Deborah’s been able to work on (and even finish!) some knitting projects, including a thong for a male friend, a Trail Jacket, a Larch Cardigan, and another Sockhead Hat.

Savvy Mom reads some knit-lit to you, with a crochet-themed passage from Anne of Windy Poplars (one of the Anne of Green Gables novels).

It’s been over two and a half years since Melanie declared that she hated knitting, and it’s time to test her to see if she’s learned anything since then…

Melanie’s on the wrong side of the law, but she’s distracting herself from that trauma by focusing on planning for her new knitting-themed CD and her upcoming fringe plays.

Deborah has been lost in sweater fantasies and old Yarn Harlot posts, but she has actually been knitting, too; specifically the Larch cardigan, Trail jacket, and Minty hat.

Savvy Mom gets a chance to talk about what she’s been working on in her Karen’s Crochet Corner segment, and she and Melanie chat about Dr Watson’s important knitwear (sorry for the spoilers!).

Then, Deborah reviews the Zephyr Acrylic Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needles. Will these be the perfect knitting sticks for travel? You’ll have to listen to find out…

Some links from the show:

• Video Power game show
• SavvyBro’s afghan
• toadyjoe (Outlier podcast)
• deltapurl (Etsy store)
• Dr. Spencer Reid
• Traveling Woman shawl
• Sockhead hat

This episode is somewhat of a unique experiment for the Savvy Girls: an entire podcast done in one sitting. Topics were chosen at random from a hat (plus a couple from Twitter) and the girls had to talk about the chosen topic until the timer runs out.

Hope you like this one — let us know what you think of it!

Crazy Quail

After a quick life and news update, Deborah gets a chance to talk about her knitting.

Savvy Dad answers some more listener questions, and Savvy Mom and Deborah review and critique the September 2011 issue of Creative Knitting Magazine.

The gerbils proudly return with some musical cheer; and Deborah reads some holiday-themed knit-lit: The Telltale Tile from Kristy’s Queer Christmas.

Our heroines finish off their latest South American adventure with this continuation of their trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Melanie and Deborah are still traveling!
Listen as they weave their way through the craziness of the Mama Negra festival in Latacunga, perform at the Canadian ambassador’s house, and attempt to find their sea legs on the way to the Galapagos Islands.

This is the first part of their Galapagos trip; the second half (which is also the last episode in this travel series) will be posted soon.

The Girls’ adventures from Ecuador continue, as they… get closer to nature…

The girls are together in Ecuador!
This, along with the next few episodes, will be all about their traveling adventures! Enjoy!!

In this episode, we pick up where the last one left off, as The Savvy Girls cover the second day of this year’s Rhinebeck festival.

Listener Cynthia asks Savvy Dad a question, then Deborah tries to interview Designer Stephen West… but gets interrupted by a very enthusiastic fan.

The Girls have an enlightening chat with David from Crimson Shamrock Alpacas; and they talk to Alasdair Post-Quinn, Shannon Okey, Anna Dalvi, Heather Ordover, Andi Smith, and Stephannie Tallent from Cooperative Press.

Finally, they review how they did on their Rhinebeck scavenger hunt.

In this episode, join Melanie and Deborah for their adventures on the first day of Rhinebeck, 2011.

The Girls met lots of great people, and had the pleasure of talking to several of them in this show, including:

• Sarah
• Natalie
• Fran
• Amy
• Becky
• Genevieve
• Laura from the delicious Bennett’s Maple Products / Mapleland Farms booth
• Tammy
• Sharon
• Martine, Krista, and Allison
• Jessica
• Yvonne

Episode 61 will be out soon, with more Rhinebeck-y goodness.
In the mean time, you can listen to the shows from our first and second visits to the festival.

This weekend (October 14-16), the Savvy Girls are going to Rhinebeck! (AKA The New York Sheep & Wool Festival)
They’re super-excited, and they’ve got lots of related fun planned. If you’re in the area, come by one of the meetups (details below) and say hi.

Shockingly enough, though, there is life outside of Rhinebeck.

Deborah has been sewing.

Melanie and Savvy Mom interviewed a very creative knitter at the local farmer’s market.

The next Canadian Special Olympics are being held in the Savvy Girls’ home town. Support the games by knitting or crocheting a scarf for the participants!

SavvyBubby is back… and SavvyUnc makes a triumphant entrance with his very own Bringing It Back word: passel.
Join the movement and help us to bring this great word back.

Rhinebeck Meetups!
If you’re going to be at Rhinebeck this weekend we’d love to meet you.

We’ve got two meetups planned:
• On Friday, we’re going to be at Kyoto Sushi in Kingston, New York. If you’re able to join us for dinner, give us a shout.
• We’ll also be at the official Ravelry meetups, on both Saturday and Sunday at noon. Details here.

When she was in Victoria a few weeks ago, Melanie got to chat with the owner of the LYS, Knotty By Nature.

The Girls will be going to Rhinebeck on the third weekend in October.
If you’re going to be there, they’d love to meet you; if not, you can be sure they’ll have lots of stories from the festival to share in future episodes.

Melanie goes extreme apple picking with Savvy Mom, and Deborah talks about what’s on her needles.

And finally, the gerbils close things out with an operatic ode to synthetic fiber.

Deborah, meanwhile, is just getting over a cold. Unsurprisingly, that hasn’t kept her away from a variety of knitting projects.

While Melanie was fringe-ing about, she was able to meet and interview two of our awesome listeners: narfaz and ninidoo.

Finally, Savvy Mom reads a bit from the Janet Lambert book, Star Spangled Summer, and Melanie joins her in analyzing a short clip from a recent episode of the TV show, Weeds.

Music from this episode:
In This Moment – The Rabbit Hole: The Dream
Yodelice – Sunday with the flu
Arogant Worms – Canada’s Really Big
Flo Rida – Right Round

Melanie is still working hard promoting and performing her latest show at various fringe festivals.

Deborah talks a bit about her knitting and spinning, and reviews the book Great Knitted Gifts.

And the gerbils are back! They borrow a tune from a Broadway musical to pay tribute to crocheting.

Deborah gives an update on her knitting, as she talks a bit about her experience participating in the Tour de Fleece, trying Fractal Spinning, and learning a new shawl bind-off edge technique.  She also shares some great tips and tricks for knitting with lace.

Then, Melanie arranges a challenge for Savvy Dad, and Savvy Mom chimes in, in defense of crochet.

When Melanie was recently Fringing her way ’round London (the Canadian one), she was fortunate enough to cross paths with several fellow crafters. Each of them offered different advice on how to deal with a certain Savvy someone’s new non-knitting hobby… listen to find out what they said.

It’s finally time for Deborah’s solo podcast!

Deborah bought herself some presents: A new Schacht Matchless spinning wheel and a Pat Greene drum carder.
Her decisions were made much easier because of the assistance provided by Maggy Casey (author of Start Spinning), from the shop Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins was a big help.

Want to learn more about the Tour de Fleece? Want to participate?

Deborah reviews the book Spin to Knit by Shannon Okey, discusses the patterns Traveling Woman (by Liz Abinate) and the Oaklet Shawl (by Megan Goodacre), and talks about the yarns Socks that Rock by Blue Moon Fiber Arts and Merisock by Punta Yarns.

What’s an episode of The Savvy Girls podcast without a little enabling? Romi Hill has a new 7 Small Shawls e-book coming out. Check out her website here.

The BarknKnit podcast featured a piece written by Deborah. Give Gnat’s Episode 52 a listen to hear what Deborah submitted.

While she was in Edmonton, Alberta, Deborah got to visit the lovely local yarn shop, River City Yarns.
Once she returned to Bogota, she explored the LYS scene there: The Stitch is interesting, but she definitely recommends Casa Rosada.

Music in this episode includes:
- Spinning Wheel by Clare Dowling
- For the Longest Time by Danny Fong
- Spinning My Wheels by Dan Montgomery
- Cecelia by Danny Fong
- Colourful but The Parlotones
- Knitten Knitting Blues by Jacob Haller
- Far Away by Cat House Dogs
- I Miss You by Adam Stokes

Melanie caps off her solo-traveling series with a trip to Florida for the Orlando Fringe Festival.
When she wasn’t coughing her way through performances, she was meeting lots of great new friends–she even got to visit Disney World and go yarn shopping with listener kigeliakitten!

Melanie continues her adventure in the streets of Morocco, then she pops back to the UK where she goes back for more yarn shopping at Loop, visits with A Playful Day‘s lovely host GreenTriangleGirl, goes to a Kate Rusby concert, and meets some distant relatives for the first time.

Enjoy!

Join her as she explores more of the Czech Republic, shares some travel tips, (eventually) finds a local yarn store—and talks a bit about the yarn that she found, and meets up with a listener in Germany.

She recently performed in the Czech Republic, and had a wonderful time exploring the city and meeting new people.
Listen as she takes you, dearest listener, along for the ride. Enjoy!

Savvy Mom brings some learning into the sisterly silliness, with a bit of a grammar lesson.

Melanie traveled to London on the day of the royal wedding, and made sure to document it all for you.
Try as she might, though, she can’t escape the knitting; Melanie joined the host of the podcast A Playful Day (GreenTriangleGirl) and the crowd at the Loop yarn shop in London for a chat.
One obsession passion shifts into another, as she pops over to the Doctor Who Experience, before heading off for some Czech adventure.

Before she left New York, Melanie performed with some friends in New Jersey. Somehow, the knitting talk just couldn’t be avoided.

Deborah finally finished her friend’s beaded lace wedding shawl. (Check out her Ravelry project page for more pics and info.)

Savvy Mom joins Melanie to read some knit-lit: an excerpt from one of L.M. Montgomery’s spooky tales; and SavvyDad is back, with insightful answers to all of your pressing questions.

Deborah waxes eloquent on the joys of springtime knitting, and an award-winning designer drops by for a visit…

You’ve waited long enough: We finally announce the winners of our ‘ruined knitwear’ contest!
We had a lot of fun with this one.  Check out the Ravelry thread to read some of the tragic entries.

Deborah has almost got a new spinning wheel. While she’s waiting, shes keeping herself busy with lots of other fun projects, which she’ll be posting on her new Creativity Corner.

The wonder that is Malabrigo yarn gives Melanie the inspiration to design and share her Squeaky Mittens pattern and drives Savvy Mom to wax poetic.

During her recent visit to Toronto, Melanie got to hear (and record) some fascinating wartime knitting stories. Take a listen!

A few shows back, we launched a contest to describe the ultimate knitting bag, and we’re happy to announce the winners. Thanks to everyone that entered!

Deborah brings back the knitting with an update on her Malabrigo March Knit-Along, a yarn from her stash, and an interesting knitting-related article.
Not to be outdone, Melanie makes sure to tell you all about her own special Malabrigo March design project.

The girls caught up with designer and author Jil Eaton when they were at Vogue Knitting Live. Listen for their interview with her.

Deborah’s finally finished her Ruby Red cardigan.

The New York run of Melanie’s fringe play has just wrapped up. Thanks to everyone that came out to see it!

Deborah is super excited about Malabrigo March. She’s even hosting her own Knit-Along.

The Girls are having a ball on Twitter, come join the conversation!

Deborah starts off this episode by sharing some stories from her recent trip to Quito, Ecuador.

We got a chance to talk to Artist and Writer Franklin Habit at Vogue Knitting Live last month. He shared some hints about vintage patterns, his favorite sources for antique patterns, life before Ravelry, and lots more!

Melanie plays a song from her fringe play My Pal, Izzy. (Come see the show if you’re in New York!)

Don’t forget, our contests are still open until the end of the month! Leave a comment on our website or in our Ravelry group, describing your worst tale of knitwear destruction and/or your vision of the perfect knitting bag.

The Savvy Girls went to the Vogue Knitting Live knitting show in New York last weekend. They had a fantastic time and got to meet and chat with some great people!

Interviews in this show:

• Debbi, Marcy, and Susan at the Blue Moon Fibre Arts booth
• Julie Wisenberger of Cocoknits
• Anna Hrachovec, author of Knitting Mochimochi
• Carl Koop of the yak-fiber label Bijou Spun
• Fellow Canadians Emily and Wendy
• Chris Hanner of Blackthorn Needles
• Sue Bundy from Solitude Wool
• Cheryl from the yarn store Knit

We’ve got some more great interviews in upcoming shows — stay tuned!

Deborah’s working on the Seascape Stole and doing even more sewing… but Melanie’s in birthday-mode with some tales of birthday past, some knit-lit, and lots more.

Plus, The Case Of The Ivory Needles (our original radio drama) nears its conclusion. Listen to the first four parts, if you’ve missed them.

Then, the girls bring back a word: cnyttan. Can you help to re-popularize it? (Can you pronounce it?)

The Savvy Girls will be at Vogue Knitting Live in New York this weekend, let us know if you’ll be there too!

What better way to celebrate a birthday than with presents?
That’s right… contest time!

• What’s your idea of the perfect knitting bag?
• Have you witnessed some knitwear meet its tragic end?

Send us your answers to either (or both) of these questions entries for a chance at some great prizes! (See below for more details.)

Music in this episode:

• David Francey – Red-Winged Blackbird
• Paul “Lolly” Lawton – How Long Do I Wait
• Red Molly – Black Flowers
• Stan Rogers – Mary Ellen Carter
• Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman – Rosie Anderson

Contest details:

• Prizes include: a great book, or some special yarn from Manos Del Uruguay, Malabrigo, or 100 Pure Wool.
• How to enter? Easy:
  • leave a comment below,
  • send us an email to podcast@savvygirls.ca,
  • post it in the contest thread in our Ravelry Group,
  • or, send it through Twitter or Facebook.
• You’ve got until the end of February 2011 to send your entries in.
• Questions? Check out the Ravelry post for more info.

Happy (belated) new year!

We start off 2011 with some exciting news about the book that the girls teased last summer.

Deborah learns what donegal tweed is, and talks about what she’s knitting:

• Ruby Red cardigan (See her Ravelry project page to see how she’s modifying it for herself.)
• A Nice Ribbed Sock out of pink Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock Multi
• Seascape Stole out of Rowan Kidsilk Haze

She’s also been doing some sewing, and has made herself some project bags.

• Grab Bags
• Large Patchwork Bag

Meanwhile, Melanie talks about her Doctor Who-themed gloves, her Azapa yarn, and the gorgeous socks designed by listener Rebekkah.

A year ago, the girls made some new years resolutions and goals for 2010. How did they do? Listen to find out!
And what does 2011 hold? Deborah’s still looking for the perfect sweater, and is excited to try the Pole and Goodale cardigan patterns.

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures from this episode!

The girls learn to wet felt, and have some fun dyeing yarn for Melanie’s new dream gloves.

Are you a new listener? Deborah explains what The Savvy Girls are all about.

The Gerbils even drop in to sing some special holiday songs, and SavvyDad answers some more listener queries.

Enjoy!

Check out our Facebook page for some more fun pics from this episode!

I have collected many recipes for latkes, including sweet potato latkes, butternut squash latkes, baked latkes, zucchini latkes, etc. The following recipe is the traditional way to make these lovely, delicious fried treats.
Enjoy the latkes with a variety of toppings. (See notes below.)

Deborah talks about working on the Ruby Red cardigan, with the help of this provisional cast-on video.

Curious about what goes though the mind of a Savvy Girl? Listen to find out…

Melanie shares a song she wrote and recorded, all about her home province of Alberta, Canada.

Melanie brings back her knit-lit segment, featuring Mrs. Isabella Beeton’s Book of Needlework.

We’ll be at Vogue Knitting Live! in January. Are you going?

Melanie was on the Dr. Oz Show! Watch her segment here!

The girls chat with fellow crawlers Kelly and Maddy, Carol of Moonlit Alpacas, and Mike at Rags & Riches Fabrics.

Shops visited on the Yarn Crawl:
Yarntopia
Knitty City
Habu Textiles
Purl Soho
La Casita Yarn Shop Cafe
Brooklyn General Store
Annie & Co
String
School Products
Seaport Yarn

Other stores mentioned in the show:
Century 21
Alice’s Tea Cup
Magnolia Bakery
Miss Lucy’s Kitchen
The Vermont Yarn Company
Fire & Ice Restaurant
Danforth Pewter

In this episode the savvy sisters are with Savvy Mom at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY.

Deborah takes a short row class from Lily Chin.

Deborah and Melanie meet Jess and Casey from Ravelry, and lots of current and (hopefully) future listeners.
They also get the pleasure of chatting with the very talented designers Ysolda Teague and Hannah Fettig.

Then, the Savvy Girls take on some listener-suggested dares and do their best to humiliate themselves in public.

Want to learn to Kitchener stitch? Deborah highly recommends this video – it gets Melanie’s seal of approval, too.

Congratulations, knitters. Together we are converting both Melanie and Savvy Mom to the way of the yarn. Keep up the good work.

They do some shopping and sightseeing, but mostly they spend an inordinate amount of time at a particular restaurant.

Next week, the girls will be at Rhinebeck.  Last year was great, but we want to make this trip a bit more interesting.  Send in your creative ideas for challenges or dares that the girls should do while at the show (via comment or other means). The best ideas will win some great yarny prizes!

Some of the music from this episode:
City Of Angels – You Gotta Look Out For Yourself
Oliver – Food Glorious Food
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum – I’m Calm
Thoroughly Modern Millie – Forget About the Boy
George F. Root – The Hand That Holds the Bread

Deborah made the Amused sweater out of Milana Chelsea yarn, and Melanie’s working on socks again!

SavvyDad returns to answer more listener queries; and our original radio drama, The Case Of The Ivory Needles, continues. (Missed the beginning? Get caught up here!)

Remember our Bringing It Back segment? Well we, um, bring it back. See if you can work our featured word into everyday conversation, and let us know!

Then, Deborah talks some more about choosing sweater patterns (and clothes in general) that are most flattering to your body shape. This time, the men get all the attention.

Then, Deborah travels to Ottawa, where she meets up with listener Sparkleecat and her husband, and visits Wool ‘n Things and Knit-Knackers Yarn Warehouse.
She held back, but did walk away with some Jeager Luxury Tweed, Fleece Artist, Nyoni, Sublime Angora Merino, and Drops Lin.

After Ottawa, Deborah finishes her move to Colombia!
She starts to plan her craft room, scopes out the local yarn options, and gets easily distracted by a huge variety of tropical fruit:
In addition to Papaya, Mango, Banana, and Passionfruit (aka Grenadilla), she falls in love with Dragon Fruit (aka Yellow Pitaya). They’re not all winners, however: she tries Tree Tomatoes and doesn’t like them as much.

Meanwhile, Melanie’s summer is saved by knitting!
She shares a scene from Europe: A Savvy Girl’s Guide, the Musical, one of the two highly successful shows she put on at the recent Edmonton Fringe Theatre Festival — and she couldn’t have done it without the help of the knitting community!
Joining Melanie is Trish Van Doornum, Marsha Amanova, and Erin Craig.

Speaking of other knitters… as fate would have it, Melanie’s new NYC roommate, Pablo, is the very same knitter that she interviewed back in Episode 8!

SavvyDad makes his second appearance on the show; this time, he answers questions from our listeners (submitted via Ravelry). Thanks for the advice SavvyDad!

Deborah talks about choosing sweater patterns most flattering to your body shape. See below for some suggestions.

We’ve gotten a great response to the knitting etiquette contest, so we are extending the deadline for entries until September 30th!

This week, Deborah celebrates her birthday!
It’s a big one, so naturally the family… goes berry picking…?
A milestone like this is a good time to take stock of your accomplishments. How do you fare on the checklist?

The girls talk about their trip to Uruguay; they pop in at the Malabrigo factory (and watch the workers get patriotic), they visit Punta Yarns, and they have some adventures on an estancia (ranch).

Melanie reads more of The Silver Llama. Missed the first part of Yama’s story? Listen to Episode 27 to get caught up.

Then, Deborah runs through some of the announcements from Podcast-a-palooza.
Melanie’s knitting-themed CD is now available for download through our swag store! It should be up on iTunes (et al.) soon.

Music in this episode:
Lesley Gore – It’s My Party
Sandy Posey – A Single Girl
The Seekers – Georgy Girl
The Corrs – Everybody Hurts
John Philip Sousa – You’ll Miss Lots of Fun When You’re Married
Kate Rusby – Broken-Hearted
Mama Said – The Shirelles – Mama Said – The Shirelles

The Savvy Girls celebrate a (belated) first anniversary with some special guests, great stories, and a ton of news.

Melanie tells of her misadventures at a recent neighbourhood block party.
Deborah leaves Argentina and has a rather tearful goodbye. She tries to live without her stash, but fails miserably.

This episode is jam-packed with exciting announcements.  It’s more fun to listen, but if you’d rather spoil the surprise, read on…

• Check out our new logo!
• Deborah has released her first knitting pattern, The World’s End Fingerless Gloves. You can download for free here or find it on Ravelry.
• It’s time for a new contest! Help us put together a list of knitting-related etiquette. Submit your ideas for guidelines that knitters and non-knitters should follow.
  Enter the contest by August 31st by leaving a comment on this post, sending us an e-mail (podcast@savvygirls.ca) or leaving a comment on our Ravelry Group.
  Thank you to Green Mountain Knitting Bags for generously donating the grand prize!
• Help us to keep the show great — support your Savvy Girls with a small donation.
  In exchange for your generosity, we will send you a package of Savvy Girls Swag as a thank you — Find out more here.
  If you don’t want one of our (super-sweet) swag packages, you can donate any amount you can, here.
• Deborah and Melanie have written a book! Listen to an excerpt and tell us what you think.
• We’ll be adding more information about Melanie’s knitting-themed CD very soon.  Keep checking back.

Some of the music used in this episode:

• Kool & The Gang – Celebration
• Vengaboys – We like to Party
• The Foundations – Build Me Up Buttercup
• Bobby Darin – Beyond The Sea
• The Corrs – Breathless

This week, the girls take you along on their trip to The End of the World!

Thankfully they were able to stay warm with the help of some knitting.

And, join our hero as our original radio drama, The Case Of The Ivory Needles, continues.

Projects and patterns mentioned in this show:
Fingerless gloves
Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret
Malabrigo Hat
Traveling Woman scarf
DebInAtlanta’s gloves
Boneyard Shawl

Music from this episode:
Great Big Sea – End Of The World
Solveig’s Song from Peer Gynt
John Williams – Mazurka Appassionata
John Williams – Las Abejas
Great Big Sea – Donkey Riding

Deborah is knitting the Boneyard Shawl, but stops long enough to feature another yarn from her stash: Bouclé.
She talks about what it’s like to work with, and shares her tips and tricks.

Melanie reads from her new favourite book, The Silver Llama.

The commercial that Melanie talked about filming for Microsoft back in Episode 20 is now out. Watch it here!

Some of the music from this episode:
- I Bought Me A Cat – Aaron Copeland – sung by Frederica von Stade
- Giuditta – Lehar
- Sheep Song – Acis and Galatea

Melanie is in Vermont to sing with the Opera Company of Middlebury.
How many States are there in the USA? Deborah finds the answer on Wikipedia. The internet knows everything.

Need help organizing your crafts?
Either visit Ikea or tune in to this episode for other great ideas.

Congratulations to our Craft Room Ideas contest winner, Arielluria, from Texas. Check out her great idea for DPN storage!

Melanie interviews listener Martha who is the creative mind behind Green Mountain Knitting Bags. Her work is beautiful! Check it out!

SavvyGirlMom (and SavvyGirlDad) join Melanie for today’s Knit-Lit; Mrs. Isabella Beeton’s Book of Household Management tells us everything we need to know about running a home.

Does anyone knit while they cook? How about a dumpling cozy?

Deborah and Melanie talk about how to repurpose everyday items to assist with your knitting.

Finally, join us for part two of the original radio drama, The Case Of The Ivory Needles.

Episode 25 is another packed show!

Enjoy an interview with Alisa from Passion Knit and Fibre Lab in Toronto.

Deborah is working on the pattern Icarus Shawl from the Interweave Knits back-issue CDs.

Deborah also gets dirty with fleeces in her hotel room.

We present part one of a Savvy Girls original radio drama, The Case Of The Ivory Needles.

New Contest!! The Savvy Girls need your help!
Deborah has amassed a… sizable… stash. We want to hear your suggestions on how she could organize her yarn.
Send in your pictures, links, drawings, descriptions, videos, audio recordings, etc.
Email your submission to podcast@savvygirls.ca, leave it in a comment below, or post it on our Ravelry discussion group.

Melanie shares her recording of Padam, Padam, a song from her Edith Piaf CD La Nuit en Rose.

Friday June 30, 2010
Melanie travels to Nashua, New Hampshire from New York City Deborah drives from Ottawa, Ontario to Nashua, New Hampshire

Saturday May 1, 2010
Melanie and Deborah enjoy the New England Gerbil Show. They skip out a little early and make the long journey from Nashua, NH to Maryland. After a visit with Jasmine and Gigi (from the Knitmore Girls Podcast) they have a little trouble finding a hotel, but they finally manage to rest their weary selves.

Sunday May 2, 2010
It’s the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival! The day is full of friends, farmers and fibre. Deborah develops a serious case of Fibre Fever. Melanie and Deborah prove that they are very low maintenance.

Special guests on this show include:

• Diane (aka: GerbilGal)
• Donna Lawson with Dancing Deer Alpacas
• DebinAtlanta and Kiki
• Sparkleecat, nordicgdss1, and Juliann
• Lynn with the Columbia Sip ‘n Stitch and the Knitting Behind Bars project

Products mentioned in this show include:

• Bugga sock yarn
• Pheelya’s Funky Fiber Bags
• Cedar Tree Farm sheep soap
• Wullenstudio Superwash Merino Sock Yarn
• Knitting note cards from Jojo’s Craft Shop
• Yarn and fibre from A Touch of Twist
• Fibre from Little Barn
• Bullens Wullens
• Strauch Fiber Equipment
• Fibre from Hallelujah Farms
• Food from Panera Bread

Melanie and Deborah plan a trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. Yay!

They also have a visit with listener DebInAtlanta. Deb’s daughter, The Diva, puts us all to shame with a lesson on politeness. Then, we bring back the word Cupidity.

Deborah visits with the yarn company Manos Del Uruguay at their head office in Montevideo and in the small town Fraile Muerto. Deborah also completes two Saroyan.

Music in this episode:
Delovely from Anything Goes
Watermelon Weather by Bing Crosby
Music also by Cecilia Bartoli

Deborah has to work during the week, but the rest of the time is for having adventures!
They visit the desert oasis of San Pedro de Atacama, where there is adventure, alpaca wool, and vicuna – roaming temptingly in the desert mountains. They float in the salty sea, search for flamingos in the desolate plains of the Altiplano, and play in a field of volcanic geysers. There is so much to do that there isn’t even time for knitting! (*gasp!*)

Next, it’s back to Santiago for food, culture, and an orgy of wool-buying… the Savvy Girls discover Cuenta Puntos and Araunacia yarn.

Nobody makes friends like the Savvy Girls; and their new pals, Alejandra and Winnie, invite them to Vina del Mar for the weekend. Deborah is thrilled to find another avid knitter, and Melanie is happy to have more adventures!

Music in this episode:
Rap Das Armas (Parapapapa) – Cidinho & Doca
Arriba La Vida – Ensayo Croni-K

Try to Remember…Malabrigo

All I Squeak of You

My Favorite Squeaks

Wide Open Gerbils

The Gerbils bring you this original performance…inspired by their love for all things Malabrigo

It’s Malabrigo That we Love so Much

This week…

Deborah interviews Mariana from the Malabrigo Factory.
(Listen to the interview from her last visit, in Episode 9.)

The girls announce the winners of our confession contest, and read a few of their favourite submissions. Thanks to everyone that participated!

And, the gerbils drop in to share some original songs.

Enjoy!

It€™s the 2010 Ravelympics, and the Savvy Girls are off and knitting.

Deborah knits almost every second of every day to ensure victory for Team Canada, whilst Melanie toils away on her socks of evil.

Deborah’s competing with the February Fitted Pullover, and so many dishcloths…
Melanie’s projects follow more of a theme (can you figure it out?): Squeaky Socks, Squeaky Sweater, and Guccsqueaki Purse.

Also, Deborah’s got some BIG news! What is it? Listen to find out!

Introducing Ask A Savvy Girl:
Do you have any questions about anything?
…Why is the sky blue?… Why does the dryer monster eat socks?…
Whatever the pressing inquiry, the Savvy Girls can help! Ask away in the comments, or on the Ravelry discussion board.

Then, both Melanie and Deborah record their innermost thoughts and feelings in their Ravelympics Yarn Diary. Deborah (of course) talks about more knitting, while Melanie tells all about the commercial shoot she starred in, in her own apartment.

Music from the episode:
Victory – The Pirate Movie
Pumpin’ and Blowin’ – The Pirate Movie
Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady – Iolanthe
2010 Olympic Theme

Deborah’s friend Corrine drops in to talk about some of her first knitting projects, including the Clapotis scarf, the Sunny Baby Blanket, Angela’s Fabulous Felted Bag, and Thrummed Mittens.

Our Confessions Contest is still open for just 2 more weeks. Leave your confession in the comments, or on Ravelry.

Melanie’s Knit-Lit this week is the book Ester and Ruzya: How My Grandmothers Survived Hitler’s War and Stalin’s Peace.

Melanie’s Ravelympics project will be the French Press Felted Slippers, and Deborah’s making the February Fitted Pullover.
Are you competing in the Ravelympics? Share your projects in the comments, or join us in our active Ravelry group.

As Deborah attempt to coordinate her knee-socks, Melanie’s neighbourhood gets to know her a bit more than she intended.

Deborah describes her experience test-knitting the Linda Butterfly Socks, and takes on some New Years resolutions with her “Emerald” hand-spun sweater.

Our Bringing It Back words are shenanigans and tomfoolery.  See if you can use them in a conversation this week.

Melanie gets a little incentive to finish her socks. But will she do it? Listen to her Yarn Diary entries to find out.

Deborah talks about the yarn she used to make Melanie’s Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret, and interviews with Montevideo-based 100 Pure Wool.

Melanie reads some knit-lit: a selection from Little Mittens for The Little Darlings by Frances “Aunt Fanny” Elizabeth Barrow

Don’t forget to enter our contest! Leave your confession in the comments, or on Ravelry.

Listener Bowerbird, along with many other knitters, are donating some or all of the proceeds from their pattern sales to the earthquake relief effort in Haiti. Bowerbird (Rebekkah) will donate all of the net profits from sales of her patterns, through the end of this month.

Music in this episode:
Nancy Wilson – Knitting Class
Ella Fitzgerald sings Irving Berlin
Dufay

So the show might be a few days late.

Sorry!

It’s a birthday party, and everyone’s invited!

Melanie gets ready to celebrate her special day. She delivers a piggy sweater to Big Red at Katie’s Critters. The gerbils make a special present, and even New York City Transit gets involved when Melanie attempts to knit.
Deborah plays with her friend Corinne in Buenos Aires, and they learn some other unpleasant facts about guinea piggies. If you want to see a picture of the Peruvian delicacy, click here.

Thank you to Gerbilgal for the wonderful interview!
Check out her Etsy shop, and read her gerbil Digger’s Journal. (It is brilliant. If you read it, you will cry. I am almost crying even thinking of it… *sniff*)

Don’t forget to enter our contest! Leave your confession in the comments, or on Ravelry.

Music from this episode:
Birthday Song from Zorba the Greek
Incidental Music by Handel and Purcell
Our Little Secret from Promises, Promises

Deborah buys a llama (almost), and spins up a storm, while Melanie attempts to knit a piggy sweater for her favourite guinea pig, Big Red.

Have the girls managed to keep up their new year resolutions? If so, Deborah has a lot of knitting to do, and Melanie needs to keep away from open flames…

Special guests on this episode are young knitting expert Regan (aka frecklegirl726), all the way from sunny Texas; and Deborah and Melanie’s Mom, who drops in to read them a story… a fiber-related story, of course!

To enter our contest, post a confession as a comment below, or on the discussion board of our Ravelry group – look for the thread titled Confessions
(Note: Ravelry requires a quick, free registration; but it’s totally worth it.)

Should you wish to make a donation to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières to help with the Haiti relief effort, we highly encourage you to visit the Yarn Harlot’s blog and read her Knitters Without Borders project information.

Patterns mentioned include:
BIG Shawl Collar Pullover by Boy Meets Purl
The Linda Butterfly Socks by Mindy Vasil
Upside-Down Socks by Patons

And the featured yarn from Deborah’s stash this episode is Patons Stretch Socks.

Tunes include:
Bis Melodrame from Offenbach’s Perichole
Sao Joao de Ra Rao sung by Bidu Sayao
Air from Abdelazer by Henry Purcell
Leaving on a Jet Plane by John Denver

A big thank you to our contest sponsors:
100 Pure Wool
Malabrigo
Manos Del Uruguay

We really appreciate your patience, and hope that this hasn’t been too much of an inconvenience for you.

Thanks for sticking with us!

Update: Looks like it’s all fixed now!!!

It’s a New Year’s party, and everyone’s here!

The next podcast is already filling up, with proper interviews, literature, and knitting talk… but is it vacation time, so this one is just a lot of fun!

This week, Melanie is podcasting from Alberta, Canada; and Deborah is in Argentina. It is a mini-cast, so the busy listeners will still have time to go out and enjoy New Year’s Eve.

Melanie and Deborah swap New Year’s resolutions (and yes, those yoga pants are already in Argentina by now!)

The gerbils squeak hello from Summer Camp, and even Deborah’s dog Kefira gets to sing!

Big Red

Deborah and Kefira

If you are looking for your own crazy gerbil, or are interested in giving Big Red a piggy sweater and a new and loving home, consider adopting a friend from Katie’s Critters.

Join Melanie as she recounts the tale of her socks.

Deborah talks about what she is working on, including:

• Mud Season short-sleeved sweater by Elizabeth Smith (Ravelry link)
• Ishbel shawl
• 198 Yards Of Heaven (Ravelry link)

Inspired by Sophie Kinsella’s book Can You Keep a Secret?, the girls confess some of their deepest, darkest secrets! (OK maybe not, but at least some of the funnier ones.)

Deborah features a yarn from her favourite Argentinian shop: Yanabey pure wool.

Music used in this episode:
A Chorus Line – I Hope I Get It
Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata
Baker Sisters

This week, the girls chat about what they’ve been up to, and take you along with them on the New York City Yarn Crawl (better late than never!).

Interviews in this episode:
Berta Karapetyan, Author of Runway Knits
Jayson Kerr, Melanie’s fellow singer in Babes in Toyland

Join us in our new Ravelry Group!

The Yarn Crawl takes them to:
Yarntopia
Knitty City
Knit-A-Way
Brooklyn General Store
Stitch Therapy
Seaport Yarn
Habu Textiles
School Products
Lion Brand Yarn Studio
Downtown Yarns
Purl Soho
String
Annie & Co

Music this week includes:
The Killers – Human
I Want To Be An Actor Lady – Cincinatti University Singers
Antonia Laura – Variations on a Venezualian Children’s Song
Toyland Theme – Victor Herbert

You can sign up for free and join the conversation at http://www.ravelry.com/groups/the-savvy-girls-podcast.

If you would like to see us on other social networks (like Twitter or Facebook); or if you have any other suggestions for the show, please let us know in the comments below.

Deborah gives some tips on planning your holiday gifts, and she talks about her favourite knitting books, including:
ColorSense: Creative Color Combinations for Crafters
Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting
Manos del Uruguay – Geometry
Manos del Uruguay – Shadows & Reflections
and cookbooks by Norene Gilletz

Deborah reviews Space Bags as a way to control her yarn stash, and touches on some natural ways to keep your yarn bug-free.

Music this week includes:
Chopin – Nocturne
Barbara Bonney – If Music be the Food of Love (by Purcell)
Mary Schneider – Yodeling the Classics

Special thanks to Nava Lightstone and Karen G for their vocal talents.

Melanie and Deborah are, alas… apart once again, and they assuage their loneliness by… podcasting!

Deborah updates us on the Aran Afghan (from episode 2), and describes the Modern Log Cabin Blanket and the Mud Season Sweater that she’s working on.

She also discusses White Buffalo Unspun yarn, and the controversy surrounding the Cowichan Olympic sweaters.

Meanwhile, Melanie attempts to knit a sock. It doesn’t end well.

Melanie talks about her upcoming singing gig, in the opera And The Rat Laughed with Opera York.
An interview with Melanie can be read here.

Not to be outdone, Deborah records a special wool-themed song, just for you!

The girls bring back the word “matey”. Use it in a sentence, aye darrrrr yah!

Songs this week include:
Don’t Tamper With My Sister from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Music from Handel’s Giulio Cesare
Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea
Musical Clips from And the Rat Laughed by Ella Milch-Sheriff.

Mel and Deborah celebrate their tenth episode with a visit to Rhinebeck for the NY Sheep & Wool Festival.

The knitters (and hippies) come out in force! Mel thinks that everyone is crazy.
(Seriously…that auctioneer isn’t using words. Is that what it sounds like when someone speaks in tongues?)
Rhinebeck seems to be the ultimate pick-up joint, for a bargain!
Melanie would rather be hooking…and would prefer to be warm. Maybe both at the same time.

Interviews With:
Claudia from Eastport Yarns (eastportyarns.com)
Truffles, the surrey alpaca
Margaret from Green Mountain Spinneries
Joe from the Oasis Yarn Company
Devon, Michelle, Kate, and Katie – kindred spirits with excellent tastes in wool!
Carolyn, Heather, and Sarah – all enthusiastic Ravelers!
Pat from Times Remembered
Sarah and Elise – an articulate and entertaining daughter-mother team (sorry New Jersey!)
Lyla, Bluebee, and their friend Lydia – happy new bunny owners!

Big thanks to all of our guests!

Songs:
Ordinary Day (Great Big Sea)
State Fair (State Fair)
I Hate to get up in the Morning (Berlin)
Jovial Farmer Boy
Cold Feet (The Drowsy Chaperone)
Dainty June and her Farmboys (Gypsy)
How you Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm (Edens/Garland)
Uncle Sam is Rich Enough to Give us all a Farm
Songs of Innocence
The Farmer and the Ploughman (Oklahoma!)
A Little Pretty Bonny Lass (Farmer/King’s Singers)
Endless Pleasure (Semele)
My friend, I went to the market
The Little Horses (Copland)

Goodnight all – Sweet dreams!

Clear your iPods, this is a long one!

Today the Savvy Girls go wild – traveling to the ends of the earth (or at least to Uruguay) for interesting knitting tidbits.

Melanie buys some companionship (no, it’s not what you think!); and Deborah professes her love for all things Malabrigo.

We are going to The Rhinebeck Festival on October 17.
If you are in the New York area and want to rideshare with us, contact us ASAP.

Interesting links from today’s episode include:
- Katie’s Critters
- Joji’s website
- Malabrigo!!!

You wear them, so why not bring it back?
Dungarees (AKA Jeans)

Deborah is knitting:
Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson

Support your favourite Savvy Girls! Check out our Amazon Store.

Steppin’ to the beat of:
Romance Anonimo (by Adventures Of Leonid)
If That’s Your Idea of a Wonderful Time (by Irving Berlin, sung by Melanie Gall)
Malabrigo Song (Written and performed by MediaWorkZone)
Malabrigo Galore (performed by Lykkefanten)
Sisters (performed by Peggy Lee)
and, as always,
Ordinary Day (performed by Great Big Sea)
Doozer Knitting Song (from Fraggle Rock)

Photo courtesy of Bruno Engel

Melanie has a grumpy day, moves to NYC, works on her music, and takes some creative jobs in order to pay off the student loans.
Deborah finally cooks herself something to eat and visits with her knitting group.

Today we interview:
- Melanie’s new friend Pablo… who turns out to be a knitter!
- Matilde from Finca Piedra

For fun, check out BariHunks.

The Rhinebeck Festival is coming up on October 17 in New York.

Deborah knits:
- The Sophisticated Rustic Jacket by Pam Allen
- Star-Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson

Music:
Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea
Spanglish – Seesaw
The Hostess With The Mostest – Call Me Madam
Doozer Knitting Song – Fraggle Rock

This week Melanie prepares to move to New York City, while Deborah packs for a weekend of yarn-hunting in Uruguay.

The Savvy Girls have their first podcast-fight … almost. It would behoove them both to get along, at least while they are podcasting.

Deborah goes on and on (and on) about more yarns in her stash, while Melanie spins a yarn (ha ha, get it?) about knitting.

Deborah’s yarns come from Moussa and Mullingar.

Songs:
Gretchan am Spinnerade by Schubert
Ordinary Day by Great Big Sea
Theme from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
Theme from Sierra’s Gold Rush!
Knit You A Jumper by Love, Sage

Or, if you are in the Toronto area in November, come see her sing in the opera The Rat Laughed.

Melanie also discusses her involvement in this bollywood music video.

Deborah’s yarn this week comes from Lanas La Oveja Negra.

Deborah is still knitting the afghan for her soon-to-be-married friend.
You can find it in the book Manos del Uruguay – Shadows & Reflections – Throws.
She has also made a little progress on her Sophisticated-Rustic Jacket.

Melanie, of all people, got paid to knit. And she complained about it afterwards. Life is completely unfair.

Deborah discusses a new way to use an old expression, and shares a few quotations that caught her fancy.

Boogie down to:

Is yarn really all that important in Uruguay? Just ask the government!

Spinsterhood

My knitting this week comes from:

• Shadows and Reflections, Canyon Throw by Judith Shangold
• Sophisticated-Rustic Jacket by Pam Allen
• Samus by Brynne Sutton

Tapping our feet to the rhythms of:

• Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea
• Dentist – Oscar B from Byron Lee and the Dragonaires
• Bachelor – Scrunter
• Spinster – Lovey

With clips from the movies:

• Harry Potter
• Bridget Jones’ Diary

Deborah goes shopping for presents for herself, Melanie sends her a present, and Deborah hosts a birthday knitting party.

What do YOU think about when you are in bed falling asleep?

Melanie tells of her encounter with “a big black woolly beast-monster“.

Patterns we discuss include:

• Ciara’s wedding afghan comes from this book.
• Sophisticated-Rustic Jacket from Interweave knits.
• The hat pattern comes from the company Mary Maxim.

No Bringing It Back word today, but we do make use of the terms yarn-spree and yarn-gasm. Is that good enough?

And Three Little Kittens totally trash some lovely hand-knit mittens. What a bunch of animals!
(On The Tree Top, by Clara Doty Bates and Others, 1881. Courtesy of the Gutenburg Project.)

Music used in this episode:

• Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea (with thanks to the Podsafe Music Network)
• The Knitting Song – “I want to knit myself a sweater” – Sophie Madeleine
• Doozer Knitting Song – Fraggle Rock, episode “The Great Radish Famine”

Hats off to the 3rd sibling in our family, Andrew, for all his behind-the-scenes work on the podcast.

Deborah learns to spin, and makes a tortured decision about buying a wheel.

Melanie talks about margarine. Yes. She really does. Is it related to knitting? Not really, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Deborah picks another yarn from her stash. Hopefully these past weeks will have been the last time she has to see this stuff! Find the knitty.com French Market Bag here.

Our Bringing It Back word is lots of fun!
Use this one is a sentence. I DARE you!
References:

• Five Little Peppers Midway – Margaret Sydney
• English Synonyms and Antonyms – James Champlin Fernald
• G. K. Chesterton, A Critical Study – Julius West
• In the Tail of the Peacock – Isabel Savory
• Scottish Ghost Stories – Elliott O Donnell
• The Lost City – Joseph E. Badger

Music used in this episode:

• Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea (with thanks to the Podsafe Music Network)
• The Warmth Of Wool-Knit Clothing – The Modlins
• Pardon me, I didn€™t knit that for you – Sung by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason Dixon Knitting
• The Knitting Song – €œI want to knit myself a sweater€ – Sophie Madeleine
• I like knitting – I’m a Little Wrong Note – Sung by Arthur Askey

Thanks for listening!

Deborah blabs about her knitting projects:
- My brother’s afghan (Desert)
- Clapotis
- Aran Afghan – From the Canadian Living Magazine

Use the following words in a sentence and join the movement to bring them back!
- Wack
- Aught

Knitting can be a very patriotic act. In honour of Canada Day and Independence day, Melanie explores this theme.

Melanie’s info sources include:
- The New York Times
- The Christian Science Monitor
- The BBC
- Life Magazine
- The WW2 Encyclopedia

Knitting is even pervasive in music. Enjoy these tunes:

• Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea (with thanks to the Podsafe Music Network)
• Pardon me, I didn’t knit that for you – Sung by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason Dixon Knitting
• The Knitting Song – “I want to knit myself a sweater” – Sophie Madeleine
• Jump - Kriss Kross
• Allegro, il Penseroso ed il – Moderato by Handel
• Knit One, Purl Two - The Glenn Miller Band
• Doozer Knitting Song – Fraggle Rock, episode “The Great Radish Famine”

We are looking forward to the Olds College Fibre Week 2009 (in Alberta, Canada), and the upcoming re-release of Alice Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting.

Knitting is even pervasive in music. Enjoy these tunes:
Ordinary Day – Great Big Sea (with thanks to the Podsafe Music Network)
Doozer Knitting Song – Fraggle Rock, episode “The Great Radish Famine”
The Knitting Song – “I’m going to knit myself a sweater” – Sophie Madeleine
Allegro, il Penseroso ed il – Moderato by Handel
Air Vif – Written by Poulenc, sung by Melanie Gall
Pardon me, I didn’t knit that for you – Sung by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne of Mason Dixon Knitting