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

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

Spinning, dyeing moth-proof yarn, crocheting bears, and knitting handspun singles are adventures in this episode.  Kelly gives an extensive review of knitting with handspun singles so that spinners will know how to use their yarn without always plying it.  Marsha has been researching the meaning of the old-fashioned "moth-proofing" that was done to her spirit yarn.  We hope that both topics are interesting and helpful to you! For show notes with pictures, see http://twoewesfiber.com Marsha's projects Marsha has not done too much knitting recently but she has made some progress on the Havasu Falls Shawl by Allison LoCicero and completed spinning 10 ounces of golden Shetland roving that she got at the Black Sheep Gathering.  She has also been doing a little more over-dyeing in preparation for the the afghan project she is making with spirit yarn.  Detailed information about the preparations for this project (including the math that we discussed in the previous episode) is in the Project Page for Frank's Spirit

Math, over-dyeing, color theory, and an interesting discussion of the Faroe Islands join knitting and spinning in the topics of this episode. Kelly's Projects Kelly has won the battle with the first of the Civil War socks. Several adjustments for fit were needed, but the finished sock is now perfect and it is on to the second one. The only other knitting has been on the NoCKRs shawl. The desire to use as much yarn as possible of both colors has led to some pattern modification experiments. Kelly has been doing a lot of spinning with two different wool/angora blends. One is a dyed gray and the other is a natural white. She also continues working on the CVM fleece with both a fingering/sport 3-ply and a bulky singles yarns on the wheels. Marsha's Projects Marsha was doing really well on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang but discovered she knit past the point where she should begin decreasing for the shoulders. Ugh! She now needs to do some ripping back. She started a shawl call Havasu Falls by Allison LoC

Show notes coming soon.

Knitting, spinning and preparing for the Black Sheep Gathering has Marsha and Kelly so excited that they can't stay on topic!  Lots of interesting (we hope!) tangents in this episode. Marsha has finished her Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon.  She loves the look and the fit and recommends the pattern.  She is still working on her Spirit-Yarn-a-Long project, a shawl called Sunny Delight by Brian Smith.  This will be great train knitting for her train trip to Eugene for the Black Sheep Gathering.  Kelly cast on and finished a Spirit Yarn project.  The Bethel Tank has been in her queue for about two years. She used some coned cotton that she and Marsha had dyed a couple summers ago in a dyeing experiment.  Along with the cotton she carried along a strand of rough-spun linen coned yarn. The Spirit Yarn Along will continue until June 30 in the Ravelry Group.  Winners will be chosen randomly from the discussion participants.  Share your projects and Spirit Yarn stories. While discussing the projects Marsha specu

In this episode you will only hear one half of the Two Ewes. Kelly finished up the school year with a cold and wasn't able to record. We didn't want to miss reaching out to everyone so it is short episode with Marsha. Well, Kelly does make a short appearance at the end of the podcast since at editing time she had a little better voice! Kelly has finished two projects!  She decided that a good day to bind off the I Love My Husband scarf was their 32nd anniversary.  It was one of the projects that she brought on the camping trip they went on.  She also finished the Edie tee by Isabel Kramer.  She decided not to add the neckline edging, but she did add a moss stitch edging to the hem and sleeves.  The yarn fabric washed up nicely in a cold water machine wash and a trip through the dryer. The hem and sleeve edges are rolling up, so it will need a bit of ironing there. She continues work on the Latticework Cardigan and hopes to finish before the Black Sheep Gathering.  Breaking News!  The sweater is finished!  The

� Kelly and Marsha have been busy with non-fiber responsibilities but still made progress on various projects and even started a few. Kelly finished a crochet gift for a first-time-father-to-be. Since it was a math department colleague, she made Pi Guy for the new baby. She is currently working on the scarf for her husband, the Edie tee and the crochet Latticework Cardigan that she cast on for the Spring Fever Knit/Crochet Along. Marsha continues to work on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang, but progress has slowed because she has started new projects. (What was she thinking!) She has finished the deceases for the armhole and will soon start the shoulder and neck shaping. She is making good progress on her Ricky for All Seasons by Vera Sanon and is about to start the shaping decreases for the body. In Episode 41 Marsha discussed her plans for a shawl using the Spirt Yarn from the NoCKR's detash room. She took home with her a skein each of Cascade Yarns Alpaca Lana D'Oro (multi), Knit Pics Capra (brown)

We did it! Kelly and Marsha completed the Big Sur 21-Miler walk on Sunday, April 24th and in this episode the talk about the experience. We also give updates on projects and announce the the winners of our Spring Fever Free-for-All. Kelly finished all her Star Wars Amigurumi! They were sent to her brother-in-law just in time for "May the Fourth be With You." He really loved them.  Check out Kelly's project page to see all the fun she had posing them with each other for pictures. There are still more of them that she might make but for now the Star Wars toys are done! Kelly is currently working most on the shawl out of the NoCKRs 2016 yarn from Duren Dyeworks. She decided to reuse the New Beginnings pattern by Boo Knits. She has one shawl from this pattern that she loves and she decided she could make some adjustments so that it will work with the two colors and use up all the yarn. Kelly has swatched for the Edie t-shirt out of the Queensland Collection Savannah.  This is the yarn that Marsha and Kelly both

The Two Ewes record together this week since Marsha is visiting Kelly for the NoCKRs retreat (last weekend) and the Big Sur 21-miler (coming up this weekend).  You'll hear about what inspired us at the retreat, the progress we've made on our current projects, and our plans to meet more listeners.  We also talk about the idea of Spirit Yarn. The retreat was a great way for Kelly to get miles of spinning done! She worked on more of the yarn for her mother's Shibui Axis vest.  Two large bobbins were filled and that should end up being 4-5 ounces of yarn once it is plied.  Kelly also knitted on the Funky Grandpa cardigan that she is making out of handspun.  Both of these projects turned out to be great social projects.  Marsha worked on her Fairfield Cardigan by Michele Wang.  She also started the Shetland Crescent shawl by Kieran Foley, but made better progress on the sweater.  The projects at the retreat were so fabulous that Kelly was inspired to immediately queue the Mesa by Yumiko Alexander.  It is a versati

Our adventures continue. Marsha has a revelation about lace and another about her mama bear ferocity. :-) Listen to us discuss current projects, bees, a puppy, and some "Fiber in the Wild"! Kelly continues the Star Wars crochet saga and has finished Luke, Han, Leia, and Jabba. Creating tea cosies would be a similar sculptural activity and Kelly recommends a look at the work of Loani Prior , an Australian knitter who is also on Instagram as @queenoftheteacosies. She has also finished the Wensleydale yarn she is making for her Aunt Betty to use for a Simply Garter Vest. The yarn is loosely spun and plied--a good way to make sure that the longer, courser wools don't end up feeling like wire. In fact, the yarn is shiny, silky, and very spongy in the skein. For the Spring Fever Free-for-All Kelly has "chained up" the Latticework Cardigan by Michele DuNaier. At this point she is almost ready to separate the sleeves. The crocheting is fun and fast. It would be even faster for an experienced crocheter. This is Kelly'

What's new with the Two Ewes? Well, not much knitting, but lots of other things have been going on. Both Kelly and Marsha are participating in the"Leave It" Division of the  Caithness Craft Un-Knit-Along (UnKAL).  There is also a chat thread for this UnKAL in the Twinset Designs Ravelry Group.  Marsha has put her Striped Study Shawl in the closet and Kelly has sent her Playground Shawl out to recess. :-)  Meanwhile Kelly continues crocheting on the Starwars amigurumi. She has four done, Jabba on the hook and is planning at least ten more for the May the Fourth Be With You deadline!  The designer's (Lucy Collin) Flickr page has even more ideas than the book that came with the kit! The Easter Bunny came out so cute and was so fun, Kelly decided to make a toy for both the "grands." The Purple Bunny was a free Drops Designs pattern with a few modifications that can be found in my project page.  The purple mohair brushed up really nicely to make a slightly furry bunny. The companion toy was Marshall from Paw Patr

Marsha and Kelly start off talking about Kelly's beautiful commute down the Salinas Valley (aka John Steinbeck's Long Valley).  She hasn't stopped to take photos, but here is an example of what she sees two days a week. As she commutes, she has been listening to podcasts--many of them non-knitting related.  One that she discovered and just had to try because it sounded so unusual is the Chameleon Breeder Podcast . The topic of raising chameleons led to the topic of raising bugs and this week's episode is about stick and leaf insects. Even more fascinating is the discovery that there is such a thing as the  Ovogram insect egg swap service. Insect breeders use it the same way knitters use a mini-skein swap! The guest on this week's Chameleon episode owns the  Full Throttle Feeders bug supply company. Kelly is now addicted to this informational podcast!  On her commute today she also listened to True Crime Garage. Another fun (but totally irreverent) true crime podcast is White Wine, True Crime. Marsha fills us

In this episode Kelly and Marsha give updates on projects and the goals we set for ourselves that was suppose to be two weeks but ended up being a month. Kelly has been walking but Marsha hasn't, but she has a great excuse! :-) It has been raining like crazy in Seattle and she is on puppy duty. Enzo is now almost twelve weeks old and can be crated for 2-3 hours, so Marsha has no more excuses! Kelly finished a Storm Trooper and is now waiting for more safety eyes in order to continue with other characters. First on the list is Darth Vader! The pattern designer, Lucy Collin, has a great Flickr page with photos of all her Star Wars creations (including some that aren't in the pattern book).  She also has a blog post where she talks about the pattern book project and another where she lists all the yarn colors she used. Kelly has been spinning like crazy on her mother's Pebble Substitute.  The Bourbon Socks got some work over the Stitches West weekend and are close to finished.  (Got finished between recording an

Kelly and Marsha talk about Kelly's recent weekend at Stitches West!  One of the year's biggest West Coast yarn events was more than a shopping trip, it was a chance to meet listeners, podcasters, and other yarny friends.  The conversation ranges from the items on the sales floor to tattoos, from purchases to civil war era yarn, and from starstruck silliness to the appeal of the collaborative business model. No show notes for this special episode.  Links and photos will be included in show notes for our next regular episode, due out soon.  http://twoewesfiber.com

Marsha and Kelly catch you up on all the things that have been going on with them over that last month.  New projects, new goals, new items in the Ravelry queue, new excuses pets family members, and new realizations about time management!  Press play and listen as we talk about our fiber adventures!  Kelly has one newly finished project,  Toddler hats that she made for Robert's co-worker's daughter.  One is plain stockinette with some embroidered flowers and the other has a texture pattern.  Neither was made using a pattern, but information about them is on Kelly's Ravelry page. She also has a newly started project.  She made Yoda from the Star Wars Crochet kit.  The designer is Lucy Collin and between her blog and the Flickr account she has with all the different Star Wars figures (some not in the kit) there are enough ideas for an entire galaxy of figures! Two other projects got significant activity over the last month. The Sheep to sweater project and the Big Sur Bourbon Socks Speaking of Big Sur, Kelly me

Knitting, some spinning, lots of yarn project planning, and some fiber processing are the highlights of this episode. Kelly and Marsha do some goal setting with two-week goals and discussion of long-term projects. Kelly happily finished two projects that have been on the needles 9 months or more. First, the Hoarfrost sock pattern by Louise Tillbrook was used to make the Frosty Mint Julep socks. Second, Kelly finished the Niebling Doily Herbert Niebling lace patterns have an Arts and Crafts era style that is very distinctive. The Doily Head blog has a great collection of Niebling eye candy for your enjoyment! Kelly started her doily on Christmas day 2014 and finished it just over a year later. It was a fun and challenging project and there will definitely be another Niebling on the needles at some point. Most of Marsha's projects have not seen much progress since she has been working almost exclusively on her Mystery Wool Cardigan (#241 Neck Down V Neck Shaped Cardigan) by Diane Soucy. The body is almost finis

Marsha and Kelly celebrate New Year's Eve with some finished projects, some newly started projects and by announcing the winners of the Two Ewes Crochet Along!  Due to the quick turnaround of this episode, there are few show notes.  However, there are two important items: Information and and links for Syllabub can be found at Kelly's old blog.  The Johnny Cash song that Marsha was thinking of can be found on YouTube here.  And the song that Kelly was talking about was Hurt. Have a Happy 2016 everyone!

In this episode Kelly takes over the beginning of the podcast to throw Marsha a surprise virtual birthday party!  After some fiber adventuring friends send along Birthday wishes, the episode resumes with our knitting, spinning and yarny adventures, including finished objects, current projects, and a fun trip to Portland for Marsha.  Additional show notes and pictures will follow soon at our show notes blog

This week Kelly has two finished projects! She finished her Crochet-Along project, the Happy Hippopotamus by Heidi Bears. This was an excellent pattern and the finished hippo is soooooooo darling! Also finished (but not yet blocked or worn) is the Color Affection, a shawl designed by Veera Valimaki. Kelly had a skein of heavy fingering and 4 skeins of DK and used them all, creating a shawl that is ENORMOUS! It will be a challenge to figure out how to wear it or where to put it once out of the cold :-) The colors are great together and it used some 5+ year old stash, so it is a clear win! Kelly's current projects all require some knitting repair, so let's not talk about those. ;-) Marsha isn't finished with her Lanata Cardigan, but she is close. Once sleeve cuffs are on, it's done. She is very happy with the sweater's design (by Amy Christoffers) and with the fabric she got from the German yarn that she used. She also continues to work on her brother Mark's Crazy Scarf from the Stonehedge Crazy yarn. She is al

Welcome new listeners from the Shorty's Sutures and Libsyn Feed podcasts! Welcome also to our listeners from outside the US (including Brazil, Mexico, Sweden, and Norway)! Marsha and Kelly announce the winners in the Front Range Bags giveaway.  Thanks again to Nancy for offering one of her bags for a prize!  If you aren't the winner, don't despair.  She has generously offered a coupon code for 15% off to Two Ewes listeners!  Listen to the podcast or visit our Ravelry Group for details.  Then go shop for a Front Range Bag! Marsha had quite a bit of knitting time while at the hospital with her son.  Ben had a bad bicycle accident, but is now doing much better.  While at the trauma center she made lots of progress on the Mark's Crazy Scarf out of Stonehedge Crazy (mill ends).  She has also been working on the Stripe Study Shawl by Veera Valimaki.  She is using the yarn she created at Yarnia in Portland.  Despite all the knitting time, she has no finished projects this time. Kelly is still working on her Color A