Episode 26- Its All About Etsy!

~ Intro/ Welcome/ Thank You!
 Check out the new banner!  Thanks Kristine!  Buttons coming soon!
~ Sponsor: 
Trickle Creek Farm and Fiber is donating some of their wonderful goat's milk soap and some bubblin' bath salts!  They also have angora fiber for spinning!  Check them out!
~ Contest:
Come play with us in le Tour de Sheep! Post progress photos on the Ravelry page and be entered to win!
~ Knitting/ Spinning: 

Still working on the "Top down- Toe Up socks" and I LOVE IT!  This might be the new standard for sock knitting for me.  I ripped out the Brandywine that I started last week and restarted it with some yarn that is behaving much better.  I'm also working on a SUPER SECRET project for someone who listens to this podcast.  As for spinning, I've finished all the polwarth and its awesome!  Little bits of barber poleyness, and some bits of solid colors!  I think it will make something super squishy and nice!  I've got 3 bobbins full of 2 ply, but no clue on the yardage yet!  I think this will make me very happy to knit with come wintery cold time!  I also started spinning some cormo that I got from SpinPygora at Black Sheep!  CORMO IS THE BEST!  It is spinning up so fine and nice!  I think I'm going for a 3 ply sock weight!  We'll see what happens!

~Free Entertainment: I've been watching a lot of free Pokemon.  Don't make fun.

~Sales!!

 -NeoTigress on Etsy has undyed corriedale top and MEGA CUTE stitch markers for sale in her shop!  If you use the coupon code "KnitCents" in the checkout message box, she will give you free shipping on your first order!  Also, after you've bought 4 pounds of fiber from her, she will send you your 5th pound free!  Awesome deals, especially if you like dyeing your own fiber!

-Old Sheep on Etsy is having a Buy 3 get 1 free sale in their shop!  They have lovely handdyed batts for sale, and everything is included in the sale! Check it out!

- AJoyfulGirlHandmade on Etsy sells SUPER RAD market bags and knitting project bags!  She's got several knitting project bags on sale in her shop right now for less than $6!  That is an awesome deal!  (this is Shilo from the Spin Control Podcast's shop- if you don't already listen to her show you should!)

~Tip of the Week:

Listen to lots of podcasts! I learn so much from listening to people talk all week!  The reason we podcast is because we have a lot to say, and most of it is pretty smart! (I'm of course talking about other people, we all know my rambling isn't always the smartest thing) Haha!  Anyways, I think that the global knowledge pool is growing every day because of awesome podcasters!

~How I Saved the Week:

I took short lunches all week instead of using up my paid time off for my Drs appt, and I taught my parents how to use PayPal in exchange for some fiber! Yay!

~Review:

The Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman

$7.95 (less if you get it used!)

Elizabeth Zimmerman is a genius.  I think I raved about her a couple episodes ago, but when I bought this book, I read it from cover to cover because she is such a genius.  Her logical way of thinking about knitting really shines in this book, and because the book is small and portable, you can take her genius in your knitting bag all year long! Overall: WORTH IT!

~Contact Info

Email Me!

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

If you are enjoying the show, please leave a review on iTunes or click that fancy button!

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Episode 25- Chickens and Chocolate

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thank yous!
~ Sponsor:
Trickle Creek Farm and Fiber is donating a bar of their soothing goat's milk soap and some of their bubblin' bath salts!  So wonderful!
~Contest: 
Come play with us in le Tour de Sheep!  Post photos in the Ravelry Group so help inspire us to spin and knit from our stash!
~Knitting/ Spinning:

Its been super hot so the Simple Knitted Bodice has been put on hold for a while.  I did finish my Vanilla Regia Socks  which turned out pretty awesome!  I also started a pair of toe up socks using some Pico Accuardi Sock that was gifted to me (thank you!) and they are going super fast!  I'm really enjoying how the colors are pooling!

I just started that sock last night and did all the toe increases.  The rest has been knitted in the car on the way back and forth to Seattle and while I was at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon!  I didn't think there was such a thing as too much chocolate, but I was proven wrong.  But it was so much fun!  I also got asked questions about my knitting while I was taking a chocolate break!  Yay for KIPing!  

Finally, last night I started knitting the Brandywine Shawl by Rosemary Hill!  I'm knitting it out of KnitPicks Shadow Laceweight (which runs $2.99 for 440 yards!  Awesome!)  I've knitted the first 30 rows and I really like that the pattern is charted and written line by line.  I think it will help me improve my lace skills.

 As for spinning, I've been working on some 50/50 baby camel/ tussah silk on my Akha spindle, some merino/bamboo/silk blend on another spindle and some Polwarth on my wheel!  Yay for le Tour de Sheep!

~Free Entertainment:

Crooked Row: by Kim, an awesome new podcast about knitting and gardening!  Kim is going to be a huge asset to the knitting and gardening community!

Knitting Pipeline by Paula: Paula is a knitter and a bagpiper and she talks about how those 2 things affect her life!  Her voice is soothing and her music is really lovely!  Check out both of these shows on iTunes!

~Garden Update:

The garden is doing super well, and I thought I'd share a little about my chickens!

I have 2, a Barred Plymouth Rock (the black and white one) and a Gold Laced Wyandotte (the gold and black one).  They are super fun!  They live in my backyard and they have an indoor and an outdoor coop that is connected by the little trap door you can see in the above photo.  The outdoor coop is where they hang out during the day (if we aren't home) so they can roll around in the dirt and be cool. The outdoor coop is connected to the indoor coop by a sweet trapdoor.  The 

indoor coop is actually my childhood playhouse that we converted into a coop!  Inside there is a nest for their eggs, and their perch that they sleep on.  The trapdoor closes to keep any predators out!  The usually wander in there when it gets dark and go to sleep!

They are super adorable and fun, and fresh eggs are so delicious!  The are super inexpensive to keep, about $15 every 3 months.  A 50lb bag of feed is around $10 and lasts about 3 months, and a bag of the pine shavings on the floor of the inside coop lasts about 3 months and is around $5.  Sometimes we trade the eggs for other produce and the chickens eat the bugs out of the garden!  The only downside is that the poo attracts flies (even when Aaron is awesome and cleans it up every day) so we have to be sure to wash everything in the garden super well!  But we'd probably do that anyway, so we love having our chickens around to make us breakfast!  I know a lot about chickens, so if you guys have any questions about keeping them in your yard or anything like that, I'd love to answer them!  I think everyone should have chickens because they are rad!

~Sales: (/ Tip of the Week/ How I Saved the Week!)

- WEBS is having an awesome sale on silk laceweight cones!  Only $37.49 for 2450 yards! That's a lot of shawls!

- Amazon has a Polaroid 10Mp digital camera for $70 because it is orange.  The silver one (that is exactly the same) is $150!  I bought my mom the orange one for her birthday because she wanted a new camera and this one was a great price!

Tip: Be open minded about colors as long as it won't affect the performance!  Sometimes things cost less just because the color isn't popular!  

How I Saved: I got my mom an awesome gift for a little bit of money because I used my KnitCents!

~Worth It!

The Cool Girl's Guide to Knitting by Nicki Trench

I picked this up at JoAnn for $5, but Amazon has it for $.99!!  The patterns aren't great, there are probably only 2 that I would actually knit, but the techniques pages are really well done!  The pictures are really well done and the descriptions make a lot of sense.  The book is aimed at young girls (like teenagers) and while I probably wouldn't wear a lot of things from the book now, I would have worn everything in this book (at the same time) when I was about 15!  If you have a young lady in your life that is interested in learning to knit, for $.99-$5, this book is TOTALLY WORTH IT!

~Contact Info

Email me!

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

Please leave a review on iTunes or click that fancypants button below!

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Episode 24- Le Tour de Sheep

Hey everyone!  I want to get the shownotes for ep 25 done, and ep 24 wasn't that awesome anyway (sorry) so I'm just going to post important links!
Sponsor: Trickle Creek Rabbittry is donating a bar of their goat's milk soap and some of their bubblin' bath salts!  Check out their site, then email them at tricklecreek(at)comcast(dot)net!
Contest:  Play with us in the Tour de Fleece (or Tour de Sheep, as Aaron keeps calling it!) Then post pictures in the Rav group!
Free Entertainment: Check out me being interviewed by Susan in the latest episode of Knitajourney Podcast!
Sales: Four Seasons Knitting is closing so everything is on sale!
Check out the Ravelry Group: Yarn Sales!
Borders Marketplace has tons of new and used books up to 90% off!
Tip of the Week:  Keep track of your shopping trip while you are shopping with the use of paper and calculator or a sweet iPhone app!  You'll know exactly how much you owe when you get to the counter and it'll be easier to stick to your budget!
How I Saved the Week:
I bought the wedding planning books I've been wanting for super cheap on Amazon!  Yay!
Worth It!
Knitting Without Tears by Elizabeth Zimmerman.
This woman was a complete genius.  Every knitter should be required to read this book because it will make you a better knitter.  Enough Said.
WORTH IT!

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 22- Quick and Dirty

(Sorry it took me so long to post this!)
~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks
~ June Sponsor: Bar Maids are donating their "I deserve this!" package in the winner's choice of scents!
~Contest: Cold Sheep! Kick a bad habit or start a good one and tell us all about it, and if you have any special tips to go along with it!
~Event: Black Sheep Gathering
~Knitting: I've been super stressed out so I've been knitting A LOT!  I am not going to be able to finish the sweater because I'm trying really hard to finish the socks for my dad in time for Father's Day!  Also, got a little done on the wedding shawl!
~Spinning: No spinning actually done, but I bought an ounce of organic cotton and an ounce of hemp fiber to see how they spin up!
~Garden update:
   There are a bajillion strawberry flowers, the peas are climbing and we have broccoli and cauliflower florets!!
~Sales! (which are not any good anymore, but the sites may have some other good sales!)
   - Simply Sock Yarn
    -Claudia Handpaints for 40% off plus loads of other goodies for up to 60% off!
     - JoAnn is having their annual Firefly Frenzy sale!
  Elsewhere:
    - Since Father's day is coming up, lots of hardware stores are having great sales on power tools!
~ Tip of the week:  Get a rain barrel!  You put it under your drain spout, and it collects the rain which you can then use to water your garden!  Make sure you have some kind of netting so mosquitos don't get in, but its great because it also keeps the rain away from the foundation of your house!
~ Worth it!
 Greetings from Knit Cafe by Suzan Mischer and Victoria Pearson
This book is awesome!  It is filled with awesome patterns for gorgeous stuff!  Also, it has loads of fun little extras, like knitting quizzes to throw at your knitting group, recipes, and playlists that are extra awesome for knitting!  The patterns are well written and the projects are super well photographed, and there is something in here for EVERYONE!  From  yoga mat bags to red carpet gowns, saddle blankets and laptop cases to messenger bags and yarmulkes.  If you want a great book that will let you expand your range of techniques and projects, this book is it!
Overall: Worth it!

Episode 21- Cold Sheep!

~Welcome/ Intro
~May Contest- LAL
  Sponsor: Laura's Organics- donated a jar of her hand cream!
  Winner: AbsinthAnnie!
~June Sponsor:
  Bar-Maids!  They are donating an "I deserve this!" package to our winner!
~June Contest:
Cold Sheep.  Either break a bad habit, or start a new one!  Then tell us all about it and how it's going!  Bonus points if it is something that will make you more healthy and save you money!
~Events:
  I will be at the Black Sheep Gathering during the weekend of June 18-20!  I'll be doing a meet and greet at the Bar-Maids booth with Erin from The Anatomy of Knitting Podcast from 12-1 on Saturday!  Come see us!  I am also going to be at the Ravelry meetup on Saturday at 4, and I'll be playing Black Sheep Bingo all weekend!  Let me know if you'll be there so we can meet up!
~Knitting and Spinning

I've made a bit of progress on the sweater, and a bit on the Regia socks.  I frogged the toe up socks while recording and I'm going to knit them up top down really quick before Father's day so I can get them done in time.  I'll try toe up again another time with NOT black sock yarn!

No spinning this week. :(

~Garden Update:

The garden is doing awesome!  I'll be slug-proofing it and building ladders for the peas and beans later today!  (PS >this is what I look like if you want to find me at BSG!)

~Sales!!

  - Yarn Barn has some awesome deals and discounts on discontinued yarn, and they have a weekly special!  Check back every Monday for the deal!

  - Knitting- Warehouse also has really great deals, especially on Lion Brand and Berrocco yarns!

 Elsewhere:

  - Puritan's Pride has an amazing selection of high quality vitamins and supplements and right now they are running a special: buy 1 get 1 free or buy 2 get 3 free!

~Tip of the Week:

From Harriet- When doing the long tail cast on, wrap your yarn around the needle as many times as you need stitches, then start there!  Then you won't run out of yarn or have a super extra way too long tail at the end!

~ How I Saved the Week:

  I went to Kohl's and cashed in on their awesome Memorial Day sale!  I had a giftcard, and I bought 6 shirts, a skirt and a dress for under $90 (about $30 was on the giftcard) and saved $159!!!  I WIN!

~ DIY:

 Slug repellers: Take a small cup or can (the size of a tuna can) and dig it into the ground and fill it with beer. (So the top is ground level)  Then, to keep other critters out of the beer, cover it with another can with a hole cut in so slugs can still crawl in.  The slugs will crawl in and fall into the beer and happily drown!

~Worth It!

Knit Socks by Betsy Lee McCarthy

$14.95 for 15 patterns.

Pros:

- Best vanilla sock pattern ever in my opinion!

- Patterns use lots of different weights of yarn so you could easily sub!

- Patterns in all sizes!

- Lots of little tips and tricks hidden in the book!

- Description of kitchener stitch and how to use DPNs are the best I've ever seen!

-Good skill progression through the book

- Patterns are all cute, lots of different styles.

- Patterns are written line by line, so easy and great for beginners!

- Pictures show really well the techniques you'll need!

Overall: WORTH IT!

~Contact Info:

Email me!

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

If you like the show, please leave a review on iTunes or click that happy little button below!

Use your KnitCents!

Episode 20- Summer Is Coming!

~Intro/ Welcome/ Thank you!
~ Sponsor: Laura's Organics has donated a jar of her Hand Cream!  SO WONDERFUL!
~Contest: LAL!  Last week to teach yourself something new that will help save you some money!  Share info by leaving a comment, posting on the Ravelry Thread or send me an email!
~ EVENT:  I'm going to the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene OR!  June 18-20th, I'll be there!  I'll be doing a meetup including loads of hugs and high-fives on Saturday from 12-1 with Erin from The Anatomy of Knitting Podcast!  Info on where we will be next week!  If you'll be there, let me know so we can meet!
~ Knitting: My sweater is almost done!  I'm just doing the bottom of the body now, and the sleeves are only elbow length and they are already halfway done (because of the raglan) so I'm almost done!  Yay!
  Regia socks: FInished the first one, haven't cast on the second one yet.
  Toe Up Socks: I need to rip back and try a different heel.  I don't like the way the W&T short row heel turned out.
~Spinning: Not much, just a little on the merino/tencel on my spindle!
~Sales!
Yarnish sales
  -Fabric.com actually sells yarn!  They have good prices, but really good deals on buttons and of course fabric!  Also, free shipping on orders over $35!
  -DBNY has AMAZING prices by the bag!  Bags that would normally cost $110 only cost $40!  Check it out!
Elsewhereish
 -Check out all the post Memorial Day sales!  A lot of places will stock up, and then keep the inventory on sale to make room for other stuff!
~Garden Update:
My seeds are sprouting and they are getting really big!  Beans and peas are almost 2" already!  Yay!
~Tip of the week: Use your email!  Or set up a spare email to give out to mailing lists and websites.  They will send you coupons, advanced notice of sales and they will let you know when they are running contests!  Its free and easy, just take a few minutes to go through it and you'll find lots of great stuff!
~How I Saved the Week:  Clearance racks and secondhand stores!  I bought a $3 sweater vest from the little boy's section at Target and I totally rock it!
~DIY:
Best BBQ Burgers EVER!!!
1 lb of ground beef or turkey (if you use turkey, also add about 2 T of flour to the mix)
1/2 c. of bread crumbs (I like the Progresso Italian crumbs)
1 egg
1 T of Worchestershire sauce OR 1 tsp of liquid smoke
1/2 c. of your favorite cheese, shredded
3-4 crimini mushrooms, chopped finely
about 2 T of ketchup
garlic salt, black pepper to taste
Rolls or buns
your favorite burger toppings

Mix all ingredients but toppings and buns in a large bowl and mix with your hands!  Mix it all together really well!  Divide evenly (4-6 patties depending on size) and press into patties.  Cook until done all the way through, then serve on the roll with your favorite toppings!  Enjoy!  YUM!
~Worth It!
Start Spinning by Maggie Casey
Retail $21.95 115 pages
Maggie does an amazing job explaining each piece of spinning so you understand it before you start doing it!  She explains all the different skills and teaches really well to all learning styles.  Each technique is accompanied by a full color photo showing exactly how it should be done!
OVERALL: WORTH IT!
~Contact Info:
Email me!
Twitter: Roue0824
Ravelry: Roue
If you like the show, please leave a review on iTunes or click that shiny button below!
Thank you for listening!!