Also in this episode are trains, spinning and a bit of show and tell, along with my typical randomness. Come sit and knit a bit with me!
Hello! Episode 7 is now live. Today we discuss a new shawl pattern I am in love with... the Dragonfly Shawl by Regina Schoenfeldt. HOW GORGEOUS IS THIS?!?
I am thinking of spinning my Loop Bump for this. What do you think?
Also in this episode are trains, spinning and a bit of show and tell, along with my typical randomness. Come sit and knit a bit with me!
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So for half of Saturday I balked at doing anything productive because I thought it was Sunday and I wanted to spend a few hours relaxing before work. To my credit, a bunch of yardwork, laundry, dog baths and such had already been successfully completed. My husband did get a laugh when he figured out why I had been so adverse to productivity the last couple of hours. I have enjoyed having a 2nd second Sunday, though.
Episode 5 is now up! We discuss eating bees, rescuing a kitten, rocking it old school Ravelry beta style, knitting and my spintastrophe. Find out why Edith is in time out and Callie's face is swollen. Its another Sunday at the Tranquil Cottage!
Just a quick video about the Commit to Knit Challenge. Post your progress on the Tranquil Cottage Knits Ravelry group, on Instagram or in the comments below. #committoknit
Episode 4 is now live! Note that immediately after I ended the podcast Callie full on stuck her snout in the bumble bee nest and I had round 2 of attack of the Winged Bitey-Beasts. I escaped unscathed, thankfully. Callie, not so much. Lesson learned? Alas, probably not.
Episode 3 is live. A small portion in the middle where I showed off the Wild Goose Shawlette was somehow sucked into the ether so there are photos below. My favorite things posted are my Journey Blooms Tote and Knitters Pride Melodies of Life Needle Set. For anyone interested, the Massdrop link for the Knitters Pride Needle set is here. For those not familiar with Massdrop, you click the link requesting the product and if they see a sufficient demand, Massdrop contacts the Manufacturer and asks them to offer a set quantity at a steeply discounted price. Win, win, win. I got a FANTSTIC price on my Melodies of Life set. Anyone interested in the Journey Blooms tote can contact me for purchase information.
Here is the completed Wild Goose Shawlette by Paula Emons-Fuessle. It is the perfect size and so unbelievably soft. As I mentioned this is my entry into the Colors of Fall KAL by the Yarniacs. Info can be found on The Yarniacs Podcast.
So with my first Episode under my belt, on to the 2nd. WIP is Wild Goose Shawlette by the fabulous Paula Emons-Fuessle from the Knitting Pipeline podcast.
Upcoming knit goals are Slinky Ribs by Wendy Bernard, Architexture Scarf by Jennifer Weissman, and Drachenfels by Melanie Berg.
I also dyed some lovely merino. The blue is named " They'll be ripe soon" in homage to all the blackberries I picked too soon then spit out due to their tartness. The 2nd colorway is a mix of red, orange, yellow and a touch of blue and is called "Flame turns blue", inspired by my favorite David Gray song of the same name.
"Words dismantled and all the books unbound
Conversations though we utter not a sound I heard a rumor, I don't know if its true that you'd meet me where the flame turns blue"
In addition, in this episode I mentioned our dogs, Tucker and Callie and Cecil, aka CeceFunBun. Meet their adorable faces here.
Man, you hve no idea how goofy you are until you start a podcast. There are some hiccups and its obvious I am just getting my feet wet but Episode 1 is now live. Welcome to the Tranquil Cottage Knits Podcast. Episode 1, a podcast apparently about podcasts.
3 Years... It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting in the Tranquil Cottage and working on designs while watching the plethora of wildlife outside my window. At the same time it seems so long ago that it might have been a dream. So much has changed since then. I lost my mom very suddenly and unexpectedly which turned my world upside down. I didn't knit for a very long time after. It seems I lacked the energy or the focus, sometimes both. I think the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland said it best when he said, That sums it up so accurately. But I have regained my muchness. I am much muchier now. J and I purchased a new house in the Shenandoah Valley. We adopted 2 rescue pups, Tucker and Callie.
Cecil the Fuzzy Lop Rabbit, affectionately known as CeCeFunBun has become a member of our family. I have begun knitting and spinning again as well as designing. I have started a podcast as well as a local Knitting Group, the Shenandoah Sit and Knit. Life isn't the same but like knitting, at any given time all you are an all you do is a work in progress. Lets get moving, shall we? Hi! Goodness, it has been so long since I posted! So many changes at the Tranquil Cottage. The weekends, which are my only opportunity to post, have FLOWN by. Since my last post I have taken a weekend trip with my bestie, the fabulous Rebecca from Wrapped in Wool podcast and blog. We enjoyed a couple days at the beach with her adorable toddler. The weather was lovely and the view was amazing. We couldn't have had a better break from the everyday grind. She and I also attended the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. Oh, so many pretties! We had a great but exhausting time. Her toddler had way more energy than she and I put together and I think it goes without saying that by the end of the day both she and I would have gladly taken a ride in the stroller that he protested against so much. At SVFF I passed a vendor named Hipstrings. They had a ton of lovely supported spindles. Having had many a drop spindle fail I passed right by. Also, the sole item on my Christmas wish list this year is a spinning wheel. Still, it kept sticking in my mind that upon arriving at SVFF one of the first things I fell in love with was a braid of superwash merino. I passed it up since I had no way to spin it and wanted to focus on yarny goodness. Finally, I made the decision to pick up a supported spindle and give it a go. If all else fails, Santa has my letter. ( I sent it SUPER early!) Oh but I LOVE spinning on the supported spindle. Love, love, LOVE. It took a little practice but I think I really have the hang of it. Plying is the hard part but I am getting the hang of that as well. Below is the silver baby alpaca silk blend purchased from Hipstrings. It was my first attempt at spinning on my brand new spindle as well as my first ever attempt at plying. As you can see the plying was quite wonky but it doesn't look horribly hateful. The blue/pink/red is a wool silk blend from Gourmet Stash. It was a bag of Tribbles in the Ursa Major colorway and the colors were so lovely I just couldn't resist. It is quite obviously thick/thin yarn. My spinning had some inconsistency which was exaggerated by the plying as it seemed that all my super thick parts and super thin parts seemed to line up with their super thick and super thin counterparts. The result is a yarn that ranges from fingering weight to super bulky all in one skein. We will refer to this inconsistancy as "design element". Overall, I am happy with it as my second ever handspinning and plying attempt but I would like an overall more consistent finished yarn. This is destined to be a fun and funky cowl. Finally, you see the purple bit. I have honed my spinning technique and am getting a fairly consistent twist and thickness. I am really pleased with this yarn. The colorway is Hurricanes and Butterflies, also from Gourmet Stash. It is 84% superwash merino and 16% stellina. I love this tremendously. Spinning is... fun. <cough>and addictive<cough> Since the last post I also got engaged, planned my wedding and got married! Whew! It was exhausting but wonderful. We got married at our home, outside in the woods. My wonderful Aunt Fran did nearly every bit of the decorating. I did the flowers myself. It was intimate and lovely and just want we dreamed of.
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About Me
A knitter and aspiring spinner building a house into a home in the Shenandoah Valley. Archives
December 2020
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