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Crochet and Knitting Expert and Technical Editor Genius Shiri Mor

April 24, 2014 By admin 26 Comments

Crochet and Knitting Expert and Technical Editor Genius Shiri Mor was our Guest on the Yarn Thing Podcast with Marly Bird, April 24, 2014

Marly and Shiri shared the first time the were acquainted with each other, Marly was designing her first sweater to be published, and found Shiri in a chat room on Ravelry, were she was letting people know she was a tech editor. (This was that design: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/sweetheart-tunic ) Marly found her to be a big help! They eventually met at a Vogue Knitting Live event…

Shiri started knitting and crocheting when very young and was interested in all types of handicrafts, encouraged because Mother and Grandmother both knitted and crocheted as well. Her impressive designs are created from love of mathematics. She found pattern writing a lot like computer code which she had studied in school. While living in New York City, her name was passed by her students to the editors at Vogue Knitting magazine and her patterns began to appear in that magazine, including the Bigger is Better sweater that appeared on the cover of Vogue Knitting 25 https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bigger-is-better

biggerisbetter

So exciting to be featured in that magazine and even her mom was very happy with that! Marly asked her about it and Shiri’s explanations are basically that she visuallizes them in math and numbers, which we find unique to the design world. Marly asked about her knit patterns like The Helix Cable Vest (Ravelry link: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/13-helix-cabled-vest ) and the Botanica Medallion Cardigan ( https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/04-botanica-medallion-cardigan ) which Marly thought came from crochet motif inspiration but which Shiri explains simply came from the number 6 in her math way of thinking. They shared about thinking through Crochet pattern designs as well.

columndress

Shiri also has a website: https://www.shiridesigns.com/ and an Etsy Shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShiriDesigns There are whispers of a book to come, so watch for that…. but don’t miss the upcoming special Crochet edition of Vogue Knitting featuring this Column Dress design that is absolutely terrific.

And the Giveaway? Leave a comment below to win a SKYPE LESSON with Shiri Mor… What a terrific opportunity!

* Google Mountain Time for your area’s time zone. https://www.timezoneconverter.com/ Check this out, so you can listen LIVE and join us in the chatroom.

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XRX Books, Knitter’s Magazine, STITCHES Expos
Craftsy.com/yarnthing
Indian Lake Artisans
Fiesta Yarns
Drew Emborsky
Bijou Basin Ranch
Buffalo Wool Co.
Green Mountain Spinnery
KnitCrate

Knitting Expert Kristina McGowan: Top Down Knitting

April 19, 2014 By admin 27 Comments

Thursday on the YarnThing Podcast with Marly Bird: knitting expert Kristina McGowan!

Listen in below top hear Marly and Kristina talk about how she started knitting, designing, writing knitting books, Barbara Walker and her knitting books, and much much more!

Kristina McGowan has been knitting for most of her life. She was determined to learn so she taught herself to knit by checking out books from the library. It has always been a part of her life and she love to make things for family and friends. Eventually she found herself working at a publishing company and teaching many of her co-workers how to knit. Soon after, she decided to write her own book (she had been designing for herself for years already).

Kristina has a bit of an obsession with Barbara Walker (she even tracked her down and visited her) and her top-down knitting philosophy. Barbara (of the Treasury fame, link to all her books below) doesn’t really like sewing and didn’t like that a lot of knitting patterns required her to sew. In addition to her stitch pattern books, she wrote Knitting from the Top, a complete reference for how to make any garment from the top down, even pants! She gives 13 templates for 13 types of garments and how to make them fit you. For her first book, Kristina took that theme and made garments and accessories from her favorite templates. That book, Modern Top-Down Knitting, came out in 2010 and was a big hit. Because she didn’t work with several of the templates from Barbara’s original book, Kristina chose to do two patterns for each template for her follow up book. That book, More Modern Top-Down Knitting just came out last year and is full of great patterns, including pants and the awesome intarsia fox (both shown below).

Important links related to this show:

Kristana McGowan’s designer page on Ravelry
Modern Top Down Knitting on Amazon
More Modern Top Down Knitting on Amazon
Barbara Walker’s books on Amazon
Schoolhouse Press website

New Knitting Podcasts with MarlyBird on BlogTalkRadio

And we can’t forget the Giveaway! Leave a comment below for your own copy of Kristina’s newest book More Modern Top-Down Knitting!

Let’s give some love to our sponsors!
Craftsy.com/yarnthing
Indian Lake Artisans
Fiesta Yarns
Drew Emborsky
Bijou Basin Ranch
Buffalo Wool Co.
Green Mountain Spinnery
KnitCrate

Indian Lake Artisans Hexagonal Needles

April 17, 2014 By admin 29 Comments

Tuesday on the YarnThing Podcast with Marly Bird: Indian Lake Artisans Hexagonal Needles!

Pam and Mark, owners and founders of Indian Lake Artisans, join Marly to talk about their hexagonal knitting needles, the new one to come out, and much more! Listen in below to hear all about it!

Pam is a lifelong artist and always valued quality tools. She and her husband, Mark, came up with the idea to make a new shape other than round and the hexagonal needle was born! The hexagonal shape is really great because it is easier on your hands than standard needles and the shape and the wood help the yarn stay on the needles. Their original straight needles are still being made and still have the cutest nature themed copper ends. (Julie’s favorite is the owl on the size 7). In the beginning, their smallest size was a US 10 (6 mm) because their equipment just couldn’t go smaller. Since then, they have improved their equipment with sharper blades and can now go down to a size 3 with walnut and cheery wood needles and, just coming out how, size 2 in maple! In addition to the straight needles, Pam and Mark also make double points and circular needles, cable needles, shawl pins (which also have the nature themed tops), and their own design of yarn bowls. Most of the needles, as mentioned, come in your choice of three woods (walnut, cheery, and maple) and come in different needle lengths. (Marly really likes the longer needle barrels on the circulars as they feel good in her hands). Pam and Mark are also totally willing to do custom orders and usually don’t charge any extra as they hand make everything. They are wonderful people and make an exceptional product they guarantee will last, check out their website IndianLakeArtisans.com to see all their awesome products!

Discover Knitting Internet Radio with MarlyBird on BlogTalkRadio

And we can’t forget the Giveaway today! Leave a comment on this entry with Pam and Mark’s keyword for your chance to win a set of their double point needles in your choice of wood and size!

Gail Callahan and Color Grids

April 8, 2014 By admin 32 Comments

Today on the YarnThing Podcast with Marly Bird: The Kangaroo Dyer Gail Callahan and color grids!

Gail Callahan, aka the Kangaroo Dyer, does many things. She started off as a weaver is the 80’s and after her kids went to college Steve Elkin of Webs invited her to work in the shop. After she started working in the retail store, she brought in a blanket that she and her husband bought at a craft fair. Gail asked if they carried the yarn in the shop and they did, but it only came in white, no colors. She wove a few blankets in white and then was talking with Barbara Elkin who suggested that she dye it (and told her she had to learn anyway because she was going to do a demo). Then, Kathy and Steve asked her to try dying some of the Valley Yarn line at Webs and that is how she really got started dying.

Since then she has written a book about dying yarn called Hand Dyeing Yarn and Fleece from Storey publishing. She got to write the book by chance. A woman came into Webs with her undyed fleece and said she way scared to dye it. Gail invited her over to her studio and after showing her how to dye, the woman (who was an editor at Storey) suggested she write a book. Like teaching the editor, Gail is able to really show who easy dying can be. It doesn’t have to be difficult.

In addition to the book, Gail also recently came out with the Color Grid. The Color Grid is an extension of the color choosing section of the Hand Dyeing book. Gail likens the original color wheel concept as an analog clock and the color grid as a digital clock. The grid seems to make more sense to many people than a color wheel. The grid works by showing how the family’s of color work together. Gail has a nice video on the Color Grid website (link below) that explains how you use the grid. The basic idea is that the colors are laid out in a grid. The large circle on the template is the main color and the smaller circles around it are in the same family and would go well together. The bar is several grid squares away and shows a good complimentary color to the main color family. The Color Grid doesn’t have to be used only for dyeing, it is great for picking out yarn for a project or paint for a painting and many other crafts.

In addition to the books, Gail also teaches at Webs and fiber events around the country. She also sells her hand-dyed yarn on her website and on Etsy. Her exclusive Valley Yarn colors are available from Webs. She also does a yarn club that you should be able to sign up for soon (keep a watch on her website).

Listen in below to hear everything Marly and Gail talked about today!

Important links from today’s show:

Gail’s website (you can buy yarn and books here), KangarooDyer.com
The Color Grid website
Gail’s Etsy shop webpage
The Kangaroo Dyer Facebook page
The Kangaroo Dyer yarn on Webs

New Knitting Podcasts with MarlyBird on BlogTalkRadio

And we can’t forget the Giveaway!! As always, leave a comment below with Gail’s keyword for your own chance to win a copy of Gail’s book!

Crochet Expert Karen Whooley

April 3, 2014 By admin 26 Comments

Today on the YarnThing Podcast with Marly Bird: Crochet Expert Karen Whooley (and knitter too)!

Karen learned to crochet when she was 7 years old. Her old Italian grandmother was their babysitter and felt that they were watching too much TV, so she got out yarn and crochet hooks and taught them to crochet. A couple of years later, her grandmother gave her a small steel hook and thread and she started doing Italian crochet lace. Since her grandmother couldn’t read English patterns, they worked from pictures, just figuring out what to do. As she grew older, Karen began teaching herself new techniques from books like Tunisian crochet. On the design side, a friend encouraged her to start submitting designs which she did in 1998 and has been going since. Various family members had tried to teach her to knit, but since she had been crocheting too long, holding the yarn in her right hand didn’t work. Finally in 2004, she found continental knitting and now she knits too!

Because she is obsessed with socks and shawls, Karen has many patterns for both, including books. She has two books of just crochet socks as well as several patterns with magazines. Now, a lot of people have the misconception that crochet socks are always really bulky and uncomfortable, but Karen shows you how to use finer gauge yarn and good stitches to use for the sole to make them more comfortable. Crochet socks sill aren’t for everyone (some people have really sensitive feet), but if you have wanted to try them, check out Karen’s book, you might be surprised!

Karen’s latest work involves Fair-Isle crochet. She had a stranded sweater that she absolutely loved when she was younger and one of the first things she learned when she learned to knit was how to do stranded knitting. Later, she took a class on doing a specific color illusion picture technique with crochet. Through experimentation, she took this technique and figured out how to do Fair-Isle crochet patterns that don’t lean and look good. Karen teaches this both with floats (like in stranded knitting) and tapestry style, where the carried yarns are enclosed in the stitches. In addition to her Leisure Arts book, Karen’s Craftsy class just recently went live! The class teaches you all about the techniques and process of doing Fair-Isle crochet!

Listen in below to hear everything Marly and Karen talked about today including how she stated crocheting and knitting, Fair-Isle crochet, how to still craft with arthritis and much more!

Important links from today’s show:

Karen’s website, karenwhooley.com, see her independent pattern line and where she is teaching
Karen’s Ravelry designer page, you can find all her designs and books here
Karen’s new Craftsy class, Crochet Fair-Isle: Demystifying Colorwork
Swan splints at Silverringsplint.com

More Knitting Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with MarlyBird on BlogTalkRadio

And we can’t forget the Giveaway! Leave a comment below for your chance to win you own access to Karen’s Craftsy class!

Let’s give some love to our sponsors!
Craftsy.com/yarnthing
Indian Lake Artisans
Fiesta Yarns
Drew Emborsky
Bijou Basin Ranch
Buffalo Wool Co.
Green Mountain Spinnery
KnitCrate

Crochet Expert Brenda K. Anderson

April 1, 2014 By admin 14 Comments

Today on the YarnThing Podcast with Marly Bird: Crochet expert Brenda K. Anderson!

Brenda K. Anderson learned to crochet from her mother when she was a little girl. She crocheted for a while but then stopped for a long time. In the meantime she had taken up sewing (it was a bit quicker for someone with a short attention span). Right about when the first Stitch n’ Bitch book came out, Brenda rediscovered her crochet things and saw the skull sweater in Stitch n’ Bitch. That sweater instantly grabbed Brenda and she called her mom (always crafty) and asked her to teach her to knit. Soon after learning to knit, she saw an issue of Interweave Crochet, discovering that crochet didn’t all have to be acrylic sweaters and granny square potholders. Always a designer (she even when to college for Fashion Design), becoming a crochet designer became the natural next step. And she doesn’t just design for crochet, she also designs knitwear and for her day job.

Brenda’s day job has got to be one of the coolest job on the planet. She is a costume designer for the puppets and performers at Sesame Street Live as well as other characters like mascots (most of this is hush-hush so that is all we can say). A few weeks away from graduating college, she got a call from a woman who offered her a job which eventually lead to her current job. So she gets to use her degree for both of her careers.

Over the last few years, Brenda’s designs have appeared in many many places including Interweave Crochet, Crochet Today, Interweave Knits, Stitching in the Stacks, Crochet Me, Crochet at Home and her very own book. Her book just recently came out and is called Beastly Crochet: 23 Critters to Wear and Love. This book if full of really awesome designs like the Sugar Skull Shoulder Bag and the Tiki Head Bolster. In addition to bags and home items, there are wearables like hats and little crochet monsters. The guys on the cover are particularly popular and a great first felting project. They are also great little organizers as they are hollow! Such a neat idea. There is also a great section on how to get your creatures/projects to look how you want. Some people don’t naturally get how to make faces and need a little extra help and that is what this extra section gives you. Brenda also did a video tutorial with Interweave called 3D Crochet that goes over some of those finishing techniques.

Important links from today’s show:

Brenda’s designer page on Ravelry
Sesame Street Live webpage
3D Crochet video purchase page
Marly’s Knit-a-Long on Craftsy, the Belo Casamento Shrug

Online Knitting Radio at Blog Talk Radio with MarlyBird on BlogTalkRadio

And we can’t forget the Giveaway! Leave a comment below with Brenda’s keyword for your chance to win your own copy of Beastly Crochet!

Let’s give some love to our sponsors!
Craftsy.com/yarnthing
Indian Lake Artisans
Fiesta Yarns
Drew Emborsky
Bijou Basin Ranch
Buffalo Wool Co.
Green Mountain Spinnery
KnitCrate

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