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Kristin Nicholas Returns

Kristin Nicholas Returns LIVE and in COLOR to the Yarn Thing podcast with Marly Bird.

Kristin says she learned to sew as a kid, through 4H with the clothing and textiles, and learned to knit becausekristin nicholas profile pic she wanted something to do while on the bus or train in college. She attended Grad School at Colorado State University (same as Marly!) with a masters degree, from there went to New York City and made her way to her dream job with Classic Elite Yarns. When she and her husband with their daughter found a farm in Western Massachusetts, she began writing books and doing freelance design.

They have sheep on their farm (her mom joked when they got married that most people get a ring when they get married, Kristin got Four Sheep!) and in fact, recently, Houzz.com recently made a video of Kristin and her farm house, especially about how much color she has filled it with. They are wrapping up the spring sheering of the sheep on her farm at the moment.

Marly spoke about Kristin’s photography, and especially one image of a lamb in a sweater. Kristin shared how long it took her to get the sweater right to fit a day-old lamb, and then the right background. But one perfect portrait became a greeting card in the UK! Even CraftingAColorfulHomeCoverSmallher artwork is attractive and is an undiscovered talent revealed on a trip with friends who were fine art oil painters. So because of that encouragement, she offers retreats at her house (classes will be posted TOMORROW!) with fabric painting, and lampshade painting, or knitting and embroidery. Kristin really feels color is the common theme in everything she does whether it’s cooking, gardening, pottery, embroidery…. She says she didn’t really get how natural it came to her until she worked at Classic Elite yarns, which became known for color, and created a yarn line with her name on it!

She’s recently created classes with Creativebug (a Yarn Thing podcast sponsor) A short Color class, Knit a Fair Isle Class, a class about Steeking and an Embroidered Knit Pillow.  She’s been the Knitting Expert on Knit & Crochet Now since the beginning, and has seen the progress the show has made over the seasons. Working with Deborah Norville, she says, was really comfortable because we all share a love of yarn. She appreciates how hard working Deborah is, having been on three planes to get to the tapings.

Traveling has gotten harder because of the farm and the knitting events just don’t coincide. Her daughter has one more year of high school, so these online class and her books are how she reaches out to us. Her newest book is Crafting A Colorful Home: A Room-by-Room, Guide to Personalizing Your Space with Color came out in January and was so successful for the publishers that she is working on another book.

You can follow Kristin Nicholas at her website, www.KristinNicholas.com, also she blogs at Getting Stitched on the Farm, The Knit & Crochet Now show which airs on PBS check local listings, Ravelry Designer page, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest. Kristin visited the Yarn Thing podcast back in 2009, so this visit today was a great opportunity to get caught up!

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  1. Chris Lopez says:

    Oh my what a great interview! It was so nice to hear an in depth chat with Kristin. I’ve watched her on PBS for years but beyond that knew very little about her. Maybe I missed it but does she spin any of the wool she gets during shearing time? Sheep and woolies and knitting on a farm–sounds like the life!!

  2. Linda says:

    Sheep And Woolies yes! Have enjoyed Kristin’s blog posts and online classes. Looking forward to her next book.

  3. Christine Eychas says:

    I just love Kristen and her beautiful sense of color. I have some of her books and would love to add the latest to my library. Her love of sheep and wollies is obvious and I wish I could someday attend one of her retreats. Wonderful interview with Kristen. She is a joy!

  4. Michelle says:

    Sheep and woolies…what a lovely thought picture that has made for me! I live in NH and am very interested in Kristen’s retreats…she is almost a neighbor in the woods.

  5. Lauren says:

    What an informative chat with someone I have watched on PBS for years. I loved hearing about her farm and her sheep & woolies. I’m intrigued by her retreats and need to research further for the future.

  6. Sylvia says:

    This was a great interview!! Loved hearing about the sheep and woolies and would love to attend one of her retreats. She sounds SO down to earth!

  7. Renae says:

    I stumbled upon Crafting a Colorful Home at my public library and fell in love with it!! I think the mix of crafts in the book is perfection, and her brilliant style is simply splendid!! #sheepandwooliesforever

  8. kayleigh says:

    I loved hearing about Kristen’s sheep and woolies on her farm. I’m looking forward to looking through her book about a colorful home. Great podcast.

  9. Shannon N. says:

    What a great podcast. I loved hearing all about Kristin and sheep and woollies. I also live in a rural area but do not have enough acreage to have any sheepies. (Or at least that’s what my husband keeps telling me.)

  10. Linda says:

    I’m really a fan of Kristin Nicholas. I follow her on Instagram and have one of her books, which I really enjoy. I wish I had some sheep and woolies. LOL!

  11. Mary L. says:

    I loved hearing about all of Kristin’s sheep and woolies. I live on a farm -we have goats – no sheep, so I can sympathize with her about having to be available for anything that might happen. Great interview – I would love to own her book!

  12. Wendy Hamilton says:

    I had only heard of Kristin’s name before but didn’t know much about her. After Marly’s awesome interview with her on the podcast I checked out her website and found pics of all kinds of sheep and woolies. What an accomplished lady. I am very much looking forward to checking out her new book…if I win it…all the better 🙂

  13. Rachel Catherine says:

    Kristin’s colorful book caught my eye when I first saw it in stores. I liked hearing about all the sheep and woolies at the beginning of the episode.

    • Diane Gerlach says:

      I’ve loved kristin Nicholas’s blog, books, and most of all the wonderful and inspirational color sense she applies to her home and woolies.

  14. Trisha says:

    I love thinking about sheep and woolies. I also love Kristin’s sense of color and would love to take a class on her farm.

  15. Anita says:

    I’ve been a long time follower of Kristen’s blog. Her life epitomizes sheep and woolies. And I love that her color sense is so adventurous. She is truly inspirational. I can’t wait to check out her Houzz video.

  16. Vicki says:

    I just watched the You tube! WOW! The color, sheep, and woolies! I’d love to visit some day and take classes there, but for now I’ll settle for the Creative Bug classes. I need to get your book too. I have some pieces that need some color like your red side board and the oranges and greens. This will be a busy summer adding color from your inspiration.

  17. Carol T says:

    Great interview with Kristen. It was fun to hear all about her sheep and woolies on her farm. I would love to attend her retreat sometime and will have to keep watch out for her next one to open up. Thanks for all you guys do for the podcast, Marly and Tammy!!

  18. France says:

    I loved Kristen’s take on how the internet connects people and how she’s able to communicate with the world from her farm. Being in the “boonies” with sheep and woolies won’t stop this lady from offering her breadth of knowledge to the world… lucky us!

  19. Belinda says:

    What a great interview! I have Kristin’s Craftsy class and I think she is a great teacher and so talented. I would love to include some sheep and woolies in future embroidery projects.

  20. Diana H says:

    What a pleasure it was to learn more about Kristin after watching her many times on Knit and Crochet Now. It is interesting that she lives on a farm with lots of sheep and woolies!

  21. Mary Kay Smith says:

    I loved Kristin’s passion for sheep and woolies! I will definitely be checking out her website and yarn!

  22. Suzanne says:

    Now all I can think of is sheep in (colorful) woolies! What a fun exchange you two had. Thank you for making my day.

Marly Bird

The One and Only, Marly

Marly is a knitwear and crochet designer (and yarn addict) that is here to help you learn how to knit and crochet in a way that's fun and approachable.

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