This is the last episode of 2015! I feel a bit reflective as the end of the year approaches. It’s been a truly amazing twelve months! As we head into the holiday break, I’m keeping it simple (after all, simplicity was my word for 2015!) and this episode is mostly just a catch up. I also have a really exciting announcement about something coming up early next year! Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their very special Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links The end of Knitvent 2015 We opened the final window on Thursday to reveal the Kindling Mitts. This year's Knitvent has been an absolute joy. A million thanks to everyone who has participated. But it's not completely over yet! There’s a finished objects thread on the Ravelry group now, and the KAL is going to be running until the end of the month, so there's plenty of time to enter. We have some amazing prizes for this one, so don't forget to upload your FO photos! You can do individual posts for each item and each post will count as a chance to win one of these: £25 Gift Voucher from Meadow Yarn £25 Gift Voucher from Blacker Yarn $40 Gift Voucher from The Fringe Supply Co. What’s in the WIP Times Square by Norah Gaughan: I’m making good progress on this, and I just love the Knightsbridge yarn. Really comforting and cosy. I’ve switched to the Knitpro Zing needles from the HiyaHiya Sharps (which I love but were just a little too pointy for this non-lace knitting) and it’s been a joy. Over halfway done! We’re going to run the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge into 2016 on a quarterly basis, so I’m keeping that in mind as I start thinking about my makes for next year. There’s some discussion in this thread on the Ravelry Board if you’d like to learn more. The Little Bobbins video podcast is proposing a Christmas Eve Socks KAL for knitting socks over Christmas which sounds like a lot of fun. Contest Winner The Authentic Collection giveaway got a huge amount of attention! Thanks to everyone who entered. I’m delighted to announce that the winner is: Jen Day with this comment: 2015/12/05 at 8:45 pm How often does an entire collection take ones breath away? I want to knit ALL the pieces, but first up will be A Girl Thing, because hats are much needed for the cold Michigan winter! Congratulations! I know you're going to love knitting everything in the collection.Get in touch with your Ravelry name and Joji will send you your prize! Upcoming Events The Pom Pom Quarterly Christmas Party is on Dec 11th. I'll be there as a booth babe for The Fibre Co, and some of the Knitvent 2015 samples will be on show as well.  I hope to see you there, if you're local! Advance tickets are sold out but there will be some available on the door. The Curious Handmade Country House Retreat is happening on March 14 -17th 2016 in Cumbria, UK! Details on how to register will be coming very soon!

Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their very special Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links Knitvent Update: Window #5 opened this week, and behind it was the Kindling Hat! This is a unisex design that's really quick to knit and looks fabulous in rugged yarns for the chaps and luxurious yarn for the ladies. Sample 1: Westcountry Tweed in Natural Sample 2: Bluefaced Leicester DK in Natural  with an Alpaca Fur Pom Pom I’m adding a finished object thread to the Ravelry board, and I have some great prizes to announce for the Knitvent 2015 KAL, so don’t forget to share your FOs! What’s in the WIP: Times Square by Norah Gaughan I really really want to finish this one, because I’m in love with the yarn (Fibre company’s Knightsbridge) and really want to wear it. Reyka Pullover by Cirila Rose I’m up to the colourwork and I’d also love to wear it this winter. Cave Point Shawl by Paula from the Knitting Pipeline. So nearly done on this one and it will go with everything, so it’s another one I’m desperate to finish. Collection Review The Authentic Collection by Joji Locatelli I interviewed this brilliant Argentine designer a while back, and I’m such a big fan. The patterns are all available individually, but the full collection is amazing value. There’s a lovely preview video on her website. It’s great to see the patterns being worn and moving! This is a huge collection, and would love to knit just about any of these designs. Puntilla is probably first on my list She’s given us a copy of the ebook to give away this week, so if you’d like to be in with a chance to win, just leave a comment telling us which design is your favourite! I’ll draw a winner at random next week. Other Show Links: Being Boss Podcast Episode with Jay Prior Paula's charming first video podcast The Pom Pom Quarterly Christmas Party is on Dec 11th. I'll be attending (for my third year in a row! Time flies!) and I'm really looking forward to it. More holiday catch-ups with friends. I hope to see you there, if you're local! Advance tickets are sold out but there will be some available on the door. That's everything for this week! Happy knitting!  

Today I’m finally getting a chance to talk to the wonderful Sue Blacker from Blacker Yarns, who also runs The Natural Fibre Company, an artisan wool mill which specialises in spinning beautiful yarn from small batches of fleece. It’s a godsend to the local and rare-breeds wool community here in the British Isles, and to knitters everywhere. Sue knows just about everything there is to know about wool, and she took the time to share some of her knowledge with us on the podcast. She’s also the author of Pure Wool: A Knitter's Guide to Using Single-breed Yarns which is an indispensable reference with some lovely patterns. I was completely fascinated listening to Sue, and I think you will be too. This episode is one for the true wool nerds (which is possibly all of us, I think.) Show sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderful Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to making the Curious Handmade Krimbo Party such a lovely event. Special thanks to the people and companies who contributed lovely door prizes: Meadow Yarn Blacker Yarns Julie from Suffolk Socks Mina, host of the excellent Knitting Expat Video Podcast (check out her Etsy shop, Mina Makes) This week’s Knitvent 2015 pattern is the Ice River Hat, a companion to the Ice River Snood that I released a few weeks ago. It’s super cuddly and super-fast: some of my American knitters even managed to knit one up around the Thanksgiving festivities yesterday! Super impressive. It was knit in The Fibre Company’s Tundra bulky yarn, which is a super-luxurious bulky yarn made from a blend of alpaca, merino, and silk. During the interview, Sue mentions The Campaign For Wool She also says that very soon, in partnership with Wovember and WoolSack a directory of small farm wool producers will be released, so keep your eyes peeled for that! You can read about the rare breeds like the Soay and Boreray Sheep on the Blacker Yarns Meet The Animals page Take a virtual tour of The Natural Fibre Company Mill Check out her great articles for Wovember and on Blacker Yarn’s website for more woolly wisdom from Sue. Single Breed Swatch Along That's everything for this episode! I hope you enjoyed hearing about all the thought, effort and skill that goes into producing the beautiful yarns made at The Natural Fibre Company. If you have any questions (or ideas for new colours for the West Country Tweed yarn!) don't hesitate to contact myself or Sue. Have a great week, and happy knitting!

Today's chat is mostly about upcoming events, my hope and plans for the last little bit of this year, and some pondering I've been doing about the future of the Curious Handmade Podcast. This is one I'd really love to have your opinion on, so be sure to visit the Ravelry group for a chat after you listen! Show sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their very special Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show links I was watching the really great Bakery Bears Podcast, and they gave me a lot to think about! Bakery Bears Patreon Page Smart Passive Income Podcast Patreon Episode   I’m officially going to Squam in the spring! So excited. I really want to make my West Water Tunic before I get there. The Knitvent pattern this week was the Cabin Path Shawl! I love this big cuddly shawl, and I’m proud of the pretty knitted border: this is a new design feature for me and it’s so fun to knit. For the sample, I used the delicious Canopy Fingering from the Fibre Company in the colourways River Dolphin and Dragonfruit. Upcoming events Shiny Bees Bead-Along  Winter Wander from Knitvent is one of the included patterns, so you can double dip with this KAL! The other patterns are: Kunye by Clare Devine. Be With You by Boo Knits. and one crochet pattern, Lisa’s Shawl by Shireen Nadir. Cast on will take place on 16th November 2015 at 8:30pm live on Periscope with@Shinybees. The KAL/CAL will end on 10th Jan 2016. Curious Handmade Krimbo Party Sunday November 22nd from 2:30pm until 6:00pm…I’m hosting a Curious Handmade Christmas Party in London! I’m really looking forward to sharing afternoon of knitting and festive surprises with everyone who can come along. We’ll enjoy a holiday glasses of wine and snacks together, too! There are going to be some great door prizes, too, including two skeins of magnificent Life in the Long Grass from Meadow Yarn. Blacker Yarn is sending Blue Leicester DK, and we’ll have other prizes as well, including a treat from Suffolk Socks and a little something from me as well! There still some tickets left (they cost £9.50), which you can buy here! Indie Designer Gift-Along The Indie Designer Gift Along has just started, and there’s a big discount on certain patterns by participating designers. Including me! You can participate with any of my paid designs, and there are about 20 of my patterns that are 25% off as a part of the GAL. There’s a coupon code GIFTALONG2015 in the big GAL sale! Discount: 25% Coupon Code: giftalong2015 Promotion starts Thursday November 19, 2015 at 8 pm (20:00) US-EST Coupon Code good through November 27, 2015 at 11:59 pm (23:59) US-EST That should just about do it for this week! I hope you enjoyed the episode and that you have some thoughts to share with me. Until next week, happy knitting!

Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beloved Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links I recommend two wonderful video podcasts that I’m really enjoying (and binging on!) Melody of Mandarine’s and Molly of A Homespun House I went to see a wonderful exhibit: The Fabric of India at The Victoria and Albert Museum. There are two windows open in the Knitvent 2015 Calendar so far! The first pattern was the Winter Wander Shawl, and there are already a few completed Shawls! I’m so impressed. Several people have mentioned that this is their first beaded project, and I think it’s a great one to start with. The beading pattern is simple, and overall this shawl is a relatively “Quick Win”.   That brings me to a fun KAL you might want to join, if you haven’t cast on yet! Jo at Shiny Bees is about to begin a Bead-Along, and Winter Wander is one of the included patterns! You know I love a chance to double-dip on KALs! The other patterns are: Kunye by Clare Devine. Be With You by Boo Knits. and one crochet pattern, Lisa’s Shawl by Shireen Nadir. Cast on will take place on 16th November 2015 at 8:30pm live on Periscope with @Shinybees. The KAL/CAL will end on 10th Jan 2016. The Ice River Snood was behind Knitvent Window #2, released yesterday, and several of the super-speedy knitters in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group have it cast on and halfway finished in just a few hours! Inspiring.   If you haven’t joined us for Knitvent 2015 yet, there’s still heaps of time. Four more windows to go, and whenever you purchase the collection you will automatically get the patterns that have already been released! You can buy the whole collection here. Hint: several of my wonderful fellow knitters, podcasters and bloggers have been spreading the word for me and have discount codes to share with you if you’d like to get a deal before the end of the month! I’d like to thank them very much for letting everyone know about the joy of Knitvent! Shiny Bees Knitting Pipeline Stash and Burn Yarn in The City Yarniacs A World of Imagination I just got my newest issue of Pom Pom Quarterly, which is always a great day in my book! Some patterns that caught my eye immediately: Cicely by Jemima Bicknell Deco City by Amy van de Laar Carlu by Kiyomi Burgen Hulanicki by Rachel Coopey Wilding by Cirila Rose Callas by Bristol Ivy Oops, that's almost all of them. I told you I love this magazine! I've been reading several books recently, including: The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert Upcoming events Curious Handmade Krimbo Party Sunday November 22nd from 2:30pm until 6:00pm...I'm hosting a Curious Handmade Christmas Party in London! It's going to be a very festive afternoon of knitting and holiday surprises,

With several big projects ending last week, Knitvent 2015 just starting, and the holidays looming I feel a little bit upended, not sure whether I'm coming or going. I do know I've been burning the candle at both ends a bit lately, so I could probably do with a bit of a slow down. But there are so many exciting things going on and coming up that it's not always easy to put on the brakes! In this week's episode I talk a bit about what's going on for me and my knitting right now, and also review some exciting, magical new yarn from the same family that created the Hole and Sons Yarn which was such a smash hit last year. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beloved Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links: I talk a bit about what I accomplished personally around the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge I completed 2 out of 3 of my pieces: the Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt, and my own Summertide Shawl: Still working on the third: the Times Square Vest by Norah Gaughan and I'm really enjoying every single stitch of it, so I'm not sorry I didn't finish it on time. I am still in love with the yarn I'm using, which is the same as the sample: Knightsbridge by The Fibre Company in the Beaverton colourway Knitvent 2015 has just kicked off, and the first pattern is out: the Winter Wander Shawl. The design was inspired by two gorgeous Shibui Knits yarns that I fell in love with on my way to Squam. Silk Cloud and Staccato. I also mention Wovember again: it's really worth a look by anyone who loves wool fibre. There are all sorts of great articles and events going on for the month. I talk about the Knit British Podcast and the Breed Swatch Along Anyone interested in natural breed-specific wool will find this book useful: A Field Guide To Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds and How To Use Their Fibres I'm a big fan of Hole and Sons Farm and their yarn, as you know.  I interviewed Benjamin Hole on the podcast a few months ago, and Hole and Sons Yarn inspired my Whispering Island Shawl. Well, there's some exciting news: the family has come out with some new yarn: Isle Yarn. Sue Hole, Ben's aunt, has created another small-batch yarn from her son Sam's Poll Dorset flock, and it's brilliant. She sent me some yarn to swatch and review, and I'm going to use this for my Breed Swatch Along entry. I've included a review here on the podcast, but Sue sent me some lovely photos and answered a few questions, so I think I'm going to give it its own post later this week. Upcoming events Curious Handmade Krimbo Party Sunday November 22nd from 2:30pm until 6:00pm...I'm hosting a Curious Handmade Christmas Party in London! It's going to be a very festive afternoon of knitting and holiday surprises, with a few holiday glasses of wine and snacks. I'll have tickets for sale very soon! That's everything for this week! Happy knitting until next time!  

Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co. At The Fibre Co. we add to your fun with our focus on interesting blends of natural fibres. The unique lines in our range of yarns are all carefully developed to achieve the perfect combination of softness and structure. Our yarns are dyed to create subtle variation in tone and saturated, sophisticated colours. The result is an elegant yarn worthy of the most special projects. You can find The Fibre Company at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn   :   As we head into full-blown knitting season, here at Meadow Yarn we’re gettingexcited about the endless possibilities. We’ve got gorgeous Autumnal hand dyes nestling next to rustic wool and needles and notions to brighten up the darkest evening… Whether it’s Lopi from Iceland or Navia from the Faroes to keep you warm, rich dappled shades from Life in the Long Grass or a palette of glorious Northbound Knitting greys that inspires you we’ve got it covered. Add some new Zing needles and pattern inspiration courtesy of pompom mag or Amirisu and we think you’ll find it hard to leave your cosy knitting nook this Autumn…" More links to be added!

  We’re in the very last week of the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge, and as a special treat I have a wonderful interview to share with you on the podcast. Renee Callahan of East London Knit is a unique talent and her rich experience in art history and fashion add depth and beauty to everything she does. Renee has been along for the CHMW Challenge journey with us, and we talk a bit about what it has meant to her and what she has achieved. We spend some time exploring the fascinating story of her time at fashion school: what she learned and what she didn’t and what it has brought to her knitting design. We also chat about body image and sustainability as two important motivations for handmade fashion. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beloved Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Along News It's the last week for our two big projects! Summertide Shawl MKAL A rainbow of beautiful objects keeps growing in the FO thread. Make sure to get yours in there before Oct. 31st for your chance to win one of the prizes from our brilliant sponsors! Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge I can't say enough about how awe-inspiring everyone's achievements have been. The finished objects are evidence of so many makers really stretching themselves and their skills. It's been incredible to watch. Don't forget, we're seeing both these challenges off in style with the Online Reveal Party on Nov. 3rd. We'll be celebrating on Instagram and Ravelry, and I'm also planning to do some Periscopes throughout the day. If you're new to Periscope you can download the app for iPhones in Apple Store and on Google Play for Android Don't forget to use the hashtags! #CHWchallenge #SummertideMKAL Knitvent It's just around the corner, and just in time to stave off that bereft feeling we always get at the end of a KAL! My annual holiday collection is like a big knitting advent calendar, with a new pattern released each week. You'll be able to sign up from Tuesday Nov. 3, and the first design will arrive on Thursday Nov. 5. More details as we get closer, but I'm pretty excited. In the meantime, grab yourself a copy of the free Curious Handmade Gift Knitting Planner. It's a handy PDF to help get us all organized as the holiday knitting season kicks into high gear. Show Links Renee's Curious Handmade Challenge declaration blog post. One of Renee’s CHMW Challenge finished objects is the Endless Summer Tunic Here's her gorgeous version! Renee is releasing a beautiful new six-pattern collection, now available for pre-order until the 29th of October at a special early bird price. You can read a little more about the designs and get some sneak peeks here on Renee's blog (I’m also going to be taking part in a blog tour to celebrate the launch next week, so stay tuned for a closer look at the beautiful pieces.) The Paul Klee Exhibit at the Tate Modern which inspired the...

Today I start the episode with a little round-up of how our -alongs are doing, and then I have a lovely interview to share with you. I sat down with photographer and author Leigh Metcalf, who has just released a wonderful new book. London Stitch and Knit is a guide to the most beautiful and beloved sewing, knitting, and haberdashery shops here in London. We discuss the (impressively quick!) process Leigh went through to bring her book from dream to reality. It was a really inspiring chat for me, and I think you're going to love it too. Enjoy. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beloved Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can find Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. What’s in the WIP Summertide Shawl MKAL Just a couple of weeks left! We already have more than 70 gorgeous shawls in the FO thread, and I'm sure we'll see that number grow dramatically in the coming days. The whole MKAL process has been exciting and extremely satisfying, but there's nothing like seeing the pattern come to life in so many unique, beautiful ways. Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge I'm so impressed by how many amazing finished objects are showing up in the Ravelry Group. Everyone has really stretched themselves, and the results are amazing. As for my personal challenge, I finally finished my Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt, and I’m thrilled! Next, I’m going to be making a brand new pattern that Squam has just released. The West Water Tunic is designed by the wonderful Sam Lamb (who also has also written very sweet blog post about how it came to be.) There’s an affordable and supportive video tutorial available, as well. If you order the paper version of the pattern before midnight on Nov. 1st, you’ll get the tutorial as a gift. At the moment they are only shipping the paper pattern to the US and Canada. They’ve very generously given us a version of the paper pattern to give away, so be sure to listen to the episode to find out how you can win! Show Links London Stitch and Knit: A Craft Lover's Guide to London's Fabric, Knitting and Haberdashery Shops Leigh's website and blog Leigh mentions the sewing class she took at Sew Over It, which has locations in both South and North London. She also talks about the Oliver and S Fairytale Dress which she made for both her daughters. In our conversation about how the book came to be, she mentioned a very helpful Tilly and the Buttons Post on Craft Book Proposals When Leigh decided to start working on a book, she was inspired by the size, shape, photography and layout of Paris Made By Hand and by Amsterdam Made By Hand by Pia Jane Bijkerk. I have both these gorgeous books so I could see why she liked the style so much. Paris: Made By Hand: 50 Shops Where Decorators and Stylists Source the Chic and Unique Amsterdam: Made By Hand We talked a little bit about some of our favourite shops, and two we mentioned by name were DM Buttonholes and Ray Stitch

On this week's show I'm introducing a really fascinating swatch along, catching up on the Summertide MKAL and Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge, and continuing to explore what Slow Fashion means for me and for us as a society. It's a subject that I'm really passionate about (as you'll hear!) and the deeper I go with it the more meaningful it becomes. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beautiful Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can snag yourself some Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links I was excited to learn about the Breed Swatch Along that the Knit British Podcast is hosting! Shiny Bees Podcast where I first heard about the SAL Knit British Podcast Episode 42 which introduces the SAL Breed Swatch Along FAQs I mention several natural yarns I've got stashed (and/or have used in the past) which would be great for the Breed Swatch Along: Black Bat Blacker Yarns Whispering Island in Blacker Yarns Shetland DK Hole and Sons Poll Dorset I'm hoping to participate because the Meet My Yarn KAL I hosted a while back was so fascinating to me, and I didn't quite feel finished with exploring the subject of fibre-focused swatching when it was over. The Curious Handmade Meet My Yarn KAL thread...lots of great info there Fibre Company Cumbria which sponsored the Meet My Yarn KAL I also have two books that I think would be amazing resources for this SAL: The Field Guide to Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds & How to Use Their Fibers Pure Wool: A Knitter's Guide to Using Single-breed Yarns What's in the WIP Slow Fashion October  - Karen Templer from Fringe Association is giving us all great prompts for thinking about how we consume fashion, and I've started a blog series in response. - I mention Fashion Revolution The Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge The challenge is still going strong! It ties in beautifully with Slow Fashion October, so it's been great to see the cross-pollination going on. I'm still working on my Times Square and need to put the sleeves into my Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt. The finishing date is October 31st, so you've still got some time! Summertide MKAL The last clue has been out for a week, and the FOs are beginning to flow! We've got great prizes, so make sure to post a photo of your finished shawl in the Summertide FO thread by Oct 31st to enter! Knitvent 2015 This project is still top secret, but I'm working hard to get it ready! I'll be offering an updated version of my popular (and free!) Holiday Gift Knitting Planner very soon, so that you have lots of time to get properly prepared for the season. Keep your eyes out for that, along with hints about the new Knitvent collection! Upcoming Events Online Reveal Party for the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge and Summertide MKAL Save the Date! Tuesday November 3rd Since we've got two big projects finishing at the same time, I thought it would be really fun to get together on Ravelry and Instagr...

I’m so thrilled to have my Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge collaborator Susan on the podcast today. Many of you have met her on Ravelry as Kizmet, and through her wonderful guest posts here on the blog during the challenge. We have a wonderful chat about Susan’s journey to sewing for herself, about how struggling through the lessons is such a valuable part of any process, and about how we and many other participants are doing with our declared challenges so far! Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beautiful Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can buy your own Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. What’s in the WIP Summertide MKAL: Clue 4, the final clue is just out now! I’m going to be planning an end-of-KAL online party to celebrate our finished shawls, and if I can manage it, I’d love to have a little in-person party here in London. If spoilers don’t bother you, check out the hashtag #SummertideMKAL on Instagram. Lots of inspiration there! We have three wonderful sponsors for the MKAL: Skein Australia Meadow Yarn MariaElenaBliss they will all be offering wonderful prizes at the end of October. Believe it or not, it's not too late to join us! You can do it! Show Links Susan and I mention a whole bunch of influences and resources that helped her start thinking about learning to sew. Project 333 (starting today!) A Playful Day’s Interview with Sonya Philip Curious Handmade Interview with Beth Kempton of Do What You Love Do What you Love Course Paper Fifty Three App Cal Patch’s Classes on Creative Bug [affiliate link] Nicole of Stash and Burn Elizabeth Doherty Sleeve Construction The Washi Dress Libby from Truly Myrtle’s Guest Post for Curious Handmade So many adorable finished objects are showing up in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group...check out the threads to see all the great makes we mentioned. Alabama Chanin Events Fringe Association Slow Fashion October I mentioned this wonderful event hosted by Karen Templar last week, and I'm excited to take part. It's going to be a beautiful exploration of the handmade. She's just written a lovely opening post on her blog. Join us! The hashtag is #slowfashionoctober and I expect Instagram will be hopping. Truly Myrtle's Spoil Yourself Stitch Along Just a couple of days left in this event, and she has some amazing sponsors providing wonderful prizes. If you've been making anything for yourself in the last few weeks, post your FO to the Ravelry Thread The Pebble Beach Workshop: This is for any listeners within traveling distance from London! I am going to be hosting my first in-person workshop at Makelight Studios. It's a beautiful space, and I'm very excited. On Friday the 23rd of October I’ll host a lace-knitting workshop based on Pebble Beach. I'll take you through all the basics and most frequently asked questions. It's a great way to stretch yourself creatively in a supportive and inspiring environment.

This week has whooshed by: I'm not quite sure how. Lots going on as always! So many projects...it's a blur of creativity and day-to-day work, and sometimes you just need a moment to stand back and take it all in. I thought I'd take this opportunity to catch you up on the things that are happening in my world these days. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beautiful Acadia yarn. If you want a preview of the magical way this yarn knits up, you can see in in action in the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links Since today's show is a little informal, this is a bit of a mix of WIPs, KAL progress, and things that have my attention this week. Times Square: Still really enjoying this pattern by Norah Gaughan. I think I might need to change needles, since my super-sharp lace needles might be slowing me down. Any ideas? Summertide MKAL: As always, the threads on the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group are full of great chatter, fun, and questions. The #SummertideMKAL hashtag is full of amazing WIPs on Instagram, but it’s all spoilers so keep that in mind before you look! We also have a new sponsor for the MKAL! Maria Elena Bliss is joining Meadow Yarns and Skein Australia as sponsors for the Summertide MKAL! Maria Elena makes the most beautiful project bags (I have a few myself,) and she’s very generously donated one as a prize! Whoever snags this one will be very lucky. Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge: I got to do some sewing this week, finally! I worked on the adorable Dress Shirt by Merchant and Mills. I’m almost finished, which is very exciting. Speaking of a handmade wardrobe, one of my heroes in this area is Karen Templer from The Fringe Association. (She gave us a brilliant interview here on the blog a few weeks ago.) Karen is launching Slow Fashion October, an intoxicating and inspiring idea that has a lot of fun and important crossover with the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge. She’s really going deep into the reasons many of us are interested in making our own clothes. I encourage you to go check it out, I think you’ll love it. The Pebble Beach Workshop: I did a photography course recently at Makelight Studios: one of several photography courses that have been really creatively rich for me. I love the space that Emily Quinton has created so much that when she announced that she was opening it up to other creators I jumped at the chance to host a workshop there. So on Friday the 23rd of October I’ll be running a lace-knitting workshop based on Pebble Beach. Emily will also be on hand to help us photograph our work, which is really exciting, and may even get you thinking in a new way about your knitting (I know it has for me.) Places are very limited, so if you’re interested, please do book early! A chance to help with the refugee crisis by doing something you love:

Another very busy week for Curious Handmade, and this episode is about all the things I've been up to! The most exciting thing was my trip to the New Media Europe Conference and the UK Podcast Awards over the weekend. To make a long story short, we won! It made my year, and it's all thanks to you. I couldn't do this without you, and you inspire me every day. Huge congrats to my fellow knitting podcaster Jo Milmine, host of ShinyBees! She took home the gong for Most Engaged Audience, and I'm so thrilled for her. Two knitters sweeping the awards caused a bit of a stir! Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their beautiful Acadia yarn. If you want to see how fabulous this looks in a project, take a look at the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links I talked a bit about some of the wonderful podcasts that inspired me to start the Curious Handmade Podcast: Stash and Burn Knitmore Girls Doubleknit iMake Hoxton Handmade - Electric Sheep Podcast A Playful Day Knitting Pipeline   I have a long discussion about my journey towards organising my house and life, inspired by this book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing If you’ve tried this, I want to hear about your experiences! How are you doing? Does your house stay organised? Please leave me a comment with your tips! What’s in the WIP Times Square by Norah Gaughan I brought this along to the conference with me and I'm making great progress! It's such a fun knit. Summertide MKAL The KAL is roaring along! We have close to 700 projects on Ravelry, which is just amazing. Join us in the chatter thread to see what everyone’s up to, find encouragement, and share your progress! The group very lively and supportive, and it's honestly not too late to join the fun. We'll be going until the end of October, and we still have people just starting the first clue. Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge I didn’t get any sewing done this week, but I’ve been enjoying the treasure trove of advice and information that’s going on in the Ravelry thread. There are a lot of conversations about creating better fitting clothes. It’s something we’ve covered a bit on the podcast before, so here are some people and resources who can help: Amy Herzog Her great Custom fit patterns My interview with Amy   Elizabeth Doherty Her book Top Down: Reimagining Set-In Sleeve Design (do you want an affiliate link?) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Top-Down-Reimagining-Set-In-Sleeve/dp/0985299088 My interview with Elizabeth   Cal Patch Her new Pattern Drafting With Knits course on Creative Bug My interview with Cal Contest winners! Back when I posted my interview with Elizabeth, she kindly gave me two copies of her new book to give away to my listeners. I have an ebook and a signed copy.

It's a very fun filled week here at Curious Handmade, with the launch of the Summertide MKAL, the continuing Handmade Wardrobe Challenge, getting ready for the UK Podcast Awards, along with all the regular bustle of everyday life. Because of all that, this is a slightly short episode, where I mostly catch up with the many many things in my WIP queue. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderfully sweet and soft Acadia yarn. If you want to see how beautifully this knits up, take a look at the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links Project Paddington Facebook Page Yarn and Pointy Sticks and the Knit Share Love KAL What's in the WIP Cave Point by Paula I'm loving this and I'm thinking I'll extend the border, because I have extra yarn and also because I'd love to keep this addictive knit going a bit longer. Times Square by Norah Gaughan This is part of my Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge. I'm using The Fibre Co's Knighstbridge in the Beaverdon colourway. Earl Grey Hat by Clare Devine. This is adorable and I need a new hat! The Summertide MKAL, of course! That should just about do it for this "minisode." If you haven't come on board for the MKAL or the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge yet, just come visit us in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group. We're a very friendly and supportive bunch and I find inspiration there every day. We'd love to have you join us!  

Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderfully soft and gorgeous Acadia yarn. If you want to see how wonderfully this knits up, take a look at the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Introduction I talk about an article in the Independent - 5 practical ways you can help refugees trying to find safety in Europe Also the Childhood Bags fundraising effort. What's in the WIP? Hold on to summer with 8 weeks of knitting, camaraderie and mystery! Summertide MKAL Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge  Announcements September 5th is the Great London Yarn Crawl! There will be a special pop up marketplace, and there's going to be an Indie Designer Spotlight stand. Several up and coming designers will be rotating through, and I'm lucky enough to be among them. I'll be there from 4pm to 5pm at the Chelsea Old Town Hall. Stop by! It's going to be a really fun event. Thanks again for listening! Happy knitting ....until next week.  * * * * *  I am a Craftsy affiliate so if you would like to support Curious Handmade when you are buying supplies or a class, click through the Craftsy banner below: it means I'll get a small commission. Thank you so much.

As we near the end of August – there is a definite end of summer feeling with more than a hint of autumn around the corner here in the UK. I always feel a bit stirred up around this time as I love hot weather and lazy summers BUT on the other hand…..knitting season right?!! My guest on the show today is wonderful knitwear designer Elizabeth Doherty of Blue Bee Studio. We chatted back at Squam in June and I’m excited to be sharing it with you today. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderfully soft and gorgeous Acadia yarn. If you want to see how wonderfully this knits up, take a look at the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. What's in the WIP? Hold on to summer with 8 weeks of knitting, camaraderie and mystery! Summertide MKAL Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge  Interview with Elizabeth Doherty from Blue Bee Studio Blue Bee Studio Top Down: Reimagining Set-In Sleeve Design Quince & Co Squam Art Workshops Elizabeth's designs on Ravelry Lina - the pattern that Elizabeth referred to that came out while we were at Squam Elizabeth's latest design Helvetica Announcements There's just A FEW DAYS left to vote for Curious Handmade in the finals of the UK Podcasting Awards! It only takes a few seconds to vote, and every vote counts! and I'd be really grateful if you'd take a moment to vote for us here: all you need to do is scroll down to my photo and click! September 5th is the Great London Yarn Crawl! There will be a special pop up marketplace, and there's going to be an Indie Designer Spotlight stand. Several up and coming designers will be rotating through, and I'm lucky enough to be among them. I'll be there from 4pm to 5pm at the Chelsea Town Hall. Stop by! It's going to be a really fun event. Thanks again for listening! Happy knitting ....until next week.  * * * * *  I am a Craftsy affiliate so if you would like to support Curious Handmade when you are buying supplies or a class, click through the Craftsy banner below: it means I'll get a small commission. Thank you so much.

We’ve got a second helping of Libby from Truly Myrtle this week. After her excellent guest post for the blog, she also sat down to chat with me in more detail about her own handmade wardrobe and the journey she’s been on for several years. She’s an absolute font of information. At one point in the interview Libby says that she feels as though she was “born to make things” and if you’ve visited her website, it’s very obvious that she was. I took so much away from this conversation, but the main inspiration for me has been moving towards thinking in terms of whole outfits. Libby really captures the glee of creativity and making, and I hope you have a lot of fun listening too. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderfully soft and gorgeous Acadia yarn. If you want to see how wonderfully this knits up, take a look at the two tone sample of my pattern Whispering Island! Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. What's in the WIP I'm still working on the really fun and relaxing Cavepoint Shawl by Paula from the Knitting Pipeline. The Cavepoint KAL is going until the end of the month so I might just make it under the wire. I'm also working on a new shawl design for a Mystery Knit Along which will be coming out soon...there will be more details over the next couple of weeks. The whole Curious Handmade Wardrobe challenge is a giant WIP for me. There's so much great conversation happening in the group thread, and everyone's getting super inspired, especially me! August is the planning month, and I'm still deep in the planning phase myself, though I have some thoughts coming together. Also, we have a hashtag now: #CHWChallenge so be sure that you use it on all your social media posts to that we can all follow along! Show Links We mentioned a few patterns: Merchant and Mills Dress Shirt Washi Dress Simplicity Pattern 1080 Libby’s recommendation for keeping inspiration organized: Pocket Threadle The pattern tutorial that Libby mentioned: Box bag tutorial Announcements There's just over a week left to vote for Curious Handmade in the finals of the UK Podcasting Awards! It only takes a few seconds to vote, and every vote counts! and I'd be really grateful if you'd take a moment to vote for us here: all you need to do is scroll down to my photo and click! September 5th is the Great London Yarn Crawl! There will be a special pop up marketplace, and there's going to be an Indie Designer Spotlight stand. Several up and coming designers will be rotating through, and I'm lucky enough to be among them. Stop by! It's a really fun event. Thursday 29th of October through Sunday the 1st of November there's an amazing retreat on: the Geeky Puffin Knitpalooza in Edinburgh. It's being run by the girls from the Geeky Girls Knit video podcast and knitrundig. There will be lots of interesting sessions being run by a wide variety of teachers,

So this week has been the big official launch of the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge! If you haven’t gotten involved yet, don’t worry, there’s still lots of time. We’re all still in the dreaming stage! You can get all the details on the official post here on the blog, and make sure that you pop into the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group to get in on all the community conversations and support. Onto today’s podcast: it's the first one that ties into the Challenge, and although it was recorded months ago, it's so perfect to usher us into this project. I’m talking with maker, designer and teacher Cal Patch of Hodge Podge Farm. We were cabin mates at Squam this year, and I was so thrilled to sit down and record this interview with her right there in that magical environment. I’ve been squirreling the recording away until now and I'm bursting to share it with all of you: it’s a really special one. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their magnificent Acadia yarn. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get your hands on some Acadia of your own at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links Cal mentions her Borealis Shawl design in Jill Draper Makes Stuff yarn We mention Cal’s amazing online class on CreativeBug. You can find them all right here if you'd like to browse. Some that are especially good for learning foundational sewing and pattern drafting skills are Market Tote Bag (this is Cal's recommended very first sewing project!) Patternmaking Simplified: A-Line Skirt Learn Pattern Drafting Cal’s always busy teaching and sharing her knowledge with other crafters. She generally has a bunch of workshops coming up all around the world. All the details and dates can be found on her teaching page. The next few in line are: in August: Make Your Own Dress Immersion Weekend at Drop Forge & Tool in Hudson, NY Print & Sew Folk Dress (with Maya Donenfeld) at Craftstitute in Ithaca, NY in September: Sew Your Own Leggings at Fiber College of Maine in November: Sewing and Crochet Classes at Lucky Star Art Camp in Texas   As if all that online and offline teaching wasn't enough work, Cal has somehow found time to bring out an absolutely wonderful book which really demystifies pattern making, a subject which intimidates a lot of sewists. It shouldn't! Especially if you have Cal's book by your side. Design it Yourself Clothes: Pattern Making Simplified You can find out more about everything she’s up to by visiting her at: hodge podge farm Cal’s Etsy shop Ravelry Announcements Just a reminder! I'm still pinching myself that Curious Handmade has made it to the finals of the UK Podcasting Awards!  Every vote counts and I'd be so grateful if you'd take a moment to vote for us here! Thank you so much! Please come along on September 5th for the Great London Yarn Crawl! I'm sharing a stand on a rotating basis with a bunch of wonderful designers as part of their pop up marketplace Indie Designer Spotlight.

Welcome to August! On today's podcast I have a chat about what I got up to (and didn't!) on holiday in Australia, and I have a couple of exciting announcements. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their wonderful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can get yourself some Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Holiday Yarn Haul I indulged myself with a few skeins from Australian producers. This beautiful wool which smells amazing from Ton of Wool Some lovely variegated wool from Skein Australia I was given a present of some gorgeous DK weight wool from Miss Click Clack, another indie dyer. The Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge I mentioned last week that I was going to devote August and September to the theme of A Handmade Wardrobe, but in the meantime the idea has grown, and I've decided that it would be great to turn this into a make-along challenge. I'll be hosting the challenge in collaboration with a fellow fibre artist, Susan, AKA Kizmet from Ravelry. We're stretching it out until October to give everyone lots of time to plan and create! Goal: Create at least one handmade item for your wardrobe by October, whether with knitting, sewing, or some other craft. August - planning month. The will be a thread in the Curious Handmade Ravelry Group soon, for support and chatter! September and October will be for making, and then we’ll aim to post a photo in the FO thread by the end of October Contest winner Tiffany L is the winner of the Boardwalk Collection Giveaway! This was her comment: "They are all lovely. My favorites are Peony, Neckinger and L’heure bleue and it is very hard to decide which one I would choose." Sorry to put you on the spot Tiffany, but it's time to choose! Have another look and let me know by email or Ravelry message which colour you'd like! Announcements Some really exciting news: Curious Handmade has made it to the finals of the UK Podcasting Awards! I can hardly believe it. Every vote counts and it would mean a lot if you'd take a moment to vote for us here! Thank you so much! Are you joining me on September 5th for the Great London Yarn Crawl. I'm going to share a stand with other breakout designers as part of their pop up marketplace Indie Designer Spotlight. Please stop by and hang with us! Plans for the first Curious Handmade Workshop with Emily Quinton from Makelight Studios and my friend Vicki Hillman, fashion stylist, will be heating up now that I'm home. So far I can tell you that it will be happening on Friday the 9th of October. Save the date! Thanks so much for listening. I hope you'll join in the Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge. It's going to be a lot of fun!  

Welcome to the very last post in July’s Summer Series! Today I’m looking back at the year so far: how I’ve done on the goals I set for myself in January. The word I chose for the year was “simplify” and it’s been pretty influential, though there’s always room for improvement! I also had the opportunity to review a wonderful pattern book by Hannah Fettig, Home and Away. Show Sponsors: Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their lovely lovely Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links: I mention that I went back to listen to episode 56 of the podcast, “Hello 2015” and I that I’ve finished the Amy Herzog Custom Fit Pullover that I began back then! I discussed the design work I’ve accomplished so far this year: Whispering Island was a break from the plan, just a moment of inspiration I had to seize. Hole and Yarns, and two more samples with Blacker Shetland DK and one with The Fibre co Arcadia Re-releasing Pebble Beach with two new sizes and samples in yarn from The Uncommon Thread Re-releasing Afternoon Tea with a new size and the checklist pattern format, with another two samples in Anzula Squishy   I mention a book that I’ve found really helpful in my quest for simplicity: Essentialism by Greg McKeown it has a lot in common with another book I loved: The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo Book Review Home and Away: Knits for Everyday Adventures Hannah Fetig Includes an interview with Pam Allan from Quince and Co. Yarns While every garment in the collection is gorgeous and wearable, my favourite patterns from the book are Calligraphy, a long button-up cardigan. and Lesley, a pullover with a gorgeous neckline I love the book so much that I’m keeping it, but I have an electronic copy to give away! To win, just leave a comment by Thursday the 6th of August, telling me your favourite pattern from the collection, or whether you prefer top down knitting or knitting in pieces and seaming. Announcements: In August and September, the podcast theme will be “A Handmade Wardrobe.” Several people have sparked that idea for me, including: Libby from Truly Myrtle Felicia from Craft Sessions and her inspiring review post of her Me-Made May Karen from Fringe Supply Co. Kate from A Playful Day who talked to Ysolde Teauge about making your own clothes I've mention in previous weeks how much I'm looking forward to September 5th, when I’ll be involved with the Great London Yarn Crawl. I'm sharing a stand with some other (very talented!) designers as part of their pop up marketplace Indie Designer Spotlight. Please come and say hi! Plans for the first Curious Handmade Workshop with Emily Quinton from Makelight Studios and my friend Vicki Hillman, fashion stylist are starting to take shape! It will happen on Friday the 9th of October, so save the date! That wraps up the show notes and the Summer Season! See you next week, and until then, happy knitting!

Welcome to the third post in the Summer Series! Today I’m talking about knit alongs. I find them such a spur to my own creativity, and love hosting them, taking part in them, and just generally following them on Ravelry. I’ve got some suggestions for KALs that you might want to join. Also, to follow on from yesterday's interview, I have a book review of the gorgeous new book from Emily Quinton, Maker Spaces. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their absolutely gorgeous Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. I've knit with Acadia before (most notably for my two-colour Whispering Island Shawl sample) and I really love it. You can purchase Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show links: Skein Studio Shawl KAL/CAL Dates: June 1st until August 1st Not a lot of time left in this one but you might already have something on the needles that will qualify. The rules are that you can knit any shawl pattern, as long as you are using hand-dyed yarn. I'm actually knitting a Candlelit Shawl right now with some Skein hand-dyed yarn, but I began it before the cast on date! I'll probably still join in the chatter thread. Knitting Pipeline Cavepoint KAL Dates: July 3rd until August 31st You have to cast on and off within the time frame, so I won’t qualify for this one, but I highly recommend it! I cast on in June and I’m flying through this shawl. I love this pattern, am really enjoying the knit. Super relaxing knitting and very addictive. Knit Girllls Stash Dash Dates: 12:01am on May 22nd until 11:59pm August 14th. This is in its 4th year and it’s become quite a huge event on Ravelry! It covers the crafts of knitting, spinning, crochet, tatting and weaving, and it’s all about using up stash and finishing works in progress. It comes in three levels, measured by yardage: you can choose from the 3k 5k or 10k levels 2 Knit Lit Chicks Cardi/Tank/Tee KAL Dates: May 1st until August 1st This is another one finishing up soon but again you might already have a WIP that could be finished within the time frame. Given our recent discussion about summer knitting and all those great tee patterns, this one is very timely! Kettle Yarn Boardwalk Collection KAL Dates: August 2st until September 6th If you read my recent blog post for the Boardwalk Collection Blog Tour, you’ll know that the collection is full of inspiring new patterns, all using Kettle Yarn Co’s new yarn Islington DK. The KAL hasn’t started yet, so you have lots of time to choose your favourite! Yarniacs Colours of Fall KAL Dates: June 21st (Summer Solstice) until September 23rd (Autumnal Equinox) I follow along with this KAL every year, even though I haven’t managed to enter it yet. Loving colour the way I do, it really speaks to me.  The KAL is one that really get the creativity flowing. The rules are very simple: knit a fall look using one or more of the colour from the Pantone Fashion Colour Report for Fall 2015. Incidentally,

It’s already the third week of our Summer Series! Knitters often struggle a bit with projects in the warmer months, when a lap full of wool sounds less cosy and more stifling. Today I talk about summer knitting: lovely cool t-shirts created with light, airy, breathable yarns, and the challenges and joys of moving away from wool to other, more seasonal fibres such as linen and cotton. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their magnificently soft and beautiful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. My two-colour Whispering Island Shawl sample was knit in Acadia, and it's gotten so many compliments. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links The summer knitting patterns I talk about are: Waterlily by Megan Fernandes from Pom Pom Quarterly’s Spring 2014 issue. The original is knit from Kettle Yarn’s Islington, which is what I used for the Sunburst Shawl last year. Linum Tee by Bristol Ivy in Quince and Co’s Sparrow Lina and Colina by Elizabeth Doherty also in Sparrow Elizabeth has a great post on working with linen on her blog. Here’s the original post.   I also discuss some other summer yarns: Aside from Sparrow, Quince and Co also has a worsted weight linen yarn called Kestrel Blacker Yarns Lyoness I’ve seen this used beautifully in the Drift Raglan Increase Shawl by Sonja Bargielowska Wool and The Gang Shiny Happy Cotton a lovely squishy, and super soft bulky weight 100% cotton yarn which is absolutely gorgeous knit up into Palila by Natalie Selles   As I mentioned last week, on September 5th I’ll be taking part in the wonderfully fun Great London Yarn Crawl and have a stand at their pop up marketplace Indie Designer Spotlight. I’m excited to be one of their five featured designers. I’ll be in the company of: Louise Zass-Bangham From Inspiration Knits Renee Callahan of East London Knits Boo Knits and Kate Atherley   Whether it’s summer or winter wherever you are, I hope you’re enjoying the show. If you have any favourite summery patterns or yarns, please tell me about them! Leave a comment here or join the discussions on Ravelry in the Curious Handmade Group. Don’t forget to join me on my travels on Instagram. Tag me and let me know where you’re listening from, or if you’re knitting one of my patterns. I love seeing your WIPs! Happy Knitting!

Welcome to the second in my Summer Series. I talk about the magical trip I had to New York and on to Squam back at the beginning of June, indulging my global nomad tendencies. I spent my time there doing a bit of "knitting crosstraining", stretching my creative horizons, and, as always, falling in love with lots of gorgeous yarn, only some of which came home with me. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their magnificently soft and beautiful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. My two-colour Whispering Island Shawl sample was knit in Acadia, and it's gotten so many compliments. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. What’s in the WIP I mentioned Paula Emons-Fussle’s new Cave Point Shawl on last week’s show, coming from the Shawls 2015 collection from Quince and Co. I’ve cast it on using that lovely Chickadee Yarn in Audouin and it’s a ridiculously addictive knit. I’m also working on the Coopey Oleum Socks and I’m up to the lace now! Show Links I talk about my road trip to Squam Art Workshops with my friend Stewart. We visited: Brooklyn General, where I splurged on a sale of Madeline Tosh yarn. Mood Fabrics in Manhattan, of Project Runway fame, where I managed to control my urges and didn’t buy anything! and in New Hampshire, we stopped in Harrisville, where they are famous for spinning wool. Notably Brooklyn Tweed (I bought some) but also their own Harrisville Yarn (I bought some of that, too.) Once I got to Squam I took two classes: An embroidery class:”Thread and Memory” with Joetta Maue A writing class: “Writing Your Own Myth” with Elizabeth Duvivier, the founder and director of Squam We also got to hear a talk from Clara Parkes who talked about her journey and her projects, especially her lovely Clara Yarn. The art fair at Squam had so many wonderful vendors, including: My friend Stewart’s Leather Wool Linen, selling beautiful bags Yarn on The House with their brilliantly coloured hand-dyed yarn Hannah Fettig was selling her pattern book Home and Away, which I will review in a future episode. If you didn’t make it to Squam and you’d like to make your own little retreat at home, online classes are a great way to introduce yourself to something new, stirring your creativity. I looked up some Creativebug embroidery classes to recommend. Rebecca Ringquist is a hugely gifted thread artist and teacher who has some really great classes available. Creating an Embroidery Sampler Advanced Sampler Class Kids Embroidered Pillow Class And a heads up about an amazing event coming up. Great London Yarn Crawl on Saturday the 5th of September, which is huge fun, and I’ll have a stand at the pop-up marketplace at the end! That about does it for the show notes this week! I hope you enjoyed this laid-back summer episode. Join me in the Instagram game while I’m away. Just tag me or comment away to get in touch. Happy knitting!  

After an absolutely wonderful whirlwind time during June’s Design and Creativity theme, for July I’m casting my mind forward into the summer holidays. In fact, that’s the theme for this month. I’ll be travelling, so I’m pre-recording some episodes around the theme of holidays for the weeks when I’m in Australia. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their magnificently soft and beautiful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. My two-colour Whispering Island Shawl sample was knit in Acadia, and it's gotten so many compliments. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Show Links The Muse Connection Volume Two was last weekend and it was a really wonderful event. Lots of laughter and learning. A huge thank you to my co-host, Kate from A Playful Day, and to the special guests and sponsors who made it such a success. Rachel Coopey, from Coop Knits who had us giggling about yarn shenanigans Lydia Gluck, co-editor of Pom Pom Quarterly who regaled us with tales from the world of magazines Anzula who provided their covetable yarn for our gift bags  and Signature Needle Arts who gave us a "tasting session" with their remarkable knitting needles. It was really special to watch everyone casting on Afternoon Tea at the end! My visit to Brighton at YAK was so much fun, too. Thanks a million to Kate for hosting my Pebble Beach trunk show, and to everyone who dropped in! Later in the show, I talk a bit about what I pack when I go away, including my “mobile workplace.” Stitch dictionaries are coming along for sure! Here are a few favourites: Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary: More than 150 stitch patterns to knit top down, bottom up, back and forth, and in the round A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns Super Stitches Knitting: Knitting Essentials Plus a Dictionary of more than 300 Stitch Patterns My old-school love for notebooks means I always pop a few into my bag to help me with my design work. Favourites include grid or graph notebooks, like this one from Moleskine and a larger one from Paperchase, something like this. KAL News I can't believe it, but the Pebble Beach KAL is ending in two days, on July 5th. This has been so incredible to be a part of. Maybe the best KAL of all time. Thank you so much to everyone who has been a part of this, most especially to my friend Paula, for hosting it on the Knitting Pipeline Group, and to Jo, who has moderated it so beautifully. If you've ever knit one of my patterns, it's not too late to upload a photo: it doesn't matter when you started or finished the piece, as long as the photo is in the FO thread by July 5th! You could win a skein of Lace Merino from The Uncommon Thread! What’s in the WIP With all the new and re-released pattern chatter lately, I haven’t talked much about what’s on the way. Summer holidays are a perfect time to catch up with WIPs, and I have quite a few I’d like to bring with me. I mentioned in the podcast that this year I’m ...

Photo © Norah Gaughan This conversation with Norah Gaughan is a really special one. Norah is an incredibly accomplished knitwear designer who has been sharing her patterns with the world since the age of 17. After a long time on staff at Berroco she has recently gone independent, but her workload has not slowed down even a little bit! She is constantly partnering with some of the biggest names in the yarn world to bring out a steady supply of amazing designs which play with shape, colour, and construction. Having her on the show was such an honour. She talks about developing her new collection with The Fibre Company and shares so many insights into how she conceives, designs, and creates her ground-breaking patterns. If you’re anything like me, I think you’ll find this conversation incredibly inspiring. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their very wonderful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. One of my Whispering Island Shawl samples was knit in Acadia, and it's just a wonderful yarn to work with, on every level. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. KAL News Pebble Beach KAL Just a little while left in this one, but people are still adding beautiful FOs every day! If you've somehow missed this one, but have ever knit one of my patterns, you can still enter until the 5th of July. Just post a photo in the FO thread, and you're in! Muse 2 KAL The KAL is about to wrap up - be sure to get your entries in by 30 June.  I'm still working on my Rachel Coopey Oleum socks. I don't know if I'll make that deadline, but I should have them finished for the Summer of Socks KAL in the Coop Knits group! Double dipping in KALs is the best. Show links The patterns we discussed in detail from the Norah Gaughan for The Fibre Company collections were: Times Square Skyscraper Oporto Atonium Metropolis District You can find the entire gorgeous collection on Ravelry here. Norah is also designing some really special pieces for Brooklyn Tweed these days, and we specifically mention her pattern Chainlink She’s always busy with yarn shop appearances and teaching engagements, which you can find on her events page. If you’re lucky enough to be nearby any of these opportunities, I highly recommend you check them out! We’re also giving you a chance to win pattern of your choice from Norah’s new collection with The Fibre Company. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode to find out how! As I mentioned, tomorrow I'll be doing a little trunk show for Pebble Beach  in Brighton  at YAK with The Uncommon Thread. June 27th from 2 to 5. That's all our notes for this episode! Thank you so much for joining us, and happy knitting!

  This is a bit of a packed episode! I open the show with some thoughts from the wonderful Blogtacular conference I attended last weekend, talk a bit about upcoming events, chat about the joys and challenges of my Muse 2 KAL project, and share a bit about my special edition re-release of Afternoon Tea. Then I launch into a conversation with Cathryn Bothe from Signature Needle Arts. It’s fitting after yesterday’s post from Blacker Yarns (where I talked about the importance of beautiful materials) that this interview is so focused on the importance of good tools. Cathryn is a keen knitter, and she plays a role in every part of Signature Needle’s daily operations, especially when it comes to building relationships with customers and nurturing their creativity. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their lovely Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. I've had so many compliments on the Whispering Island sample I knit with Acadia, and it was an absolute dream to work with. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarn:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. KAL News Pebble Beach KAL It’s so amazing how many FOs are piling up in this KAL. I’ve been featuring some of the projects on Twitter, and it seems like everytime I search the #pebblebeachKAL hashtag there or on Instagram there’s something new and wonderful to see. Remember, the KAL is open until July 5th and you can submit any Curious Handmade pattern, no matter when you made it! Muse 2 KAL Our other KAL is rolling along well in the last week as we count down to the main event! I’m still working away on my entry, a pair of Rachel Coopey Oleum socks in John Arbon Textiles yarn, so if you haven’t cast on yet you’re not that far behind me! Show Links Signature Needle Arts My new edition of the Afternoon Tea Shawl Instagram post about my socks, with other people’s clever advice on avoiding the dreaded in-the-round twist! My yarn crush of the moment: Anzula Yarns I mention the amazing Afternoon Tea modified with a hood, by the talented Lindsay Koehler! Muse Connection is coming up next week! So exciting! I’m going to be at YAK in Brighton doing a little trunk show with The Uncommon Thread for Pebble Beach on June 27th from 2 to 5.   That about wraps up the notes for this week! I hope you enjoyed the show, and happy knitting!

Photo credit: Benjamin HoleThis is a really fun episode. Ben Hole of Hole & Sons Farm speaks to me about life on the farm on the Isle of Purbeck in beautiful Dorset. We talk about the process of creating their unique, wonderful, and much-coveted yarn, what it’s like to work in a place with so much heritage, and how he has brought the business into the online world with his wildly popular Instagram account. This interview would have been a great fit with April’s yarn theme, but Ben has so many eloquent things to say about creativity and living a life around your passions that it’s perfect for Ben’s love for his animals, the farming life, and photography is infectious and inspiring. It was such a pleasure to bring all that story and to my newest shawl pattern, Whispering Island. I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I enjoyed having it. Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by The Fibre Co, and their lovely Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. I've just finished knitting a shawl sample with Acadia and it more than lives up to its description. This is very special yarn. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarns:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. KAL News: Still a few weeks left in both of our KALs. It really isn't too late to hop into either! The Pebble Beach KAL can include FOs that you started or finished before the start date, and the Muse Connection KAL is full of lots of lovely little projects like hats and socks that you can finish up in a week or two - I'm still working on mine! Show links: Hole & Sons (lots of in-depth info about the farm and the yarn here which makes for great reading!) Ben’s Instagram The artisan mill where Hole & Sons yarn is spun: The Natural Fibre Company My newest shawl pattern, Whispering Island (which was inspired by Hole & Sons wool) is now available on Ravelry! The two alternate yarns I used for the samples are: Blacker Shetland in Fawn Fibre Co Acadia in Driftwood and Summersweet The Isle of Purbeck, home to the Hole & Sons farm. It inspired Enid Blyton’s Whispering Island, which inspired the name of my shawl! Events I also mention the wonderful Do What You Love course by last week’s guest Beth Kempton. There’s still a week left to register. As I said last week, this course was really powerful for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to invest in their creative life. If you want to hear more from Ben, he’s speaking this weekend at the Blogtacular conference on June 13th in London. I'll be there, and it should be a lot of fun! On Saturday 27 June I will be at YAK in Brighton for a trunk show for Pebble Beach shawl. Hope to see some of you there. Happy Knitting!

  Show Sponsors Today's show is sponsored by the Fibre Co, and the wonderful Acadia yarn.   Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. I've just finished knitting a shawl sample with Acadia and it more than lives up to its description. This is very special yarn. You can buy Acadia at our other sponsor's shop, Meadow Yarns:   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. KAL News Pebble Beach KAL, There's exactly a month left to join this lively KAL which is being hosted by my friendPaula on the Knitting Pipeline Ravelry Group. I've been marvelling at all the gorgeous FOs people are posting, and it's been thrilling to see all the different patterns people are choosing. It's especially fun to watch the larger Pebble Beach shawls show up. If you can't resist jumping in, here's what you need to know: Any Curious Handmade pattern qualifies You can have begun or even finished the object before the start date? The hashtag for WIPs and FOs is #pebblebeachKAL. I'm stalking the hashtag on social media and it's so fun to watch people's progress! Muse2 KAL The event is just around the corner and the KAL is great fun. I'm participating in this one with a pair of socks by Rachel Coopey! Just a way for everyone to join in on the Muse Connection buzz, from anywhere in world. I’m participating and having a ball, and there’s another month to go (it runs until the 30th of June) so jump in with us! FOs just need to meet one or more of the following criteria: Any pattern from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine or website (hint there are several free patterns ) Any of coopknits- Rachel Coopey’s designs Knit in Anzula yarn Knit on Signature Needles Hashtag #muse2KAL for WIPs and FOs! Show links: I mention that I’m off at the magical Squam art retreat. Just like last year I’m planning to come home with some wonderful interviews with creative people, so we can all look forward to that! Beth talked about the book which started it all for her: Flying Lessons by mixed media artist and teacher Kelly Rae Roberts. We discussed some of the free resources available to anyone on the Do What You Love course website, including the Making Time email program. I personally recommend investing in yourself with the Do What You Love course. I took it last year and I’m still feeling the positive effects rippling through my life today. Beth is generously offering a discount to Curious Handmade listeners who register on the next course, which starts on June 15th. With the exclusive code DWYLHandmade, you can purchase the course for £115 instead of £129. This offer will expire on the 7th of June, but of course you can register for the course right up until it starts. Just a note to say that if you purchase the course after clicking through a link on my site, I receive a small affiliate commission. It’s a lovely way to support the show, so if you do decide to sign up, thank you so much! I also announce the name of my newest design, which will be released on June 12th,

Join me today as I chat with with Vicki Hillman, Fashion Stylist. We talk about original and classic ways to style all those beautiful handmade shawls that we spend so many hours creating. Vicki talks about novel ways to wrap and wear a shawl, knitting patterns that reflect current trends, and how to pair shawls with fashion items for a timeless and unmistakable style. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. This episode is also sponsored by The Fibre Company and their lovely yarn, Arcadia. Acadia is named after the oldest American national park east of the Mississippi river, a place of natural beauty where the sea and mountains meet, slopes are densely forested and wild blueberries abound. Acadia National Park is in the state of Maine, The Fibre Co.’s birthplace.  The yarn inspired by this beautiful region has a rustic look and a soft hand. A subtle tweed effect is created by the silk noil that is combined with a heathered base made from fine merino wool and brown baby alpaca. The yarn is a classic DK weight and makes a beautiful textured fabric that is perfect for next to the skin accessories as well as garments. KAL News Pebble Beach KAL, hosted by the wonderful Paula from Knitting Pipeline Ravelry Group, is cranking out amazing FOs. We’re even starting to see some of the new sizes rolling in, which is so exciting. With the deadline off on the horizon (July 5th) there’s lots of time left, and new people are constantly joining. If you’d like to be one of them, there are a couple of easy rules and pointers: Any Curious Handmade pattern qualifies Did you begin or even finish the object before the start date? No problem! Don’t forget that there’s a Ravelry coupon code: use KPKAL30 for 30% off until May 31st The hashtag for WIPs and FOs is #pebblebeachKAL. It’s so great to see all the projects on the go! Muse2 KAL Just a way for everyone to join in on the Muse Connection buzz, from anywhere in world. I’m participating and having a ball, and there’s another month to go (it runs until the 30th of June) so jump in with us! FOs just need to meet one or more of the following criteria: Any pattern from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine or website (hint there are several free patterns ) Any of coopknits- Rachel Coopey’s designs Knit in Anzula yarn Knit on Signature Needles Hashtag #muse2KAL for WIPs and FOs! What’s in the WIP? Rachel Coopey’s Oleum socks for the Muse 2 KAL are still on the go! And as I mention on the show, there's a new shawl pattern on the way... Show links: Fashion-friendly patterns that Vicki and I discussed: Greco by Courtney Spainhower Emma Boatneck Jumper from the Country Escape book by MillaMia Farmhouse Shawl by cabinfour Pomelo knit bag by Clare Lakewood Pure shawl by cabinfour If you’re in the neighbourhood, drop in to YAK Yarn and Knitting Brighton 27th of June, when I’ll be visiting for a little Pebble Beach trunk show! I talked about the new shawl pattern that's on the way very soon! It was inspired by the magnificent Hole and Sons wool which sold out in minutes when it was released this year, but I’m making up samples in some wonderful and easier-to-source yarns as well: Blacker Yarns Shetland DK Acadia by the Fibre Company That wraps up the notes for this week’s show! Thanks for listening, and happy knitting.

In this episode I talk about some of the factors that make for an enjoyable shawl project. As always, choosing yarn, pattern, and needles that all play nicely together are really important. I also chat a bit about all the shawls I'm daydreaming about knitting these days. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the rare breed masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. KAL News Meet My Yarn KAL We have a winner!! Number 25, skibum, aka Anita in real life, has won that special skein of yet-to-be-released Cumbria yarn. Her yarn was Rustic Fingering by The Neighborhood Fiber Co. and she was swatching for Monomania by Ann Weaver. Thank you so much to everyone who took part in this KAL. It was fascinating and a lot of fun! Pebble Beach KAL, hosted by my friend Paula from Knitting Pipeline Ravelry Group, is still going strong. The deadline isn't until July 5th, so there's still loads of time if you'd like to get involved. The rules are simple and chilled out: You can use any Curious Handmade pattern It's okay if you began or finished the object before the start date Don't forget that there's a Ravelry coupon code: use KPKAL30 for 30% off until May 31st The hashtag for WIPs and FOs is #pebblebeachKAL. There are already some great projects showing up on Instagram and twitter! Muse2 KAL We've put this together so everyone can join in the fun, no matter where you are on the world. It's going until June 30th. Nice loose rules on this one, too. Just submit a FO that meets one or more of the following criteria: Any pattern from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine or website (hint there are several free patterns ) Any of coopknits- Rachel Coopey’s designs Knit in Anzula yarn Knit on Signature Needles Hashtag #muse2KAL for WIPs and FOs! What's in the WIP? I mentioned last week that I'm planning to knit Rachel Coopey’s Oleum socks for the Muse 2 KAL. So far I've printed out the pattern and wound the yarn: it's progress, and I'll take it! Show Links I talked about the two Craftsy classes I'm enjoying right now Shawlscapes by Stephen West Laura Nalkin’s Mastering Lace Shawls I mentioned that specialist lace needles, like Addi Lace, can be handy for the delicate lace yarns. Three shawl patterns mentioned in this episode: Aisling by last week's guest Justina Lorkowska Swallowtail by Evelyn A. Clark Echo Flower by Jenny Johnson Johnen That should just about wrap it up for this episode! I hope you enjoyed the show. Happy knitting in the week ahead!

Today I have the pleasure of speaking to the lovely, funny, and incredibly talented Justyna Lorkowska of Lete’s Knits. She talks about her signature knitting style, the journey from her hilarious and humbling teenage projects to her current sophisticated designs, and how to choose a shawl shape for every occasion. She’ll be launching a brand new hap shawl this weekend at the Berlin Knits Yarn Festival with Walkcollection, so we’ll all be looking forward to seeing the new pattern once it hits Ravelry. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the rare breed masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. KAL News Pebble Beach KAL, which Paula is hosting on the Knitting Pipeline Ravelry Group, is running until July 5th, and we already have loads of chatter and more than 50 FOs, all competing for that scrumptious skein of Uncommon Thread Merino Lace in the Mermaid colourway. You’ve still got lots of time to join in, and the rules are loose on this one! Remember: You can use any of my patterns It doesn’t matter if you began or finished the object before the start date If you want to purchase a pattern or collection, use Ravelry coupon code KPKAL30 for 30% off until May 31st The hashtag is #pebblebeachKAL so we can find all your WIPs on Twitter and Instagram! Meet My Yarn KAL has just wrapped up and I absolutely loved everyone’s swatches and stories. I’ll be announcing the winner next week: they’re going to get their hands on a skein of the wonderful Cumbria yarn from The Fibre Company. As I’ve mentioned before, this yarn won’t even be available to the public until late summer. Muse2 KAL is running from May 1st until June 30th, so that everyone can be a part of the fun. Enter with any FO that meets one or more of the following criteria: Any pattern from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine or website (hint there are several free patterns ) Any of coopknits- Rachel Coopey’s designs Knit in Anzula yarn Knit on Signature Needles I’ve just decided on my project for the KAL: Rachel Coopey’s gorgeous Oleum socks. It’s the perfect pattern for the great John Arbon Exmoor Sock Yarn I was talking about a few weeks ago. Show Links Visit Justyna’s busy, happy Ravelry Group and take a look at the Shawlicious KAL, ending June 30th You can find all of Justyna’s amazing patterns on website and her Ravelry profile, but here are the ones we discussed specifically: Fickle Heart hoodie Shifting sweater Aisling shawl Masgot shawl Hermit shawl If you're free over the weekend, pay a visit to the I Knit Fandango, happening the 15th and 16th of May at Royal Horticultural Halls, Lindley Hall, Westminster, London, and say a special hello to three friends of the podcast: Kettle Yarn Co, Pom Pom Quarterly, and Rachel Coopey. That's everything for this week! Thanks so much for listening, and happy knitting!

Today I introduce the theme for May: shawls. I talk about how I got started knitting the not-so-granny garment that I now love so much, and how exciting and magical shawl design can be. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. Contest winner Last week on the show with Clara, she offered a skein of her lovely Clara Yarn Cormo 1.0 as a giveaway. The winner is Barbara with this comment: “One of my favorite yarns to work with is Anzula Cloud. It is soft and squooshy and the perfect weight for shawls and lightweight sweaters. I’ve made Eiregal and Red Rock Canyon shawls by Romi, Annis by Susanna Ic, as well as Featherweight by Hannah Fettig. Lately, I’ve been buying more “rustic” yarns, including the new Shetland from Clara and some lambswool from an upstate NY farm. I am so excited to be learning about different breeds of sheep and the differing properties their fleeces/wool possess. Thank you Helen for your marvelous podcasts. I really enjoy listening to you and learning from you as you explore new things.” Knit Along News Pebble Beach KAL To celebrate the relaunch of Pebble Beach with two new sizes, Paula is running a knit along of all my designs on the Knitting Pipeline group, which is running until July 5th. You can enter a finished object from any of my designs, even if it was cast on or finished before the KAL began! Join the group, and remember to use #pebblebeachKAL for our WIP pictures on Instagram and Twitter! There will be prizes including this gorgeous skein of Uncommon Thread Merino Lace in Mermaid (it’s what we used for the medium Pebble Beach Sample!) Alongside the KAL I’m also offering a 30% discount off any Curious Handmade pattern or collection until May 31st. Just use Ravelry coupon code KPKAL30 when you check out. Meet My Yarn KAL has been extended another week until May 14th! This KAL is sponsored by Cumbria yarn by The Fibre Company, and they're offering a skein as a prize. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. Muse2 KAL We wanted to let people all over the world be part of our Muse 2 Event in June, so we’ve put together a knit along honouring our sponsors. You can enter any finished object that meets one or more of the following criteria: Any pattern from Pom Pom Quarterly magazine or website (hint there are several free patterns ) Any of coopknits- Rachel Coopey’s designs Any finished object knit in Anzula yarn The KAL is running from May 1st until June 30th, so you have plenty of time to get knitting! KnitBritish Hap-along that I mention later in the episode is going strong, running until July 12th! Shawls I mention I talk about some of the earliest shawl patterns I tackled, first knitting others’ patterns, then learning to design my own, and some examples of shawl shapes. Shetland Triangle Lace by Evelyn A. Clark Citron by Hilary Smith Calis Lucky Clover Shawl by Helen Stewart (my first shawl design!) Pi Shawl by Elizabeth Zimmerman Girasole by Jared Flood Pendulum by Amy Miller I also discuss some influential designers who push the boundaries in shawl shaping Stephen West Veera Välimäki Joji Locatelli Susanna IC Are you on Instagram yet? Join in the fun and the amazing yarny knitting community there! Play the instagram game and tag me with a pic of where you’re l...

Today I have a special guest on the show to wrap up yarn month in a perfect fiber-y package. Clara Parkes is joining me to talk about ...yarn! What else?! Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more.   This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. Knit Along News Knitting Pipeline Pebble Beach KAL Paula at Knitting Pipeline is hosting a KAL of my designs to celebrate the relaunch of Pebble Beach. Muse Connection 2 KAL - Beginnings A Playful Day Kate and I are hosting a KAL starting today - join in on the Muse Connection Ravelry Group Meet My Yarn KAL Where I challenge you to introduce your favourite yarn to the group here by creating a swatch in by 14 May - the deadline was extended by two weeks. This KAL is sponsored by Cumbria yarn by The Fibre Company Clara Parkes, Yarn Whisperer interview Knitter's Review Clara Yarn Benjamin Hole - Hole and Sons Yarn Make sure you listen to the episode to hear how to win a precious skein of Clara Yarn Cormo 1.0    

This week I'm continuing the discussion of yarn, glorious yarn, talking about what I'm working on in What's in the WIP and announcing a new knit along. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more.   This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the rare breed masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. What's in the WIP? I finished and blocked my Pebble Beach Shawl that I cast on at Unwind Brighton last year in Skein Australia yarn in Cashmere Fingering in the Sea Salt colour. I've also been knitting my magic cake of yarn using Paula's instructions and for a Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl - it's completely addictive! Pebble Beach Shawl - Two More Sizes My Pebble Beach Shawl pattern will soon be re-released with two more sizes. I'm aiming for release date of 5 May 2015. If you already have the pattern in your library you will automatically receive an update with the new sizes. I'm currently testing and finalizing photos and pattern. The new sizes are knit in yarn by The Uncommon Thread. Knitting Pipeline Pebble Beach KAL Paula at Knitting Pipeline is hosting a KAL of my designs to celebrate the relaunch of Pebble Beach. Yarn, Glorious Yarn!  This week I am talking about Shetland Yarn. Clara Yarn Shetland 1.0 Jamieson's of Shetland Jamieson and Smith - See their blog for a wealth of interesting information KnitBritish Hap Along hosted by Louise Meet My Yarn KAL Challenge you to introduce your favourite yarn to the group here by creating a swatch in April It could be for a specific project or it could be for the joy of taking some yarn for a walk! Tell us about the yarn, the qualities – if it is a specific breed, any special story about the yarn and what you discover about it from your swatching. My hope is that it will encourage reluctant swatchers to give it a try and for enthusiastic swatchers to show off their work! This week in the KAL AlpakkaAnna shared an interesting story about her swatch using special Swedish yarn. She also mentioned Louvre by Hinterm Stein – an Austrian designer.   I’m really excited to share that the KAL will be sponsored by The Fibre Company and their new Cumbria yarn. Here is some more information about it: "Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the  masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike." "I began the product development process for Cumbria during the time that I was organizing my move to the UK. I was drawn towards including fibre from an English sheep breed in the blend. There were many to research and consider, but eventually I was attracted to and settled on the beautiful brown wool from the Masham sheep, which is a crossbreed between a Teeswater ram and either a Swaledale or Dalesbred ewe.  The Teeswater is on the "vulnerable" list of rare breed sheep that is published and watched by the Rare Breed Survival Trust." While this yarn won’t be available to the public until later this summer around August – knit along parti...

This week I'm talking about the Knitting Pipeline Georgia retreat, latest projects including the Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl and some interesting yarn. Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more.   This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the rare breed masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. Knitting Pipeline Georgia Retreat I'm just back from Paula's Knitting Pipeline Georgia retreat and I had a wonderful time. What's in the WIP? I finished the knitting of my Pebble Beach Shawl that I cast on at Unwind Brighton last year in Skein Australia yarn in Cashmere Fingering in the Sea Salt colour. I also created a magic cake of yarn using Paula's instructions and cast on for a Magic Cake Ruffle Shawl I have it in my gorgeous brand new Maria Elena Bliss project bag Yarn Glorious Yarn The Field Guide to Fleece Istex Léttlopi available at Meadow Yarn Hole & Sons Poll Dorset Ana's tips from Portugal (Malhadeira on Ravelry)  1. Rosários4 and the "Economia Verde" (Green Economy) show that Ana worked on is here in Portugese (just 3 mins - interesting even if you can't understand the Portugese :-)) 2. "Portuguese Yarn Club" Includes yarn by Paula from Dyed By Alfinete 3. O Oficio and Saber Fazer Manta yarn and Ana's swatch for the Meet my Yarn KAL Don't forget to post a swatch in the Meet My Yarn KAL! Its a very doable KAL and you could win an exclusive skein of The Fibre Company Cumbria yarn that hasn't even hit the shops yet!  

  Today I giving an introduction to the theme of the podcast this month which is yarn (glorious yarn glorious yarn)! Show Sponsors   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more.   This episode is sponsored by The Fibre Company and their newest yarn, Cumbria. Inspired by England's stunning northwest region with its deep blue lakes and sheep-grazed fells and valleys, Cumbria is a lustrous blend of brown wool from the rare breed masham sheep, fine South American wool and mohair from South Africa. The resulting light brown-grey shade is then over-dyed creating lovely deep saturated colours. Cumbria is a staple yarn, perfect for garments and accessories alike. What's in the WIP? Currently working on updating my Pebble Beach Shawl pattern to include two more sizes - medium and large. I'm creating samples in The Uncommon Thread Merino Lace and Heavenly Lace. I'm still working onn Reyka by Cirilia Rose from Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads: A Modern Knitter’s Guide to Discovering and Exploring Style with my Lopi from Meadow Yarn. Yarn Glorious Yarn Fibre is where it all starts  Some good resources People – Clara Parkes of Knitters Review and Deborah Robson Craftsy - Clara Parkes has 2 craftsy classes: Know Your Yarn: Choose the Perfect Yarn Every Time, with Clara Parkes Stashbusting: Make the Most of the Yarns You Have (with Clara Parkes) Books - The Knitter's Book of Wool: The Ultimate Guide to Understanding, Using, and Loving this Most Fabulous Fiber The Knitter's Book of Yarn: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing, Using, and Enjoying Yarn The Field Guide to Fleece: 100 Sheep Breeds & How to Use Their Fibers Clara’s Craftsy Class – Know Your Yarn: Choose the Perfect Yarn Every Time, with Clara Parkes  The class includes 7 lessons – each about 20mins – about 2.5 hours in total. It's very interesting and easy to listen to, I found it funny and encouraging. Topics include: Fibre terms - Different qualities – microns, crimp, staple length; Different types of fibres – protein plant bugs Twist – creating yarn - How it is prepared and spun – worsted vs woolen, plys Swatching It’s a really comprehensive introduction and overview to fibre and I would really recommend it Podcasts Knit FM – Hanna Fetig and Pam Allen – Ep 14 Breed Specific Wool Pomcast Lydia and Sophie – Ep 11 – Clara Parkes Interview at EYF Fibre Trek TV – Sarah (Swenstea on Ravelry) – Episode 29 “soulful stash”, lots of discussion and information about finding interesting fibre and farm yarn on her Ravelry group. Woolful – Ashley - farmers and yarn producers Spinning Knitgirrrls Fluffy Fibres Knitmore Girls  How to find out more about interesting fibre: Read and listent to some of the resources above Google specific breeds Go to fibre events – and talk to people Keep up a general awareness – instagram/social media Swatching Meet My Yarn KAL Challenge you to introduce your favourite yarn to the group by creating a swatch in April It could be for a specific project or it could be for the joy of taking some yarn for a walk! Tell us about the yarn, the qualities – if it is a specific breed, any special story about the yarn and what you discover about it from your swatching. My hope is that it will encourage reluctant swatchers to give it a try and for enthusiastic swatchers to show off their work! I’m really excited to share that the KAL will be sponsored by The Fibre Company and their new Cumbria yarn. You might have heard my interview with Daphne Marinopolous – the founder of the Fibre Company on podcast episode 66.

Today I have some announcements and am sharing my thoughts on an inspiring workshop I attended this week by Fiona Humberstone called Colour for Creatives. It fits in so perfectly with our focus on colour on the podcast this month.  Show Sponsor Today’s show is sponsored by Meadow Yarn. There is a beautiful rainbow of colour to browse through in the yarn section at Meadow Yarn and I was talking to Anj about choosing colours for projects and she said: “Whether it’s opening boxes full of yarn in myriad jewel tones or quietly contemplating the perfect shade of grey, we never tire of thinking about colour and we spend lots of time having our heart strings tugged by the latest ‘perfect red’ or ‘to-die-for green’…. Matching the perfect shade of yarn with the perfect pattern is our ultimate goal and whether it’s a cool aqua whispering ‘cardigan’ to us, or a pop of vivid ruby red begging to be transformed into a warm winter cowl we’re happiest when we’re indulging our love of colour…” You can find a carefully curated selection of yarn  meadowyarn.co.uk the Muse Connection Volume 2: Musing on Beginnings The Muse Connection is a series of gatherings where we celebrate creativity, share our inspiration and come together as crafters. A Playful Day and Curious Handmade have collaborated in order to create sessions of creative fun, pulling together our two loves- maintaining a playfulness in the everyday and exploring our curiosity about new and creative things to make. For a few indulgent hours, enjoy inspirational company, at specially chosen venues for some knitting, a little chatter and share some musings on your favourite creative topics. I'm thrilled to announce that one of our speakers at Volume 2 in June is Lydia Gluck, editor of Pom Pom Quarterly. Photography: Clara Parkes Here is Lydia interviewing Clara Parkes for the Pomcast podcast. Pom Pom Quarterly will also be a sponsor of the Muse Connection Volume 2 together with Anzula Luxury Fibers and Signature Needle Arts. Coincidentally, in the latest issue of Pom Pom there is a gorgeous shawl knit in Anzula Haiku called Blommande by Hanna Maciejewska Photography: Ana Mercedes Photography: Agnese Sanvito Photography: Agnese Sanvito Colour for Creatives Workshop with Fiona Humberstone This week I attended the Colour for Creatives workshop by Fiona Humberstone aka the Brand Stylist The workshop was all about colour psycology and how to use colour to help your brand really sing. I actually found about it quite by chance through Instagram from from Emily Quinton to Gudy Herder to the Brand Stylist. After having “sort out website” on my to do list for about 2 years – when I found out there was a inspiring workshop happening on this very topic in the next suburb I had to sign up. I arrived to find a bouquet of spring flowers tied to the door of a character filled warehouse building in Brixton and immediately knew the day would be something special. We had a chance to have a coffee, chat to fellow attendees and take in the surroundings before it started. The workshop took us through colour psychology which Fiona explained as being represented by seasons. We started to think about our brands and businesses in terms of what season best represents the brand. I wasn’t sure at first as being a bit of a colour junkie I am attracted to aspects from all the seasons. I found it quite hard to narrow down to one or two. Eventually I settled on Autumn for Curious Handmade. Fiona described it as game changing for her and there is no doubt that I feel like I have been given some very powerful tools to use in analysing and putting together colour schemes. I can see how it will be useful in so many facets including my branding, design work and the stuff that I do at home and for fun like decorating a room or a theme for a party or event! We were also very lucky to have another talented visual story teller Gudy Herder of Eclectic Tren...

This week I talk about my visit to Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2015, What's in the WIP?, a review of The Bletchley Collection and announce details of the Muse Connection Volume 2. Show Sponsor Today’s show is sponsored by Meadow Yarn. There is a beautiful rainbow of colour to browse through in the yarn section at Meadow Yarn and I was talking to Anj about choosing colours for projects and she said: “Whether it’s opening boxes full of yarn in myriad jewel tones or quietly contemplating the perfect shade of grey, we never tire of thinking about colour and we spend lots of time having our heart strings tugged by the latest ‘perfect red’ or ‘to-die-for green’…. Matching the perfect shade of yarn with the perfect pattern is our ultimate goal and whether it’s a cool aqua whispering ‘cardigan’ to us, or a pop of vivid ruby red begging to be transformed into a warm winter cowl we’re happiest when we’re indulging our love of colour…” You can find a carefully curated selection of yarn  meadowyarn.co.uk the Muse Connection Volume 2: Musing on Beginnings The Muse Connection is a series of gatherings where we celebrate creativity, share our inspiration and come together as crafters. A Playful Day and Curious Handmade have collaborated in order to create sessions of creative fun, pulling together our two loves- maintaining a playfulness in the everyday and exploring our curiosity about new and creative things to make. For a few indulgent hours, enjoy inspirational company, at specially chosen venues for some knitting, a little chatter and share some musings on your favourite creative topics. The next gathering will be on Sunday 21 June at The Parcel Yard, Kings Cross London. Tickets will go on sale tomorrow! Look out for more details on the blog here. Also did you see that Kate is giving away a goodie bag from the Muse Connection Volume 1 over at A Playful Day? Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2015 Highlights from my brief visit to the festival include (in no particular order) As usual I didn’t get to see as many people as I would have liked but did have chat’s with some wonderful fibre people Laura at Laura’s Loom Julie at Tilly Flop Black Bat (rare British breed wool) Joanne Scrace and Kat Goldin at the Crochet Project Daphne at The Fibre Company Victoria at Eden Cottage Yarn Lydia and Amy at Pom Pom Quarterly Ysolda and Stephen West I also had a wonderful chat with Yarn Whisperer Clara Parkes who travelled all the way from Maine to join in the fun! The Bletchley Collection by Joanne Scrace  Electronic copies available on Ravelry Printed copies available at Eden Cottage Yarn Knit and crochet designs by Joanne Scrace (Not So Granny) I meant to mention on the podcast that this book has been beautifully laid out by Clare Devine and the presentation is really clear and clean.

Today I have a special guest, Daphne Marinopoulos, founder of the Fibre Company on the show. The Fibre Company is an artisan yarn company and has many beautiful lines of hand dyed yarn. The Fibre Company was the sponsor of the the Muse Connection Volume 1 and we all received a gorgeous skien of the Terra yarn that you’ll hear Daphne talk about in this episode. The episode was recorded last week just before we held the first Muse event so you’ll hear us referring to it as if it is happening in the future. In this episode Daphne talks about starting the Fibre Company and her recent move back to Britian and the Lake District. I was fascinated by her description of formulating a new line of yarn and choosing and naming the colours for it. We also have a bit of a deep chat about what crafting and making things with our hands means for both of us! Events Muse Connection Volume 1 Edinburgh Yarn Festival Show Sponsor Today’s show is sponsored by Meadow Yarn. There is a beautiful rainbow of colour to browse through in the yarn section at Meadow Yarn and I was talking to Anj about choosing colours for projects and she said: “Whether it’s opening boxes full of yarn in myriad jewel tones or quietly contemplating the perfect shade of grey, we never tire of thinking about colour and we spend lots of time having our heart strings tugged by the latest ‘perfect red’ or ‘to-die-for green’…. Matching the perfect shade of yarn with the perfect pattern is our ultimate goal and whether it’s a cool aqua whispering ‘cardigan’ to us, or a pop of vivid ruby red begging to be transformed into a warm winter cowl we’re happiest when we’re indulging our love of colour…” You can find a carefully curated selection of yarn  meadowyarn.co.uk

This week I'm talking about finishing my Custom Fit sweater by Amy Herzog and an introduction to my love of colour for the March podcast theme. Show Sponsor Today’s show is sponsored by Meadow Yarn. There is a beautiful rainbow of colour to browse through in the yarn section at Meadow Yarn and I was talking to Anj about choosing colours for projects and she said: “Whether it’s opening boxes full of yarn in myriad jewel tones or quietly contemplating the perfect shade of grey, we never tire of thinking about colour and we spend lots of time having our heart strings tugged by the latest ‘perfect red’ or ‘to-die-for green’…. Matching the perfect shade of yarn with the perfect pattern is our ultimate goal and whether it’s a cool aqua whispering ‘cardigan’ to us, or a pop of vivid ruby red begging to be transformed into a warm winter cowl we’re happiest when we’re indulging our love of colour…” You can find a carefully curated selection of yarn  meadowyarn.co.uk What's in the WIP? I finished my Custom Fit V Neck pullover! Yay! To help with the finishing I watched parts of two Craftsy Classes: The Essential Guide to Finishing Handknits with Anne Hanson Seaming Handknits with Chris Bylsma Both classes were great and as the titles suggest - the Anne Hanson class included more general finishing tips while Chris Bylsma was more detailed on seaming. Next up I'm planning to knit Reyka by Cirilia Rose from Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads: A Modern Knitter’s Guide to Discovering and Exploring Style I have my Lopi from Meadow Yarn all lined up ready to go. Colour in March I mention some books for colour inspiration: Color: A Natural History of the Palette Bright Bazaar: Embracing Color for Make-You-Smile Style Colour Deconstructed Farrow & Ball Living With Colour Magpies, Homebodies, and Nomads: A Modern Knitter’s Guide to Discovering and Exploring Style

  Today I have a special guest on the show – she is someone I have mentioned many times recently and is the perfect guest for this month’s theme. She openly admits to having a sweater problem – of course its Amy Herzog Show Sponsor   In the spirit of the theme of sweater month I ask Anj, the owner of Meadow yarn about her sweater knitting. Anj replied saying: "Just about our favourite thing to knit is a sweater… The options are infinite and the result always hugely satisfying, whether it’s a fine fair isle or a chunky quick-knit it’s always a pleasure to see a finished sweater roll off the needles. At the moment with temperatures sub-zero we’re thinking about Icelandic Lopi yarn… used to create traditional Icelandic ‘Yoked’ sweaters, known as Lopapeysas, they remain hugely popular with knitters around the world and contemplating the endless shade combinations - from the traditional ‘naturals' to the vivid, jewel- bright colours - is just about the best fun we have on a chilly day at Meadow Yarn!" You can purchase Icelandic Lopi yarn and other gorgeous products at meadowyarn.co.uk I ordered some gorgeous Lopi from Meadow Yarn this week to make the Reyka Pullover from Magpies, Homebodies and Nomads. Amy Herzog and Sweater Knitting I'm excited to share my conversation with Amy Herzog who is the creator of Custom Fit, the author of two books – Knit to Flatter and a new one about to be released, as well as teaching workshops to help knitters make sweaters they will love to wear including at Squam – which is where I did Amy’s sweater fit class last year. Amy teaching at Squam last year and demonstrating fit of different sweater samples. It was great to get to try on lots of samples in the class and see what suited us. Amy really does love to swatch! A pile of swatches she brought to the Squam class to demonstrate knitted fabric and fibres. You can find Amy Herzog and the things we talked about in the episode here: Amy Herzog Blog Custom Fit - Custom Sweater Generator Knit to Flatter: The Only Instructions You'll Ever Need to Knit Sweaters that make You Look Good and Feel Great! Craftsy Class - Knit to Flatter (my affiliate link) Amy's Squam Body and Soul Class

Today I’m talking about what I’ve been knitting and event updates. Show Sponsor   In the spirit of the theme of sweater month I ask Anj, the owner of Meadow yarn about her sweater knitting. Anj replied saying: "Just about our favourite thing to knit is a sweater… The options are infinite and the result always hugely satisfying, whether it’s a fine fair isle or a chunky quick-knit it’s always a pleasure to see a finished sweater roll off the needles. At the moment with temperatures sub-zero we’re thinking about Icelandic Lopi yarn… used to create traditional Icelandic ‘Yoked’ sweaters, known as Lopapeysas, they remain hugely popular with knitters around the world and contemplating the endless shade combinations - from the traditional ‘naturals' to the vivid, jewel- bright colours - is just about the best fun we have on a chilly day at Meadow Yarn!" You can purchase Icelandic Lopi yarn and other gorgeous products at meadowyarn.co.uk What's in the WIP? Making good progress on my Custom Fit V Neck Pullover by Amy Herzog. I'm finding that the knitting is going quite fast after the initial time spent preparing and planning. I created this mega blog post of 57 Useful Sweater Knitting Resources for you. I discovered a new website  - Creativebug - providing online classes via this interview of the founder Jeanne Lewis on the Squam blog (This is my affiliate link) Here are links to the new eGuides from Craftsy - free for a very limited time (Affiliate links) This guide for knitting sweaters has a good overview of things to think about in the planning stages as well as a good section about different sweater constructions. I'm really intrigued by this wood turning eGuide too. I remember loving to do this with my Dad when I was young.   Events Unravel – this weekend 20-22 February at Farnam Maltings I'm not able to attend but there will be many wonderful vendors there including our sponsor for Volume 1 of the Muse Connection – the Fibre Company – go say hi. the Muse Connection –  8 March Kate, of A Playful Day and I are busy preparing for this event. All tickets sold but we are already planning Volume 2 for June so keep an eye out for that I'm working on my talk about colour for the event. Colour will be the theme of the podcast next month Edinburgh Yarn Festival - 14-15 March I’ll be attending for the Saturday only and am really looking forward to it. Knitting Pipeline Retreat - April 12-15 in Atlanta Georgia   Are you on Instagram yet? Join in the fun and the amazing yarny knitting community there! Play the instagram game and tag me with a pic of where you’re watching the podcast.  

Its February and that means that we’re talking about knitting sweaters and garments on the show this month. Show Sponsor   In the spirit of the theme of sweater month I ask Anj, the owner of Meadow yarn about her sweater knitting. Anj replied saying: "Just about our favourite thing to knit is a sweater… The options are infinite and the result always hugely satisfying, whether it’s a fine fair isle or a chunky quick-knit it’s always a pleasure to see a finished sweater roll off the needles. At the moment with temperatures sub-zero we’re thinking about Icelandic Lopi yarn… used to create traditional Icelandic ‘Yoked’ sweaters, known as Lopapeysas, they remain hugely popular with knitters around the world and contemplating the endless shade combinations - from the traditional ‘naturals' to the vivid, jewel- bright colours - is just about the best fun we have on a chilly day at Meadow Yarn!" You can purchase Icelandic Lopi yarn and other gorgeous products at meadowyarn.co.uk What's in the WIP? I'm designing again and enjoying using this stitch dictionary: Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Dictionary: More than 150 stitch patterns to knit top down, bottom up, back and forth, and in the round I'm also working on my Custom Fit V Neck Pullover by Amy Herzog. Show Sponsor

Today I’m chatting to a special guest on the show, Joji Locatelli about sweater design and her latest collaboration with Veera Välimäki – a collection called Interpretations 2. I will also be sharing an announcement about a new event in London, the Muse Connection. Its February and that means that we’re talking about knitting sweaters and garments on the show this month. This episode is sponsored by Meadow Yarn. In the spirit of the theme of sweater month I ask Anj, the owner of Meadow yarn about her sweater knitting. Anj replied saying: "Just about our favourite thing to knit is a sweater… The options are infinite and the result always hugely satisfying, whether it’s a fine fair isle or a chunky quick-knit it’s always a pleasure to see a finished sweater roll off the needles. At the moment with temperatures sub-zero we’re thinking about Icelandic Lopi yarn… used to create traditional Icelandic ‘Yoked’ sweaters, known as Lopapeysas, they remain hugely popular with knitters around the world and contemplating the endless shade combinations - from the traditional ‘naturals' to the vivid, jewel- bright colours - is just about the best fun we have on a chilly day at Meadow Yarn!" You can purchase Icelandic Lopi yarn and other gorgeous products at meadowyarn.co.uk  Interview: with Joji Locatelli And now to kick off the Sweater and Garment theme for the podcast this month I have a very special guest on the show. Joji Locatelli is a knitwear designer and more recently a knitting teacher. She has been delighting us with her garment and accessory patterns for several years now and has build up an incredibly varied library of designs for us to knit. Joji is based in Buenos Aries Argentina and regularly travels to yarn events. I met her very briefly at Unwind Brighton last year and was absolutely thrilled to have a longer chat with her about her designs and Interpretations 2 - her recent collaboration with Veera Välimäki. She is charming, warm, very smart and dare I say talented. She is also a super humble, generous person. We also have a giveaway for you. Please leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday 11 February and tell us what YOUR favourite item from Interpretations 2 is and we will be giving away an electronic copy to a comment selected at random.  

Today I have a special guest on the show, Felicia Semple, founder of The Craft Sessions. I met Felicia a couple of years ago at Squam and since then have been following her blog with great interest and wishing that I could make an excuse to be back in Australia in September to attend her wonderful Craft Sessions which is a weekend of craft workshops. Felicia is a very thoughtful and eloquent writer and her recent blog posts on her project Stash Less have given me lots of ideas for simplify and declutter month so I was thrilled she could join us to have a chat about all of that. Image source: Felicia Semple, The Craft Sessions Felicia mentions an Ira Glass quote in the interview about practising in the gap. Here is a beautiful video of the whole quote made by photographer and visual storyteller Daniel Sax. The Vivienne Westwood quote I mentioned is from her autobiography Vivienne Westwood. "My main point, though, is quality rather than quantity. What I’m always trying to say is: buy less, choose well, make it last." That interview wraps up simplify and declutter month on the podcast. Thank you so much to everyone for the thoughtful, inspiring comments and comraderie here on the blog and on the Curious Handmade Ravelry group. Next Week on the Podcast - Joji Locatelli  Next month the theme will be Sweaters and Garments. Unusually for the podcast, there will be another guest on the show next week. I was very excited to catch Joji Locatelli at her home in Buenos Aries, Argentina for a wonderful chat about knitting, designing and her new collaboration and collection with Veera Välimäki called Interpretations 2. Interpretations 2 is a collection of 12 pieces – 6 by each designer and it is one of the most beautifully designed and produced books and collections I have seen. So have a look at the collection and look out for that episode next week. Craftsy Winter Wonder Sale (Affiliate Link):

  Today I’m talking about what’s in the WIP, and sharing with you a conversation I had this week with Paula Emons-Fuessle of Knitting Pipeline, and and update on some events. What's in the WIP? A little bit of knitting, and a lot of tidying and stalking! Working on a big project this weekend to paint and reorganise my kids bedrooms. Patterns I'm stalking to make use of my newly refreshed stash: Ashburn by Melanie Berg Leftie by Martina Behm Dahlia Cardigan by Heather Zoppetti 54 Rue du Chateau by Mary-Heather Browne, Amy Christoffers, Olga Buraya-Kefelian, Leila Raabe, Michele Wang, Bristol Ivy The Simple Things I talk with Paula of Knitting Pipeline about decluttering and the book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo. We also talk about the Knitting Pipeline retreat in Georgia USA on 12-15 April. Thank you to BreadandButter for posting a link to this interesting New York Times article about Marie Kondo's book. Events A Playful Day Design Along Competition Edinburgh Yarn Festival  

Today I’m talking about what I’ve been knitting and an update on the decluttering project for January. This week I’m talking about tackling the stash and craft stuff. I've been very much enjoying watching and listening to some podcasts while I've been decluttering. I mention: Yarnderwoman Little Bobbins Truly Myrtle Announcement If you are interested in designing - check out A Playful Day Design Along What's in the WIP? Making good progress on my Amy Herzog Custom Fit pullover. Twisted cast on. Fixed. Amy Herzog's Knit to Flatter Craftsy course (on sale at the moment!). Custom Fit - "CustomFit makes custom patterns for hand-knit sweaters. It takes your choices, your body, and your hand-knit fabric and produces a pattern perfectly suited to you." The Simple Things My word for the year is "Simplify" and simplify and declutter is the theme for the podcast in January. Today I talk about the KonMari method from Marie Kondo's book below. I apply this method to the stash with surprising results. Some more decluttering resources: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Today I'm talking about What's in the WIP and some decluttering tips. What's in the WIP? Candlelit Shawl in Skein Australia Merino Cashmere - 60% complete Also reviving the Pebble Beach Shawlette also in Skein Australia - Sea Salt colourway Cast on Amy Herzog Custom Fit pullover. Twisted cast on. Fixed. The Simple Things Word for the year is "Simplify" Some more decluttering resources: Clutterfree by Leo Babouta and Courtney Carver Fly Lady Curious Handmade Simplify and Declutter Ravelry discussion thread

Today I’m talking about what’s in the WIP, planning for the year ahead and my word of the year, "Simplify". Show Sponsor - Meadow Yarn Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles and notions. It's a small, family business based in rural Suffolk in the UK. Meadow Yarn was born out of a passion for beautiful yarn and knitting accessories and aims to bring you a range of great products. Yarns stocked include madelinetosh, Eden Cottage Yarn, Hazel Knits and many more. What's in the WIP? Candlelit Shawl in Skein Australia Merino Cashmere - 60% complete Husband Christmas Present blanket. About to cast on Amy Herzog Custom Fit pullover. New Year Planning Working my way through the Do What you Love “New Year’s Revolution” workbook. The Simple Things Word for the year is "Simplify" Some decluttering resources: Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste Project 333 Into Mind Be More With Less