Posted By Leslie on August 30, 2010

We hope you enjoy Episode 23! Shownotes to follow.

Laura is knitting on her circus trainwreck of projects including…

A featherweight cardi out of Malabrigo lace (Totally in love with this now that I’ve tried it on)

A Mystery Pi shawl out of Blackberry Ridge Lace Silk Blend in the Samarkand Blue.

Toe up socks with gusset out of  Blue Ridge Footprints sock yarn in the Caribbean Cooler colorway (one is done and toe is done on the second).

Harry Potter series of Opal yarn in the Tonks colorway (soon to have a heel)

BTW, I’m wearing an Argus shawlette out of Numma Numma Saucy in the Blue Cheese colorway.

Leslie is knitting on…

A baby hat (BTW the premie hat marathon collected 46 hats last week, how awesome is that?)

Leslie is finished…

Beverly’s Socks, they are the Wrought Iron pattern by Wendyknits out of Plucky Knitter

LacyKaty in Zauberball

Laura is spinning…

Abstract Fiber in Polwarth is finished.  Shady Glade is the color of fiber. I’ve started spinning some lovely green merino from Dyabolical.

Important tip of the week: You can’t take your wheel with you.

Favorite Things:

Akimbo is the name of the Stephen West shawl I want to start.

WE”RE VISITING WENDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you people who have donated.  We heart you !

Warehouse 13 is pretty cool if you like Eureka type shows.

Weekend Knitting is a great basic pattern book that has lots of skills incorporated in them.  I also love the asides with lists of movies and books that include knitting or recipes. The photography and layout is awesome!  Overall, well worth the money.

Her Fearful Symmetry and Cast On magazine  is what Leslie is planning on reading on the plane.

Just Dance is on my list of Wii games to purchase (although the second comes out soon).

Hunger Games and Tiffany Aching (two awesome young adult fantasy/sci fi)

Leslie’s awesome Rainbow yarn from Lisa.

We will be at Fiberspace on Labor Day.

Category: Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Tags: theknitgirllls, wendyknits

Posted By Leslie on August 22, 2010

We hope you enjoy Episode 22! Shownotes after the video.

Leslie has finished…

Some toe-up sport weight socks out of Penguin Dust from the fabulous Perfect Day Yarns.  I love the way they striped and pooled and can”t wait to see how the difference makes Leslie crazy.

Leslie is knitting on…

Beverly’s Socks, they are the Wrought Iron pattern by Wendyknits out of Plucky Knitter

A baby hat (BTW the premie hat marathon collected 46 hats last week, how awesome is that?)

She will be starting…

LacyKaty in Zauberball

Laura is knitting on a plethora of black hole projects including…

A featherweight cardi out of Malabrigo lace (When will it end?)

A Mystery Pi shawl out of Blackberry Ridge Lace Silk Blend in the Samarkand Blue.  I love my hide and sheep markers and would highly recommend them for lace knitting.

Toe up socks with gusset out of  Blue Ridge Footprints sock yarn in the Caribbean Cooler colorway (one is almost done!).

Harry Potter series of Opal yarn in the Tonks colorway (look, heel increases!)

Test knit mittens for SarahLou.  Pattern will be on Ravelry for $3 soon!  I’m knitting them out Phoebe by Goddess Yarns

Laura is spinning…

Abstract Fiber in Polwarth.  Shady Glade is the color of fiber.  It is destined for our friend Maggie.

Favorite things…

Rainbow yarn from LisaLisa for Leslie’s birthday.

Cute triangle piddleloop bag.

Lots of books from Mama Linneman (don’t worry, she still has lots)

Stripy Yarn!  I got a cute Cheshire Cat colorway ball and some mystery Vesper (I’m not going to lie, I thought about not telling y’all about the Twisted Limone Designs so that I could hoard all the yarny stripy goodness for myself).

Sunkist Fruit Gems are my favorite are so yummy (and they are in my belly)!

Winners!

Knitgirllls yarn by Perfect Day Yarns goes to Ann Marko!!!!!!!!  Email Leslie to claim your prize!

The potholders go to Alexa S. !!!!!!! Email Leslie to claim your prize!

We are going to visit Wendy and that makes us happy!  We will be at Fiberspace on Labor Day.

Category: Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Tags: knitting, podcast

Posted By Leslie on August 14, 2010

We hope you enjoy episode 21, filmed at our home LYS, Hank of Yarn!

Shownotes tomorrow! Done!

This week are at Hank of Yarn with the master of minions, Kathy!

Laura is knitting…

Premie Hat (pattern is posted below!) out of Nashua Cilantro

A featherweight cardi out of Malabrigo lace (I swear this is a black hole, I knit and knit and knit and it does not grow).

Kathy is working on…

Stephen West pattern, Daybreak, out of Cherry Tree Hill (I have no clue about colorways, but if you really want to know, I’ll ask Kathy)

Short Sleeved top out of Mountain Colors Twizzle.

Tudor Stole pattern out of Abstract Fibers Hepburn in the Pacific colorway.

Leslie is working on (I tried to skip her, but she caught me)…

Beverly’s Socks, they are the Wrought Iron pattern by Wendyknits out of Plucky Knitter

Some toe-up sport weight socks out of Penguin Dust from the fabulous Perfect Day Yarns

Kathy (and Rita) have finished…

A hat and scarf set out of Eco Duo.

Fame Trend’s shawl from Swedish Yarns

Malabrigo Worsted shrug in Ravelry Red. Pattern is Retro Redux shrug from the Lace Style book.

Leslie and Laura have no spinning and no finished objects.  We are worms, worthless worms (bonus points if you know where the quote is from).

Favorite Things…

That’s What She Said Colorway of Good Girl from Tempted Yarns (You can’t get that colorway, unless you contact Stacy, but she has lots of other good colors up at TLE right now).

Kathy brings tons of her awesome lace projects (lets see if I can get them all)

Estonian Lace scarf out of Cashmere (white scarf).

Free pattern from Superior Yarn (Green).

Brambler out of Tess Designer Yarns Cashmere Yarn (black and white scarf)

Persephone Scarf out of Art Yarns mohair and glitter (green and gold).

Premie Hat knitalong at Hank of Yarn.

Hank of Yarn Sock Club (they still have openings for next quarter, and they ship).

Sugarland was steampunk!  It made me so happy and the new video makes me giggle.

Kathy’s sweater story (I love this!)

We have a facebook group, a twitter account, a ravelry group, and you can find Laura and Leslie on Plurk!

We will be at Fiberspace on Labor Day.  Come see us there!

We have a donate button at the top of the page.

Carin of Round the Twist has had a 1 year podversery!  Happy 1 year Carin!  Thanks for keeping us entertained and inspired for the past year!

Thanks Kathy for joining us!

Category: Podcasts | 11 Comments »
Tags: hank of yarn, knitathon, knitgirllls, podcast

Posted By LaLa on August 14, 2010

You know when you have a great LYS?  When they don’t notice allow you to do this:
We have an awesome LYS called Hank of Yarn and they are doing something very special today. Today, they are hosting a premie hat marathon from 10am-10 pm. All the finished hats will be donated to a local hospital. I think this cause is especially important in Mississippi. Over 18% of babies are born premature in this state (highest in the Continental United States) and while knitting some hats won’t change that problem, at least it will help keep some babies warm.

For our part, Leslie and I will be there knitting hats and we’ll be recording this week’s episode in the shop. I’m also going to share the pattern I created for this project below.

Premie Marathon Cap
Gauge: 18 stitches over 4 inches in stockinette
Yarn: Any Worsted with easy care to get the gauge above (I used Nashua Cilantro and Mission Falls)
Needles: Size 8 or what you need to get gauge. Use your favorite method of knitting in the round. I used 12 inch circulars although dpns, magic loop, and 2 circulars would also work.

CO 40 stitches and join in the round (Do Not Twist!). Knit 1 inch in 2×2 rib (K2, P2). Begin to work in stockinette for 1.5 inches. Work 2 inches of double moss stitch as follows:
R1 & R2: *K2, P2; repeat from * across entire round
R3 & R4:*P2, K2

Begin to work in stockinette (K every stitch) again until the total hat measures 5.5 inches long from the cast on edge.  Kitchner or perform a 3 needle bind of (20 stitches on each side)  Weave in your ends and you are done!

I’ll show a completed hat on the podcast!

Category: charity, design | No Comments »
Tags: charity, giving back, hank of yarn

Posted By Leslie on August 11, 2010

Laura and I were lucky enough to be on the receiving end of our friend Sarah‘s kindness a couple of months ago, and were gifted 3 skeins of an exclusive “KnitGirllls” colorway of Perfect Day yarn.  This stuff is luscious and I haven’t decided exactly what I’m using it for just yet.  It’s one of those special, “pet only” skeins right now, but it’s waiting only for the perfect project.  Laura kept one skein, I kept one skein, and we have *one* extra.  Want it?

Looooooooooook, it’s so preeeeeeettttty!

In order to win, you have to answer these 20 questions, written up by another of our fantastic friends, Jessica!  She is undoubtedly the trivia master when it comes to TheKnitGirllls, and she isn’t going to make this easy!  Send an email with the answers to theknitgirllls@gmail.com by August 18th (which gives you a whole week!) and you’ll be entered into a drawing to win this gorgeous, unique skein of yarn from one of our favorite dyers.  Ready?  Here we go!

Trivia Knit Girlll Questions:
1.  What knitting project bandwagon did Laura and Leslie jump on during the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling? Bonus points if you can name their respective colorways.

2.  Which podcaster’s house did the Knit Girllls stay overnight at before the Loopy Ewe Spring Fling? Name her name or podcast name.

3.  Which episode did one of the Knit Girllls wear a hat during the whole episode? Name the episode, Knit Girlll, and type of hat.

4) Which indie dyer did the Knit Girllls visit this summer, but there is no video footage or interview?

5) Which Knit Girlll has actually finished her Norwegian Rose socks?

6) What’s the self-imposed deadline the other Knit Girlll has put on finishing her Norwegian Rose socks?

7) Name Laura’s cat.

8 ) How many skeins of yarn did Laura vow to knit out of her stash this summer?  Did she meet her goal?

9) Name a pattern that both Knit Girllls have knit and finished at some time during the videocast history.

10)  During the Wendy Johnson interview episode, Wendy tells a secret that she only discovered in one of the photos after her book came out.  What is it?

11)  What type of spinning wheels do Leslie and Laura own?

12)  What type of tea do Southern girls drink?

13)  You see them knit on every videocast.  Are they “throwers” or continental knitters?

14)  What is Laura’s “go to” standard sock pattern?

15)  Who is “Mr. Awesome”?

16)  What nickname does Laura call her father?

17) What sort of bag do both Laura and Leslie use to carry their spinning supplies?

18)  Name at least one thing that Laura carries in her spinning supplies bag that Leslie does not.

19)  Where did Laura’s sister, Beck, shop with her husband for Birkenstocks?  Bonus point if you can name what she said there were a lot of there.

20) One of the Knit Girllls is consciously trying to improve her knitting skills.  Which Knit Girlll is it and how is she doing this?

And just for fun, this was an “extra” question Jess threw in there (answer provided, so no need to include this in your entry).  I think it really shows the dedication and ferociousness of Jess when she’s challenged. 
22) Laura has challenged her lovely friend to a knit race.  What is the project?  Will Laura win?
Answer:  Featherweight Cardigan and hell, no.

Alright ladies – I look forward to seeing how many of you guys get these answers right!  Good luck to everyone. 

Category: Uncategorized | 13 Comments »
Tags: contest, perfect day yarns, theknitgirllls

Posted By Leslie on August 8, 2010

We hope you enjoy Episode 20! On this one we chatter endlessly and review the Blackthorn DPN’s.

Shownotes tomorrow! Tuesday.  LaLa got attacked by a nap monster and forgot to get them done. Done!

Laura is knitting…

A featherweight cardi out of Malabrigo lace (it’s a race, I hope I win…).

Toe up socks with gusset (how can you go wrong with Wendy?) out of  Blue Ridge Footprints sock yarn in the Caribbean Cooler colorway.

She has ripped out the Jojoland Melody (purchased at the awesome Yarn Cravin’) socks in the Mockery Socks pattern (complete and utter fail and not the fault of the pattern, yarn, or needles.  I’m blaming it on Leslie pattern error).

Leslie is knitting…

Random baby hat out of random mystery yarn

Beverly won some socks knit by Leslie.  It is the Wrought Iron pattern by Wendyknits out of Plucky Knitter

Laura is done with…

Nothing

Leslie is done with….

A pair of toe-up socks out of Regia Hand-dye Effect from StringtownYarn. Knitting withBlackthorn DPNs.

Laura is spinning:

Poppy Fiber Flowers in Fruit Stripe is done for a total of 355 yards of a 2-ply.  Now on the wheel is some Abstract Fiber in Polwarth.  Shady Glade is the color of fiber.  It is destined for our friend Maggie.

Leslie is spinning…

The Hello Yarn fiber (Dyed by Leslie and Stacy) that inspired That’s What She Said colorway from Tempted.

She is finished with the Red Merino fiber she dyed at Tempted Estates.

Review:

Blackthorn needles.  They are some awesome dpns.

Category: Podcasts | 4 Comments »
Tags: birthday, blackthorn DPNs, knitting, product review, theknitgirllls

Posted By Leslie on August 5, 2010

As today marks the 30th anniversary of my birth, I figured I’d list out a few things I’m excited about. There’s no real rhyme or reason to the list, just the ramblings of my scatterbrained mind.

1. Hopefully, most of my stupid young mistakes are out of the way.
2. I’m finally at an age where I realize it’s important to take care of ME.
3. That pesky starter marriage is out of the way.
4. I now feel old enough to be a mom. (yes, I have a 7yr old, what’s your point?)
5. I get to reminisce about my crazy 20′s guilt-free.
6. 5 more years and I can run for president.
7. I can officially be annoyed about the teenage-style breakouts I invariably get every month.  (BOOOOO!)
8. My neighbors might hate me less cause I’m no longer a “young whippersnapper” that they feel threatened by.
9. I will get fewer weird looks by declining events based on parking accommodations, size of crowd, food served. (cause now I’m an old fart)
10. My son still thinks I’m beautiful.
11. I have a fantastic fiance and a lovely home.
12. Sometime in my thirties, I will stop being lazy and marry Mr. Awesome.
13. I have a fantastic group of friends, and I know what to expect out of each of them.
14. I have mastered the art of never running out of toilet paper.
15. I get to use the phrase “When I was young….”
16. I’m one year closer to Menopause and the end of periods!
17. Your thirties are when women hit their sexual prime. (right?)
18. I’m finally 30!  The dreaded day has come and I’m still here!
19. I’m old enough to know how to talk to my child about difficult subjects.
20. I actually feel more confident in the decisions that I make, solely based on age & experience.
21. I’m a freaking awesome crafter and I will only get better.
22. I’m willing to pay more for quality items.
23. I understand and accept that nothing is given to you in life, everything is earned.
24. I love my job (most of the time) and am proud of my professional accomplishments.
25. That nagging self image problem gets a little better every year.
26. My current emotion of the minute does not rule my life (most of the time).
27. I’m not afraid to fail.
28. I’m confident that if I had to, I could change a tire.
29. I hope that the added years will make it easier to forgive and forget.
30. I am comfortable in my own skin.  For the most part, I always have been.  I’ve never really been afraid voice the unpopular opinion and I have mastered the “f*ck off face”, but I’m trying to use it less and less.

Thank you to everyone who has sent birthday wishes, and I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Category: Uncategorized | 26 Comments »
Tags: birthday, getting older, leslie, theknitgirllls

Posted By Leslie on August 1, 2010

Here it is – Episode 19! We seem a little more subdued at the beginning since we’re both a little sickly, but it does pick up. We hope you enjoy, shownotes to follow!

Laura is knitting…

A featherweight cardi race out of Malabrigo lace.

2 pairs of toe-up socks with gussets.  The first is out of Blue Ridge Footprints sock yarnand the second is out of Harry Potter series of Opal yarn in the Tonks colorway.

Leslie is knitting…

A pair of toe-up socks out of Regia Hand-dye Effect from StringtownYarn. Knitting with Blackthorn DPNs.

Leslie is done with…

Handspun scarf

Master Knitter swatch 3.

Laura is done with…

City Shawl out of Malabrigo Rasta

Sloppy Joe hat out of Handspun Lorna’s Laces in Envy.

Icing Swirl Hat out of Knit 1 Crochet 2 Temptation (discontinued)

Stashdown is now done!

Spinning…

Laura has an injury time out.  You can find more info about the 4 oz Challenge here.  Leslie is spinning some red fiber she dyed at Tempted’s house from Smokey Mountain Spinnery.

Favorite Things…

Thank you everyone who donated to Lynn’s Make A Wish fundraiser.  Y’all rock!

Lauren (lajenson@gmail.com) won the cool prize from CraftyPancakes!  Email Leslie to give her your shipping info.

Laura is excited that Project Runway, Psych, and Eureka are all back!

Videochat next Sunday (August 8th)

Leslie’s Birthday is this Thursday.  She will be 30!

Laura likes Karen Chance’s books

We encourage everyone who does not have a local knitting group to take the leap and meet new people.

Category: Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Tags:

Posted By Leslie on July 29, 2010

I’ll say it – I’ve been a bad, bad blogger! With the videocast that we do weekly, I tend to get lazy and just tell myself that I’ll catch y’all up during the next episode, but that doesn’t always happen. So here are some little pieces of my life that don’t really fit as podcast segments.

First, you guys may or may not remember that Laura & I (along with Mr. Awesome, Junior Awesome, and another couple with their four[4!!!!] children) went on a little vacation to Jasper, AR. This is how most of the drive went for our dear friend Lala:

In her defense, Michael’s mountain driving can be a little carsick-inducing, so sleeping seemed to ease her suffering. (She looks like she’s suffering, doesn’t she?) She’s totally going to kick my ass for posting this, BTW, so I hope y’all appreciate it.

This is how I refrained from gagging the very loud children (which included my own):

This is what kept Junior Awesome busy much of the weekend. He’s obviously plotting Kayla’s defeat here:

Next, I present you with a horrifically awful picture of TheKnitGirllls from Saturday night. It was our last night at the cabin and I was winding in ends on Laura’s Log Cabin as she was binding off.

It’s probably one of my least favorite photos of us ever, but it was the only one of us together on the trip.

Finally we got home, I did laundry, and Mr. Awesome did dishes. Note the instructions on the container:

Needless to say, the instructions were largely unnoticed until I unloaded the dishwasher.

So, our cheap little container has bitten the dust. Perhaps I’ll find an alternative use for it that doesn’t require a lid being screwed on it. Ideas? Funky flower vase? Change Jar?

Not all was lost, I still have my rockstar mug hook system from Ikea that I don’t think I ever showed y’all. Please ignore the fact that my kitchen is not magazine-clean, it is lived in. Also, the walls are a horrid, horrid orange that I need to repaint ASAP.

Lastly, I have finally started spinning the fiber that I dyed at Stacy’s house a couple of weeks ago. I am not having to do very much predrafting, and it’s spinning as a lace single. I plan on either 2 plying or navajo plying depending on how much yardage I get.

I’m VERY glad Stacy kept me from making it all uniform when dyeing, because it’s allowing it to pink up in spots and really helping to give it some interest. (Stacy’s the best!)

So there you go, my July in Pictures. What’s new with y’all?

Category: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Tags: ikea rocks, jasper, lala, laura, notreadinginstructions, spinning, theknitgirllls, vacation

Posted By Leslie on July 26, 2010

We happily present Episode 18 for your viewing pleasure.  We are using a different uploader (blip.tv) so you might see a short commercial before or after the episode, but the quality is MUCH better and I don’t have to split it into segments, so I consider it a win/win. Let me know what you guys think of the new format.

Shownotes will be up soon!

You can find your own wax mustaches here.  How can you go wrong with a box of wax mustaches.

Laura is knitting…

2 pairs of toe-up socks with gussets.  The first is out of Blue Ridge Footprints sock yarn and the second is out of Harry Potter series of Opal yarn in the Tonks colorway.

Leslie is knitting…

A pair of toe-up socks out of Regia Hand-dye Effect from StringtownYarn.

Laura is done with…

Toe-up socks with gusset out of Ashabee Fiber Oasis in her bamboo/merino/nylon base.  The colorway name is Eclipse.

Log Cabin is done!  All 20 skeins were mostly used up.

Stashdown is now down to 7 skeins and a week to go!

Leslie is done with….

A Lady Betram shawl out of handspun Vesper fiber given to her by Fibernymph (Lisa).

Soon on the needles…

Perhaps a Stacy Shawl (sorry the pattern is currently unavailable) for Leslie and a featherweight cardi race for Laura (I’m watching you Jessica).

Spinning…

Not a whole ton for either of us here.  You can find more info about the 4 oz Challenge here and Schact’s ratios here.

Favorite Things:

Laura got an awesome FOP square package from Dryactivebeast.  Thanks Jen!

Perfect Day Yarns has updated and she has lots of goodies!

Mom and Wheezy brought Laura back goodies from Maine in the form of Tess Designer Yarns.

We ponder size issues with Bamboo Blend sock yarns and hope that Soak wash can solve any issue.

CraftyPancakes is very sweet and gave us stuff including stuff to give away (you should watch the episode to learn how to enter to win it).  We love you Megan!

Interweave Knits review for the fall issue.  We’re both disappointed with the articles (with a Barbara Walker exception) and the patterns (to be honest, it might be the styling of the sweaters more than the patterns themselves).  I think this is the ball winder that Leslie likes.  We like the photo index.

Category: Podcasts | 33 Comments »
Tags: podcast, theknitgirllls, wax moustache