tropical knitting in cuba and three new tests! | kuriaknits podcast episode 22

Find everything that I've talked about below.
|FIND ME|
Instagram: / kuriaknits
Ravelry: www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
[e-mail]
|TIMESTAMPS|
Lakes Pullover 1:52
Riento 7:17
Oolong Tank 14:48
Lucia Pullover 21:33
Semper Sweater V-Neck 29:31
GUERNSEY GENSER 34:29
Acquisitions 39:01
Life Update 43:10
|FINISHED OBJECTS (FOs)|
Lakes Pullover by Ozetta : Hailey Smedley
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
Riento by Sari Nordlund
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
|WORKS IN PROGRESS (WIPs)|
Oolong Tank - Aimee Sher
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
Lucia Pullover - Sari Nordlund
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
Semper Sweater V-Neck - The Knit Purl Girl
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
GUERNSEY GENSER by Sandnes Design
www.ravelry.com/projects/kuri...
|ABOUT|
I live and knit in Southern Ontario with my husband and my terrier. The name kuriaknits comes from my last name - Kurian. Kurian has Indian and Syrian origins and I feel lucky every day that my husband shared it with me.

[@valeriehazel4858]

Another enjoyable and thought provoking podcast. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

[@kristinm3729]

Thank you for sharing the information about Cuba.

[@peerreviewed]

All of those projects are turning our so well! Love it when you get on a streak of successful projects 😍 Also, if you need company for a wander around some London yarn shops I’ve been looking for an excuse to finally make it up there!

[@annabing6721]

I’m so glad you took the time to educate us about your trip. Thank you.

[@theyarngoeson]

I really appreciate that you share your travel experiences and important things to know. Always love to see your episodes!

[@hildaandrews8150]

An interesting show as usual. I appreciate your beautiful projects and your compassion for others.

[@marietappin9900]

Great Marketplace find - Lady Fair. Eaton's is still missed by many of us Canadians. Another enjoyable podcast.

[@kuriaknits]

Sounds like I have competition haha

[@constanzefischer5610]

Erin, I think your thoughts on your Cuba vacation are so interesting and thoughtful! I live in Europe and always struggle with all those reflections on the state of the world when I vacation in places popular for Europeans like Egypt or Tunesia. You are right that tourism is usually an important part of the economy but for me I have decided that I only want to travel to countries where I feel the people there and I are not at a power imbalance. I just cannot enjoy my vacation when I feel that somehow I am taking advantage of people. I feel often they don't really have a choice and need to accept unacceptable working conditions. Especially big resorts are often run by big international companies and it's a shame how they benefit from the political situation an countries like Cuba. Like you, I would think about these issues constantly and I really don't want to do that when on vacation. It's a selfish choice to a degree, I know. Again, thank you so much for being so mindful and highlighting the problems you saw.

[@theneonknitter472]

When I used kid silk I held it together with drops karisma. I had it in the petrol color. I had the karisma in the same color. I didn’t have any problems with the mohair whatsoever. I knit Extra Texture by Stephen West

[@illusion1528]

Ohh I'm so jealous that you got to test the Oolong tank! Can't wait to see how it turns out!

[@genier7829]

I'm looking forward to the thrift video- you always find great stuff. I finally had an Erin-style buy, a minimally used cone of strawberry pink heathered Shetland or lambswool. It was US 3.99 and seems in great condition, although it spent some time in the freezer to be certain.

[@kuriaknits]

Ahh congrats! Such a fun find :)

[@CasualKnitter]

Thank you for speaking about the confidence in self-knitting skills, I look for the day I love every single garment I knit because at the moment I think I need to redo this, need to re-knit that, this doesn't fit me... But to be fair I have started knitting garments only this year...

[@kuriaknits]

The difference between my first and second year have been huge! You’ll definitely hit your stride soon. I still make mistakes (I ripped out HOURS of work last night) but your quicker to fix them. You got this!

[@CasualKnitter]

@@kuriaknits ❣️🧶❣️🧶❣️🧶❣️

[@den6001]

Motherknitter in New Jersey just got a new shipment of the soft for women booklets. They have an online store.

[@sandracroley9784]

I was so looking forward to hearing about your Cuba trip. We've been a few times, and one of the best things are the people, for sure. How sad that it seems to have declined...but I'm not really surprised, I guess. We'd heard in the past that money and goods in Cuba first goes to the government, then the military, then the people get the bits that are left...not sure of the accuracy of that, but it seems to be true. I wonder if it's even more true because of the war 😔. My husband is feeling the itch to travel again, but I'm just not ready yet (I'm sure it's a covid mentality thing...I'm so content just to stay home). Thank you for your opinions.

[@kuriaknits]

I felt pretty safe from COVID while travelling this time around. There was a decent amount of people still masking so you wouldn't stick out at all. I understand the concern though. From my understanding even the resorts have to pay the government worker wages and then the government pays the worker a smaller amount. A very interesting system indeed.

[@theknotana]

I am also doing the test knit for the Lucia Pullover (and what a gorgeous pattern that is)! I am definitely keeping my eyes on the chart at all times and I also think it is the most intricate pattern I have worked on. By the way, it is my first test knit and I only applied because of your video on test knitting! Test knitting seemed out of my reach because I don't have an instagram account (and most designers really ask for that), but your video made it seem like testing for Sari Nordlund would be a possibility, so thank you! It has been great so far :)

[@kuriaknits]

Oh my goodness! I am glad you are having a good experience so far. Excited to see what yours looks like!

[@taraldstein7165]

So interesting to hear about your Cuban experience, thank you! I went there 5 years ago, my first major trip alone for 4 weeks. With exception of the first night in a hotel, I only stayed in homes/apartments. It was an interesting and good experience. I really recommend home stays, also because it felt more directly benefitting the people. They were so caring and nice to me, without intruding. It's maybe not the country to go to experience food, but I learned a lot. I especially recommend the south (Santiago de Cuba and Baracoa), but just be aware that people there are even poorer than in other places. Cuba and the people there earned a special place in my heart. I expected to return home less socialist, but that didn't happen. I'd love to visit again, but doubt I can afford it (a long way from Norway).

[@kuriaknits]

Four weeks is a long time! Sounds like an amazing experience. I didn't know Cuba was open to that kind of travel. It is definitely a long way from Norway which I hope made it extra special for you.

[@taraldstein7165]

@@kuriaknits @kuriaknits Yes, I even booked some stays through Airbnb (payment could be a trouble, so this may have changed). It felt safer than most other countries, as all hosts needed government permission and the standard was fixed. It was really a special trip for me.

[@CasualKnitter]

Oh knitting on the beach ⛱️🏖️⛱️ it sounds so good! Did you get sand on it 😂

[@kuriaknits]

I did! Thankfully this one can go in the wash haha

[@hannamk9375]

As a fellow loose knitter (and Medievalist) , I feel you! I've ended up knitting colorwork mitts with 1,75 and 2,25mm needles when the recommended needles were 2,5 and 3mm 🙈

[@kuriaknits]

OMG I think I would give up haha. Good for you!

[@terralia644]

I don;t know why it just clicked for me that you're in the local-ish area - I'm moving to the KW area in June, so I've been scanning the LYS to get a feel for the area (because that's obviously the most important thing for a knitter!). I'm so sad that Shall We Knit is no longer local! How do you find Galt House of Yarn? Also If you feel generous - please share your thrifting recs for where you get fibre, because you have the most amazing luck! Your Rialto is gorgeous! And I can't wait to see your Lucia when you're done!

[@kuriaknits]

I hope you love KW! Galt House of Yarn is great. They seem to be headed in a more high-end direction so they have a lot more of the trendier yarns. If you have a car it isn't too far to get to. There is also a new yarn store that opened yesterday in Guelph that I have yet to try. My best second hand yarn hauls have come from local Value Villages and Marketplace. Try not to steal all the best yarn when you get here 😉

[@terralia644]

@@kuriaknits Hah! I'll leave you all the rustic yarns and mohair, I tend to be much more a superwash and plant yarns kind of gal ;) I'm coming back to the KW area (I did my undergrad there), so I'm sure I'll love it. Thanks for the tip! (Also I'm finishing up the video now - I totally understand what you mean about America not feeling like a vacation/adventure. I feel the unpleasant stuff makes you think "oh yeah this is definitely a different country" but the pleasant stuff feels so familiar.)

[@irenecortez7819]

What size needles did you use on your Riento? I love your tank version.

[@kuriaknits]

4mm!

[@wovenheart2686]

I have been wanting to knit the Guernsey Genser for sooo long but can’t get my hands on the book either. :(

[@kuriaknits]

It took me almost a year. My LYS told me that they are starting to come available again!