Ep 67- Up to my Eyeballs

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors:
   Audible: Follow the link for a FREE 2 week trial and a FREE audiobook of your choice!!
   Bar-Maids: Check out their fabulous, eco friendly line of AMAZING skin care products!
~Contests: 
May winner announced! Listen to find out!
June: Wedding Help!! I need your help! Post your ideas on the Ravelry Thread to enter! A randomly selected entrant will win a $25 gift certificate to Bar- Maids! If I pick your entry to use for my wedding, you might win a copy of A Knitting Wrapsody by Kristin Omdahl!
A Knitting Wrapsody: Innovative Designs to Wrap, Drape, and Tie

Finally, help provide a scholarship for my awesome friend Amanda so she can go to Costume College.

Donate to the podcast during June and specify you want to help with her scholarship and you'll be entered into a raffle! Possible prizes: Your choice of 6oz of babydoll southdown fiber from Kellane Farm, some KnitPicks yarn or a jar of Laura's Organics hand lotion!  Who knows, maybe I'll pick more than one winner!
~ Sweater Forecast:
SUNNY AND WARM! No sweaters here!
~Knitting:
Wedding shawl is coming along nicely, have 4 repeats of chart B done!  Frogged the whole thing last Tuesday, so spending lots of time on it!  Also, sweater is almost done!  A few more inches on 2nd sleeve, ribbing on bottom, cut steek and knit button bands!  Hopefully done in time for Black Sheep!
~ Sales:
   - Little Knits has Louisa Harding 100% Mulberry Silk for only $6.40 a skein! That's a STEAL!
   - KnitPicks is having their summer sale! Up to 35% off specific colors!
   - WeddingThings has great little favors and gifts with NO minimum purchase quantity!
~ Tip of the Week:
Friends and Family discounts!  We got a great deal on the materials needed to build our new bed because our friend works at a local hardware store!
~ How We Saved the Week:
Bed supplies, and wedding makeup!  I'm having my makeup done, then buying the makeup that looks good, and having my sister do my makeup for the wedding! I'll get a great look AND get to keep the makeup!  Terra Firma Cosmetics is doing the makeup and providing the cosmetics! Crafted locally and made with natural products in the little town my mom grew up in!
~Worth It:
How To Shop For Free by Kathy Spencer
Check out the Website, but overall, this book will be totally worth it if you do the work!


~Contact:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Please leave iTunes reviews! They make me exceedingly happy!!!
Also, donations are greatly appreciated!!  If you want to support Amanda's scholarship, please specify! If you want an awesome KnitCents button, leave your address!!

Ep 66- Missed you!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors:
Audible: Click the link for a free 2 week trial and a free audiobook download!
Bar-Maids: OMG Check out the NEW Lo-Lo Bar with Zinc Oxide and Hempseed Oil!
~Sweater Forecast:
Its iffy- sometimes rain, sometimes beautiful sunny 70 degree!
~ Knitting/ Spinning:
Nothing new, but lots of progress!
~ Free Entertainment:
The KnitKnacks Podcast!
~ Garden Update!
We planted things! Carrots, radishes, endives and cucumbers!
~ Sales!
Knitting-Loop Shipping from the UK on yarns for less than $1 per skein!!!
Abundant Yarns Stash sale! save $$ on yarns you know and love!
RetailMeNot Search for online coupon codes for 90,000 stores!
~Events:
I'll be at Black Sheep Gathering, will you? Weekend of June 24-26! Eugene OR! Be there, or be missing out!
~ Tip of the Week:
Think outside the box!
We used some Vistaprint business cards to make the drink tickets for our wedding! They were free!! We only paid for the shipping!
~How We Saved the Week:
We bought some awesome All-In-One invitations for the wedding through
www.costco.com!  They are awesome, they'll save us money on postage and they are super adorable!!!!! Plus, postcard return means less envelopes and paper waste!
~ Worth It!
New Lo-Lo Bar! OMG! AMAZING! I didn't think the LoLo bar could get any better but the Bar Maids have outdone themselves! Wowza!!!  GO GET ONE (or 5)!
~Contact Info:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Twitter: Roue0824
Ravelry: Roue
Please leave me a review on iTunes OR send me a donation! Any donation of $5 or more will earn you an awesome KnitCents button!

Black Sheep, White Sheep!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thank Yous!
~ Sponsor:
Bar-Maids are donating an "I Deserve This!" package in the scent of your choice to the lucky winner this month!
~ Contest:
Cold Sheep!  Kick a bad habit or start a good one!  Find something that will help you save money, and do it!  Then, tell us all about it!
~ Knitting:
  -Finished the Father's Day socks just in time!
  - Still working on the sweater!  Almost done, but I keep deciding I want it to be longer because I like long tunic style tops!
  - Still working on the Regia vanilla socks!
  - Wedding Shawl: The current wedding shawl will be a practice shawl, because I've decided (with some help) to knit my wedding shawl out of cashmere and lace!
~Spinning:
  - Almost done with all the merino/tencel that I got at Madrona, I think it will grow up to be a Citron shawl!
  -Finished the first 4oz of the Polwarth I started from Sunset Fibers, now just 8oz to go!
  - Started some camel/silk at BSG too!
~Events/ BSG Recap!
  There was so much awesomeness at BSG that you'll just have to listen to find it all out!  I can't express the awesome in words typed out!
  I will be at Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival (OFFF) during September 24-25!
~Free Entertainment!
 I've been listening to SassyPantsKnitter by SillyFru, and I LOVE it!  I've also been listening to The Prince of Hazel and Oak by John Lenahan.  It is the podiobook sequel to Shadowmagic!  I accidentally said it was by Nathan Lowell in the episode, but it's actually John Lenahan!  OOPS!  It is also awesome!
~ The Garden:
  Has exploded!  It is huge! WEEEEE!
~ Sales!
Just one:
Discount Book Sale has awesome deals if you aren't a member, and even more awesome deals if you are!  If you decide to join, make sure you will really save because the membership is $20 a month!
~Tip of the Week
   Set a budget and rules and tell everyone about them!  They will either help you, or they will try to get you to spend more than your budget and if that happens, then it will be a fun game of trying to not spend money just to prove it to them that you can stick to your budget!
~How I saved the week!
We went to see the Karate Kid last night, and we used some free movie tickets we had earned from using our free Regal Crown club card!  It pays to join goofy free clubs!
~DIY:
  Fruitfly trap: We've been having a lot of trouble with fruitflies this week, so we set a trap.  They really like smelly food, so we set out a jar with about 1 inch of apple cider vinegar, and some chopped bananas.  We put it under our kitchen fan, so they would either get sucked up into the fan and out of the house, or they will fly down into the vinegar and drown! Muahahahaha!
~ Tour de Fleece:
If you want to spin for the Tour de Fleece, I'm co-capitaining Team Sasquatch!  Come join us!  There will be a kick-off chat in the group at 8:30 am on July 3, so come join Team Sasquatch!
~ Worth It!
2 at a Time Socks by Melissa Morgan Oakes
Retail Price: $16.95 17 patterns
Pros:
- If I wanted to do magic loop and 2 at a time, this book tells you exactly how to do it with step by step instructions that are very clear.
- All the patterns are fun and beautiful
- Patterns are clearly written and charted
- Lovely pictures of each sock
- There are lots of yarn options
Cons:
- Patterns don't translate well to DPNs
- Some pictures the yarn is a little too busy for the stitch pattern, making the pattern hard to see.
- The charted patterns aren't also written out line by line.
**Overall: Worth it if you want to do magic loop, not worth it if you're stubborn like me and just want to knit the patterns using DPNs.
Mini review: Lantern Moon Sheep Tape Measure.  ADORABLE!

~Contact Info
Email me!
Ravelry: Roue
Ravelry Group: KnitCents
Twitter: Roue0824
Please leave a review on iTunes or feel free to click that shiny button below...

Episode 19- Productive Week

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thank yous!
~ Sponsor: Laura's Organics  Check out all her info and email her if you'd like to order!  She has donated a jar of her amazing Hand Cream to the contest this month!
~Contest: LAL!  Learn something new that will help you save money and tell us all about it!  Either leave a comment, send me an email, or post your info on the Ravelry Group page!
~Knitting: Working on the chevron lace pattern on my Simple Knitted Bodice, going much faster now that its joined in the round!
  Finished the first toe and foot of toe up sock!
  Turned heel and started gusset decreases on Regia stripes vanilla sock!
~Spinning: Still spinning polwarth!  Its awesome and its taking  a long time to spin!
~Free Entertainment: The Anatomy of Knitting Podcast by Erin!  Check it out, its awesome!
~The Garden: Everything is planted and netted and there's still a little room!
~Sales:
  Yarnish sales:
    - Webs: Yarn.com has tons of mill ends and closeouts for 40-60% off!
    - Simply Sock Yarn has an awesome clearance section!  Cascade Sassy Stripes is regularly %6.75, but now only $2.70!
  Elsewhere:
    -Zenni Optical is an awesome site where you can order glasses!  As little as 9$ (plus shipping) will get you a new pair of glasses!  Cute frames, and the extras aren't terribly expensive either!
~Tip of the week: Get Medieval!  Decide if there are things that you can do without electricity, and do it by hand!  Line dry, use a countertop clothes spinner, or let your hair air dry!  It'll save a little more energy!
~How I Saved the Week:
I finally joined our local CSA!  I can't wait for more fruits and veggies than I could ever eat!  YUM!
~Worth It!
  The Knitter's Book of Wool by Clara Parks
Retail: $30 (amazon has it for $20)
First section: Anatomy of wool
2nd section: Explanation of how wool becomes yarn (spinning) and how different wools take dye
3rd section: Explanation of breeds of sheep and categories they fit into.
4th section: Explanation of blending fibers for different purposes.
5th section: PATTERNS!  :)
I want to make everything in the book, and I feel it is very valuable to know the different breeds and how their wool is different!  Overall: WORTH IT!
~Contact Info:
Email me!
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Please leave a review on iTunes or feel free to click that shiny button below!

Episode 17- Secondhand, not second best

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thank yous
~ May Sponsor:
 Laura's Organics is donating a jar of her amazing hand cream to our contest winner for the  month!
~Contest: 
LAL!  Teach yourself or learn something new that will help you save money, then share your new skill on the Ravelry Group page!  If you would like help finding info, ask on the group page, and if you have an answer, please share! There may be a bonus prize for someone who offers awesome help!

~ Knitting:
I finished the Monkey Socks!  And better yet, I finished them in time for Mother's day!  I've also almost finished the bumbling podcaster socks, because I couldn't knit the monkeys when I was around my mom, and I hung out with her a lot this week!
~Spinning:
nothing to report because I was so busy knitting the monkeys!
~Free Entertainment:
Heaven Series by Mur Lafferty.  You can find this and many other titles on Podiobooks.com!
~Sales!
Tips for using Craigslist.org
- Don't buy without seeing photos
- Don't be afraid to ask a lot of questions
- Haggle!
- Browse the free listings often!
- Check other cities besides your own
- Never give out your credit card info or write a check
- When selling, ask for more than you want
- When selling, if you get a lot of responses quickly, delete post, and repost later with different photos and description and ask for more money!
- Use proper grammar and post photos!
- For safety, try not to go to someone's house or let people into your house unless you have someone with you, and NEVER list your address on the site.
~Tip of the Week:
Take advantage of your friends and family!  Please not in a mean way, but remember that your friends and family know, and are probably willing to share their skills with you!  If there is something you want to learn, ask someone you know because if they are anything like my friends, they probably want to help you in any way they can!
~How I Saved the Week!
I went to an awesome secondhand store, sold some old clothes and got some new ones!  Yay for new clothes, and especially yay for super cheap new clothes!
~Worth It:
The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe
Pros:
- Small and portable- easily stuffed in a purse or knitting bag.
- Book is well laid out in an easy to understand way
- Gives lots of options for some techniques, like cast on and bind off, and tells you the best way to use them.
- Most techniques described also have pictures, and the pictures use 2 colors when needed to make it more clear
- There really are answers to almost every knitting question!
Cons:
- There are a few answers that I couldn't find
- Some answers seem to be more opinionated, like the author chose her preferred method for doing something rather than give all the options
- For a few advanced questions or techniques, she seemed to give vague answers, like she assumed that if you are doing something that challenging, then you should be able to figure it out.
Overall: Worth it!
~Contact Info:
Email me!
Twitter: Roue0824
Ravelry: Roue

Tip # 5: More is less!

Buy in bulk! I know it never seems like you are saving when you pay the bill at big bulk stores, but if you buy the things you use the most of, and your non-perishable items in bulk, you will be paying less per pound or item, and it will lighten the bill for your more frequent trips. The same works for yarn wholesalers. If you just don't need 24 cans of cream of mushroom soup, or 30 skeins of cashmere silk yarn (though I can't imagine ever not needing that much cashmere silk) find a friend and split the bill! If you know several people who all want to order from the same website, put it all together and save on shipping! A lot of times too, if you order large shipments, the dsitributor will give a discount, or free shipping. Trust me, more is less!