Episode 3: Intent to Spin (featuring Judith Mackenzie McCuin)
Media Link: Intent to Spin (32:21)

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and we've all got a yarn to spin.

If you are a spinner, weaver or fleece lover, you will very likely recognize (and revere) the name Judith Mackenzie McCuin. She's the author of two books on different aspects of spinning: an introductory book, Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning and the more recent and holistic The Intentional Spinner. A familiar face at Spin-Off Annual Retreat (SOAR) and and co-founder of the Golden Gate Fiber Institute, she remains one of the most sought after instructors and speakers and is one of spinning's most tireless advocates.

This episode I talked with Judith after her presentation on sheep and human co-development at the Spindles & Flyers guild meeting in El Cerrito, California.

The following people, places and things were mentioned:

• Royal British Columbia Museum
• Tasha Tudor & Family
• Bauhaus design movement credo of "form follows function"
• excerpt of Thomas Gray's poem: Elegy Written In Country Church-Yard
• Cecil & Ron Miskin of Buffalo Gold
• Morgaine Wilder of Carolina Homespun
• Maggie Casey's Intro to Spinning DVD
• Judith's Spinning Exotic Fibers and Novelty Yarns DVD

The WINNER of our second Fiber Beat CONTEST is Katrina and she receives Little Box of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott. We also did another Twitter promotional contest for the podcast. Our winner for the that contest is Maryjo and she receives a skein of Curious Creek's Wasonga sock yarn in the exclusive "Happiness Is..." colorway. Thanks to everyone who entered and congratulations to our two winners!

Fiber Beat CONTEST for Episode No. 3

I have 1 oz of delicious Bison fiber from Judith's company, Buffalo Gals. All you need to do is tell us who your favorite instructor was (can be any discipline/level/school) and what they taught you.

To enter, please leave your comment on fiberbeat.com or on the Fiber Beat Ravelry forum. The winner will be randomly selected from all the entries. DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS DECEMBER 21, 2009.

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who downloaded and listened to the first four episodes (audio/video) of Fiber Beat. Let me know what you think and leave a review on iTunes!

A very special thanks to our "potential" student actors: Chris and Barbara!

We used snippets of the songs below in this episode. If you like the music, please support the artists (links provided for your convenience):

• "Holiday for Strings" performed by Walter Schumann from The Voices of Walter Schumann (RCA, 1958)
• "Spinning World" performed by The Heartbeats from Spinning World (Green Linnet, 2006)
• "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" performed by They Might Be Giants from Istanbul (Not Constantinople) EP (Elektra, 1990)
• "I've Got Beginner's Luck" performed by Chris Connor from Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song (Atlantic, 1960)
• "Pavana (Mylius, 1622)" performed by Paul O'Dette from Dowland: Complete Lute Works, Vol. 1 (Harmonia Mundi, 1995)
• "Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard" written by Thomas Gray, read by John Green from Epic Poems (Blue Dot, 2007)
• "Soar" performed by Christina Aguilera from Stripped (RCA, 2002)
• "Shear the Golden Fleece" performed by Ted Egan from The Shearers (Musicadium, 2000)
• "Spinning Wheel" performed by Blood, Sweat and Tears from Blood, Sweat and Tears (Columbia, 1968)
• "Teach Me Tonight" performed by Blossom Dearie from Once Upon a Summertime (Capitol, 1958)
• "Rubab Solo" performed by Omar Mohamed Ustad from Music of Afghanistan (Folkways, 1961)
• "Buffalo Gals" performed by Pete Seeger from American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 1 (Smithsonian Folkways, 1961)
• "Buffalo Gals" performed by The Great American String Band from 200 Years of American Heritage in Song (CMH, 2000)
• "Buffalo Gals" performed by Malcolm McLaren and the World Famous Supreme Team from Duck Rock (Island, 1983)

My name is WonderMike and I'll see YOU on the Fiber Beat!!

Video Supplement, Episode 2: Speed Swatch Media Link: Video Supplement 2: Speed Swatch (09:32)

ETA: You can now watch it at Vimeo or with the inline player below.

Fiber Beat Video Supplement 2: Speed Swatch from WonderMike on Vimeo.

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and we've all got a yarn to spin.

Welcome listeners and viewers to our second Video Supplement to Fiber Beat. Once again we pushed the limits of our video editing software and hardware. It really does take an inordinate amount of time to create the simplest and shortest of pieces. It makes me respect that much more the seamless work of Lucy, Meg, Jacey and Cat & Eric.

The following books were mentioned in the Video Supplement:

• Sensational Knitting Socks by Charlene Schurch.
• More Sensational Knitted Socks also by Charlene Schurch.

Don't forget about the second Fiber Beat CONTEST

I have the Little Box of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott. All you need to do is tell us what advice you'd like to help face your sock challenges?

To enter, please leave a comment on fiberbeat.com or on the Fiber Beat Ravelry forum. The winner will be randomly selected from all the entries. DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS NOVEMBER 30, 2009. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who downloaded and listened to the first three episodes of Fiber Beat. Now that you've had a chance to watch the Fiber Beat Video Supplements, let me know what you think and leave a review on iTunes!

We used snippets of the following songs in this episode. If you like the music, please support the artist (links provided for your convenience):

• "Fiber Beat Theme" performed by Anthony Bonet (Exclusive to Fiber Beat, 2009)
• "The Impending Danger Suite Part 3" performed by Trevor Duncan from Murder - Mystery & Suspense (Cavendish Music, 2009)

My name is WonderMike and I'll see YOU on the Fiber Beat.

Episode 2: Sock Options! (featuring Charlene Schurch)
Media Link: Sock Options! (30:01)

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and we've all got a yarn to spin.

For many sock knitters, their first book of patterns is Sensational Knitting Socks by Charlene Schurch. In some ways, it's the only sock book you'll ever need, but fortunately, you don't have to settle for just one. There's More Sensational Knitted Socks, Little Box of Socks and the forthcoming Sock Club. And when you tire of socks (heaven forfend!), there are pattern collections devoted to hats and to mittens. This episode I sat down with Charlene Schurch before her Sock Summit class on durability. We talked about Charlene's journey into knitwear design and her strategies for creating durable socks in a variety of configurations.

The following people, places and things were mentioned:

• The ancient art of nalbinding
• BrooklynTweed's Komi Mittens
• Martingale Press
• Richard Rutt's "History of HandKnitting" (sadly out of print)
• New York Public Library Research Sites
• Komi Republic
• Nancy Bush's "Knitting Vintage Socks"
• Barbara Walker's Treasury/Stitch Dictionaries
• Anna Zilboorg's "Simply Socks" (previously "Fancy Feet")
• Priscilla Gibson-Roberts' "Ethnic Socks"

The WINNER of our first Fiber Beat CONTEST is Tamara and she receives the Moccasin Sock pattern along with two skeins of Schoolhouse Press Quebecoise. We also dipped our toes into the world of Twitter and had a promotional contest for the podcast. Our winner for that contest is Tim and he receives 2 wheels of Un-spun Icelandic wool in the denim colorway.

Our next Fiber Beat CONTEST for Episode No. 2

I have the Little Box of Socks by Charlene Schurch and Beth Parrott. All you need to do is tell us what advice you'd like to help face your sock challenges?

To enter, please leave a comment on fiberbeat.com or on the Fiber Beat Ravelry forum. The winner will be randomly selected from all the entries. DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS NOVEMBER 30, 2009. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who downloaded and listened to the first two episodes of Fiber Beat. Let me know what you think and leave a review on iTunes!

A very special thanks to our Townspeople actors: Seana and Ron!

We used snippets of the songs below in this episode. If you like the music, please support the artists (links provided for your convenience):

• "Dem Socks Dat My Pappy Wore" performed by Coot Grant And Kid Wilson from Vol. 2 (1928-1931) (Document, 1998)
• "We're Russians" performed by Bichevskaya Zhanna from My - Russkie (Familia Entertainment, 2005)
• "Who Kept The Sheep" performed by Johnny Cash from The Christmas Spirit (Columbia, 1964)
• "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" performed by The Smiths from The Queen is Dead (Sire, 1986)
• "Mexican Hat Dance" performed by Rafael Mendez from The Legendary Trumpet Virtuosity of Rafael Mendez (Summit, 1995)
• "Beth" performed by KISS from Destroyer (Casablanca, 1976)
• "Make It Last Forever" performed by Keith Sweat from Sweat Hotel Live (Shout! Factory, 2008)
• "Red Travellin' Socks" performed by Malcolm Middleton from Waxing Gibbous (Full Time Hobby, 2009)

My name is WonderMike and I'll see YOU on the Fiber Beat!!

Media Link: Video Supplement 1: No Bar Increase & Moccasin Socks (09:32)

ETA: You can now watch it at Vimeo or with the inline player below.

Fiber Beat Video Supplement #1: No Bar Increase & Moccasin Socks from WonderMike on Vimeo.

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and we've all got a yarn to spin.

Welcome new listeners and now, VIEWERS, to our first Video Supplement to Fiber Beat. We're very impressed (and quite nervous) by the amount of work that goes into a video production. Please be gentle with your critique, but, we do want to know what you think and what works and what doesn't work for you!

The following people, places and things were mentioned:

• Bar None Increase demonstrated by Meg Swansen
• SHP Un-spun Icelandic Wool wheels
• SHP Books, including Knitter's Almanac & Knitting Around
• Schoolhouse Press DVDs

Don't forget about the very first Fiber Beat CONTEST

I have the pattern for the Moccasin Sock by Elizabeth Zimmermann PLUS two skeins of Québécoise in navy blue & forest green to give away. All you need to do is tell us what what you have learned from Schoolhouse Press?

To enter, please leave a comment on fiberbeat.com or on the Fiber Beat Ravelry forum. The winner will be randomly selected from all the entries. DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS OCTOBER 30, 2009. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who downloaded and listened to the first episode of Fiber Beat. Now that you've had a chance to watch the Fiber Beat Video Supplement, let me know what you think and leave a review on iTunes!

We used snippets and variations of the following song in this episode:

• "Fiber Beat Theme" performed by Anthony Bonet (Exclusive to Fiber Beat, 2009)

ETA: Several people have asked me about the spindles in the beginning shot (on the desk) and I'm listing them here:

• Spindlewood Square Whorl, Bosworth Midi, Tilt-A-Whorl "Daisy Might" flower, Golding Antique Bronze whorl, and a Forrester Dervish.

My name is WonderMike and I'll see YOU on the Fiber Beat.

Episode 1: Schoolhouse Socks! (28:46)

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and we've all got a yarn to spin.

Welcome new listeners and old! I'm so pleased you've joined me on the Fiber Beat.

Sock Summit was THE fiber event of our generation and it was thanks to the incredible work of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Tina Newton. I was fortunate enough to attend as a vendor with the Verb posse, but I was also a student and reporter for Fiber Beat.

For my first episode, I spoke with Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen from Schoolhouse Press.

The following people, places and things were mentioned:

• Men's Fall Knitting Retreat
• A Verb for Keeping Warm's "Verbivore" newsletter
• Knitting Around
• Twisted Stitch Knitting book @ SHP
• SHP Knitting Camp & Retreats
• Martingale Press (Twined Knitting book)
• The Sow's Ear yarn shop and coffee shop in Verona, WI
• Knitting Glossary DVD and other titles
• IBM Selectric
• Cully Swansen, editor of SHP DVDs and musician
• Linda Ligon, Interweave Press founder called EZ "The Mother of All"

Our very first Fiber Beat CONTEST

I have the pattern for the Moccasin Sock by Elizabeth Zimmermann PLUS two skeins of Québécoise in navy blue & forest green to give away. All you need to do is tell us what what you have learned from Schoolhouse Press.

To enter, please leave a comment below OR on the Fiber Beat Ravelry forum. The winner will be randomly selected from all the entries. DEADLINE FOR ENTERING IS OCTOBER 30, 2009. I look forward to seeing what everyone has to say!

A GINORMOUS thank you to everyone who downloaded and listened to the first episode of Fiber Beat. Let me know what you think and leave a review on iTunes!

Special thanks to Miss Priss: Adrienne Rodriguez and Editor/Musician extraordinaire: Anthony Bonet.

We used snippets of the songs below in this episode. If you like the music, please support the artists (links provided for your convenience):

• "Fiber Beat Theme" performed by Anthony Bonet (Exclusive to Fiber Beat, 2009)
• "Saturday Night on Saturn" performed by Les Baxter from Space Escapade (Capitol, 1957)
• "Victory Fanfare" performed by Nobuo Uematsu from Final Fantasy VII - Original Soundtrack (DigiCube, 1997)
• "Fanfare - Prince Of Wales" performed by The New Zealand Army Band with the Christchurch Musical Society from Sounds Of Glory - 22 All Time Favourites (K-tel, 1995)
• "Star-Spangled Banner" performed by Jimi Hendrix from The Jimi Hendrix Experience Boxed Set (Experience Hendrix, 2000)
• "God Save the Queen" performed by Queen from A Night at the Opera (Elektra, 1975)
• "Ny Batteri" performed by Sigur Rós from Ágætis Byrjun (Play It Again Sam, 1999)
• "I Don't Want To Grow Up" performed by Descendents from Somery (SST, 1991)
• "Schoolhouse Rocky" performed by Bob Dorough and Company from School House Rock Box Set (Rhino, 1998)
• "Tradition" performed by Topol and Cast from Fiddler on the Roof (Columbia, 1971)
• "The Typewriter" performed by US Air Force Air Mobility Command Band Of The Golden West from The Melody Shop (Altissimo, 2006)
• "Your Socks Don't Match" performed by Louis Jordan and The Tympani Five from Man Alive It's the Jumpin' Jive (Avid, 1999)
• "Sheep May Safely Graze" performed by Chris Swansen, Anthony Bonet Remix (Exclusive to Fiber Beat, 2009)

My name is WonderMike and I'll see YOU on the Fiber Beat.

Fiber Beat Promo: Fiber Beat Promo: Homage to Double Indemnity (1:20)

There's a million crafters in Fiber City and weave all got a yarn to spin.

If it's fiber, you'll find it on the Fiber Beat.

Greetings and salutations, Fellow Fiber Fiends!!!

Where Have I Been?
Long time, no chat. As a matter of fact, it’s been several months since my last work with Yknit but I haven’t been resting on my laurels. Things have been a little hectic with researching, planning and testing a NEW podcast/vodcast (not to mention a Men's Fall Knitting Retreat)! The nouveau venture is called Fiber Beat and I plan to be your intrepid reporter and tireless editor, bringing back news from all aspects of fiber crafting and fiber arts. I hope you enjoy the ride.

Why a New podcast/vodcast?
So, why a new podcast? I touched on this in Yknit Episode 19, Fistful of Fibers (featuring the Yarn Harlot), but, in a nutshell, my interests had grown beyond just knitting and I wanted to be able to explore all the various expressions of fiberphilia: knitting, spinning, crocheting, weaving, felting, herding (you get the picture). And speaking of pictures, I’ve been hankering to dip my toe into the pool of moving pictures: digital video. All your friends are doing it and with all the fantastic new cameras, it seemed silly not to at least give it a shot (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

What Can you Expect?
Here’s what I aspire to publish on a consistent basis:

1. Podcast (audio) – I am an NPR/News show junkie and I love a good story (c.f. “This American Life” and “Radiolab”). I’m fortunate to have lots of crafty icons popping through the Bay Area, so I hope to not be starved for content. Show frequency will be determined by who I can interview and the ability to edit and publish in a timely manner. If the planets align (and the interwebs stay up), I’ll publish an audio show every 3 weeks.

2. Vidcast (video) – I’ve been dreaming of this for while now. Inspired by the work of Schoolhouse Press (Elizabeth Zimmerman/Meg Swansen), Tradewind Knitwear Design (Lucy Neatby) and Insubordiknit (Jacey Boggs), I believe I can contribute to the vodcast world. I will publish small segments from time to time (i.e. not necessarily with each podcast) that are adjunct pieces to the podcast which will showcase a particular fiber, technique or finished object to its full glory. It’s the missing piece that I always wish I had with many podcasts, especially the crafty ones. The vodcast, if produced, will follow a week or so after the accompanying podcast.

How Can you Contribute?
I’d love to know your thoughts on the new work. If you have a brainstorm for the new format OR if you’d like to be a cub reporter on the Fiber Beat, zap me an email. I’ve also started a forum on Ravelry. Please join up and give us your feedback.

What Else?
Well, as this is new venture for me, I’m bound to experience bumps in the road, but, cross fingers, touch wood, they will at least be entertaining, if not eye opening. Thanks for joining us on the Fiber Beat and if you see me out and about with microphone and video camera in hand, don’t be shy.

There are a million crafters in the Fiber City and we’ve all got a yarn to spin.