Podcasts for Knitters and Makers.

For this post we’ve been asking to friends and fellow knitters what in their opinion are the best knitting and sewing podcasts currently being released? We’ve taken note of their suggestions, listened to each them and came back with a selection of 5 programs that have shown both thoughtful content and great delivery. Hope you’ll like them as much as we do. 

Behind the name Truly Myrtle, there’s Libby Jonson. A knitwear designer based in New Zealand where she lives with her husband and four children. Libby was a child when she learnt to knit and sew. In her teenage years and early twenties she pursued both of those crafts by making most of her own clothes. When she started her degree, she even created a small business of hand-made pyjamas and boxers that she sold to other students in order to sustain herself throughout university. In 2010 she decided to entirely dedicated herself to knitting and two years later, she started the blog Truly Myrtle. She has since designed 37 gorgeous patterns and began a weekly podcast directly available from her website. She talks about knitting with the kind of insight that only a designer can have and so gives a lot of useful suggestions on how to improve your techniques. Of course sewing is also a big part of her podcast, and she sometimes includes bits and bobs about cooking, or anything creative that she judges interesting. Listening to her talking is a real pleasure; she is so spontaneous and natural, it just feels like you’re sat in a room with her having a chat.  Each episode is on average 25 minutes long so it’s quite easy to find time to listen to them during the week.

  

With the Grocery Girls you’re in for a good laugh.  Those two sisters from Canada are so much fun to listen to and let’s face it, in a world full of Teresa May, Brexit and austerity measures, no opportunity to laugh should be spared.  Jodi and Tracie live in Edmonton, Canada, where their family own a grocery store – hence their name the Grocery Girls. Their podcast was only launched in February last year, but they’ve already gathered a healthy number of followers on their Ravelry group and Youtube channel. What we love about these two is that not only are they very funny, but they’re also super knowledgeable about their knitting. They’ve got some pretty good pattern and yarn suggestions, as well as useful comments on the modifications they might have done on their projects. Tracie actually works at a yarn shop, so she’s used to advising people on their knitting. Being sisters, they also chat about what’s going on in their family and always have good stories to tell about their parents/children/husbands. 

Stash and Burn was launched nearly 10 years ago by two friends, Jenny and Nicole, in Berkeley, California. This podcast takes the form of a casual conversation between Jenny and Nicole, who go over their current WIPs together, make plans on how they’re going to use their stash and review the yarns and patterns used for their projects. Although they originally focused on knitting, they now sometimes digress onto sewing or chat about their personal life. While listening to them talking, you can feel that Jenny and Nicole are really close friends. Their intimacy is really quite heart-warming and you can definitely relate to them, as their conversations are very similar to those you could have with any of your own knitting friends. New episodes are not released as often as they used to, however the content remains as relevant and interesting to listen to.

 My personal favourite would have to be Woolful, a podcast ran by Ashley Yousling from her farm in Idaho. Ashley started her professional career in San Francisco where she worked as a designer in the digital space. Few years ago she gave up her corporate life,  and bought a 40 acres farm in North Idao with her husband David. Together they acquired a flock of sheep – as well as some alpacas and cows – hoping amongst other things, to built a fibre mill and produce their own yarn. Each Woolful episode features a 45 minutes long interview with a significant member of the knitting, making or farming community. Most of them are women – but not only – who work as knitwear designers, yarn producers, spinners, farmers, quilters – and the list goes on! – and who share the same ethical and sustainable approach of their work. A little while before they bought the farm, Ashley and David became parents to their son Coltrane, so motherhood is another recurring theme of her podcast. She often refers to the difficulty that some women might encounter in their workplace, on dealing with the desire to have a successful career in relation to their wish  to become – or not to become – a mother. As most of the interviewees are women who have set up their own businesses, it is really inspiring to hear about their personal journey and how they’ve managed to overcome those challenges.

Of course we could not finish this article without talking about Pomcast, the knitting podcast by Pom Pom Quarterly. The Pom Pom girls, Lydia Gluck and Sophie Scott, need no introduction. Both have been on the knitting scene for a little while, as designers, teachers, editors and podcasters, and if you’re a regular reader of Pom Pom Quarterly, good chances are that you’ve already come across their work. Here again is a podcast very fun to listen to. Lydia and Sophie are witty, lively and full of insightful comments about the knitting industry.  Last year we’ve been lucky enough to host the recording of the episode 28 with Tom of Holland. The recording was done in a very casual way. Sophie came down from London to lead the interview, she was super friendly and natural, exactly how you can imagine her to be when listening to Pomcast. Leading a good interview is not an easy business but Sophie and Lydia always ask relevant questions that highlight the career of their guest in the way they deserve. 

To conclude, if there’s one thing that all these podcasts have in common, it’s the ability to give to their audience the feeling of being part of a wonderful community of passionate makers. We unfortunately couldn’t feature all the podcasts that have been suggested to us, but please feel free to add any of your recommendations in the comments below! 

Until Next Time… Happy Knitting!