Thank you for tuning in to Episode 201 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. This week’s segments included:
- Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
- On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
- From the Armchair
- Crafty Adventures
- KAL News
- Events
- Contest, News & Notes
- Life in Focus
- Ask Me Anything
- On a Happy Note
- Quote of the Week
Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
Gnome for Kris
- Hook: C (2.75 mm)
- Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted in several shades of pinks and gray
- Ravelry Project Page Link
- Pattern: none, I created this as I went. Let me know if you like it and I may write up the pattern.
Crochet Lion Amigurumi
- Pattern: Crochet Lion Amigurumi by Melanie Willis available on Ravelry & Etsy
- Hook: C: 2.75 mm
- Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Sport (lost ball band- yellow), Vanna’s Choice (tweedy oatmeal).
- Ravelry Project Page
- I finished the lion (left photo) and wasn’t completely happy so I moved the right eye and added more mane yarn to frame the face a little more closely (right photo).
- Ravelry user deafelis posted to say “ Jen, it sounds like you need a latch hook (Michaels link) for the lion mane! You basically described latch hook rug making, and that special hook makes things so much easier.” Thanks for the tip!
Christmas with the Gilmores Socks
- Yarn: Area 51 Fibres in the Christmas with the Gilmores Colorway
- Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
- Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams
- Ravelry Project Page
- Used 74g of yarn total, but used Patons for contrast heels. Excited to have leftovers.
On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
Spent most of the past 2 weeks knitting up the sample for a new shawl design and a secret project for Mom’s birthday which I am not sharing details on just yet…
Ursa
- Ravelry Project Page.
- Pattern: Ursa by Jacqueline Cieslak
- Needle: US 11 (8.0 mm)
- Yarn: Kraemer Yarns Mauch Chunky in the Juju Fruit Colorway (yarn provided to me free of charge for my review)
- Size 3 (42 inch bust)
- Thanks to Ravelry user mjgnatt– MJ- who said “I believe the yarn for your Ursa pull over is Mauch Chunky. I live in Northeastern PA and there is a town called Jim Thorpe in Carbon County. The town used to be called Mauch Chunk which means Bear Place in the native Munsee-Lenape Native American language. The pronunciation of Mauch is “mock”. Just thought you might want to know how appropriate your yarn is for your Ursa pullover as Ursa Major is a constellation also known as the Great Bear.”
Super Bulky Chevron Blanket
- Pattern: Chevron Scrap Blanket by Maria’s Blue Crayon
- Yarn: Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick in various colors
- Hook: 12 mm
- Ravelry Project Page
- Direct Link to Pattern on Designer’s website
- Cast on corner in charcoal gray. 7 rows. a little over 50g of yarn
- 4 rows for each strip (48g of yarn per stripe).
Wound Up Fiber Arts 3 Ply Spin
- Fiber: Wound Up Fiber Arts Corriedale, 100 grams. Colorway 1: Prim (finished 1/12). Colorway 2: Fall Vibes
- Ravelry Project Page
Laura’s Cameo Socks
- Yarn: Patons Kroy FX Yarn in the Cameo Colors Colorway
- Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
- Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams
- Ravelry Project Page Link
Dan’s New Year’s Socks
- Pattern: OMG Heel by Megan Williams
- Yarn: Goosey Fibers Squish DK
- Needles: US 2 (2.75 mm)
- Ravelry Project Page
From the Armchair
- Hoopla App: I recommend checking this out to see if your library participates. I love that you don’t have to wait for items to become available!
- I’m working on reading more in 2021. So far I’ve read:
- A Promised Land by Barack Obama (loved it)
- Craft a Life You Love: Infusing Creativity, Fun & Intention into Your Everyday by Amy Tangerine (liked it, and it’s short but I’m already practicing many of the things Amy suggests)
- The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President–and Why It Failed by Brad Meltzer & Josh Mensch
- The book begins with the Caning of Senator Charles Sumner from MA by SC Senator Brooks. You can read a bit about it on Wikipedia.
- I was so excited to hear that Ken Follett has come out with a Pillars of the Earth prequel called The Evening & The Morning.
Crafty Adventures
- I repainted a board that holds three Mason jars.
- I painted a small 3×3 canvas with a rainbow and added letter stickers to remind me of my Word of the Year- Delight.
- I helped Mom cut foam for Boxed Cushion Cover. This is the tutorial she prefers & then she showed me how to do a bling hem on pants Here is a helpful tutorial on doing a blind hem. Check it out on my January 22-24th Weekend Vlog.Riley also shared how to use felt, gems, ribbon and a glue gun to make Barbie purses. Adorable!
- Photography with Emelyn- in the woods, near the icy stream… it started snowing. and we took photos of my handmade gnomes! So fun.
- When we came inside, we taught ourselves some embroidery using this tutorial:
KAL News
Pigskin Party ’20
Check out all of the details you need to know either in the Start Here Thread on Ravelry or on my website.
Important Links:
- Pigskin Party Rules: ’20-21 Season– see what’s new and exciting this year.
- Sign up Form– get your name on the Roster!
- Points Tally Form– earned some points? Get credit!
- Support Request Form– mixed up something when entering points. Let us know.
- 2020 Pigskin Party KAL (Responses)
- Pigskin Party ‘20 Sponsors
- Pro Shop Sponsors Exclusive Items
- Coupon Codes
- Prize Thread
- Questions Thread
- End Zone Dance– come celebrate each other’s finished projects (this is not where you enter your FOs for points in the 2020 season. See Rules for details)
- Check out the January Interception: Stash Hat Scrimmage Hosted by Knitters Brewing Company. Check out the Ravelry Thread or this page on my website.
- Pigskin Movie night hosted by VTKimmyKim: Enola Holmes on February 6th at 8pm EST. Check out the Pop-up Events tab for details as it gets closer.
- Thank you to Mara Smith for hosting a Pigskin Party Stretching session on January 24th! So great to see your smiling faces. I felt so great afterwards- and spent the rest of that day chasing a 3 year old, so it was good to be limber! Check out Mara’s Instagram Account for her PrecisionATPerformance business or her website. She offers Zoom stretching classes that you may enjoy Flexibility: Wednesdays at 6:30pm Stretches for Stitchers: Fridays at 6:30pm. She is running a sale on February classes but you have to sign up by 1/31. So get over there now if you’re interested.
Events
- February 11-14, 2021- Virtual Vogue Knitting Live & again March 18-21. Check their website for more details about upcoming events.
Contest, News & Notes
- I’m excited to share the release of my Abington Mitt pattern.
- The Abington Mitts were designed to match my Abington Hat. They use similar repeats of twisted stitches and cables as the focal point for the top of the hand.The mitts are worked from the wrist up and are customizable.
- 3 Sizes: Small (Medium, Large): Finished palm circumference: 6 (7, 8) in / 15.25 (17.75, 20.25) cm
- Intended to fit with a little bit of negative ease. Select the size that is closest to your hand circumference as measured just below the knuckles and above the thumb gusset. If you are between sizes, I’d recommend going down to a smaller size.
- Yarn: DK weight: Yarn used in samples: 66 (70, 80) grams. 162 (172, 196) yards / 148 (157, 179) meters* If you plan to make your mitts longer in the wrist and or/hand, you will need more yarn.
- Needles: US 4 / 3.5 mm & US 6 / 4.0 mm, 32 in / 80 cm circulars for magic loop, or your preferred needles for knitting in the round.
- This pattern has been tech edited & test knit.Instructions are both written and charted.
- Find the Abington Mitts Pattern for $5 on Ravelry & coming soon to LoveCrafts.
- Newsletter subscribers, check your email for the best possible deal. The pattern will have an intro code for everyone else making the pattern just $4.
Life in Focus
- Want to see more about how I’m tracking my 2021 goals using the Evernote app? Check out this video Mom and I recorded for my YouTube Channel
- Tune in to hear how I’m doing so far with my goals and my 21 for 2021 list.
Ask Me Anything
Knitgirlwagner asked. What’s the best way to teach yourself to spin?
- Not sure if your goal is to 100% teach yourself, if that’s the case, I do have some tips, but if you’re interested/able to get the assistance of someone else, I recommend that. It made a huge difference for me.
- Crafty Classes:
- Also check out the Sheepspot Podcast
Mfcknits- do you have a favorite sock heel method?
- OMG Heel by Megan Williams: Ravelry Link
- Non-Eucilidian Heel by Sarah Jordan: Ravelry Link
- Smooth Operator Socks by Susan B. Anderson: Ravelry Link
On a Happy Note
- Splashing in the mud puddles on a recent hike with Hattie.
- Hattie talking about coming home with me. Wanting to sleep over “when she’s little” after I insisted she can sleep over when she gets “a little bigger.”
- Weekly check ins with Mom about our goals.
- Crafty time with Eme and Hattie.
- The joyous, safe Inauguration of our 46th President and first female, Asian American/African American VP. Missed watching it live, but used phone unboxing batteries at work. Had to keep myself from crying because had a feeling if I did, someone would inevitably walk in at that moment.
- Amanda Gorman, 1st ever youth poet laureate, shared a poem. Read the transcript. Really recommend you watch it.
- Bridgerton on Netflix with Dan.
- Snow!
Quote of the Week
“You can do so much in ten minutes’ time. Ten minutes, once gone, are gone for good. Divide your life into 10-minute units and sacrifice as few of them as possible in meaningless activity.”
– Ingvar Kamprad
Thank you for tuning in!
Contact Information:
- Ravelry: BostonJen & Down Cellar Studio Podcast Ravelry Group
- Instagram: BostonJen1
- YouTube: Down Cellar Studio
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