Long story short, I followed a boy. Also, long story short, I followed a boy. We're just two little s*****s. Hello, and welcome to A Yarn Story. I'm Carmen. And I'm Kaylee. And this is our knitting-slash-line-slash -other-things podcast. We need to come up with a snappier intro, I feel like. Yeah, we really do. We're in Season 3, and we haven't done that yet. Yeah, no. If anyone has one for us, I'm all ears. A tagline. A tagline, yeah. A way to summarize what it is we do.
We're back this week on, well, hopefully on YouTube. Yes, hopefully. Unless I have anything to do with it. Yes. So, if you have been watching us for a while, we usually do a video and an audio episode. But what happened, Kaylee? Tell us. Tell us what happened. Well, so Carmen went away and left the responsibility to film with myself and Susan. But more myself than Susan. Susan was just a special guest. And we had a number of technical issues while filming. Yes, okay. That works. Thank you.
Thank you, child. That person was literally like 8 years old. But after 3 hours of attempts, I thought that we had recorded it all. And when I went to upload it on Sunday, I realized that half of the video didn't record. Or I deleted it. One of the two. But it wasn't on the card. And it took me ages to figure out how that happened. So, you got an audio only. We got an audio only episode. It's a good episode. I listened to it in the car the other day. There are lots of interesting things on it.
There are. It's worth listening to. And I thought maybe we could spin it as a bonus episode for the podcast listeners on the audio version. They get something special so that we can grow our audience there. So that's totally what we're doing. It wasn't planned at all. But you know, we can spin it. But it is a good episode. And Susan reviews the Chagoo Forte set for us. Which I had been on the fence about ordering for the shop because of the issues they had had in production line 1.
And it isn't a low ticket item. And I don't like stocking things that we aren't 100% sure about. Especially if we're going to ask a customer to pay high end for high end products. Yes. But I listened to her review and I was like, alright, I need them too. And we needed to get them in the shop. I thought that Susan wasn't going to be as excited about them. She was quite effusive. Yeah, she was great. So Chagoo Fortes, coming to a yarn story soon.
They sound like the perfect hybrid actually for what we were talking about with summer yarns. Yeah, definitely. And needing a wood or a bamboo for linens and silks and stuff. But you still get the point. That's the thing with the bamboo. Sometimes after a while they can really blunt out, can't they? So anyways, that's a little bit about last episode. We're back today with wine. That I knew Kaylee was going to pick. I said go down to the basement and pick the bottle.
I mean, I want you all to guess what I picked. Is it your favorite grape? You're my favorite grape. Five points to anyone who knows what that is before we announce it. So, the moment you've all been waiting for. This week we are drinking Convivial, which is a Gamay Pinot Noir. Dun, dun, dun! From the Willamette Valley. I did hear you say that on the last episode and I was like, Kaylee! And you were like, wait, wait, sorry, and I was like, fix that. Willamette. The Willamette Valley.
Which is our favorite. It is our favorite. I'm like super excited about it. I didn't even know it was from Oregon until I looked it up online and I was like... I think I'm going to have to book a wine tasting when I'm there this summer. Yes, I think so. I'm really jealous now that you're going to do that without me. I'm sorry. It's alright. You can go visit my mom if you want to. She actually doesn't live in the Willamette Valley anymore, so it would have to be part of... You have to drive.
It would have to be its own day. So this is from our sponsors, Wolf Wine. Yep. I picked the bottle actually mainly because it looked summery. It does look summery. And I'm trying to bring summer into existence. It's struggling here. It really is. I almost put on a dark, plummy red lipstick. I was like, it's too winter. But I thought it was going to go well with my outfit. Well, that was the thing actually.
I was having loads of issues picking my outfit because I was like, I want summer vibes, but it's not that summery out right now. And then everything else, I was like, this is really autumn. This is really fall. I like this outfit, but it feels too autumn. The weather here is not summery. No. We're hoping this weekend though. Are we? Yeah, Sunday in particular. Looking forward to that. I hope you're done painting by then. But let me tell you about the wine.
So it is, as I said, a 75 Gamay Noir and a 25% Pinot Noir blend. And it says it's meant to be just that. Bright and dynamic. This wine is best enjoyed with a merry conversation and happy company. That's like perfect for the podcast. It's like made for the podcast. Exactly. If you can hear Peaches on my mic, she has just come up. To say hello to you all. The little pet. So this is from the Vineyard's website. So it says, we utilize carbonic maceration to really bring out the fruit. That's fancy.
After around seven days of carbonic, we break up the fruit and allow the fermentation to proceed like the usual red wine fermentations. Open top with a manual punch, with manual punch downs and pump overs, whatever that means. Do we know what carbonic means? No. Okay. Go Google this. This is very technical. Because we have no idea.
After a few days more of fermentation, we press the grapes off and let the wine finish fermenting in the tank before going over to older French oak barrels for nine months before bottling. 200 cases produced. So small batch. This is small batch. This is rare. Smells nice. Smells really nice. Yeah. It smells actually really similar to a blackberry wine there. I bet it's going to be a bit bramble-y then. Well, there's loads of blackberries. The one I made. Which was nice. It was nice.
It was very good. I think Amanda has the last bottle of that in existence. It's fizzy. Is it? I guess that's what carbonic means. Oh, it is a bit. That's weird. I wasn't expecting that. Yeah, you can see it actually. You can definitely actually see the carbonation in it on the lip. It's not bubbly like a champagne. But more like... This would be really good cold. Did we mess this up? Well, it doesn't say to serve cold. Like on the website or on here. Interesting.
I'm tempted to put it in the fridge while we film. And then halfway we can give you another taste. I think we need to do that. Let me put it in the fridge and I'll be back. I'll be here for a moment. Because otherwise we've got more clips than we want to edit together. Peaches came over here to thank me because I was prepared today. And I brought a filming t-r-e -a-t. A.k.a. a treat. Ow. She helped me say that. Because I only brought one. But she finished that and she enjoyed it.
So we have some exciting things to show you today. Some new yarn in the shop. A new product from Hide and Hammer is going to come up later. We've got some tips and tricks for knitting when you're in a group of people. Because it's something we like to do. And sometimes it can be hard. And we can mess it up a little bit. Yeah, so that's what's coming up later. But before we get to that, we're going to chill the wine. We're going to drink the warm wine in front of us. It's actually good warm.
I just want to drink it. So that's the thing. If you get a bottle and you're like, oh, do I drink it warm or cold? You can do the Carmen and Kaylee method. Have one glass warm. And put it in the fridge. And by the time you want your second one, it'll be chilled enough. Oh, we should have instructions. The boys are probably going to be like, you guys are idiots. We're not going to talk to you anymore. We don't know what you're doing. We can ask them after. We can. We will.
We will get information for you. Yes, we will. We'll put them in the show notes. It's really interesting. It's light, but definitely Pinot Noir-y. It's very, like, hedgerow fruits forward. So, like, you can definitely taste, like, blackberries. Yeah. I mean, Oregon is full of blackberries. Also, Marionberries is a fruit-only. I've never heard that. Marionberries are amazing. They're like these giant blackberry-raspberry sort of hybrid-y things. They're quite tart. And they're amazing.
I will bring back, like, a Marionberry jam. Oh, yes, please. Juice or something is just too hard. But, like, Marionberry jam is really nice. Yeah, yeah, that's good. That's good and packable. Yeah, because I am going to Oregon later this summer. I guess it's technically sort of summer. Almost. Summer solstice we have to wait for, right? Yeah. Anyway, so, what are we talking about today? What have you been up to? What have I been up to? I've basically only seen you for filming recently.
I thought about that today, and I was like, that's not cool. I guess it makes for good content. This is authentic catch-up right here. What have you been doing? I have been doing a lot of gym. I thought you said gin. I have been hitting the gin hard. I mean, I can't, like, live without you, Carmen. I just have to hit the bottle. Gym. Muscle building. Muscle building gym, rather than some random guy named Jim. I haven't been hitting him. Ooh, Sam, are you mad? No, the gym.
I am, yeah, trying to, I feel like, since I've moved to the house, I haven't had a good routine. And so I joined a gym at the end of, actually, beginning of April. And I really like it. It's a kind of class-only gym, but they do a mix of, like, traditional classes. And then they do group strength training. And so it's, like, doing all of the big lifts and, like, those kind of proper strength training kind of things.
But if then I'm, like, on a recovery day, I can do, like, something relatively easy. Like a circuit or a HIIT class or something like that. So keep my body moving. But then I have two classes a week where I'm doing proper strength training. Nice. And then I've started running again. Awesome. Yeah, and because I found a running route, finally, near me. Are you training for anything? No, well, my wedding to lose weight. No, I'm joking. I'm just trying to be fit and healthy, really.
I was running a lot when I lived down here. Yeah, and you had been training for, like, a 5K and a 5K. Yeah, exactly. So, I mean, I've done 10Ks, but I've gotten to the point with 10Ks where I'm, like, if I want to just go run a 10K, I can just go and run a 10K. I don't need to pay £25 to do it. So... So easy to go run a 10K. So maybe I'll pay to, like, do a half marathon or something. And then it's, like, a little bit more of a challenge. No, that would be a challenge for me.
I don't really like running long distances. Like, 10K is really nice for me. Pretty long distance, actually. Yeah, no, it is. In track and field, a 10K is the longest distance that they compete at. So... No, I know. It's always funny when people ask about my dad and, like, oh, what did he run? I'm like, oh, he was a long distance runner. And they're like, oh, yeah, but what event? I'm like, 5K, 10K.
And then when I'm thinking about, like, going out for a 5K, I'm like, oh, yeah, that's not long distance. I don't know why. I think it is, though, because of growing up with my dad, is that for training... Oh, he would run way longer. Two-hour runs and stuff. He was an Olympian, right? Yeah, he was in 88 and 92 for Ireland. What was his 10K time? Do you remember? His 10K time, I don't know for sure. But I know his... I think his 5K was 13.22. That is fast, people. Yeah, 13.22-ish.
Yeah, something like that. It's on Wikipedia. My dad's on Wikipedia, so go and Google him. Go and Google Kayleigh's dad. John Doherty. So you can find his 10K time on there, which is really bad that I don't know it. But I think it is, like, what is it then? It's probably, like, around 26 or something. Yeah. 27, yeah. Yeah, I mean, that's a well impressive time. I used to be friends with lots of distance runners. They would have absolutely cared for that sort of a time.
And I think this is the thing, is that when I do a 10K, like, my 10K PB is, like, 52 minutes. That's still really good. But I'm like, 52 minutes is so slow. That's very good, people who don't know about running. That happens to be very good. I'm like, it's so slow, so slow. And Sam's like, but, like, why do you think that's slow? And I'm like, because the fast time is 26 minutes. Like, that's what means you're good. For an Olympian whose only job is to train as a runner.
Yeah. Not, like, someone who's doing 1,200 other things and who just runs on the side. Yeah. So maybe, like... Set the bar a bit lower. Just, you know, expectation setting. I know, that's the thing. My dad never, too, he never, like, pushed any of us to, like, he was happy for us to do running and stuff like that. But he never pushed any of us to, like, be amazed. Yeah, like, and so I'm sure he would be like, oh no, that is a good time to me. And I'd be like, shut up. No, it's not.
We're so hard on ourselves. I theoretically started a running career again. Oh, yeah. But I've been on two runs in three weeks. Oh, there you go. Well, there's still something. With my Couch to 5K app, by the way. So I am definitely not running an easy 10. That's all right. I couldn't run a 10K for, like, ages. So it took me a long time. Peaches are standing in the way. Peaches are in the window getting admired.
Well, yeah, I don't know if I'm going to stick to running completely, but I do find it a good thing to do if I'm traveling, because, like, you just pack up running shoes and, like, you can do that with a nice gym in the hotel or this, that, and the other. Not that I did that while I was in Canada. I did pack my things. But I came down with, like, a sinus thing again. Oh, no. I mean, you catch so many things on the planes, though, too.
Yeah, I had a little bit of a cold going out and then I was in and out of A.C. which just really messes up my sinuses. Yeah, I mean, shows, too, take a lot out of you. So, and, like, the jet lag and everything. It's a lot of your immune system. Yeah. Well, we're all, we're mostly good now. I got myself a neti pot. A neti pot? I don't even know what that is. Oh, so tell me about it. It's this funny little pot. I got a ceramic one because they're easier to clean and you have to be really careful.
But it's like a teapot. OK. I was going to say, is this like a moon cup? No, no, no. And you put salt water in it and then you basically pour it up your nose. Oh, OK. And then it, like, the water goes all through your sinuses and out the other nostril. And it's supposed to help, like, keep the sinuses clear. Because I don't know what to do at this point. I, yeah. I'm not going to go a whole thing about my sinuses, but I now basically, like, drown myself before bed every night. Perfect.
I haven't decided if it's working. I've only been using it a few days. I will report back. Alrighty. Well, we'll see if Carmen makes it to episode five of the season. Or whatever episode we're on. Because I'm drowning myself with salt water. It basically feels like, you know, if you, like, jump into the ocean or you catch a wave and it's just, like, all the water. It's horrible. You do it on purpose. I did not want to do that. I will try anything at this point.
I basically haven't had completely clear sinuses since January. Yeah. I feel like even before that, I feel like it's been a saga. It definitely kicked off when we were at Rheinbeck. But I was completely healthy in December. And then I went to Puerto Rico and it kicked off. So you're traveling. Yeah. The planes. Come back. And AC. Yeah. That was very air conditioned. Yeah. Yeah. Anywho. No one cares. Let's talk about something else. Well, what have you been up to besides? Besides my sinuses?
Yeah. So I was in Canada. In Toronto for Knit City. We were exhibiting with Walcott Yarns and with the boys from Les Garçons. It was at a Marriott hotel right on the water in Toronto. I've never been to Toronto either. So I didn't know much about it. I knew it was a big city, but I didn't realize how, like, it's high-rises. Yeah. All high-rises. And the city center. I feel like a classic skyline kind of. Yeah. It's right on Lake Ontario, I believe. So it was the first time I'd seen a Great Lake.
Really? Yeah. That's really surprising. I've not really spent any time around that area. Really? Yeah. Wow. So I saw a Great Lake. Check. Cool. You've never been to Chicago then? I've only flown through the airport. Oh, wow. I would have thought there must have been like H&H's in Chicago, isn't it? The last couple, the America one, but I've not made it to that one yet. So it was at the Marriott hotel, which was quite...
The nice thing about a hotel event is that you can stay in the hotel and then the venue is like in the convention hall, the meeting rooms. So everything's like there and it's much easier to be. You know, Rhinebeck was... We had an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere. So everything was like a drive and figuring out where you were going. So that just adds to the chaos of a show. So this is really nice. I was just like walked across a little corridor over the street and then went up to my hotel room.
Went to sleep. It's great. It makes it easier to like if you want to go out and like see the city and like go to some bars or have a drink with your meal or whatever. And you don't have to worry about driving in the middle of nowhere. I mean, Toronto was like crazy traffic. Really crazy. We did have some really good meals. We went to a brewery the first night I was there with the boys. That was really nice. Oh, yeah. What was this? Oh, no, that was in Montreal. That was in Montreal.
And yeah, it was great to hang out with the boys. I also saw a ton of knitting friends there. So I have this group of knitting friends who I met through our friend Alison because she's from Toronto right before she moved to the UK. And we've been doing an online stitch and bitch for years, like pre-pandemic. Oh, yeah. And I had met them all in person in 2019 at BKL. But I hadn't seen them all together since then. Nice. So that must have been really nice to catch up. Yeah, it was really amazing.
Because I was working the show, I didn't really get to see them as much as I would have liked. But I did manage one meal with them. Oh, good. They all came and supported me on the booth and bought some yarn. So we're going to see some fluff sweaters and some origin sweaters from that crew. That'll be cool. Oh, awesome. Saw Julie Aslan. Oh, really? Yeah, that was cool. Met some great people. It was very well organized. Very, like, chilled. How long has it been going on now?
You know, I don't know. And they move it. Oh, they do? Because they basically do a few of them across Canada. This year they're doing Toronto and Calgary. And then I think next year they're doing Montreal and Vancouver, possibly. Okay, cool. I know they're doing Montreal next year. Yeah, yeah. That's in May next year. Oh, really nice. Yeah, so it was a really, really good event. Very well organized, like, very chilled as far as, like, the vibe at the show. Okay. It wasn't manic.
It wasn't chaotic. There was excitement, but not... People weren't beating each other over skeins? No, there were no... There were no fights, which I've definitely witnessed at events before. And, yeah. So that was really nice. And, you know... Like, Canadian customers are different. Are they all nice? They're all really nice. Not that British customers are nice.
No, but I think it's one of those things that you, like... I think from, like, a marketing business perspective, like, you're like, oh, it's all knitters, right? So, no. Knitters are different. Customers are different. Buying patterns, buying habits are different in different places. And so I love being able to walk away and, like, feel like I've learned something as well. So, yeah, it was a great time.
And then I drove back to Montreal with Max and Vincent and got to hang out there for a few days. It was, like, 30 degrees, by the way. Oh, wow. Yeah. I very luckily had, like, thrown a pair of shorts in my bag right before I left. Yeah, it was so hot. Especially for Canada at this time of year. Well, apparently, Montreal goes, like, winter-summer. Oh, really? It's no two weeks ago, and now it's 30 degrees. That's kind of how it was in New England, I guess, growing up. So I got to see their shop.
Yay! I know, it looks, like, very sexy. So nice. I did an Instagram Live on our Instagram if you want to go see that. It's all, like, fresh and shiny and tidy and new. Yeah, it looks like an absolutely curated showroom. Yeah. It's gorgeous. I remember the days of this shop being sort of that empty, quote-unquote, where you still had space to, like, stage it and merchandise it and stuff. But as you grow and you add more things, and your space is limited, I was jealous of their space.
North American space, man. I know, right? So, yeah, the magpie shop is pretty big. Yeah, I really want to go see that. Yeah, I've only been once. I really want to go again. That's in Frederick's? Yeah, Frederick. Frederick, Maryland. So it's, like, I always like to say it's, like, close to D.C., like, whatever. But then I remember, like, in American terms, it's close to D.C. But it's still, like, an hour outside or maybe even an hour and a half outside of the city.
So it would be, like, driving from London to Bath to go to Yarn Shopping. Yeah, exactly, which people do. Yeah, they do. I'm just saying it is that thing of, like, North American distance versus... Yeah, exactly. You're like, oh, it's a day trip. Well, I remember when I remember when we used to drive to L.A. for, like, dinner. Yeah, wow. From Orange County. And they'd be, like, easily an hour and a half each direction with traffic, like, if not longer.
Yeah, I mean, we used to go up to Annapolis for dinner from St. Mary's County because, like, they're, like, especially, I mean, it's better now in St. Mary's County because there's more people who live there. But, like, before it was, like, there was, like, barely any restaurants there. And so you would, like, if you wanted to, like, go to a nice restaurant or, like, something a bit, like, highbrow or whatever, making St. Mary's County sound like the boonies. It is the boonies, though.
That's the thing. It is, like, and I love it. You have to always sit, like, on the tip of something. Yeah, exactly. Like, you go down there and then you hit the water and that's it. And you just keep driving and it's at the end. So that's why. But, yeah, we used to drive, like, and Annapolis, I think, was about an hour and a half from St. Mary's. So, yeah. Same with D.C. Yeah. The drive between Toronto and Montreal was just, like, one of those straight highway. Oh, nice. Kansas kind of style.
Yeah. I was like, oh, so nice. And then it's like, this is so boring. I know. Because he was doing all the driving. Yeah. But when you're, like, used to, like, British country lanes and you're just like, what the hell? This is why it's taking me a million years to go 30 miles. Yes. Yes, absolutely. Oh, and we got maple syrup from Susan's brother. Oh, nice. Wow. That's cool. Yes. So we made a little pit stop at a gas station. Oh, my God. That's funny.
And it was, like, 8 o'clock at night where he met us with seven litres of maple syrup. That is hilarious. Because he has a farm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is what he does. He also has sheep, which we talked about very briefly. Oh, OK. But I had forgotten. Well, so we had dinner at Max and Vincent's, like, the next night. And after dinner, Vincent, like, brings us all a shot of maple syrup. And I was like, is this what you Canadians do? He's like, no, I just thought we should try it.
And I had forgotten how good real maple syrup is. I know. Like, just the whole thing, like, the viscosity of it. Yeah. Sort of burnt. Yeah. Ambery flavour. Like, it has actual flavour. Like, the crap you get in the supermarket here is not maple syrup. I don't care that it says from Vermont. From Vermont, from Canada, grade A, organic. That stuff is crap. It's just not, yeah. It's not the real stuff. I know. I mean, even a lot of it in the state.
Like, when I was living in Arizona, it was a shame. It's just not. The further south you get, like, the less actual maple syrupy it is. So if you get a chance to get some real Canadian maple syrup, like, make room in your suitcase to bring it back. It's so expensive here, too. So, like, much better off getting it. So I had a whole suitcase full of maple syrup. I didn't really buy any yarn, but I did buy maple syrup. I know. I was going to ask, did you get any yarn?
But I see where you spent, where your priorities were. Yes. Well, I mean, I have so many whips. Yeah. I did purchase a couple things as gifts that I can't talk about. Fair enough. Because the recipients have not received said gifts yet. And, yeah. So no yarn for me. OK. But I'll talk about food for one more minute. OK. Because I had, like, one of the best meals of my life. Oh, was it? Is that the place that Vincent said I would like? Yes. I think it's called Hogan and Beaufort.
Oh. I might be getting that wrong. It's in Montreal. I had been there a couple years ago. OK. And it was also amazing. But this time it's one of those restaurants where they change the menu regularly. It's all about, like, seasonal, local, et cetera. They will cater to any of your dietary requirements. Yeah. But not just be like, oh, we'll give you the lame. A bowl of fruit. Yeah, a bowl of fruit as your dessert. Yeah. Because you can't eat dairy.
No, we're going to, like, make you the dish with alternatives. Oh, OK. Yeah. And they do it really beautifully. They clearly really care about what they're putting on the table. So we did the tasting menu with like a paired flight of wines. Oh, wow. Oh, my God. I want to go to this place. The wine was... When am I going to Montreal? I don't know, Kayleigh. When are you going to Montreal? The wine was phenomenal. It was one of those things where like the wine was excellent on its own.
The food was excellent on its own. And then the pairing made both of them better. They just really knew what they were doing. So I can highly recommend this place. I will look up the actual name of it. And I actually thought about calling them and be like, what wine did you serve me? Because I took pictures of the food, but like not the wine. Yeah, you should. Because there was a champagne that was phenomenal, a Pinot Noir that was amazing. A Riesling from Germany that was great.
Oh, I wonder if you can get the Riesling then. Yeah, I forget the fourth wine that we had. And then there was a dessert wine. It was quite nice. Nice. Yeah. So anyways, that's my story of Canada. I want to go. Yeah, I mean, you should. Yeah. Maybe I'll do it next year when I'm in the States. Maybe. It's not that far from now being D .C. Because Amanda from Prado de Lana came up. Oh, did she? Oh, that's awesome.
But it turns out like that was a much further drive than when the boys drove from Montreal down. Oh, really? For Rhinebeck. Why is that? Oh, because it's Toronto. No, never mind. Sorry. Yeah. I was confused. Yeah. Which I hadn't really realized. My geography of that. Yeah. Montreal is. Yeah. Yeah. So. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely go. Cool. Yeah. Sounds fun. All right. Well, we'll see you soon then, Max and Vincent. We've brought the wine out of the fridge.
We probably didn't leave it in for long enough, but come on, we're desperate. We need something to drink during the episode. So. Yeah. It's just chilled. So did you do any knitting while you were. But it's better, like, a little bit chilled. Yeah. I cast on my Bella blocking. Oh, nice. Yeah. You were talking about it in the stories, I think, right? A little bit. Yeah. Yeah. And I know Susan mentioned it in the last episode. And yes, I did cast it on four times.
I did not, however, have the ability to cast on. So I watched a video of Judy's magic cast on before I got on the flight. And then you were like, you gotta do it. I hadn't done it in a while. And then I was like, OK, I can do this. And then I was like, I have to do it again right now. But basically the fourth time, like, I was really happy with the stitches. Oh, good. And I got. Because if you don't end it the right way, then you can't, like, lock it in. Oh, OK. Really? I think it was time two.
I didn't have it. I've never. I've never done a Judy's magic cast on. I've always done a Turkish cast on instead. Oh, I don't know. And I don't know if it's the same thing because I've never done the Judy's one. But it sounds very similar is the thing. And so the Turkish one is the one that Andrea Mowery uses in a lot of her sock patterns. OK. I think she suggests Judy's magic cast on though sometimes.
But because I know the Turkish one and I know it gives a similar, like, invisible, like, toe bit. Yeah. I'm like, OK, I'll just do that one because I know it. Yeah. Well, I've done it for a sock or two, but I'd never done a right sweater. And I was like, how is this working? I don't know what's happening. A crazy amount of stitches. Well, yeah, it was a lot of stitches. And also, you only start going one direction and then you just, like, leave your other stitches.
And I'm like, how is this going to become shoulders and a neck? I don't know yet. I'll figure it out. I'll find out. Trust the process. It'll be fine. So I worked on that on the flight out. And then I worked on actually my my camisole number four. Oh, nice. Because I'm just on, like, the broken ribbing and that was easiest in company because I had to Yeah. There was, like, lots going on on the bellow blocking. Yeah. Cool. Yeah. Nice. I did some knitting. Good. Good. Yes. And you?
So I have finished a whip. OK. So I have an FO. I've also finished a whip. But I'm I have been knitting my So I finished the pressed flowers, which I talked about last time. I'll show it here now so that you can all see it rather than just hear about it. I think you were wearing it. I was wearing it. But after finishing that, I wanted something like that was going to be a quick knit and also something I could use this new yarn with.
Because if you buy it and you knit it right away, it's not stash. It's true. That is how it works. So I finished the Galad. I think it's pronounced, but I'm probably butchering it and Welsh people can be mad at me. But by Garth Nor, it's their new yarn that they've fully kind of spun and done all the things to. Yes. They're produced fully in their own milk. And made of 100% British wool. I don't think this one has any Falkland wool in it. So this was this is Black House.
So each of the different colors, the colorways will have a different yarn combination, which gives it its color as well as its complexity and stuff like that. And what I liked about this one was it's a really dark brown mixed with a gray. And I don't have anything like this. It's very pretty. And I wanted to use a marled yarn. How many skeins are you using for this? I'm trying to use six. Oh, okay. See, I only ordered three of this yarn and I'm like, why didn't I order so many?
Well, I think they still have some online. I might have to get some more. Yeah. So I'm going to So this is Black House and it's 83% Hebridean, 8% Romney, and 8% Llen. Llen? Llen? No, Clen. Clen. Clen? Yeah. Well, it's my best Welsh. Okay. Okay. Because like Llewellyn is Llewellyn, but maybe that's the English. And that's a double L, so. Yeah. But Clen. Okay. And when Sally sent it, she had a map that indicated exactly where all the fibers were. It was so great. I got that too.
I was like, oh, that's such a cute little Such a great thing to include in that. But yeah, so I've really loved using it. It's going to be absolutely beautiful thing to wear. It's a worsted weight. So what pattern are you doing? I'm doing, this is Goldwyn Folly by Thea Coleman. And it is like a cropped vest. And it's got this really nice shoulder detail and a nice kind of rib, neck, crew neck. It's kind of a little bit lower than a crew, to be honest.
Okay. But it should sit just off the shoulder. It's like just a little capsule. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And you said, actually, does it not have any cables in it? And I said, no, it doesn't. It doesn't have any cables, but actually it does. Because where you do, I've really loved this detail, actually. So where you do the move from the rib to the stocking, you do a little cable. Yeah. There's a little baby cable. There's a little baby cable.
And it brings, it creates this really lovely detail where it then can like transfer into the stocking stitch almost like seamlessly. It's like it parts the waves to go down. So I thought that was such a great, lovely little touch and detail. For sure. And it's been a really great pattern. So I'm at the part where I'm going to split for the arm holes and the front. That is going to be quite a craft.
Yeah. I mean, so it's going to be actually, because I measured my test slated, and that goes, I mean, when I'm wearing high-waisted trousers, it hits where I want it to on the top of the trouser. And I think because I don't have huge boobs, it doesn't like pull up, you know. So I think it should be what I want it to be, but I didn't get gauge quite on it. So it's, she uses Shelter, and that is 20 stitches over four inches or 10 centimeters. So five stitches to the inch.
And I swatched because I was like, that's what a good girl does. Yes, it is. And I blocked it, and I waited for it to dry. Amazing. And yeah, so then I got 18 stitches. So four and a half to the inch. And I don't know, I don't know why or what. I could have gotten maybe up a needle size. So this is on a four and a half. So that's why I think. I think I usually get 20, on a worsted weight, I usually get 20 stitches to the inch on a five millimeter.
So I think I could have gone up, but I actually really liked the fabric. That's what matters. Yeah, so I decided to do a size two rather than a three. And with 188 stitches around the bust, at four and a half stitches to the inch, I should get a 41-ish, which will be fine for me. Look at math. Math is your friend. Math is totally your friend. We'll dive into sweater math. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And more detail at some point. I'll be prepared. Maybe a whiteboard or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Oh man, Sam would love that. He'd watch that episode. But yeah, so that's what I'm doing currently, just as like a little bit of a palate cleanser. And then I think I'm going to start my SAR vest, which I think the cow is technically over tomorrow. Yeah, it is. I haven't cast mine on yet. Okay, there you go. Sorry, Alex. We're playing by our own rules. But yeah, so I think once that, I'll be ready to go back to color work.
But I also finished, I feel like I've had really bad knitting mojo, so I've been trying to get some whips done, which makes you feel a little bit better. Yeah, it's a good way to sort of get through some stuff if you feel like you're moving on. I feel like I should show off my camisole number four, which does seem to just go on forever. It's knitting for olive pure silk, which is just beautiful to work on.
It doesn't look like much because there's no, I think what I might actually do is put the straps on. Like now? Yeah, before I finish the body. Did you already make the straps? No, because you pick them up. Okay. Yeah, so it's a camisole. Oh yeah, and then you can try it on. Well, that's what I'm thinking. And I know it's going to grow quite a bit, so I feel like I'm going to need to do that. So it's a camisole, and you do an I-cord strap on it. It's really pretty, though.
So there's live stitches on the front and the back. I like that stitch pattern. It's a broken rib. Yeah, I mean, super simple. And I have made progress, it's just kind of slow going because my row gauge is quite short. Yeah, but that's always fair. So yeah, that's what I'm doing. Cool. So what did you finish, then? I finished, we finished the same thing. Yay! That's another shift! Yay! There could not be more Carmen and Kayla. I know, right? So let's hold them up.
Your gauge is quite a bit bigger than mine. I know, what the hell happened there? I don't know. I don't know why it was so loose on this one. So mine is done in three skeins of next level. And mine is done in like 19 skeins of every color. And it turned out beautifully. No, so this is my like Frankenstein, this is what New was calling it, my Frankenstein cowl, which is all my little end bits from my Spin Cycle projects mixed in together. Perfect way to use them.
Yeah, so that's why it like looks slightly, that's the thing though, like this is a good example of how you have to trust the Spin Cycle and it can work. And like definitely I did manage it because it wasn't managed by Spin Cycle themselves, right? Yes. So it required some Kaylee management. But I actually am so happy with like, It's so pretty. It's a very you. Yeah. And Sam actually loves it and he wants it for himself, but I like don't want to give it to him.
And so I was like, we can share it. And then he's like, no, I don't share. He's like, either it's mine or it's not. He's like, I need to know where I stand with it. He missed that day in school. I also knit you a really nice letter that you gifted to your mom. Your mom, yeah. So you have to wait now. He's got issues, but we love him, you know. So I think the skeins I used in it were, so I think a lot of the red is Stay Out of the Forest. And no, it's not Stay Out of the Forest.
It's Rusted Rainbow, actually. Okay. So Rusted Rainbow, Salty Dog. I used bits of Rosy Maple. This purple, this bit basically all the way down is Shades of Earth. Shades of Earth. And then Every Rose is in there. It's very pretty. And Bright Idea. Nice. And this green. What is that? I think I used some leaf in there maybe. Is that leaf? Looks like. No, I think that is Shades of Earth. Yeah. And then that's Bright Idea there. Anyway, so it's lots of, yeah. I just used Next Level.
This is the first time I really had to do color management as well because while the skeins were really different, I ended up with a couple of spots where it was like the same coral and the same coral. Yeah, yeah. And there is a bit up here that's like very sort of. I really like that. Turn on tone. But I do think it works, especially from a distance. Like I like it as a piece together.
Yeah. Your one is actually, it's really interesting because that one is much more similar to my gauge than my first one. And then I don't know what happened with this one. Maybe it was just like loosey-goosey. Like let's relax, you know? So yeah, we have more shifts to wear, which is great. But I do like it actually. I like it this big. It's very nice. Yeah. I mean, I will definitely make another one at some point.
I still want to do an Inclinations in Bad Egg and Next Level, but we have the Bad Egg that we got. Oh, no, wait. There's a skein there. I can't cast out of the project. Oh, yeah, that is a good one. Oh, that's a really good one. No, we're not looking at it. I like that with the salmon one. No, we're not looking at it. It's not there, Kaylee. It's for other people, not for us. I know. Well, that's what I said. You probably heard this on the podcast, heard it, was with the raw wool.
Like that is such a me yarn. And I'm like, I can't take it away from the customers because I know I'm not going to knit it for ages. And it is so precious. I'm like, I can't possibly justify taking it away from you all and then it just sitting in my house for like a year because I can get it. I can get it from Anton in a year. The raw wool is quite precious because we don't have a lot of it. And we aren't able to reorder it in the same way we can other yarns. But it's lovely. It is beautiful.
We should maybe talk about a couple of new things we have in the shop. Yeah, definitely. Oh, should I show this real quick? Sorry, just really quick. Since you all didn't get to see it because of my own mishap. So this is my pressed flowers cardigan, finally finished. Yay! Yay! I'll hold it up a bit closer so you can see the detail there. And my lovely buttons. My lovely buttons. I only did five buttons because that's all we had. They work perfect. Yeah, yeah. The blue on that is just amazing.
And they're like the same size of the flowers, which we liked. It looks very good. So yeah, and also there was a huge difference between when I casted it off and when I blocked it. Amazing. And so actually I need to send, well, either I need to send stuff or I just need to make a reel myself to Max, maybe, to include that as a thing for you guys. Because it was something that we talked about a lot in the CAL, especially with the Izakir. This is the Izakir tweed, and it really does bloom.
Like mine, I felt like my gauge was almost like you could see through it, but now like it's a perfect fabric. And it's nice and soft, isn't it? Yeah. Okay. So I'm very excited about this. I'm more sad that I can't just, like, wear it because, I mean, it is pretty regulating, like, wear it if I have, like, the window open and there's a breeze coming through during the day, but I don't want to be, like, moving around with it. Like actually I was doing some yard work the other day with it on.
Okay, it's not summer, but it's, like, not. My, like, 240-pound sweater or something. Let's just, like, get some dirt all over it. Things are meant to be worn, you know? Things are meant to be worn. I don't even know if it was that expensive. It was a lot of it. It was a lot of spin cycle. I had to come in and do a little fitting thing for my dress with Amanda the other day and have my, like, bowl gown on in the shop.
And then I was like, I'm not going to wear this much, which is really sad because it's really pretty. Like, maybe I should wear it to the shop. Like, we should wear our clothes, right? Yeah. I actually really admire people who do that. Like, I really wish, like, I really wish I was more, like, cared less about what people think when it comes to things like that.
For me, it's a whole lot more about comfort than, like, that fancy thing requires, like, a special undergarment or, like, shoes I don't want to walk around in. Yeah. I just wish I could just, like, be a full goth some days. I mean, you can. I know, but I feel like it's not, like, my brand anymore. Your brand can be whatever you want it to be. Yeah, I know, I know. Right, so we have some new yarn in the shop. Yep. Which we love. Which we love, and we put it in this hidden camera.
Because we only buy things that we love. It's true. And this is a yarn that we have stocked for quite a while, but we haven't had a restock of it in quite a while. Yeah. So it's really nice to have it back on the shelves. Definitely. It's from our friends at Magpie Fibers. There's a little pretty basket of it. So we have the Magpie Fibers Swanky Sock and Swanky DK. Oh, we got it in DK as well. Yes. Oh, awesome. We've got both. I love this. I know.
So I put sort of the lighter shades into, like, newer ones. So that's new. Mm-hmm. What's that one called? So this one is called Say Chic. Ooh. They've got great color names. So this is that lovely kind of lavender -y pink. It's more pink than lavender, to be honest. But it's on the blue side of pink. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely. And then this is Into the Mystic. Ooh, lovely. Which is also sort of lavender. But this— Such a good song by Van Morrison, too. Well, she names pretty much— Yeah.
Well, I think the original Colorways were all song names. Oh, okay. I thought you were going to say they were all Van Morrison. I was like, how did I not get that? He's, like, my favorite artist. But we have branched out to things, like— Mm-hmm. So Spicy Beaver is available, people. We were wrong last time. Spicy Beaver, back in stock. See, you can never get rid of the Spicy Beaver. You really can't. It's the best beaver. It is the best beaver. Okay, back to Into the Mystic here.
So this is one of those— Very slightly variegated. Yeah, it's more tonal, so it's kind of like— Depending on the light catching it, it's like a little bit pink, a little bit blue, a little bit lavender. Yeah. Very cool color. It's cool. I love this sort of thing with Tactical, which is, like— Oh, that is a really good pairing. You're really good at those pairings. Thanks. That's why I get paid the big bucks. Yep. Bell Bottom Blues, which is a lovely blue with Sechic, I think would be great.
Those are actually—that color, do you think that's named after those bell bottoms that— What's-her -name was wearing? I mean, could be. I think they've had this color for a while. Oh, okay. Yes. But it looks like those bell bottoms. Yes. And those are amazing bell bottoms. They were freaking amazing. Yeah. She's just got such great style. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We also have things like London Rain, which is a little bit speckled. Yeah, London Rain's always popular.
That's like a gray with some blue speckles on it. I really like this. They've done some brighter stuff. Pass the Dutchie? Doochie? Yeah, I think it's Doochie. Pass the Doochie on the left hand side. There we go. A really nice green. But it's spelled like Dutchie. And you got Kaylee singing a little bit. Yeah, sorry. No, it's great. And this one's called Ice Ice. Ice Ice Baby. It's a light blue. So, yes, this is a merino, cashmere, and nylon blend. It is soft. It's smooth. It's super drapey.
It's very luxurious. Super luxurious. The sock I'd love for a shawl. I'd love for actual socks. I love this. Alex has a really good pattern in it. Oh, this is the Jupiter Rising. I love this one. It's a very lovely dark green. This is actually one that Alex, I think, used in one of her, I think, the sock pattern? Or no, we have it as a kit. We have it as a kit. Yeah, yeah. I think that color. I need to re-do the kits for that, actually, because we've got different colors in them. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, so. Yay. Get your hands on the Swanky Volatier. Thanks, Magpies. The yarn's amazing, as usual. Oops, sorry. I just totally hit my mic, and that's been annoying. It's so cute, though. I love this yarn. All right, and then the other thing that we have in that will be available once this is aired, but as of filming, it's not quite available yet. Yes, it isn't. This is from Hide and Hammer, and it is the new... Where did I put... Oh, there it is. Oh, there it is.
It is the new Super-Sized 03, or 03 Extra-Large. I don't really know what she's calling it, but it is the classic... 03 XXL, like Magic Mike XXL. Which is sadly the worst Magic Mike. Was it? Yeah. I never saw it, so... It was the worst one. My friend Matt, he was like, let's go see it together, and I was like, yes, I'm very... No, it wasn't Matt, actually. It was Nona. Nona wanted to go see it. But, you know, Matt, Nona, you know, same person. Same person.
I'm sure they'll both be thrilled to hear that. They would. They'd vibe off each other. Right. But, anyway, so we're going to call it the Magic Mike Bag. The Magic Mike Bag is now what we call this. So the classic 03 got bigger, because it was always being asked for a bigger bag. This bag already, like, I can fit so much in it. Yes. I can also fit so much in my 03. So for comparison, I brought... We have an 03 here. Folded up one. So that is the size difference.
The 03 is sort of like, I'd say 75% the size. It's probably 25% bigger. This is the size of my head. It's really big. But, like, honestly, it's deceptive, because, like, they look smaller folded up, obviously. They do. Both Kaylee and I have the 08 with us. Which is the smaller one. Yes. And, like, these are... I use these. I mean, I don't use... I use these sometimes for sweater projects. I usually typically use them more for vest projects. Or socks. But I really like how compact these are.
And, like, you get so much in here. It loads in this. Loads in the 03. And then new is coming along. And then the Magic Mike XXL. This is one sort of folded up, which I just threw some yarn in. It's so big. This is less of a... See, I would say this is, like, less of a travel bag. Yeah. I feel like this is, like, a carry -on. It's so big. I mean, if you're doing a blanket project... Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you're going to do this, like, at home...
Or if you really want to keep... I guess if you want to keep, like, all of your yarn in a project, which I have done. Yes. Which is what I use my 03 and my 04. The 04 is bigger, isn't it? Yes, the 04. That's, like, the more, like, one I use for packing, though. Yeah, that's the one I use for packing. I shouldn't do that one. Oh, does she not? Oh, no. So, this... This is also the new Heavy Heavy Canvas. Yeah, I was going to say, it feels... Yeah, it's very substantial.
Yeah. So this can fold down into, like, a bucket. Yeah. So, just because I just threw some yarn in here. This is Brooklyn Teed Quarry, which is their super bulky yarn. And I have eight skeins of yarn. I didn't smush them. Yeah. They're just, like, sitting in there. And then you can fit the actual freaking project. And then you can put, like, your notions pouch, your pattern... Does it have interior pockets? It has interior pockets, which I don't know if you're going to be able to see them.
Yeah, because of the dark color. Yeah. But on this side, it's a full-sized interior pocket. You can't see that. We could turn it inside out. No. Oh, there's another skein of yarn. It's, like, a hidden skein of yarn. It's, like, a black hole of yarn. And then the other side has four small pockets and then, like, a half-sized pocket, which you might be able to see the stitching of on the outer. So, I've gone for the tan handles, which is my favorite. I love that, yeah.
The Midnight with Tan Handles. We have our AYS logo on them. Oh, this is such a good color, too. Yeah, it really is. Is it the same... I mean, maybe that's a question for you. Is it the same... I know it's a heavier canvas, but is it the same blue? It's very similar. It's very similar. It is a different manufacturer. Ah, okay. So, it is not going to be exact, right? The exact exact, but it's very close. Very, very close, yeah. It's such a, like, really beautiful color. It's very much...
That's a Kaylee color right there. Yeah, it's a Carmen color, too. We agree on our blues. We do. We know a good blue. We do know a good blue. So, these are available, and they are amazing. And we were going to show off the other two new bags that we got in, but they sold out already. Yeah. We don't have any more. I know. I was actually thinking about getting them, and then, like, they were gone. They were gone. I was, like, at work, and they were gone.
We've reordered them, so they will be available again, and we'll talk about them on an episode when we have them available. So... Yay! Yay! Should we do lessons in knitting, then? Yes. All right. Lessons in knitting. How to knit when you're in a group and keep track of what you're doing. Yes. How do we do that? So... Well... Multiple strategies I take, I think. Yes. I think the key is to be organized, one, and, like, take a project that does not require rules of brain power.
Yep. So, for instance, this isn't even a group setting, but after filming this, we'll probably go across the road tomorrow morning. Possibly, and ask them whether we should be doing this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cold or warm. And I know in that setting, it's going to be in a bar, it's a Friday night, as you can tell from our lips. If you don't know, Fridays is for wearing red lipstick. Yep. You have to do it. Yeah. And so I was thinking before I left the house, okay, what project do I bring?
And I was thinking, okay, well, I've got my Goldwyn Folly, and, like, that's pretty straightforward, but I'm at the part where I'm going to be splitting for the sleeves. Yep. And I do think because of the simplicity of the rest of it, I could probably get by with it, but I know I'll have to be paying attention. And so, like, what's going to make that easier for me is one question, or the other question is, do I bring a different project? Yeah. So then I thought, oh, I'll bring my sock project.
But then I was looking at that, and I was like, okay, but now I'm going to split for the heel flap. So if you're in a situation like me, I think then you need to be like, okay, those are my two projects that I'm working on. Both are at this transition point where I might have to pay attention, so what am I going to use to, like, make sure I'm, like, good to go? Yes. Like, that I can do this and drink wine and be in a pub and get it done properly and not have to frog it.
Yeah. So this is first Carmen's method. Well, yes. So I have an open thing of stitch markers. So if I was, especially actually for something like this, which has a little bit of pattern to it, and if I get off, like, it's a simple pattern, right? Broken rib is pretty easy. It's a two by two on one round and knitting on the next. I can't tell you how many times, though, I have halfway through the row forgotten whether it was a knit round or a ribbing round.
So I would actually put several more stitch markers around this, like, maybe every 20 stitches. So right now I just have a beginning of round stitch marker. And it kind of, like, then primes you to, like, look. Yeah. Like, are those 20 stitches? It's a break. Yeah. So the more stitch markers, the better. I can't. I'm not doing very good at showing these. These are the Coco Knits, like, colorful ones, which are really good.
The colorful ones are great, too, because you can mark different things on your project. So if you need to, like, know if you're doing the front or the back, then you can, like, code them for yourself. So that's why I really like. So this is the one I, like, if anybody ever comes into the shop and we're talking about stitch markers and, like, what you get either as a gift or as, like, I'm, like, just starting out or I've lost all my stitch markers.
I would always recommend getting this one, which is the flight of the stitch markers. Yeah. And it has the standard size here, the small, the jumbo, the ring or slip ring and the triangle one. And in the Coco Knits method, they have, like, a code for how you use them. Yeah, for the colors. For the colors. But and then all of these function in different ways. Like, the different sizes are obviously about needle size.
But then the slip ring one, I really like this if I'm ever doing decreases and I need, like, a V neck, for instance. Or if I'm doing a sleeve. Yep. And I'm in company. Yeah. I mark every decrease. And then I know I can count from that last decrease. Yes. So that's a really good way. And that's a good decrease hunting. Yeah, exactly. So that's a really good one to have. This is, like, my favorite. Like, I wish, well, because I think we sold out of these. Yeah, we did have them.
Yeah. They do exist in the world. Yeah, they do. You can buy the slip ring by themselves. But I really want to get, like, three or four other ones so that I can have it, like, almost in every project bag. Yeah. But that's why this one's really good is because it's such a transportable. They're just little baby guys. They're super cute. Yeah. Yeah. They just, I mean, they could just fit in your little pocket. Yeah, exactly. Don't know they're there. They're so good.
I just stick them into my leather pouch, my hand-hammered leather pouch. Yeah. And so that's one of our first things. The other one is to make sure you use a row counter. Yes. Especially if you're doing, for instance, short rows. Yes. Or you're doing decreases in every, like, if you don't want to do that method. Like, some people like doing... That was squeaky. So this Coconuts row counter is really good. It's got a magnetic backing.
So if you have a maker's board or any other type of magnetic device, I have an iPad, and it actually does just stick to right to the iPad. Okay. And that's really good, so I don't lose it. And, yeah, so you can just kind of click through it. Count your, like, your normal kind of row counter. But it's really, like, ergonomic, I feel like. It is, yeah. Very satisfying. It's very satisfying.
I think really the major lesson in knitting, though, in keeping track while you're knitting in a group, is to just bring a stockinette project. Yeah. That's your most foolproof. Well, that or, like, don't be afraid to tell your company to, like, shut the fuck up. I'm counting. I'm concentrating. And I feel like whenever I'm... This is what's really great about, like, hanging out with other knitters. They understand. Like, they understand.
As soon as you, like, go into this mode of, like, you're just, like, sitting there like this, like... Yeah. I know. It's like, okay, she's counting. Like, yeah, I just asked her a question, but, like, I'm not going to ask it again. She will be part of the conversation for a couple more minutes. We'll come back to her. Yeah. And, like, I think the other thing is also rely on your community when you've messed up. And, like, don't be afraid to, like, admit when you've messed up.
I feel like there's so many nights where I've been with, like, you, Anna, and Alex, or Susan. And I just remember this one night in your flat. It was when I was doing the Suzanne Summer. Oh, yeah. Side by side. And I don't know why I was having such a nightmare with these traveling stitches. You really were, though. I don't know why. And I was like, I can't bear to pull this out again. I was like, I'm just going to fudge it. But it was a sample for the shop.
Yeah. So, Anna was just like, give it to me. I'll rip it out. Yeah, but she pulled that out with such glee. Yeah, she did. She was like, I don't know what was going on. She was like, yes, this is what I need. She got it back on the needle for you. And it was, like, very much a community effort. Yeah. So, you definitely need your knitty friends for stuff like that.
And also just, like, if you're doing sleeve decreases or something, or decreasing for a neck, and you're like, crap, I need to find my decrease, like, hand your knitting to your buddy. Yeah. Because sometimes you've been looking at your knitting so long, you can't read it as well as someone who hasn't looked at it. Yeah. I think also, too, like, I feel like we just keep coming up with stuff.
But having a way to, like, make sure that, like, if you're following a chart, for instance, have that chart in front of you, have either washi tape that you're marking that you're moving, if you like it printed out, or if you're using an iPad, or, like, any other tablet. I know some people use Knit Companion. I was just going to say, the Knit Companion app is really good. The free version is pretty good. The paid for version is amazing. Is it?
Okay. I know a lot of people at my knit night, like, our knit night in town, use that. I use it. I haven't used it. Because, like, on my, I use Google Books. And, like, some people have asked me, like, what it is that I'm using when I do that. And now with the Google Books, the edit function on PDFs is really good. Okay. Where you can use, like, basically a highlighter. Okay. And then I just strike through which thing. And then when I get to the end of that chart, I'd erase it. Okay. And then.
Yeah, the Knit Companion, I just have the free version. Because I like printed patterns. I only use it for travel or, like, really simple patterns. But there's, like, a highlighter you can move up and down on your chart row. And there's, like, I think six counters you can use. So when you finish a round, you can, like, hit that one. And you can keep track of different things. It's very clever. Yeah. So, like, have that out and, like, visible to you. Yes. Yes. I think that's really important.
Yeah. So that's our advice. Our top tips. Yep. Top tips. All right. Now we have a Q&A. So which questions did we get this week? What's the best yarns for summer sweaters and vests? Oh. Well. Well, you have the basket, everybody. We did prep this one. Look at this one. I just happen to have this here. Amazing. How did that happen? We're half organized. So we've got a lot in this bag. So we've got our palette that just came in that we talked about last week. Yep. This is Issacur Palette 100%.
No, it's 100%. Is it? I'm going to lie. No, 50. No, 100% cotton. Yep. I do know what we're getting. I really want to do this. I want to do that Friday sweater by Pete Knit, the, like, short sleeve one. Yeah. I just feel like I was getting ready to, like, come down here. And I was like, I just really wish I had, like, a cotton knit. And I don't have one. I feel like a t-shirt knit. Yeah, exactly. So I think I'm going to do something in this. This is a fingering weight, right?
Yes. Yeah. It, like, looks much more substantial than a fingering. It does. It looks like a DK. Amanda's done some swatching here, which I'll hold up just in the cream. So that's just a stockinette swatch. So you can kind of see the fabric it makes. I do not know. Has she made a little mark as to what needle size she's using? No, she hasn't. She switched, though, halfway. Yeah, she has switched. We'll have to ask her.
And then here she did, like, a little bit of lace and a little bit of cable just to show off how well the cotton. You can tell Amanda's probably designing something. Yes. Well, she just loves to swatch with things, right? So I think that's a nice thing about cotton. I need to try this one. So when I've knit with cottons in the past, I don't love that it doesn't give you the same give in the knitting process. And so your tension might be, like, a bit annoying. Actually, it wasn't cotton.
It was linen I was working with. It, like, made my finger sore. It hurt my finger. Your poor little baby finger. My poor little finger. I love the shawl that I made. Love how it turned out. Love the fabric. But, like, I didn't really enjoy the knitting process. But I would like to try this cotton. Cool. Though the other one that we have in is... Oh, I thought this was something else. Then I touched it and I was like, oh, this is soft. This is luxurious.
Is the one that Carmen was talking about before, which is our Pure Silk in Knitting for Olive. So this is one that I interviewed with Carmen. So in my interview, she, like, gave me a prompt. She gave me some homework. And she said, like, write a little, like, brief of... Or, like, write some content of what we would put on a website to sell this yarn. I think it was. And I was currently knitting in the Pure Silk. And what I loved about the Pure Silk was that it was a very soft fiber.
But it had... Because it's raw silk, it has actually a really nice structure to it. It does. That when you're combining it with, like, a really nice stitch pattern, you can, like, really see that. And it's, like, very much visible. Like, it holds its own. But it has a really lovely drape to it at the same time. It drapes well. And I wrote her this brief, which was much better than anything I just said. I'll have to find that.
Yeah, you should. And, Carmen, I think... I remember that when you said in the interview, you said, I really want to buy this yarn now. Yeah, I mean, you told me. I mean, and that was the point of it, right? Like, I want to read about a yarn that I then want to buy. So mission accomplished. Yep. Maybe we should use that as our, like... What we put in our thing on the website now. Oh, yeah. I mean, we could do. This is what Kaylee said about this yarn before. You found your sample.
Yes, I finally found my sample. Because I was going to wear this today, and I couldn't find it at home. So I knew it was in the shop somewhere. So this is that project. So this is the Olive Top by Pernell Lawson, who owns Knitty for Olive. And it is... You can see... So this was, like, one of her, like, classic olive designs. It's, like, more of a leaf kind of pattern. But I just absolutely fell in love with that. I love that. And had to make the tank.
And she gives two options for the finished edge. You can do a scallop edge, or you can do just a straight one. And I knew I was going to, like, end up tucking it in. So I was like, I'm not going to do the scallop edge, because it won't... No, it's really cute. I would like to be done with mine for August. Before going to the States, because it's going to be hot. Yeah, and it's the perfect thing to wear for summer. It's so breathable, and just airy, and...
Yeah. I mean, what else is in the basket? We also have another silk. Another silk. This is my favorite. I did put a Kaylee color into that. So this is Boudica's Revenge by... So this is Urban Pearl Cloud 9. The colorway is Boudica's Revenge. It is the autumnal oranges that Kaylee loves. And then we have a color I'm going to color, which is... Pink Soda. And this is a silk merino blend. Right? Yep. 70% silk. I know. And I have this, actually, in a whip.
So do I. Maybe, actually, I'll do that before going on to the SAR vest. Because I'm trying to bust out my whips. And then I can wear it this summer. What is the project you have on the needles? Oh, so it is the Ocean Breeze top. I think that's what it's called. By... Parknitz? Yes. Yay. I think Park Williams is her name. And... She came out with a cute new top the other day. Yes, she did. She comes out with so many cute tops. She has this really cute garter rib.
Which I'm considering, actually, maybe... So it's like a garter rib tank. I'm considering, actually, maybe using that for it as well. If not pulling it back. Because then you can really see the variegation, I think. Whereas the one I'm doing now is quite a lacy one. Oh, okay. So you don't get to see the variegation as much. We did talk about that earlier. Yeah, I've got the Wisp tank cashed on. Which I would also like to finish. Maybe I'll get that done for August as well.
I feel like that's the thing. The weather here has been so crazy that... It's not been very motivating for the summer. No, it hasn't. And then, last but not least, we have Luma. There you go. Which is a DK weight. Wool, cotton, silk, linen blend DK. This is great for the weather we experience here in the UK. So it's a lighter weight. It's probably three seasons. You can wear it in the spring, summer, autumn. This would be such a good throwover sweater. Actually, she has a weekender DK version.
I actually think that... I think, actually, she has one that's in DAPL, which is Brooklyn Tweed. But I think for a while, if not still... But for a while, you could only get DAPL through Brooklyn Tweed. But it's a very similar one to this. It actually doesn't have any silk in their DAPL. Their DAPL is 100% cotton, I think. It's a really nice yarn. This is an underrated yarn, as far as I'm concerned. It knits up really beautifully. It's got more muted tones in it because of the linen.
When you mix an animal and a plant fiber, the dyes get taken differently. You usually end up with a more muted color because... You can't dye protein fibers the same way you can plant fibers. You can kind of see that in the skein, too. You can see it's almost a little bit tweedy-looking. I think that's because it lends it to the different dye. The white bits you see in that sangria are the linen. Not taking the dye in the same way. It's a really cool yarn. It is a lovely yarn.
Those are our summer recommendations for t-shirts and vests. Question numero dos. What would you recommend as a challenge for a knitter who can already do cables, lace, brioche, and various types of color work? When Carmen asked me this earlier, I immediately said, without even thinking, you need to do an Alex Bird pattern. And not just because she's our friend. She excels in this, which is... Well, she excels in teaching in general.
But her book in particular brings her teaching knowledge, her illustration ability, and her creative, amazing knitting designer skills all together, right? Yes, and so that's all lovely about Alex. But the thing that she has... I was getting there. Her book called Traditions Revisited Modern Estonian Knits. We have like three copies of it. I believe they're all signed by Alex. Oh no, it's not, but we could get her to sign it. This was published two years ago.
It is Estonian techniques, like the braids that we've used and stuff. Rosimina, which is like the overlay technique. There's the fringe, which is in here. There's some baubles as well. That isn't used by a whole lot of people, because it's quite specific to the Estonian region, and Alex is really focusing on that. So if you feel like... I want a new technique to learn. This is the book, this is your designer, and Alex is releasing all the patterns from this individually right now.
So if you follow Alex already, you may have already seen that on her Instagram. That is what Alex looks like right there. That beauty. It's such a gorgeous photographer. It is. It's like such a glamour shot. I love that. They did such a brilliant job with the photography. I mean, Laina do always do the beautiful photography. It's such a stunning book. If you don't own the book, you should. It's not in print anymore, so whatever copies exist in shops exist. That's it?
And it is translated into a few languages. Yeah, so I think it's in Finnish, Estonian, German, English. And there is an Asian language. I don't know if it's Japanese or Korean, though. Yeah, I can't remember. I remember it was an earlier one that she did. I remember talking to her about that. So if you're a color work mastermind, you have to do the Troy, which is a big one on my list. Now, when are you going to get to that? I don't...
Well, the thing is, I want to do it in a specific Rosa Pamara yarn, and I'm kind of waiting... To see if I order it? To see if you order it. I actually just got all the shade cards from Rosa Pamara, so that is next up. You've been like teasing. Teasing me. But this is the Troy spot. It's actually not the best photo. I'm going to get a better one. The Tsar vest is based on the Troy. Yes, exactly. Because this is the island of Troy. And there's a sweater and a dress version.
But it's just this absolutely beautiful... It's all over color work. It has braids on the shoulder detail. It will remind you of a kind of... I mean, so I think the... So she writes here, the Troy is a traditional men's sweater from the island of Kinu. Troys are all over color work sweaters brimming with embellishment, historically done in black or blue and white, with knitted braids in red. And she has actually the dress version is on that kind of color scheme.
So you can see what that traditional... So it's very much like if you think of like a Guernsey or a Gansey, or an Aran sweater from Ireland, it's like that kind of regional fisherman's sweater. These are hard-wearing sweaters. It's very thick. You use a hard-wearing wool for it. She knitted it in Vovo by Rosa Pinar. Yep. As well as... Which is on my list. You might be able to get that yarn here soon. Yes. And tuku wool would be very good for it as well.
I mean, actually, a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful raw wool... Yes. ...would be in this. Absolutely be used. You could do a natural tone. Garthenor's. Priscilli would be really nice if it's softer. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Because Priscilli, too, both the... So because the... So this is supposed to be a sport weight, right? But because you get that kind of crunchiness, they can kind of like bloom and stretch. Like that's why tuku, it's a tuku fingering. But a lot of people use it as a sport as well.
I mean, you could do an opus version. You could do an opus. It would be a bit more drapey. Yes. It wouldn't give you the same look. But it would be very nice. Actually, like a crop troy. Oh, that'd be cute. That would be really cute. Well, I mean, again, the sarvest is basically... It is based on a troy sweater. Yep. It was using opus and spin cycle. Definitely. So, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But yeah, if you want to learn some new techniques, then Alex Bird and her Estonian knitting is like the way to go. Yeah, definitely. I've learned loads. She is a great teacher. She's got tutorials for everything. Yeah, she's got tutorials on YouTube and, like, on her website and stuff. But then, like, as I was... Oh, yeah, there. She has signed it. But also her illustrations in here. I just love when somebody can really communicate well.
But I also just, like, love when somebody can communicate visually. And, like, they can really communicate that through, like, something so beautiful as her illustrations in this. Because she really shows you the techniques in, like, a way that if you were watching a YouTube video, you'd get a similar experience. So I can't praise this book enough. I, like, bought a copy for, like, every knitter I know. Yeah, it's, like, great. Like, grab one while you can, quite frankly. Definitely.
It's one you want to, like, come back to and knit from. I've done the kangas out of it, or the kungas. She tells me to pronounce the Estonian words as I would German. So, kungas, I think, is more accurate. And a lot of it is, like, so much easier than it looks. And that's really fun. And you get to play with color in a different way. The teavad here. Yeah, teavad. That shawl is so stunning. And I did that. And Garthor, Beacons. No, Priseli. Oh, it was in Priseli.
Yeah. So that's one of the fringe... That's got the fringe technique in it. I really want to do the besky. See, I have a besky. Yes, you do. I kind of got donated a besky. Because it's so beautiful on you. I really want to do this one. Is it a yatu? Or a jatu? I would say a yatu. A yatu, yeah, yeah. That's... I typically think, like, when you're in Europe, a J becomes a Y. Yeah. So this yatu has fringe down the center.
Yeah. And Alex did this really cute cropped version with spin cycle down the front. Yes, yes. And I just love how much it looks like a, like, Chanel vest. That was her inspiration, I think, for it. Yeah, she says quality of a... The knitted fringe sweater has the timeless yatu quality of a Chanel tweed jacket. Yeah. I mean, that'd be a cute little steeked cardigan as well. Yeah, well, that's what I thought. Anyways, so that's what we were recommending.
Yes. And then the final question of the day is not knitting related. Oh. I can't remember. You told me earlier, but... I did, but... That will be a surprise. Yeah. I will have to look at it again. How did y'all settle in Bath? Oh! I don't remember that. In a previous episode, but we can answer it again. Maybe we did, or we just alluded to certain things. I'm from Eugene, Oregon, originally, and I moved to Europe 17 years ago.
We're out of wine, so we're going to have to make this the short version. So, long story short is... Long story short, I followed a boy. Also, long story short, I followed a boy. We're just two little sluts. That's what makes us sluts. No, no. Just makes us... Lovers. Lovers. Not with each other. You can clearly see that we're at the end of a bottle of wine. Yeah. We follow our hearts.
Yes. And, well, basically, Sam and I met in Sheffield, and we were coming to the end of our PhD. He got a job first, so we moved down to Bristol, Bath area. And I decided to come... Well, we were deciding between Bath and Bristol of where to go. And, as I've talked about very openly in other episodes, I, in the past, have very much suffered from depression and anxiety. And I knew...
So, one of my big coping methods is I need a community, and I need to have meaning outside of the work that I do, and ways to get out, and force myself on that. And knitting was something I took up a lot in the pandemic, and I knew I wanted to be in an area that I could find knitters. And I'd followed Carmen when I was living in Sheffield, and I stalked her until... No. I basically was just like, no, this would be a really great place for me to live and integrate, and I could see myself here.
I mean, definitely, there's people on the internet I look at, and I'm like, we should be friends. We'd be friends. Yeah. Like, not everybody, but there's a few people where I'm like, yeah, if we met, we'd be good friends. So, it was definitely like... I knew the shop had a knit night, so in the very minimal sense, I could just come to that. I'd have a place to go that wasn't just my house, and I could get out and meet people and not be isolated.
And so, a lot of the reasons that we picked Bath was because the shop was here. Yeah. Well, thanks. Yeah, and I ended up in Bath specifically also because of my ex-partner, who I had been living in Ireland with, and his company moved him to the UK. And I didn't know the area at all, so I cast a very wide housing search net, like, literally.
I mean, I must have looked at 50 places, but I looked at a couple places in Bath, fell in love with it here, and also thought it was very important for me because I had also spent a year living quite isolated in Ireland, picking up knitting again, that I would find some sort of community, some sort of inlet, because I hadn't been able to find a job at the time. And I found Bath, and that is how I ended up here. Didn't find the community quite immediately, so I made my own. So, I opened the shop.
She made her own, and also one that other people could find then, too. Yes, yeah. She's like, I'm Billy No Mates, how do I get mates? I mean, literally. Let's make a shop and I'll invite mates. I'm going to spend a whole lot of money opening up a shop so that people will be friends with me. It's really what it boils down to. It's like very cancer of you. It really is. Like hard shell. Like, you know, business. Business, business, business. Please will you be my friend?
I'm actually doing this so that people will like me and be my friend. No, no. Actually, more cancer of me is I'm doing this so that I can take care of a larger group and community of people. Definitely. So, that's how we both ended up in Bath. And now we're here. Yep, yep. And I think we'll be here for a while. Sam and I just bought our first house. You bought a house. I own this shop, you know. So, we've got roots now. Yes, we have roots. We still have knit night if you are in town.
It's the first Tuesday of every month. Please come join us. We always really love when, like, people are. Visitors. Yeah, when visitors are coming in. Yeah, it's a really nice evening. Yeah, it's good times. All right, I think that we're done with the wine. We didn't even cheers this episode. Cheers. Cheers to Bath and knitting. Thanks so much for watching. And make sure you like and subscribe. And we'll see you in a couple weeks for the next episode. Yep, see you then. Bye.