Close Knit

In episode 68 of the Close Knit podcast, I spoke to Nathan Ford. Nathan is an improvisational quilter, soft historian, and overall tender maker currently working in Kansas City, MO. Ford's practice currently revolves around the intersections of queer history and his family history of labor in the Rust Belt. Ford creates quilts that incorporate traditional quilt blocks with unconventional materials to communicate issues of status, sexual desire, and personal identity. He has participated in group shows both in Kansas City and Central Ohio including 3 at the KCAI Gallery, and ImageOHIO. Ford's work was featured in Attention Grabbing, published by The Columbus Dispatch.Sadly, episode 68 had a technical malfunction that resulted in most of the episode not saving (cue tears). I salvaged what I could, namely the last 10ish min of our conversation, and I hope you enjoy this small bit of my conversation with Nathan - it was truly such a treat to speak with him.

In episode 67 of the Close Knit podcast, I spoke to Mckenzie Mullen of Emtothethird Yarn Co. Mckenzie is a queer, fat, Chicana, femme Granny Punk who currently lives in Portland, OR. She runs a small business, Em To The Third Yarn Co., which focuses on knitting, illustrations, and natural dyes.We talk about information sharing/gatekeeping in the textile community, queerness & zine culture, knitting as a mindfulness exercise, finding fruitful ways to connect on and offline, and making as a radical and joyful act of clothing yourself.

hi friends! I wanted to give a little update about the close knit podcast and where we're headed. I recently moved over to substack, which is where I'll be writing a monthly newsletter and exploring a slightly more experimental practice that will include soundbites and other audio that I'm feeling excited about.At first, I thought I would post that more experimental work in the same place at the Close Knit Podcast, but it seemed right for this experiment to have its own little home that's separate from the Close Knit Podcast.If you're interested in reading more of my work & hearing from me more often, you can subscribe over on substack. I've officially turned off my patreon, so I won't be using that platform anymore to collect pledges or post work - it'll all just be on substack. It's still just $5/month (or $50/year) to become a paid subscriber.As you may already know, Close Knit is not my main gig, nor is it a “side hustle”. it is, simply, a hopeful gesture of connection delivered to you via the internet. Paying subscribers help me give close knit (both this podcast and the more experimental practice on substack) a consistent home on the internet. my monetary goal is simple and humble: to offset the costs of sharing online.I'd be absolutely delighted to have you join me over on substack. I've felt really motivated and excited to share more writing and audio, and I'm hopeful to be in conversation with you all. If you're just looking for the usual interview-style Close Knit Podcast, you're in the right place. Stay tuned for more episodes right here. My intention is to keep up the interviewing practice when I can manage it and to deliver you a simple, slightly less polished version of the Close Knit Podcast. These episodes won't have a set cadence, but I'll always announce new episodes via the newsletter, so no worries, you'll never miss a new episode. Thanks so much to everyone who has been supporting me through the many transitions and shapes that Close Knit has taken - whether financially or through your friendship, it has all meant the absolute world to me. Connecting with readers and listeners is the true lifeblood of this work, I wouldn't keep making it if it weren't for you. I think that's all for now. Hope to see you on substack, either as a free of paid subscriber, and catch ya in your headphones when the next Close Knit Podcast episode airs. xxyour ani

where do we begin? it's been a ~ time ~ we're collectively living through. i'm feeling a little frayed around the edges, like a piece of fabric that's been through the wash. lately, i've been drawn to unraveling, literally and otherwise - unraveling things down to their fundamental parts - and i'm noticing that my relationship to close knit is in a state of transition. folks listening to, finding each other through, and enjoying the podcast has been the lifeblood of this work for me. i look forward to a future where i have rested and realigned to be able to bring you more of these conversations.if you've just found the close knit podcast, i'd love to gently nudge you to check out the archives, and if you're a long-time listener, thank you so much for being here. you can always reach me at hello [at] closeknit.com.au (until I amend my domain name, at which point I'll update that here :)) until next we meet, with deep & tender care,your ani

In episode 66 of the Close Knit podcast, I spoke to Masego Morgan and Stella Hertantyo of cncs_ (pronounced “conscious”). I so cherished this conversation with these two - it felt like a wonderful space to sit in our uncertainty and be candid about no knowing what is next. Masego is a sustainable fashion advocate, residing in the suburbs of Cape Town. Currently doing her postgrad in Sustainable Development, while working as a creative strategist for a local South African brand called Good Good Good - this may change by the time the episode is out since she's finding it difficult to balance the two and have a personal life. She's terrible at following instructions, whether it's a recipe or a design pattern.At the end of last year, Stella completed her B.A. in Multimedia Journalism and she is currently doing her Postgraduate Diploma at the Sustainability Institute in Cape Town. Stella is a slow living enthusiast and a lover of low-impact fashion. She is passionate about encouraging an approach to sustainability that is inclusive, accessible, fun and locally-centred, as we try to figure out how to create a regenerative future. When I'm not in front of my laptop doing uni work, you'll probably find me reading, writing, illustrating or baking/cooking. A dip in the ocean, or a walk in the mountains, are the two things that bring me the most peace. At the beginning of 2020, Masego and Stella created an online platform together, called cnscs_. They created cnscs_, because they wanted to create an online community where knowledge, ideas, and resources around sustainable living (especially in a local context) could be shared. They see cnscs_ as a space to introduce people to sustainable living and apply it to their lives in a way that's sustainable to them. Their focus is on telling and sharing African stories and decolonising the current sustainability narrative. They share interviews with lots of change-making people, resource-based articles that inspire positive action and spark thought in our sustainability school section, wish lists, moodboards, musings, and tips and tricks that we have learnt along the way. They talk loads about personal style and slow fashion, but also sprinkle in content that discusses other aspects of sustainability.

In episode 65 of the Close Knit podcast, I speak to Damien Ajavon. Based in Oslo, Damien Ajavon is a queer textile artist, born in France, of Senegalese and Togolese origin. Their work explores the different methods in which textiles fibres can be manipulated by hand: knotted, braided, tangled, and woven. The interaction between visual and tactile experiences has always played an important role in their process; they use their African and western influences as a vehicle for their textile storytelling and as visual markers of their creative approaches. It is through textile languages rather than oral ones that Ajavon has been unearthing and weaving connections with their ancestry.They have accumulated substantial experience internationally that honed their expertise and technique. They learnt to weave hemp, dye cashmere in Italy and work with feathers (Bevagna, Sant'Anatolia DI Narco, Florence), felting hats and making accessories in Quebec, pattern making and knitwear in New York City.Ajavon grounds their practice by positioning themselves in the world through their heritage. In doing so, they put into practice their mother's teachings of African cultures and conjures artistic gestures in honor of intergenerational learning.This conversation felt just so special to me - at a time when I have felt particularly unmoored (after getting off of instagram), it was so heartening to connect with Damien over our mutual love of fiber. Their work is so beautiful - anchored in physical movement and a wonderful sense of curiosity about how fibers can be manipulated and transformed. I loved hearing their perspective on textile construction, design, and working with human-aided machinery.We discuss the ways the “craft” is often separated from “fine arts”, and how imperative we feel it is that that viewpoint is shifted. Damien blows my absolute mind when they tell me about their friend's work with nuno felting, and we share our perspectives of reverence for every craftsperson out there. We wrap up by discussing Damien's next steps - a residency in Berlin and a master's program in Oslo, and we realize our mutual love of socks. We delight in discussing the opportunity Damien has to explore their textile language through their studies - to move beyond 2D technical construction into a realm of expressing their perspective and history through their work. Finally, we talk about the protection inherent in fiber work - both from the elements, and just the harshness of the world - we revel in the protection that textiles bring to those who make and wear them.

In episode 64 of the Close Knit podcast, I speak to Sharifah Emalia Al-Gadrie. Sharifah Emalia Al-Gadrie is a multidisciplinary artist & community development worker based in nipaluna/Hobart, lutruwita/Tasmania. Her creative practice is responsive and explores belonging and cultural heritage in contemporary Australia, drawing on intersectional feminist theory and lived experience as an Asian-Australian woman. Emalia's work is both research and process driven and is based in mediums including painting, textiles, installation and photography. She currently works for Tasmanian not-for-profit organisation, A Fairer World, managing the Hobart Human Library and Women's Business projects.I have so deeply admired Emalia since I met her in 2017 when I lived in Hobart. She has been persistently living her values, doing incredible work in her community, and maintaining a thoughtful and critical artistic practice. I was particularly excited to catch up with her and hear about her life these past few years, she has been absolutely prolific in her artistic practice. We share stories about life over the last year and compare the ways our community spaces have been altered as a result of pandemic life. She tells me about the shows she's been part of and in particular, we discuss a project that is especially near to her heart, Women's Business. Women's Business is a show that explores the culture, religion, and personal journies of Tasmanian women from migrant and refugee backgrounds through the fashion of their families.Much of Emalia's textile work is soft and inviting on the surface, but deals with heavy subject matter - we discuss the ways in which Emalia's use of textiles is both a response to her personal affection for textiles and their tactility and an act of political meaning. Some of her work is deeply bodily and contains references to or literal body hair, an exploration of her experience growing up on the coast of Australia as an Asian-Australian woman, being bullied for her body hair. We wrap up by discussing Emalia's piece Sticks and Stones (pictured above) which took a critical lens to the Islamaphobia that is rampant in Australian media. This piece exemplifies Emalia's purpose with her art practice, drawing the viewer in with this soft pastel palette, and asking them to consider something they might shy away from. She hopes to engage her audience in these difficult conversations, even if just for a moment, or even just to have them acknowledge that the thing is real and happening.

In Episode 63 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Zak Foster. Raised in rural North Carolina and now living in Brooklyn, New York, Zak is a self-taught textile artist whose work draws on Southern textile traditions while incorporating found fabrics and natural dyes. He practices an approach to design that is intuitive and improvisational and he is drawn to preserving the stories of quilts and specializes in memory quilts. His work has been featured in various magazines, websites, and galleries. Zak and I start off by talking about his most current work, and how he has been developing his relationship to sharing his art practice through social media. He tells me about two concepts in his work that felt particularly tender to me, especially in light of the pandemic, his memory quilts and burial quilts. Zak has such a special way of approaching his work, primarily working with reclaimed materials - clothing he finds on the street in his neighborhood, fabrics he’s been given in his travels. He explains that he came to working with reclaimed materials first out of interest, and then from a desire to continue to pursue his joy while lessening his impact on the planet.I have long admired Zak’s work, and I’ve been so taken with all the work he’s shared, especially lately, and it was such a treat to sit down in conversation with him. Zak is such a brilliant storyteller, and I so admire his resolve around his practice - I hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as I loved having it!

In Episode 62 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Vivian Shao Chen. Vivian is a potter, sewist, and knitter, and architect by profession. The order of that list changes frequently. She has been pursuing pottery for almost four years. She learned sewing from her parents when she was a child through their clothing manufacturing business. She picked sewing back up as an adult in the last 20 months or so, and now she has transitioned to drafting almost all her own garments. She taught herself to knit about two years ago as a way to keep her hands busy when she’s too tired to be in the studio. She recounts memories of her childhood in the factory her parents managed in Montreal after immigrating from Taiwan - a unique look at the manufacturing process that gave her an early understanding of garment construction. Vivian only picked garment sewing up more recently as an adult, and we talk about the ways she approaches her garment-making - from a place of form, function, and technical skill. She tells me how all of her many creative pursuits have some mix of this triad of things. We talk about how she came to knitting as a way to occupy her hands on her commutes from Philadelphia to her job in NYC at the time, and how she came to understand knitted garment-making, and how she made it her own. Vivian is a person who enjoys the technical and problem-solving elements of her creative process, a quality that has lent itself to many pattern alterations, and overall a responsiveness to garment-construction process. Much like in her pottery practice, Vivian’s aesthetic has come about as a result of making work - her forms organic, her materials natural, a reflection of her interest in light and shadow, and her affection for rustic and complex natural yarn colors. Vivian is a multi-talented creative person, and it was such a treat to hear her perspective on how all of her experiences across her various practices have come together to influence each other in what you see of her present-day practice.

In Episode 61 of the Close Knit Podcast, the first episode of 2021, I spoke to Francisco Diaz of Cisco Sews. Francisco is a multidisciplinary creative craftsman with a keen visual eye. A sewing newbie focused on second-hand upcycling and material transformation. Francisco aims to be constantly trying new things, sustain imperfect sustainability and remain queer af.Francisco and I covered a ton of ground in this episode, and I loved every minute. We talked about gender expression and dressing in a way that feels (and is) safe, and how this sense of safety can be modulated by community. We discussed how our creative expression is shifted by the area around us - in Francisco’s instance, the difference in their creative expression between their time in LA and in their current home in Arizona. We discuss our perception that attitudes, in general, toward thrifting and sustainability have shifted over time and how the upcycling community has grown after the past decade or so. Francisco talks me through his approach to upcycling and how he first got into making his own garments, taking inspiration from the online fashion community, and finding ways to make his own garments through trial and error. We talk about the well-intentioned advice-giving that is widespread within the making community, and how sometimes, we just want to make the mistakes on our own and learn as we go. Francisco explains to me how they believe that social media has accelerated the learning process for many when it comes to making & upcycling, but that they themselves can also feel constricted by social media norms when it comes to expressing their identity and their making process with nuance and care. He has also at times felt pressured to sell his work, a feeling that has sometimes stripped some of the joy of making for him. (In case it’s not obvious, I related to a lot of what Francisco spoke to!) Francisco’s work is just phenomenally beautiful - I love the way he has cared for and nurtured both his dressing identity and his curiosity about garment construction and sustainability through his sewing practice. Be sure to browse Francisco’s Instagram for loads of lovely garment-making inspirations & stop by his site to read his wonderful interviews with other makers in the community!

In Episode 60 of the Close Knit Podcast - the final episode of 2020, I spoke to Grace Rother, a lesbian quilt-maker and writer. I have long admired Grace’s practice - her way of making things accessible and her deep clarity on how she makes and shares. We talk about her quilt raffles this year, most recently culminating in her virtual quilting bee raising funds for Assata’s Daughters, an effort of more than 100 quilt-patch makers. Grace and I discuss the ways that textiles hold a softness for concepts and ideas that might feel a bit scary or out of our norm, like defunding the police and abolishing prisons. We talk about translating cozy sweater trends through DIY knitting, and how boundaries come into play when sharing online. Grace has shifted her practice over this year to change how she engages with Instagram, a shift I have been taking notice of and wondering if I might find a similar path - and we talk about how that shifting attention feels and looks for her. This is the final episode of 2020, and I feel so grateful that Grace joined me for this chat! Find Grace: Website | PatreonWant more?Subscribe: ItunesFollow along on InstagramSupport the podcast through patreon

In Episode 59 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Carolina Jimenez. carolina is a mexican-american textile artist and designer living in brooklyn. she is currently the creative director at caroline z hurley and also maintains an art practice. she makes monuments - memory signifiers, vessels into which the past is poured, molded, or reshaped (woven, unraveled, or stretched). these monuments reference the body-my body and yours-they speak to the magnificence of our daily lived experience and the monumentality of the mundane.Carolina and I cover a whole range of things you might expect in a conversation in 2020 - anxiety and learning to name it as such, voting (and the whole host of barriers that keep folks from voting or having information to vote), and learning to quiet the voice that tells you you’re “behind” in your career of life path.Carolina remembers learning to embroider as a child from her grandmother and having an overall interest in craft and keeping her hands busy. She also decided at an early age that architecture would be her path - until she took a weaving studio class in college and immediately felt its magic. She went on to study a masters program in textiles as RISD, and began working for Caroline Z Hurley, all while keeping her own textile practice going. We discuss the ways that colleges can be a source of a network, and also how we aim to practice ‘networking’ in a less extractive way than the term can imply. We both have noticed mutual aid networks growing this year and are excited by the opportunity to get involved at the local scale in our communities. Carolina and I tie up our conversation with a bit of conjecture into Instagram culture and how we might subvert the influencer culture in our own ways of sharing our process & practice. She speaks to her current studio practice and the garments she is collaborating with Nayila Wright to bring it to life.

In Episode 58, I spoke to Aisling Camps, Trinidadian born, mechanical engineer turned knitwear designer hustling out of Brooklyn.Aisling and I talk about her early days in NYC, working as an engineer on sustainability projects, and her desire to express more of her creativity, which led her eventually to a BFA program at FIT.We chat about her relationship to NYC and Trinidad and how her business was born on a couple of knitting machines back home in Trinidad after a visa ran out. Her work is heavily influenced by the climate and her Trinidadian background, resulting in the ephemeral and striking pieces she makes today.We discuss her in-home production and the necessity of bringing in outside help as she grows, how she built a relationship with a family in Italy to work on some of her pieces, and how beautiful that relationship is.This year, in particular, has brought new challenges and peaks for her, and talk about both the heavier moments and the lighter ones - from George Floyd’s murder to the opportunities and mentorship that has resulted from the cultural reaction to racial injustice.Aisling’s work can be found both online in her store, and in Oakland at McMullen.

Sonya Philip is an artist, designer and teacher. In 2012, she started a project called 100 Acts of Sewing, making dresses while documenting the process. Since then Sonya has made it her mission to convince people to sew their own clothes. When not covered in bits of thread, she can be found fermenting, knitting or baking things. Sonya lives in San Francisco with her family.

In Episode 56, I spoke to Catarina Seixas of The Olive Trees and the Moon. Cat is a homesteader, maker, folk herbalist and mother living in rural Portugal. She likes to spend her days exploring her local flora, photographing and creating magic. Together with her partner, they've built their house by hand and grow nourishing food.It was such a joy hosting Cat - we talked about so many of the things that she and I have bonded over and questioned aloud on Instagram - from the “fast fashion mentality” and she so aptly puts it, that permeates our expectations of production and cost, even within the fiber community, to a discussion of access to knitting and the materials it requires.We talk about knitting for others when knitting for ourselves is out of desire to make, instead of need to clothe - and how making for others means handing over some of the creative details we might otherwise do differently for the sake of ensuring the garment is loved, worn and cared for.Cat and I took a rambling wander through these thoughts together and while we didn’t have any conclusive answers to the questions we posed, I think we touched on many topics that so many of us folks in the fiber community consider throughout our time making, and it was a really special joy to host Cat on the episode. I’m grateful to have gotten to share space asking and conjecturing about these topics with her.

This is Episode 54 of the Close Knit Podcast - today I am joined by Marcee + Hubbard Jones of Housework. With an obsession for manufacturing details and a strict set of material standards, the cofounding couple of Housework bring their unconventional backgrounds in fine art and health food together to bear a meticulously curated selection of clothing and home goods with care for every detail – down to things like the dyestuffs of garments, as well as the glazes of ceramics and finishes on wooden wares.The Housework clothing catalogue is uniquely and strictly composed of truly natural fibers (no polyblends or pseudo-naturals like rayon), all undyed or naturally dyed with plants and minerals, with even commonly disregarded elements like the stitching thread being made of entirely compostable natural fibers.

This is episode 54 of the Close Knit Podcast, and this week I spoke to Sarah Nsikak of La Reunion Studio. I was introduced to Sarah’s work through a mutual connection a few months ago and I was immediately taken with her work. She centers stories of Africa in her work, bringing to life incredible dresses and tapestries that are full of color and made entirely of remnants & scraps. Sarah speaks to the ways in which COVID19 and social movements of this year have impacted her own work, and how it’s all helped lead her to invest completely in her La Reunion.We discuss her journey from studying art therapy to moving from Oklahoma to NYC to intern for a fashion designer, to making the move to work for herself full time, during a global pandemic. She details her history upcylcing garments and how she’s worked to source remnants for this current collection, and we trade tips on how we’ve sourced materials and attempted experiments in natural dyeing.Sarah’s work is beyond inspiring, in a realm unto itself, in my humble opinion, bringing together her personal life experience and heritage in a way that is so beautifully unique.I was so delighted to speak with Sarah & I can’t wait for you to hear our chat. And if you haven’t already, you gotta go feast your eyes on her work - don’t say I didn’t warn you, it’s the most incredible.

This is episode 53 of the Close Knit Podcast and today I am joined by Geana Sieburger, who founded GDS in 2015. Growing up in Brazil deeply influenced her work, a place where in the 80’s, bakeries could be found every few blocks and skilled seamstresses still sewed a good portion of people’s everyday wardrobes. Community was the connection between everything, including food and fashion.With both people and environment in mind, Geana's dream is for GDS to become a meaningful part of her community through products that excite consumers into learning about how their purchasing choices impact their direct neighbors as well as people on the other side of the globe.Find Geana : Instagram | Website

You’re listening to Episode 52 of the Close Knit Podcast and this week I spoke to Gina Stovall of Two Days Off Clothing.The final guest in my series of people who are working in production, for this year at least, is Gina Stovall - an intentional minimalist living in LA, working in Climate Research and designing clothing made sustainably in LA.From my time following Gina's clothing brand and her personal instagram, I got the sense that Gina and I might have a bit in common - but talking to her took that to a whole new level. From slightly sillier details, like our mutual love of data, and the way we get a deep satisfaction of packing clothes for traveling, to more profound things - like our shared wondering about how slow fashion can exist, and how to exist in an influencer culture.Gina was just so easy to talk to - and we covered so much ground in this chat - running a business alongside a dayjob, how it is that she keeps enough time for herself for rest, and her work in climate research.Gina is very generously offering Close Knit Podcast listeners a 15% off discount! Enter the code CLOSEKNIT at checkout on twodaysoff.com.This will be the last episode of what I am very informally calling Season 1 of the Close Knit Podcast (although it has technically spanned about 3 years). Something you might notice me doing in this episode (and I have noticed myself doing it a lot of late), is asking questions about the role of the influencer/social media in general on slow fashion and the making community. I have some half-baked ideas around it all, and am finding that something like a break sounds right for me for now. Something else I've been thinking a lot about, especially a few weeks ago when I was sick in bed for about a week - is the necessity of rest.I really do love making the podcast, so it's scary to think about stopping doing that - even if I know it's temporary, but in the interest of listening to my body while it's still a whisper and less of a scream, I'm taking a pause on making the podcast to rest more. If you're supporting the podcast through patreon, your pledge will pause until we're up and running again!We'll return in the spring of 2020 with more podcast goodness, and until then, you can find me via my newsletter, on closeknit.com.au, and sometimes teaching at various spots in the bay.I'll miss making the podcast, but I'm so excited to give my body a chance to really deeply rest, and come back with even more vigor and excitement to produce more episodes with all the wonderful, thoughtful folks working in fiber in our world.

You’re listening to Episode 51 of the Close Knit Podcast and this week I spoke to Sarah Danu of Danu Organic. You’ve probably noticed this year that I’ve focused a lot on clothing production and slow fashion in my interviews. I was thinking about this recently and I don’t know exactly why that is - it’s just been a curiosity that I’ve had, and I’ve followed it. It’s led me to so many interesting conversations with people producing clothing - from designers to makers, and I’ve learned so much about the way that people produce clothing locally - and all the steps involved in this!So that all led me to Sarah - who runs Danu Organic, a clothing line made from organic color grown cottons. Sarah tells me about her memories from childhood of sewing buttons onto a scrap of fabric, as she learned to sew, and a beautiful quilt project she and her mom undertook as she prepared for her first year of college.Sarah made a bunch of bold career decisions that led her to WOOFing and an interest in the slow food movement, which ultimately led her to seeking out solutions in slow fashion to treat our bodies, the bodies of workers, and the planet with care and respect - which led her to seeking out Fibershed in the Bay Area, and ultimately connecting to scientist and farmer, Sally Fox.Sarah walks me through her journey with production so far, how she’s had to let go of some of the traditional advice around timelines and launching products, she tells me about her vision for her line - offering clothing for masculine folks and children (!! which is exciting, if you’ve been around in the slow fashion scene for a minute!), and some upcoming natural dyeing on her garments.And Sarah is generously offering a discount code just for Close Knit Podcast listeners! Head to Danuorganic.com and use the code closeknit (all lowercase, one word) at checkout for 20% off!The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast please check out patreon! Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lindsay Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!Find Sarah : Instagram | Website Want more? Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket Casts & now StitcherFollow along on InstagramSupport the podcast through patreonLike 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!xxani

Ani reads aloud 4 short essays she wrote last year on care-taking through making

You’re listening to Episode 50 of the Close Knit Podcast and this week I spoke to Mandy Kordal of Kordal Studio.Mandy is someone I have admired for so long - every singe collection she’s designed has just made me swoon, and it was such a treat to bring her onto the podcast this month.She walks me all the way back to her earliest memory of working with textiles - influenced by her grandmother and her mother, who are both talented designers and sewists.As has been my line of inquiry lately - this year, actually, I wanted to understand how Mandy went from altering and painting on her clothes as a kid to running a knitwear and now woven-ware clothing line. How her interest was piqued by a neighbor, leading her to study fashion design and taking a class in machine knitting - which informs her garment design and making presently.We discuss the subtleties of machine knitwear design, fiber sourcing, and how being a values-driven brand, as a concept, is an evolution.Mandy talks me through their partnerships with weavers and mills in Peru and Guatemala and how these relationships have evolved over the course of Kordal’s existence.Listen on for our whole chat! Thanks for tuning in!I wanted to pause for a moment to acknowledge that this is the 50th episode of the Close Knit Podcast.50 whole episodes! That just feels like a real milestone to me.And I just wanted to say thanks. Thank you for listening, and for supporting the podcast. If you’re already pledging on patreon, I so appreciate you. And if you’ve enjoyed the podcast thus far, you can support the podcast to continue to exist by pledging through patreon.Over the course of this last year, your support has helped me pay my bills, hire an editor, and offset website maintenance costs. It’s been an enormous help and it really does enable me to work on this project long term, in a sustainable way.You can find my patreon from my website, via my instagram, or by searching Close Knit on Patreon.50 freaking episodes - what a humbling joy it has been to produce this work with and for you.Your support means the world to me.

In episode 49 of the Close Knit podcast, I spoke to Charlotte X C Sullivan, one of two folks who run May West: a textile innovation collaboration between Charlotte and Alayna Rasile-Digrindakis. Charlotte walks me through how May West formed, through connection and feeling, and how this has continued to inform their work with milkweed. We discuss the way that clothing, and fashion, can serve as armor, a way to cloak and protect yourself through circumstances in life. She explains to me how her collaboration with Alayna began, and how their expression of feeling has impacted their process, and how they intend to imbue their clothing with purpose and meaning through each stage of production.Charlotte tells me about the evolution of May west’s design studio, from drop spinning of milkweed fibers, to its current iteration: jackets using milkweed batting as insulation, how this iterative process has unfolded over time, through prototypes and experiments. We discuss the importance of local manufacturing and how they’ve managed this production process thus far.What I think is most special about this chat is the way that it unfolded from a place of curiosity- something I am realizing is such an important part of my own practice and this podcast, and it was interesting to see that mirrored in the way that Charlotte tends to work. I knew very little of milkweed & its practical uses, and I found it incredibly intriguing to hear Charlotte and Alayna’s collaborative approach towards May West. I feel I need to disclose that the circumstances of this podcast making were a first for me- I recorded it in a friend’s house in Hobart & had little control over the external auditory circumstances, so please bear with me if the audio quality is a little less than you’ve come to expect.This was an experiment in dedication for me- seeing if it’s possible to continue creating content as usual, without my safe set up. So thank you for giving me space to try thatListen on for my whole chat with Charlotte, thank you so much for tuning inThe Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon! Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lindsay Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Ocean Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!

In episode 48 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Erin M. Riley. Erin is someone whose work I’ve followed and admired for literal years, and if I’m being completely honest, I was so psyched when they agreed to come on the podcast. Erin’s work has always deeply intrigued me, and their internet presence was always focused on their work, so I was especially excited to get to talk to them and hear more about how they make their incredible, gigantic tapestries, and how their life experiences have informed their work.Erin takes me all the way back to middle school, when they were a restless teen sewing seed beads onto clothing and winning sewing machine threading competitions at school. We talk about how their family dynamics, and how their family’s journey with addiction has impacted them and the type of work they’ve created. We discuss the early internet and how it’s changed, how their work engages with various forms of pleasure, and themes that are not often talked about publicly. And we discuss the ways that people have engaged with their work online and off and the importance of making work that can be engaged with in person.Erin was so deeply candid with me in this episode, and I so deeply appreciated their perspective on their own art and its interaction with the world.Listen on for our whole chat- thanks so much for tuning in!The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon!Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lindsay Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Ocean Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!

You’re listening to Episode 47 of the Close Knit Podcast, and this week I spoke to Jewell Christine of North KnitsJewell is a knitter, designer, and founder of Our Maker Life. We talk about Jewell’s family history - her grandmother’s amazing crochet legacy and how that’s informed her own work.She’s super ambitious and strong-willed- she always has been, and has always had a lot of clarity around what she wants in life. Studying journalism, Jewell found the strong voice she has today, and uses that skill set to inform her work through her social media and maker meet ups with Our Maker Life.We talk about the place that spirituality and faith have in her knitting, and how she’s used knitting to quiet her mind and ease her through periods of difficulty and sometimes depression.Jewell speaks so candidly and openly about her own journey and her experiences and that was part of what really drew me to her, I love the way she sees the world - through this lens of goodness - and it really shows in her work.Listen on for our whole chat- thanks so much for tuning in! The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon!Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lindsay Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Ocean Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!

In Episode 46 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Sara Trail of the Social Justice Sewing Academy. Sara is incredible - a complete powerhouse of passion and ambition, she’s been sewing since age 4, making quilts under her grandmother’s direction, and teaching quilt making from the age of 12 - just let that sink in for a moment. Teaching sewing classes, she started to notice how monochromatic her students were, and how there were many issues of access and affordability existed and perpetuated this student make up.She started SJSA as a response to this - a way to teach quilting and social justice topics through textiles for free to youth. Sara talks me through the nuts and bolts of how the organization operates, and how its grown over the last few years. We discuss the incredible things that happen both in the classroom with the students she works with and in Quilt exhibits like QuiltCon, which she recently attended in Nashville.I just constantly found myself remarking at how deeply inspired I am by Sara and her commitment to this work - on a personal and professional level. Running this not for profit on the weekends in addition to working with incarcerated adults to earn their high school diplomas. Sara schooled me in this episode, and it was awesome.I’m really excited for you all to listen to Sara and the SJSA’s incredible story.And don’t forget to check out her instagram, because seeing these quilts, seeing this work is what really makes it all hit home, I think.The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon!Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lindsay Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Ocean Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!

In Episode 45, I spoke to Adrienne Antonson of State the Label. Following on my interest in production and where that’s led me in terms of guest lately, I wanted to speak to Adrienne about how she began and continues to run her clothing label, State. So part of this curiosity for me is how a person gets interested in and finds themselves working in fiber and clothing production. Adrienne talks me through her entire journey of working with fiber and clothing-making - beginning as a middle schooler sewing simple clothing, to working on an alpaca farm and sewing garments and felting by night, to putting into place some of the bones of State as we know it today.Adrienne shares the process of growing and scaling the business, from figuring out how to work with a factory to hiring a small team to support production, locally. Her approach is and has always been scrappy, and many parts of her process are not scalable. She revels in the small details and talks me through what it’s like to design and produce a collection of surface-designed goods (spoiler: it’s a lot more logistically complex than you might imagine) Adrienne reveals an exciting upcoming launch for state, which I imagine a LOT of listeners will be very excited about. I love the arc of Adrienne’s story - how really genuine and approachable it all feels - how the pieces of State have come together over time and with a lot of effort, but also with a lot of just sticking to your gut.The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon!Aleksandra Alex Alicia Alison C Alison S Amanda Bee Belle Brittany Caitlin Carolina Carolyn Casey Cath Catherine Chantale Chase Elizabeth Ellen Emily B Emily P Emily T Hanna Lisa Heather James Justice Laura Lauren Lawral leah Lyle Marta Morgan Natalie Natasha Niki Ocean Rachel Sandy Sarah B Sarah H Shelby Shelly shivani - THANK YOU SO MUCH!

I wanted to take a minute to revisit the close knit podcast mission. The close knit podcast aims to hold space for conversation to be had about the ways we use fiber to process life and world events.What I meant when I wrote that was that this podcast is the vessel, and the guest brings the story - the connecting thread between all guests is fiber in some form. Intentionally broad, this enabled me to speak to all kinds of people about all manner of things.In practical terms, it has looked like a majority white, majority women-identified line up. When it was entirely this - early on, I paused, readjusted, and tried to publicly challenge myself to do better. I shared this process publicly because I believe in transparency of process, whenever possible. Owning mistakes, instead of letting them own you, and moving forward. Over the course of the life of this podcast, I hope to speak to as many people from as many backgrounds as possible - whose stories may be connected only insofar as their interest in fiber, and I hope that each listener finds themselves represented here, in some way. Whether that is a person whose ethnic identity resembles your own, or gender identity, or approach to making, or ethics on living their lives. I hope that you find someone who feels like ‘home’ to you here. I know that I can always do better - and though I spend more time than your average person researching people in the fiber community to interview, those interviews don’t always pull through, or they don’t happen in the way I imagine they will. I am constantly learning the process of letting go of the outcome as a podcast maker - I can only ask the guest in, and hold as safe a space as I am able - I cannot falsely create stories or force a conversation in a direction it’s not able to go. More so, I cannot expect a certain type of conversation to happen simply because of a common narrative around assumptions I’m no doubt making about my guest.I want to keep at this. I want to make this podcast for a long ass time - maybe even for the entire time I’m on this planet. so it’s gonna take time, and the guest list will evolve. and I hope, as the knitting and wider fiber community begins to take more seriously issues of representation - we may more easily be able to find a diverse body of people to speak to and hear from.This being said, know that I am always scouring the internet for new stories, following along on instagram and trying to track down the voices of people who don’t look like me. Sometimes, I do okay it, and other times, not as much. I don’t expect anyone to do that work for me, but I am open to suggestions - I am open to feedback. If there’s someone that you love or YOU are that someone - who is doing interesting work with fiber, who maybe doesn’t have the type of stage that makes it easy to find them, by all means - please let me know.I’m here to listen, to keep working on creating a really safe space for people to share.I’m processing - in my own private life, sometimes quietly - through hours of conversation with people that I know, and hours of knitting. I’m working on a sock right now - which of course, what else would I be working on, and I don’t know if I’m doing it ‘right’ this whole thing, but I know that I’m giving it what I’ve got. & at the very least, I feel hopeful that we have this vessel - our making, our place for quiet internal reflection, and our connection of fiber. Our place to find each other - our thing to connect over. I’m glad that there is this soft vessel to perhaps help us find each other.

In Episode 44, I spoke to Isadora Alvarez of Back Beat Rags. Lately I’ve been particularly intrigued by production - how a person gets into clothing and textile production and design, what this process looks like and the many complexities within it. I’ve been admiring Isadora’s laid back style and commitment to natural fibers for some time, then I read an interview piece with her and was struck by her voice - the way she told her story with integrity and tons of honesty and a sense of humor. Bringing her on the podcast, I was excited to dig into the ‘why’ behind her commitment to natural fibers and to understand more about her local production. She walks us through what production looks like for Back Beat so thoroughly and with so much thoughtful detail. I think this episode is really exciting for anyone who wants to more deeply understand how many steps are involved in textile production and how much thought and intention goes into this process for Isadora.She’s has always had a super scrappy, DIY approach to her business. Hearing all about her journey from the Philippines to the US to study and eventually start Back Beat Rags is deeply interesting and inspiring.

A huge thank you to this episode’s sponsor - Craneway Craft Fair. I first learned about Craneway Craft Fair when I moved to the Bay and was searching out craft fairs to attend (as you do). This year is the 48th annual Craneway (formerly known as the KPFA Crafts Fair), and it’s happening on December 22 & 23rd. This last week especially I’ve been reflecting on how important handmade and locally made is to me - especially in light of the wildness of consumer culture in america & Craneway feels like the total antithesis to all of that. From 10am-5pm on Dec 22 & 23, so just in the nick of time if you have any last minute holiday gifts in mind, you can find artisan made goods in the Craneway Pavillion in Richmond, CA. The best part is, Craneway directly supports Berkeley’s KPFA 94.1 public radio. KPFA was the first community supported radio station in the USA. They currently air public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming & they’ll be broadcasting live from Craneway on the fair days! It feels pretty awesome to be shouting out an organization that’s supporting not only local makers but also progressive public radio. You can find Craneway on instagram at @cranewaycraftfair and online at cranewaycraftfair.com See you on the 22nd!This week I spoke to Aaron Sanders Head. Aaron’s work stood out to me this year when I first noticed his sashiko-informed stitching and really stunning imagery. Aaron walks me through his career from post-college to now, and how fiber art has kind of (excuse the pun) woven it’s way into his life - throughout his career in arts administration. In his work with a local art gallery, he began booking workshops to accompany exhibitions & soon realized he was booking the types of classes he was interested in - quilting, embroidery, sashiko, natural dyeing. It was from here that he really began an active and daily practice.Aaron was remarkably candid with me - we talk about finances, the difficulty and importance of sourcing materials thoughtfully, and the privilege in being able to “slow down”, and how the term ‘self-care’ has been sometimes misused. I appreciated Aaron’s grounded perspective on so many topics and it was really refreshing to hear them articulated in this way!This chat really takes you on the journey with Aaron, I feel. So listen on to hear how Aaron went from studying photography in Boston, to touring Texas with his partner, teaching indigo dye workshops and making it work.

In Episode 42 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Jess Mahaney of Muumuu. Jess is someone whose designs stood out to me immediately when I saw them online this year. Jess was a little surprised when I asked her to come the podcast- her background and engagement with fiber is different to a lot of folks who’ve previously been on the podcast. What I love about Jess is the breadth of things that she brings to the table- a gumption & scrappiness that is inspiring, a willingness to get to work and a deep interest in design, clothing and getting dressed.Muumuu as a concept for Jess has been around for a long time - she never envisioned being a designer at this time in her life, about 7 years into raising a child- but as its struck her, she’s followed it and it feels like its “in the flow”, as she describes it.She talks about the parts of herself that she felt went missing when she became a full time caretaker of her baby & how dressing herself was part of this. She sings the praises of linen, how it looks relaxed always and we talk about the ways that women, especially women designers, are changing the narrative around dressing and who we dress “for” and how.She tells us about her fear of not having the right language for describing what she wants, not thinking of herself truly as a “designer”. We discuss what it means to follow your impulses, to make more things in the world and the ethical quandaries that come up with that. Jess tells us what her ultimate vision for Muumuu looks like (spoiler - it’s not just about clothing - clothing is really just the vehicle), and what’s on tap for her for the next couple of months.I’m so excited to see where these next months and years take Jess and her business, and I’m excited for you to meet Jess this week, too.

This week I spoke to Anny Crane. Anny is a process artist, working mainly in embroidery. Anna’s process struck me visually because she embroiders onto paper, usually that she’s made - so there’s a lot to take in, textures, colors, embellishments. I loved getting to talk to Anny about how she got started with the sort of art she creates, something she found as her grandmother was passing & how her process has changed and stayed the same. We discuss her move to Michigan, her current job situation & how sometimes settling into success can feel intimidating. Be sure to stay tuned to the end - we really get into some big feelings around social media and how our use of it has changed over time. A huge thank you to this episode’s sponsor - Making Things. Last episode, I got to introduce you to Making Things, so for this episode, I wanted to tell you more about their soon-to-launch platform. Making Things is like Netflix- but better, because for knitting & crochet - it’s unlimited access to all your favourite patterns in one place. All the pattern have been tech edited and tested so you know that you’re getting the best quality resources. Not only that, but there’s a whole digital toolbox to bring these interactive patterns to life - counters, row highlighters, chart grids, editable notes & live pattern support - all designed by and for the knitting and crochet community. You can follow Making Things’ journey as they go live on instagram at @themakingthingsapp and online at makingthingsapp.com Shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode41

Liz really walks me through her educational experience relating to fiber art and how it led her to where she is today - from the London College of Fashion to working as a seamstress. Liz had what she refers to as a “backwards approach” to natural dyeing, beginning with gardening natural dye plants before ever dyeing with them. She has experienced many forms of fiber and many ways of relating to the medium, but she feels like natural dyeing is the one that’s really stuck and is one she continues to practice and learn more about every day. Liz explains how she’s made her practice work, from a small apartment in Brooklyn to a family home in Riverside - alongside raising children and teaching in academic institutions. What I really appreciate about talking to Liz is her honesty and sincerity - it’s so clear how much Liz loves and is fascinated by natural dyeing, and I loved how she really tells us about how she’s made it work for her and how she and her family plan to make it work in the future. She’s certainly a person whose work inspires me endlessly, so I’m excited to share with all of you what she had to say! Liz really walks me through her educational experience relating to fiber art and how it led her to where she is today - from the London College of Fashion to working as a seamstress. Liz had what she refers to as a “backwards approach” to natural dyeing, beginning with gardening natural dye plants before ever dyeing with them. She has experienced many forms of fiber and many ways of relating to the medium, but she feels like natural dyeing is the one that’s really stuck and is one she continues to practice and learn more about every day. Liz explains how she’s made her practice work, from a small apartment in Brooklyn to a family home in Riverside - alongside raising children and teaching in academic institutions. What I really appreciate about talking to Liz is her honesty and sincerity - it’s so clear how much Liz loves and is fascinated by natural dyeing, and I loved how she really tells us about how she’s made it work for her and how she and her family plan to make it work in the future. She’s certainly a person whose work inspires me endlessly, so I’m excited to share with all of you what she had to say! Liz really walks me through her educational experience relating to fiber art and how it led her to where she is today - from the London College of Fashion to working as a seamstress. Liz had what she refers to as a “backwards approach” to natural dyeing, beginning with gardening natural dye plants before ever dyeing with them. She has experienced many forms of fiber and many ways of relating to the medium, but she feels like natural dyeing is the one that’s really stuck and is one she continues to practice and learn more about every day. Liz explains how she’s made her practice work, from a small apartment in Brooklyn to a family home in Riverside - alongside raising children and teaching in academic institutions. What I really appreciate about talking to Liz is her honesty and sincerity - it’s so clear how much Liz loves and is fascinated by natural dyeing, and I loved how she really tells us about how she’s made it work for her and how she and her family plan to make it work in the future. She’s certainly a person whose work inspires me endlessly, so I’m excited to share with all of you what she had to say! Liz really walks me through her educational experience relating to fiber art and how it led her to where she is today - from the London College of Fashion to working as a seamstress. Liz had what she refers to as a “backwards approach” to natural dyeing, beginning with gardening natural dye plants before ever dyeing with them. She has experienced many forms of fiber and many ways of relating to the medium, but she feels like natural dyeing is the one that’s really stuck and is one she continues to practice and learn more about every day. Liz explains how she’s made her practice work, from a small apartment in Brooklyn to a family home in Riverside - alongside raising children and teaching in academic institutions. What I really appreciate about talking to Liz is her honesty and sincerity - it’s so clear how much Liz loves and is fascinated by natural dyeing, and I loved how she really tells us about how she’s made it work for her and how she and her family plan to make it work in the future. She’s certainly a person whose work inspires me endlessly, so I’m excited to share with all of you what she had to say! Shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode40

Shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode39

Shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode38

In episode 37, Ani speaks to Claire Moskal and Jess Schreibstein of Mild Woman, a modern, minimalist knitting pattern company. Shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode37

This week I spoke to a couple of people who inspire me so much. aaaaand spoiler also inspire each other because they’re MARRIED. These people are - Lily Schlosser of Eli and Barry and James Davis of Engaged Weaving. You won’t believe it, but I didn’t know that the two of them had anything to do with each other, I was separately following each of them, and just about died when I found out how they were related. In this open and vulnerable chat, James and Lily talk about how important fibre arts and the fibre arts community have been for them in processing their life events and supporting their mental health. James opens up about how his weaving practice has been a vehicle for processing and healing from grief and loss and Lily discusses her journey with anxiety and how supportive her practice of clothes making has been and how sharing her struggles with anxiety openly has given her a new and fuller way of connecting with her audience. There’s so much in this chat - so many ways that Lily and James show up to vulnerability wholeheartedly, and I am incredibly grateful that they were willing to share in this way. shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode36The Close Knit Podcast is supported by the following people (& more!) through Patreon. If you'd like to support the podcast and get access to sneak peeks + additional content for patrons-only, please check out patreon! Amanda Faulkner Jaclyn Rogerson Charlotte Helen Natasha Celm AC Carter Alison See Lyle Mills Jess Daniels Sarah Belcher Cath Derksema Anna Martinez Jen Deery Candice Hiles Lauren Champs Alicia Levine Sandra Blue Morgan Capestrain Justice McNeil Natalie Sweeney Emily Tan James Davis Brittany Hoffman Rachel Beckman leah pinault

This week I spoke to Tal Fitzpatrick, a textile artist working primarily in appliqué quilting. Tal’s story is one that I’m so excited to share, as she found textile and fibre art later in life than many guests I’ve spoken to on the podcast, (though you’ll learn she has a family history of pretty amazing fibre art) Tal explains how working in natural disaster community resilience projects eventually led her to pursing her PhD and how she looks at Crafitvism in her active, participatory research. Tal has been working on a number of incredible, large-scale social engaged craftivism projects in addition to her PhD, and she talks us through her research on craftivism, her working definition, and how she sees craftivism as a mode of DIY citizenship. This conversation with Tal was one that had me reeling for days after - I was trying to explain the conversation to other people in my life, family members and friends, how everything Tal mentioned just resonated so deeply for me. I can’t wait to hear what the podcast community thinks of this episode! I also want to mention that Tal’s PhD Exhibition will be on display from 7-10 March at the Kings Artist Run Initiative on King St in Melbourne. For all those Aus based listeners, I’d highly recommend checking it out! And please someone take some pictures for me! shownotes for this epsiode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode35

This episode (minisode kind of, though it's still like 40 min long so not that mini?) is a little different. If you have not, first listen to episode 34 (part 1) to get to know Abbey and Sam and then come back and listen to this chat, which is the second half of my floor sitting Hobart conversation with Abbey and Sam from last year. We talk about + internet friendships, how we met each other and became friends + how we navigate internet personas and IRL personas (spoiler we dont have any boundaries between them, and we all have a lot of feelings) + sam tells us about her first business making t-shirts as a 16 year old + we have a pee break (which I edited out because it got too weird to share on the internet) + Australianisms vs Americanisms - how our voices have changed over time (Sam and Ani are American and lived or are living in Aus) + Our embarrassing nicknames from different points in our lives

In Episode 33 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Sam Ives of Maker and Mineral and Abbey Rich. n a slightly different approach than I usually have, Sam, Abbey and I recorded this chat in person, sitting on the floor in my old house in Hobart. Because of the format of this chat and the fact that we have a well established friendship, this chat developed differently to the usual podcast.  We talk about tattooing and how both Abbey and Sam have used stick and pokes to process life and friendship, and how tattooing a mate is such a permanent act - this is juxtaposition to both of their clothes-making practice, which feels more transient, and ultimately is more transient in the world of fast fashion that we all ultimately live in.  Sam and Abbey both talk us through their practices with clothes making and how they’ve grown and changed their businesses over the last few years, as well as the compromises this requires of them. We discuss sustainability from many levels - for the planet, our immediate communities and ourselves, as well as communities not physically proximate to us.  Having this conversation with Abbey and Sam meant so much to me, and honestly getting to come back to it over the last couple of weeks to edit it has felt really healing, as I personally transition my life from Tasmania to California. I cannot thank Sam and Abbey enough for their ongoing friendship and for being willing to share this conversation with me in the week before I left Tassie. A giant thanks to this week's episode sponor: Sincere Sheep. Their primary focus is single-source, breed-specific and custom-made yarns and fibers dyed with color extracted from responsibly sourced plants (and occasionally from insects). Until the 31st Dec 2017, you can sign up for Sincere Sheep’s Made Here! 2018 quarterly club. Made Here! is a special quarterly yarn club featuring domestic and small batch yarns and custom-made goodies, thoughtfully designed and packaged for minimal environmental impact. Click for the complete Made Here! 2018 Listing on www.sinceresheep.com. shownotes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode34

In Episode 33 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Nate Bryant of Loop N Threads, and Our Maker Life. Nate shares with us the story of how he found his way to knitting, rather unexpectedly and how that love of knitting became something more than a side hobby for him, at first out of necessity, and then out of love. We discuss some of the details of how he chooses to run his business alongside a day job, and how he manages his time between these things. Nate also helps to run an organisation called Our Maker Life, alongside other makers, who get together yearly to share experiences and ideas and work together on their craft. Nate describes for me his experience of working in the knitting world as a man and how his expression of his gender shapes his work and how others might view his work as a result of gender expression. Nate has this really calming voice, and it was a treat to get to chat to him about the many things that make him uniquely him. A giant thanks to this week's episode sponors: Threads of Peru & 100 Acts of Sewing! shownotes for this epsiode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode33

We're raising money for Planned Parenthood on the 15th Sept on Instagram at @joyinthestruggle.Please share this with your friends and consider bidding on a beanie on the 15th!

The Close Knit podcast aims to hold space for conversation to be had about working with fibre in its many forms, within our selves and our communities. In Episode 32 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Kinknit. Kinknit combines two things that you might not have thought about combining before (or maybe you have - like many folks who’ve gotten in touch with them on the internet) - kink and fibre. Which, when you think about it, kind of makes sense, doesn’t it? interest in fibres and interest in ropes, interest in the tying of intricate knots. Afterall, knitting is just a series of knots, isn't it? We talk about how kinking uses kink, yoga and an active fibre practice in their management of their chronic illnesses, and how even when their body wouldn’t cooperate, they were still so fundamentally a spinner and a knitter. Rope and photo by @dwlphoto What i love so much about this chat is how we’re talking about something that is kind of taboo and not often talked about, especially in the fibre arts community - but it makes so much sense when kinking explains the parallels between these communities that they’ve noticed. image by @magnessvondoom My intention with the podcast is present people as their whole selves - and I love that we got to talk about all the ways that Kinknint shows up to the world as themselves - unashamed and proud of all the elements that make them uniquely them. photo by @sliversilverphotography / sliversilverphoto.com People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:Fetlife - ravelry for kinkInto the Whirled - rad indie dyerIzznit - we love her badass knitting tattoos friend and badass Pajarolibrexx master weaver Megan Shimek Find Kinknit: instagramWant more? Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket CastsLike 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! xxani

 In Episode 31 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Marlee Grace. Marlee is a person whose work I’ve been following for a long time - something like 3 years, actually, and she was one of the people I remember putting down as a “stretch goal” when I first conceptualized of making the podcast. Marlee talks to me about how she uses knitting to process being sober, how she learned to quilt, how she identifies as an improvisational quilter, and how her dance practice and training informs her way of working and being in this world. We talk about the space and project she ran in Grand Rapids, Have Company, and how she navigated and continues to navigate the complexities of growing a project and business and hiring team members (pro tip: hiring your friends feels good) We also talk about the dynamics of sharing personal details on the internet versus IRL and the ways in which this has led to friendships and opportunities for Marlee. There’s a whole lot of good Marlee content that exists on the internet and I’m really excited to get to share with you this chat that we had.

In Episode 30, I spoke to Hanna Lisa Haferkamp and Verena Cohrs. Hanna Lisa and Verena are feminist knitters living in Berlin who work together on a project called Making Stories and separately on their own solo projects, as well. Hanna Lisa and Verena came up with the concept for Making Stories, an independent knitwear design publishing company, after getting together for knitting hang outs and running a yarn crawl with local knitters in Berlin. We talk about how they navigate the dynamics of working on a project together, in addition to their separate companies and what this looks like on a day to day basis - the necessity of having a similar long term and bigger vision for the project, but the beauty of having differing opinions on the smaller details. Hanna Lisa explains the turning point for her in her business in 2016 to make a decision to very openly identify as feminist and keep her core values of supporting womxn owned businesses in the running of her own business. Both tell us about their routines around self care and how they work together to keep each other accountable. A huge thank you to this week’s episode sponsor: Made In Tasmania. Made in Tasmania is a small, family owned and mostly family run business operating out of Tasmania. They work with Australia’s oldest wool mill, Waverley Woolen Mills, to weave colorful bed throws from Tasmanian sourced and processed superfine merino. I personally got a chance earlier this year to tour the factory and see how it’s all made - and it’s bloody cool. The wool comes in greasy bales and gets processed up at Waverely right down to the dying and weaving. Made In Tasmania also works with Hobart- based not for profit Tastex, who employ folks with barriers to employment, where they add finishing touches to machine knit scarves made from merino yarn. You can find Made In Tasmania at their bricks and mortar in Salamanca Place, Hobart and online at madeintasmania.com and on instagram as @madeintasmania. They ship worldwide! As a special gift to close knit podcast listeners, Made In Tasmania are offering 10% off your first purchase - use the code close knit at checkout. Thanks again to Made In Tasmania for sponsoring this episode of the Close Knit podcast!

In Episode 29 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Claire and Ashton of Wax and Wane Fiber. Claire and Ashton are a queer and feminist fibre art operation based in Baltimore. We talk about the ways in which claire and ashton make space for each other and navigate the dynamics of running a business together, the realities of having day jobs in addition to a creative business and doing taxes. (pro tip - do your taxes). we talk about how fibre art is a political tool and how their work and business has changed as a result of the political climate in the US. this chat was a funny one, with a lot of editing because the internet connection from tasmania to baltimore was shaky, so if you notice a couple moments of weirdness, that’s what that was. we also have a few little inside jokes that formed over the course of this conversation, which (side note) was also the first time we’d ever spoken. we get deep into some tender chats about how we all just need some loving, and how earlier we watched rhianna and jennfier lopesz mustc videos. there’s no other way to describe this chat than ~pillow talk~ really really good pillow talk. Show notes are available for this episode at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode29 A huge thank you to this week's episode sponsor, Millpost Merino.

In Episode 28, I speak to Emma Peters, a textile artist and lecturer based in Sydney. Emma is a textile artist and lecturer based in Sydney. We chat about emma’s childhood and her strong tactile and olfactory memories of textiles as a child on the wool farm with her family. Emma has spent the last few years exploring wet felting and has incorporated this into her personal and professional work. We speak about how Emma has processed her life experiences through her work, sometimes unconsciously and we discuss how powerful fibre as a medium can be. As a lecturer in a university setting, Emma brings her whole self to the classroom and is encouraging of her students to explore many elements of themselves in their work with fibre. We speak about the necessity of bringing and acknowledging the role of self in research and talk about the ways in which spaces displaying art can facilitate safe space for truth telling about ourselves. Show notes for this episode are available at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode28. Special thanks to this week's episode sponsor: 100 Acts of Sewing. You can find 100 Acts of sewing on etsy and instagram @sonyaphilip.

In Episode 27 of the Close Knit Podcast, I speak to Anna Barberio of For Flynn Protest Art Anna is a cross stitcher, mixed media protest artist and a student of psychology. We talk about anna’s approach to craft, how much of her work has come from a place of necessity, and particularly how her work has come from a place of necessity during the election season and presently, under the new presidential administration in the US. Anna raises some really important points about craft and self care, and we both have a great big chat about the ways in which we look after ourselves (or more often than not, fail at doing that). Show notes for this episode are available at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode27

In Episode 26 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Shannon Downey of Badass Cross stitch. Shannon is a subversive cross stitcher and weaver based in Chicago. We cover some really incredible topics in this episode. Shannon explains how she sees her role in craftivism and the role of craftivism at large. She walks me through her process of creating Feminist War Flags, and tells us about a project on gun violence that prompted her to create an incredible fundraiser for an arts therapy project in Chicago. It also happens to be the 1 year anniversary of the Close Knit Podcast, and I’m really stoked to be able to share this chat that Shannon and I had with you. I’m so grateful to get to speak to folks like Shannon and I’m hopeful that the Close Knit Podcast can continue to grow to be a space that is safe and inclusive for important conversations about the intersection of craft and social justice.

In Episode 25, I spoke to Deva O’Neil of Phaedra Clothing. Deva is a clothing maker and indigo dyer based in Cornwall. Her interest in linen started at a young age, as she watched her mother and her mother’s friends engage with linen and beautiful, oversizes silhouettes. As a teenager, Deva altered her own clothing and over the past few years, has moved into drafting her own patterns, sort of a mishmash of other patterns and garments she’s made, to achieve the aesthetic she imagines in her mind. Deva and I talk about how she’s taught herself to sew and dye, and how the infinite world of fibre has entranced her. We discuss how she’s grown Phaedra and keeps it going alongside day work, and how she plans to grow it over time. Huge thank you to this week's episode sponsor - Pickle and Co Fibres, handdyed and handspun Australian fibres. Find pickle and co on instagram @pickleandcofibres and on Etsy "Pickle and Co Fibres".