Back in Business!So, let's begin...again. This is Episode 8 of the Bag Bliss Podcast. The Bag Bliss Podcast is a podcast where sewing and knitting joyfully unite. You can find me on Instagram, FB and Etsy as MariaElenaBliss. On Ravelry and The Fold Line as mariaeb and as MariaBeuttenmul on Twitter and Periscope. I am also on Pintrest as mebeutt.

 August is the month for the Where in the World is the #wwMariaElenaBliss IG contest where I randomly select from photos posted to that hashtag depicting your MariaElenaBliss project bags. I am so excited to announce the August 2016 winners which are in prize order starting with first prize-@fitzjulia, @bellylaugher and @curioushandmade. Each will receive a project bag from the shop from an XLZippered Project Bag, a Snap Sock Clutch and a Nifty Notion Necklace, respectively. I will get those tailor made for the winners and ship them out next week. Thank you to everyone who posted pictures and played along and please, please keep posting as the next winner, only one, will be chosen on December 31st (2016). A new Bliss Bulletin was sent this morning to all my subscribers announcing the winners and also offering a code for free shipping available today to all my customers! 

Sewing:Lets talk about sewing first as I want to tell you where I was last week...I was so excited for the opportunity to once more, create and learn new sewing and tailoring techniques from one of my favorite teachers, Gail Doane. Gail's degree comes from British Columbia University and is one of tailor. She is absolutely amazing and her classes are a bit intense, but chuck full of amazing information. I will confess I am not one of her star pupils, but I do learn and after some wielding of the seam ripper, I will get it almost correct. This class featured a smocked dress with a beautiful two tone collar and lots of embroidery and smocking, but the main feature was a full length Italian wool coat which I am making for my littlest granddaughter. It is a size 4 and would never fit right now, but it gives me much time to complete and add all the intricate amazing details which will be a part of this outfit. Gail is a published author and has been published in countless magazines. Her most recent venture has been to be part of the new Classic Sewing Magazine, which I am looking forward to subscribing to.Thank you, Gail, for your patience and direction to all who attended! As per usual you are an amazing and patient teacher. 

On the knitting needles: In Episode 7, I had quite a few shawls on my needles and can be deemed FO's except the Oak Flat Road Shawl by Romi Hill. I truly made this project a lot more difficult than it needed to be by making it a two colors and for this reason I am on time out from it as I needed more instant gratification and in now way is a reflection on this well written and gorgeous pattern! In the meantime I knit Romi's Headlands Shawl with the yarn I am offering in the Project Bag Clubs for 2017 with the  Yarn Option...check it out! Amber of LunarStitchesAmber is a fabulous Indie Dyer, I know you will love! She is taking a short well deserved break, but I can't wait till she gets back!

Since then I have joined The Shawl Society by Curioushandmade and have managed to keep up until the Asana Shawl which is #3. I had a false start with lace yarn on this one and have frogged it and started over with fingering which makes me happier. I am using Wandering Wool yarn in the Udalpur Fingering base which has been discontinued. The color way is Cherry Blossom and it's a 50/50 merino silk. Just lovely and I can't wait to get to the lace portion and beads. Almost there. I know most of you have joined this brilliant club and am watching your beautiful shawls come off your needles! Also on my needles is Angelus Novus Cardigan by Renee Callahan. I am knitting this with Hazel Knits Lively DK in the White Winged Dove color way. This yarn is amazing and I'm plowing through the pattern and at a point where it's a bit confusing, but I have it under good authority to just follow the directions and it will all make sense. It is truly a brilliant design and loved how it starts with a lace shawl type of knitting which flew off my needles...until now. I am also knitting off and on on the Song in the Air, MKAL which is my first knit in the round shawl and it's growing by leaps and bounds. It usually takes about 45 minutes to finish one round and there are lots of stitches, but I am in no hurry for this one. I am creating this out of Prism yarn Delicato which has languished in my stash for years and has tried to become many things, but this time it took! I was lucky enough to get on a test knit for the Hint of Autumn Cowl by Laura Aylor and highly recommend this pattern which would be wonderful for, dare I say,  holiday gifting and cleverly constructed! I knit the test in Madtosh Pashmina in the Burnished color way, but any Sport weight yarn would be lovely. Please check my project page and the test knit thread in Laura's Rav group for great ideas!

Books I have ordered and can't wait to get to, are Rugged Knits by Andrea Rangel, The Baby Botanical books by Alana Dakos of Nevernotknitting, and the magazines, Filament by Anne Poldesack and Kathleen Dames and am truly enjoying my first issue of Making magazine by Carrie Bostick Hoge. I also ordered The Modern Natural Dyer by Kristine Vejar and some natural yarns in different bases. I have been collecting onion skins, avocado skins and pits and even Oak tree bloat to start to experiment with natural dying yarn and slowing consuming all the information in this beautiful informative coffee table style book! So much going on and everything in good time. 

Coming up in October will be the last shipment of the 2016 MariaElenaBliss Project Bag Clubs, the opening up again of the 2017 project bag clubs for purchase, with and without yarn options. I have discovered a wonderful Indie dyer whose yarns are beautiful and wanted to add this option next year so you could experience as well, but if you would rather not pay for the yarn, then just choose the no yarn option.  Also in October is The Knitting Pipeline Retreat in Illinois at Eagle Crest. Thanks to all who have ordered their Monogrammed/ Custom Snap Sock Clutch for this event. I am especially excited about this trip as it promises to be such fun but will also include my first visit to SAFF. So if you are going to SAFF this year, I hope somehow we get to meet. If you know you will be attending, please reach out as I would love to make a point to meet you! You can email me or convo me through the shop. I love hearing from you, so please don't be shy! I have been listening to the podcast Happier by Gretchen Ruben and find it so inspirational. I highly recommend this podcast and their 80th episode is all about the Love Languages! So helpful and so appropriate for all kinds of relationships, not just your marital but also relationships with friends, family members, children, grandchildren, parents. Check it out!Well, my friends, I hope your are knitting and sewing and into all kinds or crafty goodness. Looking forward to retreats, fiber shows and meeting your wonderful friends and family as we head into the holiday season. There are lots of great links on this page and I hope you enjoy! Happy sewing and knitting my friends! Until next time!

Music for the show “Springish"was provided by artist Andi Gillicuddy with his permission from freemusicarchive.org site. Andi is a young guitar artist and lives in Germany. If you love his music check out his site: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/gillicuddy/Plays_Guitar/