We couldn’t end our Game Day Cardigan KAL without talking to its designer, Donna Estin! She shares with us her inspiration for the sweater and clever little details incorporated into the pattern. Donna also tells us about the Boho Lace Vest from Transitions: Lace Patterns, drawing inspiration from the runway, TKGA’s Master Hand Knitting Certification, and enabling knitters to make their projects their own! Plus, Lee and Stacey talk about our new yarn Journey Tweed and two new pattern collections...
Aug 03, 2022•51 min
In this episode, Lee, Stacey, and Andi discuss getting through the long stockinette section of their Game Day Cardigans for the summer KAL. They also compare their preferred methods for marking up patterns and keeping track of progress when working through pattern repeats. Lee and Stacey share some behind the scenes work that went into creating Haven: Knit Lace Patterns, and later on, Stacey interviews Claire Slade, the designer of the Sea Sprite Vest from Haven about her design process and favo...
Jul 20, 2022•30 min
Summer knitting has arrived in the Pacific Northwest! In this episode, Stacey and Lee discuss their summer crafting, contemplate cotton knits, and talk about wearing knits on the Oregon coast. Stacey and Lee also share their Game Day KAL progress, and Lee tells the story of an unfortunate set-back involving her cat, Karl. Next, Producer Andi joins in the conversation to talk about methods of joining new balls of yarn as everyone progresses on their cardigans. Later, Stacey and Lee answer your qu...
Jul 06, 2022•46 min
The Knit Picks team has grown a lot during our long hiatus, and in this episode, we’re excited to introduce you to two new staff members: Alena Ruman, the IDP Program Administrator, and Jen Burt, our Content and Outreach Coordinator. Lee interviews Alena about her experiences starting at the Knit Picks warehouse in Ohio and then moving to the Pacific Northwest to work as the IDP Program Administrator. Alena is an experienced yarn dyer and shares with Lee some of her tips for dyeing using acid dy...
Jun 15, 2022•51 min
The podcast is back! After a long break, we’re excited to have a regular recording schedule again. In this episode, you’ll hear about Lee and Stacey’s personal projects that they’ve worked on during our long recording break. They’ll also share with you collections, patterns, and new yarns that have been released over the period. Next, we’re excited to share with you our summer knit along, featuring the Game Day Cardigans by Donna Estin from Generations: Knits for All Ages. The whole podcast team...
Jun 01, 2022•41 min
Today on the Knit Picks Podcast we're talking all about our knitting pasts and futures. From learning to knit to taking that knowledge and teaching someone to knit, the Knit Picks Podcast team offers up their experience. First up Lee and Stacey invite friends, co-workers and fellow crafters, Heather and Kate to come on the podcast for a discussion of their knitting and crochet origins. Each starts their craft somewhere but what everyone has in common is that someone else helped them get started....
Aug 12, 2021•42 min•Ep. 347
While the word "chunky" in relation to yarn is not an official yarn weight class, it is common to refer to thicker yarns, Aran, Bulky, Super Bulky and Jumbo as "Chunky". Today on the Knit Picks Podcast the team talks about chunky yarns and what to do with them! First up Lee and Stacey check in on their WIPs and discuss projects to knit with Bulky and Super Bulky yarns. Later Lee sits down with Michael Smith aka @piece4peacecrafting to learn more about his knitting and his spinning journey. Lee a...
Jul 15, 2021•45 min•Ep. 346
UFOs have been in the news recently. How many UFOs have you encountered? In knitting, UFO stands for "UnFinished Object!" In honor World UFO Day and in celebration of summer, today we are talking about our knitting-related UFOs and summertime knitting. First, on behalf of World UFO Day (celebrated around the end of June), Lee and Stacey talk about their definitions of UFOs vs. WIPs. Lee and Stacey also confess to the projects they haven't picked up in a long time. Is it time to frog or pick it b...
Jul 02, 2021•40 min•Ep. 345
As the days get longer, knitters often head outside with their crafting. On this episode of the Knit Picks Podcast, we are talking about natural yarn dyeing with bare yarns. First up Lee and Stacey catch up on what they did for World Wide Knit In Public Day and some recently finished projects. They talk about their love of Knit Picks Bare Yarns, undyed yarns. Knit Picks carries all the same yarns you have grown to love and some additional ones in the Bare yarn line. Stacey is a big fan of the Kn...
Jun 17, 2021•48 min•Ep. 344
Wool is a favorite yarn fiber by many knitters (including Stacey and Lee). In today’s episode of the Knit Picks Podcast Knit Picks and WeCrochet’s Chief Marketing Officer Ursula Morgan interviews Jeanne Carver of the Shaniko Wool Company about the creation of Knit Picks newest yarn line, High Desert, a 100% American grown and spun Merino and Merino/Rambouillet wool. First up Lee and Stacey chat about why they both love knitting with animal fibers, and why wool is their favorite. In the United St...
Jun 03, 2021•44 min•Ep. 343
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...
May 20, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 342
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 co...
May 10, 2021•47 min•Ep. 341
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. Bot...
Apr 09, 2021•46 min•Ep. 340
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 ...
Mar 11, 2021•28 min•Ep. 339
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 1...
Feb 25, 2021•18 min•Ep. 338
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...
Feb 11, 2021•19 min•Ep. 337
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 sha...
Jan 28, 2021•30 min•Ep. 336
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 ...
Jan 14, 2021•32 min•Ep. 335
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 ...
Dec 11, 2020•51 min•Ep. 334
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 sh...
Nov 27, 2020•31 min•Ep. 333
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 con...
Nov 13, 2020•37 min•Ep. 332
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 ...
Oct 30, 2020•41 min•Ep. 331
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 ...
Oct 16, 2020•39 min•Ep. 330
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...
Oct 02, 2020•31 min•Ep. 329
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 ...
Sep 18, 2020•27 min•Ep. 328
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 w...
Sep 04, 2020•40 min•Ep. 327
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 t...
Jul 24, 2020•52 min•Ep. 326
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 extra...
Jun 26, 2020•45 min•Ep. 325
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 i...
Jun 12, 2020•40 min•Ep. 324
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 o...
May 29, 2020•37 min•Ep. 323
