Reviving your mojo - Episode 58 - The Knitmore Girls

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Events: (00:30)
We will be at the Sock Summit! August 6-9th, Oregon Convention Center. Portland, Oregon.

On the Needles: (2:16)
Gigi thanks Dr. Gemma (and the Fiber Collective) for their hospitality during WWKIP day. Gigi replies to Episode 57 ("Now with more Sparkle").

Gigi has unearthed a pair of unfinished vanilla socks. She has used a channel island cast-on. Gigi applies a sewing solution to knit picot edging. (She recommends going down one needle size, do the picot row, and then go up to the needle size that you're planning to knit the sock on.) She is knitting it out of the Fancy Image Yarns in the "Giants" colorway.

Jasmin has only been working on her Katarina sweater. She knit the sweater on US size 6 (4mm) needles (in the Tess Yarns Silk and Merino), and is knitting the collar on US size 3 (3.25mm) needles, and is excited about photographing it finished with the Designs by Romi closures.

Gigi laments having no "grab and go" knitting. She talks about some new sock yarn (Berroco Sox Metallic) in a denim colorway, with some sparkle. She plans on knitting a pair of sparkly Mesmers.

Jasmin has finished a few pairs of socks, and has picked up some new sock yarn. She has picked up some Dream in Color Starry (in Grey Tabby) and Dream in Color Smooshy in Happy Forest. She also picked up some Claudia's Handpaint Silk for some lace knitting.

Gigi is knitting some of the Abstract Fiber Supersock (in Lady Macbeth), which she is planning on finishing soon. Gigi is knitting on her second Coriolis (in mystery Trekking), and has ripped back a sweater and is repurposing the yarn into a baby blanket.

Mother Knows Best: (24:26)

We discuss reviving knitting mojo.

Step 1: Stash dive.
Step 2: Check your Ravelry queue.
Step 3: In Ravelry, go into your "Friends" page, and select the "Friends Activity" tab.
Step 4: Profit.

Gigi recommends working in a different medium to kick-start knitting mojo. Jasmin also recommends finishing off UFOs. Or, bake cookies!

When Knitting Attacks: (29:12)

Gigi continues to try and work her way through the "Little Box of Socks". She chose a yarn that was too busy for the lace pattern, so the socks have been "auf'd". Gigi's pair of Scandanavian socks (from the LBoS) needed ripping out, because the colorwork was too tight.

Straw into Gold: (32:02)

This week Jasmin has been dyeing! She likes the Jacquard dyes and the Gaywool dyes. Jasmin mentions some safety things (ie, don't dye in your cooking pots, keep your dye pots separate from your cooking pots). Jasmin's order for dyeing: water, dye, a drop of Dawn to break the surface tension, stir, vinegar, add wool.

Jasmin has finished washing ALL of the fleece for the Lace Gauntlet Throwdown. She has borrowed a pair of the Forsyth Wool combs and a pair of Louet Mini combs and has found the weight of the larger combs to be a slight hindrance. (Check out the sockpr0n blog for tutorials on combing.) Jasmin has ordered a pair of the Forsyth mini wool combs along with the clamp.

Bring it On: (43:48)

Sandi and Nathania, from Purlescence Yarns, talk about trends they saw at TNNA. Fair isle is the new black! There are loads of new books with modern approaches to classic techniques (like Twined Knitting, by Laura Farson). There have been technological advances to reflect this, like the Denise interchangeable crochet set which lends itself to techniques like Tunisian Crochet (and a companion book Tunisian Crochet by Sharon Silverman). Some new books reflecting the fair isle revival include Knits from the North Sea and Norwegian Handknits.

Not to be left out is Clara Parkes' Knitters book of Wool.

The Knit Kit is now coming in black with white accents. Would you like to see it in a stainless steel? Let us know.