Episode 299: ABCs- Abstraction, Birthdays & Crochet

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 299 of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast. Full show notes with photos can be found on my website. This week's segments included:

• Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
• On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins
• From the Armchair
• Crafty Adventures
• Knitting in Passing
• In my Travels
• KAL News
• Events
• Life in Focus
• On a Happy Note
• Quote of the Week

 

Thank you to this episode's sponsors: Bella Fio and Wild Violet Fibers

 

Visit us at wildvioletfibers.com to shop our latest collections and sign up for shop updates. Splash Pad Party participants can use discount code SPLASH25 for 15% off their order.

 

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

 

103 Hat

• Pattern: 103 Hat by Jennifer Lassonde. $5 Knitting Pattern available on  Ravelry & LoveCrafts
• Yarn: Malabrigo Rios (worsted) in 845 Cirrus Gray
• Needles: US 5 & US 7 (3.75 & 4.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• 115.2 meters (126.0 yards), 60 grams used.

 

Ebb & Flow Socks

• Yarn: Woolens & Nosh SW Targhee Sock in the Ebb & Flow colorway
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• This is the repeatable version of the 2023 Advent, with 16 of the original 24 colors.
• 259.3 meters (283.5 yards). 70 grams

 

Granny square top

• Yarn: MC- Cloudbourn Fibers Wool Fingering Twist in Natural (1 skeins), Advent Mini Skeins from Legacy Fiber Artz (Steel Toes Base) & Fibernymph Dye Works (Bounce Base)- both from 2024.
• Hook: D (3.25 mm)
• Pattern: none
• Ravelry Project Page
• 3 round granny squares: Round 1= more tonal color, Round 2= speckled, Round 3= natural
• Yarn organization: I put 2 sets of colors in each mostly clear zippered pouch from my Yarnable Subscription kits. It keeps the yarn from the mini skeins from getting tangled.
• Check out this Instagram reel which highlights.
• 60 squares total
• Cloudborn 371.7 meters (406.5 yards), 101 grams
• Legacy Fiber Artz- 162.9 meters (178.1 yards), 38 grams
• Fibernymph Dye Works- 60.4 meters (66.0 yards), 16 grams
• Total: 595 meters. 155 grams

 

Ball Band with a Twist Cozy

• Pattern: Ball Band with a Twist by Jennifer Lassonde. $2 Crochet pattern available on Ravelry & LoveCrafts
• Hooks: F (3.75 mm) & G (4.25 mm)
• Yarn: Loops & Thread Classic Cotton in Pewter, Midnight Blue and Bubblegum
• Ravelry Project Page
• Stash Dash: 40.3 meters
• You may also be interested in my more basic jar cozy pattern: Ball Band- Ravelry | LoveCrafts (free)

 

Stash Dash total for this episode- 1,009.8 meters

 

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

 

Boss A$$ B|tc# Socks

• Yarn: Woolens & Nosh Superwash Targhee Fingering in the Boss A$$ B|tc# Colorway (purposely not spelled out here, though it is on the label)
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• 90g of yarn to start
• About the Yarn: Self striping with yellow, tan, peach, pink, light aqua, teal & navy
• Progress: All but the toe of sock 2 is done

 

Miles' Montessori Toy

• Pattern: Montessori Colour Sorter by Lexie Warren. Free crochet pattern available on Ravelry & on Crochet River)
• Hook: D (3.25 mm)
• Yarn: Big Twist Value Solids in Purple, Orange, Teal and Cyan. Knit Picks Brava in Canary, Rouge and White.
• Ravelry Project Page
• I've gotten some great ideas in the Toy Cabana chat thread on Ravelry
• Progress: 6 cups and 4 balls are done. Need to do white for center (basket and ball)- then seam together. Clever pattern.

 

Felici Granny Stripe Blanket

• Yarn: Knit Picks Felici in Colorways: Punky, Whatits Galore (50g), Space Disco, Carrot Cake, Base Jump, Game Over, Secret Garden, Fiesta
• Pattern: Granny Stripe by Attic 24
• Hook: I (5.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• 7 colorways with 100g, 1 with 50g. I have another 50g skein I could add in (more of a pain because you have to wind off half).
• I am matching up stripes so they end at same time or as close as possible.
• Foundation half-double crochet 101. 1 row of dc (probably could have skipped).

 

Four Leaf Clover Granny Square Blanket

• Pattern: Four Leaf Clover Granny Square by by Apinya Roszko
• Hook: H (5.0 mm)
• Yarn: Knit Picks Brava 500 in colorway Mint & Loops and Threads Impeccable in Colorway 01808
• Size:  6 inch squares. Planning 5x7 blanket (30x42”) before border.
• Modification- the pattern calls for attaching new yarn (at the end of the square) to make the stem for the clover. I just chain to get to the center, make the stem and cut the yarn. I find it easy to crochet the granny square around it in Mint. No issues and one less end to weave in.
• I am joining squares as I go. I used this YouTube tutorial to remind me how to do this.
• Progress: Last time I had seamed 7 full squares. Now I have 14 (of 35) squares done and seamed.

 

716 Splash Pad Socks

• Yarn 716 Knit Sock Set  in the 716sock base in the colorway: It needs to be ok with getting on a boat with Levar Burton and never coming back.
• Ravelry Project Page
• About the yarn: stripe of black, stripe of bright poolside colors.
• Cast on June 1 for SPP Kick off.
• Jenna of 716 also sent me the mini skein set which is part of her SPP Exclusives. What should I do with my minis??
• Progress: Leg of first sock nearly finished

 

From the Armchair

 

• Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall.  Amazon Affiliate Link.
• Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue. Amazon Affiliate Link.

 

Crafty Adventures

I came home from a massage dying to paint. I pulled out my watercolors and painted the sensations of my pain and the colors I associated with each. I'll be playing with this concept more in the future (hopefully next time on actual watercolor paper and maybe using other media too).

 

Knitting in Passing

• A nice gentleman said my crochet was beautiful and that he crochets. I showed him my tank top which was nearly done at the time.
• We went to a grad party for my SIL and a friend of hers remembered me from Zach's birthday. She wants to crochet so we talked about resources etc.
• Reconnected with some of Dan's cousins recently. His cousin Melissa and I often talk books, so that was fun but she also said she'd like to learn to knit and/or crochet. Hoping to get together with her for lunch in Boston soon.
• Thank you to Suzanne- Sew Run It for the beautiful handknit hat and three knit hearts for my birthday. She started it shortly after my mom passed. Her notes say "The colors screamed Diane! The pattern is called Pair of Hearts and it too felt like a connection with her. I know you were and will remain close." Pattern= Pair of Hearts is by Chit Chat Knits and is available on Ravelry for $4.50.
• Lauren lbeth21 messaged me with Jess from Stitched by Jessalu at Central NY Fiber Fest
• Susie of The Huckleberry Girl offered to send me a bag. I was thinking of summer and Splash Pad when looking at her shop and she had a bag with Blueberries and Butterflies which made me think of Mom. So special. Thank you, Susie.

 

KAL News

• Splash Pad Party Registration is open
• View Stats and/or Verify Registration here.
• Check out our Sponsor List
• Splash Pad Official Rules
• Enter your FOs using the Summer Celebration Form. Then come over to this Ravelry Thread to share pics and let us ooh and ahh with you!
• Submit something incorrectly? Need help? Fill out this Support Form & we'll be in touch.

 

Splash Pad RAVELRY Links

• Start Here Thread
• Pro Shop Exclusive Items Thread
• Coupon Codes Thread
• Questions Thread

 

Events

• Stash Dash hosted by the Knit Girllls- May 29th-August 30th
• Summer Bingo with the Craft Cook Read Repeat Podcast . Get your Bingo Card on Instagram.
• Sock Week hosted by Knitty Natty- July 20-27
• Goal is to complete 1 adult sock during Sock Week
• Tour de Fleece: July 5-July 27 . Tour de Fleece Ravelry Group.
• Rest Days: Tuesday, July 15 and Monday, July 21.
• Challenge Days: The first one is Stage 10, on Monday, July 14. The second is Stage 15, on Sunday, July 20.
• Summer Spin In hosted by Marsha & Kelly of Two Ewes Fiber Adventure. May 31- September 1. All spinning and making with handspun yarn counts. Preparing fleeces also counts. Let’s go!
• Flock Fiber Festival in Seattle, WA- August 8-10
• Fiber Revival in Newbury, MA- August 16th

 

Life in Focus

 

• I shared about my Summer Bucket List and the graphic/template I created for my Patrons. Do you have any ideas for me?
• My Word of the Year for 2025 is Welcome. I recently received a beautiful cross stitched piece with the word Welcome on it from Heidi, Yarnitheidi on Instagram and Ravelry. Thank you, Heidi!

 

On a Happy Note

 

• The Splash Pad Kick Off Virtual sessions were so much fun!
• The Waitress at the North Shore Music Theater (closes 6/15)
• Cellar clean out, using new shelves and bins to organize. We also gathered a lot of items to donate.
• Playing Five Crowns, totally exhausted, crushing the guys (had a score of 3 then 7 for most of the game) and then going home to sleep.
• Quality time at the nail salon with Riley
• Knitting by the pool as Riley, Garret & Millie took their first dip.
• Will's high school graduation party.
• Flowers for my birthday
• Red Sox game with my Dad.
• A stressful work project really ramped up on my birthday. My friend got yummy pastries for us to share in the office.
• Celebrating my birthday with Dan, Dad, Riley Garret and Millie.
• Really funny birthday videos from Gabriella & Zachary.
• Audible sale. I got a ton of great books and I'm really excited about reading again.
• Daisies are finally starting to come in. They grow wild in our yard but they're late this year.

 

Quote of the Week

“A well-composed book is a magic carpet on which we are wafted to a world that we cannot enter in any other way.”

 

― Caroline Gordon

 

 

Thank you for tuning in!

 

Contact Information:

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• Knit Picks Affiliate Link
• Bookshop Affiliate Link
• Yarnable Subscription Box Affiliate Link
• FearLESS Living Fund to benefit the Blind Center of Nevada
• Music -"Soft Orange Glow" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/
• Note: Some links are listed as Amazon Affiliate Links. If you click those, please know that I am an Amazon Associate and I earn money from qualifying purchases.