Episode 312: Crafting & Contemplation

 

Thank you for tuning in to Episode 312 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
• Brainstorming
• Knitting in Passing
• From the Armchair
• KAL News
• Events
• Contest, News & Notes
• Life in Focus
• On a Happy Note
• Quote of the Week

 

Off the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

 

Sheri's Christmas Socks

• Yarn: Gusto Wool Echos in Colorway 1515 (blue to purple gradient in 2-50g skeins)
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page

 

Gus the Dino

• Pattern: Gus the Dino by KP Crochet Patterns. $8.50 US Pattern on Etsy (on sale right now)
• Yarn: Bernat Blanket in Misty Green & Parfait Chunky in White
• Hook: J (6.0 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• I got 35 mm eyes from Amazon

 

Very Hungry Caterpillar Socks

• Yarn: Teal Torch Knits Splendid Sock (100% SW Merino) in the Emerald Colorway, Murky Depths Deep Sock in the Age of Aquarium Colorway & Legacy Fiber Artz Steel Toes in the Vanilla Bean colorway
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm) and US 2
• Ravelry Project Page
• The first sock is a colorwork leg sock with things the Very Hungry Caterpillar I measured from another socks- 12 rounds per inch. Goal is a 5 inch leg (after cuff), so ~60 rounds
• Cast on 56 sts with US 1.5 for cuff. After cuff, knit a few rounds before doing 4 sets of increases (4 increases each time) to get to 72 sts. Then changed to US 2 needles and tested for stretchiness after first block of colorwork.
• Using that I plotted out the colorwork for one sock based on Pacific Knit Co's Garden Doodle set.
• The second sock is has 12 round stripes of the 2 green colorways with a red toe to look like the caterpillar.

 

Miles Penguin

• Pattern: Penguin by Lion Brand Yarn- free crochet pattern on the Lion Brand website
• Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted minis in Black, Clarity, White and Orange colorways
• Hook: C (2.75 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• For this one I used two black circles bordered by white so I could skip the safety eyes (Miles is under 2 years old).

 

Dirty Crayon Box Socks

• Yarn: Fiber Stash Strong Toes Sock (80% SW Merino/ 20% Nylon) in the Dirty Crayon Box Colorway
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• I started these socks in October 2024 and finished on January 5, 2026

 

On the Needles, Hook or Bobbins

 

Woolens & Nosh 2025 Advent Socks

• Yarn: Woolens & Nosh, 75/25 Superwash Wool/Nylon 2025 Advent Colorway
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page

 

Kirby Wirby 2025 Advent Socks

• Yarn: Kirby Wirby 75/25 Superwash Merino/Nylon in the 2025 Advent Christmas Toys from the 80s 24 Stripe Colorway
• Pattern: OMG Heel Socks by Megan Williams ($5 knitting pattern available on Ravelry)
• Needles: US 1.5 (2.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• Yarn theme: Christmas Toys from the 80s

 

Traveler Sweater

• Pattern: The Traveler by Andrea Mowry ($9 pattern available on Ravelry & the designer's website)
• Yarn: Hazel Knits Small Batch Sport (90/10 SW/Nylon) in a sage green
• Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) & US 4 (3.5 mm)
• Ravelry Project Page
• Progress: finished the first sleeve and I'm at the cuff of the the second.

 

Pucker Brush Farm BFL Sweater Spin

• Fiber: 16 oz of multi colored BFL roving from Pucker Brush Farm (purchased at Rhinebeck 2025), 4 oz Merino in a mustard color
• Ravelry Project Page
• I am planning to knit a Traveler sweater inspired by Emily Curtis' handmade version- click here for her Ravelry Project Page. I was thrilled to see a recent post on Emily's Instagram that she made a YouTube video about this spin/knit.
• I found 4oz of Ironwood Hill Farm Roving- Finnsheep combed top that I purchased in April 2021. Unfortunately I can't find more of this on Cece's Wool site or Ironwood's etsy shop, but I think it will give me the idea for a tan/brown color plied with the colorful yarn, so I spun enough to make a sample yarn to swatch with.

 

Brainstorming

Crochet Ski Helmet Balaclava available on Etsy for $7.36

 

Knitting in Passing

• Millie finished the hat she was knitting for her dad with yarn from Plied Yarn Co.
• Aila loved her goose purse! Her reaction was priceless
• Eme loved their Very Hungry Caterpillar socks
• My dad bought me a set of 2 organizers for socks. Each holds 30 pair. Great for my handknits. They sit on the shelf in our closet and are a gray cotton/linen that matches our hampers! Here's an Amazon Affiliate Link in case you're interested in checking them out.

 

From the Armchair

• The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Amazon Affiliate Link.
• Tilt by Emma Pattee. Amazon Affiliate Link.

 

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.

 

KAL News

 

Pigskin Party '25

• Event Dates: KAL Dates- Thursday September 4, 2025- Monday February 9, 2026
• Find everything you need in the Start Here Thread in the Ravelry Group
• Official Rules
• Registration Form  (you must be Registered to be eligible for prizes)
• Enter your projects using the Point Tally Form
• Find the full list of Sponsors in this Google Doc.
• Coupon Codes are listed in this Ravelry Thread
• Exclusive Items from our Pro Shop Sponsors are listed in this Ravelry Thread
• Questions-  ask them in this Ravelry Thread or email Jen at downcellarstudio @ gmail.com

 

Updates In This Episode

• Official Sponsor for Quarter 3 (December)- Suburban Stitcher Mini Maker's Merry Month See details in this Ravelry Thread. Winner announced
• Official Sponsor for Quarter 4 (January)- Yarnaceous Fibers. Check out this Ravelry Thread for  4th & Goal with Yarnaceous Fibers Challenge Details
• December Participation Winners Announced
• Wild Card WIP Bonus- check out this Ravelry thread for details

 

Commentator Update

Happy new year pigskin partiers! 

The January huddle is abuzz with conversation. Several players have posted a list of everything that they made in 2025. We have some really prolific players in the group! The best thing about the conversation is that no one is competitive about it. Just lots of celebrations!  I find it kind of inspiring to see what others have accomplished. For example, hikesandbikes finished 54 knitted knockers! What a great cause! It inspires me to try knitting some this year.  Come on over and join the chat if you want to get inspired too! 

A few players have decided that they want to make sweaters in 2026. If you want to join in the fun, hop on over to a new Sweater MAL thread: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/down-cellar-studio-podcast/4390076/1-25

Another interesting topic of conversation in the January huddle stemmed from the unfortunate injury of one of our players. Sadly, she sprained her wrist. The group came through with lots of ideas for what to do when you can’t knit and crochet, including needle felting, doing puzzles, watercolors, playing with art supplies, journaling and as MrsQuilt put it, “whining, reading, and actually paying attention to what is on the TV”

I am wishing you all health, happiness, and strong crafting mojo in the new year!

Mary

 

Events

• Farm Fiber Days at Russell's Garden Center- January 18th & March 8th in Wayland, MA
• Sunkissed Fiber Festival: January 24-25, 2026- just outside Tampa, FL
• New England Farm & Fiber Festival- Sunday February 8 from 10a-4p in Boston, MA
• Fiber Witch Festival- April 24-26th in Salem, MA

 

Contest, News & Notes

• Check out my Vlogmas videos if you haven't already- click here for the full playlist.
• Thanks to Nellsknitting for starting a thread in the Ravelry Group about a Sweater KAL 2026. (Danielle in MA)- great chatter about WIPs, planning etc. Want to cast on and need some encouragement? check it out.

 

Life in Focus

 

In this episode I reviewed my 2025 word of the year and 25 in 25 list.

 

My Word of the Year for 2025: Welcome

 

25 in 2025

 

1. Donate Blood at least 4 times (January, March, May, Sept)
2. Go shopping for plants with Dan 4 times in the year (my Christmas gift from him)
3. Buy new ski boots
4. Go camping (scheduled for June)
5. Kayak 2-5 times (Saco- 2 days)
6. Do at least 5 walks with others (Megg 3/30)  bike riding with Dan twice in March. Walked with Megg (April), hike Mount Monument (Dan, Megg, Tom, Aila), Laura in 2 National Parks in Washington State 
7. Take 2-5 yoga classes (outside of the house)--- option- https://balancestudiocohasset.com/book-a-class/
8. Do at least 30 lessons in Mondly (had 25 done in 2024)- does not include daily lessons
9. Spend a day at Raffa Life-  September 21 with Laura and Megg
10. Record 2-5 things I'm grateful for each day before bed (more days than not counts)- fallen off.
11. Read all of Simple Abundance (ideally daily or close to)(10)
12. Read at least 60 books- all books count (even poetry etc)
13. Get at least 2 massages at Oasis (1 in April, 1 in June, 1 in September)
14. See 2-5 movies in the theater (Paddington in Peru, The Long Walk, Blue Moon, Wicked for Good)
15. Knit 2-5 garments for me (Aurealis - WIPs-Monsoonee Sweaters, granny stripe tank, Bayside tank) Granny tank, Bayside Shirt
16. Finish and enjoy my Christmas Granny Square Blanket
17. Crochet at least 5 toys (1: hedgehog 2& 3: Love Bugs, 4 pop-tart, 5 butterfly- another butterfly WIP, and TRex)
18. Use my spinning wheel at least once a month (Jan, Feb & March, April,  July, August, September, Oct, Nov (forgot May & June)
19. Have a crafty day with Emelie
20. Knit a slouchy hat for myself
21. Try out 3 new to me podcasts (Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, White Lotus official podcast, severance official podcast, Cramped)
22. Watch White Christmas with Jenny & Kara (bringing the tradition back)
23. Buy a firebox and put important papers inside (working with Dan on list of things to put in it)
    1. https://www.thenokbox.com (Debbie, deafelis recommended)
24. Create a list of things to pack in case of an evacuation
    1. https://www.thenokbox.com/ -deafelis- Debbie told me about it
25. Purge at least 20 items of clothing/accessories/shoes

 

 

On a Happy Note

• Dad's knee replacement was a big success! I stayed with him from December 5-21.
• Dad and I had a lovely visit from our friend Merry who came with an unexpected gift- a bracelet with beads made from my mom's funeral flowers in red (ruby slipper), yellow (yellow brick road) and white for home.
• Dan and I had a lovely double date night at the Irish pub with friends.
• I was able to see my 7 year old niece Hattie as Gretl in Sound of Music (twice!!!)
• Making Aunt Milly's cookies with Riley and Millie (and having a sleepover with them).
• Christmas Eve & Christmas Day were both lovely. Definitely different without my Mom and grandmother there but it was still a joy to be together. Our friend Gail joined us as she usually does and brought all sorts of fun games for us to play.
• The Sunday after Christmas, I was able to spend all afternoon with my grandmother, some of that alone. My friend Megg came over because she wanted to visit and say goodbye. We had dinner together after.
• My friend Laura came in for NYE. Small get together with friends at my Dad's turned into a real party, though most didn't stay until midnight. Megg wanted it to be a sparkly kind of night so Laura and I got outfits for the three of us at the consignment shop on the way over! Very silly fun.
• My cousin Mike and his husband Kyle came up from Florida.
• My grandmother's services were beautiful with contributions from lots of family members. While it was more stressful than mom's, and it was the worst form of deja vu having the same schedule for that exact same Thur/Fri two years in a row- my grandmother would be happy with how it all turned out. 
• Skiing on Saturday after the funeral. 7 of us, impromptu trip, icy conditions but we still had a blast.

 

Quote of the Week

“Amidst the normal hard stuff is the abnormal hard stuff. You may be doing great, but no one great always had it great. At the end of each day, as you prepare for the next, I hope you take an inventory of your life, your thoughts and where you’re headed. The wind can take you some cool places, but so can your paddle.”

 

― Richie Norton

 

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• 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.