Episode 325: August Has Been Generous

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Thank you for tuning in to Episode 325 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • From the Armchair
  • KAL News
  • Events
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Wild Violet Socks

  • Yarn: Wild Violet Fibers Merino Sock (85/15 SW Merino/Nylon) in the OOAK #155 Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Right as Rain Socks

  • Yarn: Teal Torch Knits Fingering Weight in the Right as Rain colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

Summer Brights Cozy

  • Pattern: Ball Band with a Twist by Jennifer Lassonde- $2 crochet pattern available on Ravelry | LoveCrafts
  • Yarn: Crafter’s Secret Cotton in Turquoise & Brights
  • Hooks: F (3.75 mm) & G (4.0 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Goldwing Sweater

  • Pattern: Goldwing by Jennifer Steingass ($8 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) for body and US 5 (3.75 mm) for rolled neck
  • Yarn: Valley Superwash DK in Sand (MC) and handspun from Wound Up Fiber Arts for CC (Ravelry page for handspun details)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: I finished the yoke, blocked it, measured, split for the sleeve. Helical knitting for body. Had about 2 inches in about 2 days.

Log Cabin Blanket

  • Pattern: Log Cabin Square by Julie Harrison. Free crochet pattern available on Ravelry. Video tutorial available on the Little Woollie Makes YouTube Channel
  • Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Minis (mostly from Advent calendars 2023 & 2024)
  • Hook: I (5.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • My color placement is inspired by this project/pattern available on Ravelry.
  • Inspired to pick it back up after see Sue (from Legacy Fiber Artz)’s version on their latest podcast episode. She bordered with cream before seaming. I love it. You can see a peek in this Instagram post.
  • Progress: 30 squares completed!
  • I bought two skeins of Dirty Water Dyeworks Lucia DK (SW Merino Nylon blend) in colorway March sky to try to border/seam with.  I found a YouTube video to use as a guide for joining as I add the last row of moss/linen stitch.

From the Armchair

Our Perfect Storm by Carley Fortune. Amazon Affiliate Link.

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

KAL News

Splash Pad ’26 Wrap Up

  • Splash Pad Party ’26 Final Prize Winners Announced
  • 157 players with entries during the Splash Pad Party!
  • 7 participants with over 100 entries for prizes- jstuntz, mostlymunhies, ddorf4, roocmc, socalknitgirl, eyenowhour and valknits15! Nicely done!
  • Check out the Summer Celebration Thread on Ravelry to see pics of things the community made this summer.
  • Thanks as always to Wendy & all of our sponsors.

Pigskin Party ’26 Details

  • Event runs 9/9/26-2/15/27
  • Everything you need can be found in the Start Here Thread on Ravelry
  • Sign up (must be registered to win) – opens 8/19
  • Rules (includes changes made for the ’26 season)
  • Finish a Project?
  • Check your Stats on the Scoreboard
  • Have a Question? Post it in this Ravelry Thread
  • Sponsor List can be found here (check often for updates)
    • Pro Shop Sponsors can create Exclusive Items which are shared in this Ravelry Thread
    • Coupons & deals from our Sponsors can be found in this Ravelry Thread

Events

On a Happy Note

  • We are getting our driveway paved!
  • I went for fun nails again!
  • Riley took Dad and I to see Tim McGraw, Lady A and The Chicks at Fenway! Her friend Maddie also joined us.
  • Camping and kayaking on the Saco River in Maine.
  • Dan and I went out with a few of our friends for Margarita’s birthday.
  • My cousin Gayle came up from Florida for a visit. We had a rocking pool day on Sunday! Then on Monday evening, Dad and Gayle picked up Dan and me for dinner and a walk around the lighthouse.
  • I’m going to France with my friend Laura in September!

Quote of the Week

A Blessing for the Life You’re Bracing For by Kate Bowler

Bless you who still have popsicles to drip, 

tomatoes to slice, books to leave facedown for just a minute longer, 

and evenings that don’t yet know they are numbered.

May you resist the annual migration 

toward freshly sharpened pencils, color-coded calendars,  

and the familiar lie that next month deserves more of your attention 

than the one still sitting in front of you.

Bless you who linger over one more meal outside, 

one more chorus of cicadas, one more porch sit, 

trusting that ordinary rituals are already a life well lived.

May you savor what remains

before you begin rehearsing what comes next, 

because August has always been generous

with those willing to stay exactly where they are

for just a little while longer.

—Kate Bowler

——

Thank you for tuning in!

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Episode 324: Summer Camp!

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Thank you for tuning in to Episode 324 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • From the Armchair
  • Some Years Later
  • Knitting in Passing
  • Crafty Adventures
  • In my Travels
  • KAL News
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Thank you to this episode’s sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Wicked Witch

  • Pattern: The Wicked Witch by Ana Maria Liasch da Silva ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry & Etsy– Etsy also offers larger bundles of Oz characters)
  • Yarn: Worsted weight acrylic yarn from stash
  • Hook: C: 2.75 mm
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Note: I found the wig cap to be a bit small. Check before starting to sew in place.

Dorothy

  • Pattern: The Wicked Witch by Ana Maria Liasch da Silva ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry & $4 on Etsy (sale)- Etsy also offers larger bundles of Oz characters)
  • Yarn: Worsted weight acrylic yarn from stash
  • Hook: C: 2.75 mm
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Note: I found the wig cap to be a bit small. Check before starting to sew in place.

Mine! Socks

  • Yarn:  Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Fingering (90 SW Targhee, 10% Nylon)  in the colorway- Mine! aka A Gull Takes Off with Bluberry
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Wild Violet Socks

  • Yarn: Wild Violet Fibers Merino Sock (85/15 SW Merino/Nylon) in the OOAK #155 Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: 1st sock finished. 2nd sock part way through the heel flap

Right as Rain Socks

  • Yarn: Teal Torch Knits Fingering Weight in the Right as Rain colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: 1st sock is finished. 2nd sock is onto the foot.

From the Armchair

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Knitting in Passing

  • Roc loves to visit yarn stores so we went to:
    • Wicked Good Yarns in Braintree, MA where he bought scissors, a kit for a chicken and Joann gifted him the tapestry needle he was looking for.
    • Elissa’s Creative Warehouse in Needham, MA where he bought blue yarn to cast on an elephant.
    • Stitch House in Dorchester, MA where Roc found a bright mini skein he liked and I restocked my favorite knitting stitch markers.

Crafty Adventures

  • Riley worked a bit on the cuff of a sock with her Area 51 Fibres Be FearLESS colorway yarn. Here’s the Ravelry Project Page for mine. She also started a diamond painting project and crocheted several rounds on her hexagon blanket. She’s using white worsted weight yarn held with minis from the advent yarn Nicole sent her.
  • Marta and Roc both worked on his diamond painting project- a seaturtle. Marta got a crochet kit for a slice of pizza at Walmart and was able to finish 2 pieces with the yarn from the kit (with some heavy mods on the second one).
  • Roc completed 2 hippo stuffies out of microfiber blanket yarn (free pattern from the Friendly Fox site). He finished a dinosaur he started during his last visit and the chicken he bought this year.
  • Gabriella got a Craft-tastic learn to knit kit for her birthday (on sale at CVS right now). It came with a small circular loom. I taught myself how to do it and made a small axolotl. Came out cute! Has patterns for a bee and a panda too.

In My Travels

  • We visited Tall Ships while they were in Boston
  • Museum of Ice Cream (lots of fun, especially with kids. We spent about 90 minutes there)
  • Bota Borg
    • 24 quests- each is a series of escape rooms. You can do as many as you like with teams of 3 or more. You choose 2 or 4 hours. We loved it and would definitely go back.
  • The Great Gatsby (musical)
  • We enjoyed seeing our small towns from another perspective.

KAL News

Splash Pad Party ’26 Details

Splash Pad RAVELRY Links

  • Tune in to see if you won a July Participation Prize
  • Pigskin Party will kick off with the NFL on Wednesday September 9th. Get those WIPs done before then!

On a Happy Note

  • Pottery from Riley! Wow
  • A few amazing pool days during 4th of July weekend with family and friends.
  • Riley & I went to the Megan Moroney concert!!
  • Score N’ Hole pool game!
  • Marta’s visit highlights
    • America’s Funniest Videos- especially these two contenders for best video of the year. We had running jokes based on these for 2 weeks straight.
    • Riding around in Riley’s Jeep. Kayaking. movies, night swimming, Making up songs. Going for ice cream & slurpees. Taste tests & inside jokes. I felt like I was at summer camp!
    • On our last night togetherwe made up lyrics to a song from the Six musical we’d been listening to and Riley made a video using it. Adorable!
  • My boss gave us 2 of his older kayaks. Dan bought a new rack for the truck so we can fit 5 inside the bed and the 2 longer ones on top.
  • Our friends visited from PA. Millie and twins Rhiannon & Teaghan are so cute- especially in their matching bathing suits.

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Quote of the Week

“Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.” – Aliyyah Eniath

——

Thank you for tuning in!

Contact Information:

Episode 323: Pollen, Party, Prizes & more

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Thank you for tuning in to Episode 323 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week’s segments included:

  • Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
  • Brainstorming
  • From the Armchair
  • Knitting in Passing
  • In my Travels
  • KAL News
  • Events
  • Life in Focus
  • On a Happy Note
  • Quote of the Week

Thank you to this episode’s sponsors: Stitched by Jessalu (2nd Episode of the Month)

Stitched by JessaLu is the home of handmade project bags in a variety of fun, floral, geeky, or pop-culture themed prints. All bags are made by one woman – JessaLu – on an antique Singer sewing machine in her home in Western Massachusetts. JessaLu has been making quality project bags and an assortment of sewn accessories since 2008 and has recently begun to design her own exclusive prints!  Check them out in person July 18th at South End Yarns in Newburyport, from July 24-26th at The Gathering at Westfield State hosted by the Northeast Handspinners Association (check out the Saturday evening ticket option for only $25), and don’t forget Fiber Revival August 8th in Newbury, MA

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Pollen Party Socks

  • Yarn: Hypnotic Yarn Plush Sock in the Pollen Party colorway + 20g mini (I think it’s Legacy Fiber Artz mini)
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

Goldwing Sweater

  • Pattern: Goldwing by Jennifer Steingass ($8 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 6 (4.0mm) for body and US 5 (3.75 mm) for rolled neck
  • Yarn: Valley Superwash DK in Sand (MC) and handspun from Wound Up Fiber Arts for CC (Ravelry page for handspun details)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: I’m working on the colorwork yoke (only about 8 colorwork rounds left)

Jelly Roll Blanket   

  • Pattern: Crocheted Jelly Roll Blanket by Kay F Jones ($6.70 US on Ravelry)
  • Hook: H (5.0 mm)
  • Yarn: Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes Mini Skeins + other minis from stash
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • I was inspired by KnitwithNat’s blanket- check it out on Instagram.
  • Progress: I finished my 8th strip and I’m 1/3 into the 9th. Still loving this project!

Mine! Socks

  • Yarn:  Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Fingering (90 SW Targhee, 10% Nylon)  in the colorway- Mine! aka A Gull Takes Off with Bluberry
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress- I knit the heel of the sock on the plane to NYC, knit on the foot during Schmigadoon and got half way through the toe on the way home.

Wild Violet Socks

  • Yarn: Wild Violet Fibers Merino Sock (85/15 SW Merino/Nylon) in the OOAK #155 Colorway
  • Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
  • Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
  • Ravelry Project Page
  • Progress: 1 sock is just beyond the heel. 2nd sock is a few inches into the leg

Brainstorming

Gabriella’s birthday ideas

From the Armchair

Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.

Knitting in Passing

I shared a story about another knitting finding me before the Broadway show we were seeing began.

In My Travels

  • Riley and I took an impromptu trip to NYC when she was asked to babysit a local family while they were visiting NY.
  • Friday- we saw Schmigadoon!
  • Saturday- RIley and I got coffee and bagels before we met Laura to visit the Museum of the City of New York to see murals of “Another Wonderland” by Abram Champanier. Riley went off to babysit Saturday night. Laura and I enjoyed a leisurely night in at the hotel.
  • Sunday- Riley and I set an alarm to head to Butterfield Market to buy Dot Cakes. We took a stroll through Central Park before thrift shopping and lunch. Riley went to babysit. I met Laura at Shukette then I went solo to see Operation Mincemeat. 

KAL News

Splash Pad Party ’26 Details

Splash Pad RAVELRY Links

Prizes:  we have 48 prizes to give away this Splash Pad season. Tune in to hear if you’re a May/June winner!

Events

Life in Focus

July 2 is half way day of the year! Let’s do a check in on my 26 in 2026 List:

  1. A-Aim for one night at week at the pool in July and August- make it regular and invite friends to pop over
  2. B- Blood- donate at least 4 times (1/20, 3/17)
  3. C- Christmas Sleepover
  4. D- Declutter 26+ items- delivered a trunk full in February
  5. E- Events- go to at least 26 ticketed events (I have 36 on the calendar for this year!)
  6. F-Find 2-6 new things and try them out! 1) Orange Bike Beer 2) Dot Cakes in NYC,
  7. G-Go on a trip with Dan (just us) Anniversary Trip to Portland
  8. H- Headshots for Hattie
  9. I- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- Go there
  10. J- Journal- Write 365 entries in my I Remember Journal about Mom (inspired by Liz Craft who talked about it on Ep 451 of Happier in Hollywood podcast)
  11. K- Knit at least 2 projects with handspun (Treysta sweater, Inclinations + bonus Goldwing Sweater WIP)
  12. L- Literary pursuit- read at least 65 books (11 as of February, 24 as of 4/27, 30 as of 5/29, 36 as of 6/24)
  13. M- Museum- Museum of the City of New York
  14. N- NYC- go visit Laura at least once– visited in April & Jun
  15. O- Organize a FearLESS Living Fundraiser
  16. P- Puzzle- do at least 1 with Dan
  17. Q-Quarterly review of calendar/photos & goals (to make Year in Review easier and faster)- calendar it!
    1. March done, Q2 review will get done this week.
  18. R- Restaurant- try at least 1 new local restaurant (Blu in Theater District 3/26)
  19. S- Socks- knit 26 pair- 11 done so far.
  20. T- Tattoo- started following some artists on Instagram (plan end of year so can donate blood)
  21. U- Up the amount of muscle in my body- at least 1 pound by end of the year. Making good progress.
  22. V- Vlogmas- take the year off (even if you’re tempted)
  23. W- Wheel- sit down at my spinning wheel every month (put reminders on my calendar at the beginning of each month to help remind me) Jan, Feb, March, April, May done
  24. X- Cross 1 thing off this list that no longer serves me (H hattie headshot)
  25. Y-Yoga at least 2-6 times
  26. Z- Create Zone to keep important papers

On a Happy Note

  • Millie graduated from 8th grade. Dad and I were able to go.
  • Riley’s graduation party!
  • Father’s Day pool day at my dad’s! Dad let Gabriella pick out a few of Mom’s Oz things she likes including a book that she’s flying through.
  • Thought I broke my toe on wrought iron chair leg- but think maybe it was a bad sprain I’m so grateful it’s healing well.
  • A sweet moment with Riley
  • Fun nail aty!
  • I got a lovely text from Alicia at ZK of many of our DCS friends!

Quote of the Week

“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”

― Herman Melville

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