Expressing Yourself

I'm Andrea. I'm Meg. I'm Tina. And I'm Jess. And this is Pardon My Stash. Welcome to Pardon My Stash, a podcast about knitting, fiber arts, and how awesome it is. Woo! Before we dive in today, let's talk about what we're working on, Andrea. Still plugging away on that arachne shawl by Claire Slade slash Verily Knits. I am using Flies and Hellhounds in Penny in Flower Moon and Nightmares plus 10. And I've fixed the mistake

that I made last week. And I am into the color change. Still enjoying it? Yeah, it's pretty good. Awesome. I'm glad you were able to fix the issue with the jag, with the, what is it, the jag? With the zigzags. Yeah, I had to go back like six rows. It was a pain. Were you able to ladder back or did you have to? No. Because it's color work, so everything shifted one stitch over. So I had to fix all of them. That's brutal. Brutal. Tina? Today I'm working on what will

eventually be the complement to the high vis cowl, which is the high vis beanie. And so I'm making something, it's fake brioche. So I'm doing with color work, knit and purls, but with the colors so that it actually kind of looks like flat brioche. I didn't learn that from anywhere. I just thought in my head, I was like, I bet you that'll look like flat brioche if I do it that way. So I figured I would try it out. And I actually really like how it's coming out. It's like making

me very happy. Yeah, it looks really good. If you didn't tell me it wasn't brioche, I wouldn't know it wasn't brioche. No, it's not. Yeah. It looks like it though. It looks like it. Oh, hey, yay. Thank you. So that's the goal is that it looks like it. It does have, as I'm doing it, there's definitely some, I want to change this down here where the color changes for the orange and the yellow. I want that to be a knit stitch instead of a purl so you don't see

the yellow in the front. But other than that, I really like how it's coming out. And I showed Pat and he's all excited because it's very, very flat, which he needs to have this fit under his hard hat, which is why I'm not doing actual brioche. I was just going to ask, is there a reason why you chose not to do brioche? That's a fair point. Yeah, brioche does have that little texture. Yes. So this is in, I'm doing the high vis cowl is done in a bulky weight and this,

this hat is being done in a DK weight. And, and again, it flat instead of with brioche. So that when he puts it on, it's like almost like a skull cap because he needs it that tight to go under his hard hat. So it's all safety. It's all part of my construction line. I'm doing a, what is it? Under construction. Under construction. Oh my God. Yes. No perfection needs nothing more.

Well, you tell me somebody else has done a construction line and I will say, I believe that there's probably eventually that's when you have to like do it in a yarn that has like a sparkle to it and be like, it's reflector tape. Yes, I will. Now I need to do that. Yes. The next will be the the next will be the high vis vest. Okay. Knitted vest that looks like an actual like an orange and so really make a statement and I will make Pat wear it and he will, he'll do it with a grumpy face,

but he will wear it. Jess, I finished my between the dragon and his wrap. And so now I had no more excuse not to do the math on the Dijs vest. So I did the math on the Dijs vest and now I am plugging away on that. Josie Paquin did the Dijs vest. I like the way it's looking. Not going to lie. I hate the directions. The directions are driving me up a wall. I find them confusing. I don't know if I'm the only one because nobody has comments in the thing saying that anyone else had trouble with it.

So maybe it's just me, but I am just, I am having trouble with the directions, but the vest itself and the charts are all really well done. It's just the directions that lead you to the charts that are to me kind of worded oddly. So, but yeah, otherwise I'm at a part now where I think it

should be knock on wood, smoother sailing. And hopefully I don't have to do any more like crazy math because when I get to the next pattern part, they're like, yeah, just repeat the pattern until it's this long instead of repeat the pattern like 18 times in these four sections, which I'm like, Oh God, what's four times 18 plus four. Where in the chart am I? Well, then it's like, I'm halfway through the chart and I'm like, is that right? Am I at the right part in the chart? Because I won't

know until two directions later on when I find out it's wrong and that'll be awful. So tell us how you really feel about this pattern. The way it's going, she has been every night for about two weeks. Sorry. I have heard it all chapter and verse. Again, it's not, it's not terrible. It seems like

anyone else has really done it has many comments on it. So it's probably just a me thing, but if you're going to do this pattern, read the directions first and make sure you map it out beforehand before you're like me get to an error, like why math and then take a hiatus and do color work for a month instead. That's where I'm at. Where are you at? So I don't even want to like say it out loud at this point. By some miracle, this project has stuck in my struggle. Yeah, you're

like plowing through. I am, I am, I don't want to rub salt in your wound of mapping. But the pattern tells me that as of my last row, I'm exactly 20% done with this project. Okay. Yours even gives percentages. It does. It gives percentages. It tells you how far you are into the project, which I really love. But I am working on the impressionists shawl by Helen Stewart. I really like it so far. I mean, it's, it's kind of one of those projects where it's not super difficult.

It's a lot of garter, but it does have like every so often a little bit of a shake up to it. And the way that the colors meld is actually really cool because it looks like I'm knitting it from one, one color way and I'm not, I'm actually using two different color ways and I'm knitting it out of some really gorgeous yarn by Ash and Bumble. They're meadow fingering in water lilies and English garden. And the third color is going to be, it's called mallow flower and it's like a

burgundy. It's going to look, I think it's going to look really pretty when it's done. But I am enjoying it. It's like just enough to like, I'm not bored while I'm watching TV, but it's not driving me up a wall. So, and you know, right now that's kind of what I needed. It's, it's working for me. Look, I'm just saying after this one, I got another color work plan. So

I'm just like, it's going to be done. Yes. Be sure to check out our website, pardon my stash.com for more information, as well as pictures of our current projects, patterns, and yarns.

So before we launch into today's topic, we wanted to kind of make a statement regarding sponsorship. As some of you may know, we had a membership program for about a year and a half that we chose to end, not really chose to end even, that's not even the right words, but we had to end in around January, February of this year, just due to scheduling conflicts and just not

being able to fulfill our end of the membership, just mainly again, due to scheduling. Over the past two years, we have had numerous offers from different companies to sponsor the podcast, none of which we were very comfortable with, mainly due to requests of exclusivity. And that is something that we did not feel we could keep up our end of the bargain. We've been committed since we started to authenticity. We don't promote products that we don't believe in.

We don't promote patterns or merchandise that we ourselves don't use. And we also, as very diverse crafters, we knit, crochet, craft with a variety of different products. And none of us really liked the idea of being tied down to one brand. So we had on our website, we had chosen to not take on

sponsorships specifically for that reason. Shortly after we terminated our membership, we were approached by Jimmy Beans Wool with a sponsorship offer that we were in talks with the representatives for a few weeks to discuss the terms of, and over time we agreed to partner with Jimmy Beans Wool, mainly due to the fact that they were so flexible with our feelings of being authentic. They have been very receptive to our being upfront of wanting to only promote or talk

about items that we use and that we feel good promoting. They didn't want us to be dishonest. They also actually said that they would also appreciate if we didn't like a product to be honest about that as well, or what we would think. They were looking for the constructive criticism as well. They felt like it would only enhance their products because it would give them a direction for where to go with them. Right. So after several weeks of talking back and forth,

we signed the agreement to be sponsored by Jimmy Beans Wool. We're really excited about it. I'm applauding. We really are. Because it really is something that, again, we have been approached by a lot of different folks, companies big and small, and it actually felt like we were talking with friends, compadres when we were talking with Jimmy Beans. Seemed to be on the same page. Yeah. It just felt like a really good fit for the podcast.

So there's where we're at. But we wanted to be upfront with you because we have for so long maintained this. We don't take sponsorships. We don't do advertising because we want to feel good about the relationship we have with sponsors. We don't want to use or promote products that we ourselves don't feel good promoting. So what does that mean for the podcast? Basically, it just means that you may hear us talking about products from Jimmy Beans Wool.

In the future, you might hear us talk about giving reviews of different products that we might receive from Jimmy Beans to check out and see how we feel about them. If we like them, if we don't like them. Yeah. You will get honesty. Oh yeah. If you listen to my talking about the pattern like two minutes ago, you're still getting that honesty. That's not changing. No, we are committed to being super authentic. Yeah. So, but we are very excited about it. We're looking forward to working with them.

And I think the biggest thing is that with this, we don't have to worry about not being able to afford to run the podcast because in case you didn't know, operating costs do exist when you have a podcast. You have to host the files. We have our website that we host. There's work that's attributed and software that's attributed that we have to pay licensing for to edit the episodes and get those things up. Because laws. Because yeah, legal, legal, legal. Capitalism.

So it's really nice to just feel like we can continue to operate this podcast with the best of intentions and not have to worry too much about how we go pay those bills. Definitely. I don't know honestly though, like I did, like I said, check out the website and they do have cool stuff. So I am excited about seeing some cool stuff. You can find more information about Jimmy Beans Wool at jimmybeanswool.com.

So tonight we're going to talk about expressing yourself. I just really want to play Madonna right now. Yeah. Like Madonna. All of us have talked at various times about how we use crafting as a means of self-expression. Tonight we're going to kind of dive into how does our crafting, like the choices that we make, how do those things reflect who we are? Kind of be a little bit introspective and hopefully create some sort of mindfulness in you, the listener.

How does your crafting reflect how you express yourself? And how is it doing it? And you didn't even realize until now. Yeah. I feel like a lot of the times we do, we kind of go down a path and we don't even realize we're doing it. Like for example, I didn't realize I knit with blue yarn all the time until Tina was like, do you maybe think you could pick a different color when we went to the wet? Seriously. No, I really didn't. No, I really did not realize that that was. No, you don't.

Excuse you. Neither of the sweaters that, okay, no, one of them has blue. I've knit three sweaters. Only one of them has blue. All right. All right. All right. Anyway, enough about me. What do you think? Sorry, I just got caught up because I was like, but one of them was purple and technically you needed blue to make it. Oh, shut up. You're all mean. Dude, no, mine 90% of the time is dragons related. It's probably higher than that, but I'm getting

the shock. And if it's not that, then it's probably fantasy inspired of some kind anyways. You say that like you have dragons all around your house or something. Like that's not even not even a thing. I have a question. I have a statement. The first I'm going to say is the statement because I don't want to get like too far off course. But when I took, I took that picture of your, between the dragon and his rap and I sent it to my friend Mary to show her.

And her response was that is so Jess and she's never met you in person. But like that was, that was the response was that is so Jess. Why the dragons? I like dragons. Well, yes, but why? Like where did that start? Where does that come from? You know, I don't know. I have just always liked dragons. Like dragons are awesome. I need, I say more. Dragons are cool. That's it. I really don't know where it started. Like where the, where the obsession really started.

I mean, I remember the first movie where I was finally like, yes, that is the dragon. I always envisioned. And that was Dragon Heart because before then I was always like, why do they make the dragons look so stupid? Like I knew what a dragon looked like. Dragon Heart is a magical movie. It really is. And for being such, you know, old school kind of bad, horribly CGI, holds up. Okay. Well, cause it has a timeless storyline and the soundtrack slaps. Yeah. The

soundtrack, they use it for everything guys. Like it's in all the movie like trailers. They use Dragon Heart music because it's awesome. Um, no, but I've always loved dragons and that's carried over into my love of fantasy and D and D and all that sort of stuff as well. Yeah. I like everything I have is somewhat dragon related or fancy related or like, I'm like, oh, look, this looks like scales. I'm going to do that. Or this is how I be. It's just an aesthetic. Look, my vest is made in

the color leather because it's like a leather vest. And then I can feel like I have armor on. I was going to say that's pretty sedate for you. Like both the pattern and the, and the yarn, but it's a leather vest. Pretty sedate. Yeah. I didn't think about that. Yeah. See I did. But yeah, if anyone has that's yeah. Dragon Heart, look up that dragon. That was my first, like, yes, that is what a dragon should look like because everything before then I would get,

I mean, okay. The sleeping beauty dragon was pretty boss, but it was only on screen for like 20 seconds and it got taken out in a stupid way. And, and I just felt like that should have been a bigger battle. Um, I was, I was kind of disappointed. He's Prince charming. He didn't even do it himself though. The fairies did. He just like held the sword up and they are like, yeah, we're going to make it. And I was like, no, you what? No, that's you could have at least

thrown it yourself. No. Right. The muscles are for show. Right. I mean, to be fair, if you look at it, he actually didn't really have any muscles either. So I mean, we're going to go there. Nah, you know, Prince Philip, as far as some of the princes go is actually one of the better ones, but still a very disappointing dragon battle. I have a visual of just Prince Philip being like the, like the weakest of all the princes in the Disney prince prince charming from Snow White.

Like he's just pointless. Like he's just, he doesn't do any, we've gone a little off the rails just a titch off the rails. Just saying. Just a titch. Still Snow White Prince. You suck. Oh my God. I mean, like I thought about this, um, since you brought it up and I, I don't know if I have a distinct style, but I will say the majority of the things I make are inspired for other people. I noticed that like when I make stuff, a lot of the times I'm

making them because I want it to be helpful for somebody else. I very, very, very rarely make something for myself. I always like make stuff and then I give it away or I hand it off or I like hand it off to some, like it just never stays with me. I need to do that more. I have way too many knits that I just don't use. Yeah. And I have the opposite problem. I've knit all these cool things and like, Oh, I knit this. And like people are like,

wow, you've knit stuff. And I'm like, yeah. And they're like, what's something you've knit. And I'm like, I got this hat. That's all like, I swear I've made more things. I swear I've made more stuff than hats. Um, because you're just messaging, send me a picture of the thing I gave you. I have kept, um, two of my shawls, but now I use them as wall decor. So I can't wear them. They're art. Yeah. So I'm like, okay, cool. So that's up on my wall.

So now I've lost two shawls that I mean, you could wear them. I could just have to sacrifice your art. I know. I just, it looks so pretty on my wall and like those things. If you take it down, will it ever go back up the same way? I know. And like, and my little cow is hiding behind one of the shawls right now. And he looks so cute. Even like this hat that I'm making right now is like, this is for Pat. It's not for me. I'm making this and then I'm going to release the pattern because

it's all because his cowl is for him too. And yeah, right. Cause that started with him wanting something that could be seen, right? Also keep him warm. Yeah. During the winter months, really bright colors and made something simple and cushy. Yeah. And, and it's also like, I don't feel like as bad if like, cause like his high viscall at this point has like seen better days, but I'm okay with it. Like I'm actually okay with it because that means that he's been using it. He has

definitely been using it. Um, and I'm sure this beanie will see the same kind of use. I mean, construction ain't clean folks. Yeah. I've been like, I'm trying to think if there's like, I, I definitely gra see yarn collecting. I gravitate towards a specific color. Cause like, if you go through my stash, I definitely have a lot of, a lot of like teals and like sea greens, but then I also have a lot of like purpley pinks, which is ironic because I've almost never knit with purpley

pinks. Like I do, but like it's usually like, if it's for the kids or something like that, but I don't like, I don't know. It's strange. I definitely have like a range of colors in the stash, but there's definitely a hint of like, okay, she's really into teal and like sea green and like, you know, like a minty kind of color, all those kind of in-betweens between green and blue. And then like good color and then just randomly purple. Sometimes it just hits you. Yeah. Like

I, and there's no reason for it. The color just hits you and you're like, I need that. Yeah. Listen, I love me some jewel tones. Yeah. And I just, no, not for me. I can't say it's dragon based for me. Um, I can't even think, I'm trying to think of like a theme and honestly I've knit so many random things. It's like, I I've done hats, I've done sweaters, I've done shawls, I've done scarves and cows and mitts. And I think the only thing I really haven't done is like

pants, but I don't think I will ever do. I feel like knit pants are just, I mean, I've seen people do them, but I like, I look at that and like, I, I already feel myself sweating. Yeah, no, like I, I do. I see people knit, do knit pants and I think they look really good on them, but I would never want them on me. Yeah. Pants are also, um, like, and I don't know, maybe I'm the only one that gets to experience this joy every so often, but if you wear them often, they wear out. Yes. In the thighs.

Yup. And I mean, that's one of the reasons I stopped wanting to knit socks because they wear out. Good old thigh. And as much as I like to wear my knits, I don't like to wear my knits to death. Yeah. Like I feel like I would have to make knit pants and then put just a piece of leather in between the thighs to stop the, to stop the chaplers. Just to reinforce. So that's, that's another, and I know like some people are like, no, that's the best part about socks is then you get to,

you get to just make more of them. Um, but what if I don't want to, but that's kind of, yeah, I'm like, I don't like holes. I just have like 10 pairs and I rotate. Yeah. So they'll, they'll all last for a long time. If you have more than I have a confession. I made a hole in your sock that you made me. Do you want me to fix it? No, I have it in a pile and I'm going to fix it. I'm just sad because I wear them a lot. But that's well, see, here's the thing.

I'm pretty sure I still have the remnant yarn for that. Oh, do you? So do you want me to fix it? Kind of. It's a really bad hole though. Whatever. I'll fix it. Okay. Why is it really bad? It's large. Well, means that you wore them. I thought I could get away. I was like, Oh look, there's a hole starting. I should be okay. And then like the end of the day came and I went, Oh no, that was a bad idea. It's on the bottom, like on the sole. Oh yeah. I can fix that. Yeah. Well, yeah. That,

that at least, you know, I wore out, literally wore out your socks. That's good though. I love them. I'm glad that you like them that much. I did. I do. I still do. I just, I just can't wear them currently because we have a giant hole in the foot, but yeah, no, I mean back to like, I don't know, like my style. I don't know. I'm having a hard time with it. Like, I feel like it's just like for others and I don't know if that's a good thing. So it sounds more like you're motivated by need

or necessity. Yes. Like this person is having a baby. They need a blanket. I'm going to make the blanket. My husband needs a cowl. I'm going to knit that. My daughter wants a sweater. That's not maybe not necessarily a need, but if you haven't like this past summer, when you finished the one for your youngest, she didn't have a sweater. So to an extent it's like, you can't really knit one child a sweater and not knit the other one a sweater. So it is kind of a need.

If you think about it. Oh, and they wear their sweaters. They really do. They love wearing their sweaters. So it sounds like a lot of this is motivated by like you, you like to do things for other people provide, which could be a good and a bad thing. It could be. It's a good thing. Cause it's like, yay. I do stuff for other people, but it's a bad thing because I never do stuff for

myself. I already hear my therapist yelling at me. So I'm like, I'm just, maybe you need to take shout out, shout out to Brittany and be like, listen, I need to provide something for myself. Yes. And that is a need. This is my separate separate. It'd be like, I have to make this for Tina and then make something for Tina and then give it to her and then open your own. Oh, that's a good idea. Yeah. Okay. I have to think of yourself as a different person.

Trick your own brain sometimes. Yeah. That's what I'm going to do. Okay. Well, thank you for this therapy session on to Drea. I don't think I really have a yarn style either. Cause I don't, I don't, I don't typically knit in the same, in the same color scheme. Could I offer a suggestion? Yeah. If I had to pick something for you, it would be texture. Yeah. You really like like lacing cables and like anything that gives

like definition to the piece. Squish. I don't see Drea knitting like straight up stock net for years and years and years and years. Like it's just too boring for you. Like you always have to have some kind of design element in it. It's true. It's true. I do love my cables. Um, so I want to say that I, I choose yarn based on what's going to hold up to the, to the style that I, that I knit in. Yeah. Right. So if you're knitting with cables, you want something that's going to pop. Yeah. Not

something that's going to flatten out. And as for colors, I'm pretty sure, um, when I'm at the store, one, I never buy yarn with a project in mind. Fair. I never do that. Totally fair. I need to start doing that, but I probably will never do that. You've done it a couple of times. Like at Ryan Beck, you've been like, this is going to be a hat for Frank. Oh, that's because Frank was with me and said, this is going to be my hat. Okay. So when other people request something,

yeah, then it's okay. Yes. Gotcha. It's like when I go to the grocery store with Frank, he goes, he goes with a list and that is all we're allowed to buy. Oh no. Oh yeah. No, I can't do that. You know what? I love it because that means that I'm not buying stuff I don't need. That's fair. I love that. If we're going to the store to buy chicken and a vegetable and like potatoes, that is all we will leave with. I love how Frank shops for groceries the way my dad used

to Christmas shop. He would like go into the mall and be like, we're going to this store. We're going to buy this one thing and then we're getting the hell out of here. We're going nowhere else. No, I'm not even going to look at anything else. That's hilarious. But buying yarn specifically for a hat for Frank. And let me tell you, I had no pattern for Frank, but he said, these are the yarns that you're going to use. And I was like, great. Thank you. I'm pretty sure he bought that

yarn for me too. I'm pretty sure he did. I'm going to buy my hat. This is for Frank. Yeah. I also bought with intention the yarn for the Celtic Myths shawl. Yes, we all did. Yep. And I think those are the only two that I purchased. Oh yeah. With the pattern in mind. It's kind of impressive. Yeah, that feels about right. But usually when I'm at the store and I'm buying yarn, what I'll do is, and I've noticed that I do this, I will buy colors based on my mood.

So if I'm in a happier mood or feeling upbeat or good about myself, I'll buy brighter colors. And if I'm feeling kind of sad or down, I'll buy more muted colors. That's a good observation. Yeah. So I have a very good mix of colors in my stash. I don't drift towards one color or another. It's literally whatever it is that I'm feeling, that's what I'm buying.

That's fair. I like that for me though. That's fair. It gives you variety. Yeah. Because I also think that when I'm ready to start knitting with whatever that color is or whatever that yarn is, I'm going to pick that yarn based on my mood again. So I'm planning ahead kind of. That's what I'm going to tell myself. Meg? So I usually buy, I do the opposite. I usually try to, like, if I look at a yarn and I'm like, oh, I really love that, I will run through my head, but what will I make with that?

Like, what am I going to do? And I try not to buy yarn unless I can actually envision. It may not need to be like, I'm going to knit this exact pattern, but I at least want to be like, that's going to be a shawl, that's going to be a sweater, this is going to be a cabled scarf. Like, there's going to be some objective there. I never, or I shouldn't say never, I rarely knit with warm toned yarns. Almost every single thing I knit is in a cool tone. Those are just

the colors I gravitate towards. I don't know if it's because I don't look good in warm tones. I definitely look better in cool tones. That's just my shade. It's not always blues, but I do gravitate a lot towards greens, turquoises. If it is like a pink, it's going to be like a cool toned pink, not a bright flamboyant pink. And again, I'm not sure why. I think it's just my taste.

One thing that I have discovered about myself over time, and this is kind of sad, as a marketing tool, if you put a bird on it, I will buy it. It's fair. No seriously. Especially if it's a barn owl. It's really bad. No. So what you're saying is if somebody starts an Indie Dye company and it's like a bird name, you're going to buy all the yarn? Oh God, no, it's really bad. So the only yarn- Heads up, Indie Dyers. I know, I know. This is my secret. My secret. But I will be your band.

Achilles heel. Jess will stop me. Back when I had no stash, that was what got me buying Ash and Bumble. She's like, oh, this is like my bird of the month club. And I was like, well sold. I will buy all of those. And I did. I ended up getting like six skeins. I did it for six months and I was so sad when she stopped doing that particular collection. It was just for one year. But it was, it was like, they were all inspired by different birds. She even put the birds on

the labels of the yarn. And it's like, oh God, sold. And even then I'd get the colors home and I'm like, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with this, but it has a mallard on it. So I need it. So clearly it's really sad, but it's the same thing we went to. Um, we went to CT fiber fest this past week and we went to, um, stitched by Jess, a loose booth. And we've spoken about her before. We all have bags from her multiple bags. Um, and Jess was super excited because she finally

got a, uh, D and D bag. Yay. Yay. Congratulations. It's got roving. So now three people at this table have them. And I had just bought a big bag with barn owls on it from her, um, back at Reinbeck. I bought a, another bag that had owls on it back in, Oh God, February, two years ago at, um, circle of stitches in Salem. And we're walking through her booth and there's yet another bag with owls on it. And I was like,

but how many do I need? Apparently one more because it's sitting about an inch from my right hand at this moment in time. And she now knows my Achilles heel. So she's probably going to keep making more owl bags, probably not just for my benefit, but I'll probably keep buying them. It's really sad. I don't know what it is. Birds are just my thing, which is hilarious. Cause again, that one's got like the death head malls. Oh no, I love this one. It's got some skulls and you hate skulls. I don't

like skulls on it. So that bypass. Yeah. But death said moths are cool. They are cool. Okay. Like they're cool. Arguably cool. And I like green. So it's, it's neat, but yeah, it's, I don't know. It's just a thing. The only thing I bought at, um, the Connecticut fiber fast was a little ceramic frog that had an air plant in the head. You have a thing for frogs though. I do, but it's gotta be a cool frog. Yeah. None of those loser. Not a, not a dumb frog. Like it's gotta be a cool frog.

Or it's gotta be a noise maker. I feel like if it was slightly dumb, but also a noise maker that would bypass the slightly dumb. Yeah. You have to think about it. I keep hinting to Frank that I want one of those really big frogs that make the noise with the stick, the bullfrog. Yeah. I want the big one. Like I've got one that's like little mini. And then I have like an actual like bullfrog size one, you know, like, like, like a real bullfrog, but I want the one that's like stupid,

huge, like this big. I want the big honker and he's not picking up what you're throwing down. He's not. I keep hinting at it. I don't think he listens to the podcast though. Cause sad news for me. Oh God. Frank, if you listen to you, there you go. It's just felled out for you. To be fair though, dragons, frogs, owls. And for me it's either chickens or octopi. Pineapples. You have a lot of pineapple stuff. Oh, I like pineapple. Yeah. I mean, we're talking about

creatures, so pineapples aren't animals. I wasn't even thinking about animals. I was just more thinking about like aesthetic. What's your general aesthetic? What's all over your house? Oh, for me all over my house is definitely like llamas and alpacas. The frogs are only in the bathroom and they definitely have like their little area. Wait, the musical frogs are in the bathroom. Oh yeah. That's what if you get bored, I am providing entertainment for people who are visiting the

restroom. I have an affinity for farm animals. So I have a giant cow in my office. Chickens all over your kitchen. I have chickens all over my kitchens. My galinies are very necessary in my kitchen. Just throw on some pork cheese out there for you. Um, and yeah, that's a really pretty word for chicken. Galenia. Yeah. Yeah. It's pretty. It's yeah. No, but I also like, I also have like

little piggies and like, I do. I like farm animals, but I also like, I mean, basically if you just take a Portuguese person and then ask them all of the animals that they like to eat, that's basically all the animals that I like to have in my house. I have octopus. I have little squids. I have chicken and cows and pigs. Yeah. All the important ones. The lambs. Just like all the things that we eat. It's just, yeah, that's, that's pretty much, it's yeah. That's now that I think about it that

way. I am a terribly sadistic person. I need help. No, that's fine. I like to collect the, uh, the figurines of the things I eat. When you put it that way, it's only the maniacal lap that really like. So slightly pivoting in topic. Um, what about like moving away from color or aesthetic? Um, what about the way in which you craft, like the way, either the techniques that you use or the types of projects you gravitate towards, or even when you go to pick a pattern or seeking

something out, how does that reflect your self expression? I would say when it comes to pattern buying in the beginning, it was very utilitarian. So if I needed to make a bit like how we were talking before, if I needed to make a baby blanket for somebody because it was gift, I was looking for something that was practical that they could use with their child. So I'm just looking for like just very utilitarian nowadays. If I, especially if I'm going to buy a pattern, I am very like,

I'm looking through the comments. I'm like checking the reviews. I'm looking at how they rated it. It's like, I want to make sure that it's like, it's, it's a decent pattern, but I think stylistically, I really like, um, patterns that look, um, more complicated than they actually are. I love those patterns. Those are my favorite. Make me look impressive. Like this arachnishol is,

is definitely a favorite pattern now because it looks way more complicated. It does. And, but honestly, when you get into it, it's really a very basic kind of technique of pulls that you don't like of just kind of carrying stitches that create, create this effect. So, um, but it's, but it's actually like, and it's satisfying because then you look at it and you're like, wow,

I made this really complicated looking thing and it's a very simplistic pattern. Um, the hard part with that is that you really don't know if a pattern is like that until you really get into it. Yeah, that's fair. So, um, I mean, we picked this one based on the way that it looked. Yeah. We really didn't do too much research into the pattern itself when we got it. So I really

think that we've looked up. Yeah, we definitely did. We absolutely did. But like I'm doing, I'm doing a gift for somebody else and I picked it out because I wanted something that had a reference to dogs and like, it also has like a heart reference on it. And I really like that, but the pattern drives me crazy. And the only reason why it drives me crazy is that the way it's,

first of all, there's no chart, which drives me crazy. Um, I, there's, I don't always want a chart, but especially when there's lace, it's really so much easier to read when there's a chart. I just have a really hard time. It's easier to visualize what the pattern is. All those letters and numbers and combinations. It can get really dizzying looking at a written pattern. But I don't, I like the arachne. I don't mind reading the written. It's actually easier for me to read

the written with that, but there's no like lace in that. So it's easier to follow. So like, it's just 36 rows of like, and there's, and there's really no continuity either. Like there's some, there's a little bit of continuity towards the end of the repeat, but like basically every other row is something different. And I'm like, and like, I guess that would be more in Jess's realm of things because I know you think need things that are interesting. Well, I got the pattern for you.

Cause my, cause this one is like, you definitely have to like keep checking it. Cause I'm just like, wait, which one am I on? I don't, and I have, I'm using my row counter app and you know, it's like keeping track of like how many times I've done the repeat and what row I am on in the repeat. Cause otherwise I am, I have no idea where I am. So, but yeah, I think I would, I prefer patterns that definitely look more fancy than they are. And, but are, are basically more

simplistic. And I definitely don't go for stuff that is impractical to use, if that makes sense. So I'm not, if the finished product looks like it's a pain in the butt to carry around, or it's going to be a pain in the butt to take care of afterwards, I'm probably not going to make it unless it's like practical. It goes all back to that kind of practicality and like need. You want something that's going to be used and worn and not just kept on a shelf because the minute

you put it on, it's going to fall apart. Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. I mean, I'm right there with you. I much prefer having a pattern that's going to look like I put a lot more effort into it than what I actually did. Knitting is supposed to be relaxing for me. And if I can't, if I can't multitask, like if I can't put a TV show on or listen to an audio book or, you know, like do something secondary, that's not necessarily important, then I'm not going to do it.

No, it's fair. I like repeating patterns. And yeah. And I definitely think with your repeats, you I'm just so stuck on texture with you because like almost every single thing you've made has had some kind of texture on it. Yeah. I much prefer having a texture to my fabric. It just looks cool. It's so much more fun to create the make sense. Sometimes it's interesting just to understand the puzzle of how that texture is made to. I can't tell you how much I love puzzles.

Yeah. Now that I say that, I'm like, wait a second, wait a second. That tracks. I love puzzles. Give me a puzzle any day. Yeah. I like stuff that looks cool. Even if it's just to me. Dragons and cool. Yes. I like color work. No, but you also cannot do really, really simple stuff. I can if it's short, but if it only takes two minutes, I'll do it. Once, once you're getting into this is going to be a 30 day project and it's all the same. I'm like,

I don't want it anymore. It's gotta be something kind of interesting or new or has some sort of pattern shift. Like I don't even necessarily care if it's something that's like, like, um, like the Morgana shawl was actually pretty simple, but it looked really cool. And you got the added benefit of adding a bead to it, which was blending the yarn. You were also blending the colors. I was more thinking about the sweater. You made your mom the rose hip sweater where it's like,

yeah, there was, you had the color work. You had like rows of the body that were pretty boring, but then you had the corrugated ribbing, which was another cool element. That was really neat. Like the kind of spice it up and gave you something to look forward to on both the hem and the, and I got to die the yarn, which was and you died the yarn. So yeah, mostly fun because there's just gotta be some variety. The Addy didn't like me when I was trying to knit it up to give it

the gradient and it like ate the last half of it. But by then I was too far gone. So I just made it work in the dye pot. Like, no, you feel gradient. Dang it. And it did. And it worked out. That was an ugly blank. It was an ugly blank. There were holes everywhere. It was so good in the first half and I got to the second half and it like threw one of the, and it just kept throwing it. And I was like, no, I've come too far. We're just, you're just going to be, you're just going to be,

and I'm going to unravel you as soon as you're done. So I'm not fixing you now. And MagBirds, there really aren't any bird techniques. But there's the owl cable. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. That's true. I have, I actually have, if you look at my Ravelry library, I have a lot of like owl cables or owl color work saved. No, but I mean, I've got to, I tend, my knitting projects tend to fall into one of two categories. And they all have to do with my mood.

Kind of like Dreya's yarn buying choices. I tend to be a person that likes to knit while I watch TV or listen to music or does something multitask. And with those projects, they tend to be like the one I'm working on right now, where I do have to pay attention, but not very much. You know, I have to pay attention towards the edges, but most of it is just knitting. So no big deal. The other flip side of that is there are some times when my brain does not shut off and it is just going,

going, going a million miles an hour. And on those occasions, I'm like, I need something complicated for me, not necessarily complicated for everybody else, but complicated for me, where I have got to stop and think about this. And that can be a little bit complicated for me, this. And that can be every, anything from complicated cables to color work, something that is, is I cannot watch TV and, and knit with. I actually have to constantly pay attention to the pattern.

And that happens at very, very specific times when I just cannot get my brain to shut off and I'll pull out something super complex. And it actually really helps. It calms me down a little bit. It gives me a sense of refocusing. And then nine times out of 10, I have a really pretty complicated looking project to show off when I'm done, which is, which is very nice. I want to say like the last time I did something that was like super complex like that was when I was recovering

from surgery and I had the cell boo hat. Oh yeah. And it's complicated color work. And it was made more complicated because I was trying to color melt while I was doing it. Cause I was trying to make a gradient. So I had to pay attention to both the colors and the actual color work. And it really did help. Cause I wasn't feeling great. You know, my body hurt and I was anxious. I was anxious about missing work. I was anxious about my recovery rate and how things were going. Um, and that really

helped. Cause I really couldn't think about anything else while I was doing it. Um, so that's how, that's where most of my projects tend to fall in either the very, very basic or the super complicated for me. That's where I'm at. I think it's good to have like a kind of a rotation though, so that if you need something less complicated, you have it. And if you need something more complicated, you also have it. Yeah. It's, I mean, right now I don't have that. I'm just knitting one thing,

but it's, it is good to have it. That's, that's another reason why I have, and I'm kind of going off your reel from the other day where you're like, this is why I have so many projects all going at once. And I related to that so hard. Yes. Cause I, a lot of times like one project is, it does not fit all. Sometimes I need something more complicated. Sometimes I'm like, oh my God, if it's anything more than garter stitch, it's not happening today. Um, no, I cannot think about

increasing or decreasing. I can't even think about picking up a cable needle. Like this is not happening. So sometimes it has to be something simple. And sometimes it's like, if I knit something boring, uh, my brain is just going to go flying off sideways and it's, it's just not going to happen. So yeah. And to, to answer the, uh, pointed question of what do I knit when I'm angry? Because that was the number one question. I'm not really, yes, it was when I was like,

this is the one that I did when I'm angry and everyone's like, which one is that? And I'm like, it's super bulky. That makes so much sense. Yeah. Oh my God. No, really big needles that you're just stabbing stuff with and just super, you just need a nice big needle that you could stab stuff with. That's, that's all I need. And, and get a finished project really fast. Yes. So if you're feeling really, really crappy and then you just get this like really nice, like whatever it's

usually, honestly, it's usually a super bulky hat of some kind. And I'm just cranking it out. No, I do that when I'm really sad on that, like a, a kid's hat and super bulky and it's like done in an hour and you're like, yes, I can, I can knit. No, it's, that's a good point. And that's all the time we have for this week for additional content or opportunities to connect

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