Thursday, April 26, 2012

Podcast Episode Two: Going Dutch

Jeff's delicious snack
We already gotten off track of our monthly podcast goal but I think it is a temporary situation brought on by our inexperience and I hope that our early followers will not lose interest because of it. This podcast is actually our second attempt! We did a complete show and somehow lost the voices portion of the recording and had to do it all over again. It was a grueling task to have to drink more wine and have Julie's husband, Jeff fix us more delicious appetizers to bring you episode two so we hope you appreciate our dedication. The second take was also enhanced because we were able to sit outside next to the pond so you can enjoy the sounds of nature as we converse. Let us know what you think!

Episode Two: Going Dutch Podcast

Our special podcast guest is Dymphna; a very talented knitter who is from the Netherlands but now calls Lexington her home.

WIP it Good (Work in Progress)

Queen Anne's Lace scarf on day three
Ellie is working on a crochet project based on this Pinterest post. Her sister-in-law, Bonnie loved it and is very excited to have one of her own so it will be sent to Cleveland, Ohio as soon as it is finished. Ravelry had a pattern for something similar called the Queen Anne's Lace Scarf and Ellie made a few adjustments to the pattern to get the scarf to look more like the picture. It's not an exact match but it is very close. The yarn is Malabrigo Rios in the colorway "Cocoa" and she used a size J crochet hook. It's going really fast and will be done before she knows it!

Another project Ellie is working on was a sock kit she bought at the Knitters' Connection convention she attended in the summer of 2010. It was a really fun convention held in Columbus, Ohio with a great selection of classes, speakers and a really nice Knitters Market. If you want to go this year, you can find more information here. The sock pattern is called Flying Carpet Socks by Cat Bordhi. The main color of the sock is Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn in the colorway Mountain Tango. The toe, heel and parts of the ankle uses Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport yarn in the colorway Tahoe. This sock has been slow going and is not a good project to work on with a glass of wine in hand so we'll see how quickly it is finished. I'm thinking it'll be lucky to have it ready as a Christmas present...

Julie's grass socks
Julie's socks are moving a little more quickly since their 2 year haitus. She's using the book Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. The yarn is Austermann Step sock yarn (which is infused with aloe vera) in the colorway Grass. The cool part of this project are the square dpn's she is using from Kollage!

Julie is also working on a pair of toddler socks using Plymouth Yarn Dreambaby DK in colorway 0208. This one might not end up fitting the toddler she has in mind in which case it will be stored away as a future shower gift.

Dymph first talked about her fiftieth pair of Turkish Bed Socks from Churchmouse Yarns using some yarn she bought at her favorite online outlet, Webs. She can't remember what it's called.

Dymph is also working on a cool teddy bear sweater for a service project that our knitting group is assembling. She's such a talented knitter that the pattern is inside her head and might have been invented by her grandmother! There are two colors and the peachy color pops out in "bubbles." Dymph calls the pattern "Naples Nopje." She's using Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn.

A very old pattern
Dymph's last project is a baby sweater & hat for a baby her friends are adopting from China. She is using Charisma Loops & Threads yarn that you can buy at an Michaels Craft Store. The color is a creamy ivory and she's using size 11 needles. The pattern was written down on post it notes over thirty-four years ago and is held together by a rusty staple. She made this sweater way back when for her son!




Give a Little Bit (Knitting for Charity)

Dymph made a beautiful strawberry tea cozy that you can see next to Julie's hedgehog tea cozy in our last post. She put it together in a whole tea themed basket and donated it to Yellow Brick Road Early Learning Center.

We all made teddy bears for the fire department to hand out to kids that rescue or help. There are a bunch of other knitters in our group who are also working on this and we're assembling a nice collection of bears!

Red Red Wine (Wine Review)

Dymph brought some wine from Rockbridge Vineyard called Tuscarora White. Yummy!

You're My Best Friend (Guest Interview)


Dymph grew up in Holland where she met and married her American husband. She's been knitting since she was four years old. Her knitting style is European and she uses really long needles and her fingers fly in a blur. Her favorite yarn is alpaca. If you want to know more, listen to our podcast! : )

Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (Shopping Reviews)

Ellie went to Olde Liberty Fibre Faire in Bedford, Virginia and gave her review. There were lots of vendors of fibers and other knitting supplies that made it well worth the trip over the mountain! Be sure to check out KSC Designs on Etsy which was one of the booths at the festival. Ellie met Dani Miller, the designer and was very impressed with her quality of work and her style! Other honorable mentions of booths were Unplanned Peacock, The Crooked Stitch, and the booth where Ellie learned how to felt using a felting pin!

Julie went to Wyrd Sisters Yarn Shop in Roanoke. A very pretty shop with a fantastic ambiance and feel, a great selection of yarn and good prices.

What Have You Done For Me Lately? (Finished Work)

Julie finished some hand warmers for her husband using Lamb's Pride Bulky in grey. She also finished her To Eyre Shawl that we were talking about in our last podcast that you can check out in the previous post's notes. She also finished her Sea Anemone Messenger Bag that we talked about last time.

Dymph made and finished her ginormous Kony banner because of the viral video about Joseph Kony made by Invisible Children. Ellie and Dymph wanted to support their effort to bring justice to Africa and capture this terrible man. Ellie knitted two smaller ones and they are going to "cover the night" with them on April 21st.


Ellie finished her fair isle had that she talked about and you can see on the last podcast notes. She also finished a giraffe baby gift set which included a diaper cover, hat and booties. Lastly she finished some knitted uteri that she will be mailing off to her state and federal representatives in the hopes that, if they have their own uterus, they will stay out of the uteri the rest of us have with their legislations. (Note from Ellie: I promise all our podcasts will not be this political in the future! Usually my knitting world and my activist world don't collide in such a fashion!)

Everyone keep listening - keep rating us - and start giving us feedback so we know what works and what doesn't. Thank you!!!!


Friday, February 24, 2012

Podcast Episode One: Hello World!

If you are checking in after listening to our very first podcast, welcome! If you haven't listened yet, you can go to iTunes and search the podcasts for "House Mountain Knits." We need lots of comments and good reviews over there to make our presence known so we hope you like us. You can also listen by clicking the link below:

House Mountain Knits Podcast - Episode One

Here are some pics we are sharing of what we talked about during the podcast. I've broken it down by podcast segment so you can refer between the two easily. Comment away! We can't wait to hear what you think!

Hello Bonjour (Intro)

We are Julie & Ellie and we love to knit, among other things. We live in beautifully scenic and historic Lexington, VA and have named our podcast after the locally well-known House Mountain. Here's what it looks like:


We'll talk more about ourselves and life in Southwest Virginia in future episodes.

WIP It Good (Work In Progress)

Julie is working on her To Eyre Shawl by Carol Sunday (Version 2) using Berroco Ultra Alpaca in Blueberry Mix (6288).



Ellie is working on the Knit Ear Flap Hat using Cascade 220 yarn in colorways Gris (9473), Burgundy (2413) and Dark Navy (8393).

This is my first attempt that I'm donating to a silent auction.

Julie is working on the Sea Anemone Messenger Bag using a pattern from the book Knit 2 Together and using Lambs Pride Worsted yarn in purples (her daughter's favorite color) with the anemone tentacles in yellow. She hopes to have it finished in time for her daughter's return during spring break.

Ellie is working on a scarf for her cousin using Karabella Superyak yarn in colorway 10158 and the pattern "This Way Up" Scarf, which is a free download on Ravelry.



Give A Little Bit
(Community Service)

Ellie just finished a washcloth for her knitting buddy, Edna. Edna is gathering washcloths to sell for a fundraiser but Ellie isn't sure what it's about. Edna is one of the senior members of our knitting group and makes killer desserts so whatever Edna thinks is a worthy cause is good enough for Ellie! She used a little of what she had left of Cotton Ease yarn by Lion Brand and found a pattern with a cute dragonfly knitted in with purl stitches. It was done in a day!

Julie has completed a Hedgehog tea cozy using leftover alpaca yarn in DK weight and Lion Brand fun fur for the hedgehog, and Crystal Palace Merino 5 for the green background. Leftover Regia Cotton was used for the mushroom caps and stems.



(Completed Projects)

We need a song title that encapsulates this segment. Feedback is appreciated!

Ellie finished the ugliest scarf she has ever made, well, a contender, anyway... The pattern is nice - Meandering Rib Scarf by Lion Brand, and the yarn was nice to work with - Loops & Threads, Charisma, but the colors could only be described as Pittsburgh Steelers or bumble bee. The pattern and colors were chosen by her brother, who is a HUGE Columbus Crew soccer fan. Hopefully the scarf will be a welcome and warm addition to his enjoyment of the game (that his sister considers one of the lamest sports of all time).

Julie made the Cladonia Shawl using alpaca yarn sold by The Flock Bransonas.



Please, Please Let Me Get What We Want (Shopping Report)

Julie went shopping at Blazing Needles in Salt Lake City, UT and bought some Shepherds Wool in Garnet and some Madelinetosh Merino Light in Scarlet and Palomino.







She plans on using it to make Andrea's Shawl by Kristen Kapur.

Ellie has been proving that she is Jimmy Beans Wool's best online customer and has recently purchaed 8 skeins of Araucania yarn in colorway Coliumo Multy and a pattern from Bergere de France for a cape and headband which is completely intimidating to her. If she gets this cast on in the next six months, she will be on schedule.

(Wrapping Up/Teasers)

Song title suggestions for this segment are appreciated as well! We are shooting for a podcast once a month in which we'll have these segments plus a few more including spotlights of various knitters from our local group (we have about 50 to choose from), book and pattern reviews, wine reviews, field trips and more that are not coming to this wine-addled mind at the moment. Please listen, rate us, and give us feedback. We are having fun but want to put something out there that everyone enjoys!

Thanks for listening and reading!