Yarn Library

What can a knitting pattern teach you, and what can only be learned by understanding your own knitting? Patty Lyons joins me for a frank, funny and thought-provoking conversation about the skills that exist beyond the written instructions. Modern patterns can help knitters tackle projects that might once have felt impossible. But when every technique and decision is explained for us, do we lose some of the curiosity, experimentation and problem-solving that make us more capable knitters? Patt...

This week, I’m joined by Charlotte Stone, better known as StoneKnits, the designer and author whose wonderfully playful colourwork socks have become instantly recognisable. Charlotte didn’t set out with a strategy to become “the sock designer”. She simply kept knitting the things she loved, sharing them online and responding when people asked for the patterns. Then her toadstool socks took off, a Bernie Sanders-inspired pattern reached the top of Ravelry and a publisher came calling. We talk ...

This week, I’m joined by Melanie Berg, the knitwear designer behind Mairlynd. I first met Melanie when I accidentally attended one of her shawl-design classes entirely in German. Thanks to Google Translate, I managed to follow the class and came away inspired to create my Tide Path shawl. In this conversation, we explore the relationship between creativity and practicality. Melanie talks about knowing when a design has become too complicated, the difference between designing and writing a usa...

In this episode, I’m joined by Irina Shaar, the creator and host of Fiber Chats. We talk about why she started interviewing people from across the fibre world, what she has learned from those conversations, and the moments that have stayed with her. From finding “your people” at Rhinebeck to knitting through COVID and the way craft connects generations, this becomes a much wider conversation about what knitting gives us. We also talk honestly about social media, going viral, creative confiden...

Chantal Miyagishima is the designer and creative force behind Knitatude, one of the most recognisable brands in modern knitting. We talk about how she went from selling handmade scarves at markets to building a pattern business, writing Sweater Success and creating a community of more than 250 knitters. Chantal explains what really goes into grading garments across a wide range of sizes, what she has learned from ten years of pattern testing, and why inclusive design is much more complicated ...