Blue Cone Boxy Sweater – self drafted pattern, Brother KH 836e main bed, dial 1 (even on the tension rod), tuck stitch pattern punch card 2 on long, mystery cotton cone from a closing mill
Since my last episode, Ravelry has updated their TOS to be more strict with prohibiting hate speech and white supremacy, which I fully support. There has been a lot of emotional labour involved in the BIPOC community to push Ravelry to make their site safer for BIPOC members and I’m really glad to see that Ravelry listened.
Nathan Taylor and Benjamin Till.
Nathan made a post tone policing BIPOC contributors under the #diversknitty hashtag
When called out and educated on his post, Nathan closed comments and edited most of the text on that post.
I posted about this on Instagram, but I saw a troubling amount of silence from white folks regarding his post. There was also an unsurprisingly large base of fans supporting his tone policing.
His post was damaging and irresponsible, but I was not surprised by it.
Nathan is an openly gay man with HIV, which is not at the top of the priviledge ladder, but he is a white, cisgendered man in an affluent country who, from what he presents to us online, does not live on or below the poverty line.
Those are a lot of things that boost him closer to the top of that privilege ladder.
I have seen him more than once equate his struggles as a gay man with the struggles of BIPOC and non-cis folks, so it didn’t surprise me that when people pointed out how his words were harmful to BIPOC in particular and provided resources for him to educate himself, he shut down the thread.
There are screenshots of the original text of the post and of Nathan’s and his husband’s responses in the comments available on Instagram.
Benjamin Till (Nathan’s husband) posted to Nathan’s account saying that he had to be hospitalized and places the blame on people calling out the racism in the prior post. He continued to engage and encourage racist behaviour and language in the comments of that post.
Benjamin shut down his own Instagram account and has posted multiple times to an external blog, which has included detailed, graphic descriptions of his husband’s mental breakdown and calls to action against BIPOC commenters on Nathan’s account, singling out specific BIPOC Instagram users
Sunday, July 14th 2019, Nathan made an appearance at Yarningham to sell books and teach workshops (which had been in contract prior to his inflammatory posts on Instagram), despite his recent hospitalization. When he was approached at the book table by a woman of color and asked questions about his post, he attacked her, had to be physically restrained, and had to be removed from the event.
This is appalling and violent. This is why BIPOC do not feel safe in majority white spaces.
White supremacy is an infection. It’s everywhere, just slowly seeping in. We need to crack ourselves open and carve it out. There are many ways to do that and the amazing BIPOC in this community have been handing us the means to do it with books, workshops, videos, and posts on how to use our power, patronage, donations, words, and voices to make change and hold ourselves accountable.
There has been, and still is, a lot of disappointing silence from white makers, podcasters, and businesses in response to Nathan and Benjamin’s behaviour. It took physical violence against a woman of color before a lot of people even started to see a problem. This is not okay.
Online Responsibility
I also want to make a point about taking responsibility for your audience on social media and other spaces online.
For comparison, these are my numbers– YouTube (1389), Instagram (732), Tumblr (369), Twitter (187). If we pretend that there’s no overlap in those numbers, that’s 2677 people. That’s enough people to nearly fill the Danbury Ice Arena in Danbury, CT.
Nathan has over 20K followers on Instagram and over 17K subscribers on YouTube. His Instagram followers alone could fill Madison Square Garden.
His behaviour regarding not taking responsibility for how his audience will use his words is a serious problem.
This is a problem that I’ve seen time and again on YouTube and Instagram as people become online celebrities, since the first YouTube mega-celebrities back in 2008.
When you have those numbers, posting to YouTube and Instagram is not hanging out with a few friends in someone’s living room.
When you have MY numbers, it’s not just hanging out with a few friends in someone’s living room. I know it feels like that, but it isn’t.
When you have those numbers, ANYTHING you post is an announcement to a stadium full of people.
It is SO EASY for that amount of people- even if each one saw the post or video alone- to mob, to jump to conclusions, to react in a way that they never would if someone said an ignorant or hurtful statement one-on-one.
It’s okay to make mistakes. Offhand Twitter comments or troublesome language in a post is going to happen.
When it’s pointed out to you, feel your feelings in private and then stop to think about it. Reach out to people who are volunteering the emotional labour to educate you and, if they are willing, discuss the situation with them. Admit your mistakes. Own that you messed up and clarify your mistake and what you’ve learned. It’s okay to change your mind on something! This is how we learn and grow.
But when BIPOC point out how your words to 20K people are going to hurt them and your response is “I don’t care about that,” that is irresponsible, entitled, and damaging to the community that you INSIST you are trying to “improve.”
Alright. I’m going to ask you to pause this video and feel your feelings about what I just said. Come back tomorrow if you need to. The crafting? The crafting will be here.
Dye Stuff
Lichen Dye – I’ve had lichen soaking in an ammonia and water mixture since December and I decided that, since there is an ammonia base to this dye, I would be solar dyeing this mixture for less smell. It sat in a jar in the sun for about a week and a half.
Purple Basil Dye – True solar dye, about 50g purple basil leaves from my garden in water in a jar in the backyard for 4 days, 8% alum solution on the fiber, fiber sat in the dye stock for about a week
Eco Printing
Oak leaves, maple leaves, ferns, sumac leaves and berries, queen anne’s lace, sprinkled some calendula petals
Tea – Fabric was folded and tied into a cube shape, 12 teabags from a box of English breakfast tea, brewed at a simmer for 1 hour, no other fixative on the fabric.
Coffee – Fabric was rolled into a cylinder. 50 g coffee grounds, brewed at a simmer for 1 hour, no other fixative on the fabric.
Tea Dye – Wool – Second dye bath. No other fixative on the fiber. Fiber sample sat in tea overnight.
Tea Dye – Handspun – Third dye bath, sat in tea over the majority of two days.No other fixative on the fiber.
Coffee Dye – Wool – Second dye bath. No other fixative in the fiber. Fiber sample sat in coffee overnight.
Coffee Dye – Fabric – Third dye bath, sat in coffee over the majority of two days. No other fixative on the fiber.
FOs
Fall mini-batts drop spindling – with new Turtle Made top whorl drop spindle
Darth Scabrous mini batts – Turtle Made top whorl drop spindle & Classy Squid top whorl drop spindle
Sew Liberated Forager Vest – naturally dyed linen and linen/rayon from my dye experiments, flat felled seams
WIPs
Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry – Once Upon a Corgi Handmade yarns (Queequeg/Briny Beach,Tomorrow I Shall Be Fetterless/Lemony Snicket, Miracles and meatballs/ Ghoul Haunted Woodlands of Weir, Dark as a Crow at Night/ Dying to Burn at the Stake) – US 4/3.5 mm needle
Blue Cone Boxy Sweater – self drafted pattern, Brother KH 836e main bed, dial 1 (even on the tension rod), tuck stitch pattern punch card 2 on long, mystery cotton cone from a closing mill
I just wanted to make sure to point out that this video podcast does have Closed Captioning and there are transcripts of that CC file included in the show notes on freakishlemon.com. I think that’s something that I’ve been forgetting to mention in my intro. I’m updating my default notes file to include this information, so that shouldn’t happen in the future. Also, if you use the transcript included in my show notes and have any feedback for me, please share! Shoot me a message somewhere, comment below, comment on the blog post – I’ll find it at some point.
Dye Stuff
Memorial Day Weekend Dye Adventures – Natural dyes, all-in-one dye method using two pots on two portable burners using 8% of the fiber’s dry weight alum as a fixative, all samples sat in the cooling dye bath for at least 8 hours (most of them overnight)
Yellow Onion Skins 1
Red Onion Skins 1
Yellow Onion Skins 2
Red Onion Skins 2
Yellow Onion/Avocado Pits
Red Onion/Dried Clementine Peel
Yellow Onion/Avocado + Red Onion/Dried Clementine Peel Combo
Apple Tree Twigs
Yellow Onion/Avocado/Red Onion/Dried Clementine Peel + Apple Tree Twig Combo
Petals from 1 dozen dark red roses
FOs
Handspun sweater – Knitting Pattern Essentials by Sally Melville – machine knit LK 150, dial tension 4 – Autumn Spinners Hill and Classic Elite Yarns Mohawk Wool – Still have a full skein of handspun left
Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry – Once Upon a Corgi Handmade yarns (Queequeg/Briny Beach,Tomorrow I Shall Be Fetterless/Lemony Snicket, Miracles and meatballs/ Ghoul Haunted Woodlands of Weir, Dark as a Crow at Night/ Dying to Burn at the Stake) – US 4/3.5 mm needle
Blue Cone Boxy Sweater – self drafted pattern, Brother KH 836e main bed, dial 1 (even on the tension rod), tuck stitch pattern punch card 2 on long, mystery cotton cone from a closing mill
Blackout – Fiction thriller about a radio DJ in smalltown NH
Stuff I’m Playing:
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite – HP game in the style of Pokemon Go. It’s alright, but I think it’s leaning too heavily on the aesthetic of the HP world. The animations are so long compared to Pokemon Go and I think that’s entirely to the less detailed design of the Pokemon franchise.
Welcome back from my hiatus! My last episode was mid-January, which was a period of time that culminated in some previously unrealized levels of stress. So if you didn’t see my instagram post about dropping the podcast for a bit, that’s why I haven’t been posting regular episodes here.
Things that have happened since my last episode include —
Medical nonsense
Mental health stuff
Job Stuff – A long-time coworker friend left the job and my supervisor was fired in the same week
Reading copious amounts of fanfiction
Started studying witchcraft
Taking a lot of walks
Making my own granola bars
Sleeping a lot
Gardening
Curating down my social media and YouTube feeds
Reorganizing my entire home library
Podcast Stuff
Schedule? Who dat? I’d like to return to a monthly schedule, but I don’t know if I’m at a place where that is a reasonable expectation.
FOs
Shagbark by Tian Foley – US 8/5.0 mm needles – Classic Elite Yarns MountainTop Blackthorn “Wolf” – gauge is looser than what is described, but I like the fabric so I calc’d what size I would need with the gauge I have – cast on the smallest size.
Palmer Ribbed Socks v2 – improv pattern – Palmer Family Farm CVM local wool, US 3/3.25 mm Cubics needles
Halloween shirt wearable muslin – McCall’s M6044 size M/L – modified – black cotton from Affordable Fabrics that I’m not a fan of for quilting and some Halloween fabric details
Large project bag – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – scrap yarns. Sewn into a boxed bottom zipper bag.
Pumpkin Patch handspun – singles done for the #pumpkinMAL
Rug hooking sampler – Loop by Loop – designed by Sharon Perry
Memory blanket by Georgie Nicolson – US 1 /2.5 mm – fingering weight scraps
Jyn Erso socks – Must Stash Yarns self striping – US 0/2.0 mm needles – vanilla socks with after through heels
Palmer Ribbed Socks v3 – improv pattern – Palmer Family Farm CVM local wool, US 3/3.25 mm Cubics needles
Handspun sweater – Knitting Pattern Essentials by Sally Melville – machine knit LK 150 – Autumn Spinners Hill and Classic Elite Yarns Mohawk Wool
Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry – Once Upon a Corgi Handmade yarns (Queequeg/Briny Beach,Tomorrow I Shall Be Fetterless/Lemony Snicket, Miracles and meatballs/ Ghoul Haunted Woodlands of Weir, Dark as a Crow at Night/ Dying to Burn at the Stake) – US 4/3.5 mm needle
Rice Fields by Elzbieta Torenc – US 3/3.25mm needles – Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light for Black and Legacy Fiber Artz Hocus Pocus colorways
Spooked – first person, campfire-style horror stories
Stuff I’m Reading:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages – Brilliant and amazing and I loved these stories
Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality by Lasara Firefox Allen – Slow going because of the workshopping nature of this book, but I am enjoying the process
Magical Destinations of the Northeast: Sacred Sites, Occult Oddities & Magical Monuments by Natalie Zaman – It’s interesting, but there’s something about it that isn’t as compelling as I was expecting? Some of the entries seem too brief to be useful.
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham – It’s interesting to put modern Wicca in context, but it’s just confirming that Wicca itself is not what I’m looking for and there’s some dated, problematic language in this book that can turn me off to the actually useful information in this book.
Natural Color by Sasha Duerr – Very helpful find from my local library
The Last of the Jedi by Jude Watson – Finally nearing the end of the series!
. #diversknitty – I wanted to briefly mention this here as a challenge to myself. I’m not caught up on podcasts, so I don’t know if any other white makers have said anything about this aloud yet, but it’s easier to write this kind of thing and so much harder to say it. Over the past couple of days there’s been an intense discussion regarding racism in the knitting community, which, I think, has been a long time coming. Go search and follow the hashtag #diversknitty to see what’s going on there and there’s a post on my feed that’s easy to spot if you need a place to get started. I’m not going to waffle on about it, but the bottom line is that white designers, dyers, and makers are more welcome because of societal racism and we, as white folks, need to do better to unlearn these biases. We need to support the groups that are harmed by the way our language and our choices are shaped by a history of oppression and genocide. Buy yarn. Buy patterns. Promote and share the amazing work done by makers of color in our community. That’s the bottom line. We have to do the work. And I want to encourage the white folks watching this to take a minute and think about why we feel guilty or angry or scared or whatever whenever this type of discussion comes up – because we all feel something when the conversation turns in this direction and that’s the first step.
FOs
Palmer Ribbed Socks – improv pattern – Palmer Family Farm CVM local wool, US 3/3.25 mm Cubics needles
Lace weight poncho (dimensions from snerbyarn) – KH 836e dial 6 – Leading Men Fiber Arts Ghost Light “Envy”
Lace weight “Sideways” shawl – machine knit shawl shapes project – KH 836e dial 6 – Leading Men Fiber Arts Ghost Light “Envy”
Handwoven “Pirate” Pants – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – a whole slew of grey and black yarns, Andre Sue Knits “Freakish Lemon” – See my Ravelry page for the full list of yarns
Christmas shirt – McCall’s M6044 size L – a little big in the shoulders and upper back, but a decent first go at it. Will make another muslin with the shoulders, upper arms, and back in the size below before making the next shirt. May add some darts or a cinching buttoned tab in the back on this shirt to make it fit a little better.
Memory blanket by Georgie Nicolson – US 1 /2.5 mm – fingering weight scraps
Palmer Ribbed Socks v2 – improv pattern – Palmer Family Farm CVM local wool, US 3/3.25 mm Cubics needles
Shagbark by Tian Foley – US 8/5.0 mm needles – Classic Elite Yarns MountainTop Blackthorn “Wolf” – gauge is looser than what is described, but I like the fabric so I calc’d what size I would need with the gauge I have – cast on the smallest size.
Brown Cormo Sweater Spin – Ashford Kiwi 2
Darth Scabrous mini batts – Turtle Made Turkish spindle
Rug hooking sampler – Loop by Loop – designed by Sharon Perry
Halloween shirt wearable muslin – McCall’s M6044 size M/L – modified – black cotton from Affordable Fabrics that I’m not a fan of for quilting and some Halloween fabric details
Other Stuff
Stuff I’m Watching:
Catching up on vlogmas videos and podcasts
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse – really good!
Aquaman – also really good!
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man’s Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman (audio) narr by same
Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman (audio) narr by same
Good Clean Fun: Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop by Nick Offerman (audio) narr by same
The Greatest Love Story Ever Told: An Oral History by Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman (audio) narr by same
Renewed my library card, so now Libby is at my fingertips
The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien – American NPR dramatization
The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien – BBC Radio 4 dramatization
Spiderwick Chronicles Vol 1 The Field Guide and the Seeing Stone by Holly Black and Tony DiTerrlizzi narr by Mark Hamill
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott narr by Denis O’Hare
Stuff I’m Reading:
A Garden to Dye for by Chris McLaughlin
Botanical Colour at your Fingertips by Rebecca Desnos
Star Wars Last of the Jedi: Return of the Dark Side by Jude Watson
Sideways Triangle Shawl – Machine knitting shawl project – LK 150 dial 9 – plating with Fresh From the Cauldron “Radioactive” and Knit Picks Palette Black.
Ritual Dyes Knitting Backpack knock off – (you should absolutely buy an official one if you have the money and want one) – Green duck canvas, brown 1.5” belting for straps, brown leather scrap for loop, approx 6”x6” zipper pocket. Edges finished using an overlocking/cutting foot on my sewing machine.
Liesl & Co Metro T-Shirt – Grey/black stripe and Star Wars long-sleeved T-shirts – grey/black was a little more slim fitted than I like, so I added ½” to each side of the front, back, and sleeves. The ¼” seam allowance was too small for my machine.
Memory blanket by Georgie Nicolson – US 1 /2.5 mm – fingering weight scraps
Jyn Erso socks – Must Stash Yarns self striping – US 0/2.0 mm needles – vanilla socks with after through heels
Palmer Ribbed Socks – improv pattern – Palmer Family Farm CVM local wool, US 3/3.25 mm Cubics needles
Shagbark by Tian Foley – US 8/5.0 mm needles – Classic Elite Yarns MountainTop Blackthorn “Wolf” – gauge is looser than what is described, but I like the fabric so I calc’d what size I would need with the gauge I have – cast on the smallest size.
Rice Fields by Elzbieta Torenc – US 3/3.25mm needles – Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light for Black and Legacy Fiber Artz Hocus Pocus colorways
Lace weight poncho (dimensions from snerbyarn) – KH 836e dial 6 – Leading Men Fiber Arts Ghost Light “Envy”
Yardage for sewing project – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – a whole slew of grey and black yarns, Andre Sue Knits “Freakish Lemon” – See my Ravelry page for the full list of yarns
Yardage for large project bag – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – scrap yarns
Fall mini-batts drop spindling – with new Turtle Made top whorl drop spindle
Darth Scabrous mini batts – Turtle Made Turkish spindle
Halloween Diamond Quilt – basted and quilting
Swatches
Fingering weight card reader color work for hats
Other Stuff
Stuff I’m Watching:
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
I liked it
I don’t think it works as a stand-alone film. It’s definitely part of a larger whole.
Costume design was Disappointing.
Doctor Who
Luke Cage Season 2 on Netflix
Iron Fist Season 2 on Netflix
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Greater Boston – Fiction podcast radio show for a fictional greater Boston area
Waystation – Fancast from the hosts of Spirits about Lost Girl
Celestial Blood – Radionovela about twins Sol and Mundo who discover that their father Arturo had 9 other children that they didn’t know about and their search for their brothers and sisters
Spines – Two months ago, Wren woke up covered in blood, suffering from memory loss, and surrounded by the remnants of some strange cult ritual. SPINES is the story of her search for answers, and the deadly, powerful people she encounters along the way.
Aftermath by Chuck Wendig (audio) narr by Marc Thompson
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler (audio) narr by Amy Poehler and guests
Not My Father’s Son by Alan Cumming (audio) narr by Alan Cumming
Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher (audio) narr by Carrie Fisher
Transcript and CC – Podcast episodes are going to be released slower in relation to the filming date because I want to make more of an effort to transcribe and CC these episodes. I discovered that YouTube has made an effort to do the automatic transcription on videos longer than 45 minutes, so I’m going to be using that to clean up and make CC’s and transcriptions for my episodes. I did the CC on the last video and I’ve added to CC as a transcription to the post on freakishlemon.com. I’ve added the transcription to any posts where I had a CC file for back episodes. If anyone would like to help me edit the auto CC files, please check out the link below. It takes a while to go through these and I have a not small amount of back episodes to work on, so any help would be appreciated. Episode CC Project
2018 Blanket MAL! There’s a thread up on Rav for photos and discussion, so please join us there as you work on blankets.
FOs
Fingering Weight Sweater Blank Sweater by Renee Callahan – Brother KH 836e knitting machine with the KR850 ribber – Dial set to 8 for stst, ended up using 7/7 for the ribbing – Grinning Gargoyle Khaleesi Sock in “Shiny Penny” and Knit Picks Stroll Fingering “Black”
Tablet weaving band from a chart in Card Weaving by Candace Crockett – Nazli Gelin Garden 3 in black, red, yellow, and white – on a tablet weaving loom from chuckjones on Etsy, which doesn’t appear to be a shop on that platform anymore
Half Square Triangle Quilt – part of the HST QAL – finished!
So Sew Easy – Easy Serger Scrap Catcher – I think I found this for free on Craftsy. Used some interfaced quilting cotton. I found most of the tutorial to be easy to follow, but towards the end it started to lack in details. Not a big deal because I’ve sewn enough rectangles to see how they should fit together, but I don’t think that this was the best way to assemble these pieces.
Jyn Erso socks – Must Stash Yarns self striping – US 0/2.0 mm needles – vanilla socks with after through heels
Pumpkin Patch handspun – singles done for the #pumpkinMAL
Fall mini-batts drop spindling – with new Turtle Made top whorl drop spindle
Ritual Dyes Knitting Backpack knock off – Gabby/OUAC and Lauren/Colorwheel Yarns both had these knitting backpacks from Ritual Dyes, which are really well made and lovely and you should absolutely buy one if you have the money and want one. It seemed like a cool idea and I have some additions that I want to play with, so I took some measurements and started a pattern draft to work out my own.
Swatches
Cotton Cone – Eight – Two Valley Fibers Corp
Knit Picks Comfy Fingering
Wool Cone mill leftovers
Non-SW Wool leftover
Nettle Grove 45% Cotton/28% Linen/12% Nettle Fiber
Queensland Collection United 55% Lambswool/45% Cotton
The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell – like a Halloween Henson Martha Stewart
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
The Worst Witch
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials by Marilynne K. Roach (audiobook) narr by Kate Reading
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (audiobook)
Under Pressure – Fictional audiolog of Dr. Jamie MacMillan-Barrie while aboard a deep sea research facility – mostly related to the interpersonal relationships with the crew and personal musings
The Ghoul Gang – Like My Favourite Murder for ghost stories.
2018 Blanket MAL! There’s a thread up on Rav for photos and discussion, so please join us there as you work on blankets.
Quilt Along!
Time Frame: March 2018 – September 2018 – 6 months
Quilt size: smallest side 3 ft/36”/92 cm
Quilt top pattern: Half Square Triangles – The entire quilt does not have to be half square triangles, but half square triangles should be a feature. I created a Pinterest board with some cool ideas.
Quilting: No rules about the actual quilting! Long arm, machine, by hand, or tie quilting is all welcome.
Link HERE to Jaclyn/Brooklyn Knitfolk’s quilt along tutorials
FOs
Sewing
Grey tank top #1 – Lago Tank by Itch to Stitch – I got free from Craftsy
Technically a women’s pattern, but the only difference between a “women’s” tank top and a “men’s” tank top is a smidge of waist shaping and the size of the arm hole, which doesn’t bring up any gender-junk for me.
I measured a t-shirt for finished garment measurements and ended up making the size 16 top.
I made this pattern according to the pattern exactly.
It fits comfortably except that the neckline is lower than I had anticipated.
First time sewing a garment with knit fabric – not my favourite, but I’ll be more proficient with it with practice.
Used an old jersey bed sheet that is super worn out and soft
Grey tank top #2 – Lago Tank by Itch to Stitch – same as before except for the following
Front and back pieces are 2 halves seamed in the middle because I didn’t make the best use of space cutting out the first one
Raised the neckline by about 2”
Used the armhole and neck bands as facings and trimmed the excess after zig-zagging the facings down flat
Sewing with knit fabric was easier the second time around
Slytherin Scarf – LK 150 dial tension 3, tension rod 5 – adapted from the scarf measurements and stripe repeats from Harry Potter Hogwarts House Scarf by Dovile Petra – Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in Aurora Heather and Dove Heather – stockinette stitch double width to fold and seam instead of ribbing – I had to stop because I ran out of green, so I scrapped it off rather than leaving it on the floor while I wait for more yarn to come in.
Dye Projects
Found a white bed sheet that no one in the house remembers buying – dyed it grey with “Raven” Procion dye to use as a possible quilt back
Dyed various fibers blue for rolags and batts
Handmade rolags from stash fibers and extras – I had originally started collecting these fibers and extras to open up an Etsy shop, but I’ve come to the realization that starting a proper business is not in the cards any time soon, so I’ve decided
Handspun
Alpaca handspun – Fiber from Alpaca Obsession – 2 ply drop spindle handspun, plied on Blackfoot spindle
Classy Squid Fiber Co – All the Mirrors of the World batt – 2 ply, singles spun on the Hitchhiker wheel, plied on the Ashford Kiwi
Classy Squid Fiber Co – Intergalactic batt kit – 2 ply, singles spun on the Hitchhiker wheel, plied on the Ashford Kiwi
Classy Squid Fiber Co – Star Fishing megabatt – 2 ply, spun on the Ashford Kiwi
Fingering Weight Sweater Blank Sweater by Renee Callahan – Brother KH 836e knitting machine with the KR850 ribber – Dial set to 8 for stst, ended up using 7/7 for the ribbing – Grinning Gargoyle Khaleesi Sock in “Shiny Penny” and Knit Picks Stroll Fingering “Black”
Yardage for sewing project – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – a whole slew of grey and black yarns, Andre Sue Knits “Freakish Lemon” – See my Ravelry page for the full list of yarns
Tablet weaving band from a chart in Card Weaving by Candace Crockett – Nazli Gelin Garden 3 in black, red, yellow, and white – on a tablet weaving loom from chuckjones on Etsy, which doesn’t appear to be a shop on that platform anymore
Half Square Triangle Quilt – part of the HST QAL – Basted and started quilting
Extraordinary Tales – on Netflix, animated retellings of Edgar Allan Poe stories
Charmed – So much 90’s witchy goodness
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Sayer – Sci-fi horror podcast, like a darker version of Portal in a space station research facility
Point Mystic – Documentary type fiction podcast about a strange town with strange happenings
Wormwood – Fiction audio drama about a supernatural murder mystery in the small town of Wormwood
Spirits – Podcast where two young women drink and tell myths and urban legends
Potterless – A guy in his mid-twenties reads Harry Potter for the first time and snarks about it
Passage – A short mystery podcast with supernatural leanings about a reporter following a story about a mysterious lifeboat that washes up in the Puget Sound
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II by Sean Williams (audiobook) narr by Jonathan Davis
Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials by Marilynne K. Roach (audiobook) narr by Kate Reading
Stuff I’m Reading:
Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting by Carson Demers
Clothing from the Hands that Weave by Anita Luvera Mayer
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages ed Saundra Mitchell
Less than a year after the death of the Potters, Rose Evans and her husband Lyle take care of their orphaned grandson, Harry, and try to take steps toward a future where he’ll be loved and accepted. Spring is coming, and with it, the memory of stirring warmth, and the first real hope for life and growth.
2018 Blanket MAL! There’s a thread up on Rav for photos and discussion, so please join us there as you work on blankets.
Quilt Along!
Time Frame: March 2018 – September 2018 – 6 months
Quilt size: smallest side 3 ft/36”/92 cm
Quilt top pattern: Half Square Triangles – The entire quilt does not have to be half square triangles, but half square triangles should be a feature. I created a Pinterest board with some cool ideas.
Quilting: No rules about the actual quilting! Long arm, machine, by hand, or tie quilting is all welcome.
Link HERE to Jaclyn/Brooklyn Knitfolk’s quilt along tutorials
Podcast Show Format
Nixing the “New Stuff” segment from the normal episodes of this podcast. At this point in my making, I’m trying to work through older stash and exploring new forms of making. Any new yarn coming is, in general, there to supplement what I already have. I’ll be talking about any new equipment pretty quickly after I get it, since I want to play with all the things. I don’t think the “New Stuff” segment is currently adding anything to the podcast.
I’ll resurrect “New Stuff” for event hauls, like Rhinebeck and Yarn Crawls, since there’s value is showing what is available at events like this for folks who might be thinking of attending in the future.
Also nixing “Life Stuff” as a routine segment. If I have things to talk about from my life, I’ll just talk about them throughout the podcast as it becomes relevant.
FOs
Plain Weave Rectangular Pillow – 10” Schacht Cricket Loom – 12 dent heddle – warped at 108” – 2 seamed panels per side
Shawl Scarf – Lion Brand Scarfie leftovers – st st rectangle on the LK150 – “killed” the acrylic with a hot iron and a wet pressing cloth
½ & ½ Machine Knit Shawl – Brother KH836e – dial tension 10, loose mast tension – Fresh From the Cauldron “Painting the Roses Red” graduated skein and
Cloudborn Fibers Highland Superwash Sock Twist in Black
Lanyard out of wool tablet weaving – tried sewing it together, which worked, but the ends were uneven and it was really bothering me. I cut that bit off and needle felted the join, which feels and looks much better.
Practice free motion quilting squares – done with all my practice squares. While my machine quilting is not the best, I definitely have a better handle on the free motion quilting foot and what designs I can get started with to build up those skills on actual quilts.
WIPs
Granny Stripe Blanket by Lucy/Attic24 – Size G/4.25mm hook marling Knit Picks Stroll Fingering in Black with a magic ball of Legacy Fiber Artz minis
Yardage for sewing project – plain weave, 12 dent heddle, Ashford 24” loom – a whole slew of grey and black yarns, Andre Sue Knits “Freakish Lemon” – See my Ravelry page for the full list of yarns
Tablet weaving band from a chart in Card Weaving by Candace Crockett – Nazli Gelin Garden 3 in black, red, yellow, and white – on a tablet weaving loom from chuckjones on Etsy, which doesn’t appear to be a shop on that platform anymore
Half Square Triangle Quilt – part of the HST QAL – I added the two borders to the quilt, cut out the batting, and sewed the backing piece. Nothing’s been basted together yet, but I’m hoping to get that sorted today.
Slytherin Scarf – LK 150 dial tension 3, tension rod 5 – adapted from the scarf measurements and stripe repeats from Harry Potter Hogwarts House Scarf by Dovile Petra – Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Sport in Aurora Heather and Dove Heather – stockinette stitch double width to fold and seam instead of ribbing – I had to stop because I ran out of green, so I scrapped it off rather than leaving it on the floor while I wait for more yarn to come in.
Swatches
Fingering weight sweater blank sweater – KH836e – I’ve done all the calculations for this sweater, so I should be starting it soon and then I’m going to move on from this pattern for a while.
Other Stuff
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Missing & Murdered – Nonfiction podcast about investigating missing and murdered indigenous people
Breakdances with Wolves – Nonfiction current events and discussion from Native Americans’ perspectives
Lake Clarity – Fiction horror podcast about a “haunted” summer camp
The Lost Cat – FIction horror podcast about a man looking for his cat
A Scottish Podcast – Fiction humor/horror podcast about a former radio host starting a paranormal investigative podcast
Aftershocks – Fiction horror podcast about a girl who has hallucinations as part of her schizoaffective disorder and is also being visited by ghosts
A New Winter – Fiction horror podcast about a series of weird murders in a small British village
Crossing Wires – Fiction podcast about people after the apocalypse told through snippets of radio signals
The Deep Vault – Fiction horror podcast about a secret bunker and the horrifying experiments performed within. This is by the folks who put on Archive 81, so warnings for graphic audio body horror
Jim Robbie and the Wanderers – Fiction, post apocalyptic podcast about the tales of two travelling musicians and a junk robot
Stuff I’m Reading:
The Last of the Jedi: A Tangled Web by Jude Watson
2018 Blanket MAL! There’s a thread up on Rav for photos and discussion, so please join us there as you work on blankets.
Quilt Along! It begins!
Time Frame: March 2018 – September 2018 – 6 months
Quilt size: smallest side 3 ft/36”/92 cm
Quilt top pattern: Half Square Triangles – The entire quilt does not have to be half square triangles, but half square triangles should be a feature. I created a Pinterest board with some cool ideas.
Quilting: No rules about the actual quilting! Long arm, machine, by hand, or tie quilting is all welcome.
Link HERE to Jaclyn/Brooklyn Knitfolk’s quilt along tutorials
Life Stuff
I-91 Shop Hop – 11 store yarn crawl in CT, MA, and VT
Hand Update – Saw a hand surgeon/specialist after not getting answers from the general ortho doctor. I have double jointed wrists which means that my carpals stretch more than the average. The carpals are loose and in certain positions (like hands flat out for typing), the carpals won’t stay precisely in place and will touch the nerve, causing irritation and inflammation. The doc said that if I didn’t work an office job and I had a job with more hand movement, I probably wouldn’t have exhibited symptoms.
FOs
Tuck Stitch Hat – LK 150 – Once Upon a Corgi “Snow Scout” held double – used mock rib at the same tension as the main body (dial 6) – Fits well, but still a smidge snug
Tuck Stitch Hat – LK 150 – Once Upon a Corgi “You Are In Fact In the Dark” held double – hung hem at the same tension as the main body (st st is narrower than tuck stitch) – best fitting out of the 3 hats I’ve made with this tuck stitch pattern
Scrap yarn dryer balls – Addi Express Professional – 20-24 rows, cinched at each end, stuffed with cut off yarn ends
Quilted dust covers for my knitting machines – scrap denim back, jelly roll tops
Last Son of Krypton scarf – 12 dent heddle, warped with fingering weight yarns with vertical stripes, weft is handspun that I called The Last Son of Krypton. Plain weave.
Scarfie Sweater Blank by Renee Callahan – Lion Brand Scarfie – LK150 tension 7 dial 8 – the size Large with the Medium sized neck size. – I really like the fit. I added 2” to the back for a high-low hem. Hung hem for the waist and cuffs, rolled hem for the neck. I tried this on and I really like how this fits. I’m definitely going to do one more of these in fingering weight.
WIPs
Granny Stripe Blanket by Lucy/Attic24 – I’ve done a little bit of crocheting! Size G/4.25mm hook marling Knit Picks Stroll Fingering in Black with a magic ball of Legacy Fiber Artz minis
Suzuki standard gauge garter bar for the Brother KH 836e
Bench for machine knitting
Other Stuff
Stuff I’m Watching:
Anthony Bourdain – Parts Unknown
Stuff I’m Listening To:
Our Fair City – Our Fair City is an online Audio Play/Podcast set in a future dystopian version of Hartford, CT. Following a climate-change-related disaster, humanity is now confined to subterranean cities. HartLife, an insurance company, now runs the lives of all “policies” in the city. Lightning rigs high above the city gather energy from thunderstorms, mad scientists walk the earth, and adorably monstrous Molepeople dig tunnels deep underground to expand the city’s habitable space. Framed as “true dramatizations of our city’s glorious history,” Our Fair City is equal parts camp, sci-fi horror, and folk tale. So listen, and remember. (TVtropes.org summary)
Freed – Freed is a radio-drama podcast detailing the ramifications a worldwide pandemic has on people and the world as a whole, told through bi-weekly updates from the cozy yet abandoned mountain town of Freed. Learn more about the town’s history, the fall of humanity, and how to help rebuild society. In the meantime, be safe. Be strong. Be alive.
Subject: Found – Subject: Found is a bi-weekly audio drama. Each new season will feature a new subject, a new story, a new monster. In Season 2, Janis Herring pursues the monster terrorizing Memphis, Tennessee, and the story will make her a legend.
The Walk – A thriller in which you, the listener, are the hero. The Walk begins in Inverness station, Scotland. Through a case of mistaken identity, you, “the walker,” are given a vital package that must be couriered to Edinburgh. But as you’re about to board the train, terrorists blow it up and set off an electromagnetic pulse! None of the cars or trains are working – you’ll have to walk – but now the terrorists are on your trail because they want the device you’re carrying, and the police are after you as a suspect in the bombing. To survive, you’ll have to join up with other escapees from the city – but how many of them can you trust, and are they really who they say they are?
Tunnels – The Tunnels is a serialized audiodrama about the mysterious tunnels that can be found underneath a small town in Georgia. What are they? What is their history? What are those mysterious sounds heard within them? Find out what’s just below the surface of the town, because if you look underneath, there is so much more.
Station to Station – A handful of fading memories, the remains of a research project, and a garbled tape recorder are all Dr Miranda Quan has to her name when her research partner goes missing on the eve of a 10-week ocean expedition. Now, she must try to find closure in the midst of a rapidly-unraveling conspiracy, surrounded by a handful of unlikely allies, several likely threats, and the icy waters of the North Pacific. Something sinister lurks in the heart of the research ship Astrid, and Miranda must rely on her wits to piece together an answer. Station to Station is an scifi-horror audio drama about loss, memory, morality, and what gets left behind.
Stuff I’m Reading:
All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages by Saundra Mitchell
Take a journey through time and genres to discover stories where queer teens live, love and shape the world around them.Seventeen young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.
From a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood set in war-torn 1870s Mexico featuring a transgender soldier, to two girls falling in love while mourning the death of Kurt Cobain, forbidden love in a sixteenth-century Spanish convent or an asexual girl discovering her identity amid the 1970s roller-disco scene, All Out tells a diverse range of stories across cultures, time periods and identities, shedding light on an area of history often ignored or forgotten.
Harry is an elf. No, he’s not a bloody house elf. He lived in a place where they had got him confused with a house elf for nearly six years. They had him doing all the chores and he slept in a cupboard. Not a particularly cheerful cupboard, either. But he’s not a house elf. He’s a regular elf, thank you. Come on, people. It’s like you’re not wizards or something. PreHogwarts, NOT a creature fic. Character study.
There are 3 parts to this fic, pre Hogwarts, Hogwarts, and another fic during Hogwarts and it has the best kind of in-universe kid-logic I’ve ever seen in a fic featuring young Harry
‘You’re a wizard, Harry’ is easier to hear from a half-giant when you’re eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you’re seventeen and late for work.
An excellent alternate Year 7 where Harry never attended Hogwarts and learns about the magical world while dodging Death Eaters with some of the DA crew and Draco Malfoy while teaching these witches and wizards street smarts in the Muggle world
Freakish Lemon 