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!!!!