EPISODE ELEVEN :: Kate Smalley of Tracing Threads - Beginner's Edge + The Joy of Making from Scratch

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The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

In Episode Eleven of the Close Knit Podcast, I chat to Kate Smalley of Tracing Threads. Kate and I are email pen pals turned real life friends. I found Kate through her blog, tracing threads, a few years ago when she posted sewing and knitting projects and thoughts on life post-college.I’m so excited to have gotten the chance to chat to Kate in this capacity for the podcast - and fair warning, there’s a fair bit of giggling. 

Kate tells me about how she got into knitting and more recently spinning, and her frustrated relationship to sewing. She finds that sewing stresses her out, it can so rigid and she gets really tense when she sits down at a sewing machine. Her approach to spinning has been completely different, more intuitive, less rigid, and she's found this incredibly rewarding.

Her favourite part about fibre arts is that you can watch something all the way through the process and you have the whole history of the garment in front of you - her ultimate goal would be to spin the fibre, weave it into a cloth and sew it into a garment. 

Kate also tells me about why she started Tracing Threads, and the ups and downs of blogging. I love how she embraces the mistakes and the projects that don't go well, and shares those too, as teachable moments. 

Kate's biggest bit of advice? 

"don't compare, espeically in the world of social media- stick with it and remember that you don't have to love every part of something - you push through those parts" 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

  • goonight day: Canadian knitter and knitwear designer, Tara-lynn Morrison - a favourite of mine and Kate's! 
  • middle gray - maker, doer, generally killer aesthetic and blog 
  • Ute - @ute_ig- sewing and making goddess and the person we have a general love fest over on the podcast. 

Find Kate: instagram | website

Want more? 

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

EPISODE TEN :: Lizzy Mendinsky of Above the Canopy - Fibre Arts in Cultures around the World and Beanie-Ribbing Turned Necklace

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The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

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Lizzy and I talk about how she sources her materials and the challenges shes faced in trying to find materials that she feels impact the world in a positive way. She gravitates toward natural fibres and natural dyes, and tries to primarily source these fibres for her label. She's found great folks along the way who are empowering local communities in economically-depressed area - and has incorporated their yarns into her business. 

For Lizzy, knitting came into her life one Christmas when her auntie taught her - she then went on to sew throughout her youth and happened upon knitting again as an adult. She tells the story of how the beginning of a beanie actually birthed the concept for Above the Canopy.

In addition to working on Above the Canopy, Lizzy had a full time job doing graphic design -another passion of hers, and only recently has she turned her attention full time to Above the Canopy. 

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Lizzy's biggest bit of advice? 

"stick with it.... You just have to persist with it, and once you get it it is so therapeutic. So you just have to persist through it" 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

  • Queen Babs - Jane - the woman who comes up on most podcast episodes because she is a gem. Lizzy admires her work, her strength, her grace. You can't not fall in love with Jane! 

Find Lizzy: instagram | facebook | website

Want more? 

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani 

EPISODE NINE :: Sky Carter of Sky Carter Colour - Experimental Weaving, Playing with Colour, and Practicing Art Full Time

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The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

Sky is a market hunter bargain hunter and loves sourcing different and unique materials for her weavings. In this episode, she talks about how she's learned to outsource certain parts of her process to be able to do the creative work - outsourcing the things that are time consuming and don't contribute to her joy. She keeps her outsourcing local - for practicality's sake and for the community. 

We chat about fibre art and how it fits into the traditional "art" world - and specifically how weaving fits in, how she sources materials and how she figures out how to price her work and communicate that to the world.

Sky's background in interiors and her love of colour has brought her to a point where she sells her work in interior shops. 

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People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

  • Kustaa Saksi - the fibre artist Sky is most excited about - he uses jacquard looms to make wall hangings 
  • Natalie Miller Design - Her chandelier installations in Hong Kong - she shared her process here - the physical pain involved with the installation process, and other insights into her process.
  • Thousand Wave - weaver that does kooky and colourful textural wearable art that her grandma models
  • El Anatsui - the artist Sky has been most interested in and inspired by - Ghanaian sculptor. learn more about them here .

Find Sky: instagram | facebook | website 

Want more? 

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani 

EPISODE EIGHT :: Catherine Wendland - Knitting for the Love of Good Wool, Small Scale, Local Production, and Staying Grounded in a World of Social Media

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The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

This week (ep. 8) of the Close Knit Podcast, I chat to Catherine Wendland, a knitter based in the Pacific Northwest. Catherine expresses her undying love for wool and the many amazing qualities it possesses, and how incredible the fibre community can be. She also reveals some thoughts on the not-so-nice side of social media and the competition it can spark.  At the same time, Catherine has greatly enjoyed the social aspect of the fibre community and relishes in sharing her finished objects with other hand makers. 

 

Catherine explains her newfound approach to making - a more mindful approach that considers what she truly needs in her wardrobe and focusing in on the process. She's also incorporating more knits for other folks in her life, straying from the "selfish" knitting she started out with. 

These (picture below) are the knitting patterns Catherine designed in high school - like we were chatting about on the podcast - aren't they awesome?! 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

Find Catherine: instagram

Want more? 

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani 

 

 

 

EPISODE SEVEN :: Gina Rockenwagner of Poppy and Pima - Serendipitous Job Offers, Knitwear Design and Improvisational Quilting as a Creative Outlet

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Gina with the women who work for Poppy and Pima

Gina with the women who work for Poppy and Pima

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

This week's episode has a special gift- a 25% discount to Caitlin Hunter's Pattern Shop - Boyland Knitworks. Caitlin lives on a farmstead in rural Oregon with her husband, 3 little boys and a pile of assorted animals. When she’s not herding animals (or children) she’s designing beautiful knitting patterns and embracing slow fashion through her use of sustainable fibres and naturally dyed wool. Caitlin’s patterns cover everything from simple drapey jumpers to lace worked shawls and lovely fair isle beanies. To get 25% off all of Caitlin’s knitting patterns, check out her ravelry shop and enter CLOSEKNIT at checkout.  A big thank you to Caitlin for offering this special gift to podcast listeners. 

In this episode, I speak to Gina Rockenwagner - owner of Poppy and Pima, knitwear designer, and quilter. Gina chats to me about her experimental approach to quilting, and how she uses quilting as an outlet from designing knitwear to fit a human body. 

one of gina's quilts

one of gina's quilts

Gina clears up my confusion on what "baby alpaca" actually is, as I, embarrassingly, don't actually know what it is! We chat about Gina's entrance into the knitwear design world, and why she thinks of knitting as the original 3d printer.

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People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

Find Gina: website | instagram | facebook 

Want more? 

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani