Welcome to February! After a fab but fast start to the year in January, I decided to choose a relaxing topic for this month. We’re exploring creativity again, in a laid back, gentle way. What do we mean when we talk about creativity and how can foster more of it in our daily lives? To […]

This week I answer a question about how and when you should wind yarn and the best ways to store you stash safely. I also talk about the WIPs I’m whipping through and a special way that knitters are getting together to change the world for the better. Show Sponsor   Meadow Yarn is an inviting […]

This week I chat about creating more space in my life, finding a sense of ease in all my tasks and in my knitting, and planning how to use some of my stash for specific projects during this week of Stash Appreciation Month! Show Sponsor   Meadow Yarn is an inviting online retailer selling yarn, needles […]

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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.

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Yarn alert: my huge yarn crush on Anzula Squishy started last year when I used it for the new samples of my Afternoon Tea Shawl but it's been pretty hard to get your hands on in the UK. I've gotten the news from Meadow Yarn that they now have it in stock, so go have a look for yourself! I love the colours so much I'm tempted to buy it all up, Stash Appreciation Month notwithstanding.

Stash Appreciation Month thread on Ravelry

Lina Knits Video Podcast on YouTube

Lina's Blog

The Finish It KAL will take place on her Ravelry Group

Mina from The Knitting Expat Podcast and Marsha from Fairy Little Twitch and Stitch are in the middle of an engrossing Sock Knitting Competition

 

What's in The WIP

I finished my Cave Point Shawl! I love it.The pattern is by Paula Emons-Fuessle from Knitting Pipeline and it was an absolute joy to knit. It's also available as part of the gorgeous Shawls 2015 collection from Quince and Co. I knit it in Quince and Co.Chickadee in the Audouin heathered colourway.

Still working on my Times Square by Norah Gaughan

I'm waiting until I have time to be monogamous with my Reyka Pullover by Cirilia Rose so I'll probably wait until I've finished Times Square.

Monkey Socks

Oleum Socks by Rachel Coopey

Some vanilla socks, developing a personal "recipe" the way Mina has, using the Fish Lips Kiss heel.

Mina's Two at a Time Socks - free pattern on Ravelry

Magic Cake Shawl by Paula from the Georgia Retreat

The Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge is back on, and I'm already adding goals to my list for this quarter. Libby from Truly Myrtle is hosting a Wash Dress Sew-Along from the 12 to the 24th of Feb. I want to join in! You can sign up to her Mini Mag in the sidebar of her blog if you'd like to get updates about that.

Washi Dress Pattern from Made By Rae

I also want to make the Squam Westwater Tunic before I head off to Squam!

Events

The Unravel Festival at Maltings is on Feb, 19th to 21st. I can't go, but I know it will be a wonderful time.

The Curious Handmade Country House Retreat is happening on March 14 to 17th 2016 in Cumbria, UK. It's sold out, but if you'd like to be put on the waiting list, please get in touch!

The Edinburgh Yarn Festival is March 18 to 19

The Knitting Pipeline Georgia Retreat is happening  April 3 to 6 in the USA, and I'll be going! Registration is opening up today!

That's all I've got for this week! Happy knitting!

We're in the second week of Stash Appreciation Month, and I've made great progress on reviewing, organising, and documenting my stash, which has been a really lovely process. On today's episode I talk about how that's going, what it's like to be plunging into the new year, and my Word of The Year for 2016.

You can join in chatting about Stash Appreciation in the Ravelry thread here.

Show Sponsor

 

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.

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We spent our holidays together here: Lake Taupo in New Zealand

I spent some more time thinking about my word for the year and finally arrived at Ease. These podcasts helped me as I weighed the possibilities:

Elise Gets Crafty Podcast

Wellpreneur

Other podcasts that I've found helpful as I think about my goals for 2016:

The Slow Home Podcast

Knitting Expat Episode 42

What's in the WIP

So close to finishing the first piece of my Times Square by Norah Gaughan

I picked up my Cave Point Shawl by Paula Emons-Fuessle after not touching it for a while.

And some exciting top secret new design projects!

The Curious Handmade Wardrobe Challenge is back, and I'm participating again. Join us in the new thread for this quarter.

Knitvent 2015 Winners!

I'm delighted to announce our three winners! I drew three posts randomly, and all of the projects that one are actually gorgeous:

Meadow Yarn Voucher: #9 The Ice River Snood by KayJay1809

Blacker Yarn Voucher: #96 Winter Wonder Shawl by LaurieBo

Fringe Supply Co. Voucher: #31 Kindling Hat by Izziebeff

 

That's everything for this week! Happy knitting!

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 give some tips to help you choose a word for the year.

Susannah Conway - finding your word for the year email mini course

What is your word for the year?

January Podcast Theme is Stash Appreciation Month

The rough structure for the month is:

Week 1: Review Stash and organise - this may include editing and destashing

Week 2: Document the stash - "manage what you measure"

Week 3: Make some goals and maybe "rules"

Week 4: Plan specific projects with stash yarn

Are you keen to join in?

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!