Episode 1: Getting to Know Each Other

Posted on by Addicted to Yarn

Thank you all for watching. Hope you enjoyed yourself (I know I did!). Without further ado:

Show notes:

WIPs:

FOs:

Future Projects:

Project suggestions?:

Reviews:

  • Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson
  • Schachenmayr Nomota vs. Schachenmayr SMC

Watching and Reading:

Other video podcasters to watch:

50 responses to “Episode 1: Getting to Know Each Other”

    • Thanks. I will have to try the Turkish Cast on but it requires to circular needles of the same size, which I don’t have. I need to order some but I know I won’t get out of an online store with just needles and I can’t justify another yarn purchase. At least not yet. 🙂

      The Chickadee Cowl is neat. I’ve not made any cowls yet (though they seem to the rage right now) but I’m going to “favorite” this one and think about it. The stitches remind me of the potholders I used to make with my little square loom with the loops.

      Thanks for watching and for the suggestion.

      Reply

  2. Great first episode! For that bulky purple yarn, have you considered the Starving Artist hat that Lala from the Knitgirllls designed?

    Reply

    • I had not considered the Starving Artist Hat but I’m considering it now. 🙂 I love hats and that may be the excuse I need to cast on another.

      Thanks for watching!

      Reply

  3. Hi Becky! Nice to meet you. My name is Cathie Jones. I’m “KateJonze” on Ravelry and Plurk.

    “Rainlover” (Sarah Campbell) posted a link to your podcast on Plurk this morning. I enjoyed watching it.

    If it hasn’t happened yet, you will probably get a few recommendations for Laura Linneman’s (Lalaknits) “Starving Artist” hat for the bulky yarn. The pattern is free on Ravelry. Everybody’s making them right now. Except me, I don’t have any bulky yarn.

    Austermann Step yarn is one of my favorites for socks. Can you get Zauberball there? It’s fun, too. Malabrigo is my favorite sock yarn, but probably not available there.

    I’ll book mark your podcast and keep watching!

    Cathie

    Reply

    • Hi, Cathie, Nice to meet you!

      The Starving Artist Hat has been suggested. I saw Erin (MommyNeedsYarn) made one a while back but hadn’t considered it for this yarn until SheepishLittleBlog suggested it.

      I’ve only seen Austermann in the “nice” yarn store which is in the nearest big town and I’ve only been there the one. I will have to keep an eye out for “Step” next time. I’ve also never heard of Zauberball. Again, will have to keep my eyes peeled. And, no, I’ve not seen any Malabrigo over here but I am lusting after it as, seriously, every podcaster is tempting me with its gorgeousness. ARGH.

      Anyway, thanks for stopping by and for dropping a comment. Take care.

      Reply

  5. Welcome to Yarn Desert Germany. LOL Very interesting what you said about the two Schachenmayr yarns. I didn’t even know there was a Schachenmayr SMC, I only knew the nomotta. Have you seen some Zitron yarn (another German brand)? They have some nice ones. If you want to try German hand dyed yarn, try http://www.drachenwolle.de She uses lots of (if not completely) Zitron yarn.

    I really liked your first video and hope you’ll continue. BTW, your German sounds great!

    Reply

    • Huh. Usually we call it “Armpit of Europe” Germany but “Yarn Desert” works very well. I may deem it that from here-forth.

      There is a craft store in Bitburg that carries Schachenmayr. In the Extra Merino Big, they only carry (and can ONLY carry) the nomotta. However, the Extra Merino (not big), they carry in the premium and ONLY in the premium. So weird. But at least they aren’t mixing it up like the store in Trier.

      I’ve not noticed Zitron yarn but I’m usually so overwhelmed by the pretty colors that I tend to not notice a lot of things. The yarns at drachenwolle.de are GORGEOUS! I will have to work on some translating before doing any buying (we had a misunderstanding with IKEA.de where I thought our things were delivered in 2 weeks but were in fact delivered the 2nd week of the new year – about 2 months later than I thought…oops) but I will definitely have to peruse that…a lot.

      Reply

      • Actually, they have an English navigation page at http://www.drachenwolle.de/english-navigation-1.php Also, the information on the yarn pages are in English, too.

        Oh no! @ your IKEA misunderstanding.

        Armpit of Europe? Doesn’t sound very nice. I hope you don’t really mean it. ;o) But more than that I want to know *why* you’d call it that? I am always interested in hearing what “foreigners” have to say about my country. That’s a good way to get a better view on oneself – and learn from it.

        If you’ve got any question (language or otherwise), please ask. I am theresmiling on Ravelry, so you can PM me there.

      • Well, it turns out that both my husband and I need the sun. Specifically, we need more sun than our portion of Germany provides us. Also, our German experience is colored by the fact that my husband is in a job he hates, we are surrounded by people that are not like us (I am referring here to fellow American servicemembers and their families and not the Germans we talk to – they are usually great), and our base seems to get the short end of every stick. I think if we were free to really enjoy it, we probably would but our dissatisfaction with the AF colors everything else.

        That all said, let me say some nice things about Germany.

        I love the German language. It is wonderful to me. I just love it. I like the rules of it and I like the way it feels on my tongue.

        I love the walking paths that are somewhat isolated (not along a road), that go through woods and along streams/rivers. I love finding houses or mills that seem inaccessible by motor vehicle but there is clearly a road leading to them.

        I love walking to the bakery for fresh baked bread. I have come to loathe American store bought bread and will probably have to find a local bakery in the states or make my own again because I can never go back. I love REWE’s kirsch Plunders. They are my favorite treat. I love RitterSport Chocolates.

        I love having the world-view expanding experience of living abroad. I had no idea how privileged and “entitled” I was until I came here and had to do a serious attitude check when I freaked out because restaurants weren’t open at 2:30pm on a Tuesday cuz I WAS HUNGRY! I had to ask myself why the restaurant owner should have to work all day long on the off chance that I might be hungry in the middle of the afternoon. Answer: He or she doesn’t.

        So. Sorry for the long answer. It was good for me to remind myself of the good things about Germany. Oh, another one is that gray cloudy days are perfect for sitting in the house knitting. 🙂

  6. I’m sorry to hear about your bad experiences. :o( Knowing that, I hope that your remaining year over here will be over fast and that your husband can find a new job that he likes. Don’t be sorry about a long reply. I liked reading it and I appreciate it. :o)

    Oh Ritter Sport… LOVE. I just visited their factory outlet last week. They are just around the corner from where I am. Actually I am eating some just now. Yummm…

    I feel the same about the English language as you do about German. :o) I adore it, but I still have a lot to learn.

    But first, I’ll go to bed. Good night!

    Reply

    • Regarding the husband’s job…he is in the Air Force so not a lot of chance of that changing. He will most likely deploy in January for six months at which point Jael and I will move back to the States because when he gets back in July, we will only have 3 months left and he will have 3 months of leave saved up so (heaven forbid we are in any more international tussles that result in his enlistment being involuntarily extended) he will just take that leave and come on home.

      As spring approaches, Germany gets better and better. Winter is really hard for me over here. Maybe it’s an age thing and winters would have been getting harder and harder regardless of where we were but I’ve never struggled with depression like I have here. Each winter is worse. It’s hard to remember any of the “good” while it takes all my willpower (never had much to begin with) to get dressed and get my daughter to school without having an emotional meltdown. So. Bring on the SUN!

      Where is the Ritter Sport factory? I think that is something I would really love to tour!

      Reply

      • Where are you from originally? Where you usually don’t have cold and dark winters? Or: we are on a higher latitude here, than the USA, which makes for darker winters. I like winter, but after 8 weeks I wished it was gone. Now. This second. LOL And spring doesn’t seem to be willing to come this year. Doesn’t help at all. Especially when you have depressions! I hope for you that the sun comes out again soon and it will finally be spring! :o)

        Ritter Sport is in Waldenbuch. Look here: http://www.ritter-sport.us/#/en_US/waldenbuch/

      • We are from Iowa. Long, cold winters but not the fog and cloud cover that our part of Germany experiences. And, because of the latitude, the sunlight is not as strong here. And my family is in Iowa and it turns out I need them more than I realized, too. 🙂

        Thanks for the link. I will be checking that out more in depth and see if maybe Jael and I can go see that this summer.

  7. I enjoyed your videocast very much. I am a big fan of Dexter also, have you listened to the audiobooks? I have Darkly Dreaming Dexter and Dexter by Design on my iPod right now.

    Fingerless mitts or hats would be nice in both the yarns you showed us. I was also going to suggested either Starving Artist or Starving Musician by Laura Linneman.

    I can relate to the family members who change the subject when you start talking about your latest knitting/crochet/yarn. My roomie/Mom does it all the time. I look forward to hearing all about your fiber interests and Germany.

    Until next time Auf Wiedersehen

    Bev aka paletpc

    Reply

    • I’ve read the first Dexter book and I didn’t care for the guy’s writing style. I don’t know if it was because it didn’t “match” the Dexter I “knew” from TV or what but I didn’t really care for it. However, for listening it might be okay, especially if it’s read by a good voice. Where did you get them from?

      My husband is wonderfully patient but he’s no yarn enthusiast and quickly looses interest. Luckily, I’ve laid the groundwork of listening to his lectures on subjects I don’t find especially interesting for the last 9 years so he’s sort of got to listen to me.

      Thanks for stopping by. Auf Wiedersehen!
      Tchüss

      Reply

  8. OMG you’re friggin adorable, totally loved this episode, and look forward to more. Anyone who enjoys a good Bronte is a friend of mine as far as I’m concerned. Keep podcasting, seriously, I’m enjoying you far too much.
    And as to recommendations on patterns I think the dark purple stuff needs to be a cowl my first thought was something like this:http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stockholm-scarf but you don’t have the yardage, still I think a cowl with the squishiness and halo of the yarn would just be pure hot sex.

    Reply

    • *blush* Thank you so much. I started watching your podcast yesterday and I think you are adorable, too. Love your tattoos and the lip ring. I’ve considered getting a lip ring but I’m afraid I won’t be able to pull it off. You pull it off very well.

      I feel I have to make a confession. I don’t think I’ve read any other Brontë works besides Jane Eyre. I love to read and I love some classics but I’m also easily bored with descriptive writing. It was interesting to listen to Jane Eyre and realize how much of the descriptions I usually skim over. It added a lot to it so I’m thinking I might have to give some other classics a try via audiobook.

      Reply

  9. Hi there! I heard about your podcast on plurk and had to check it out. Absoultely loved this first episode.

    My husband is in the air force and I can totally understand where your frustrations come from. He’s never been stationed outside of the US, but there have been a few US bases that I felt the same way about as you do. Right now we are in the Washington DC area and don’t actually live on a base so I feel like we are living the civilian life for the first time. I kinda miss living on a base.

    At any rate, I’m happy to have connected with you on the interwebs and look forward to your future episodes!

    Oh and when I saw the yarn you showed, Starving Artist was also my first thought. =)

    Reply

    • A fellow Air Force wife! Welcome! We were stationed in Biloxi, MS prior to Germany and that too felt pretty isolated. How do you like the East Coast? My BIL lived in DC for a while and my husband spent a few weeks over there and really enjoyed it. I hope to visit some day.

      See you around!

      Reply

      • We were in Biloxi 12 years ago. It was our first base 🙂 Been to 4 other bases between there and here. I love the east coast, my hometown is only about 4.5 hours away so that’s nice. Being stationed in DC is kinda crazy and really expensive, but there’s so much to do and see here. Anywho, it’s great to meet you!

  10. Loved the podcast. I will definitely be back for more episodes and have you bookmarked with my favorites. I don’t do many accessories, but the Starving Artist hat is a good suggestion.

    Reply

  11. Watched your podcast for the first time thanks to Blue Ruin. You did a great job and I enjoyed it very much. Re: your LYS yarn variety I can’t help but wonder how far you are from the store that carries Wollmeise in Germany? Is that an option? Also, about the turkish cast on, maybe try the knit picks long circs, I love them for socks and they are very inexpensive and guaranteed for a lifetime.

    Reply

    • Wollmeise is not readily available. Mores the pity. 😦 I will be making a knitpicks order in the next couple of weeks and some circs will be in the cart. 🙂

      Reply

  12. I enjoyed your first episode! Sorry you don’t have great indie yarn choices over there, but when you first said you’re in Germany, I couldn’t help but think you must have easy access to Wollmeise! LOL Maybe that’s not accurate, because I’m not even sure how available WM is over there, I just know it’s a coveted yarn here and not always easy to get.

    Reply

  14. You totally need to make that drive even if you don’t buy any yarn, at least you can drool on it! 😀
    I LOVE Dexter and I cannot wait for the next season. We have to wait until fall! That is just not fair! lol

    Reply

  15. Loved it very much. Really good content, decent quality and I love your hair!
    Really looking forward to the next one. Well done!

    Reply

  17. hi there! i really enjoyed your video podcast:) i heard about it from listening to jadee:) i’m here in germany as well. and we are not close to any “great” yarn shops, so i completely understand where you are coming from. pretty much you can get any color of regia you might dream of, but after that…you gotta go hunting. i did discover wollmeise, phaffenhofen is about an hour from my house. totally worth the drive, i’ve gone 3 times in the past year. be prepared though if you make the trip (you totally should:)) when i first walked in i was completely overwhelmed at the vibrant colors. she had a sale last september, and i took full advantage of it. it was fun! i had never even heard of the yarn either! the closest major city to us still does not seem to have a yarn shop with any nice handpainted yarns. i’ve started ordering things from etsy, based on other people’s recommendations and so far, so good. i also use WEBS a lot. we are in a very rural area as well, farms are abundant here. i miss the states sometimes, but mainly for selfish reasons, like…i want lunch at 4:00 or i want to go to the lys and it is sunday, or i want a starbucks chai tea latte:) i really like living over here, i wish i had a better grasp of the language, and i’m making the most of the time. we also do not get any sun 😦 this was my second winter here, and i felt more down than last, and that was something i was not used to. we try to go snowboarding anytime we can in austria, but my husband sometimes works for 2 months at a time with a rare day off, so that isn’t always feasible. so, i have school to keep me busy (on-line) and knitting. the lack of sun is also frustrating as far as picture taking of projects goes. but i was given some lights for valentines day to help with that. anyway, i just wanted to say hi, and that i understand what you mean about living here, even though i really do like it. my husband wishes we were in a bigger city, and sometimes i do too, but more often than not i like how quite it is here. i look forward to more podcasts from you:)

    Reply

    • Hello, fellow Germany dweller! Yeah, my missing of the States is generally in a “boy this is inconvenient right now” kind of way. Well, that and missing my family. I never thought I would miss those crazy people but darn it, I do. My brother is getting married and I’m sad that I won’t get to meet his fiance until right before the wedding – during one of the more stressful events in a young woman’s life.

      I will have to hit up the Wollmeise store. It’s about 5 1/2 hours from us, but now that nicer weather is about, I feel more like traveling. Winter really brings me down and I just want to hide in my house and knit pretty things. 🙂 Now that it’s sunnier, I want to go outside and knit in the sun.

      Reply

  18. Fabulous first episode! I look forward to seeing more. oh yes, I have to add “Jadee of Twisted Strands sent me” since she mentioned you on her videocast and I’m always looking to add more to my watching/listening list. I think the purple bulky yarn would be wonderful as a Starving Artist hat and the pink yarn would be an awesome cowl – can’t think of a specific pattern right now.

    Reply

  19. Hi Becky,
    Just wanted to say and let you know how much I enjoyed your podcast. I just recently discovered video podcasts, too. I absolutely LOVE them. I will be adding yours to my list of favorites. Looking forward to seeing more. 🙂

    Reply

    • Thank you so much for watching and I don’t know if you can thank someone for enjoying it but if I can, I do. 🙂 Hopefully I’ll post weekly – aiming for Wednesdays. See you around!

      Reply

  21. Really enjoyed your first episode!! Last night my husband and I just finished watching Seasons 4 of Dexter…watched first four seasons within the last month. OMG totally didn’t see that coming! Can’t wait to buy Season 5. I suggest fingerless mitts for the pink yarn. Enjoy your time in Germany! Looking forward to many more shows.

    aka 1to1

    Reply

    • I accidentally read a spoiler for Season 4 so I knew how it ended before I even started. Made it a little anti-climatic but it was still enjoyable. Season 5 is really good. I have some patterns for fingerless mitts that the pink yarn might go really well with. I’ll have to dig them out and see if one “fits.”

      Reply

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