My Top Ten Audio Knitcasts for 2009

Last year was a great year for solid and enjoyable knitcasts.  I want to share my top fifteen (or so) list for good knitcasts and then a couple of others as well.

#1 is my guilty pleasure. They may not be highfalutin but Lime & Violet never fail to educate, entertain, and enlighten. Brimming with knit-energy, Starbucks, and gin, these foul-tongued fiberistas got it going on 24/7.  Even tho Lime ain’t been heard from in many a moon, Carin does her best to contain and channel that force of nature that the world knows as Violet (but Sideshow Husband knows as “The Chesticle Host”).  God bless em, these gals’ll be rich n’ famous one day (as opposed to poor and . . .)!

#2 would be on anyone’s list, and almost always is. Number one under “knitting” in iTunes search is Cast On with Brenda Dayne. Long-time caster and a smooth-throated master, Brenda casts out a professional airing every time. Ask anyone.

#3 is David Reidy’s Sticks and String. The guy is so knice, and knowledgable, and knit-busy that I defy you to not be pulled into his bustling Sydney circle. It’s all so well organized and seamless that you feel like you are at the best yarn party every time you listen. His essays are always sensible and vehicles for the “that’s right” insight.

#4 is Stash and Burn. Jenny and Nicole are SF yarnettes with know-how and charm. Phocused yet phun.

#5 is a newbie but already on the lips and iPods of many a string-picker (or thrower, as the case may be): Never Not Knitting. Alana is a pro who share her largesse with the world with creativity and verve.  Seriously, look at her blog: this gal can really knit! Inspirational and elegant.

#6- Knit Spirit

#7- Knit Picks– Top in iTunes under ‘knit”

#8- It’s a Purl, Man

#9- YKnit

#10- Knit Obsession with ZKnits

Honorable Mention for Sheer Heart: Knaked Knits and Knitting at Night

Podcasts that are good as far as they go but have dissappointingly podfaded: Unwound, Yarn Thing, Knitters Uncensored, and SSK

Podcats that I really really really want to like and have listened to every episode but think are just boring every time I do: Stitch Stud and his Bride (who’s the “stud” and where’s the “bride”?-  overly earnest and monotone) . Sorry guy, it’s just dull . . . Infrequent schedule hurts this one as well.

Sweaters for Dragons– I must admit that I’ve never really gotten the dragon/sweater connection. Eric, you are funny when you are with Violet but (I take responsibility here), I may not be geeky enough to appreciate your infrequent, Star Trek-infused podcast. Actually, these last two may be examples of the difficulty of making an good single-presenter podcast. Unless you are really a fascinating speaker (ex. Brenda, Kelley, David), a conversation is usually more interesting.  

More later. My fingers are itching to knit.

EZ BSJ Fever

One Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise Jacket FO. Two more on the needles! Found a use for the Mokely Stripe (100% wool). It’s amazing how addictive this little bugger (the BSJ) is. I’m using the easy pattern to get set for starting a real sweater construction, the Knee-length Coat in Noro Iro from Michael del Vecchio’s Knitting With Balls (page 112).  Got yarn and needles. Can I do it? Or should i try the ASJ first?

Finished BSJ #1

Winter Diamond FO: Sofa Rug, or Shoulder Shrug?

Finished the Ghost Cable Winter Diamond Room Throw today! My design. Fun and easy to knit. I say it again, recycled yarn is a great way to go.

Sofa rug or shoulder shrug?!

It’s a very easy pattern, based on the Lion Brand Baby Love Diagonal Baby Blanket. The center has progressive cable fragments, called “ghost” or “shadow” cables, drifting sinuously to and fro. The many cables pull the square into a long diamond, great as a sofa topper or shoulder cozy in the chill of winter. 

Sofa rug? Shoulder shrug? Your choice. The icy gale shall not prevail! 

Check my Ravelry page for more pics and info on this project.

Finished edging the Origami Hat and Scarf with i-cord . . .

So now on to BSJ, complete with i-cord trim. (But, may *lacivious wink* cast on Seraphim Shawl today . . .)

My Pillow List: Yays and Nays of Knitting in Tokyo

Things I love about knitting in Japan:

• Being Asia, bamboo needles are super cheap, even circs. I get them at 100 yen shops (about a dollar) and have lots of them. OK, yes, I mostly use my Knit Picks Harmony needles but I use my bamboo needles a lot every day as well. The yarn from 100 yen shops sucks but I have used some for theatre productions . . .
• Japan is the home of Mitsuharu Hirose-sama, the Knitting Prince!
• a little-known fact: tatami (rice straw flooring found in every Japanese home) is perfect for blocking. Imagine having a room-sized blocking mat to push pins into. Great for those big honkin’ lace shawls and crazy-long Dr. Who scarves! 
• Japan is the home of Noro * drool* and Habu yarns. Also, Habu’s talented designer Setsuko Torii.
• Japan has four very distinct seasons, with very strict divisions between them and appropriate activities for each. Knitting is Winter activity. Period. In that period, Japanese knitters knit like maniacs. Intense!
• Japanese knitting means chart knitting. Fun and Interesting. 
• Lots of indigo and natural dyed yarns.
• Popular Japanese spiral paper clips (these shown are a German make but we have super cheap ones just like them here) make great stitch markers.
• My job (university professor at Japanese university) gives me lots of time, both during the school term at school and off for months of vacation, to knit. 
• I can knit anywhere or anytime I want. Since I’m a foreigner, I’m expected to do strange things anyway, so no one bats an eye when I knit on the train or in a cafe :).  

Things I Don’t Love About Knitting in Japan:

• Not many yarn shops. Most yarns and knitting goods very expensive (like most things here).
• Sock yarn nonexistent. Has to be ordered online. The sock-knitting craze, indeed the knitting boom, never hit here. Knitting is essentially the domain of middle-aged women (blouses) and love-struck teen girls (boyfriend scarves).
• Knitting is strictly seen as A Winter Activity. (See seasonal comment above). Lots of craft stores put away their yarns in the spring and summer!

Some FOs Coming Up!

It’s been great. Lots of knitting time and more on the way. Basically, I’m a house husband this summer . . .

So, the Origami sweater and hat are done except for the i-cord edging. I am practicing my applied i-cord because I know that I want to edge the BSJ with it. I like the finished look.  A great thing I discovered about i-cord: covers a multitude of edging errors (I had to steek the back of the band because I BO too tightly! But, shhhh, don’t tell anybody. Its a secret . . .) . Love that. Here’s what I have so far:

Origami Scarf and Hat- pre i-cord

Ghost Cable Room Throw is coming along, maybe 75% done. I love it. If it comes out well, I’ll post the pattern, my design :), here.  

Gotta take an excusion into the Houdini socks by Cat Bourhi. Love her mind!

Will work on BSJ this week. If it comes out OK, will start right in on the Adult Surprise Jacket in Noro.  But what about the Seraphim Shawl?!! So many projects in queue . . .

New Day, New FO, New News

OK, just got back from the dentist. Not so bad. I found a good one. In Japan, there is a hesitency to administer more than a minimum amount of anesthesia. Now, I don’t mind drilling, cleaning, shots, even extensive bone work. However, I HATE nerve pain! I may be a bit of a  hypochondriac but I am not a masochist! Give me that anesthetic. Lots of it. Numb me till I drool. Anyway, I made all this irritatingly clear to my new dentist and he and I have an understanding: he’ll give me a double dose of the elephant tranquilizer and I won’t pitch a loud, embarrassing, shit fit in the dental chair (and he knows that I’m the type who will) Yes, I think that’s a fair exchange . . .

Stayed up late last night (like every night this summer) and finished the Ariel Scarf Turned Ariel Hat. I’m calling it the Ariel Mermaid Hat or the “Poor Man’s Pomatomus,” a tribute to Cookie A’s magical and popular Pomatomus Socks that are fish-scaly and wonderful but a lot harder than this easy lace pattern. The hat came out pretty well, I think. and, yes, I will definitely make the matching scarf for it at some point. I was going to do a ribbing at the bottom of the hat but I like how the gentle curves of the pattern frame the face . . . kinda mermaid-like, no? Probably a good idea to omit the ribbing also because the top of the hat already is absorbing the curves from the other side so maybe forcing the curves into a straight line on the bottom as well would give too much pucker . . .) Here’s a pic or two of the hat:

Ariel Mermaid Hat

Poor Pomatomus

Finally, good news: Alana from the new and very listenable Nevernotknitting knitting blog and podcast (on iTunes) has accepted my essay on early knitting traumas (See Knit Training page in this blog)! Yay! She will read it on the air in a few weeks (her show is every two weeks and there are some other entries as well . . .). Will note here when she will air it when I find out.

Now to BSJ and my new Shadow Cables Winter Room Throw.

Fresh Look, Fresh Memory

New look for the blog! I decided the other one was too dark and Goth, scarin’ sum knitters away (I know you Goth knitters out there didn’t object but think about it, white is just as scary as black: pale porcelain skin, death shrouds, etc. etc.) Also, the type was too small and hard to read so this one (called “Dairy,” gives a pop to the pics . . . better than black even) is an improvement.

Today I wrote up a memory I had from my very first project. This was prompted by a call for knitting essays from Alana of the Nevernotknitting Podcast. (She and her stunningly GREEN Ravelympics sweater top can be found at nevernotknitting.blogspot.com. She is an elegant and precise knitter with many lovely projects. Go see! Also check out her podcast. It’s one of the good ones, polished and well-organized and chock full of info and wry fun.) I submitted it (the essay) to Alana and she will either use it, or not , as she wishes.

The essay is called A Bad Beginning for an Untrained Train Knitter. It’s a dramatic recounting of my first knitting project, one that was ill-conceived, bit the dust, and met a tragic fate. Go to Knit Training to read the full terrible account!

Gnit Gnews: I didn’t have much time to work on the Ariel Scarf but it is now officially becoming the Ariel Hat.  We’ll see how the curved sides pucker up, should be interesting and cool (I hope). Was able to join the ends after seven repeats and will pick up the stitches tonight (I’m usually up until 4 or 5 am) or tomorrow during the day. Will connect the top and band soon.

Have to go to the dentist tomorrow for some harrowing jaw drilling so the knitting may be a comfort? I used to looooove going to the dentist but lately I’m not having as much fun . . .

I think I have decided to do a creamy room throw with Shadow Cables out of my recycled yarn.  More on that later. Gotta keep moving on the BSJ.

Some Recommended Knitting Communities

I’ve been having a ball (of yarn) at the Live Journal knitting Communities! Knitting is the techniques, advice community filled with experienced, generous, and very funny knitters, whereas Knitting Chat is the “virtual S & B ” where any kind of rant or musing is discussed. I really recommend these two groups for knowledge and fiber fun!

BSJ Progress

OK, so I’ve been cranking away on the Baby Surprise Jacket but did get just a bit sidetracked by a certain Ariel Scarf I’ve been dallying with. Here is the BSJ at about 35% completion:

BSJ WIP

Really enjoying the EZ classic colors of silver and “lovet” (a deep heather-green). This is gonna be a fast knit and a prelude for the Adult Surprise Jacket. 

Ariel pattern in Filatura di Crosa

 

Ariel in Filatura di Crosa

The Ariel pattern  by Ysolda Original Patterns is beautiful—feminine and undulating— and I think lends itself well to Filatura di Crosa, my favorite mohair yarn. The color: aqua/teal shading into purple/indigo. The weight: fingering, so light project. The feel on the skin: fuzzy and haloed and soft as buttah. To tell the truth I was thinking of knitting up a scarf with it but maybe Ill do that later . . . Right now I may knit two more repeats of the pattern, join the CO and BO rows, pick up stitches, and turn this into a sporty/sexy winter hat for my sporty sexy partner 😀 Will work on that tomorrow if I have time. It’ll really just be an afternoon of knitting to do this.  Maybe this will be the project that gets a thumbs up.

My other offerings have been, shall we say, less than favorably received . . . 😦 The woes of a knitter among muggles . . .

Another project I want to do is a room throw with my new creamy recycled yarn (I found!) that will give me a chance to try out the Shadowed Cable stitches from Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. 

So much knitting, so little time!

Workin’ the Big Boys

This Cornish knitter is my hero! See article at Treehugger.com

A Silly Knitting Mantra

May 7, 2008- My new mantra (inspired by the sultry sages Jenny and Nicole of Stash and Burn):

Knitting has taught me to go with the flow.

Knitting has taught me to trust what I know.

Knitting has taught me to take life in bits.

Knitting has taught me to breathe as I knit(s).

A Quiet Children’s Day

May 5, 2008- Yay! Today is Kodomo no hi- Children’s Day! National holiday=no school. Everyone gone. Quiet house. I knit all day in pajamas, drinking wheat tea and eating mochi. Finished Gedifra scarf (see photo in margin- will block tomorrow if it isn’t raining). Worked a bit on Tsuchigusa. Found cool project at Craftster: explains how to spin newspaper into a knitable “yarn”! I wanna try their technique. 🙂 I’m thinking, too, that to cut the paper thinly in z’s up and down will avoid all that joining in of small pieces. Lots of possible applications on stage . . . (costumes, set pieces, etc.)

On the other hand, if I get a drop spindle, will I not be selecting that first seductive step down the slimy, steaming, sloping path that sucks one inexorably into the Sinister Slough of Spinning? Arghhhhhhhh!!

Moving on UFOs

May 4, 2008- Determined to finish the Gedifra diagonal lace scarf (more than half done). With only a six row repeat, it’s good process knitting for me but I’m eager to block it to see how the diagonal yarnovers open up. Maybe they won’t show up as well as I would like because 1) yarn pattern is a bit busy and 2) despite large needles (US Eight) yarn is thick for this pattern. I’m hoping for the stitch definition to save all when blocked out. Probably will have to frog back one repeat because I clearly skipped a row: the wrong side is showing on the right side. Lazyass me, I considered either leaving it as a “midscarf accent” but I critically eyed it from a few feet away and decided it just looked undeniably sloppy.  This yarn has been ripped a bit as I completely frogged it out of a messy shawl I begat in my newb-infancy.  Actually, I have several projects stashed away like that from long ago that either need to be ripped or refurbished or rethought. Hmmm.  

Want to move on to finishing Tsuchigusa (Earth and Turf) as it is more than half finished and I really enjoy knitting the combination of fingerweight mohair (Filamenta di Crosa Italian yarn) with Sean Sheep grassy funfur. I know, funfur. . . heresy, heresy! But, what can I say? I likes what I likes! I have to admit that I like experimenting with what can be construed as yarn. That has included strange stinky recycled yarns, shredded plastic bags, shredded jeans, twine, wire, rubber tubing, susuki grass, newspaper, extension cords, and rope, among others. Obsessive creativity, much? Anyway, I’m hoping my dirty, grassy shawl will sway the doubters. It’s artsy enough that if my partner refuses to wear it (a possibility . . .) then I’ll debut it for the public. It’ll have to be late fall, and attending an art event, and dark.

After reading several accounts of Baby Surprise jacket knitters and their post knitting advice (especially David Demchuk’s in his blog Knit Like a Man and Guido’s laments in It’s a Purl, Man ), I’ve decided to study up ahead of time by getting Meg Swanson’s DVD (have done!). By visualizing each step in advance, maybe I’ll avoid some of the pitfalls of others and really enjoy each step of the process. 🙂

OK, Cotton N Bamboo for Me

April 28, 2008- Just saw the new inexpensive sampler of skeins from Knit Picks’ stock and new light-weight summer yarns, including sample patterns for each. I have to admit that most of my projects have tended toward the wool/soy/alpaca side. Too warm for hot weather. Today, I ordered the Victorian hues (muted) and splurged on a few more lengths of the Harmony options cables. LOVE the rainbow-wood Harmony interchangeable needle sets! Pointy, hard, easy on the eyes. I’ve always used bamboo needles and like the feel of wood but wanted that pointy tip for lace. Now I can have it all!. Because I go between Japanese, European, and US patterns and needles, my tip for keeping things straight needles-wise is that, as soon as get a new set of needles, I have written on the shaft (in indelible ink) the Japanese size, mm, and US size. That way I’m always good to go.