Finishing socks, saving the yarn, new projects from old, planning the perfect colourwork sweater, plus a bit of theoretical physics to prove what knitters already know: knitting is magic. Links and references: * Admiral Hanf yarn by Schoppel Wolle * Lang Jawoll sock yarn * Chessmaster, by Christian Mattausch * Amande, by Josephine and the Seeds * Sophie Shawl by PetiteKnit * Bradford Road Wrap, by Kristen Kapur * Fox Paws, by Xandy Peters * Soft Spot sweater by Elina Maaria * ke21’s Soft Spot on...
May 17, 2025•32 min•Season 20Ep. 204
We travel from Iron Age fire-pits to mid-century homemaking manuals, consider the joys of stash organisation, and muse on the performative aspects of home decorating. There’s a deep dive into the ancient tradition of human-centred design through textiles, from spindle whorls to soft furnishings, a detour through the joys of vacuum bags and organza, a nod to Swedish Death Cleaning, and a look inside the Granny Cranny. Books & Patterns * Bojagi: Design and Techniques in Korean Textile Art by S...
May 03, 2025•33 min
Replenishing the sock drawer with Priory Socks ( project page ). My Secret Circles , below. Porthos ( project page ), below. I moved my decreases to the back of the heel, and the result is similar to Basic Biarritz and the Kite Heel , yet is uniquely mine and oh, is it ever sexy. The joy of a well-fitting heel cannot be overstated. The short row method used in Zabava Shorties is still, hands down, the best method I have found for toes. You'll find the method for Jeny's Square Peg Heel here . Cat...
Apr 05, 2025•30 min
In which an American Thanksgiving is celebrated in the UK, albeit a day late and a pumpkin pie short. One of the first pieces of writing I recorded for Cast On in 2005, this has become one of my most popular podcasts. This particular version was rerecorded in 2011 for A Knitter’s Manifesto , and features sound design by artist, Felicity Ford . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com...
Nov 28, 2024•7 min
It’s autumn. Time for finishing projects, knitting socks and celebrating the impending winter by taking the sweaters out of storage. This one is all knitting, and I make no apologies. I'm channelling my grief in the time-honoured tradition: by knitting all the things. I am filling the sock drawer starting with a riff on Winter's Gift , by Amy Snell, using Autumn Leaves and Tarmac colours and a traditional Scandinavian motif. Followed by Follow the Fleet , by Don Yarmon; and Priory Socks , by Lou...
Oct 27, 2024•33 min
Off the needles and on; Tour de Fleece wrap up; notes from the production line; a new bag; a new spindle; good materials; and Bennet’s Boiled Potatoes. Compared to some, mine was a paltry Tour de fleece output, still... I made time for fibre, and it did kickstart my spinning, which had been dormant since the move. I talked about Fellview Fibre rolags and my new spalted Beech drop spindle from Raven's Flight UK (the shop is empty at present, but the seller is worth a follow); rolags and batts fro...
Aug 18, 2024•32 min
Knitting the slowest sock in the history of sock knitting. Tour de Fleece. The merits of taking small steps vaguely in the direction a goal. I’m thinking about style again, and looking for systems. David Kibbe’s Metamorphosis: Discover Your Image Identity and Dazzle as Only You Can is one of the worst titles ever. And, yes, the price of this book is insane . Fortunately, there’s not long to wait until his book comes out. The publication date is 7 January 2025. If you can’t wait to start your sty...
Jul 21, 2024•31 min
House projects have broken me; the summer of socks continues; the red that bled; Tour de Fleece; and a return to Clifford Byway. My new obsession for shorties led me to Zabava Socks . They fit very well, and work up quickly. The pattern is easy to follow and the results are moreish. The Tour de Fleece Facebook Group is here . The Holy Texts of Tour de Fleece : Fleece and Fibre Sourcebook , by Deb Robson, and The Spinner's Book of Yarn Designs , by Sarah Anderson Vacillate is officially in the qu...
Jun 23, 2024•32 min
The weather. Men in shorts. The run down. Ta Da moments. And the moments just before a plan comes together. The Red Edge is complete! The chart for Red Edge was designed by Anna-Lisa Mannheimer Lunndown , and is from the book Poems of Colour , by Wendy Keele. I used the top down set-in sleeve method pioneered by Elizabeth Doherty . I talked about this method at length in 153 I, Curator . My Summer(s) of Socks 2022 : Ipomoea , Lunaria and the gradient-dyed pair of Syncopation socks that set Jeny ...
May 26, 2024•27 min
In this episode: The party dress; picking up threads; a project round up; and the big idea, spoken aloud. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Feb 10, 2024•32 min
IN THIS EPISODE: Stash enhancement; hat boxes of joy; the rug of sorrow; knitting memory lane, letting it go. Repeat after me: It is okay to rest. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Dec 16, 2023•36 min
Undone by Cosmo/Cosmo undone; colour blocking that didn’t; a summer romance; a bounty of beautiful sock yarn; packing projects for a journey with no end date; and the view from Stone Cottage. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Oct 21, 2023•38 min
I have more projects on the needles at one time than EVER BEFORE. Plus, we're buying a cottage! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Jul 13, 2023•39 min
The Great Airing of the Stash 2023; hibernating projects emerge, blinking, into the light, revisiting Paint Pan, Against all Odds, and the Red Edge, plus a veritable torrent of knitting projects. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Jun 10, 2023•33 min
The production line; tiny arms; fussy cutting; the trouble with Esther; another one of those projects; beautifully visible mending; and a chat with Kim Werker, about finding creativity. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
May 21, 2023•45 min
In this episode: The style goddess; I Can Make Shoes; the button makes the knitwear (I have always said this); a return to form; Esther; and The Talisman. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
May 06, 2023•29 min
In this episode: Bias binding; finished objects; crafting chaos; plum blossoms; works in progress; and palette decisions. Lilly's retro-vibe pinnies are finished! Several knitsibs have expressed an interest in an adult-sized version. I'm still looking, but if you know of something similar, drop a comment at the website , please. The pattern is Bias Trimmed Apron from Little Things to Sew , by Oliver & S, in lightweight linen fabric with bias binding in designer fabrics purchased from this UK...
Mar 17, 2023•30 min
Flat socks, knit purl patterns, iteration, procrastination, and Kvetching. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Mar 11, 2023•39 min
Bra sewing. Yes, again. You say bojagi, I say pojagi. The work of a lifetime. A return of the light. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Mar 03, 2023•36 min
Falling down, playing in the knitting adjacent zone, beginnings, One Block Wonders, over under over under over under, and a new series! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Feb 04, 2023•24 min
The art of getting very, very close to knitting, whilst remaining emotionally aloof and at arm’s length; I bought yarn; the latest amazing design from the mind of Jeny Stainman; and someone saved my life tonight. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Dec 17, 2022•47 min
Science! Tiny sweaters. Little stockings. Charming wee hats. Stars. Rockin rolags. Colours! Floors that go squelch. Wait, that isn’t supposed to happen. FYI: There's nothing wrong with your ears. There was a mic incident during the recording, and I could not face do-overs. Pretend we're on the phone, and I'm doing all the talking. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com...
Nov 12, 2022•26 min
Cosy-testing, for science; taking bivalents for the team; and rail journeys from the not-too-distant past. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Oct 29, 2022•29 min
Welcoming the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness by putting things in jars for later, admiring dramatic skies, planting for the future, knitting waistcoats and new hats, and the Discipline of Do Easy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Oct 15, 2022•28 min
In this episode, summer rain, and the last of the summer socks; the return of things from our life; baking chocolate cookies; and more glorious stranded colourwork from Knitsonik and Friends, (aka my friend, Felix.) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Sep 03, 2022•45 min
Needles afire with summer socks; baking at midnight, running the numbers for Against All Odds; and standing atop of pile of new-made things. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Jul 30, 2022•32 min
A sock heel for gradient dyed yarn; re-making a home; memories of dump runs past; buttons, and the Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Jul 16, 2022•30 min
The knitting equivalent of eating dessert first; the knitting pivot; emergency socks; and the return of la mer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack.com
Jul 02, 2022•27 min
In this episode, the Against All Odds sweater gets a pop of colour to break up the unremitting boredom of knitting stockinette in grey yarn. It only lasted for four rounds, but was glorious. The folly of working with charcoal yarn at dusk is discussed, along with its antidote, the Syncopation sock pattern. Also, Delia Smith and touch typing. And Dracula. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brendadayne.substack....
Jun 18, 2022•25 min
The first and best news, Tonia is home. Teaching herself to mend in order to stave off boredom, and providing a lap for grateful pets who are as relieved that she is home as I am. For the first time ever, I'm using Susie Myer's contiguous top down method for set-in sleeves to knit Against All Odds in Shibui linen yarn. It's easier than the row by row directions make it seem. Plus, some general musings on sweaters. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...
May 21, 2022•20 min
