Ep 138 - Can't Think of a Title

Hello and welcome to another slightly strange episode of the Shinybees podcast. This episode has not followed my usual inspiration and research process and I think at the moment, that's ok. I have some knitting patterns for you today, and I will be talking a bit about what I'm up to. I'm going to try and keep away from labouring the finer points of the virus, as we're all hearing enough about that from other sources.

I will talk about some of the things that I am doing and thinking, in the hope that it might help you. Either way, it will record some of this for the future when I forget all about it, much like the mishaps that I have blanked from memory that I have shared with you in the past. Shoutouts This episode I have shoutouts for Maureen Dubary in Johannesburg, South Africa and Jennifer O' Brien in Australia. I'm working on getting a shoutout from Joe Wicks for the kids on Joe's PE Lessons. I'm going to try having an unusual name, unusual location and timing the comment to be one of the top ones when it gets to the break. I shall keep you updated of my success or otherwise in this noble quest.

If you would like a shout out on the podcast, just send me a message. Everyone loves a shoutout.

Listener question – school I received a question from a long time listener, Daniele, regarding what I am doing about school for my kids. My children already follow a sort of distance home school package, and are being set work by their teacher, like a lot of other kids right now. I'm not worrying too much about getting it all done, and am prioritising physical exercise, eating well, staying well and adequate rest over anything else. I am not going to stress about getting the school work done with everything else going on. Nobody in the world is really at school right now, so your kids won't be behind. It's not a priority right now as far as I am concerned. I'm teaching them lots of other stuff we don't usually have time for, such as cooking, nutrition, life skills. For PE you can join the lessons with Joe Wicks. If you want extra sheets or resources, Twinkl is great. You can also download Sal's recommended websites here.

Community - I'm still looking at a community platform for us to get together whilst avoiding Facebook etc. I'll be doing Virtual Knit Nights as well – look for details on those soon. Knitting Patterns for DK Jumpers I'm still struggling to find nice DK patterns for a jumper. Whilst there are a lot of colourwork patterns around, I'm looking for a single colour pattern and there isn't much around. Suggestions welcomed!

Virus Patterns - As I've been scrolling the Rav database at length recently, I've stumbled across a couple of patterns that are aiming to help foodbanks during the current crisis. Lockdown by Robynn Weldon of Studio Miranda. This is a free pattern to learn brioche – there is a suggested donation of $10 to the Trussell Trust or Food4kids. Don't Touch Your Face by Nicola Susen of Nicolor Designs. This is a free pattern for a cowl and is part of a wider #solidarknitty collaboration between German designers and dyers to assist German food banks. You can find out more about that here. Covid19 Coronavirus Stuffie by Randi Marchant is a pattern for a replicas of the coronavirus. It's $3.60. I found it very anatomically correct and therefore quite impressive. The Coronavirus Cloth by Alli Barrett is a pattern for a knitted dishcloth. It's $2.40 and all proceeds will go to local foodbanks near St John, NB.

That's all for this week. If you enjoyed the show, please consider leaving a review on iTunes or your favourite podcatcher. Music for this episode is by Adam and the Walter Boys, available on iTunes.