2 Knit Lit Chicks Tracie & Barb

Recorded Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Book talk begins at 18:28
Our annual Mother Bear KAL has begun and will run until August 31.  To find out all about this wonderful charity, please go to Mother Bear Project website.  Talk bears with us in the Mother Bear Chatter thread and post your finished bears in the FOs thread.  Any bears you have knit in 2024 are eligible - post photos on the FO Thread
Every Saturday at noon Pacific time - Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
Tracie is teaching a class on making knitted toys at Rumpelstiltskin in Sacramento on July 13 and August 3.  See the class listing here for details!
 
KNITTING
Barb finished:
Mother Bear #295 Stashbusting Helix Hat #10 by Jessica Rose   
Tracie finished:
Mother Bear 325 - 327 Staycation pullover by Susanne Sommer, using Zealana Performa KIWI fingering in the Rococo colorway  
Barb is working on:
Gardengate by Jennifer Steingass, using Cloudborn Merino Superwash Sock Twist in the Graphite Heather colorway and Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering in the Petal colorway  
Barb has cast On:
Mother Bear #296 Tracie has cast on:
Just Float by Stephanie Lotven (TellyBean Knits) in Apple Fiber Studio Sparkling Cider in Malachite and Life in the Long Grass Silk/Merino Sock in Autumn Davis by Pam Allen, using Knit Picks Snuggle Puff in the Hatchling colorway  
She continues to work on:
toys - Scraps Chaps for class and Digital Citizens  Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota  
BOOKS
Barb read:
Things I Learned from Falling by Claire Nelson - 4 stars Alien by Alan Dean Foster - 4.5 stars Aliens by Alan Dean Foster - 4.5 stars Stranded by Sarah Goodwin - 4 stars  
Tracie read:
Virgins by Carol Rivers - 4 stars.  Tracie does not recommend the audio version The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 4-5 stars Smoke Screen (Alexander Blix & Emma Ramm #2) - 3.75 stars  
 

Recorded Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Book talk begins at 16:04
 
Our Summer Top KAL is has ended.  Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and please listen to the end of the episode to hear our list of prize-winners.
 
Our annual Mother Bear KAL has begun and will run until August 31.
To find out all about this wonderful charity, please go to Mother Bear Project website.  Talk bears with us in the Mother Bear Chatter thread and post your finished bears in the FOs thread.  Any bears you have knit in 2024 are eligible.
Every Saturday at noon Pacific time - Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
Tracie is teaching a class on making knitted toys at Rumpelstiltskin in Sacramento on July 13 and August 3.  See the class listing here for details!
 
KNITTING
Barb finished:
Mother Bear #294
Bankhead hat #30
 
Tracie finished:
Mother Bear 324
Elisenberg Jacket by Guri Pedersen in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in Spearmint Green and Blush Pink
 
Barb is working on:
Gardengate by Jennifer Steingass, using Cloudborn Merino Superwash Sock Twist in the Graphite Heather colorway and Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering in the Petal colorway
 
Barb has cast On:
Mother Bear #295
Stashbusting Helix Hat by Jessica Rose #10
 
Tracie is casting on:
Just Float by Stephanie Lotven (TellyBean Knits) in Apple Fiber Studio Sparkling Cider in Malachite and Life in the Long Grass Silk/Merino Sock in Autumn
 
She continues to work on:
Staycation pullover by Susanne Sommer, using Zealana Performa KIWI fingering in the Rococo colorway
Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota
toys - Scraps Chaps for class and Digital Citizens 
 
BOOKS
Barb read:
Woman 99 by Greer Macallister - 4 stars
American Girl by Wendy Walker - 3.5 stars
Any Other Family by Eleanor Brown - 3.5 stars
Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout - 4 stars
 
Tracie read:
Death on Ocean Boulevard: Inside the Coronado Mansion Case by Caitlin Rother - 3.5 stars
Last Night at the Viper Room: River Phoenix and the Hollywood He Left Behind by Gavin Edwards - 3.5 stars
 
Tracie recommends watching River Phoenix in: 
Running on Empty (1988) - available to rent on YouTube and Prime Video
Dogfight (1990) - available to rent on YouTube and Prime Video

Listen
Recorded on May 28, 2024
Book talk begins at 22:55
ANNOUNCEMENTS and NEWS:
Our Summer Tops KAL is almost over, going until to June 1, 2024.  Prizes winners will be announced in Episode 288!
Our next KAL will be our annual Mother Bear KAL.  
DATES:  6/1/24 - 8/31/24
To find out all about this wonderful charity, please go to Mother Bear Project website.  Talk bears with us in the Mother Bear Chatter thread and post your finished bears in the FOs thread.  
Tracie and Barb had a discussion about the excellent YouTube video that Susan B. Anderson made showing how she embroiders faces on toys:
" />
 Every Saturday at noon Pacific time - Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
 
EVENTS
Tracie will be at:
Treadles to Threads Spinning Guild's Fiber Frolic - June 1 at the Soul Food Farm outside Vacaville, CA  
KNITTING
Barb Finished:
Mother Bears # 292 & #293 Bankhead Hats #28 & #29 Tracie finished:
Mother Bears #321 - 323
Dream in Blue Cardigan by Drops Design in pink and mint acrylic scraps
Elorie by Elizabeth Doherty, using Berroco ReMix in the Artichoke colorway 
Barb is working on:
Gardengate by Jennifer Steingass, using Cloudborn Merino Superwash Sock Twist in the Graphite Heather colorway and Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering in the Petal colorway Barb has cast On:
Bankhead hat #30 by Susie Gourlay using Knit Picks City Tweed HW in the Marsh Colorway
Tracie continues to work on:
Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota Tracie has cast on:
Staycation pullover by Susanne Sommer, using Zealana Performa KIWI fingering in the Rococo colorway Eisinberg Jacket by Guri Pederson in Paintbox Yarns Simply DK in the Spearmint Green and Blush Pink color ways BOOKS
Barb read:
The Rip by Holly Craig - 3 stars
The Light of Farallon Island by Jen Wheeler - 4 stars
 
Tracie read:
The Harbor by Katrine Engberg - 3.5 stars
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See - 4.5 stars
The Vanishing Class of 3B by Jackie Kabler - 3.5 stars
Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler - 5 stars  
Tracie recommends these two videos about what organizing is NOT:
Jordan Theresa: The Cult of Organisation & The Celebrity Kitchen Complex
Hannah Alonzo: The unhinged consumerism of “restock” influencers, so unrealistic!
 

 

Recorded May 9, 2024
Our Summer Tops KAL has begun and goes until to June 1, 2024.  To enter your  top in our prize thread, it must be an adult-sized top that you consider to be appropriate for use in the summer, and we will leave the parameters of that to you!  Come chat with us about summer tops on our KAL thread, and check out our Summer Tops bundle for pattern ideas!
Every Saturday at noon Pacific time - Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
EVENTS
Tracie and Barb will be at:
Treadles to Threads Spinning Guild's Fiber Frolic - June 1 at the Soul Food Farm outside Vacaville, CA  
KNITTING
Barb Finished:
2 Knockers Rock It Tee #2 by Tanis Lavalee, using Knit Picks Lindy Chain, in the colors Clarity, Rouge, and U Blue Mother Bear #291  
Tracie finished:
Knitted Knockers - 10 f0r 2024 3 Mother Bears Posie Doll by Manon Lemaire in worsted weight from stash Scraps Chaps Pig by Barbara Prime in Plymouth Encore in Peach Rachel #3 by Josée Paquin in white Juniper Moon Farms Zooey and other assorted bits of cotton/linen/silk  
Barb working on:
Knitted Knockers Pinnacles Hat by Nancy Bates, from the Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bates, using a kit  
Barb has frogged:  
Tresoro Cardigan by Isabel Kraemer, using Knit Picks Hawthorne in the Bare colorway  
Barb has cast On:
Gardengate by Jennifer Steingass, using Cloudborn Merino Superwash Sock Twist in the Graphite Heather colorway and Cloudborn Fibers Highland Fingering in the Petal colorway Bankhead hat #28 by Susie Gourley Tracie continues to work on:
Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota
Elorie by Elizabeth Doherty in Berroco Remix in Artichoke
 
 
BOOKS
Barb read:
The Last Dive: A Father and Son’s Fatal Descent into the Ocean’s Depths by Bernie Chowdury - 5 stars
Red Zone: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of the San Francisco Dog Mauling by Aphrodite Jones - 4 stars
Calypso by David Sedaris - 5 stars
 
Tracie read:
Butcher on the Moor by Ric Brady - 3 stars
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Iggie’s House by Judy Blume - 4 stars
Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson - 4 stars
Ms. Demeanor by Elinor Lipman - 4 stars
While She Slept: A Husband, A Wife, A Brutal Murder by Marion Collins - 4 stars

Recorded on April 15, 2024
Book talk starts at 25:36
Our Summer Tops KAL has begun and goes until to June 1, 2024.  It needs to be an adult-sized top that you consider to be appropriate for use in the summer, and we will leave the parameters of that to you!  Come chat with us about summer tops on our KAL thread, and check out our Summer Tops bundle for pattern ideas!
Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
 
EVENTS
Tracie and Barb will 
NoCKRs - April 25-28, 2024 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, CA  The 2024 retreat is full, but please contact Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com to be informed about registration for the 2025 event when registration begins in the fall Fiber Frolic - June 1 at the Soul Food Farm outside Vacaville, CA  
Tracie and Barb talked about the new swifts availabile from Alpenglow Yarn!  Barb has one and Tracie has ordered one also.
 
KNITTING
Tracie finished:
2 Knitted Knockers PSL Mitts by Susanna Curtis by Canon Hand Dyes William Merino Fingering in the Waterworld colorway Barb Finished:

2 Knitted Knockers
 
Tracie is continuing to work on:
Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota Knitted Knockers Elorie by Elizabeth Doherty in Berroco Remix in Artichoke Tracie has frogged:
Dawning Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva in Zealana Performa KIWI Fingering

Barb is working on:
Rock It Tee #2 by Tanis Lavallee, using Knit Picks Lindy Chain, in the colors Clarity, Rouge, and U Blue Knitted Knockers Pinnacles Beanie by Nancy Bates, from the Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bates, using a kit BOOKS
Tracie read:
Forever Home by Graham Norton - 4 starsBecoming Clark Rockefeller: Murder, Love, Decpetion, and the Con Man Behind it All by Frank C. Girardot Jr. - 2 stars
Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William Mckinley and Me, Elizabeth - 3 stars Barb read:
A Mother Would Know by Amber Garza - 3 stars
Watching You by Lisa Jewell - 3 stars
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjialian - 4 stars
The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager - 2.5 stars  
 
Tracie also recommends: The Supet Inflatable Dog Cone Collar Alternative.  Sally agrees with this recommendation The Man Enough Podcast explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people. The show creates a safe environment for a range of perspectives to meet and stay at the table, exploring how the messages of masculinity show up in relationships, body image, privilege, fatherhood, sex, success, mental health and so much more. Instead of polarizing and demonizing men and masculinity, it invites all humans to participate and thrive in the world.
This Webby-nominated podcast is hosted by filmmaker, actor & author Justin Baldoni, author & journalist Liz Plank, and President of Wayfarer Studios & award winning music producer Jamey Heath. It’s currently in Season 2 and is in the top 1% of most followed and shared podcasts on Spotify, beloved by men, women and people of all genders.


 

Listen
Recorded on Saturday, March 30, 2024
Book talk starts at 20:45
Our Summer Tops KAL has begun and goes until to June 1, 2024.  It needs to be an adult-sized top that you consider to be appropriate for use in the summer, and we will leave the parameters of that to you!  Come chat with us about summer tops on our KAL thread, and check out our Summer Tops bundle for pattern ideas!
 
Virtual Knitting Group via Zoom
 
EVENTS
 
Tracie and Barb will 
NoCKRs - April 25-28, 2024 at the St Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista, CA.  The retreat is full, but please contact Tracie at 2knitlitchicks@gmail.com to be informed about registration for the 2025 event when registration begins in the fall Fiber Frolic - June 1 at the Soul Food Farm outside Vacaville, CA  
KNITTING
 
Tracie finished:
3 Knitted Knockers Bee Beautiful tee by Pia Trans in Carpool Cotton Bamboo in Copper Scraps Chaps puppy by Barbara Prime in Plymouth Encore - this is the pattern I will be teaching in a making knitted toys class this summer at Rumpelstiltskin  
Barb Finished:
2 Knitted Knockers CAPROCK tee by Yamagara using Araucania Ollagua Emotional Support Chicken by Annette Corsino, using leftover worsted weight colors from my stash.  
 
Out of hibernation:
Dawning Top by Ainur Berkimbayeva in Zealana Performa KIWI Fingering
 
Cast on:
Elorie by Elizabeth Doherty in Berroco Remix in Artichoke
 
Working On:
Fiddly Bits cowl #11 by Jana Pihota Knitted Knockers  
Barb is working on:
Knitted Knockers Rock It Tee #2 by Tanis Lavallee, using Knit Picks Lindy Chain, in the colors Clarity, Rouge, and U Blue Pinnacles Beanie by Nancy Bates, from the Knitting the National Parks by Nancy Bates, using a kit  
BOOKS
 
Tracie read:
Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 5 stars Where Monsters Hide: Sex, Murder and Madness in the Midwest by M. William Phelps - 3 stars Happy People Are Annoying by Josh Peck - 3.5 stars California Golden by Melanie Benjamin - 3 stars  
Barb read:
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano - 3.5 stars Blood Test by Jonathan Kellerman - 3 stars  
Tracie and Barb both recommend the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with the warning to be aware that it discusses sexual abuse and is just generally pretty grim.