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