRIBLE fiber! Ben needs to get some good fiber. Maybe what he has is moth-eaten? It's totally falling apart.

Chai: Reflection Farm! The Northwest Regional Spinning Association group of 2080 Spinners were having a day! Sherrill of the Barely Knitting Podcast told us how to find them!  Ann, one of their members, talks about her sheep Ewelanda and her lamb Littlelanda

We had a wonderful adventure at an undisclosed location :)

We also went to some of our favorite Olympia spots: Burial Grounds and Bonjour Cupcake. 

87 Fiber and Filters

Latte: Abby's still working on the Rocky Coast cardigan and the Absinthe Socks. The chart is making more sense this week.

Stir: Please join Team Sasquatch for Tour de Fleece. Abby has decided to spin Crown Mountain Farm's Shadow on the Wall fiber for this event. She's using her Sidekick and plans a three-ply sock yarn.

Abby also taught a friend to spin on her Jenkins Turkish spindle. Sadly, the spindle shaft broke, so they made some CD spindles until a better one can be purchased.  

Bitter cup: Well, the broken spindle shaft. We believe in using best tools for teaching so the CD spindle was a last resort. Abby taught her kids to sew on her Bernina instead of a lesser sewing machine.

Ben's bitter cup is that he hasn't had a chance to knit all week. He's going to see if audio books on his commute free up some knitting time.

Abby and Ben briefly talked about Haruki Murakami's book Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

Brewing: We talked about how to keep knitting during a life change and/or transition. Ben finds his current TV watching is a social activity that currently precludes knitting.

Abby expressed a need for a social-knitting friendly portable project. At Ben's suggestion  she's going try knitting the Java socks. 

Bite: We've received many suggestions for a name for our "Fashion and Style" segment. Please let us know in the show thread or by PM which you like best: 

Toppings

Flavor of the Day

Barista Recommendation

Java Jacket

Macchiato 

Steamer

Fashionbarista

Latte Art

In Season

Barista

Designer Bean

Chai: 

Abby saw a Flamenco performance at The Mandolin Cafe which is, sadly, closing on July 15. We love Farmers' Markets! There is also one at Ben's work.

Caffeinated: Abby shares some of her Instagram Tips and Tricks. She has many photography apps, including: Camera 360, Camera+, Snapseed, DeluxeFX, PicFX, FilterMania2, ToonPaint, GroupShot, 360, Dynamic Light, Grungetastic, ColorSplash, MarbleCam, Popsicolor

Ben has been working out at his local CrossFit, and highly recommends it.

KCLWoods were kind enough to send me photos of some beautiful wood spinning and knitting tools. 

86 - Fleeced!

Podcasters! Clockwise from top left: Anatomical Erin, Kristine (Yarnings), Rachel (Knitcents), Karen (KnitWits), Abby, Susan (Knitajourney) Missing from photo: Sasha (Spin Doctor) 

Listen here.

First an apology: Show notes for episode 85 have gone missing. They will be posted as soon as they show up.

Latte: Abby continues to knit the Rocky Coast cardi and the Absinthe socks. The chart is confusing, but Abby is using GoodReader to keep track.

Ben is slogging on with the Java Socks. He is suffering from some knitting ennui. 

Question for listeners: Do you want a style and fashion segment? What should we call it?

Brewing: Ben wants to design and knit one hat a week for a while and circulate the hats in Olympia to see where they go. He plans to publish the patterns as well. 

Abby is trying to figure out what to do her my SPAKAL yarn in case she doesn't have enough yardage for Eadon. She noticed that people said more yarn is needed, this may have to do with the weight of the yarn. 

Bitter cup: Abby has the wrong clothes, wrong shoes, etc. Decision fatigue strikes again.

Take a bite: We answer a question about keeping both sides of a Stephen West shawl equally stretchy.

Chai: Lots of talk about Ben's Graduation and the Black Sheep Gathering

Also we've been spending lots of time in Olympia and have visited The Reef, Darby's Cafe, Burial Grounds, and Last Word Books.

Coffee art at Burial Grounds

Caffeinated: Why we love Mad Men.

Bite: How do you use your queue? Favorites?

Tour de Fleece June 30 through July 21. Please come join Team Sasquatch, set your goal, and start spinning!

Tip jar: use anything to change your nitpicks interchangeable. I used a twist tie, stripped of its paper.