Ep 84- Recap, recap recap!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors
Amazon
Audible
Bar-Maids
~Contest
Heartmade Valentine!
~Sweater Forecast
Rainy and in the 40s
~Crafting
Finished Aaron's Honeymoon socks, knit a bear hat for Genevieve and CO a Citron Shawl for one of my teachers!
~Free Entertainment
Seattle Tilth Producers Master Composter Podcast
~Sustainable Knowledge
Toxic Compost
~Events
Madrona Recap
~ Sales!!!
  - Knitting Warehouse
  - Little Knits 
  - Amazon Warehouse Deals!
~ Tip of the Week
When you travel, share food!
~ How I spent the week!
Recap of my field trip, visit with the Knitmores, my newest addiction and just generally what I've been up to!
~Worth It!
Food Fight by Dan Imhoff

A really good overview of the Farm Bill and how it affects EVERYONE!  I'm reading it for class right now and I want everyone to read it!
~Contact:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Thank you for being awesome listeners!

Ep 83- Lambs are here!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors: 
  -Amazon
  -Audible
  -Bar-Maids
~Contests:
I announced the January winner (listen to find out!) and the Feb contest is to make a handmade Valentine for your sweetie, a friend, or yourself, and ONLY use things you already have! No purchase necessary! AND you MUST post photos either on Ravelry or send them to me in an email!!
~Sweater Forecast
Since I will be in the Monterey area of CA next week for the EcoFarm conference, the weather there will be in the mid 60s and sunny!
~Projects
Finished all the Cassidy pieces, started new Daybreak, starting a sweater for our new nephew Krishna Aaron, and a handspun hat for Genevieve Knitmore!
~Sustainable Knowledge
We had 2 new baby lambs born today! Our first lambs for the season! I got to be the first one to see and hold them, I got to learn to milk a sheep and how to tube feed a lamb! It was thrilling and makes me want sheep even more now!
~Events: Madrona!
There will be a podcaster meetup on Saturday of Madrona! Please come say hello! In the rotunda outside the market after the classes are over in the afternoon!
~Sales!
WoolieEwe is clearing out their inventory!
WhiteIris is an indie dyer in my local area!
ClockworkCrow is a beautiful jewelry maker and has EXCELLENT customer service!
~Tip of the Week:
Keep batteries and blankets handy! Hear all about my adventures in the snow and without power!
~How I Saved the Week:
I finally bought one of my favorite movies, in a 2pack with one of Aaron's favorite movies, for the same price as one of them! YAY! Also, the local work clothes store is not going to carry women's Carrharts anymore so I got 3 pairs for the price of 1! YAY!
Granola Bar Recipe
~Contact Info:
Email me! cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824

Ep 75- Back to School!

Listen Here!!
~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors:
   -Audible: The internet's leading provider in spoken word entertainment! Download a free audiobook of your choice by following the link!
  - Bar-Maids: The most amazing eco-friendly skin care products!!
~Contest:
Autumn tools! Check out the Ravelry group page to vote on your favorite!
~Sweater Forecast:
If you are in my neck of the woods this week, you get to experience ALL THE WEATHER! Sun, rain, clouds, temps in the low 40s up to the high 70s!  LAYERS ARE AWESOME!
~ Knitting/ Spinning:

Finished the Fake Isle hat that I started for my friend, I finished knitting the Megaman hat for my other friend's son, and ripped out the 198 yds of Heaven shawl because it was too involved for my brain at the time.  Instead, I CO the Age of Brass and Steam shawl, and knit the whole thing in a week! (that's a big deal!)  I also finished Aaron's socks! I'm a KNITTING MACHINE! 

As for spinning, if you follow me on Twitter then you already know that I got my new spinning wheel!  Her name is Louise, named for her previous owner and she and I are getting along VERY WELL!

We have already spun together 4oz of Sunset Fibers BFL in the colorway Serendipity, into sportish weight singles that I am currently knitting into the Boneyard Shawl.  We are also now spinning together some Woolgatherings 70/30 BFL/Seacell in the colorway (named by Amy Toadyjoe and I) Kreplit Rainbow. (If you are unfamiliar with the term kreplit or the kreplit theory, please refer to episode 7 of the Outlier Podcast. Amy does a good job explaining it.)

~Sustainable Knowledge! New Segment!

I'm back in school! I'm studying sustainable agriculture, so I've decided that each episode, I'll share a little tidbit about what I've learned that week!  Did you know that it takes 55x more water to grow 500 calories of edible beef than it does to grow 500 calories of edible potatoes? Interesting right?

~Events! OFFF Recap!

Thursday night I jumped on a Greyhound bus and went to Idaho!  I got to Amy's house at about 10am Friday morning, and when she got done with work, we jumped in her car and drove across Oregon!  We landed in Gresham at the KnitWits house around 7pm on Friday, where we had some snacks, drank wine on the porch with the chickens in the yard, and the kids running around, laughing and having a great time! It was all VERY idyllic! We drove down to Rimky Korsakoffeehouse for desserts and it was excellent! Saturday, we went to the festival after the delicious quiche breakfast that Carin made, had the meet at greet at the Bar Maids booth and then wandered around for a while!  We did some shopping, some eating, some laying around in the sun knitting and spinning and just having a good time together!   Then we went to Dar Essalam which is the best restaurant I've ever been to.  That's all. Go there. Eat. You'll love it.  Sunday, we packed up and went home! I don't feel like I got to spend nearly enough time with my friends, but I am glad I got to spend some!  Can't wait to see you all again soon!

~Sales!

-Knitpicks is having their book sale again! All their books are 40% off! A great time to stock up!

-Office supply stores are practically GIVING AWAY school supplies!  Since it's been a while since school started, they are ALL ON SALE!

~Tip of the Week:

Don't forget your public library!  You can now download kindle books, ebooks, audiobooks and then of course go get traditional books! Just another way that libraries are a limitless resource for you!

~Worth It!

Knitting Mochimochi by Anna Hrachovec

20 projects, retail price is $19.99! EVERYTHING is adorable!  I love this book! I don't normally knit toys but I want to knit ALL THE THINGS in this book!  The technical descriptions of knitting techniques are well done, the design your own toy workshop is great and the patterns are all awesome!!!  If you have any interest in cute things or knitted toys, this book is totally WORTH IT!
~Contact Me!
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Please leave a review on iTunes!

Ep 68-Pop! (filter) Makes the World Go 'Round!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~ Sponsors:
   -Audible: Follow the link to the Summer Reading Sale!!!  Sign up for a FREE 2 week trial, get a FREE audiobook download of your choice and take advantage of the summer reading sale!
   -  Bar Maids: Check out their entire eco-friendly skin care line! I love my Lo-Lo Bar!
~ Sweater Forecast:
Keep your sweater handy, even if you don't think you'll need it!
~ Knitting:
Wedding shawl is making steady progress, I'm quite sure I'll be able to finish it by the wedding!  I'm almost done with my sweater!! OMG I cut the steeks at work on Tuesday and am halfway done with the 2nd button band! SUPERYAY!  I'll totally finish it in time for Black Sheep!
~Sales!
   - Interweave's Hurt Book Sale! Their biggest sale of the year, with over 250 titles to choose from! 50-80 % off!
   - Little Knits Summer Sale! 20-86% off and FREE SHIPPING!
   - Amazon Listerine Sale    O.o silly thing, but still a sale!
~Tip of the Week:
Set up automatic payments!  A lot of places will give you a discount if you sign up!  You'll also never have to worry about forgetting a bill, just make sure you don't forget that your money is leaving your checking account and accidentally overdraw! Oops!
~ How I Saved the Week:
I helped Lorrina make awesome wedding announcements for her wedding, and in exchange, she gave me some postcard stamps! Also, I got a pop filter for my new mic for FREE! I had some credit card reward points that were about to expire so I got an amazon gift card with it and bought a pop filter!
~Worth It!
The Secret Life of a Knitter by Stephanie Pearl McPhee
Retail $12.95 US
AMAZING, and very clever! I've read this book over and over and it never ceases to make me laugh! If you want to have a good light read with lots of laughs, this book is TOTALLY WORTH IT!




~Contact Info:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Please leave an iTunes review or make a donation to the show!!

Ep 61- On the list

~Welcome!
~Sponsors:
  - Audible: Click the link for a free audiobook download of your choice!
  - Bar-Maids: Check out all their awesome scents at www.bar-maids.com
~Contest: Save the Planet and tell us about it in the KnitCents Ravelry Group!
~Sweater Forecast:
Oly: Rainy, 40s.  STL: 60's THUNDER!!
~ Knitting/ Spinning:
Working on my Fru socks, and finished all the yarn spinning!! 1496 yds of sport/dk weight!
AND I got a SWEET knitting tattoo!

~Free Entertainment:
House of Grey eps 36-39.  I dare you to not finish the whole thing.  Its that good.
~ Sales:
Don't forget Dana has given us the coupon code KNITCENTSAPRIL in her Etsy Shop!! 10% off your purchase!
-KnitPicks has the Gallatin sweater kit for 29.99! That's 40 % off!
~Kadyellebee has amazing knitted garments and patterns for your instant handknit needs!
~Tip of the week:
Make lists and use them!
~ How I Saved the Week:
I used some store credit to buy CampKIP goodies instead of spending real $$!
~Review:
Stick Blenders.  Get one.  I love mine.
~Contact:
Email me!! cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824

Ep 55- Best Christmas Ever

~Welcome, Intro, Thanks!
~Sponsors:
   Audible- Get a free 2 week trail and a free audiobook download of your choice!
   Bar-Maids- Get some awesome, eco-friendly skin care products!
~ Sweater Forecast:
 Snow!! Get out your wool!
~ Madrona Wrap-up
AWESOME!!!!! I loved every minute of it!!!
~Knitting and Spinning:
I finished my Wren! I LOVE IT!

I've also been working on the Monkey Socks for my sister's birthday!

Spinning: I started spinning up 8oz of Crown Mountain Farms SW Merino in the "Time Waits for No One" colorway! I LOVE IT!

~Free Entertainment:

House Of Grey: Eps 4-9 this week!!

~No Sales this week, since Madrona section took up a lot of time!

~Tip of the Week:

Pack a snack!  Bring your own snacks so you don't get caught hungry and willing to pay anything for food!

~ How I Saved the Week:

I got a Shutterfly coupon for $20 off any purchase of $20 or more!  I also got 50 free prints for signing up with shutterfly so I got my sister a birthday present and 54 prints of photos I love for the cost of shipping!! WOHOOO!

~Worth It!

If you EVER get a chance to take a class with either Judith McKenzie McCuin or Jared Flood, DO IT! They were both TOTALLY worth it!!  DO IT DO IT DO IT!

Look! It's me and Jared and Judith!! (And my awesome Wren shawl still on the needles!)

~Contact:

Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

Ep 49- New year, New Goals!

~Welcome!
 This week's episode is sponsored by:
 Audible: Visit the link for a free 2 week trial and a free audiobook download of your choice!
and
Bar Maids! They are donating a complete sampler pack of all their products! Visit their site to see all their wonderful products!
~Contest:
Selfish Knitter! Knit something for yourself after the craziness of the holidays and holiday crafting! Show off pictures in the Ravelry Group to enter!
~Sweater Forecast:
Cold and rainy. Not much different than the usual.
~ Knitting: I finished Aaron's socks in time for new years! I spent new year's day casting on a new sweater for Leighton! Then, Hannah (my sister) asked if I would knit Leighton a hat to wear home from the hospital so I made one out of some pink handspun!  I will also be knitting some socks this month, all will be projects in the HPKCHC!
~Spinning:
Still working on the Sunset Fibers fiber that I got last year and this year fro Christmas!
~Events:
Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat February 17-20! I'll be there!
CampKIP April 6-9! I'll be there too!
~Sales!
   -Cherry Tree Hill- All yarns, fibers, and patterns are 50% off until Thursday jan 6 at 9am EST!
   - DoodleBugYarn is offering ALL their worsted weight yarns for 25% off through the month of January!
   - Elsewhere: Take advantage of the New Years Resolution sales! Gym memberships, books, and organization tools are all on sale everywhere!!
~Tip of the Week:
Set attainable goals! When you reach them, you will feel good about it!
~ How I Saved the Week:
We made an awesome blanket fort for our New Years Eve, and then I made butter! I didn't have any, needed some but have a food processor and I had some whipping cream so I made butter!
Whipping Cream + Food Processor + Time = butter and buttermilk! Yum!!!
~Worth It:
Side by Side on Fixed Circular Knitting Needles
Clover Bamboo
Knitpicks Harmony Wood

Clover does better with:
Price
tip length (16" only)
overall comfort (16")
wood flexibility

KnitPicks does better with:
Join from needle tip to cable
Cable flexibility
Tip pointiness
Style
Size range

Overall, I prefer the Clover needles if I need to knit on 16", and Knitpicks for the rest!
Overall though both are worth the money!
~Contact:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824

Song of the year:
All I Want is You by Barry Louis Polisar

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 7- Madrona!

~Intro/ Welcome!
~ Contest: In the Ravelry Group Page, share your Favorite Date, under $10!  Check out the contest thread and don't vote until after I lock up the thread!  You have until Feb. 25 to get your entry in!
~ Knitting:
   - Finished first cabled sock, and am now about halfway through the second one.
   - Started Ravelympic Project- Finished the first leg on first sock!
   - Knitted an AWESOME Superhero Mask with Stephanie Bryant, aka Mortaine at Madrona!  She is the author/ writer for the amazing knitting superhero comic, Handknit Heroes.
~Spinning:
   - I finally finished my Sunset Fibers Corriedale sock yarn for my Ravelympics project!
   - I got a couple new spindles and some yummy fiber at Madrona, so look for some fun new spinning in near future episodes!
~Sales:
   - yarnsupply.com  40-50% off Bernat, Sugar N' Cream, and NY Yarns!  Free shipping over $75!
   - CSAs:  Community Supported Agriculture is a really cool way to get inexpensive, local produce and fiber!  Google CSA with your town name or zip code to find local farms near you!
~Tips of the week:
   - Review the "Cost per Use" factor when pondering whether to spend a little extra money on something nice.  If you spend less, and the item turns out to be poor quality, you are going to spend more overall by replacing it than you would have by spending a little more for a higher quality product in the first place!
   - Fiber Festivals:  Set yourself some rules and stick to them!  Set yourself a budget, and then use cash only, once you run out, you are done!  Also, bring a friend who might help you control yourself!  Don't bring the friend who will convince you to buy more!
~How I Saved the Week:
   - I was sick, so I didn't spend much but I got A LOT of use out of my Netflix account!  Definitely had a very low Cost per Use over the weekend when I had the plague!
~Worth It!
  - Productive Spindling by Amelia Garripoli
Pros:
 Totally comprehensive.  Whether you are a new spinner or a seasoned spinner, you will find something useful in this book!
 Lots of photos and drawings!
 Really easy to read instructions, and great descriptions of every technique
 Fun stories and anecdotes
Cons:
Some photos would be nicer in color, or larger with higher resolution
I think it would be better to come in hard bound, because I am going to get a LOT of use out of this book, and I don't want to have to replace it!
Overall: WORTH IT!
~Contact:
Email me!
Ravelry: Roue
Check out the Ravelry KnitCents Group Page
Twitter: Roue0824
If you enjoy the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  Thanks for listening!

Tip # 2: Bartering!

Ok, since it is now technically 12:09am in my time zone, it is a new day, and therefore, you get a new tip! Tip # 2: barter! I know that the taxman doesn’t approve, but you have a skill, and other people have skills. Maybe you could work out something with your hairstylist or a local restaurant! (These are things I have done in the past, or am currently doing). I am a licensed massage therapist, and right now I have trades with a local cafe where I get free food, I am working off several hours of free tattoo work, I do regular trades with my hairstylist, and I just brought up the subject of a trade to the guy who is teaching my acrobatics class! People who have skills are going to be interested in your skills! Don’t be discouraged if someone says no, because there will always be someone who says yes! The best tips I can offer in this situation are these: stay local. Chain companies can not give you free product in exchange for a knitted hat. However, your local yarn shop might be willing to give you some yarn if you knit up a test pattern for them! Or maybe you could work out some cleaning work in exchange for getting your house painted! Do you do great design work? Maybe you could create an ad flyer and get free swag in exchange! We as a culture have gotten away from bartering, and it is really something we should all try to get back to! Technically, according to the IRS and all those super awesome fun people, we aren’t supposed to barter unless we assign a monetary value for our received services and/or goods, and then pay taxes on it, but sshhh. I won’t tell if you don’t.

My first post!

Hello everyone! My name is Rachel, (Roue) and I have been knitting for about 6 years, and spinning for one year. Through these six years, I have been in high school, college, trade school, and now I work on a pretty regular basis. The few things that have stayed constant in my life during that time have been my wonderful partner (now fiance) and the fact that money is always tight. That said, I have always been able to find ways to support my knitting habits (addictions) and ways to make my knitting stretch to the very last stitch. Now, I know that times are hard, and the economy is rough, and a lot of people are trying to save money. I want to help! I want to share with you my ideas and ways to save money, either on yarn and knitting related items, or in other areas of your life so you can save for your knitting! I'm hoping to start a podcast as well, and if so, this blog will become my shownotes page! For now, I'm going to scour the internet for great deals on yarns and fiber related things! I'm going to share some of my techniques for making everyday things last longer, and cost less! Most importantly, I want to hear your ideas for saving money, because I'm not a total egocentric, and I know that there are some awesome ideas out there that I may not have had yet, but I bet someone has! I'm going to try and share an idea a day, if you have an idea you'd like to share, shoot me an email at cleverroue@gmail.com or send me a message on Ravelry! My nickname is Roue! Feel free to stop by the Knit Cents group and leave a sweet idea! I can't wait to see what this becomes!