Two Ewes Fiber Adventures: A Podcast About Knitting, Spinning, Weaving, Crochet, Dyeing-- All The Ways To Play With Yarn And

This bonus episode is all about bees.  Our regular knitting, spinning, and fiber adventures episode will be published in Episode 66 on the weekend of May 12/13.  Kelly picked up two packages of treatment free bees to add to her apiary.  They rode home in the car and were successfully installed the same day.  She is so happy with the improvement of her beekeeping skills since 2015.  Click here for video of the package installation. The next day the existing hive that had been cut out of a drain pipe and had been progressing well swarmed.  She saw the swarm from start to finish and describes the incredible experience.    Click here for video of the swarm experience. These are my first attempts to create YouTube videos.  We won't be changing the podcast to video, but it was fun to document the experience for a YouTube supplement.

The Ewes have been busy as bees outside of knitting, but still there's a finished top, one almost finished, some dyeing, and a couple things on the needles.  A bee shawl is on the maybe list, and Kelly is headed to pick up some real bees.  Join us for our adventures. Marsha has finished her Edie tee!  The Edie pattern is by Isabel Kramer and the yarn she used is Hempathy.  This is her second Edie in Hempathy so no swatching needed.  Now that's incentive to repeat a project!  She doesn't yet have a finished project photo and that leads to a discussion of project pages and the Finished Object Radar feature of Ravelry.  While talking about the Finished Object Radar on Ravelry, Marsha saw the Hollywood Flare Tunic by Vera Sanen and was intrigued.  Kelly is almost finished with her Edie.  This is also her second time with the project, but with a different yarn.  The yarn is Linen Concerto, a variegated linen, rayon, cotton blend. Kelly's other project, Havannah by Heidimarie Kaiser, is making slow progress, but pr

A fabulous yarny time at the retreat and then a trip to a fiber mill and more time playing with newly milled yarn and dye pots. The Two Ewes are on a Spring Break adventure! Kelly's Projects Kelly is making great progress on the Edie tee-shirt that she is making with Linen Concerto yarn she bought at Stitches West. She is also moving along on the Havannah tee that she is making with Dragon Fly Fibers Rustic Silk Dance yarn. Marsha's Projects Marsha brought a shawl and her Edie tee as retreat and vacation knitting. The shawl is Among the Shadows by Kelene Kinnersly. She is using a very recent purchase of Feederbrook Farm yarn that she got during her post Stitches trip to SF. Advent "ewes" First there was the wonderful weekend at NoCKRs, the Northern California Knitters Retreat, held by the Yarniacs and 2 Knit Lit Chicks podcasts.  Held at the St. Francis Retreat Center, it was a relaxing and fun time catching up with friends and meeting new friends.  Lots of knitting and food and drink and laughing! Then we v

I'm finished knitting except I still have to...Have you ever said that about a project?  The Ewes have projects in various stages of completion, but many things OFF the needles!  Just like our projects, this episode is finished, except for the shownotes! We may not have photos in the show notes this week, but take a look at our project pages!  Kelly's project page.    Marsha's project page. We hope to be back on track with normal show notes by Episode 64.  Thanks for listening!  

Knitting projects get finished and then the ewes are off on and adventure to Stitches West.  Wearing ponchos and taking names!  Marsha arrived on Wednesday and was able to hang out in the sun room finishing her NoCKRs shawl. It is Good Vibes by Nadia Cretin Lechen.  Kelly finished her Om Shawl by Andrea Mowry and her Funky Grandpa by Maison Rilillie, and was able to wear both at Stitches West.  Yarn, patterns for punch needle rug hooking, knitting needles for lace, and more yarn all came home with the Ewes.  We loved meeting fiber friends and getting to know listeners we hadn't met yet.  Then Marsha left to go to SF for the second half of her California adventure. 

A completed poncho, a train adventure, a handspun sweater, and an amazing beekeeping experience are on this week's show.  Marsha's Projects Marsha finished her Rodeo Drive Poncho.  Marsha is really happy with this pattern by Staci Perry.  She has also worked on her Good Vibes shawl. Even the Pismo Beach socks (yarn from the yarn crawl in our very first podcast) got a little knitting during her adventurous train trip! Kelly's Projects Kelly has finished 4 more Pussy Hats.  She also finally got on the ball and knitted the button band the on Funky Grandpa Cardigan.  This is a pattern by La Maison Rililie.  The button band has an i-cord bind off and Kelly isn't sure whether it will lay flat or not.  If, after blocking, it still isn't laying flat, she will need to experiment with needles that are either larger or smaller.  She isn't sure which direction will solve the issue. Kelly has also been working on her poncho and is past the halfway point!  She is using Andrea Mowry's Om Shawl pattern. "Advent-ewes" Marsha

The Women's March website and the Indivisible Guide website are both mentioned in this episode.    Marsha and Kelly both attended marches and they talk about the experience.  So many knitters made so many Pussyhats!  The Ewes have also been thinking about 2017 goals, and the political realm, along with some personal challenges of the past year, have played a part in that thought process.  If you are a new listener, you might want to listen to a different episode first.  This one is not typical of the podcast, but we thought it was an important discussion to share with you.  

We review our 2016 achievements and have a Fibershed segment where our minds are blown by discovering that compost can help mitigate climate change.  Marsha is almost finished with her #PussyHatProject hat for the Women's March that will be held in Seattle.  Other than that, she has been working exclusively on her Great Poncho Adventure project.  She is making the Rodeo Drive poncho from Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn.  It is getting close to finished! Kelly's Great Poncho Adventure is moving along after a mistake in the colorwork meant she had to rip back about 4 inches of work.  It was painful, but worth the effort.  She has adapted the Om Shawl to three colors and is working this out of three different gray yarns from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Kelly has also been spinning.  She finished plying two skeins of the endless 3-ply CVM.  When combined with the bulky CVM singles she has spun, there is a total of 2.5 lbs (of the 6 lbs) that has been spun from this fiber.  She also spun and plied some longwool fiber from

Seattle!  The Two Ewes are together in the Emerald City.  Knitting hats, hitting the yarn shops, and having a great start to 2017!  Kelly arrived on January 5 to a partly snowy Seattle.  It was a quick, three-day trip, and they managed to see three yarn shops.  Hear about the visit in this short episode with the ewes recording together.  Some highlights of the trip were the felted chair at Maker's Mercantile and additions to Kelly's linens and button stashes.  The lowlight of the trip was that Tolt Yarn and Wool was closed for inventory (with no notification on the website).  Alas, we were disappointed.  But we perked right up by visiting Quintessential Knits only ten miles away.  We also had the opportunity to visit Fiber Gallery one day while Enzo was getting groomed.   It was wonderful to start 2017 with a visit!  Our next time together will be Stitches West on Saturday, February 25 for the podcast meet-up in the afternoon and Sunday, February 26 for the Marketplace. We hope to see you there!

In Episode 47 Kelly talked about handspun singles.  In this episode she talks about plying handspun yarn and the properties of plied yarn for knitters who are buying commercial yarn. She talks about  what plying is and how it works,  why spinners might ply yarn, and  the number of plies and their effect on yarn. She also gives tips for yarn buyers and tips for handspinners.  The pictures in the show notes show a skein of yarn, rather than a piece of plied yarn, but the three pictures illustrate how the individual fibers look in a plied yarn that is over-plied, balanced, and under-plied.  Pretend each strand of yarn is a fiber in a plied yarn and you will see that in a balanced yarn, the fibers are parallel with the direction of the yarn.  Here is Kelly's project page for her Swirl Sweater.  Here is Marsha's project page for her Swirl Sweater.   

Podcasting about percolators, ponchos, and Pendleton woolens. Plus, we have two giveaway winners! Marsha's Projects Marsha is making good progress on the Rodeo Drive poncho by Staci Perry. She has been focused on this one project and is making good progress. This despite a cabling accident caused by "knitting while podcasting" two weeks ago. Kelly's Projects Kelly is continuing with the Curious Case of the Crazy Stitch Cardigan by Michele DuNaier. She can't figure out why it seems to have two sides (since it is crocheted similar to the way garter stitch is knitted, doing the same thing on each side), but she thinks she now has it back on track. Kelly has also been doing a small amount of spinning while sitting in the living room enjoying the Christmas tree. "Advent-ewes" Marsha visited the Pendleton Woolen Mill in Pendleton, Oregon. She tells us all about the history of the company and the tour she had of the facility. The wool that Pendleton uses is scoured in Texas--probably at the same facility that scou

A little knitting and crochet progress, and a lot of discussion about the complicated topic of consumption.  Climate beneficial wool cloth, thrift store finds, supporting local farmers and small dyers, and (gasp!) knitting from stash for a year are all part of the conversation. Marsha has many things in progress (remember when she was a monogamous knitter?) but has been working exclusively on her Rodeo Drive Poncho.  She loves the Berocco Ultra Alpaca yarn and is enjoying the simple but elegant construction of the pattern by Staci Perry.  Kelly worked on socks while recording, but other than that the only other project has been some negative crochet.  Ugh!  Due to a mistake that she still needs to figure out, she did the second half of the back panel and the second front both inside out. The shell pattern is markedly different on these new pieces of the cardigan--until you turn them over and look at the back.  But no one wants a sweater with two right fronts!  Ripping out has occurred so the offending pieces

New projects this time for both Marsha and Kelly. Also lots of poncho talk and information about The Great Poncho Adventure.  The Ewes are making ponchos!  There are also two yarn giveaways announced this episode. For photos and to subscribe to the podcast, visit the shownotes on our blog. Marsha's Projects Marsha has started her shawl with the NoCKRs yarns she got from Duren Dyeworks last year in commemoration of the retreat.   The pattern is Good Vibes by Nadia Crétin-Léchenn.   She was ready to start her poncho with some Spirit Yarn, but decided that it was not the right yarn for the pattern.  Instead she is going to find some yarn that is better suited.  Late breaking news!  Marsha got some yarn for the poncho! The pattern she is using is The Rodeo Drive Poncho by Staci Perry. Kelly's Projects Kelly has made some progress on the crocheted Crazy Stitch Cardigan. It's a pattern by Michelle DuNaier.  She has started on the shoulder and is almost ready to start the second side of the sweater.  She also had

Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan is finished and the Two Ewes are celebrating!  Project planning has begun for Marsha's next blanket and Kelly is once again making progress on the handspun Funky Grandpa cardigan. Join us for a fun episode full of fiber adventures! Marsha's Projects The epic blanket is finished!  Marsha finished Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and it is fantastic!  The pattern is Garter Squish by Stephen West although it was made to be bigger than the pattern.  Finished measurements are 6'8" x 5'7" and it weighs 5 pounds, 8 ounces.  This blanket contains the memories of her father Frank.  It was made from yarn that she used to make him a sweater many years ago.  It also contains the Spirit Yarn from destashes, the Goodwill, and yarns from friends (including our listener HockeyRachel).  This blanket is filled with good karma! During the podcast we had another live bind-off.  Marsha finished another washcloth or dishcloth.  This one was the Atomic Washcloth pattern and she edged it with crochet while we w

There is knitting in the show, but we spend the first 15 minutes in non-fiber chit chat. Does that tell you how we feel about our knitting right now? We are both in a project low right now with long term projects and projects in transition phases. Finishing these items and the excitement of new cast-ons will come in time, but for right now we battle the long project blues. Projects Marsha continues to work on the Stephen West Garter Squish afghan she is calling Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. She is working color twelve of fourteen and is ready to be done. It is hard to work on because it is getting so big and heavy. Definitely not portable! Marsha has been highly distracted by her new addiction...wash cloths! She as made WAHMingIt by Amber Perry, Spa Day Facecloth by Anne Mancine, Atomic Washcloth by Nanette Cormack, and is working on Ballband Washcloth by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne. * As I was writing the show notes I realized that I made the Atomic Washcloth completely wrong. The peach color should be stock

Knitting a blanket, an octopus, and some wash cloths have been keeping the Two Ewes in stitches these days.  Fleeces, yarn, and fiber friends were in abundance at Lambtown last weekend.  In addition, two public pledges will keep the Two Ewes accountable for some future projects!  For photos to go with the links, see our blog! Marsha's Projects Marsha  continues to work steadily on her Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan but found she needed to take a break from it. She discovered washcloths!! She has made two from the pattern All Washed Up by Jill Arnusch and is almost done with Diagonal Knit Dishcloth by Jana Trent. Both are free patterns. Kelly's Projects All octopus, all the time!  Kelly has more than half of the tentacles finished and has been working mostly on this project. She did finally get back to the Mesa poncho by Yumiko Alexander so she could finish it in time for her sister's birthday.  Finding buttons from the stash will finish it up! There has also been some casting on/hooking on!  The Curious Case cr

Beautiful Autumn days, ongoing projects, an Enzo the Poodle update, and some of our listeners' knitting are the topics of this episode.  Marsha is coming to you from Seattle, as usual.  Kelly is coming to you from a tin can somewhere on the Central Coast of California.  :-)  She forgot to plug in her microphone and was recorded through the not-so-good computer microphone.  Sorry for this rookie podcasting error! Shortly after the last episode Kelly started to work on Opus the Octopus.  He was the perfect project for her conference knitting.  One sleeve of the Handspun Funky Grandpa was finished so that the needles could be re-purposed for the octopus, but that was the only other project she touched in the last two weeks.  Marsha continues to work on Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and has passed the halfway point. She'll be starting the ninth color of thirteen.  She gives her hands a break by working on her Havasu Falls Shawl.  The Ewes share information about listeners' projects (including a beautiful shawl, a gr

Our monogamous knitting continues, but the wool fleece auction, bees, and planning for upcoming fiber events has kept life interesting! Project Updates Marsha continues to work on Frank's Spirt Yarn Afghan using the pattern from Stephen West called Garter Squish. She loves how the afghan keeps changing with each additional color. The afghan currently is about six feet wide and about 36" long. The afghan is no longer very portable, so Marsha is back working on the Havasu Falls shawl by Alison LoCicero. It's pretty good social knitting right now. Marsha also washed the black Wensleydale-Cormo-Merino cross fleece she bought at The Black Sheep Gathering. Kelly continues for work on her Funky Grandpa cardigan that she is calling Handspun Charlotte Cardigan because she is using handspun from a sheep named Charlotte. She reports on her experience of redoing one of the sleeves. Kelly also discusses dyeing yarn for the her next project, Opus the Octopus by Cate Carter-Evans. She is motivated by the need to have a proj

Knitting monogamy and the fall semester have combined to reduce the yarn crafting of the Two Ewes this episode. Both are making progress on their Epic Adventures, though. View photos, and subscribe to the podcast at our Two Ewes Fiber Adventures blog! Kelly has finished all the squares needed for the quilt that she started over 30 years ago. Now on to the sewing together! Kelly also started a new sock project for meeting knitting. The Angler's Loop socks have an interesting cable pattern along the back of the sock. The pattern is designed by Andrea Mules. Marsha has been moving along on Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan. The pattern is the Garter Squish by Stephen West. She is on the third color now and, at the moment, is knitting on this project exclusively.  Marsha did something she never thought she would do. She bought a tie-dyed skirt! This is not your grandfather's tie-dye. She talked with the dyer about the technique (which includes dye removal as well as overdyeing) and is inspired to try some tie-dye.

Civil War Socks, two epic projects, and a few rants from the Two Ewes are on the episode this week! Finished and Started Kelly finished the Civil War Socks (pattern by Karin Timour) and they fit her husband perfectly. The choices of yarn color were made as a result of reading this Civil War discussion board post. Marsha finished prepping the yarn for Frank's Spirit Yarn Afghan and she has cast on. This will be a long-term project. She is also continuing work on the Havasu Falls Shawl that she is making from a Freia gradient yarn. Kelly has started working on her long-term project, too. It is a quilt top that she started while in high school. Since the last episode she has made progress on this quilt, which she is planning to use as a queen-sized bedspread. It is a hand pieced quilt in the "Split Rail" design and is made from sewing project scraps from her childhood and teen years. For example, one of the fabrics is from the "Swirl Skirt" that Kelly had in the 1970s. Kelly has also started a Mesa poncho for