Episode 38 - World Pomination

Hello there and welcome to The Crochet Circle Podcast and the show notes for Episode 38 – World Pomination

 

In this episode, I cover: Old Dog New Tricks: CAL Updates; Yarn Review; Final Destination; En Route; Feeding the habit; Quick News Beats; Big Up and J’adore?

 

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1 – Old Dog New Tricks

I never, ever, ever, expected to be writing the following words: “I am a little bit in love with a pompom”!

 

Normally, I see a hat and I think that it would look so much better without a pom pom on it.  Then the flick switched during a silly shopping trip in TK Maxx with my best friend, Jenny.  We tried on almost every single hat in there, to try to find styles that actually suited us.  Who knew, I could rock a pompom?

 

So now that I am pom-pom obsessed, I have made two of them and my friend Bec came up with a very cunning idea.  Pom poms are a pain to make and trim, so why not have some that are transferable to different hats?  After all, you can only really wear one physical hat at a time.

 

 

If you sew a button onto the pompom and leave enough of a gap at the top of the crown to tightly pass the button through, you can wash the hat without the pompom, change the pompom colour, wear the hat without the pompom.  

 

2 – CAL Updates 

The #ChristmasEveCAL continues with lots of lovely projects being made. 

 

As usual, you can crochet, knit, weave, do whatever yarn-based craft you please.  This is all about having a chilled-out project that you can work on during the Festive Season and the month of January. 

 

The CAL ends on Sunday 27^th 2019.  It is a very chilled out CAL, mainly because I am flat out at the moment and don’t want to over-commit myself again. 

 

Use #ChristmasEveCAL and #ChristmasEveCALFO to show off your projects and finished objects.

 

3 – Yarn Review

I have been working with ‘wild wool’ from Erika Knight.  It’s an aran weight yarn (170m/186yds to 100g) and is a blend of 85% wool (unspecified breed/s) and 15% nettle fibres.

 

Last month I was talking about the Onion Yarns wool and nettle blend and how much I loved it.  The same is true for ‘wild wool’.  

I have really tested the metal of the yarn.  It does brilliantly when ripped back and reworked.  It creates a lovely stitch definition and has a lovely, substantial feel to it.

 

 

It’s widely available in the UK and beyond and I have provided the stockist links and a full review as a blog over on my website.

I would definitely love to use this yarn again.  The nettle brings qualities such as durability, and strength but also silver strands to the yarn, no matter what colour the wool has been dyed.

 

I can see it making great accessories and on a larger hook/needle size amazing, drapey garments.

 

4 – Final Destination

I finished a couple of hats this month – both with pom poms! Who am I?

The first is the Wynn Slouch Hat by Harlee Wentworth.  You can get this pattern for free on the Noowul website or pay for an advert-free version on Ravelry.  I paid for the pattern (about £3) to be able to support the designer.

 

I used my 100g skein of wild wool from Erika Knight in the colourway ‘Mooch’ and added a contrast pom-pom in some Rowan yarn I had stashed.

 

I have added project notes on Ravelry for both hats and you can fine me there as MaDashper.

 

 

 

My second hat is knitted colour work.  I fell in love with this design when I saw Kate at Northern Yarn making one.  In the lull between Christmas and New Year, I decided to treat myself with a quick project that taxed my brain a little.

 

The pattern is called Curlew and it’s by Linda Shearer.  Again, it’s a free pattern but was designed to raise awareness of the decline of the Curlew.  You can get the pattern through Ravelry or on the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) website. I donated £5 to the RSPB as a thank you for a lovely pattern that I will make again and to help with bird conservation projects in the UK and across the globe.

 

 

My Curlew is made from Rowan Felted Tweed and some stash yarns that I had that are very similar to Felted Tweed. More details can be found on my project page.

 

I finished off my two whopper projects and got the designs in on time for the deadline.  I actually quite enjoyed crocheting with heavy laceweight yarn.  I will be able to show those projects off in March/April time.

 

 

I also stupidly put myself under pressure to knit four pairs of socks as Christmas presents.  It was worth it though to see some of my favourite people wearing matching handmade socks on Christmas day.  They were all knitted in West Yorkshire Spinner’s special edition Christmas yarns:  Candy Cane from 2017 and Fairly Lights form 2018.  

 

5 – En Route

I have been making good progress on my pink Fallen Leaves sock, the heel has been turned and I am now just crocheting up the leg.  It’s quite a dense, but well-fitted sock, so it’s taking quite a lot of time to make.  I suspect that I am going to knit the cuff onto it rather than crochet it because I can make it more accurate and get better elasticity from a knitted cuff.

 

 

One of my interests this year is around using knitted cuffs, heels and toes for crocheted socks.

 

Let me introduce my future WIP - an Esja jumper to be made with yarn dyed by my friend Bec of Black Horse Yarns and Socks Yeah! in the colour 'Chryso'.

 

 

 

6 – Feeding the habit

I have been very good this month - not a single gram of yarn has been bought.  This is just as well because I tidied up the Stash Palace and I have enough to be getting on with.

 

What I did receive were some lovely crafting and lifestyle books (see links below).  My friend Jenny also ordered Vicki Brown’s 4 ply advent calendar.  Before I left her on Boxing Day, she pulled out six 10g mini skeins that she definitely won’t use.  So, they are now in my stash and I have sent her six 10g mini skeins that are more her colours. Everyone is a winner!

 

 

Ikigai - The Japanese secret to a long and happy life

Look what we made - a tribute to a handmade life 

Knits About Winter - 12 knitting patterns inspired by Winter

 

7 - Quick News Beats 

1 - Global Hook Ups – the first Hook Ups of 2019 are:

January – 12^th Saturday (night) and 13^th (morning) GMT

The other dates for the first half of 2019 are in the Ravelry thread.  

 

2 - The next yarn show that I am vending at is Waltham Abbey Wool Show on the 20^th January.  It’s run by Diane from the Crochet Chain, so has a nice mix of crochet at the show too.   

3 - I have set up the ‘Setting the Scene for 2019’ thread in Ravelry.  Feel free to use this as a space to set out your crafting and personal goals for the year.

 

I will be pulling together a very relaxed 2018 round-up and 2019 goals episode in the next week or so.  It will be a chatty episode with coffee and a roaring fire rather than my usual heavy edited style.  It’s more about signing up to the year ahead than spending hours at a computer making a shiny episode. 

 

8 – Big Up

There’s another podcast for you.  This one is hosted by the lovely and beautiful Marceline and it’s called the Hey BrownBerry podcast on YouTube.  She has been podcasting for a while and has 60 episodes to go at.  She is predominantly a  knitter but does all sorts of crafts from crochet to drawing.

 

Marce also works with a friend called Kelly and together they run MakersMerch on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/makersmerch selling pins and bags.

 

Until very recently Marce also had a natural yarn dyeing business that she runs with her daughter.

 

9 - J’adore

You lot.  I am not particularly good at responding to comments.  I see them all, but rarely get the time to respond.  I figure that you all prefer me spending time on show notes, reviews and trips out to interesting places anyway. 

 

Thank you for coming on my yarn journeys with me.  I have some fab things lined up for the year ahead…

  

Have a great start to 2019.  I will be back on Friday the 1st February!

 

Fay x

 

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