Commuter Knitter Podcast

After a bit of a bumpy fall, I am glad to be back here on the blog to share with you another beautiful yarn that I was sent for review.  Today, I bring you Manos Lace, a 70% baby alpaca, 25% silk, 5% cashmere blend lace weight yarn from Manos del Uruguay .  How is that for decadence after the holidays?  I'd like to thank Manos' US Distributor,  Fairmount Fibers, LTD , for sending me this skein of yarn for review.  As always, opinions stated here are my own. Before I dive into the yarn itself, I wanted to tell you a bit more about Manos del Uruguay .  Whenever I receive a skein of yarn, needles, books, etc. from a company with which I have not worked before, I always like to dig deeper to find out more about that company - what is their story?   And Manos' story is quite the fascinating one.  The label gives you a bit of background, but I encourage you to read more about Manos (which means hands in Spanish) on their website as well as th...

You've Arrived At Your Destination Hitofude  out of  Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light  in Volga for Camp Loopy Project 2 Mario Bedspread TheKnitGirllls   Stash Dash 2014 Drive Camp Loopy 2014  Ginny's Cardigan Purloining my own show notes from last year when I talked about subbing a different yarn that is not the same gauge: How to substitute yarn of a different gauge in a pattern.  A little bit of math is involved, but it's not too difficult. Pattern gauge - 4 sts per inch Personal gauge - 4.5 - 5 sts per inch Stitches at the bust to get desired size, which in this case for me is 34: x sts/34" = 5sts/1" x = 34*5 x = 170 sts This will be the number of stitches needed across bust to get the desired 34" bust measurement. Next, look through the pattern to find which size gives that number of stitches at the bust.  Use the numbers for that size in order to get the size I want. Rearview Mir...

Since I normally record the podcast in the car, I do not have the convenience of having a copy of the book I am reviewing or extensive notes in front of me for reference.  Therefore, I have decided to take a different approach with my review process by moving to written posts here on the blog to give you additional information, and to ensure that I have covered all that I want to mention.  I will still give an overview of the titles, products, or other review items within the podcast episodes, but I want to be sure to give these items proper attention as they are often provided to me from the companies free of charge.  As always, all opinions are my own.  I hope you find this new review format useful. © Cooperative Press Today I will be reviewing Mystic Shawls by Anna Dalvi.  This title is available from Cooperative Press for $26.95 for the print and eBook or $16.95 for the eBook.  Thank you to Cooperative Press for providing an eBook copy for my ...