Ep 22: Town Ewe and Country Ewe

Kelly is camping in her newly painted trailer known as "The Clubhouse." It is a 10.5 foot, 1967 trailer that has been decorated in a San Francisco Giants theme. They have camped in The Clubhouse for 3 summers, but this is the first trip after it got the new paint job, had some water damage repaired, and had the interior re-paneled. This episode includes an audio field trip to the Mt. Madonna Campground in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Watsonville and Gilroy. It is a beautiful "on location" recording studio!

In the background you may hear Steller's Jays and Acorn Woodpeckers. The Acorn Woodpeckers make holes in trees and store their acorns in them like a winter pantry. They often take one tree and completely cover it with holes. On the visit here last November all the holes in the trees near the restroom were filled with acorns from the Tan Bark Oaks. On this trip all the holes were empty.

While on the camping trip, Kelly is knitting on two projects: the Dorthelia tank by Corrina Ferguson from the book that the Two Ewes reviewed last episode and the Featherweight Cardigan pattern by Hannah Fettig. The tank top is knit from red Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy yarn and the Featherweight is being knit with three cones of thread (two linen, one cotton) in blue, cream and mint green. Progress on the tank is fast, progress on the cardigan is slow!

The cardigan is a project from Kelly's rescued stash of coned weaving yarn. This project started with swatching during the Yarniacs Q1 Love the Yarn You Own challenge. (Link to Yarniacs episode 92.) It was supposed to be finished in Q2, but that didn't happen. A couple of other stash projects that were more portable got in the way. This cardigan will be finished in Q3. Also started during the Q1 challenge are a set of dishtowels with turquoise as the main warp color and a Herbert Niebling doily in the Frosted Ferns pattern. (The name in English is not very accurate since the pattern is actually oak leaves and acorns.)

Both of these projects hit the rocks with mistakes, but have been righted and are now in full swing again for Q3. The challenge has been a great way to focus on using the stash of coned yarns that Kelly was itching to find a use for!

In our last episode Marsha was blocking her Blue Juno Cardigan by yellowcosmo made with Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silky Victoria. The fit is perfect! Marsha highly recommends the pattern and the yarn. Marsha continues to work on the Wispy Willow Cardigan by Cheryl Beckenrich made with HiKoo CoBaSi.

She cast on for a cardigan called Lanata by Amy Christoffers using StahlSche Wolle Limbo Superwash that was a destash yarn from a friend. The cardigan has raglan sleeves and is knit from the bottom up featuring lace panels that look like vines trailing up the front and back of the sweater.

Marsha talks about washing some of the Shetland fleece she bought last month at the Black Sheep Gathering. Since recording the episode she bought hand carders and has carded and started spinning the Shetland.

Marsha had an "advent-ewe" to Chicago the home of "Cloud Gate," or as the locals call it, "The Bean."

She had time to visit a few yarn shops and did a little stash enhancing. She saw:

• A lovely shop named Loopy Yarns. She bought a skein of HPKY Regina Louise Lace in Shamrock.

• An unusual shop called We'll Keep You in Stitches

• A terrific shop named Windy Knitty Marsha bought a skein of Knitwhits Freia Fine Handpaints Ombre Lace and and Fleur de Fibers Acadian fingering in the color way "Puppet Bike" inspired by the Puppet Bike.

• A super cute shop called Sifu Design Studio. Marsha bought a skein of Dragonfly Fibers Pixie Fingering "Zombie Apocalypse".

Her last stop was a crazy shop called Chicago Fabric Yarn and Button.

The Chicago Yarn Crawl will take place from August 1-9. If you're in the area be sure to check it out!

Marsha loves old houses and had time to visit three. She highly recommends visiting:

The Driehaus Museum

Henry B. Clarke House

John J. Glessner House Museum