Episode 16 – August Round-Up

A podcast for people who love knitting, Dorset Buttons, creativity & Scotland, especially the Highlands & Islands.

Welcome to the 16th episode of my podcast – August Round-Up

Thank you for listening again or welcome if you are a first time listener.

The Weather 

We’ve had a mixed bag of weather in the few days I’ve been home in August.  The weather is on the turn, cooler temperatures & darker evenings & the heather is out – it’s definitely getting more autumnal.

I’ve just been to the States so I make a reference to how relative weather is to place & country & the extreme conditions & power of the weather they often face.  Denver was extremely hot with poor air quality, a result of the smoke from the Californian wildfires.  I also talk about the altitude in this mile high city & how I felt a bit breathless on this visit!

I chat about the places we visited where I felt the effects of the altitude.  We visited Red Rocks, an open air amphitheatre, for a photo shoot.  It is a stunning feature of geological tilted sandstones that rise out of the ground & this site has been home to many concerts over the years.  It has a lot of steps which I walked up very slowly!  Our next stop was Colorado Springs which is at an even higher altitude than Denver then onto Mount Evans which is over 14,000ft.

***The TJFrog Weather Station***

It’s arrived!!!  I have tasked TJFrog Staff to be in charge of setting it up!  Watch this space.

Making

Confession Time!

• Bousta Beanie still needs a Dorset Button to finish it off!
• Meerie Dancers hat for Shetland Wool Week is yet to be cast one!
• My Eigg Slippers are still waiting to be sewn up
• Moray Star Jumper – I have not touched this.

I started & finished a shawl this month although it’s now in the blocking queue!

The shawl is Antarktis by Janina Kallio, Woolenberry & yarn is Staying Warm by Travelknitter.

I’ve cast on Belmont by Gudrun Johnston to start using up my Jamieson & Smith stash before I go to Shetland Wool Week & get tempted by more yarn.  I tell you about how I was slow getting off the starting blocks with this pattern, frustrating when working to a deadline!

I also have the wool for one of the Kate Davies haps from her book – will I be able to do this too in time for Shetland?

Gin – Nora sent me a recommendation to try out in Denver – sadly we were unable to get to the distillery when it was open or find anywhere that sold it – next time!

I’ve been to West Kilbride to do a Rigid Heddle weaving course with Ange of Weft Blown.  I talk about what I made & the Craft Town Scotland initiative.

Dorset Buttons

So much keeping me busy here so I have lots of notebooks on the go.

I was part of a special open day at Di Gilpin Studio event with fashion designers Terry Macey and Angelika Elsebach.

I tell you about meeting Jenny who commissioned me to make a Dorset Button for a jacket she was having made for a wedding.

In Colorado I met up with a lady who makes Dorset Buttons & was brought up just down the road from me in Dorset – more to be revealed . . .

At Fancy Tiger Crafts I ran 2 workshops – thank you to everyone who attended!

Concentrating hard on Dorset Button making!

There are a couple of new workshops booked in:

Sat 6 Oct Woolpalette in Plymouth

Sun 11 Nov BaaWool in Stonehaven

And there are still places available on my workshops at Loch Ness Knit Fest in Inverness on Fri 19 Oct.

Update from podcast – There’s a new product on the horizon & the sample will be making it’s way to Shetland for the Makers Market for pre-orders.

I encourage you to listen to the Dorset Breeds Wool Exploration, Episode 107 on Knit British podcast.  It provides a great insight into the 4 Dorset Breeds Portland, Poll Dorset, Dorset Down & Dorset Horn.

Shetland Wool Week is rapidly approaching & I hope to see some of you there.  There is a ticket for my full day workshop on Wed 26 for sale on the Shetland Wool Week Facebook Page & the Revelry Group.

Before then I’m going to Uist for the North Atlantic Sheep & Wool Conference & a Gansey course with Yasmin at Island at the Edge.

***TJFrog Ravelry Group***

Finally there is one – I’d love you to join me!

Local Lowdown

I talk about one aspect of tourism on Skye.  A recent boom in visitors led to some inaccurate press last year leaving some people working in the hospitality feeling this has had a negative impact.  Now they have set up a “Wish you were Here” campaign.  Skye is open & welcoming visitors.

Across The Bridge

And across the Pond!  I bring you an interview with Jaime Jennings & Amber Cocoran owners of Fancy Tiger Crafts.

Celebrating their 12th anniversary this year we chat through their vision around evolving & building crafting communities, products & teaching

They describe what it’s like when you walk into Fancy Tiger Crafts.  We hear how big it is, their range of stock, how the store is laid out & “rainbowtising” their merchandise, as shown in the photo below.

I ask them about their favourite crafts and we chat about their sheep, knitting & textiles related travels around the world.  Check out their travel journal to find out more about where they’ve been to.  Places include Estonia, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Portugal.  They’ve also been to the Isle of Skye!

That’s it for now I will be back later this month!

Music – the music is:

One Frog For a Prince, by Ron Patton & licensed from Melody Loops.

Bye for now.