Episode 41 of Knitting Pipeline is Ready, Set, Gauge!

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Visit Knitting Pipeline for complete show notes and more photos.  Topics include Clockwork by Stephen West, the finished Norwegian Setesdal Sweater, gauge swatch tips for the Estelle KAL, and a review of One Skein Sock Wonders edited by Judith Durant.

Episode 40 is called Wee Bits and Bites

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The show notes are on the show blog.

We have a giveaway for an adorable Hummingbird Project Bag from Three Bags Full.  Enjoy Free Shipping through April 2011 on domestic orders by using the promo code "piper" at checkout.

Episode 35 of Knitting Pipeline is about Comfort Knitting

Show notes are at Knitting Pipeline.

Looking for water fowl at Banner Marsh.  The sweater Bob is wearing was a Stash Buster, Norwegian Style, that I made several years ago.

Snow Geese at Lake Springfield from Dave Heinzel on Vimeo.

In the Sunday edition of The Peoria Journal Star there was an article about snow geese migrating through our area. After church Bob and I ate a quick lunch, gathered our binoculars, and drove down to Emiquon to witness this phenomenom.  We are so glad we did.   Although the video  I have posted is actually from Springfield IL, it does capture the wonder of what we saw.

John Muir Documentary

I just stumbled upon this information this morning.  John Muir in the New World, a new documentary about one of my heroes, is going to air on PBS in mid-April to coincide with Earth Day.  The national airing date is April 18, 2011 at 9 PM as part of the American Masters series.  I can hardly wait!   I think I will be too engrossed to knit and that says a lot.

Episode 32 of Knitting Pipeline is A Technique Betrayed

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Show topics include:

• I have to make a choice between two favorite techniques.
• I talk (again) about  Bald Eagles, Carolina Wrens, and deer.
• Swatching Tips
• Norwegian Luskofte (Lice Jacket) Progress
• A free sock pattern from a listener and friend. 
• A lovely Norwegian Bridal March

Eagles!

Road along the Illinois River near Shade Lohman Bridge.

It didn't take binoculars to spot these two.

I played a funeral in Pekin this morning.  On the way home I detoured along the river under the Shade Lohman Bridge.  We've seen Bald Eagles here before.  I had the foresight to bring my binoculars and camera.  I was rewarded by a fine sighting of two mature birds (one a little more mature than the other) perched for a long time in a big tree along the road on my side of the river.  I also saw eagles flying above the river but this was the closest sighting I've ever had in the wild.

Blizzard 2011

Ready to shovel snow.

Bob filling the bird feeders.

Every tree had a snow sculpture at the base.

About this time our neighbor came over with a snowblower.

Episode 28 A Baby Surprise from Elizabeth Zimmermann

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Show notes at Knitting Pipeline blog.

There is a letter from Elizabeth Zimmermann in this episode.

Episode 20 Garter Stitch, Anyone?

Show notes are on the show blog.   Download by clicking on the episode title or listen from the Flash Player.

Topics in this Episode

• Find out the latest about the turkeys Franklin, Knit, and Purl.
• A knitting tip for nupps
• My finished shawl Flourish by Rose Beck
• I ask for suggestions for garter stitch patterns.
• More on Continental knitting and English Knitting methods

...and more, of course. 

Flourish by Rose Beck.  A very fun and easy pattern!

Back from Vacation

We just returned from our annual R & R in Door County WI. The weather was perfect for biking and hiking and we did plenty of both. Of course there was also time for knitting (me), reading, running (him), and general lolling about. Since I never posted photos of the second Aestlight Shawl (designed by Gudrun Johnston) I asked Bob to take some on our last day. The blue is Dream in Color Smooshy and the variegated in the Bird's Eye Lace is a left over from another shawl. I believe it is Mountain Fiber in the Pheasant colorway. With temperatures in the 60's during the day and 40's at night, we were wearing our woolens a good deal of the time during our vacation. We came home to 90 degree heat, so although expected, it is a bit of a shock to the system.

We always keep a bird and butterfly list while we are in Door County. We didn't break any records this year in our 5 days but we had some good sightings. I've starred our favorites, either because they are unusual, numerous, or firsts in Door Co.

Birds Seen 6/6/10 through 6/10/10

Kingbird

Cardinal

Bluejay

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Red Tail Hawk

Sandhill Crane*

Mallard

Barn Swallow

American Robin

Black-Capped Chickadee

Redstart*

Redwing Blackbird

Kestrel

Goldfinch

Flicker

Red-eyed Vireo*

Bobolink*

Eastern Bluebird

Common Yellowthroat*

Downy Woodpecker

Indigo Bunting

Pelican

Mourning Dove

Turkey Vulture

Song Sparrow

Chipping Sparrow

Crow

House Sparrow

Gulls and Terns

Butterflies:

Monarch

Painted Lady

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

Spring Azure

Sooty Wing

Cabbage

Skipper (not sure which kind)

White Admiral* (First time we have seen in Door Co)

Mourning Cloak

Birds we heard but did not see:

Wood Thrush

Oven Bird

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

House Wren

Phoebe

Black Throated Green Warbler

Pileated Woodpecker

Meadowlark

Field Sparrow

As we drove down the lane, past the old apple tree and along the green and white fence, toward our home in Illinois, I thought of the old Scottish saying, "Haste ye back". Indeed, we will.

Summit Stole

Summit is the teaser that I posted about a few weeks ago. It was a gift for my little mom for Mother's Day. When Dad opened the package and showed it to her, they both gasped. Isn't that just the reaction we knitters are looking for?

Summit is a free pattern from Knitty.com. I used an alpaca/silk blend that was left over from a shawl I made. My version is only 9 columns wide so it is considerably less wide than the original. Once the intial set-up rows are established, the pattern is easily memorized. Next time I'm going to try garter stitch as the reverse side reminds me of calamari. There are more notes on my Ravelry page.

Yesterday the knitters from my Prayer Shawl group came over a Porch Morning. We sat in the sunroom with steaming mugs of coffee and tea, watching the busy birds flitting back and forth from the feeders. I suppose a little knitting was done also. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been migrating through and were constantly at the feeders and in the nearby trees all day. This morning I am watching them as I sit at my laptop. How could one not be impressed by such a display? These birds (the males, of course) seem to be aware of their magnificence and love to show it off. I would love to watch these birds all summer but I know we are just a stop on their way to northern breeding grounds.

What's that Thumping Outside Our Window?

Yesterday morning I awoke to one of my favorite sounds, bird song. I lay in bed half-awake, listening, and then hearing an intermittent low, resonant thump. It sounded a bit like a ruffed grouse mating call but different. I walked quietly to the window seat and called Bob over for a look. Below us was a tom turkey, strutting his feathers and wattle, in fine display. Turkeys look very strange up close. It's amazing we even consider eating them when you see one like this up front and personal. There is a window at ground level below our bedroom window so we reasoned he was displaying himself to "the other fellow" in the window. The whole sight was so comical, and yet, quite interesting. The prim and proper female stood nearby, though at a safe distance. Who can blame her for being a bit wary with this guy acting so strangely? He clearly was dancing for her and a potential rival. The photos are quite poor as I was taking them in dim light, through both window and screen. About 15 minutes later it began raining and the two birds stood in the rain, Tom totally deflated and looking very unpuffed up.

Signs of Spring

Robins are back! Yea for Turdis migratorius! I also heard the call of the Redwing Blackbird this morning on my walk. These are sure signs that spring is not too far away, even in the unpredictable Midwestern plains.

See how Bob's Fair Isle Vest is coming along? I have one more OXO and two peeries at the top. One of those peeries is NOT done in the round. I'm a little nervous about that. I'll have to practice my knitting back backwards technique. It's only for 7 rows so I should be able to cope. Then I will cut the steeks and begin the borders for the armholes, v-neck, and the bottom ribbing. I cast on provisionally so I could tinker with the length as the last step of the project.

Yesterday I went to the library to select books and to make my first Toy Society drop. My plan was to leave the knitted cat on a shelf in the children's department. For some strange reason I got cold feet and left without The Drop. There were quite a few children in there plus two clerks shelving books. So I didn't think I would get away with placing the toy and photographing it without being noticed. I might try again today. Meanwhile, I'm about half-way through Wrap-me-up Puppy by Susan B Anderson.

Pathways

In an effort to consume more vegetables I suggested to Bob that we establish one night a week as a salad night. Since he is not a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy, he readily agreed. We've both enjoyed our Salad Mondays for the past 3 weeks. Last night I augmented the salad with roasted vegetables, specifically sweet potatoes and yellow peppers. It was so tasty. We both felt satisfied afterwards and it just FEELS like a more healthful pathway.






In February a friend and I took a wool applique class at a local quilt shop. I chose to make the saltbox house pincushion. That evening I stitched the sheep although it hasn't been made into a pincushion yet. I added my own little touches to the pattern, which was fun. My sister gave me the beautiful wool. As a rug hooker she has a wool cloth stash that makes a wool lover swoon. Some of it, such as the green I used for the grass under the sheep, is hand-dyed.





During February the deer migrated through our woods at dusk, on their path to their night-time bedding place. Usually I practice my pipes about this time and though they could hear me and see me, were not frightened. Maybe they even like the pipes. I took this photo through the porch windows. The most deer I saw passing through was 11 with one of them being a buck. This past week there have been no deer but I saw a beautiful fox with his dinner hanging out of his mouth.



Last night I started knitting a puppy dog from Susan Anderson's book Itty-Bitty Toys. Like most toys, it not mindless knitting because there is quite a bit of shaping. I almost got the body done so that was a good start.

Just for Now

How could a basket filled with luscious skeins of soft wool not make a person smile?

And how could knitting on a sunny porch while gazing at birds and treetops not be the best place in the world at the moment?

What is better than knitting one's first Ishbel? It could be knitting the second Ishbel while wearing Damson. I bought the wool in Scotland in West Kilbride at Old Maiden Aunt. The color is called "bracken". Knitting with it evokes memories of the glens and mossy vales of Scotland. Bliss.

And how could a pair of red shoes not make the world a little brighter, too?

More Culross Scotland Photos

After breakfast in Culross we walked up the cobblestone street hill to the Abbey Ruins. We were fortunate that the garden was open that day. No ticket necessary, just a box for donations.

I'm always attracted to stones with moss, lichens, and succulents. Look at the color here!

The view to the sea was stunning with this gorgeous array of spring greenery in the foreground.

Spring is a Bluebird Whisper Cardigan

I am officially obsessed with the Whisper Cardigan by Hannah Fettig from Spring 2009 Interweave Knits. I ordered 3 skeins of Knit Picks Gloss Lace(70% merino, 30% silk), which is 1 skein too many for sure. I believe each skein is $3.99 so this is a very economical sweater in luxury yarn. The color is Bluebird and I absolutely LOVE it! Friday evening I cast on for the first sleeve and I'm already knitting across the back. On this pattern you use several needle sizes and since I'm a loosey goosey knitter, my largest needle is a size 5. I eliminated the bell on the sleeve and also lengthened the sleeve to 3/4 instead of elbow length. The design is quite unique. It is a shame that Interweave Knits did not provide a schematic for this pattern. Thanks to all the Ravelry knitters who have gone before me in this venture. Your notes are very helpful.

Saturday afternoon I walked in our woods. I should say "climbed" in our woods since much of it is hilly. At the bottom of the ravine we have a very winding creek. Several small morels poked their spongy masses through the dead leaves but I did not pick them because I didn't find enough to cook.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. Each day brings new surprises.