Knit Picks' Podcast

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 to Lee and Stacey about their knitting background and even answer our lightning round knitting questions. (*Use the This or That graphic below and answer some of our knitting questions yourself in your Instagram Stories!)  Later Lee and Stacey pick up where they left off with their socks fight, on

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 personally. She details tricks to get work noticed and steps necessary to take a project from the initial idea to fully published and ready to share. Tian has developed a brand new video course, Get Published, to help

An all too familiar knitting crossroad - does one 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, it's likely you'll 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 for 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 of sweaters. Stacey asks the question - what does the word "sweater" mean to you? Is a cardigan a sweater? Together, the two ponder fashion philosophy and ask you to weigh in.    In the second half, the two ruminate different sweater collars, sleeve

Whether you're a process knitter or a project knitter, if you're like us you've experienced the challenge of finding a pattern you're really excited about but not having the exact yarn that the designer suggests. You could wing it and embraces the beautiful chaos that might occur or you can use one of our favorite resources, YarnSub dot com. If you don't already know, YarnSub is a website to help you with yarn substitutions. Everyone needs a friend in crafts and we at the Knit Picks Podcast are happy to be your yarn and knitting buddy, and as a friend, we're telling you to check out YarnSub. Today on the podcast Heather Mann interview Wendy Peterson, creator of YarnSub.com. They chat all about how to use YarnSub as well as what you need to know when shopping for yarn. Wendy thinks it's important to know about the yarn density (the length and weight), the gauge, and the fiber (both the construction and the fiber qualities) as well as considering what the pattern wants. Come learn more about yarn with me. A

Here are Knit Picks we love all things yarn. We love pattern designs, tools, the craft and really seeing what everyone makes. As a yarn company we also love seeing what other yarn companies and people in the industry are doing. Today we're sharing an interview from the WeCrochet Podcast that aired last fall, where Heather Mann interviews Emani Outterbridge, an entrepreneur who launched her own yarn line as well as the world’s first yarn vending machines. Emani has been crocheting since she was 12 years old and has navigated through different sides of the craft industry as a crochet designer and now a yarntrepreneur. Emani has even sold apparel to entertainers like Cardi B. Emani’s yarn line, Needles, offers unique colors in 8 Ply Worsted Weight 100% Acrylic yarn as well as cotton t-shirt yarn. You won’t be able to find these color combinations anywhere else. If you’re in Philadelphia, you can get this unique yarn at one of her bright pink yarn vending machines. Outside of Philly, you can connect with her

Every knitter has their own path to take and follow. On today's episode of the Knit Picks Podcast, we're sharing a special interview. Heather Mann from the WeCrochet Podcast interviews Briana Kepner of Briana K Designs. Briana is a knit and crochet designer and one of the founders of Crochet Foundry, a quarterly publication of modern crochet designs. Briana (and the Crochet Foundry team) was recently featured on the WeCrochet Podcast but she stuck around our virtual recording studio for an extra chat to talk all about her knit designing journey. From making knits for newborn babies to having published over 300 of her designs, Briana shares some of her favorite yarns she's found along the way. So grab your needles and yarn and come get to know Briana Kepner. And as always happy knitting.   Mentioned in This Episode:Briana K Designs WeCrochet Podcast  Briana K Designs Knit Picks Pattern: Beginner Felici Knit Socks Briana K Designs Knit Picks Pattern: Pumpkin Mug Rug Coaster Aloft  Aloft Hand Painted 

One of our favorite things to talk about in the Knit Picks Office is yarn. We all have our favorite yarns and favorite projects to cast on and can easily get derailed when there's a new yarn to squish. There's a lot to consider when selecting the yarn that's right for you - like yarn weight, the material, the construction and what will it be used for. Shopping for yarn is fun but can also be daunting when overwhelmed with all the choices, like the yarn selection on knitpicks.com.  Today we're sharing some of a conversion between Hannah and Lee from a past Facebook Live where they talk about all the information to keep in mind when shopping for yarn, specifically what you need to know about fiber content and ply. They answer questions like what is micro count, which yarns have the best drape and even what is yarn? So settle in and get cozy to unravel some mysteries of yarn. And as always happy knitting.   Mentioned in This Episode:Knit Picks - About Our Yarn Knit Picks - Guide to Choosing Yarn Palette

We're back. Winter is here and our Knit Picks Team is very busy working to bring you exciting new things in 2021. If you missed it in last episode, we said goodbye to our Knit Picks Host Hannah Maier as she embarks on new adventures. Behind the scenes we're working on our new podcast voice and style so stay tuned.  Last year Knit Picks and our sister brand WeCrochet ventured into the world of live streams. Today we're sharing with you an interview that WeCrochet did in the fall of 2020 with knit and crochet designer Tian Connaughton. Tian is a joy and we are very excited to share some of this interview with you. Sara, who has been on this podcast before, asks Tian about her crafting story and her inspiration and business. We'll have new things to share about Tian's work later this year but until then you can start to get to know her, if you don't already. So grab your knitting, settle in, and get ready to meet your new knitting friend.    Mentioned in this Episode: Last episode of the podcast Knit Pi

We're winding down our year, finishing off our holiday projects, and taking a short break to gear up for 2021. In this special episode of the Knit Picks Podcast we're taking some time to do our very favorite thing: answering your questions! Hannah, Stacey, Lee, and later Producer Sarah, come together remotely from our craftrooms, offices, bedrooms or living rooms scattered across Portland, OR to answer your knitting queries. From tips and tricks with colorwork to deciding what to make next, the Knit Picks Podcast team is here to help. We bring our wealth of knowledge and unique perspective to help guide you through whatever is upsetting your knitting. We had so much fun thinking of solutions or sharing our favorite ways to tackle problems that we'll definitely be doing this again. Stay tuned to hear our answers to questions about all sorts of knitting and fiber conundrums.  Mentioned in This Episode:Learn To Knit KP Learning Center Ball Winder  Swift  Ball Winder video  Scrap  Buy Nothing Project

Join us to talk about all sorts of crafty goodness. To start, Lee and Hannah sit down to discuss the idea of Process vs. Product knitting. While this spectrum of approaches is true for almost all crafting, they do a deep dive into their experiences wrestling with this concept from the perspective of their own knitting queues. Stay tuned to find out whether you tend toward Process or Product or, as they've each discovered in themselves, somewhere in between.  Next, Stacey and Hillary pop in to share some of our most popular patterns. Did you know that for the past 9 years or so Knit Picks has worked hard to bring you roughly two new pattern collections every six weeks?! That's SO MANY patterns you can't find anywhere else and we love talking about our favorites. Listen along to discover a new pattern or, if you're a super fan, we suggest you jot down a quick list of YOUR favorite patterns to see how many are on our list as well! Mentioned in This Episode:Baby Leggings by Allison Griffith Hawthorne  Inde

Today, we're dedicating an entire episode to the subject of sock knitting! Whether you're a seasoned pro and socks are your very favorite thing, or a new knitter contemplating casting on for your very first pair, this episode is for you!  Lee and Hannah spend time talking about all of the sock yarns they've developed over the years. Colorful, hardwearing and in a range of lovely fibers, sock yarn is one of our very favorite things to develop behind the scenes. Listen along as they compare and contrast soft Stroll lines with Hawthorne's rugged and complex colorways. You might even discover a new-to-you skein to try! Stacey invites Rosalyn Keys (you may know her as Rozknitz on Instagram) on to the podcast to talk about her PASSION for sock knitting. We met Roz at a knitting trade show years ago and love seeing what she comes up with next. She's one of our favorite super fans and is always the first to snag a skein of new sock yarn to use on her sock knitting machine. Don't know what that is? Stay tuned to

Every day, the Knit Picks team comes together to dig deep into our craft and celebrate our favorite materials. From yarn to needles, we choose everything with care and work to bring our very favorite things right to your door. Today, we're taking a new look at yarn from some different angles. Join Lee and Hannah as they talk about their experience making their own yarn. Whether you're interested in spinning skeins from fleece or making your yarn from recycled materials like t-shirts, they touch on a variety of techniques and share some of their hard earned tips and tricks for getting fantastic results.  Next up, you'll also hear some new voices. Courtney and Kate join Hannah from Kelbourne Woolen's to share some of their favorite things about running a yarn business. You can find their lovely, classic wool Germantown yarn on the Knit Picks website and today you'll get a little behind the scenes interview with these fantastic crafters. Make sure to stay tuned to get a sneak peek at what Kelbourne has

As the weather gets cozier our stashes seem to get more colorful. This week we're dipping into the wide world of multi colored knitting. From epic Fair Isle to simply soothing marled effects, we're sharing all our knitting know-how in this episode! First up, Stacey and Lee discuss some popular techniques for getting maximum color in every square inch. Stay tuned to learn the similarities and differences between techniques like Fair Isle, Mosaic, Intarsia, and marls. Next, Sara joins Hannah from our sister company WeCrochet to tackle some common considerations when choosing colors. They cover some color theory basics that work for every project and also share our favorite ways of choosing specific Knit Picks and WeCrochet brand colors from our websites when you can't just order them ALL to see in person!  Also, we wanted to let everyone know that our Twelve Weeks of Gifting series of free patterns is happening right now on both KnitPicks.com and Crochet.com! Each week we're releasing a free pa

Our offices are located in the Pacific NorthWest where we're all starting to see the subtle signs of fall. This means colder months are on their way and it's time to get going on gifts knits for the holiday season. We know it might feel early, but if you're a gift knitter, you know that it's time. In this episode you'll hear Erica and Hannah talk tips, tricks and strategies to keep the stress at a minimum while making sure you've got everyone on your list covered. They share some of our favorite patterns to get you inspired to start making your lists and casting on this weekend.  Stacey and Hillary also introduce our annual Twelve Weeks of Gifting! Free patterns await patient listeners so stay tuned. If and when you need inspiration for any of those last-minute gifts. Settle in for this week's episode to start slowly getting into the holiday spirit. In the meantime, as always... happy knitting Mentioned in this Episode:Alpaca Cloud DK, Fingering Lace Andean Treasure Capretta Paragon Gal

Recently, during a meeting at the office the Knit Picks team realized that each and every one of us at, one moment or another has had an "AH HAH!" moment when we realized we were doing something wrong! A defining moment in every knitter's craft, there comes a time when you embrace a craft quirk that's special to you, or learn another way of doing something.  Stay tuned to hear about Twisted stitches, struggling to join in the round or swapping garter stitch for stockinette in a project. Also, we talk about whether we change how we're doing something or just roll with it and call it a "design feature" rather than a flaw!  We love these little moments and would love to hear some of yours! If you've got a good "ah hah!" moment from your crafty past that you'd like to share, give us a call and leave a voicemail at 360-334-4847. We'll be checking our voicemail often and might be using your messages in future podcast episodes! You can also record a Voice Memo on your phone and send that audio file to podcast@k

We're back from our short hiatus in August with some fresh crafting conversations for you! With the warm weather winding down and holiday season quickly approaching, we're shifting gears at Knit Picks. This week, we're covering modular projects like blankets and afghans and the easy care yarns that are our go-to choices for long lasting machine washable projects.  Perfect for cool weather, modular blankets are our favorite things to knit for ourselves or gift during the holidays. These projects will grow and change with every row you knit and they're one of the most mesmerizing knits that we come back to time and time again. Stacey and Lee talk about our new Modular Blanket collection and Stacey shares her favorite way to pick up stitches for perfectly joined pieces.  Next, Erica and Hannah talk through the wonderful category of washable yarns! Also called "easy care" these fibers are fun to knit and can be safely washed in your home machine. They both love to use yarns in this genre for gift kni

Today, we're taking a short break from all things knitting and sharing some of the OTHER crafts we've been experimenting with lately. At Knit Picks, we are knitters too and we also do other things. First up, Hillary and Hannah talk about what it's like to learn a new craft from scratch. Hillary has been exploring the wide world of ceramics at home and Hannah has been dipping a tentative toe into punch needle! Everyone's process of learning something new is different. They give some examples of things that have been helpful in their new craft explorations.  Next, Stacey and Lee describe their recent forays into sewing. Both of them have been sewing for years but recently it's grown into a full time interest. The common theme for both Stacey and Lee was discovering the perfect, challenging project that meant they reached a new experience level. These themes and milestones apply to knitting and many crafts. Also, stay tuned for some great audiobook and podcast recommendations to keep you entertained while y

Let's take a look at lace knitting. Now, lace is a polarizing topic in our offices here at Knit Picks and we're betting that it's the same way in the broader knitting world. Either you love it, hate it or just haven't taken the plunge and started your first project. If you're lukewarm about lace or a newbie, this episode is for you! We've just released a new collection of heavier weight lace patterns that are a great way to get started. Stacey talks with Kalurah Hudson, one of our designer extraordinaires and a contributor to this collection about lace. Starting with fingering, worsted or even bulky weight lace projects means you can get comfortable with charts and lace basics without committing to a lace project that never seems to end! The epitome of quick and cozy, Sway is a great collection for experienced lace lovers as well.  Next, Lee and Hannah talk about their favorite tools to make knitting lace a breeze. With the right tools, yarn and techniques, lace becomes one of the easiest techniques to m

Today we're talking about HOW things are made but, it's a twist! Instead of the act of knitting or projects, we're going to be sharing how patterns are designed and how our sister company, WeCrochet was born.  Stacey and Lee have spent years designing patterns and working with designers on the behind-the-scenes process of pattern creation. Whether you're interested in dipping your toe into the design world or want to gain new insight and appreciation for the complex and beautiful work that goes into pattern creation, this segment is a must listen.  We invite Sara Dudek, the brand manager from WeCrochet on to our podcast to talk about our brand new sister brand. Knit Picks has long been a home for knitters and we wanted to grow to include a home JUST for crocheters. Learn about what's new in crochet (spoiler alert, SO MANY THINGS!) and get inspired to pick up your hooks and explore crochet.com. As always... happy crafting! Have a question? Want to talk about something you’re working on? Ma

Knitting tiny things like stuffies and baby sweaters has always been a favorite way to fill our knitting queue. Lately the knitters here at Knit Picks have cast on for small, quick projects as we find ourselves with more opportunities to dive into our stashes at home. It's the perfect time to reach for instant gratification knits. First up, Hillary and Morgan share their recent experiences knitting for babies. Tiny sweaters, hats and the cutest baby socks are fun to whip up and gift right away or store for future babies. They share tips and tricks for knitting baby gear as well as some pattern recommendations! Next, Stacey and Hannah do a deep dive into knitting toys. They both LOVE to make stuffies and have found things that they both look for in a good toy pattern. Learn about yarns and techniques we recommend for 3D toy knitting as well as their favorite patterns! As always... happy knitting! Mentioned in this episode: The Otterferry Cardi by Rainer and Bear Swish DK Flax by tinca