Ep 90- Tornados and Moms

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors
  -Amazon
  -Audible
  -Bar-Maids
~Contest
April Winner: Stitchr
May Contest: Make May Flowers! Either plant flowers in your garden or craft flowers using your stash yarn and post photos on the Ravelry page! I want the page to explode with flowers!
~Sweater Forecast
The weather is beautiful! Mid 60s up to 80s this weekend!! Still chilly at night, so keep your sweater handy!
~Crafting
I finally blocked Cassidy! We'll see how long it takes me to seam it now...  I also knitted Aaron a hat, and have started on a second one! Really basic, good mindless knitting!
~CampKIP recap
Mellow, wonderful!  Got to experience my first tornado, (didn't actually get to see it but got to hide in a tornado shelter for a little bit!) and got to see friends!
~Events
Mother Earth News Fair! So excited! Also, probably be going to Black Sheep Gathering!
~Sales
-Little Knits Super Spring Sale!
-KnitPicks Mother's Day Needle Sale!
~Tip Of the Week
Be a member of your community!  I've had some amazing opportunities come my way without looking for them, just because I know people! Get out there!
~Worth It
HappyGoLucky Sock yarn! 460 yards, $20, 75/25 Merino and Nylon! Super soft, colors beautiful, no knots and not splitty!  Totally worth it!
~Contact Me!
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: RachelRoue
Please leave an iTunes review!

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 64- I Love Oly!

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~Sponsors:
  - Audible: Follow the link for a free 2 week trial and a free audiobook download of your choice!
  -Bar-Maids: Check out their entire line of eco-friendly skin care products!
~Contest:
Save the Planet!  Go to the Ravelry Group and enter in the contest!
~ Sweater Forecast:
Mid 40s to mid 50s and rainy this week!
~Knitting:
Nothing new, though I'm getting close to finishing my Daybreak!  If you go to Ravelry and use the code Camp KIP, you can get $2 off the Daybreak pattern by Stephen West! Thanks Stephen!
~Free Entertainment:
Down From Ten by J. Daniel Sawer! AMAZING!  Not family friendly but really really good! I loved it!
Also, on iTunes, YogAmazing has a free video called Yoga for Butt and Thighs! Work on that Yoga Booty!!
~ Sales!
One more week with our coupon code in Dana's shop! Use the code KNITCENTSAPRIL for 10% off your purchase!
Olympia Sellers!
  -Deandail sells beautiful hand dyed roving and handmade goodness! Beautiful complementary colors and small quantities of different types of fiber so you can try it all!
  -Beautiful Yarn upcycles yarn!  This is a great way to save the planet because you are recycling something that may have gone to waste!
  -NW Bridal has lovely little bouquet sparklies and hair pretties! I kind of want to order some for the wedding...
~Tip of the Week:
Go do fun things in your town!  We have ArtsWalk and The Procession of the Species here, what fun things do you have?
~How I Saved the Week:
Aaron and I had a cheap date night! We made nachos, drank champagne and watched cartoons! It was fabulous!
~ Worth It!
The Knitting Way by Linda Skolnik and Janice MacDaniels
Retail : $16.99
Kind of hippie, crunchy guide to spiritual enlightenment and self discovery.  If you think this is for you, check it out.  If you are rolling your eyes, pass it by.
~Contact Info:
Email me! cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Please donate or leave me an iTunes review! I love you guys!

Ep 63- Yoga Booty

~Welcome/ Intro / Thanks!
~Sponsors:
  -Audible: Click the link for a free 2 week trial and 1 free audiobook download of your choice!
  - Bar-Maids: Check out all the fabulous scents and get your Lo-Lo On!
~Sweater Forecast:
OMG It's going to be warm!!
~Knitting:
Daybreak by Stephen West- CampKIP KAL! If you want the coupon code for the pattern, go listen to Miss Kalendar's latest episode!
Handspun sweater- Separated off for the sleeves and getting ready to start waist shaping!
Fru Socks- Finished the first one, cast on the second!
~Events:
The next one I'll be at is the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene OR from June 23-26!
This weekend I went to the Shepherd's Extravaganza at the Puyallup Spring Fair! What fun!
~ Free Entertainment:
I've been listening to Predestination and other Games of Chance, part of the Antithesis Progression series by J. Daniel Sawyer.  Fantastic book, but NOT a family friendly listen!
Also, I posted the first AudioYoga today!  Join me and get the Yoga booty of your dreams!
~Sales!
  -Webs is having their 37th anniversary sale! Cascade 220 for only $4.95 a skein!
  - KnitPicks has the "Learn to Knit Kit" on sale for $10! If you bought the kit, you'd have just enough yarn to make yourself an awesome yoga mat bag!
  -We can't go to yoga with dry crackly feet, so check out the Bar-Maids new product, O' For Feet Sake! Only $9.99! A great deal!
~Tip of the Week:
Use the internet! Sometimes I forget about the vast amount of info at my fingertips!  Use the internet and find tons of free information!  Want to workout with me? Michele (with 1 L) told me about BodyRock.tv for great fitness workouts and they are all free! Want to learn a new knitting technique? Check out knitting help! And of course, if you have a question, head over to Ravelry and ask your questions there!!
~ How I Saved the Week:
Giving up fiddle lessons for a while.  The lessons weren't too expensive, but I wasn't playing often enough to justify paying to rent the fiddle.
~Worth It!
Wai Lana Yoga Mat
Amazon has some colors for $18! I paid $40 for mine and would do it again in a second!  They are a fabulous mat, latex free and really grippy without feeling sticky!! I love mine, and you should try it out if you don't have a mat already!
~Contact Info:
Email Me! cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Twitter: Roue0824
Ravelry: Roue
Please leave a donation or an iTunes review if you enjoy the show!!

Thanks for listening!

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 59- Give When You Can

~Welcome, Intro, Thanks!
~Sponsors:
  - Audible: Click the link for a free 2 week trial AND a free audiobook download of your choice!
  - Bar Maids: Check out all their tasty scents and support an awesome small US business!
~Knitting/ Spinning:
Almost done with baby sweater #2 for cousin's twins!  Doing a cute heart lace pattern around the bottom edge!  Also finished spinning the second 8oz for my next HS sweater!  Will start final 8oz tonight and totally will finish by CampKIP!
~ Free Entertainment:
Caithness Craft Collective- An awesome podcast from a Scottish knitter! Louise is charming and fabulous! Check it out!
~ Tip of the Week:
Give when you can.  If you can't afford to give money, give time.  Volunteer at a local shelter, teach less privileged children a craft or read in senior centers!  Or of course, KNIT!
  -The Head to Toe Project
  - The Linus Project
  - The Mother Bear Project
~Sales! (Kind of)
  GoodStuff is donating $5 for EVERY pattern sold through April 7 to Japan Earthquake Relief! (Link to Ravelry, be sure you're signed in)
  Fiddle Knits Designs is donating 50% of pattern sales through March to Japan Earthquake Relief!
  OlgaJazzy is donating 85% of pattern sales to Japan Earthquake Relief through March 28!
  The Red Cross
  World Vision
~How I Saved the Week:
Pedicures at home with a friend instead of going out!!
~Worth It!
Alt Fiber by Shannon Okey
Retail $19.95, 25 patterns, 115 pages
I REALLY like the beginning section of this book!  I love the section about natural dyes, and I like that she covered more types of fiber than No Sheep For You did.  As far as patterns go, I don't think I would buy the book if it were just for the patterns, but I would definitely consider it for the info about natural dyes!!  Give it a look!!
~Contact Info:
Email me!! cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Thank you all so much for being the best listeners on the internet!!  Want a button? Click that button!!

Ep 51- Cashmere and Spice

~Welcome!!
This episode is sponsored by Audible. Click the link to get a free 2 week trial and a free audiobook of your choice
and
Bar-Maids. Their moisturizing lotion bars are the best in the biz!
~ Contest:
Make something for yourself!! Be selfish a bit this month!
~ Sweater Forecast:
You barely need one. 50s and rainy, but not cold!
~ Knitting:

I finished the knitting on the baby sweater! Now I need to sew on the buttons and do the Knitmore Girl's couture ribbon tutorial and couture button tutorial!
I've also made a great deal of progress on the Slytherin Socks! HPKCHC FTW!
~Free Entertainment:
Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell
This American Life on WBEZ Chicago
~Sales!
  -Joann Fabrics is having their winter warmup! Huge sales on everything! Also, they have a new app! You can now save their coupons into your phone wallet to use at the store, separately from the mailers!
  - Yubina has cashmere yarns at awesome prices!! Check them out!
  - Everywhere, stores are clearing out their winter items to make room for spring items! Snatch up those warm clothes at HUGE savings! Stock up for next year (or use now if it's still cold where you are!)
~Tip of the Week:
Cost vs Convenience.  Convenient items (especially food) are very expensive.  Bulk items are cheap!  You can buy your bulk items, and spend a little bit of time making them convenient!  For example, instead of buying the single serve, 1oz cheese bites, buy the 2lb block of cheese, spend a little time with a knife and a kitchen scale and portion out your cheese into 1oz bites.  Save them in an air tight container in your fridge, and then when you need a snack to go, grab a couple, stuff them into a smaller, reusable container and toss it into your bag!  Not only are you saving money, but you are throwing MUCH less trash into our landfills!
~ How I Saved the Week:
Instead of spending $7 an ounce on tiny little jars of spices at my local grocery store, I went to my FAVORITE little local spice shop!  There, I buy the spices, not the container, and get them for SO MUCH LESS!  Instead of spending about $14 on one ounce each of paprika and ground mustard, I spent $12.95 on one ounce each of paprika, ground mustard, crushed red peppers, spiced gourmet pepper, jasmine tea and raspberry leaf tea! I WIN!
If you don't have a local spice shop, check out mine! Buck's Fifth Avenue in Olympia WA does phone, website and email orders! They have amazing spices, and FABULOUS prices! The prices aren't listed on the website because they change frequently (down in price as often as up!) and the owner, Anne, is really nice!  Tell her I sent you!
~ Worth It!
Lion Brand Superwash Merino Cashmere
40g, 87 yds, worsted weight.
72% SW merino, 15% nylon, 13% cashmere
$7.99/ball
I just can't decide if this yarn is worth it.  It feels very nice, and I'm really glad to see the value companies creating more luxury yarns, but I know that I can get a ball of KnitPicks Capra (I'll do a full review later) for the same price, but get a 50g ball with 127 yds! (DK weight). I know it's only a difference of 10g, but that's 10g!  I'd love to know what you all think!
~Contact Info:
Email: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824

Guess what?! I finally ordered buttons again!! If you'd like one, all you have to do is click that shiny little button below and donate $5 or more!!!

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

Ep 43- Podcast-tacular

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thanks!
~This week's show is sponsored by Audible! Click here to try their service free for 2 weeks and download a free audiobook of your choice!
~November Contest Winner:
 CuteKnitter aka Jasmin! She suggested giving the gift of time to family and friends!  Awesome! She will receive 8oz of undyed corriedale roving and 2 sets of awesome stitch markers from NeoTigress on Etsty!
~December Podcast-tacular!!!
December 30 will mark the one year anniversary of the KnitCents Podcast! To celebrate, I want you to tell me what you've learned and how you've used your KnitCents over the past year!  Leave a comment in the thread on the Ravelry Group page, or send me an email!  Winners will be chosen on December 30 with a special anniversary episode!

~Prizes:
- 8oz of undyed corriedale roving and 2 sets of stitch markers from NeoTigress on Etsy!
- Victoria Mitt Kit from SarahMontie with pattern and orange yarn shown!
- Single pattern PDF download of winner's choice from SarahMontie!
- 3 balls of CityTweed from KnitPicks in Lemon Curd colorway!
- 3 pattern PDF downloads of winner's choice from FiddleKnits Designs!
- 2 Fiber to Go cups- 50/50 Merino/ Bamboo from Sunset Fibers (blue and purple)!
- 2 Fiber sampler cups from Sunset Fibers! (total is 1/4 oz of each of: corriedale, medium coopworth, silk noil, loose alpaca, honey tussah silk, llama, superwash merino, angora, bleached tussah silk, and 80/20 alpaca/silk)
- 1 skein of KnitPicks Capra (85/25 Merino/ Cashmere) in Fairy Tale colorway and a KnitPicks Options Interchangeable nickel plated needle kit!
*All prizes have been donated to the podcast! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated to the show!!!
~Sweater Forecast:
This week, it is forecasted to be in the low to mid 40's with drizzle.  I'm thinking light sweaters and cardigans, and definitely some mitts!  Heavy wool pullovers aren't quite necessary this week!
~ Knitting:

I finished the Robot Hat!  Aaron loves it!  It turned out awesome and I'm super excited to start another colorwork project!   Aaron wore the hat for about 24 hours straight, including wearing it to bed!  I'm glad he loves it so much, and all of it is handspun except for the little green eyes! I'm going to change the eyes to red, so the robots look like the cylons from Battlestar Galactica. (awesome show, available on Netflix Watch it now!)
Tappan Zee disaster/ awesomeness:
My Tappan Zee is crooked.  That's really all there is to say. I don't know what went wrong, it was definitely my problem, and not a pattern problem!  But I'm going to rock it anyways!

Also, even though the picture shows up right side up on my computer, it keeps showing up upside down everywhere else. Blergh.  FInally, I'm almost done with the handspun hat for little baby Leighton!  It is going to be so soft and warm and I'm knitting it so that hopefully it fits her for a long time!

No new spinning, but I may start a new spinning project this afternoon!

~Free Entertainment:

iTunes Single of the Week! Free song every week! Check it out in the iTunes Store!

~Sales!!!

-Cyber Monday: Sort of like black friday but for the online deals!  Its awesome, check it out!

- Amazon Mom: Sign up for free if you are the caretaker of a baby and get a free year of Amazon Prime!  Other awesome services include extra awesome deals and automatic diaper delivery!

- Howtoshopforfree.net is an awesome site!  The writer of the site tells you how to double up on coupons and sales, gives seminars on saving money and wrote a book which is going to be released on Wednesday, December 1!  Check it out!

~Tip of the Week:

Quality vs. Quantity: We decided to change our cat's diet so she will be more healthy!  The food is a lot more expensive, but she eats a LOT less of it (enough less that it will be a net gain for sure)!  Also she is more active, which will help her be more healthy, which will hopefully mean less trips to the vet!  Spend a little more to get a LOT more in return!

~How I Saved the Week:

Aaron and I, after a glorious victory over the Thanksgiving turkey we cooked!  We spent about $10 to host an awesome thanksgiving dinner with our friends!  Turkey was less than $5, potatoes were about $1.50, green beans were about $.50 a can (2 cans), cranberries were about $2 and everything else we already had on hand!  Friends brought rolls, stuffing and pie, and we had a fabulous evening with lots of food and even more leftovers!

~Worth It:

No review this week, because the episode was getting long! Next week for sure!

~Contact Info:

Email me: cleverroue (at) gmail (dot) com

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

If you like the show, please leave a review on iTunes!

Have a happy week everyone!

Ep. 32- Self Preservation

~Welcome/ Intro/ Thank you!
   I had an awesome birthday! Thanks for all the birthday messages!
~Sponsors/ Contests!  
Check them all out in previous posts from this month! 
   Visit audiblepodcast.com/knitcents to download a free audiobook of your choice and sign up for a free 2 week trial!
~Knitting/ Spinning:
  I've been working on my Simple Knitted Bodice again!  I'm almost finished with the first sleeve, and the second one won't take long either!  (since is short sleeved!)  I've also almost finished Aaron's first TDTU sock!  Haven't done any spinning :(  I did however, buy a Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom with some birthday money!
~Free Entertainment:
 NPR Sunday Puzzle!  Check it out on iTunes!
~Garden Update:
   Tomatoes are still going crazy, and I got some canning supplies for my birthday so we are going to make dilly beans and pickles this week!  Yay!
~Sales!
  -Joann has a really amazing deal on fine crochet thread!! 1.19 for a spool of of 400 yards of fine crochet thread! Great to use as a lifeline!
  -CrystalCreekFibers has awesome prices on fibers, including 4oz of hand dyed mulberry silk top for only $17!
  - Lion Brand Yarn Co. has Schacht Cricket looms on sale, 15% off! I got mine there!
~Tip of the Week:
  Self Preservation!  Can, freeze, dry or pickle fresh foods now!  Buy them fresh in bulk and preserve them to have all year! Bulk foods are way cheaper, and they are even more of a steal when they are in season!!!
~ How I Saved the Week:
   - Everything I bought with my birthday money was on sale except for a skein of yarn and a couple sets of needle tips!  I win!  Also, I bought some gross yogurt (because I wasn't at my favorite grocery store and the terrible store I was at didn't have ANY good yogurt!!) so I made frozen fruit yogurt popsicles out of them!!
~Worth It!
Put 'Em Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton
  $19.95 retail, 300 pages!
This book is amazing!  It teaches you really easily how to preserve your own food without using special equipment!  Dry foods in your oven or air dry, freeze, can in a large soup pot and pickle using vinegar!  The book is laid out by main ingredient, so if you find yourself saying "what am I ever going to do with x pounds of x?" you can flip to that section!  I made dilly beans and pickles, and also some bruiseberry vinegar!!
SO WORTH IT!!!
~Contact Info:
Email ME!
Ravelry: Roue
Twitter: Roue0824
Leave a review on iTunes or click that fancypants button over there!

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

Episode 16- Surprise!!!

~Welcome/ Intro and News!
News: There is now a Donate button at the bottom of the page!  If you are interested in donating, please do!  The donations will go toward supporting the hosting fees for the show!
~ KAL April Contest!!
The winner of the KAL was announced in the show.  I don't want to spoil it here, so go listen to see if you won!!!  MUAHAHAHA teaser!!!
~ May Contest and Sponsorships
Sponsor: Laura's Organics is generously donating a jar of her AMAZING hand cream!  It soaks in really well and is soooooooo fantastic!  Whoever wins this will be totally spoiled!
Contest:  What are we doing?  We are doing a Learn-a-long! (LAL)  When I was learning about composting, I realized what this month's contest would be.  I taught myself something that is saving me money.  Now, you do the same!  It doesn't have to have anything to do with knitting, just teach yourself anything that will help you save money!  Then, share your experience with the group,  either by posting in the Ravelry group, sharing in the comments thread, sending me an email, or sending us a link to your personal blog!  Have your info all up by the show on June 5!
~Knitting/ Spinning!!

I've gotten a lot done on my Monkey Socks, out of the Knit Picks Stroll in the colorway Bordeaux, hopefully I'll finish in time for Mother's Day for my mommy!
I've also gotten some more done on my Bumbling Podcaster socks, out of the Gypsy colorway mill spun yarn from Sunset Fibers!  Finished the cuff and leg last night!
Finally, I've gotten a little more done on my Simple Knitted Bodice, by Stephanie Japel.
For spinning, sadly, I haven't gotten anything done.  If I get a lot done on my Monkeys tonight, though, I'll be spinning a bunch tomorrow!
~Free Entertainment!
2 new shows this week that I got addicted to!
- Spin Control with Shilo
 - Brass Needles with Miss Kalendar
~Sales!!!
 Fibery/Yarn sales
-Angora Valley has some awesome coned yarns, $14-$20 for 3lbs of yarn!!!
 - Paradise Fibers also has some really nice coned yarns, 1lb for $14-$35!  They also have loads of stuff in their clearance and bargain sections!
Elsewhere
 - Gurney's Seeds and Plants has really great prices and they have a deal right now which is if you buy $50 worth of plants and products, you can receive $25 worth of free product!
~Tip of the Week
Look elsewhere.  If you are shopping in a large store, try to think if there is another department you can find things in.  For example, those wonderful microfiber cleaning cloths cost about $8 for 4 cloths in the cleaning section.  If you wander over to the auto care section, you can get a bag of 20 of the SAME cloths for $8.  Another example was gardening gloves.  In the garden section, those lovely dipped gloves that are super nice cost about $12.99 for one pair, but if you go to the hardware section, you can get 3 pairs for $9.99!  Try to think if there is another area in the store that you can find your item!
~ How I Saved the Week!
I was able to find a fiddle music book on Amazon for half the price from the music shop, and it got here 5 days faster than it would have at the music shop!
~ Worth it!
Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D Johnson
Retail: $22.99, 23 patterns
Pros:
-Beautiful color photos of each pattern
- The explanation section of how to make your socks fit is REALLY good!
- 5 different options for toes
- 3 different options for heels
 - 4 different bind-offs
 - 3 different vanilla patterns to test
 - I want to knit my way through this whole book because all the patterns are awesome.
Cons:
- Not much support for DPN users.  Only 2 patterns written specifically for DPNs without having to change math or figuring some stuff out myself.
- All the lace and cable patterns are only charted, not written out line by line, so if you aren't comfortable with charts, this might be a little more difficult.
- Some of the socks in the book would have benefitted by having photos in more than one yarn.  A few of the patterns were a little bit hard to see because the yarn was a little too busy.
Overall: Worth it!  This is the book I'll be using for my LAL!
Contact Info:
Leave me a comment at the bottom of the page, email me, follow me on Twitter: Roue0824 or find me on Ravelry, username is Roue!  While you are there, check out the KnitCents Podcast listeners group!
Please leave a review or star rating on iTunes if you like the show, and if you REALLY like the show, please leave a donation!

Episode 13- Bluegrass Knitter

~Welcome/ Intro
~KAL: Knit a pair of socks and post in the Ravelry Forum with photos during April and you will automatically be entered to win 2 skeins of Knit Picks Felici!
~Knitting: KAL socks are coming along!  Finished 1, CO second!  I should be able to finish with lots of time, and I think I'll be able to get a whole pair of socks from one ball!  Need to weigh the sock to check!
- Bumbling Podcaster socks are coming along as well, need to finish the toe on first one!  Love it!
- I've been swatching for Simple Knitted Bodice by Stephanie Japel with KnitPicks Swish!  Can't seem to get the right gauge with any size needle...grr... oh well!  It just means I get to keep knitting this lovely yarn!
~Spinning- None, but I am going to some fibery events!  Next Weekend, the Puyallup Spring Fair is having their annual Shepherd's Extravaganza!
June 18-20 is the Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene OR!  SO EXCITED!!  I'll be taking the train and staying with a friend!  Let me know if you are going so I can give out hugs!
~Free Entertainment:
  - Manic Purl Podcast with Chrissy the Great, finished listening to back episodes of The KnitMore Girls and More Hip than Hippie Podcast!  All fun!
~ Sales!
  - Sunset Fibers has undyed 50/25/25 Merino/ bamboo/ tussah silk- 4oz for $9!!
She also has 50/50 yak/tussah for 4oz for $14!  GET SOME!
  - The Yarn Barn has discontinued colors for about 30ish% off!
  Elsewhere:
  - Almost every hardware type store in the area (and probably yours too) has gardening supplies for 40-50% off!  If you want to plant, now is the time!
~Tips of the Week!
1: Try it before you buy it!  Find out if you can rent or borrow a piece of equipment before you make a large (or even small or medium) purchase.  If you have a friend with the same thing, borrow or try out, if not, find out the store's return policy so that you have the option of returning an item if you hate it!  I am renting a violin from a local shop so I can learn to play the fiddle!  WAHOO!
2: Read the instructions.  While I was making some bread today (yum) I accidentally put 3x the amount of salt the recipe called for.  Luckily I hadn't added everything yet so I only had to throw out a little, but still wasteful and frustrating!  Read the directions!
~How I saved the week!
  - I found a fiddle teacher who wants to barter massage with me!  I'll have to pay for a few lessons first, but then trade!  WEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
~Worth it!
  Cute Knits for Baby Feet by Sue Whiting
Retail: $19.99, 30 projects
Pros:
  - Good quality pages and book
  - Photos of all projects
  - All projects are adorable (in my opinion)
  - Technique descriptions are good
  - Duck feet, snake socks and ballet slippers.  Need I say more?
  - Uses lots of different techniques so you could really improve your skill levels with just this book
  - Size ranges from newborn to 4 years so it will be good for a while!
Cons:
  -Some of the patterns are knit flat and then seamed.  I don't want seams in my socks.
  - All patterns are written row by row, which is fine, but the colorwork patterns also include charts.  Some of the patterns don't say anything like "knit these rows, and AT THE SAME TIME do the colorwork charts."  It could be confusing for someone new to colorwork or knitting, and they might forget.
Overall: WORTH IT!
Contact info!

Episode 10- Tiny Boxes

~Welcome/ Intro
~ Contest:  Check out the Ravelry Group Page and share your best tip for "Going Green!"  Winner will receive 2 skeins of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in colors Green Tea Heather and Avacado.
~Cheap Sock KAL:  Get your supplies and pattern ready!  We will be doing a Sock Knit-a-long during April!  Start and finish a pair of socks in April, and post the photos on the Ravelry boards and you will be entered in a drawing to win a mystery prize!
~ Knitting:
  - Not much done on Wedding Shawl
 - Did a little work on my Purple Cable socks, I will finish them before the April Sock KAL!
 - Knitting my 7 month old niece some awesome Cheshire Cat legwarmers!  The striping idea came from Brooklyn Tweed's Turn A Square hat!  He also has a great tutorial in that pattern on how to avoid that goofy little stripe jog when you are striping in the round!
~ Spinning:
  - Spun up some Valentine (pink shades) corriedale from Sunset Fibers to use in my Cheshire Cat legwarmers!
  - I decided I want to knit a cropped, short sleeved cardi, so I'm spinning some cream corrie/ merino for that!
~ Sales!
  Yarny/ fibery
   - Fiber2Yarn has some AMAZING deals on rovings and tops!  10-40% off yarns as well!
   - Since Easter is only a few weeks away, check out your local grocery stores for sales on Easter Egg dye and use it on your yarn!  It works great!
   Other
    - SavingsNut has great tools and tips for saving money in just about every aspect of your life!  Check it out!
~ Tip of the week:

Invest in a Neti Pot!  They are an amazing little pot you use to pour saline solution through your nose to clear out your sinuses!  It helps keep allergens out of your face and clear all the goo out too!  They usually run between $12 and $25, but I recommend getting one that you can put in the dishwasher!
~How I saved the week!
 - I used free TurboTax to do my taxes!
 - I bought some awesome Tul pens from Office Max for only $.40 each!  WOOHOO!
~DIY
  ItsJustMeghan from the Stitch It! Podcast had an amazing tutorial on how to make your own Lazy Kate out of a shoebox and 6 knitting needles in her 13th episode!  Click here to see for yourself!
I made one!  Lookie!

~Worth It!

  - Debbie Stoller's Stitch Nation Full O' Sheep

Pros: Very soft and lofty, very warm, comes in lots of vibrant colors, feels pretty sturdy, and great for felting.

Cons: Not machine washable, the ball was very tangly on the inside (ball it up before you knit with it), single ply isn't always as strong as multi- ply yarns.

**Overall: Medium worth.  I would probably buy it again, but I know it won't be useful for some projects.

  - JoAnn Sensations Bamboo & Ewe

Pros: Comes in lots of colors, both solid and self patterning, nylon makes the yarn strong, bamboo makes it shiny and pretty, not knotty or splitty.

Cons: Not machine washable.

Overall: Worth it!

Contact Info:

Email me!

Ravelry: Roue

Twitter: Roue0824

If you like the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I won't be doing a show next week, so use your knitcents while I'm gone!

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.