Today's episode is a bit of a catch up. We're home from our holidays and starting to think about routines, and school, and new knitting projects. 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 Northbound Knitting, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Located on charming Walcot Street in the heart of Bath’s Artisan Quarter is A Yarn Story. Specialising in hand-dyed yarns and luxury fibres from around the world, A Yarn Story is a destination shop, both in-person and online! Major yarn and accessories brands include Hedgehog Fibres, Madelinetosh, Shibui Knits, ChiaoGoo and Cocoknits – and of course many more! Start creating your own yarn story… Show Links: The Muse by Jessie Burton The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman Slow Your Home Podcast Little Bobbins Podcast Episode 52 Madewell Cardigan by Joji Locatelli Join the KAL on Instagram with the hashtag #chretreatmadewellalong Circus Tonic Yarn Eden Cottage Yarn Oakworth in Pennine Mist Pure Joy by Joji Locatelli http://www.loveknitting.com/ http://www.lovecrochet.com/ MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton MillaMia Knitting Patterns Malabrigo Arroyo Reggia Pairfect from Suffolk Socks Shawl Society News: The mini KAL for TSS pattern #3 Asana ends on the 4th of September. Be sure to post your finished shawls to the FO thread. If you don't make the deadline, post it anyway! I'll be drawing from all the threads at the big overall KAL in November. The yarn hints for #4 have gone out to TSS members! Who's ready for the next one? Blacker Yarn Tamar DK The Woolly Thistle Sonja’s helpful Tamar post in the Ravelry Group Join The Shawl Society here. Events: Curious Handmade Country House Retreat Oct 20 – 23 // Cumbria, UK We still have a few twin share places available and a single room is now available also for the Autumn Country House retreat , which I mentioned in the podcast. Do you want to knit a Madewell Retreat Cardigan and join us? It's going to be a magnificent weekend of cosy fireside cats, ridiculous amounts of tasty food, and unlimited knitting. If you are interested in finding out more you can email me – helen@curioushandmade.com That’s all for this week! Happy knitting, and I’ll talk to you again soon!

Today I talk about next-level stash appreciation: loving all your precious leftover scraps! I chat about some great ideas and patterns for scrap yarn and share how my Design Your Summer project worked out. 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 Northbound Knitting, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Located on charming Walcot Street in the heart of Bath’s Artisan Quarter is A Yarn Story. Specialising in hand-dyed yarns and luxury fibres from around the world, A Yarn Story is a destination shop, both in-person and online! Major yarn and accessories brands include Hedgehog Fibres, Madelinetosh, Shibui Knits, ChiaoGoo and Cocoknits – and of course many more! Start creating your own yarn story… Show Links: Beekeeper Quilt by Tiny Owl Knits Cozy Memories Blanket How-To Brooklyn Knitfolk Podcast Log Cabin Scrap Yarn Blanket Pattern Pinwheel Scrap Blanket by Mina Philipp Magic Cake Shawl by Paula  Emons-Fuessel Twinkle Twinkle Blanket Scrapalong Hat by Wooly Wormhead Penguono by Stephen West Natalie Miller Weaving Pom Pom Garlands I mentioned a few Creativebug classes in this episode: Crochet Techniques For Knitters by Cal Patch For many knitters, the thought of setting down your needles and picking up a crochet hook is a daunting one. But once you learn how to wield a crochet hook, it can become an important skill to have in your knitting bag of tricks. Cal Patch teaches some of the most common ways that crochet can be used in combination with knitting — to add a button band to a sweater, join seams, add length to a garment, create a decorative picot or scalloped edging, and make fun applique embellishments, to name a few. Not only is this information practical, but it will provide you with creative inspiration for adding new and exciting finishing touches to your knitting. Cal also has a very fun crochet granny squares class which is perfect for crochet beginners. The best part is that she includes lots of fun ways to use just a few squares, so you don't need to commit to a whole blanket if that's too overwhelming. Gaga for Granny Squares by Cal Patch Granny squares are a must for any crochet repertoire. Whether you choose to make your grannies multi-colored for a vintage look or a solid for a more modern take, Cal shows you how to crochet these classics. She also teaches different ways to join the squares for different projects so you’ll be a granny square evangelist in no time. There are several weaving classes on Creativebug, and this one seems like a great place to start: Weaving for Beginners by Annabel Wrigley Learn the basics of making one-of-a-kind woven tapestries with Annabel Wrigley. This course goes beyond simple warp-and-weft weaving, teaching you how to add long, dramatic fringe, color-blocked shapes, fluffy clouds of wool roving, and loads of texture and color. Best of all, Annabel teaches you how to mix and match all of these techniques so that you can design a unique tapestry of your own in any size you like. The Shawl Society is all wrapped up in our third pattern, Asana. The most breathtaking finished objects are already showing up in the Ravelry thread! The mini KAL for this shawl ends on Sept 4th, so there's still time to enter for one of those prizes. If you'd prefer to take your time, remember that I'll be drawing overal KAL prizes from all the FO threads in November. We still have new members joining us all the time, so if you aren't a member yet, maybe it's time to take the plunge! Join The Shawl Society here. That wraps up the Summer Series! Until next week, happy knitting!

Knitting on holidays and some Australian stories. 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 Northbound Knitting, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Located on charming Walcot Street in the heart of Bath’s Artisan Quarter is A Yarn Story. Specialising in hand-dyed yarns and luxury fibres from around the world, A Yarn Story is a destination shop, both in-person and online! Major yarn and accessories brands include Hedgehog Fibres, Madelinetosh, Shibui Knits, ChiaoGoo and Cocoknits – and of course many more! Start creating your own yarn story… Shawl Society Update: Join us for the KAL for Asana, the third Shawl Society pattern! This marks the halfway point of the Shawl Society. I can't believe it's flying by so fast! It's still not too late to join us. Our Mini KAL for Asana will run until 4 September. I have some special prizes for this one, so be sure to post your FO in this thread by Sunday 4 Sept - end of day any time zone - for your chance to be in the prize draw. Prizes from Eden Cottage Yarn and The Uncommon Thread. If you want to take your time with this one, you’ll still be in the running for prizes in the general TSS KAL at the end of the session. I’ll be drawing from all the FO threads in November, so feel free to post your photos whenever you finish. Asana Shawl A gentle crescent shawl with flowing lace and garter sections, Asana is a lovely special occasion shawl, whether you’re preparing for one magical day or making an ordinary day magical through a bit of mindfulness. Optional beads add a flicker of light to its soft textures and quiet curves. Designed for lace or fingering weight yarn, it is delicate and light enough to wear even in the warmer months. In yoga, Asana means “a position that is firm, but relaxed.” This attitude should be familiar to anyone who has ever learned to knit, or tried a new technique just outside of your comfort zone. Gritting your teeth and clenching your hands around your needles never helps. This shawl is a higher level of difficulty than the previous Shawl Society patterns: the lace is a bit more challenging and there are four rows where you are knitting lace rows on the wrong side. The actual stitches aren’t difficult, but you need to be in meditation mode (not multitasking mode!). Concentration, relaxation and focus will get you through to the graceful result you want. Show Links: ClothBound by Julie Paterson ClothFabric on Instagram Putuparri and the Rainmakers Putuparri and the Rainmakers - article Ngurrara: The Great Sandy Desert Canvas Mabo v Queensland Dumbo Feather Dumbo Feather Eddie Mabo article Happy knitting!

This is a special episode recorded from my holiday campervan! Today I'm talking about some discoveries I've made on vaction about travelling with kids, chatting about the next Shawl Society pattern, and reviewing a gorgeous book I picked up in my travels. 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 Northbound Knitting, Eden Cottage Yarn, the Fibre Co and many more. Located on charming Walcot Street in the heart of Bath’s Artisan Quarter is A Yarn Story. Specialising in hand-dyed yarns and luxury fibres from around the world, A Yarn Story is a destination shop, both in-person and online! Major yarn and accessories brands include Hedgehog Fibres, Madelinetosh, Shibui Knits, ChiaoGoo and Cocoknits – and of course many more! Start creating your own yarn story… Shawl Society Update: Amulet Mini KAL Winners: #55 LyKnitDFW won the $30 gift certificate from Lola Blue Living donated by Marce from  Brownberry Chronicles! #129 KniLa won the Gradient Set from Seven Sisters Arts! Today I'm introducing Asana, the third Shawl Society pattern! This design will be unveiled tomorrow. This marks the halfway point of the Shawl Society. I can't believe it's flying by so fast! It's still not too late to join us. Asana Shawl A gentle crescent shawl with flowing lace and garter sections, Asana is a lovely special occasion shawl, whether you’re preparing for one magical day or making an ordinary day magical through a bit of mindfulness. Optional beads add a flicker of light to its soft textures and quiet curves. Designed for lace or fingering weight yarn, it is delicate and light enough to wear even in the warmer months. In yoga, Asana means “a position that is firm, but relaxed.” This attitude should be familiar to anyone who has ever learned to knit, or tried a new technique just outside of your comfort zone. Gritting your teeth and clenching your hands around your needles never helps. This shawl is a higher level of difficulty than the previous Shawl Society patterns: the lace is a bit more challenging and there are four rows where you are knitting lace rows on the wrong side. The actual stitches aren’t difficult, but you need to be in meditation mode (not multitasking mode!). Concentration, relaxation and focus will get you through to the graceful result you want. Show Links: The Enchanted Wood Audio Book ClothBound by Julie Paterson Short and sweet show notes this week: that's everything! Happy knitting!