Category Archives: Podcast

Podcast Episode 190: New Summer Yarn Extravaganza!

Kelley recently arrived back to our Vancouver, WA office only to find a nice, big pile of yarns on her desk – just waiting to be oohhh-ed and aahhh-ed over. And just which yarns were piled high on Kelley’s desk? Why our new summer yarns of course, which is why this week on the podcast is all about our new summer yarns! Kelley chats with Jenny about two new additions to our line of special reserve yarns – Preciosa and Bare Hare. In addition to gushing over the softness of each and the amazing, saturated colors of Preciosa, Kelley and Jenny chat about tips for working with these new yarns and fun project possibilities. And if lace is your go-to summer project, Kelley and Jenny review new color additions to our selection of lace yarns including Alpaca Cloud, Shadow, Shimmer, and Gloss Lace. Last but not least, Kelley chats with ...

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Podcast Episode 189: Interview with Nora Bellows

This week, Jenny chats with designer Nora Bellows, author of the new book Noni Flowers! Hear all about how Nora’s family, gardening, and flowers have influenced her process and designs, in addition to how Nora made the transition from teaching college classes to designing knitting patterns. Nora also reveals a behind-the-scenes look into the process of writing her book, how she began designing the collection of knitted flowers, and what sparked the idea for creating the unique photography of the knitted flowers. In addition to sharing tips and tricks for knitting up the flowers, Nora also shares her favorite techniques for how to use and attach the knitted flowers as embellishments on other projects. After hearing Nora’s enthusiasm and passion for her knitted flowers, you’ll want to cast on your very own garden of Noni Flowers right away! You can find Noni Flowers here: Noni ...

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Podcast Episode 188: The Afterthought Method

Afterthought pockets, thumbs, heels are exactly what you might expect them to be – they are all worked into your project after the fact.  This week, Kelley delves into the afterthought method, explores its many different uses for this trick, and covers the basics of how to work an afterthought heel. Next, Kelley shares her favorite form of entertainment while knitting – audiobooks, of course! Kelley chats about her love of all things audiobooks, including Audible and her favorite narrators and titles. In addition to her go-to selection of audiobooks, Kelley also shares her favorite way to get her history fix. And listening to all those audiobooks and history lectures makes it so easy to knit for hours on end, allowing you to finish up that last project. Finally, hear all about what projects have  been on (and recently off) Kelley’s needles in addition to what projects might be cast ...

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Podcast Episode 187: Interview with Kathleen Taylor

Listen in on this week's podcast to hear Kelley catch up with designer Kathleen Taylor to talk about all things fair isle! As author of the book Fearless Fair Isle Knitting, Kathleen Taylor chats with Kelley in depth about the different techniques for successful fair isle knitting in addition to common mistakes and issues that newcomers to fair isle might encounter. Kathleen truly has a fearless approach to fair isle knitting and has honed in her techniques specifically for knitters new to fair isle through years of teaching. Also, hear Kelley share memories of her first fair isle project in addition to chatting about favorite techniques for fair isle. Kathleen's love and enthusiasm for colorwork is infectious and Fearless Fair Isle Knitting is sure to have you craving colorful knits for your next project. One of the projects from Fearless Fair Isle Knitting that Kelley & Kathleen chatted about was the Dragon Ride Shawl. Kathleen was kind enough to share pictures of herself wearing this amazing shawl.   3 easy ways to listen...

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Podcast Episode 186: Interview with Allyson Dykhuizen from Holla Knits

This week we bring you another bonus mini-episode of the Knit Picks podcast! Stacey gets a chance to catch up with designer Allyson Dykuizen, who began designing under the name “Sweatshop of Love.” After spending some time teaching and designing, Allyson decided to broaden her design skills by creating Holla Knits – a collaborative collection between designers that focuses on a young, fresh, and modern aesthetic. Hear more about the designers and ideas behind Holla Knits as well as how Allyson began knitting, transitioned into the world of knitwear design, and what inspired her to create Holla Knits! You can find the first Holla Knits collection here: Holla Knits Spring/Summer 2012 eBook   3 easy ways to listen…

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Podcast Episode 185: Cotton Yarns for Warm Weather Projects

As the days get both longer and warmer, cotton yarns come to mind as we get ready for breezy summer projects. This week, Kelley catches up with Alison to review the variety of cotton yarns that are available through Knit Picks! Get inspired for your next summer project as Kelley and Alison discuss the different properties, characteristics and uses for the different Knit Picks cotton and cotton blend yarns. Kelley also shares behind-the-scenes details on what inspired her to expand the cotton selection to include customer favorites like Shine and CotLin. Not only will this mini crash-course in cotton yarns help you pick out the right yarn for your next project, you just might be tempted by Kelley and Alison’s project ideas that make the most of the unique properties of the variety of cotton and cotton blends that are available.   3 easy ways to listen…

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Podcast Episode 184: Interview with Hunter Hammersen

We simply adore Hunter Hammersen, and we were all super excited when we heard the news of a new book in the works! After months of waiting, her latest book – The Knitter’s Curiosity Cabinet – is finally available and it features a stunning collection of socks patterns as well as a variety of accessories. In this week’s episode, Kelley reunites with author and designer, Hunter Hammersen, to chat about the process behind her latest book. Similar to her first book, Silk Road Socks, which features sock patterns based on oriental rugs, Hunter shares her inspiration for creating a collection of designs inspired by curiosity cabinets. Hunter explains just what exactly a curiosity cabinet is and gives Kelley a brief overview of their history and importance. She also chats with Kelley about how curiosity cabinets inspired her new book and how she was able to translate a collection of botanical ...

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Podcast Episode 183: Interview with Joan of Dark

This week we bring you an extra special, bonus mini-episode of the Knit Picks Podcast (and make sure to keep checking the KP blog for more bonus interviews in the future)! Alison catches up with designer Joan of Dark (aka Toni Carr), author of the new book Knits for Nerds! Hear all about the process and inspiration behind this collection of knitting patterns that your inner nerd will adore. Joan also reveals a few fun facts behind the book, Knits for Nerds, and shares details behind a few of her favorite designs. You can find Joan of Dark’s website here: Joan of Dark And you can find the book, Knits for Nerds here: Knits for Nerds   3 easy ways to listen…

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Podcast Episode 182: Rocky Shores eBook Interview with Kerin

This week, Jenny gets a chance to catch up with Knit Picks designer Kerin to talk about the newest eBook, Rocky Shores! Each pattern of this stunning collection reinterprets the ideals of Aran patterns with modern updates, all while influenced by the coastlines of the Northwest. The eBook includes patterns for three women’s garments, a men’s vest, a wrap and a purse. Hear all about Kerin’s design process, inspiration, and challenges that Kerin was faced with as she goes through and talks about each of the designs in this amazing collection – a must listen for fans of knitting history and traditional techniques! The Rocky Shores eBook is now available for $9.99, and single pattern downloads from the collection are available for $4.99. Find the Rocky Shores eBook here: Rocky Shores eBook   3 easy ways to listen…

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Podcast Episode 181: Color Development & New Spring Yarns

With spring just around the corner, there are lots of new yarns popping up here at Knit Picks! First, Alison chats with Jenny about all of the fun that was had while developing the fifteen new colors of Chroma Fingering and Chroma Worsted. Hear all about the colors that almost didn’t make the cut, how they were saved and which shades are quickly becoming staff favorites. Next up on the list of new yarns is Aloft! Jenny and Stacey chat about why they just can’t make up their minds and choose a favorite of Aloft’s five new colors, in addition to giving tips and tricks to working with Aloft and of course, there is also plently of pattern inspiration for this lovely yarn. Finally, Alison introduces Hannah, our catalog designer for Knit Picks! In addition to dreaming up fun cover shoots and making the catalog beautiful, Hannah also gets to ...

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