One Podcast, One Skein

Hi Knitters!

Surely this can't be my front yarn (okay, I typed yarn instead of yard which is kind of perfect in a way) in Madison at the end of December. Sadly enough it's true. We love the winter, that's why we continue to live in this climate. When there is no snow it makes everything seem a little gray and sad. My children love bundling up for an afternoon of sledding at a huge hill just down the block. It hardly seems necessary for a cup of marshmallow-y hot chocolate when the temps are in the mid-40's every day. I feel it in my bones that soon we may get completely socked in by a blizzard. I hope for a snow day from school as much as the kids do. It feels like such a freebie, like a little cheat. Oh well, maybe soon.

Yesterday I took my run and listened to The Knitting Cook. This is a wonderful podcast from a young American mother, named Faith, living in Germany with her husband and two boys with another baby on the way. She knits and spins and can she cook! First she talks about her knitting and spinning adventures which are always fun to hear about. Next she tells a funny story about her adventures living in Germany. Her family is a recent transfer due to her husband's job. To finish things off she shares one of her favorite recipes while she actually makes the recipe in her kitchen as she talks. It is great to hear the spoons banging or things sizzling or how she fixes things if she makes a mistake as she goes. Faith has a great voice and right now she has holiday baking recipes on her site, www.theknittingcook.com, that I am definitely going to have to try. Baking is one of my favorite hobbies and these recipes are very appealing. This podcast should be on your subscription list for sure.

Now about those socks, Faith from The Knitting Cook is making a pair of Leigh Radford's Cable Footies from One Skein for her mother. As I was running I began thinking about the Cable Footies I made last year. I hadn't worn them for awhile so I rummaged around in my drawer and sure enough when I put them on this morning, my love for them returned quickly. What I remember most about these socks is that they are fast. I finished the pair in one or two days. But best of all, I learned a new technique while making these socks. I learned how to do cables without using a cable needle.

I learned this cable needle-free technique from Annie Modesitt's blog at www.anniemodesitt.com, where she had a step-by-step tutorial. When I just looked on her site for this tutorial I didn't see it but it is probably buried in there somewhere so just do a search for cable without a cable needle, and you will find her tutorial, which is excellent as always. This is a great technique and once you have it down your needles will fly even faster! Learn this technique, really.

My Cable Footies are made from the recommended yarn, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted in black. This is fantastic yarn and there was quite a bit left over at the end of the project. One Skein is a beautiful book, beyond wonderful and one of my favorites. Leigh Radford was also interviewed by Jennifer at the Craftsanity podcast. This makes for an interesting and informative listen from one of the leading designers in knitting today. It's a very worthwhile hour indeed!

You won't regret getting this book, listening to this podcast, learning a new technique, and maybe even baking some cookies by Faith.

best, susie

p.s. Shobhana from Yarnplay emailed me and asked to put my version of the Sidetracked scarf photo on her Yarnplay blog. Her blog is www.mylifeinstitches.net and the Yarnplay blog is www.wild_deer.typepad.com/yarnplay. Both great fun to read and explore. Shobhana is really just herself in her blog, she's honest, not trying to impress and that ends up being so cool. She's refreshing and talented so head on over there, too.