Saturday, April 25, 2015

Episode 76: Wookies!

In this episode, the Geek Girls are again a trio! España comes back for a squee fest about the upcoming Silicon Valley ComiCon for 2016, and Sandy has a squee-fit over the newly released Star Wars trailer. Of course, crafting is never far behind. Sandy & Jade catch up on their latest knitting, sewing, and general crafty projects. A

Click to directly download it from this link.:
You can also find us on iTunes or subscribe directly to the podcast episode RSS feed.

Get Geeky

Events:

Hubba Hubba Revue May 4th (Star Wars) and May 8th (Super Heroes) DNA Lounge SF

Retzlaff Winery - June 6, 2015 - Fleeces, Food, & Fun. 10-4. $5.00 per person.

Valhalla Ren Faire - May 30-31, June 5-6 - Tahoe.

BayCon - Memorial Day weekend 2015. May 22-24, 2015 (note: last day change) at the Santa Clara Convention Center

Fanime - memorial day weekend 2015. May 22-25, 2015 -- SJ Convention Center

Kublacon same days, http://www.kublacon.com/ , Burlingame hyatt regency, $40 per the weekend.

Convolution 2015 - Burlingame October 5-6, 2015

Westercon 68 in San Diego July 4th Weekend

Worldcon in Spokane August 19-23

Moment of Squee

In today's episode, the girls squee about:

The Big Wow Convention that was held at the San Jose Convention Center May 18-19th. Espana and Jade give a post con report, as well as record an "after-hours" con report while slightly inebriated.
The upcoming 2016 Silicon Valley Comic Con!
The newly released Star Wars trailer. Sandy has a squee fit over it.
Sandy is loving the new Daredevil series.

Get Crafty!

The girls have not just ONE, but TWO craft-a-longs in progress.... Check out the Geek Girl Crafts forums on G+ and Ravelry:

Harry Potter Craft-a-Long

Sandy wants you to geek out about Harry Potter! Make your favorite Potter Universe item, whether it be knitting, sewing, baking, or otherwise. Check out the official Harry Potter Universe website at: https://www.pottermore.com

Who Crafts?

Jade gets in on the craft-a-long, but Doctor Who style. Got sewing? knitting? crochet? Want to make fish fingers and custard? Or your favorite souffle recipe? Share with us!

And for those interested, she's posted her pattern for her fingerless long gloves, so make your own Doctor Who scarf gloves

Fiber Optics

Sandy has finished adding her stash to her Ravelry Stash page and is so much happier! Although, now she plans on culling her stash at the next yarn swap at her local LYS.

Finished Objects
Jade	Pattern:3-in-1 Sweater by Atelier Alfa Yarn: Cascade 220 Sport superwash Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/3-in-1-3 Notes:
Jade	Pattern: Jacque Cousteau Hat Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash Worsted Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jacques-cousteau-hat
WIPs
Sandy	Pattern: gryffindor house sweater: front of sweater Yarn: Cascade Longwood sport Link Notes: finished the back
Jade	Baby Sweater for dear friends Cascade 220 Superwash paints Notes: Jade had issues with this because: Knit for too long -- distracted by GoT -- had to rip back 3” Ripped out neckline decreases twice -- because she can’t count
Sandy	Pattern: HexiPuffs! Yarn: Varied Sock yarn Link Notes: Using HabitRPG to turn everyday chores into a RPG game that gives you XP for things you do everyday.
Jade	Pattern: New socks! Yarn: Cascade Socks - Self striping socks
Jade	Pattern: Louisa by Cocoknits Yarn: Shibui - Linen, Cloud, and….. Notes: Had to rip back once because she twisted her join.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Episode 75: Weapons Safety Policy

In this episode, the girls have a special guest host. The three discuss cosplay costume accessories, such as large props, like wings and weapons. They talk about the rules and policies at various conventions surrounding prop weapons, as well as some of the local city and county laws that might affect your cosplay accessorizing. For fiber crafting, the girls discuss their latest finished projects and their WIPs.

Click to directly download it from this link.:
You can also find us on iTunes or subscribe directly to the podcast episode RSS feed.

Get Geeky

Events:

Retzlaff Winery - June 6, 2015 - Fleeces, Food, & Fun. 10-4. $5.00 per person.

Valhalla Ren Faire - May 30-31, June 5-6 - Tahoe.

BayCon - Memorial Day weekend 2015. May 22-24, 2015 (note: last day change) at the Santa Clara Convention Center

Fanime - memorial day weekend 2015. May 22-25, 2015 -- SJ Convention Center

Kublacon same days, http://www.kublacon.com/ , Burlingame hyatt regency, $40 per the weekend.

Convolution 2015 - Burlingame October 5-6, 2015

Topic: Weapons Safety Policies

Different conventions have different policies regarding accessories such as weapons for your cosplay outfit. These policies range from a simple "Use Common Sense" to very extensive rules for what you can and cannot do with your weapon props.

Make sure to read the policies set forth by the Convention (and the Masquerade) regarding weapons, drawing your weapons, etc. Also be aware that local municipalities (cities, counties, and state) have their own laws regarding weapons. Don't get arrested because your prop gun looks too real!

Know what the policies and local laws say!

Get Crafty!

The girls have not just ONE, but TWO craft-a-longs in progress.... Check out the Geek Girl Crafts forums on G+ and Ravelry:

Harry Potter Craft-a-Long

Who Crafts?

Fiber Optics

Sandy adds her stash to her Ravelry Stash page and is so much happier!

Finished Objects
Jade	Pattern: Tiger Socks Yarn: Regia Jade's cat has opinions about her tiger stripe socks!
Jade	Pattern: Honey Cowl Yarn: YOTH Big Sister Notes: This is a lovely yarn to work with, and has great stitch definition. It also withstands repeated frogging, and softens up beautifully when washed & blocked.
WIPs
Sandy	Pattern: gryffindor house sweater: back of sweater Yarn: Cascade Longwood sport Link Notes: finished the back
Jade	Pattern:3-in-1 Sweater by Atelier Alfa Yarn: Cascade 220 Sport superwash Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/3-in-1-3 Notes: NEARLY DONE!!!Had to rip back because the neckline was huge. Reknitting and decreases
Jade	Pattern: New socks! Yarn: Cascade Socks - Self striping socks
Sandy	Pattern: HexiPuffs!

Make it Sew!

Jade is the only one currently sewing, but she has a bit of costuming ennui. So far she is working on the following:

She is still working on the San costume from Princess Monoke. The apron is finished (the suedecloth worked beautifully. And she also received the faux fur, and has made the cloak.

She has created a Doctor Who bucket hat with an exploding Tardis interior.

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Episode 74: Girl Spies

In this episode, the girls continue from their last podcast and talk about some of the female spies throughout history, and how many of them used crafting to send secret messages. Then, in crafting, the girls talk about how their own fiber arts and their not-so-secret codes embedded into them.

Click to directly download it from this link.:
You can also find us on iTunes or subscribe directly to the podcast episode RSS feed.

Get Geeky

The girls continue the spy theme and talk about the female spies throughout history.

Famous Spies

Mata Hari - probably the most famous spy. She was an outrageous personality. She was thought to be a double agent -- being a Spy for France and Germany during WWI.
Julia Child (the famous chef) was also a spy. She stood out at 6 foot 2 inches, which made her too tall to be a WAC or a WAVE, but she still wanted to serve in wartime. She joined the the OSS and worked for its head office, and processed hundreds of top secret documents in places like Sri Lanka, China, and other regions.
Josephine Baker worked as a spy for the French resistance during World War II. She traveled frequently across borders performing, and her sheet music had orders and maps written in invisible ink. Many German and foreign officials attended her performances. When she heard juicy bits of information from the dignitaries, she’d jot them down and relay that information to France's military intelligence in Paris. After the war, she was awarded the French Legion of Honor for her service.

Other Spies:

Mary Bowser - a black Civil War spy that worked in the Confederate White House. She posed as a slow witted, but competent servant. The Confederacy assumed she couldn’t read or write, and because she had photographic memory, was able to send information to help the Union spy network.
A Real Life Agent Carter --- Nancy Wake -- killed an SS officer with a judo chop to the throat. She organized weapons & supply drops. She engaged in combat leading guerrilla attacks.
Noor Inaya Khan -- (dad - Indian Muslim/ Mom- american) - She worked as a Special Ops Executive (and her male superiors thought she was too soft and gentle to be a spy). She was the only wireless operator transmitting from Nazi occupied Paris after all her other colleagues were arrested.
Chevalier de Eon -- a trans woman that worked for King Louis XV spy network against the Habsburg monarchy. King Louis agreed to recognize her as a woman after her service. She became known as Mademoiselle La chevalière d'Éon de Beaumont.
(http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jun/06/portrait-18th-century-early-transvestite)

Crafty Spy Work!

A lot of spies used crafting to communicate message back to their side.

Anna Strong - used her laundry as code for signaling messages about troop locations or available messages during the American Civil War

Pippa Doyle -- an SOE agent

As Genevieve - she would cycle around the French countryside with her knitting because her codes were on a piece of silk … she’d “ I wrapped the piece of silk around a knitting needle and put it in flat shoelace, which used to tie my hair up."

http://www.examiner.com/article/have-knitting-needles-will-spy-contact-molly-rinker-philadelphia

Old French ladies would keep count of Nazi trains -- purl 1 for a goods train, drop 1 for a military train.

Elizabeth Bently hid secret documents in her knitting bag

Madame Defarge (Dickens - a Tale of TWo Cities) -- while not really a spy, was a akin to a Tricoteuse and would knit the names of her enemies into her knitting.

Old Mom Ringer would put scraps of paper inside balls of yarn then nudge them to Union Soldiers. Same with Confederate spies (http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1496.htm)

Knitting was used in code for WW2 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/qi/10638792/QI-how-knitting-was-used-as-code-in-WW2.html)

Because knitting is essentially a binary language, it has been used for code, including morse code. Check out this modern mathematician who is using knitting as a binary system.

http://krista-mccracken.blogspot.com/2012/02/knitting-binary-systems-and-history.html

Other links for female spies

https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/spies/1.htm

Biblio for female spies. https://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/spies/25.htm

http://www.history.com/news/history-lists/secret-agents-in-hoop-skirts-women-spies-of-the-civil-war

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/ist/?next=/history/women-spies-of-the-civil-war-162202679/

http://www.missedinhistory.com/podcasts/civil-war-spies-mary-elizabeth-bowser/

io9: http://io9.com/10-real-life-female-spies-who-deserve-their-own-movie-f-1684986990?utm_content=buffer2a95e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Get Crafty!

The girls have not just ONE, but TWO craft-a-longs in progress.... Check out the Geek Girl Crafts forums on G+ and Ravelry:

Harry Potter Craft-a-Long

Who Crafts?

Fiber Optics

Finished Objects
Sandy	Pattern: Toothless Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Link:http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/a-simple-baby-pullover and My Favorite Dragon Hat http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/my-favorite-dragon-hat
Jade	Pattern: Fingerless gloves Yarn:Stray Cat Yarns in Electric Avenue Link: Vanilla Pattern
WIPs
Sandy	Pattern: gryffindor house sweater: Yarn: Cascade Longwood sport Link Notes: finished the armhole section for the back, now finishing the back (shoulder area)
Jade	Pattern:3-in-1 Sweater by Atelier Alfa Yarn: Cascade 220 Sport superwash Link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/3-in-1-3 Notes: Currently still working on the body, but now at the neck shaping. Still at the neck shaping Hoping to finish by 3/31 -- but not optimistic. Dark grey yarn is a black hole...
Jade	Pattern: Tiger Socks Yarn:Regia Link Notes: On the 2nd sock, working on the cuff.
Jade	Pattern: Honey Cowl Yarn: YOTH Big Sister Link: Notes: Lovely yarn to work with~
Sandy	Pattern: HexiPuffs! Yarn Link Notes:

Make it Sew!

Jade - Still working on the San costume from Princess Monoke Got the fur. Now to make the back. Apron is mocked up, but not sure of the suedecloth.

Jade --

Dr. Who PJs & nightshirt

Bucket hats