Two Women Yelling About Knitting

The climate is changing and it's impacting our knitting, but no one is really talking about it. Today Anjali and Alison talk about it, joined by TWYAK's first-ever guest: Lisa Johnson, a climate journalist with CBC News and an avid knitter. The conversation covers the climate impacts of knitting -- from sheep farms to finished sweaters -- as well as the "climate resilience" knitting can bring to knitters and their communities.

Find Lisa's work at lisasjohnson.ca

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Background Reading from Climate Lisa

• Greenhouse gas emissions from a diversity of sheep production systems in the United States — Article with the surprising finding about more intensive vs more range-based sheep farming methods, but please watch the episode for more context from Lisa
• Environmental impacts associated with the production, use, and end-of-life of a woollen garment — Follows a theoretical 300-gram sweater from sheep to the end of a sweater's life, in an attempt to measure its environmental impacts
• Evaluating Environmental Impact of Natural and Synthetic Fibers: A Life Cycle Assessment Approach — Looks at the environmental impact of six fibers: conventional and organic cotton, silk, jute, flax, and polyester
• Learn more about regenerative wool at Fibershed

Knitting Things

• Mungo, a recycled cotton-wool yarn from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, entirely made with pre-consumer waste from Portuguese spinning mills
• Look at My Holes pattern by James Watts
• Project Hail Mary cardigan pattern, charts and resources

Alison's Book Recommendations

• The Gilded Page: The Secret Lives of Medieval Manuscripts
• The Book-Makers: A History of the Book in Eighteen Lives
• Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

Anjali's Podcast Recommendations

• Bandsplain's Radiohead episode, Part 1 and Part 2
• Dissect Season 11 about Radiohead's In Rainbows

Is slower knitting more mindful? Are process knitters superior to project knitters? In this episode, Anjali and Alison talk about the recent social media conversation around fast knitting and fast fashion, why continental knitting isn’t always the fastest, and why Elizabeth Zimmerman was right (of course). Plus, we revisit our thoughts on AI and knitting and invent a foolproof method for evaluating yarn stores called the Rosa Pomar Test!

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We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!

Further Reading & Watching

• Slow Knitting: A Journey from Sheep to Skein to Stitch by Hannah Thiessen seems to be out of print, but you can find it used at places like Powell's Books
• The Slow Fashion Renaissance: An In-Depth Exploration of Crochet and Knitting as Sustainable Technologies for Contemporary Fashion by Jie Peng
• Knitting Rebellion, Elizabeth Zimmerman, Identity and Craftsmanship in Post-War America by Maureen Lilly Marsh
• Lou Dangit on timing their knitting
• VickyIsKnitting on why knitting speed is not always a choice

AI Discussion

• Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI by Karen Hao
• Sam Altman May Control Our Future -- Can He Be Trusted? - The New Yorker
• Lucy Liang on the Hobbii AI debacle
• The Joji Locatelli AI backstory on Craftsnark and Joji's response and apology
• Deborah Knits on how AI is breaking the knitting pattern economy

Other Knitty Things

• High Tide Fibers, a store in Rehoboth Beach, RI that passes the Rosa Pomar test
• Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Mondim in colorway M82
• Andrea Rangel short row heel
• Patty Lyons's improved slip slip knit
• Burgos Vest pattern by Rosa Pomar
• Yarn lineup at The Wooly Thistle - help me choose!

Other Happy Things

• Trailer for This is a Gardening Show
• CarlsFriendsDotNet is sadly not accepting new orders right now due to overwhelming social media demand! But they say they may be back in November

Welcome back to Season 3! Anjali and Alison kick things off with a topic that a lot of knitters have A Lot of Feelings about: knitwear designers releasing brand-new patterns that are similar (sometimes very similar) to patterns they have already released. We also hear from Sophie Hemmings of the Knit Purl Girl, who was kind enough to share her thoughts from the designer's perspective.

Buckle up and put on that cardigan version of the pullover pattern you also own. Or is it a jacket? Or did you buy the blouse version, not the pullover? Doesn't matter, we're going to talk about it all!

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We are now on Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music (audio only) and are experimenting with adding video to our podcast on Spotify. Find us and subscribe on your preferred platform!

"Would you like to double down on your meal?" - Portlandia

Examples of Single Pattern Releases

• Felix Cardigan and Felix Pullover by Amy Christoffers
• Esther Vest and Esther Jacket by Petite Knit
• Anker's Sweater by PetiteKnit
• Ooey Gooey, plus the Sock Set, Cowl, and Mitt Set by Andrea Mowry
• Cozy Classic Raglan and Cozy Classic Light by Jessie Maed Designs
• The Weekender, Weekender Light and Weekender Crew by Andrea Mowry
• Cumulus Blouse and Cumulus Blouse O-neck by PetiteKnit
• Lakes Pullover, Lakes Cardigan, Lakes Crew Cardigan, etc by Ozetta
• Celeste Sweater, Celeste Sweater Junior and Celeste Sweater Man by PetiteKnit
• Gib I and Gib II by Andrea Mowry

Examples of Multi-Option Patterns

• Musselburgh by Ysolda Teague
• Mara Blouse by the Knit Purl Girl
• Lanark Sweater by Rebecca Clow
• Lauder by Rebecca Clow
• Saglan by Ailbíona McLochlainn

Other Knitty Things

• Alison is wearing the Autumn Alpine sweater with yarn from Queen City Yarn
• The Tin Can Knits app lets you choose the size you are knitting and just shows you the instructions for that size

Other Recommendations

• WALNUT yarn store in Tokyo
• Amirisu Sprint hand-dyed yarn
• Okadaya Shinjuku
• Craft Code Switching - Pom Pom Mag Substack
• Anjali's Caddis reading glasses are the Wabi Sabi in "Gloss Minor Blues" and Triple G in Heritage Green

We're popping in for a surprise bonus episode! Join Anjali and Alison in a conversation about the viewer comments that made us think differently, opened our minds to new ideas, or even made us realize we were wrong. Y'all are classy and we appreciate you.

Watch for our return for Season 3 in the fall!

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Episodes We Mention (In Order of Appearance)

• Should You Use AI in Your Knitting?
• Are These Knitting Designers Copying Each Other?
• Stop Calling Knitting a Grandma Hobby
• Craftivism & the Melt the Ice Hat

Knitty Things We Mention

• Moby sweater by PetiteKnit
• Hanstholm sweater by PetiteKnit
• Anjali is wearing the Corran Cardigan in De Rerum Natura Robinson in Citronnade
• Green, square buttons from My Sister Knits, an LYS in Fort Collins, CO
• Mussel shell buttons from La Mercerie, an LYS in Bainbridge Island, WA
• Wood buttons from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar, an LYS in Lisbon, Portugal
• Dusty's Vintage Buttons

Denver Asian Food Recs

• Nana's Dim Sum and Dumplings
• MAK Fam

Some academics believe gossip is essential for social life, but what happens when it moves from in-person to online spaces? Join Alison and Anjali in a conversation about gossip, fiber arts, and that one terrible fiber festival everyone heard about. It'll be fun!

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Further Reading & Listening on Gossip

• Normal Gossip podcast knitting episode on Apple and Spotify
• An Integrative Definition and Framework to Study Gossip — Group & Organization Management
• "Gossip About Knitting" — New York Times
• Gossip: An Investigation into the Feminine Art of Conversation — RISD
• Ritualizing Language: Ancient Greek Women's Gossip and Magic as Intertwining, Subversive Paths to Justice
• Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective by R.I.M. Dunbar

Gossip-Related Artwork

• Netherlandish Proverbs (1559) by Peter Bruegel the Elder
• The Friendly Gossips (1901) by Eugene de Blaas
• Two Women Leaning Back in Sofa, Knitting by Mark Rothko

Knitting Gossip Examples

• #Fybrefest: Unraveling What Went Wrong With this Yarn Festival — Aspen in the Moment
• 'Fybrefest': How the Catskill Wool & Folk Festival unraveled — Times-Union
• Original post about Stephen West on Craftsnark
• West's first apology
• West's second apology
• Something is off about the Stephen West backlash — Craftsnark

Two Stitches Enter, One Stitch Leaves

• Storm Sweater vs Staffin Pattern
• The Sheep Sweater by Rosa Pomar vs Ovis Sweater by Caitlin Hunter
• Diana Black Sheep Sweater
• Butterscotch Sweater vs Newspaper Pullover

Other Knitty Things

• Alison is making the Autumn Alpine sweater with yarn from Queen City Yarn
• Anjali is bartering with the Burgos Vest, knit in Harrisville Designs WATERshed in Elm

What's going on with test knitting culture? Anjali and Alison discuss some of the controversies from the perspectives of both knitters (unrealistic deadlines! demanding photo requirements!) and knitting designers (so much ghosting!). Plus: another edition of Cast On or Drop That Stitch, featuring four trendy knitting patterns.

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Further Reading on Test Knitting

• Yarnpond: site to find test knitting calls
• Reddit: Test knitting deadlines are getting shorter everywhere
• Reddit: Since when did test knitting just become giving designers free marketing?
• Reddit: Test Knitting "Reviews"

Cast On or Drop That Stitch Patterns

• Vilma Top by Gregoria Fibers
• Uma Scarf by PetiteKnit
• January Socks by Kaitlin Barthold
• Miu Top by Una Gil

Other Knitting Things

• Anjali's "Woolen Spun" baseball hat from Harrisville Designs
• The Traveler pattern by Andrea Mowry
• Frog It Yarns
• Oxbow Socks pattern by Andrea Mowry

Is knitting good for your mental health if it sometimes makes you feel...bad? In this episode, Anjali and Alison talk about the mental health benefits of knitting, but also some of the darker aspects that aren't often talked about: compulsive yarn buying, procraftination, toxic productivity culture, and more.

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Our new theme song is "Candy Apple Red" by Annabelle Chairlegs!

Further Reading & Listening on the Benefits

• More on soldiers knitting to heal from trauma in Knit, Purl, Heal — Piecework Magazine
• Therapeutic Knitting with Betsan Corkhill — Why I Knit podcast
• Stitching Time: Women and Fiber Art in Psychiatric History — Psychiatric Times
• Why knitting can help you feel less anxious — Dr. Mia Hobbs
• Crochet increases attention through requiring motor skill learning — Nature

Further Reading on the Complexities

• We couldn't find the original article we read about procrastination, but here's more on the "Wall of Awful"
• Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
• Becoming "That Girl": A Digital Ethnography of Productivity and Wellness Culture on YouTube — Kate Norton
• Excessive Knitting and Addiction — Psychology Today
• Knitting, creativity, mental health — Kate Davies

Other Mentions

• Project Knitwell
• Lou Dangit on Instagram

Knitty Things

• Lumme Pullover in Studio Donegal Soft Donegal
• Corran Cardigan by Rebecca Clow in De Rerum Natura Robinson in Citronnade

Anjali and Alison dive into the messy topic of knitting as political statement, covering the tricoteuses ("knitting women") of the French Revolution, 2017's famous pink hat, and the Melt the ICE hat. Things get a little spicy!

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#TWYAK // Show Notes

Further Reading

• The Pussyhat's Identity Crisis — Sapiens
• Not My Pussy Hat: Why I Didn't Participate in the Women's March This Year — SELF
• Unifying yet dividing: voices of pussyhat maker–wearers who participated in the 2017 Women's Marches — Fashion & Textiles
• Anyone else planning on knitting a pussy hat like everyone did years ago? — Reddit
• When You Want the Antiracism Cookie — Antiracist Dietitian
• In Minneapolis, Knitters Are Protesting With Red Hats — New York Times
• Size Inclusive Collective post on Instagram

Patterns Mentioned

• Kitty Hat
• Melt the ICE Hat on Ravelry
• Abolish ICE Beanie on Ravelry
• Lumme by Sari Nordland
• Traveler's Shawl by Andrea Mowry
• Zipper Sweater by PetiteKnit

Yarns Mentioned

• Flywheel by Harrisville Designs in Penstock
• Re-Ply Rambouillet by Brooklyn Tweed
• Germantown by Kelbourne Woolens
• Soft Donegal by Studio Donegal

Also Mentioned

• Folk Tales documentary

Accusations of copying seem to be all over knitting social media recently. Alison and Anjali dig into the topic of knitting patterns and intellectual property: what can and cannot be copyrighted, and beyond that, what rules are designers socially or ethically bound by?

We have some interesting examples to ponder and then we wrap up the episode with another round of Two Stitches Enter, One Stitch Leaves.

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Further Reading

• For Personal Use Only: Restrictive Clauses in Craft Patterns — Craft Industry Alliance
• Patterns and copyright protections — Ohio State University Libraries
• Stephen West shawl destash drama on Reddit
• A short history of knitting patterns in Britain — Victoria and Albert Museum
• This Golden Fleece: A Journey Through Britain's Knitted History by Esther Rutter
• Gansey Investigation with Di Gilpin and Sheila Greenwell

Pattern Examples We Talk About

• Norma Sweater by My Favorite Things Knitwear
• Harbor Sweater by Ozetta
• More on the inspiration for the Norma design
• Isager Archives collection inspired by Ase Lund Jensen
• Pink Fizz by Andrea Mowry
• Lace pattern #025 by Hitomi Shida
• Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible by Hitomi Shida
• Sailor Slippers pattern by Annie Germain
• Aspen in the Moment episode about Sailor Slippers drama

Yarns & Patterns We Mention

• Mungo by Retrosaria Rosa Pomar
• Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague in Mondim
• Halibut Cowl by Caitlin Hunter in Alpaca Elegance, in Sencha and Darjeeling
• Anjali's Lumme pullover is in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter (RIP) in Sweatshirt and Harrisville Designs Watershed in Aquifer

Anjali's Art Class

• Description of the class
• Tracey Emin's work

We're back with season 2! And diving right into to a controversial subject: AI, its current role in knitting, and where it might be headed. Plus: our first knit-a-long! Who’s ready for some “Mod Impact Mapping”??

We're yelling about AI and maybe you're gonna want to yell at us in the comments?

Books We Mention

• This Golden Fleece: A Journey Through Britain's Knitted History by Esther Rutter (https://bookshop.org/a/117437/9781783...)
• The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel (https://bookshop.org/a/117437/9781250...)

Further Reading

• Here’s more on Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory, from Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics, the hottest name in nursing informatics: (https://cjni.net/journal/?p=1444)
• How will AI change the world of knitting? - Laine: (https://lainepublishing.com/en-us/blo...)
• Humans still appreciate humanity, even in the age of Spotify! College Radio Keeps Its Cool - New York Times gift link: (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/st...)

Knitting Things Mentioned

• The Tin Can Knits app (https://tincanknits.com/app) is innovating knitting by letting you choose the size you are knitting and just showing you the instructions for that size
• For our knit-along, we are knitting the Lumme sweater by Sari Nordlund (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr.... Anjali is knitting with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Sweatshirt and Harrisville Designs WATERshed in Aquifer (https://harrisville.com/collections/h.... Alison is still experimenting with yarns.

Shout out Ruth for the title cards!