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by Knit Picks Podcast on May 3, 2012
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… |
Category Archives: behind the scenes
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by Knit Picks Podcast on April 26, 2012
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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by Knit Picks Podcast on April 12, 2012
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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by Knit Picks Podcast on March 15, 2012
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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by Hannah on February 8, 2012
My yarn stash is... well, more along the lines of a squirrel hoarding acorns against a long winter than a few future projects saved and waiting to be used. I spent this past weekend trying to impose some sort of order. While the pile hasn't gotten any smaller (in fact, it's gotten a tad bit bigger after the office stash swap party last week) I do think I've found a way to make starting projects easier. |
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by Knit Picks Staff on February 7, 2012
What's a de-stash party, you ask? It's a yearly event that we do here at the office. Three years ago a few of us employees here at Knit Picks were complaining about the huge stash of yarn/fabric that we have at home. Since it was the first of the year and clean-up resolutions were on our minds, we came up with a "de-stash" party idea. Both knitters and quilters participated, and we brought in the yarn/fabric we were willing to part with. After weighing the stash we each bought, all the goodies were dumped into a big pile. The person who brought the most was the first to dig in! |
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by Knit Picks Podcast on January 5, 2012
Kelley shares the story of Knit Picks and how the company first began through the evolution of product development from selecting the first yarn lines to developing new needles and tools to enhance your fiber craft. Continuing with the theme of product development, Alison chats with Teri about the newest Knit Picks yarn, Brava! Teri has wool allergies that make it impossible for her to enjoy all of the lovely natural fibers available at Knit Picks, which is exactly why she was so excited throughout the entire development for Brava. And finally, Kelley shares her enthusiasm for the new year along with her plans and goals for getting her work and fiber life organized. 3 easy ways to listen… |
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by Knit Picks Staff on December 13, 2011
Because I was raised with two skis practically attached to my feet, winter is my absolute favorite time of year. Any opportunity that I have to play in the snow, I take it! One unfortunate side-effect of me being around snow is that the cheesy grin you see below is pretty well perma-glued on my face the whole time. There are worse things, I suppose. Sadly for me, Portland's winters are generally pretty chilly and wet, but not the kind of wet that I like; the kind that comes down in raindrops. We don't get a ton of snow (except for that one year when we did) but the air at night is absolutely bone chilling. While not ideal for a skier, the lack of snow is actually a really great thing. Portland, Oregon is home to approximately 20,000 homeless men, women and children; approximately 13,000 of which do not have any place to go for shelter at night. Obviously, homelessness is not just a concern in Oregon. A study done in 2009 reported that one in every 66 people living in major US cities used a residential homeless program in the subject year. Before she retired two years ago... |
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by Stacey on October 20, 2011
So we have a special Freebie Friday this week - 2 patterns by our own Hannah & Jenny K! |
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by Hannah on October 19, 2011
November is almost here! And that means that there's a new catalog in the works. In the spirit of cooler weather and cozier knits, the next cover is a tiny fiber village! I spent the past two winters in a tiny town in rural Vermont enjoying deep snow, icy ponds and farm houses blanketed with snow so this season I couldn't resist recreating some of those memories with soft, cozy fiber. |
