Knit Picks Podcast Episode 343 – High Desert Yarn with Jeanne Carver! Everything You Wanted To Know About This American Wool and More

Wool is a favorite yarn fiber by many knitters (including Stacey and Lee). In today’s episode of the Knit Picks Podcast, Knit Picks and WeCrochet’s Chief Marketing Officer Ursula Morgan interviews Jeanne Carver of the Shaniko Wool Company about the creation of Knit Picks newest yarn line, High Desert, a 100% American grown and spun Merino and Merino/Rambouillet wool.

First up Lee and Stacey chat about why they both love knitting with animal fibers, and why wool is their favorite. In the United States “wool” refers to the sheep fibers while in other parts of the world wool could include other animal fibers like mohair or cashmere. Stacey and Lee ruminate about why wool is their favorite fiber which includes but are not …

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Knit Picks Podcast Episode 342 – Sock It To Me! The Sock Construction Episode You’ve Been Waiting For

Socks are one of those milestone knitting projects that once successfully completed, help you feel prepared to take on more difficult projects. Knitters who haven’t taken the leap can be intimidated by words like “gusset” and “kitchener stitch” but on today’s podcast Lee and Stacey hope to help make socks less scary for sock newbies by diving deep into everything sock-knitting.  

First up, Lee and Stacey check in about what’s on their needles. Lee picked up a project that she started in 2019 while Stacey shares a sad knitting story with a happy ending. (Yes frogging can be happy!) Then Lee and Stacey disagree on how to knit socks: toe-up or top-down? 

Next, new Knit Picks team members, Michelle and Cathy talk …

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Meet Cathy, our Marketing Manager

Here on the blog, we love the chance to introduce the people behind our brands. We live our mission daily; to help crafters do what they do best: create, by supporting each other in our crafting adventures. Our Yarn Division has a new sock lover, aka our new Marketing Manager, Cathy Hut.

Cathy brings a wealth of knowledge in her professional craft as well as in her textile crafting. With 30+ years’ marketing experience gained in a variety of industries including tech, professional association and healthcare sectors, plus a stint as a newspaper editor in Texas, Cathy is already our go-to wordsmith and marketing guru. She earned an MBA in marketing from the University of Colorado, and undergrad degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Kansas. We are happy to have such an accomplished lady leading our team!

Cathy describes herself as “a lifelong knitter of middling skill, taught …

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Knit Picks Podcast Episode 341 – Get Published With Tian!

In this episode of the Knit Picks Podcast Lee and Stacey check in on their latest projects and Sara interviews Tian Connaughton about her latest course, Get Published.

First Lee and Stacey discuss returning to old projects and finding new inspiration from past work. It’s never too late to pick up a half-finished afghan and begin moving forward once more. 

Sara Dudek interviews Tian Connaughton, an expert knit and crochet designer, technical editor, author, and course creator. Since leaving the corporate world behind, she’s built a business around creativity, craft, and helping women build their own businesses that are profitable and sustainable. 

By asserting a goal-oriented attitude, Tian discusses the best ways to keep motivated after rejection and how to avoid taking disappointments …

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High Desert: An American Wool Story

As we set out to create High Desert, Crafts Group’s first all-American-made yarn, esteemed Rancher, Jeanne Carver of the historic Imperial Stock Ranch and now, her newly launched Shaniko Wool Company, was also looking for an American brand to join forces with and use Shaniko’s certified Textile Exchange’s Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)* wool bounty.

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Knit Picks Podcast Episode 340 – The Joys of Building A Sweater

An all too familiar knitting crossroad – do I knit a sweater or not. While sweaters can seem intimidating if you’ve never done one before, chances are once you’ve made one, you’ll likely make another.

On today’s episode of the Knit Picks Podcast, Lee and Stacey do a deep dive into sweater construction. Whether you’re new to sweaters or have been making them for years, you’ll likely enjoy this “nerdy” sweater conversation. 

First they catch up by discussing what’s on their needles. Both Lee and Stacey are making patterns from our latest Knit Picks Collections. Lee even shares her latest yarn substitution and talks about color selection.

From pullover and cardigans, to seamed vs seamless, Stacey and Lee review the various styles and constructions …

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