Ready, Set, Knit!

An amazing thing happened last week--I was interviewed by Kathy Elkins on the Ready, Set, Knit podcast!

How did this happen? When I received the state fair results, I dropped Kathy a line to let her know that both pieces were done in the WEBS brand, Valley Yarns. That's when she asked if I could come on the podcast. Eek. Scary. I was excited, flattered, and apprehensive. But I could do it, I could talk about knitting, right?


2017 1st Place & Best in Division
Project Details on Ravelry


2017 4th Place
Project Details on Ravelry

We agreed on a date and then I did some homework--on myself. That might sound strange, but I've been sending entries to Sacramento for years and I've been knitting since I was quite young. There are over 200 projects on my Ravelry page so I thought it would be best if I reviewed my knitting history.

I rediscovered the other Valley Yarns projects that placed at the fair in 2014:

Mixed Tide Shawl - original design

Mixed Tide shawl
Project Details on Ravelry

Honorable Mention, Division: Knitting,
Class: Knitted Wearing Apparel
Judge's Comments: Good color choice for a "tide" pattern. Better blocking would "show off" pattern more clearly. Well done for a challenging technique.

Crackle Sac

Crackle Sac
Project Details on Ravelry

2nd Place, Division: Other Fiber Art,
Class: Any Other Fiber Art
Workmanship: 20
Level of Difficulty: 19
Design: 19
Appropriate Pattern or Technique: 19
Creative use of materials or fabric: 18
Judge's Comments: Very good job! Weaving, making bag, matching pattern on seams! Well done.

When recording day came, I found a quiet spot in the house with the best cell reception, which can be iffy at best. Thankfully the phone showed 2 bars that morning. The call from Kathy came, she reviewed the process, and then I listened to her and Steve talk for a few minutes before my segment. I want to say that I waited patiently, but "patiently" doesn't describe the mass of butterflies that I swallowed with my morning coffee. Maybe I shouldn't have had so much caffeine, huh? Ya think?

Then it was my turn. [Deep breath] I did my best to slow down, listen, and think about what I was going to say before words started spewing forth. I was super nervous, but Kathy was a champ and guided me through the interview like the pro she is. Now when I listen to the podcast, I wish I didn't say "um" so many times. I wasn't even aware of it. Oh and there was the slip when I said I started the shawl in 2006 instead of 2016. Thankfully Kathy corrected that. Nerves. Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the end product.

I still can't believe that I was a guest on RSK!

Here's a link to the web site where you can hear "Ready, Set, Knit! Show 491: Kathy Talks With Janice Kang"