This week is a special mailbag episode featuring emails and comments from listeners who’ve written to us. This podcast has steadily grown and this is our way of showing gratitude for your very kind words. The team at GistYarn is so thankful for your support! We hope you enjoy!

Shownotes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-listeners

This week on the podcast I'm speaking with writer, speaker and wool advocate Clara Parkes. Clara is known for her beloved “Knitters Review” as well as for her New York Times Best Seller “Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees the World.” In our conversation, we talk about her most recent publication “Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool.” A tale of her year-long exploration traveling to farms and mills across America in order to transform a 676-pound bale of fleece into commercial yarn.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-94

Welcome to another wonderful year of the Weave Podcast! I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season and brought in the new year with peace, and prosperity. This week on the podcast cast we are re-sharing an episode from last year that I believe will help us bring in the new year on a positive note. This week on the podcast Sarah is talking with Caribbean textile interdisciplinary artist and weaver SHENEQUA. She received her Masters of Design in Fashion, Body, & Garment at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She has exhibited her work in numerous galleries and was a featured artist for Ties that Bind in American Craft Magazine.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-51

This week on the podcast I'm speaking with Mary Jeanne Packer owner of Battenkill Fibers in Greenwich, New York. Battenkill Fibers is the last standing wool fiber mill in New York offering commercial-scale carding and spinning for fiber farms and manufactures of yarn and fiber products. Mary Jean Packer is involved in a number of farm to fabric initiatives including the Hudson Valley Textile Project. She advocates for locally sourced and sustainability processed fibers and I am excited to share our conversation!

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-93

This week on the podcast I'm speaking with I’m speaking with Jessica Sanchez of Rusted Earth Farm. Jessica is a farmer and weaver located in Western North Carolina. At Rusted Earth Farm their goal is to produce and design sustainable, handcrafted textiles from the soil up. As part of their farming practice they aim to preserve struggling heritage breeds of wool sheep by using ethical treatment, natural life grazing, and carbon farming.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-92

This week on the podcast I'm speaking with Heidi of Early Futures. Heidi is an archivist and practitioner of earth pigments that she extracts from landscapes, mostly in the Western United States. Her pigments can be used for an array of making mediums, such as an art practice or medicinal properties. I am especially excited to have her on the podcast because she offers a unique perspective in the realm of nature making and spirituality. I’m incredibly excited to learn about the historical significance and science behind her work.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-91

This week on the podcast I'm speaking with Nica Rabinowitz of Fiberhouse Collective. A collective that partners with farmers, artists, designers, fiber folks, and scientists to explore from farm to fabric and then back to farm. They have a number of interesting research projects such as dyeing fibers with mushrooms and extracting pigment from plants and food waste as well as de-composting textile waste.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-90

This week on the podcast I am speaking with Kayla Powers of Salt Textile Studios. Kayla crafts one-of-a-kind, handwoven textiles for home and lifestyle with the belief that goods can be both beautiful and ethical. Her textiles are woven with local fiber, dyed with natural materials and are made to last. Kayla works on the East side of Detroit, Michigan and draws inspiration from the people and the history of the city. In our conversation, we talk about what it’s like to use an urban landscape to forage for dyes and how she is navigating the changing landscape of the city as an artist.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-89

This week on the podcast I am speaking with Mariela Motilla, a Mexican born artist who studied at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she found herself circling back to her ancestral roots of textile making in Oaxaca Mexico where she now lives and works.

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-88

This week on the podcast I am speaking with Sonya and Steph of Aula Artesana, a retail and learning space located in the heart of Cusco, Peru. Sonya and Steph collaborate with Indigenous artisans, communities, organizations, and businesses in the highlands and jungles of Peru in order to build a unique, curated collection of handmade products. They offer group and custom hands-on workshops with master artisans in hopes to facilitate opportunities for people of different backgrounds to come together to exchange experiences and learn about alternative perspectives through art and travel. They currently have an active Kick Starter Campaign to support their project ending on November 17th so I encourage those interested to support!

Show notes: www.gistyarn.com/episode-87