Rachel shares her sock knitting secrets, and she's finally finished with her Log Cabin Noro blanket! Natalie obsesses over two very large bumps of red wool. Oh dear!

Rachel's Chat on the Fine Art of Knitting Socks

• Top downsources for good design: Cookie A's Sock Innovation and Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, Folk Socks, Knitting on the RoadToe up short row toes and heels
• Judy's Magic Cast on for toe up socks
• Sources for good design: Wendy D. Johnson and Chrissy Gardiner
• Knitty article on starting to knit toe up
• Two at a Time/Magic Loop
  • Nifty tutorial on cuff down from Knitting Giraffe
  • Toe up 2x a time Tutorial from Come t Silver - love this one (Natalie)
• Great divide: double pointed needles or circular needles!!
  • Why I like dpns
    • Complicated patterns that need a lot of counting
    • Some yarns don't do well with the pulling of cables
    • Looks complicated and bad ass to have 4-5 needles going at once.
    • Easier to work the gusset with more room on the needles to spread out 
  • Why I like circular needles
    • Very difficult to lose your needle
    • Two socks at one time on one LONG circular needle
    • Feels faster than shuffling needles
• Tools I like
  • Dpn holder from Knitzi
  • Pointy Knit Picks fixed circular needles (Nice flexible cables, too.)
  • Tom Bihn Stuff Sacks

On/Off Our Needles

• Cavern Cardigan
• Panda Bamboo (discontinued :(!)
• Black Sheep Gathering
• Knit n' Walk Bags - from Knit Purl Sew What?
• Tussah Silk
• Verb for Keeping Warm
• Sodera Socks
• Child's First Socks in Shell Pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks 
• Montego Bay Scarf  - IK Link (Interweave Knits Summer 2007)
   
• Ashland, Oregon
  • Shakespearean Festival
  • Hip Hop Hamlet
  • Lovely yarnstore in Ashland, OR - Websters
• Log Cabin Blanket - Cool little blogpost and photos from January One
• Great American Afghan - the one with the crab pattern square
• Nautie the Nautillus
• Futurarma
  • Dr. Zoidberg
  • Bender the "Naughty Robot"
   

BTW - I could not validate the legend or tradition of giving away opals as 'spiteful' gifts. But I did find out that apparently Sir Walter Scott started a rumor/superstition that it was bad luck to give Opals to people who were not born in October... Sir Walter, really? But Queen Victoria luckily dispelled the rumour by giving them away as gifts. (She probably had stock in Australian Opal mines).  

How to get a hold of us.... visit our blog/podcast site at http://nkilkenny.libsyn.com or use our gmail cloudychancefiber@gmail.com

Music and Audio Selections:

• Ode to my socks- poem by Pablo Neruda
• Rain Improvisation
• Roy Trumbull- Shakespeare's Gems from Shakespeare (Hamlet Instructs the Actors) 
• Logan White Hurst - A Matter of Twine. Check out Logan's many other entertaining ditties on iTune s on Goodbye my 4-Track

Yarn Contest

Here are the photos of the yarns up for grabs in Episode 8's podcasts. Hey, y'all. There's only one contestant vying for the Yarnia and none for the Shetland handspun. Here's your chance. Post your answers or even best guesses. It doesn't matter if you're wrong. If there aren't enough participants I'll put everyone who comments into the pools for both yarns. To enter read the details in Episode 8's post and follow the directions. Good luck :) Contest 1 - Where was I knitting? Prize: 2 skeins approx. 50 grams each of homespun shetland wool in sport weight. Instead of 1 now 2.

Contest 2 - What's that sound at the end of the podcast? 1 350 yard skein Yarnia Estrel ( 34% Bamboo; 29% Merino; 27% Wool). Sweet... super sweet! Okay, here's where I confess. The yarn I originally promised from Yarnia a cotton bamboo blend was actually gifted from my stash. My deepest apologies. But I stopped by lovely yarnia and picked up this even more gorgeous (in my opinion) cone of Bamboo/Merino/Wool. It's enough to make a pretty luxurious muffler.

It's time for you Northwesters to stretch your geography muscles. I was at a particular riverside setting. Can you guess where I was?

Harvey Pekar - the mind behind the comic "American Splendor." Learn more about Harvey at the Pekar Project.

Everyday Inspired Knits:

• Pear Apple Cozy by Susan B. Anderson

• Wishy Washy Fishy Tawashi by Rhonda White

• Tribble by Abigail - 1870pearl

• Felted Moebius Basket by Cat Bordhi

My apologies to Rhonda White for mentioning Knitting Nonsense which is the place where the pattern is published and to Abigale - 1870pearl for not catching your entire Ravelry handle.

Crocheted Steampunk Gloves - a 3 hour class at the Naked Sheep Knitshop in North Portland, OR - Saturday (August 14) 1:00-4:00pm

Remember students receive 10% OFF all purchases one week before class begins through the last day of class

Yarns Used - Cascade Heritage Sock & Collinette Sock Yarn Fedora Primo - great little hat shop in Santa Monica, CA

Contest #1 for Northwest Natives - Prize = Shetland handspun made by me in a natural fawn brown.

Please note where this is. What river am I on? What's the name of the park where we're at?  

Contest #2 for Everyone Else - Prize = 300 yards of Yarnia - bamboo yarn (DK weight)

What is making the sounds at the end of the podcast??

For both contests note in the comments 1.) The contest number 2.) Your location 3.) Your guess As I noted you have until 8/15 to respond to the comments. I'll announce the winners in our next podcast after that date. If you want to send us your answers... e-mail us at cloudychancefiber@gmail.com

Here's the photo for contest #1 (Hint there's a bridge in the distance)

Clue # 2 This was the view on the way there...

Music Selections this Podcast:

Waterbound - Shake that Little Foot

Rabbits Never Get Married - Hank Penny

Everyday - Buddy Holly

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Well done with it for now... looks like sunny days are around the corner. Here's a mini episode as promised in Episode 6.  

Introduction & Sweater Quest

• Hamish MacBeth
• Aran Sweater Design - Janet Szabo
• Knitty Tutorials on Sleeve Construction Part I Part II
• Knitting Daily Tutorial on Capped Sleeves Part I Part II  

Gansey Talk

• Patterns for Guernseys, Jerseys & Arans - Gladys Thompson
• Alice Starmore's Fishermen's Sweaters-Thank you again to CharmingLochie (from Ravelry) for the correction on the pronunciation of Lochinver :)
• For Ravelry Members - Forum group Ganseys, Guernsey's and Knit Frocks
• What is a Gansey? - Article from the BBC
• More on the History of the Gansey

Image of a Gusset from my "Two Week Raglan" made for my husband:

Crochet Chat (Book Review)

• Creating Crochet Fabric - Dora Ohrenstein  

Music Selections

• Tommy Dorsey - Hawaiian War Chant
• Emile Vacher - Sailor's Hornpipe
• George Siravo's Orchestra with Doris Day - Bluebird on Your Windowsill 1949  (Apologies for the snap crackle poppin in the background this was the best copy I could find)