Yarn in the City

News & Announcements   Allison is now a British citizen! And she has a new job! She is now the Events Coordinator – Craft for Farnham Maltings, the home of Unravel.   She’s also putting on Make Joy, a one day celebration of yarn and friendship, happening at Baden Powell House in central London near the Natural History Museum on Sunday, 3 November. Tickets are now on sale! Rachel also has a new job! But thankfully she’s working from home so she can knit on client calls without anyone looking at her strangely. Win, win. What we’re working on   Allison has been doing a little bit of Porpoise Fur spinning on her new wheel. She’s also working on a super secret uber chunky project to be revealed later in the year, and is knitting some Mercury socks by Kim Drotar (a free pattern on Rav) from the Urth yarn she got from Rachel for her birthday.  Rachel – finished one Ripple Bralette by Jessie Mae Martinson for eldest daughter in Dusty Dimples sock yarn in Pretty Poisons, and started another for youngest daughter in Qing Fibre BFL fingering. As a new crochet project, she started the Fern shawl by Jan Power (another free pattern on Ravelry - thank you!) But most importantly, she finally got into her Electric Eel Wheel Nano and has spun up the singles of three bumps of fibre she bought from John Arbon that is destined to be an Odyssey Shawl by Joji Locatelli.  Great London Yarn Crawl 2019 – recap and door prizes!  The year’s new format for the GLYC seems to have been a fantastic success! Thank you for all you feedback, and as always we’d love to hear your thoughts - use the contact us link at the bottom of the page to give us your feedback, good and bad. And now for the door prizes: Loop’s door prize of 4 skeins of BC Garn in blues and a tote bag were won by Dorothea Tilroe. Tribe sent a tote bag stuff with a giant needle and swatch gauge, a skein of Urth yarn Monochrome, a skein of Bear in Sheeps Clothing fingering, and a Tribe enamel pin. These are finding a good home with Anne Cunningham.  Mahliqa: the first prize Swarovski crystal earrings with pompoms and bag goes to Sophie McKane, with a second prize of a necklace and set of stitch markers in the EYF special colourways (collaboration with Countess Ablaze) and Mahliqa bag are headed to Nicole Stanley.  A copy of the wonderful This Golden Fleece by Esther Rutter will be enlightening Rhona Johnstone.   Grand prize for those who visited all 13 shops!  Goodies form Loop, Mahliqa and SweetGeorgia Yarns – a skein of Shalimar (70% sw merino/20% kid mohair/10% silk) and Loop tote bag, SGY Tough Love Sock in Smitten, and set of Swarovski stitch markers and bag from Maliqa go to Sue Smith.  We’ve also crunched our numbers and are proud to say that this year’s GLYC raised almost £900 for Refuge - thank you all so much!!!! *** Wrap up  Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise 

It’s been a loooong time since we’ve recorded, and there’s lots and lots to talk about. In this episode, we’ll update you on plans for this year’s Great London Yarn Crawl, the changes in our circumstances, and what’s ahead for Yarn in the City.  News & Announcements  Over the almost six months since we last spoke to you there have been a lot of changes behind the scenes here at YITC HQ, which mean our focus as an organization is going to be changing pretty dramatically.  We talk about Rachel’s move back to the States and Allison’s work changes, and what that means for YITC as an organisation. Great London Yarn Crawl 2019 There will still be a Great London Yarn Crawl this year, but the structure and format are going to be dramatically different from previous editions.  Who: All of you! What: The 2019 edition of the Great London Yarn Crawl Where: All over Greater London When: 1-8th September 2019 How: Buy your GLYC Passport on 1 July, make plans with your friends or former teammates, and hit the streets the first week of September for some amazing yarn-y goodness! Then send us your passport to be entered to win door prizes. Passports will cost £10, and will be mailed to the person making the purchase, so if you’re buying for friends you’ll need to pass them out once received! As usual, all net proceeds will go to our charity partner Refuge, which provides support for victims of domestic abuse. With the change in structure, we’re not able to collect donations for Knit for Peace this year, but we encourage you to send in your contributions – details on how to do so are on their website, and there are details about the particular items they’re looking for at any given time so do check out the listing.  What we’re working on   Allison has just finished the Pipit Dress by Aisnworth & Prin (from The Knitting Shed), and her Weekender by Andrea Mowry.  She’s working on a second Impressionists Shawl from Curious Handmade, since the first one she made ended up in Rachel’s wardrobe instead… Rachel has been updating and redoing samples for older patterns, and designing new things based on her travels. She’ll have some test knits running for a couple of half-pi shawls in the next few weeks, so check out her testing pool on Yarnpond if you’d like to join - handspun testers are especially welcome! (Please note: you’ll need to be a member of Yarnpond to join the testing pool.) What comes next for Yarn in the City?  We talk about some of the challenges behind YITC events and why we’re making some big changes since we are no longer in the same locale. There are exciting things ahead! Previous YITC designs: Waterloo Mitts   Watching the Tide (on Ravelry soon) Wrap up  Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

It’s our final episode of the year and thanks to the joys of modern technology (Allison is in London and Rachel is in sunny Australia) we’ve been able to connect and catch up. News & Announcements We’ve joined Rosy Green Wool and designer Melanie Berg and their campaign Knitters Against Malaria. The campaign runs from December 24th, 2018 through to January 31st, 2019. If you’ve not made any holiday charitable donations yet or if you still have room to give, it only takes a few dollars to purchase bed nets for distribution in Africa to help prevent this disease. We are also tickled to have made the shortlist of nominees for Knit Now magazine’s Knitter of the Year 2018 Awards! We’re nominated in the Local Superstars category for our work creating yarn-y events and celebrating local and UK makers. Voting is now up to the public through the 31st of December so if you’re able to cast your vote for us, we’d really appreciate it! Check out all of the amazing nominees and cast your vote here. What we’ve been working on Thanks to the influence of Sockmatician’s Instagram and a sneaky trip to Morris & Sons in Sydney, Rachel has been working on the Knot Dead Yet cowl by Dan Lee. She’s also been spinning on her Turtlemade spindle from Alli and enjoying the portability of the spindle. Allison is almost finished her Land of Sweets cowl by Helen Stewart while also working on the 1898 hat for Harrison for Christmas. She’s also knitting fingerless mitts and has her Make Nine lined up for 2019. The Christmas Episode We chatter on about what we’re doing for Christmas and how we’ve treated ourselves by supporting the Dreaming Robots Kickstarter for the new Electric Eel Wheel Nano. Wrap Up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Programming note: our stitch knit is on hiatus over the holidays and will resume the week of January 7th, 2019. The podcast is now on hiatus for a wee break while Rach continues her travels. Don’t worry - we’ll be back in 2019 with new plans and new surprises! Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Sleeping at Last Carol of the Bells - Future of Forestry I’ll Be Home for Christmas - Sleeping at Last

As 2018 and our year of Yarn Adventures is drawing to a close, we take the time to catch up and chat about what is coming next for Yarn in the City! What we’re working on Allison has abandoned pretty much everything she was working on pre-Yarnporium (including doing the sleeves for Weekender) and has been knitting the Clara dess from Isager (designer is Karin Vestergaard Mathiesen). Rachel finished her Carbeth (again!) after realising she should have knit it the next size up. Happily the sleeves didn’t need to be reknit! The leftover yarn is going to become a hat for Lindsey. Rach is also occasionally spindling some fibre here and there. Gap Year As with last year the podcast will be taking a brief hiatus until about March. Not least because of all of the prep involved with Yarnporium but mostly because of the exciting adventure that Rachel and her family have embarked on for the year, travelling to far-flung places! We catch up on Rachel’s first leg of the journey and chat about what this means for Yarn in the City.  Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere, just taking a wee break! If you want, you can keep up with us personally by following us on Instagram as @porpoise_fur (Rachel), @champagneandqiviut (Allison) or Rachel’s family’s gap year @tworoadsdivergerged.me. IG links to all of our personal blogs too! Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

It’s our Yarnporium 2018 wrap-up episode! Fair Warning: We are recording this literally the day after the Yarnporium so we might still be on a high from the yarn fumes and good vibes that were to be had at the show! We’ve got a full recap for you so grab your current project and your beverage of choice and kick back with us! What we’re working on + next steps We went a little bonkers the week before Yarnporium and decided to try knitting sweaters for the show. It was a good exercise in having something to keep us sane! Allison – Beton Brut + wrapping up Weekender by Andrea Mowry on the knitting machine. Just the sleeves to go! Rachel – Carbeth by Kate Davies. A valiant effort to make it to the finish line in under a week! Yarnporium Well wasn’t that a party?! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We’re counting down with just under two weeks to go to the Yarnporium and it’s finally time to tell you all about our super secret project that we’ve been working on! Yarnporium Update Marketplace tickets are still available and are available for £10 in advance or £12 on the day. Get your tickets here. Workshop tickets are still available here, but will only be on sale until 11.:59pm on Sunday, October 28th. Workshop registration will not be possible in person at the Yarnporium.  If you are attending a workshop you automatically have access to the marketplace for the day of your workshop, but will need a marketplace ticket if you want to attend the marketplace on the day you aren’t taking a class. Other events: Friday – Yarn Lovers Lounge sponsored by The Yarn Collective  Book signing with Nathan Taylor - see his Guys Knit the Musical video here!   Also meet and greets with designers, yarn tasting and a big yarn giveaway, a pop-up café and seating, and a lunchtime meet up for Beton Brut Yarnporium Countdown KAL  Saturday – Makers Walking the Talk Series  Details and tickets here. What we’re working on  Allison – Beton Brut coming along – hooray Yarnporium Countdown KAL Ravelry thread!   Rachel – Lettlopi hats and a bit of spinning. Obsessed with Carbeth by Kate Davies. Mini-Yarn Guide: London  The London Craft Guide came out almost 3 years ago, and in that time there’s been a lot of changes in the London yarn scene. So we’ve put together an adorable pocket size book full of yarn shop profiles, indy dyer profiles and new patterns inspired by London!  Patterns:  Underground Mittens by Eli Leistad of Skeindeer Knits, using Easyknits Squidge  London Life hat and Cowl by Allison Thistlewood, using Mrs Moon Plump  London Lines Shawl by Helen Stewart, using Qing Fibre Merino Single  Glasshouse Shawl by Rachel Brown, using Travelknitter BFL DK  *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

Continuing our year’s theme of Yarn Adventures we’re delighted to have a chat with Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley of Kelbourne Woolens. They share a bit of their 10 year yarn adventure with us – which has culminated in the release of their brand new yarn Germantown, and a special appearance at our upcoming Yarnporium! Thanks to our sponsor: The Yarn Collective This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The Yarn Collective, a fibre and design company focused on working with independent designers to bring you luxurious hand-dyed yarns in a range of inspiring colourways. These international designers represent the best of modern knitwear design and include Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg, Carol Feller and Michele Wang. Each designer has created and curated a distinctive and wonderful line for The Yarn Collective. You can find out more about the yarns by visiting www.theyarncollective.com.  Yarnporium Update Hopefully you’re not completely sick of hearing about the show yet and have got your tickets and are gearing up for the show! We can’t wait to see you! Tickets A limited number of advanced tickets are on sale on our website. We encourage you to have a look at those! Day tickets are available for £10 in advance or £12 on the day. If you are attending a workshop you automatically have access to the marketplace! Workshops Workshops are starting to sell out so if there’s one you’ve been thinking about taking – please register soon before spaces are all gone! Workshops will only be on sale until 11.:59pm on Sunday, October 28th. Workshop registration will not be possible in person at the Yarnporium. Friday – Yarn Lovers Lounge sponsored by The Yarn Collective Saturday – Makers Walking the Talk Series What we’re working on Rachel has finished her Béton Brut shawl for the Yarnporium Countdown KAL, along with the 21-Color Slouch hat that she busted out in a single sitting! She’s also made progress on her Raindrops tee by Tin Can Knits. Allison’s knitting attention has been scattered between the Tullameen Shawl MKAL and the Béton Brut KAL while also working on a new hat design. She’s also plotting a sweater to make on her new-to-her chunky knitting machine. Maybe you’ll see her wearing it at the Yarnporium? Germantown This week we had a lovely catch up with Kate and Courtney from Kelbourne Woolens who are joining us for the Yarnporium. They have had a very busy yarn adventure over the last 10 years as they’ve built their business. Their 10 year anniversary has brought with it both change and new opportunities and they chat with us about their new directions, and their latest yarn, Germantown. Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

On this episode of the podcast we’re counting down to the Yarnporium - only five weeks to go now. Eep! We’ve cast on for the Yarnporium Countdown KAL - are you joining us? Thanks to our sponsor: The Yarn Collective This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The Yarn Collective, a fibre and design company focused on working with independent designers to bring you luxurious hand-dyed yarns in a range of inspiring colourways. These international designers represent the best of modern knitwear design and include Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg, Carol Feller and Michele Wang. Each designer has created and curated a distinctive and wonderful line for The Yarn Collective. You can find out more about the yarns by visiting www.theyarncollective.com.  Yarnporium Countdown KAL The Yarnporium Countdown KAL officially kicked off a week ago. Thanks to those of you who joined us on Instagram Live for the cast on and huge apologies for the loss of sound at the end. We’re still getting used to the whole IG Live thing! If you want to join in, head over to our Ravelry group for more details and show us your yarn and your progress. Don’t forget to tag your projects on Ravelry and Instagram with the tag #YarnporiumKAL2018 to be eligible for some fab prizes too. Want to use Walcot Yarns for your shawl? Head on over to their website before September 30th to get 10% off your yarn purchase! Use the code YarnporiumKAL2018 to get the discount added at checkout. What we’re working on Rachel is working on Béton Brut for the Yarnporium KAL and has finished a new crochet pattern that is AMAZING for handspun! She plans to release the new pattern in a few weeks time. Rach is also finding all kinds of lost WIPs and has plans to make the 21-color slouch hat from Blue Sky Fibers. Allison has two KALs on the go with the Béton Brut shawl as well as the Tullameen Mystery KAL for SweetGeorgia Yarns - using some of their new colours for fall/winter. She’s finally cracked her super secret project too. Countdown to Yarnporium At the time of recording the podcast there were only 6 weeks to go until the Yarnporium - which means there’s now even less time! Things you can look forward to at the show: Indie Designer Day and the Yarn Lovers Lounge - sponsored by The Yarn Collective and featuring book signings, meet and greets with designers and trunk shows + mini cafe - all happening on Friday, November 2 Makers Walking the Talk Series with The New Yarn Barons, Your Pattern in Print and The Story of Laine - happening on Saturday, November 3 VIP ticket holders and Saturday workshop participants will also get early access to the marketplace from 9am before doors open to the general public at 10am on Saturday A fantastic line up of workshops on both days with teachers that include Kelbourne Woolens, Nathan Taylor, Jane Lithgow, Karie Westermann, Kate Atherley, Carol Feller, Renée Callahan, Jonna Hietala and Sini Ellen and Julie Knits in Paris! Workshops are starting to sell out and we have a limited number of early-bird tickets so make sure to get your tickets soon! *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

On this episode we give  a recap of the 6th annual Great London Yarn Crawl, the Yarnporium KAL (whoop!) and a woolly yarn review. Plus the usual update on our projects and general goings on. Thanks to our sponsor: The Yarn Collective This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The Yarn Collective, a fibre and design company focused on working with independent designers to bring you luxurious hand-dyed yarns in a range of inspiring colourways. These international designers represent the best of modern knitwear design and include Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg, Carol Feller and Michele Wang. Each designer has created and curated a distinctive and wonderful line for The Yarn Collective. You can find out more about the yarns by visiting www.theyarncollective.com.  GLYC Recap 10 teams, 18 volunteers, 12 door prizes, 12 shops, £341 for Refuge and two big bags of handknits plus another bag of supplies for Knit for Peace. Thanks to all the shops, our sponsors - Willow & Lark, Blue Sky Fibers, Debonnaire, Liberty, Loop, Kelbourne Woolens, Rowan at Liberty, Soak, SweetGeorgia, The Little Grey Girl, Tribe, Walcot Yarns and the Yarn Collective – plus the amazing group of volunteers who shepherded the Yarn Crawlers through some tough transport challenges and all the folks who joined us this year!  What we’re working on Allison's secret project is ongoing, and she’s started the Tullameen Mystery KAL for SweetGeorgia with new colours! She’s also working on “renovating” her office.        Rachel has finally finished and blocked the Kippen Cardigan, but it looks to be a bit too small so will likely go to her mother. Fully bitten by the crochet bug, she's cast on a cowl in some unknown yarn, and is now obsessively crocheting so can cast on another cowl in handspun. Yarnporium KAL We are thrilled to have announced the projects for our Yarnporium KAL! The knit project is Karie Westerman’s brand new Béton Brut Shawl, designed in Walcot Yarns Opus. For the crocheters out there, we’re recommending the Filigree Tippet by Jo Smith also designed for Opus Walcot Yarns special offer: 10% off your order with the code YarnporiumKAL2018 at walcotyarns.com. Offer runs through 30 September, and is a single use only. The KAL kicks off on 15 September and wraps up on October 30, giving you just enough time to block your shawl for the Yarnporium! We’ll be doing a live cast on party on Instagram at 1 pm on September 15th – come join in, and come on over to the Yarnporium Countdown KAL thread in the Yarn in the City Ravelry group. Woolly Yarns In this episode, we review Marina Skua Mendip 4-ply, a hand-dyed yarn on two woollen-spun bases, Sunny and Stormy. Marina uses the same colours on both bases to make coordinated pairs, and this toothy yarn is perfect for colourwork and steeking! Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

The warmth of summer is quickly fading and it’s almost the new year on the knitting calendar… when we start fresh with new projects and new hopes and plans for sweater weather, maybe a little Christmas project making – you know what we’re talking about! Yarnporium Update Day tickets to the Yarnporium are now available through our website. If you are attending a workshop on the day your admission is already included. We’re super excited about our Makers Walking the Talk series featuring The New Yarn Barons, Your Pattern in Print and The Story of Laine. More details here!  What we’re working on Allison has taken Praline out of time out and she is getting back to her super secret project! Rachel finished Study Hall and is working on not losing her mind being back on the Kippen Cardigan by Kat Goldin. Anticipation Planning for fall and winter knitting, and can we say the C-word yet? *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We are both in North America on our summer holidays, so on this episode we chat about our holiday knits, exciting new (and old!) shops we’ve visited, and new creative inspirations. We also have some Great London Yarn Crawl and Yarnporium updates! Thanks to our sponsor This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The Yarn Collective, a fibre and design company focused on working with independent designers to bring you luxurious hand-dyed yarns in a range of inspiring colourways. These international designers represent the best of modern knitwear design and include Bristol Ivy, Melanie Berg, Carol Feller and Michele Wang. Each designer has created and curated a distinctive and wonderful line for The Yarn Collective. You can find out more about the yarns by visiting http://www.theyarncollective.com.  Great London Yarn Crawl 2018 – Update GLYC 2018 is now sold out! If you missed getting your ticket, please check our Ravelry boards for ticket swaps. We look forward to kicking off the autumn knitting season with you all on 1 September!  Yarnporium Update It’s almost time to grab your tickets for Yarnporium! Entry tickets will go on sale very soon, along with tickets to our Saturday talk series, which will include three 1-hour talks.   We are thrilled to be offering the Saturday talk series, which will include two panel discussions: The New Yarn Barons (all about what it takes to create a yarn, from the indy dyer with a few bespoke bases through up and coming new yarn companies), and Your Pattern in Print (learn about about different avenues for seeing your designs in the public eye, from self-publishing, mainline magazines and online exposure). The third talk is The Story of Laine – Sini and Ellen will give an overview of their yarn adventure creating Laine magazine, which has gone from an idea to a successful worldwide publication in less than two years.  Ticket details Yarnporium day tickets: £10 in advance/£12 on the day (no weekend tickets)  Talk series: £8 in advance/£10 on the day  Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.   What we’re working on Allison visited Villekulla in Calgary and is working on the Fuss Free Festival Shawl by Louise Tillbrook (Praline is in time out). She's also taught herself herringbone stitch for a secret project!   Rachel is three quarters of the way through Study Hall by Sarah Schira from Knitty First Fall, and is finding that using two multi-coloured/speckled yarns for a pattern the depends on strong colour contrasts may not have been the best idea. But it’s still working!   Working on Holiday Time Tits Out Collective update: Countess Ablaze and her crew of Tits Out Collective crafters raised over £55,000 for charities worldwide!!!! We may have teared up a little at that number. Well done to all!  We chat about our holiday knits, new inspiration from Reykjavik (Rachel), and many many shops (Allison). Rachel's mentions: Halcyon Yarns (Bath, Maine), Joann (nationwide chain), sky like snow (southern Vermont).  Allison's mentions: Villekulla, Yarn Twisters, Pinnovate, Loop Kensington, STASH, Pudding Yarn (Calgary); A Twist of Yarn (Vernon); Art of Yarn (Kelowna); plus plans to visit two shops in Vancouver. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

*** Audio alert: we're both away on holidays so this podcast was recorded remotely. Sadly, due to technology it's not our usual high-quality audio and there is some background noise occasionally. We'll try to find a better solution for the next episode! *** On today’s episode we talk about knitters using their powers for good, both individually and with their communities to back them up. There have been some amazing happenings in the wider woolly world recently and we couldn’t be more impressed with a couple of examples, the East London Knitters #sayballstotrump banner and The Tits Out Collective, headed by Countess Ablaze. Great London Yarn Crawl 2018 – Update Can you call an event sold out when there are only 5 tickets left?? We’d like to think so. With only a handful of tickets left on the Bloomsbury and City of London routes, the GLYC takes place on Saturday, September 1st and tickets are only £20. Plus we’ll be collecting handknits for Knit for Peace and holding our popular raffle for Refuge too. More details on our website! What we’re working on Allison finished the Lily baby sweater and it has been sent to the lucky recipient! She’s also finished crocheting the French Market Bag, which her mom promptly claimed. Knitting continues on Praline while she tries not to get too distracted with all the different yarns she’s seeing on holiday in Canada. She may have also inadvertently joined the Tour de Fleece (hooray!) with the happy purchase of an Electric Eel Wheel Mini at her LYS in Calgary. Rachel has been spinning for Tour de Fleece, and so far has managed to spin every day except for Stage 13, when she was busy finishing her Lily baby sweater. She was so thrilled about the baby sweater instant gratification, that she cast on Arrival by Dani Sunshine. She’s also finished her prototype shawl design for an upcoming project, and has wound up yarn to cast on Study Hall by Sarah Schira from Knitty First Fall when she goes on holiday later this week. Electric Eel Wheel - https://www.dreamingrobots.com/ Subersive Cross Stitch - https://subversivecrossstitch.com/blog/  The Power of Community We talk about some recent events in our community - the East London Knitters Say Balls to Trump and an amazing blog post from Knit with Attitude, and the Tits Out Collective. Also mentioned: Everyday Knitter Zola Budd What the Queen wore for Donald Trump’s visit (perhaps sadly not as pointed as we thought) - and there's a great thread on Twitter about the same issue, from a knitter who pointed it out. There's a recap here. *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

On today’s episode we’ve got a lengthy chat with Milli, owner of Tribe Yarns, a new shop opening in Richmond-Upon-Thames just outside of London later this summer. In fact, Tribe will be opening just in time for the Great London Yarn Crawl on September 1st! Our conversation was all over the place and got a little colourful in areas, so be warned! This is not our usual squeaky clean podcast. Great London Yarn Crawl 2018 – Update Geez you guys! We are just over 80% sold out after less than a week of selling tickets! If you’ve been thinking about joining us this year, don’t wait too much longer! At the time of this recording there are literally less than 20 tickets left, so get them before they’re gone! We’ve got great stuff in the goody bags like yarn from Willow & Lark, and amazing doorprizes from Loop, Knit With Attitude, Tribe, Blue Sky Fibers, Kelbourne Woolens, Debonnaire, and more! The GLYC takes place on Saturday, September 1st and tickets are only £20. Plus we’ll be collecting handknits for Knit for Peace and holding our popular raffle for Refuge too. More details on our website! What we’re working on Allison has mostly finished her Lily baby sweater, and is working on Praline. She's also finishing up a new hat design, turning to some sewing, trying her hand at needlepoint and basically freaking out about what projects she’s taking on her summer holidays. Rachel was seaming her Lily baby sweater at knit night, and is working on the knitted on edging for her new shawl design. She’s also been spinning like a maniac to try and make a dent in the truly ridiculous fibre stash! We talk about the Electric Eel Wheel Mini as a good option for an affordably priced electric wheel. It looks like they'll have more available at the end of July, and you can sign up to get notified when they are back in stock, so go check them out! Milli’s Yarn Adventure and Tribe Yarns This past weekend we headed out to Richmond to meet Milli Abrams and check out the home of new Tribe Yarns, opening next month! We had a lovely, somewhat off colour chat with Milli (cider was involved) all about her plans for the shop, some of the yarns that will be available and the type of community she's hoping to create.  For all the details about Tribe’s opening, follow them on social media and sign up to receive their newsletter (coming soon). Tribe Yarns on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Ravelry, and their soon-to-be website. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We can hardly believe that it's almost time for this year's Great London Yarn Crawl tickets to go on sale! On this episode: Great London Yarn Crawl 2018 Update We have fewer routes, only 10 this year, to make things a little easier organizing the GLYC alongside Yarnporium. Sadly, I Knit and Fringe won't be taking part this year but a new shop is opening that will be! Willow & Lark is also on board as our yarn sponsor and we've already had some pretty lush door prizes pour in from Blue Sky Fibers. Routes will be announced on or around June 15th and tickets will go on sale on July 1st as in past years. What We're Working On  Allison has been a sewing and making fiend and has whipped up two Linden sweatshirts while also crocheting a French Market bag in linen. She's also started knitting Praline by Dani Sunshine and also whipped up a Lilly baby sweater on her knitting machine for a friend's new arrival. Rachel hasn't finished her Lilly baby sweater yet as focus has been on wrapping up her Marginalia sweater by Karie Westermann which is now off the needles, blocked and too hot to wear in this weather (of course!). Rach is also working on a new shawl design and searching for a travel project for a work trip to Amsterdam.  Yarn Crawl Season It's summer! Which means less enthusiasm about wool and knitting as it becomes too hot, but our local yarn shops still need our support! Thankfully there are things like Yarn Shop Day, World Wide Knit in Public Day, as well as Yarn Crawls all over the world to help keep us heading to our Local Yarn Stores to be part of the action. We chat about different things we can do to keep showing our support for our LYSs. Wrap Up ​​​​​​​Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

Announcements: It’s the big Yarnporium announcement you’ve been waiting for! Workshops! We are SO excited about the roster of teachers that we’ve got lined up for you at this year’s Yarnporium. And quite an international roster too! We’ve got teachers from the UK (of course!), Scotland, Ireland, France, Finland, Canada and the USA too. Here’s a run down of who’s coming: England: Renée Callahan, Jane Lithgow, Nathan Taylor Scotland: Karie Westermann  Ireland: Carol Feller  France: Julie Dubreux (aka Julie Knits in Paris) Finland: Jonna Hietala and Sini Ellen from Laine Magazine Canada: Kate Atherley USA: Courtney Kelley and Kate Osborne from Kelbourne Woolens Tickets for the workshops will go on sale on June 1st. You can find all the class details as well as bios about all of our teachers on our website. What we’re working on: Allison is now on sleeve island for her Mon Manet by Jonna Hietala, in La Bien Aimee Merino Aran in Grellow and as always happens at about this point in any one of her projects is now thinking about what she wants to knit next. Rachel has finished all the pieces for the Lilly baby sweater by Justine Turner (machine knit) and now just has to put the thing together and knit the edging! She finished a long standing UFO – the Teign Wrap by Linda Lencovic in 4 indigo dyed colours of Baskerville. And she’s still going on the sleeves for Marginalia (slowly but surely). The Making of a Magazine: If you’re a knitter and you don’t know Laine Magazine (or Laine as we used to call it) then we think you’re really missing out. Since launching just over a year ago they’ve experienced an explosion of growth, going from naught to 50,000 copies in that short period of time. We sat down at EYF to chat with editors Jonna and Sini about how the magazine came to be. Have a listen and we’ll see you on the other side! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

Announcements: We will be releasing the teachers and workshops for Yarnporium starting 15 May, so keep you eyes on the blog and Yarnporium page for more details and ticket info. The Great London Yarn Crawl is happening again this year! Save the date for 1 July when tickets go on sale – routes will go up a couple of weeks earlier. What we’re working on: Allison finished her Impressionist MKAL from Helen Stewart, knit from Madeleinetosh from the deep layers of stash. When the picot bind off became too much, she cast on for the Mon Manet by Jonna Hietala, in La Bien Aimee Merino Aran in Grellow. Rachel finished the first sleeve of Marginalia in the post-heat wave rainy miserable weather that cropped up in the last couple of weeks. To celebrate the gorgeous May bank holiday weather, she’s woven up two handspun scarves over the weekend, but all that is now chopped liver as her new knitting machine has arrived and is operational, thanks to a detailed info dump from Alli! Rise of the Machine: We’ve always been handknitters, but the ever expanding sizes of our stashes and reduced knitting time has led us to consider other options for trying to manage the yarn load! Alli was first down the machine knitting rabbit hole, and has dragged Rachel along with her. We talk about getting into machine knitting, how different it is, and the instant gratification factor! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We are super excited to be chatting with you today as we have another interview that we recorded during our time at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival last month. Nancy Marchant joins us as our special guest today to talk to us about tuck stitches, texture, and of course brioche too! Announcements: First up, a shout out to Charlotte Parfitt who was the winner of the pair of weekend passes to Woollinn in Dublin What we’re working on: Allison has been plugging away on and (mostly) monogamous to her Impressionists MKAL by Helen Stewart. The final clue has just been released so only 20% left to go! When the project has been too big to travel with Allison has also had a pair of Rose City Rollers ankle socks with her and she’s mostly finished sewing a pair of wool trousers – that it is now too hot too wear. Rachel has been flying through Marginalia (or was until this week and 27 degree weather!) She’s finished the body and made a start on the first sleeve. She’s dug into some deep deep fibre stash and found some silk/wool batts that she’s been struggling with a bit. Beyond that the weather has gotten too nice to do anything but sit outside in the garden, so there’s been a lot of that. Talking about Tuck Stitches with special guest Nancy Marchant: As we’ve been chatting about Yarn Adventures this year we didn’t want the conversation to be limited to travels or places you could go with your knitting. Which got us thinking – what if the adventure were learning a new technique and expanding your knitting repertoire? In that spirit, we got to chat with Nancy Marchant at EYF. The Queen of Brioche was kind enough to take some time out of her packed schedule to talk with us about her newest book, Tuck Stitches: Sophistication in Handknitting. A heads up for our listeners – we recorded this interview with Nancy in the café at the Corn Exchange so there is some background noise and the odd café latte being made in the background! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

Following on from our last episode where we recapped the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, we’re making plans to check out a new yarn show on the horizon: Woollinn Dublin coming up at the end of May. We chat with organiser Lisa Sisk, who is also one of the owners of Dublin’s beautiful LYS This Is Knit, about what it’s like to put on a yarn show.  What we’re working on: Allison is feeling pretty smug after finishing her Gradient Pullover and Winter Dawn shawl so she also busted out a new toque (Pull the Wool Over) out of her souvenir yarn purchase from Vogue Knitting Live in New York. She’s now working on Helen Stewart’s Impressionists MKAL and using Martina Behm’s Strickplaner 2018 to try and wrangle the rest of her projects and WIPs for Q2. Rachel cast on her Marginalia pullover in Triskelion Arthur DK and finished a hat in Bloomsbury DK from The Yarn Collective. And has been spinning up a storm. And thinking about quilting… MORE yarn show hijinks: We have a good idea of how challenging it is to plan a yarn show. So we have great admiration for our interview guest, Lisa Sisk, and her team who are bringing a much needed yarn show to Ireland. Woollinn Dublin will debut for the first time on the 25th of May. While they may be new to show organising, Lisa and her team are also the owners of Dublin LYS This is Knit, and have leveraged their relationships with designers and dyers to put together an amazing line of exhibitors and teachers. We spoke to Lisa about her experience with pulling the show together, and it sounds like it's going to be absolutely amazing! Many thanks to Lisa for taking the time to chat with us about Woollinn Dublin. She has kindly given us a pair of weekend access tickets to for a giveaway! Getting to Dublin is easy from many spots in the UK and Europe, so if you think you’d like to hop over for the weekend, or even for the day like Allison, please leave a comment on the show notes. We’ll choose a winner on Sunday, April 15th and announce the winner on Instagram. Be sure to leave your Ravelry name or some other way of contacting you in case you win! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We’ve just come by from a phenomenal trip to the 2018 Edinburgh Yarn Festival, where we saw amazing yarns, caught up with friends old and new and generally soaked up as much colour and inspiration as possible! We recap EYF on today's episode, including an interview with someone who traveled a very long way to get to Edinburgh! We also review the new Jacob yarn from Blacker Yarns. What we’re working on: Allison was desperately trying to finish her handspun Gradient Pullover (by Amy Miller) over the weekend, and has 5 inches of the second sleeve left. She’s also working on some sample knitting for her upcoming trade show. Allison's EYF stash enhancement: A previously ordered kit for the Comfort Fade Cardi by Andrea Mowry in La Bien Aimee Comfort DK. Also  a sweater quantity of fingering weight yarn for Sunset Highway by Caitlin Hunter (mostly House of A La Mode from A Yarn Story), project bag, random sock skein (House of a la Mode in Redmond, a custom colourway dyed in honour of Carmen's dad). Rachel finished her Incunabula (by Karie Westermann) and got some amazing buttons for it from Textile Garden at EYF. She also came back from the show with two sweater lots of yarn, which are planning on growing up to be a Marginalia (Triskelion Yarns Arthur DK in Old Fox and My True Sweetheart) and a Woodman Cardigan from Bristol Ivy’s amazing new book (Jill Draper Makes Stuff Mohonk Light in Grape Hyacinth). She also got some stitch markers from The Little Grey Girl, and Daughter of a Shepherd Volume 1. Gina's Yarn Adventure On the ride up to Edinburgh, Allison met the lovely Gina Ross from Natural Yarns. They got to talking (as knitters do) and discovered that Gina has a fantastic yarn adventure to share, which includes yarn, yoga, mindfulness and building community. We had a chance to catch up with her at the show, and we think you’ll be interested to hear her story. Yarn Review: Jacob Blacker’s new yarn uses the unique Jacob sheep as it’s inspiration, with four bases combining variations of the natural fleece colours. Jacob sheep naturally have multicoloured coats, which means that their wool is less marketable. Sue and her team have blended the colours together during the spinning process to create a range of four coloured bases. These are then overdyed in three colours, giving a range of subtle shades. We got to play with some of it, and boy is it lovely! Yarn stats: DK: 110 m/50 gr 4-ply: 175 m/50 g Colour card here. EYF on-the-spot interviews: Liz and Ceci, aka howmanystitches and creativececi on Ravelry! Congrats to our YINGO winner! The random number generator spoke to us and we hope @svm_treks is delighted to find that her hard work to clear her Yingo card paid off! We will be in touch via DM on Instagram to get your details to send out your prize! *** Wrap up: Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

Hello and welcome back to the Yarn in the City podcast! We are thrilled to be back and chatting with you guys again after our brief hiatus. On today’s episode we’re chatting about our theme for the podcast in 2018, Allison interviews our first special guest of the year and of course we get to catch up on our knitting projects in anticipation of the upcoming EYF too. What we're working on: Rachel is knitting Incunabula by Karie Westermann from This Thing of Paper in Valley Yarns Northampton in Sage Heather, and is on the sleeves after having to start over again due to choosing the wrong size at the beginning. True to form, she's made the body longer and decided to change the sleeve shaping. As you do. Allison has been machine knitting up a storm, with her fabulous Union Jack Cardigan by Brandon Mably, and a bunch of awesome swatches from numerous classes (see short row eyeballs below). She also took a class in Bohus knitting when she went to Vogue Knitting Live last month, and we discuss Poems of Color by Wendy Keele, a good resource for Bohus knitting history. Upcoming events EYF. That is all (squee!) We will be at the Blacker Yarns Podcast Lounge throughout the show, so please come by and say hi! Yarn Adventures Last year. the theme that we tried to work through the podcast episodes was Make Happy. This year, we've decided to focus on Yarn Adventures, both ours and those of other people. To start things off, we have an interview with Maylin Scott (aka Blithespirit), a Canadian expat living in Liverpool. We hope you enjoy! YINGO! We've got a new photo challenge for those of you attending EYF - Yarn Bingo (or Yingo)! We've put together a bingo card of photo prompts for you to use as inspiration and we're looking forward to seeing your interpretations! More details to follow, but every 5 in a row series or collage of photos is 1 entry into the prize drawing - fill up the card for 5 entries! *** Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. We hope to see you at EYF! Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Revolution - Kate Tucker A Good Reason To Smile - Chasing Noise

We’ve been incommunicado for a while after Wovember with a shear overload of everything, so our apologies for the long break between episodes! But now we’re back, and we chat about upcoming events, our current crazy holiday knitting plans, review a new yarn and share some news about the podcast going into the beginning of 2018. Events 21st January – Waltham Abbey Wool Show, Essex, EN9 3LX 16-18th February – Unravel, Farnham Maltings, Farnham 15-17th March – Edinburgh Yarn Festival, Edinburgh   Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is trying to knit stealth Christmas stockings for family, in addition to finishing off the Woolly Wormhead Mystery KAL hats. Allison has finished the Martinique Beach Cowl - woohoo! Both sleeves are done on Harrison's sweater, Gaston, and she is working on a pair of mittens and hat for him for Christmas.  White Christmas A yarn we’re thinking about knitting with this Christmas is Hudson Worsted, the new release from The Yarn Collective, curated by Michele Wang. This lovely yarn is  85% merino/15% yak,  197 yd/180 m per 100 g, with a recommended gauge of 20 sts/26 rows to 10 cm/4”. It comes in 11 colours and there are several patterns designed by Michele Wang available through the Yarn Collective. After the review there's some noodling about our Christmas plans, and a fun giveaway – Nudie Knits! See more at their hysterical website, http://nudinits.com/, and leave a comment in the show notes about your most ambitious holiday knitting plans, successful or not (disaster stories welcome!) Entries will close on Dec 30th and we will post out to you soon after. Podcast Hiatus It’s been a busy end of the year for us and looks to be an even busier start to 2018 as next November's Yarnporium kicks off in earnest. With that in mind, we’ve decided to go on a brief hiatus for a few months – this will allow us to get in some good “real” holiday time with our families and begin January refreshed and ready for the very busy year ahead. Our current plans are to return sometime towards the end of February, so stay tuned to the blog, or our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds so you know when to expect us back! *** Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night between 7 and 10pm. Check the Ravelry thread to confirm location for Knit Night, as we seem to be going back and forth between The Goat on the Rise  and The Breakfast Club. Have a great holiday and New Year, and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) This Christmas - Sinclair Wonderful Christmastime - Joel Rakes Christmas is All Around - Sleeping at Last Carol of the Bells - Future of Forestry ​​​​​​​White Christmas - Sleeping at Last

Events  1 – 30th November: WOVEMBER!!!! This year's theme is Woolness: where wool meets wellness   23 – 30th November: London Guild exhibition – The Thames and Southwark: Threads of London Life, Southwark Cathedral, 10:30am - 5:30pm daily, free entry. Also includes a free Introduction to Natural Dyeing drop in session on Sunday, 26 November from 3-5pm.  2 December: Pints, Purls and Prosecco with Nathan Taylor, from 7-10pm!  21 January: Waltham Abbey Wool Show, 10am–4pm   Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on R: Starting point done!!!!  On the yoke of her British Blue sweater and working on the two Woolly Wormhead Mystery KAL hats  Weaving in ends video from Tabetha  A: Clue 2 of Cederberg Shawl MKAL – in SGY Tough Love Sock. Jumper for Harrison for Christmas. Looking for more Sirdar Eco Wool DK in "Clay"  (soft fawn colour), needs 3-4 more 50 g balls -   A Woolly Good Time:  Alli has visited a couple of shows since the last podcast and gives us a brief rundown: Knit for Peace's The Great Knit Fest at Chelsea Old Town Hall, and the Nottingham Yarn Expo. Then we both get a bit philosophical about wool, yarn and it's importance in our day-to-day lives. How does wool play into your everyday world? *** Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. We are now back at the Goat now that their refurb is done. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

We are full on into the autumn knitting season, and with the impending holidays bearing down on us faster than you think, we find our focus turning to accessory patterns and potential gifts. In this episode, we'll discuss upcoming events and what we're currently working on. We also have an interview with the one and only Woolly Wormhead to share with you! Sponsor note:  This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns, including a kit for Isabell Kraemer's new Amory sweater, on their website at www.garthenor.com.  Events 28 – 29th October: Kendal Wool Gathering   1 – 30th November: WOVEMBER!!!! This year's theme is Woolness: where wool meets wellness, and we're hosting an Instagram Photo Challenge!   11 November: Festiwool, at a new venue   11 – 12th November: Nottingham Yarn Expo   23 – 30th November: London Guild exhibition – The Thames and Southwark: Threads of London Life, Southwark Cathedral, 10:30am - 5:30pm daily, free entry. Also includes a free Introduction to Natural Dyeing drop in seesion on Sunday, 26 November from 3-5pm. Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is enthusiastically finishing some long-standing WIPs, after realising that virtually all of her numerous sets of 4 mm needles are stuck in other projects, and need to be reclaimed for new ones! She's polished off her Green Memories hat by La Maison Rillilie, and has picked up her Starting Point shawl again. One sleeve is done on her British Blue 100 sweater, and the second is started.  Allison is working on Clue 1 of the SweetGeorgia Yarns MKAL, but Clue 2 was out last week so she's feeling a bit behind! She's got her yarn wound and ready to cast on for the handspun Belles Filles Shawl KAL.   Hat Genius:  If you like to knit hats, then you've probably heard of Woolly Wormhead, self-described Hat Architect. As knitters of more than one Woolly Wormhead pattern, we were very excited to catch up with her during a recent visit to the UK, and talk about her hats, her design process, her new book, Elemental,  and her upcoming double-barrelled Mystery KAL, starting November 1st.  *** Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. However, the Goat will be closed for refurbishment from the 16th of October for approximately a month, so we've relocated up the hill a little bit at The Breakfast Club on Battersea Rise. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

We're back on schedule with this week's episode, in which we talk about Allison's trip to Shetland for part of Shetland Wool Week and dig into the patterns in two gorgeous books: Wool Journey: Shetland by Amber Corcoran, Jaime Jennings, Malia Mae Joseph and Stephen West, and Shetland by Marie Wallin.   Sponsor This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns, including a kit for Isabell Kraemer's new Amory sweater, on their website at http://www.garthenor.com. Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is still plugging away on her yellow Erika Knight jumper in British Blue 100. The change in weather means her wool mojo has returned with a vengeance, so she's also been spinning and had a bit of a slip last weekend, and is now the proud owner of a 10" Cricket loom which is destined for generating lots of handspun handwoven scarves.  Allison has finished spinning her Turning on Shetland from Porpoise Fur, and mostly finished her Martinique Beach Cowl! Still working on Lemon Difficult by Kate Atherley, but mostly has been spinning like a demon for Spinzilla.  Shetland Alli talks about her trip and all the fabulous places she visited, including Uradale Farm. Then we discuss the five patterns in Wool Journey: Shetland, by Amber Corcoran and Jaime Jennings, owners of Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver (Rachel visited the shop several summers ago) and Malia Mae Joseph and Stephen West, co-owners of Stephen & Penelope in Amsterdam. See all the patterns on Ravelry here. Last but not least we talk about the glorious stranded colourwork designs in Marie Wallin's new book Shetland (see all the patterns on Ravelry here). Lushly photographed and full of glorious colourwork designs, this book is definitely worth a look for anyone with a hankering for a challenge! Other books about Shetland you might want to explore:  Shetland Wool Week Annual 2017 Shetland Oo by Kate Davies and Tom Barr  Colours of Shetland, Inspired by Islay, or anything else by Kate Davies Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. However, the Goat will be closed for refurbishment from the 16th of October for approximately a month, so check out the thread in our Ravelry group for our alternative meet up place.  Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

September has been an incredibly busy month, and on this episode we recap the fifth annual Great London Yarn Crawl, including our live interview with special guest Erika Knight.  Our sponsor: This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns, including a kit for Isabell Kraemer's new Amory sweater, on their website at www.garthenor.com.  News and Events:  Drawing for prizes from last podcast:  Two skeins of Brushwork: pinkpot on Ravelry  Strander Gradient Sweater pattern: LuisaM  Congratulations to both, and thanks to everyone who posted a comment! Upcoming events: 7 – 22th October – UK Wool Week  11 – 15th October: The Knitting and Stitching Show, Ally Pally London  14 –15th October: Bakewell Wool Gathering  13 – 15th October: Loch Ness Knit Fest  14 October: West Wales Wool Show, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire  28 – 29th October: Kendal Wool Gathering  1 – 30th November: WOVEMBER!!!! This year's theme is Woolness: where wool meets wellness  11 November: Festiwool, at a new venue!  11 – 12th November: Nottingham Yarn Expo  23 – 30th November: London Guild exhibition – The Thames and Southwark: Threads of London Life, Southwark Cathedral  Save the date... 20-21st October 2018: The Knit-Tea Retreat, sign ups open 8 October, 2017 Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is finishing off her shawl pattern for the handspun KAL that will kick off on October 9 after Spinzilla is over – head over to her thread in the Ravelry group to sign up! She’s also working on a new sweater design in Erika Knight British Blue 100 that will hopefully be available at the end of the month.  Allison finished her Bousta Beanie, and is almost done with her Martinique Beach Cowl. She's been spinning Turning on Shetland from Porpoise Fur, and is currently working on Lemon Difficult by Kate Atherley.  GLYC Wrap up:  The fifth edition of the Great London Yarn Crawl was a huge success! Many thanks to our volunteers, sponsors and all the participants who came out on the day and made it such a great time, and brought over 100 items to donate to Knit for Peace! The event raised a total of £817, bringing the five year total to over £4200 donated to Refuge.  Finally - we have the audio from our live interview with Erika Knight at the after party and we love the stories that she has to share from her life in yarn and knitting. She's very passionate! Enjoy! *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Sweater weather is finally here and we couldn't be happier! On this episode of the podcast we've got a new yarn from Blacker Yarns to tell you about, as well as TWO giveaways! Our Sponsor This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns at the GLYC Mini-Yarn Market after party, or on their website at www.garthenor.com. News and Events Kirstie Allsopp's The Handmade Fair, Hampton Court Palace, London - September 15-17 Yarndale, Skipton - September 23-24 The Great British Sewing Bee Live, ExCel Centre, London - September 21-24 Shetland Wool Week, Lerwick, Shetland - September 23 to October 1 Thread, Farnham Maltings - September 30 Masham Sheep Fair, Masham - September 30 to October 1 GLYC Anniversary KAL Winners! Random chat thread participant - heckythump/Helen from Hull, winner of a skein of Destination Yarn Letter Plus in the colourway Oslo Random finisher - katt94/Katherine from Somerset, winner of a skein of Countess Ablaze Sovereign in the colourway Rebelling Against Suburbia Make Happy - aka What we're working on Rachel is working on not losing her mind while also prepping for Yarndale and plotting to knit all the things in handspun. She's also making incremental progress on her Starting Point. Allison almost finished her Fireflies Rising in time for the GLYC (thwarted again for another year!) and is moving on to her Bousta Beanie to get it finished in time for Shetland Wool Week. New Season New Yarn We chat about a gorgeous new yarn from the good folks at Blacker Yarns. Brushwork is this year's birthday yarn for Blacker. It's a sport weight yarn spun up in 50g balls and 152 meters/165 yarns and available in 8 colours. The yarn is a lofty, bouncy combination of 20% alpaca and 80% wool - 70% from Scottish Bowmont sheep and 10% from Castlemilk Moorit, on the Rare Breed Survival Trust Watchlist.  We chat about our autumn knitting plans too and want to hear about yours! Giveaway #1 To help you with your own autumn knitting plans, Blacker Yarns have generously provided us with two balls of their new Brushwork yarn to giveaway! In the comments for these shownotes, share a patterns suggestion with us (including the Ravelry link!) of what you'd make with this lovely yarn. We'll keep the content open until September 20th, 2017 at 11:59pm BST. Make sure you tell us your Ravelry name so we know how to get a hold of the winner! Giveaway #2 - and a lovely discount! Last March Josh joined Team YITC for the Blacker PodKAL that led up to EYF and she designed and knit the most glorious colourwork sweater. She's just released the pattern after reworking it for Tamar 4-ply (the original was knit in Cornish Tin) and it is now available on Ravelry! Josh would like to kindly offer YITC podcast listeners 20% off the Stranded Gradient Sweater pattern. Use the code YITC20 before Tuesday, September 19th at midnight (Amsterdam time zone). Thank you Josh!! We'll also giveaway one copy of Josh's pattern. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on the Episode 67 giveaway thread on Ravelry and tell us what colours of Blacker Yarns Tamar you'd use for your own Stranded Gradient Sweater. The contest will be open until September 20th, 2017 at 11:59pm BST. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City  

On this episode we get to share with you some of the amazing makers and shops we’ve had the opportunity to visit during our travels on the other side of the pond this summer, as well as updates on GLYC, what we’re working on, and a session with the Knitting Doctor. GLYC2017 Update We have a new vendor to announce for the Mini Yarn Market: https://owlaboutyarn.com/ will be joining us with yarn and project bags and other gorgeous goodies! The DIY version of the GLYC is now underway! If you aren't able to join us on GLYC 2017, you can do a DIY version for a minimal donation - please consider adding multiple copies of the passport to your shopping cart to increase your donation to Refuge! More details here. Make Happy Rachel's Fireflies Rising is now blocked and ready for the GLYC! She's also finished the first half of her Starting Point and started the second, but also managed to finish a new shawl design using some handspun from the Tour de Fleece – there will be a knitalong starting on 6 September for the shawl, so check out her Ravelry group for more details. Allison finished Sprite’s Fen in time for the wedding, and has finished knitting lots of bunny pieces that now need to be seamed together. She needs to swatch again for Raindrops, which leads us to a moment in which Rachel plays Knitting Doctor and we talk about what to do when you realise you haven't used the right size needle for your project (and you really, really don't want to start over!) North American Yarn Adventures We've both spent some time in North America this summer, and have had the chance to visit some new shops and makers. Rachel spent one week in Vermont, and since her in-laws live in a perfect storm of fibre arts makers, she got to spend an afternoon with Hannah Reiger, the artist behind Sky Like Snow – one of a kind hats dyed with farmed and foraged natural dyes, and dyed to create specific pooling patterns in her knit hats. Allison spent some time working while she was back in Canada, and got to visit some glorious shops, including: Maiwa on Granville island in Vancouver, A Twist of Yarn in Vernon, Stash Needle Art Lounge in Calgary and a plethora of shops in her old stomping grounds of Toronto (The Workroom, EweKnit, Yarns Untangled and The Purple Purl). *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

On this episode of the podcast we've got another GLYC update - and then we get into chatting about the ultimate summer project: lace. Our Sponsor This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns at the GLYC Mini-Yarn Market after party, or on their website at www.garthenor.com. Great London Yarn Crawl UPDATE NEW for this year: we've added a DIY version of the yarn crawl for those of you who weren't able to get a ticket or aren't able to attend in London on September 9th. [click here for more details - need to add to GLYC section of website] Make Happy (aka What We're Working On) Rachel is finished her Fireflies Rising in Hedgehog Sock for the GLYC Anniversary KAL. She has moved on to making her own Starting Point using yarns from stash: Auracania, Artist's Palette, The Knitting Goddess, Dream in Color and Blue Moon Fiber Arts. Allison is SO close to being finished her Sprite's Fen shawl and is finally making progress on her own Fireflies Rising shawl. She's also been sporadically working on her Martinique Beach cowl. How do you lace? Summer seems like the perfect time to be working on light and airy things! We chat about lace, some basics, our first projects and experiences, tips, yarns, successes and disasters! If you haven't tried lace before we also chat about some great lace patterns to get you started. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Hello and apologies for this very belated episode of the podcast! Programming notes:  Our summer podcasting schedule is a little out the window at the moment due to international travel. We meant to have this episode up two weeks ago but were somewhat thwarted...  This episode also has some audio challenges that we weren't able to fix or re-record so we hope you'll bear with us as it's a shorter-than-usual episode. We're going to figure out an alternative for the next couple of episodes. Episode 64: Quiet We've got a shorter than usual episode this time around with another mini update on the Great London Yarn Crawl (which is NOW SOLD OUT!), some upcoming events and a discussion about taking time to be quiet and reflect this summer. Our Sponsor This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Garthenor, providing a variety of sustainable, organic British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. See Garthenor’s glorious yarns at the GLYC Mini-Yarn Market after party, or on their website at www.garthenor.com. GLYC2017 Update As of the time of recording, there were 6 tickets left for the GLYC! (YITC: And we are now SOLD OUT!). If you do miss out, keep an eye on the YITC Ravelry board for anyone who has to pass on their ticket later in the summer. We've also go some awesome doorprizes for this year's GLYC thanks to some of the good vendors from Pomfest! Keep an eye on our Instagram for more hints! Events 20-22nd July: Woolfeis, near Oban, Argyll 29-30th July: Fibre East, Ampthill, Bedfordshire 1 August: 1 September: “A Touch of Silk” exhibition, Whitchurch Silk Mill, Hampshire – exhibition of work from Guild members in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight 5th August: Yarnfolk Festival of Wool, Whitehead, Northern Ireland – a new event dedicated to all things fibre, and showcasing the best of local and international fibre arts. Exhibitors include Skein Queen, Townhouse Yarns, Fine Fish Yarns, and Dye Candy, as well as many others. 19 August: AGWSD Summer School 2017 Open Day and Trade Fair, Sparsholt College, Hampshire  Other updates The summer knitting thread is up an running in Ravelry – come over and share your summer knitting plans and goals with us! Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel had a bit of a break with TdF spinning last weekend due to travel, but has now caught up and finished three of the four Tour de Fleece colourways (with the last one ready to go on Wednesday’s stage 18! She’s also finally started her Fireflies Rising for the GLYC anniversary KAL, in Hedgehog Fibres sock yarn in the colourway Lupi (an exclusive colourway for A Yarn Story). Allison is working on her Fireflies Rising for the GLYC Anniversary KAL too, as well as her Sprite’s Fen Shawl. She's also going to pack her Raindrops and her Martinique Beach Cowl for her holiday knitting. Quiet In which we discuss the value of taking a bit of quiet time for crafting and getting back to basics. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Summer is here (more or less)! And on this episode of the podcast we’ve got an update on the Great London Yarn Crawl ticket sales, chat about what we’re working on and discuss our super summer plans! GLYC2017 Update Ticket sales got off to a splendid start on July 1st. Thank you so much to everyone for your continued enthusiasm for this event! At the time of recording this podcast there were 4 routes sold out and only 44 tickets left!  There are now 15 tickets left on 5 routes, so don't wait! We are in the midst of assigning routes to our awesome volunteers so keep your eyes out for the Route threads on Ravelry where you can meet and chat with your teammates! One more update to tell you all about – please welcome Garthenor as our new After Party Sponsor! Garthenor promotes and provides a variety of sustainable, organic, glorious British wool products in an ecologically responsible way. Their aim is to help secure the future of British organic agrictulture and the British textile industry. We’re looking forward to seeing the Garthenor yarns in person and if you’d like a sneak peek at their yarns, they will also be exhibiting at Pomfest in a few short weeks! Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is busy spinning her fingers off for Team Porpoise Fur and Tour de Fleece! She's also made a bit more progress on her handspun socks, but is very happy that her lost knitting mojo has returned from Tahiti. Allison finished her Starting Point Mystery KAL by Joji Locatelli, and it is beautiful! She's now working on a pair of Helen Stewart shawls: the GLYC Anniversary KAL, Fireflies Rising, and Sprite’s Fen. Summer Along Summer seems to be a good time for alongs of various types. We talk about Viola’s sweater along and the SweetGeorgia Summer Stories along, as well as talk about our summer plans and travels. What will you be working on this summer? Come on over to Ravelry and join the thread in our group for summer project discussion and support. *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

On this episode of the podcast we’re a little bit overwhemed that this year marks the 5th anniversary of the Great London Yarn Crawl. With tickets going on sale on July 1st we have tons of news to share with you about the big event! Shout Outs + News + Events Huge shout out to everyone who came and joined us at The Village Haberdashery for World Wide Knit in Public Day. We had a terrific turnout and it was great to meet so many new makers! Many thanks to Annie from The Village Haberdashery for hosting with us and to SweetGeorgia Yarns for providing our door prizes! Details on the GLYC Anniversary KAL have been released. 23 - 24 June:  Woolfest gets underway next weekend in Cockermouth in Cumbria 1 July: Tickets go on sale for the GLYC on Saturday (check out the routes here) 8 - 9  July: The British Wool Show in North Yorkshire 14 - 15 July: Pomfest, celebrating 5 years of Pom Pom Quarterly magazine 15 - 16 July: Yarningham  in Birmingham 29 - 30 July: Fibre East in Bedfordshire Other event resources: Ravelry UK Event Listings and listings on the Knitter’s Review  Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is working on nada at the moment, but is trying to recover from a couple of weeks of crazy work. Allison is working on her Joji Mystery KAL, and has been doing lots of sewing. Celebrating 5 Years of the Great London Yarn Crawl How did this even happen?! Time sure flies when you’re having fun. This September 9th is the 5th Anniversary of the Great London Yarn Crawl, once again benefitting Refuge and we have planned to make it extra special for you this year so we really hope you’re going to join us us! This year we’ve got 12 awesome routes for you, each route is named after one of the lines of the London underground. NOTE OF CLARIFICATION: The team name has no bearing on your transport routs, and the shops you’re going to visit are not only on that tube line (would that were so easy for us in terms of the planning!) Tickets will be £20, which includes your goody bag (full of gloriousness, including a skein of yarn from one of our yarn sponsers: Erika Knight and The Fibre Co.), entry to the Mini-Marketplace and After Party (with door prizes and other cool stuff).  We will again be collecting items to donate to Knit for Peace, and will be having a raffle for a grand prize basket of goodies! *** Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Today we chat about what we’re working on, and share details on the upcoming GLYC knitalong, including an interview with designer Helen Stewart of Curious Handmade. WWKIP Day update! Next Saturday is World Wide Knit in Public Day, and we’d love to have everyone come join us at The Village Haberdashery on Saturday, June 10th in West Hampstead Square! We’ll be there from 11am – 2pm and all are welcome! The event is free, but please RSVP via the WWKIP website so we have an accurate headcount and can get in touch if we have to change things due to weather.  Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Allison is keeping up with the Joji Locatelli Starting Point Mystery KAL in SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock and it is glorious! Rachel has been doing very little knitting or spinning of any kind as work has been completely insane. But the handspun socks are almost to the heels, and she's cast on for Raindrops by Tin Can Knits in Travelknitter's luscious Tanami in the Midnight Kelpies colourway from Edinburgh Yarn Festival. Don’t forget to show us what you’ve been working on that’s making you happy! Tag your photos on Instagram with #yitcmakehappy so we can see your projects!  It’s Knitalong Time We share some early details about the upcoming GLYC 2017 Knitalong, which features the combined creative power of Curious Handmade, The Wool Kitchen and Travelknitter, and talk with Helen Stewart about the pattern for the KAL. Further details will be released on 10 June! Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

In this episode we have a special interview with Eric Lutz, publisher of RIB magazine, which we recorded at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival in March. We've been holding on to this interview for a while, but since the second issue of RIB will be hitting shops in early June, this seems like a good time to share the audio with you. We've also got a quick update on our WWKIP day event on 10th June at the Village Haberdashery and what's making us happy these days! Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on #MeMadeMay is still underway! Rachel is still working on the handspun socks, and started spinning up some BFL for a sweater. The Kippen Cardigan has fallen by the wayside for the moment. Last episode’s sock yarn is finished and plied and washed and waiting for a moment when I can cast on! Allison finished the crocheted tie for Harrison and not a moment too soon! Everything has been all about the Joji MKAL / mystery wrap which she's knitting in the Kitsilano colourway kit put together by SweetGeorgia Yarns. She's also been sewing and working on finishing a few things, including the Cleo dungaree dress by Tilly and the Buttons that is so close to being finished! Don’t forget to show us what you’ve been working on that’s making you happy! Tag your photos on Instagram with #yitcmakehappy so we can see your projects! In conversation with RIB magazine At the Edinburgh Yarn Festival earlier this year we were lucky enough to meet the publisher of new Canadian bi-annual magazine RIB, Eric Lutz. Eric and his business partner, editor Devon Johnson have created a fantastic magazine that helps to fill an often lacking niche – men’s knitwear patterns. Their approach is to create an inspiring collection of patterns for men who knit, and for those who like to knit for them. Issue 2 of RIB will be available early next month, and we share our thoughts on the pattern previews and what we're looking forward to knitting from this issue. Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

This year is the tenth anniversary for lots of different institutions in our knitting world, but the one we talk about in this episode is Ravelry - the website that has changed the landscape of fibre arts and community. In addition, we’ll have quick run through upcoming events for May and June and share what’s on our needles, hooks and bobbins. News and Events 13-14th May: Wool@J13, Lower Drayton Farm, Penkridge, Staffordshire ST19 5RE 27 May: Highland Wool and Textiles Fair, Dingwall Auction Mart, Scotland From 1st June – end September: Exhibition of Dutch Ganseys, Sheringham Museum, Lifeboat Plain, Sheringham NR26 8BG 3rd June: Leeds Wool Festival 10th June – World Wide Knit In Public Day - come join us at the Village Haberdashery! 10-11th June: John Arbon Textiles Mill Open Weekend 23-24th June: Woolfest, Mitchells Lakeland Livestock Center, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 0QQ  Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on Rachel is onto the collar of the Kippen Cardigan (by Kat Goldin of The Crochet Project), and a pair of two at a time toe up socks in handspun Romney from the Lab Goddess Fibre Club (January 2017, Diving into the Deep inspired by geologist and cartographer Marie Tharp). She's also finished spinning up some special collaboration yarn, and is now obsessively spinning sock yarn from some Sock Blend top (50% Corriedale/25% Southdown/25% nylon in the Network colourway) to knit Kate Atherley’s new sock pattern. Allison is still working on her crocheted baby blanket, but has also started a crochet tie for Harrison for his school show. Also on needles: the Martinique Beach Cowl by Fiona Alice from Take Heart in SweetGeorgia Trinity Worsted. the Maple Leaf Shawl by Natalia @ Elfmoda and the Foolproof Cowl by Louise Zass-Bangham. A Decade In which we discuss the demise of Knitter's Magazine, the rise of Ravelry and what the next ten years might hold for the knitting world. Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio (please rate, review and subscribe!) and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Rachel is back in the co-pilot seat after the holidays, and we talk about project monogamy (is that a thing?), upcoming yarn celebrations and get two of our knit night regulars to tell us about their creative collaborations in colour and yarn. News and Events 6 May: Yarn Shop Day! A few shops have helpfully let us know that they have some big things planned for this special day Countess Ablaze in Manchester will be having a pop-up shop featuring BritYarn, Whistlebare and The Little Grey Girl to sell their goodies! Details here. A Yarn Story in Bath will be celebrating Yarn Shop Day and their third anniversary with cake and the launch of the colours for their bespoke yarn, Walcot Yarns. There are a few other surprises in store so be sure to pop in if you're in the area! If you’re in London, Yarn Shop Day would be a perfect day to explore the East London Yarn Triangle where you can visit Knit With Attitude, Wild & Woolly (also celebrating their three year anniversary) and Fabrications.  10 June: World Wide Knit in Public Day on Saturday, June 10th! Check out their website to find an event near you. Make Happy While on holiday, Rachel finished the shawl design that was kicking her butt (and freaking out her yarn support!), which will released shortly. The only other project she took with her was her Kippen Cardigan, and she's now working on the second sleeve with a lot of collar to go. This past week she also started spinning up some fibre for a collaboration with two colleagues of the woolly variety, which is slated for release this autumn. Allison is anxiously awaiting the delivery of her SGY Joji Mystery KAL kit from Vancouver (she got Kitsilano) and is in the meantime working on a baby blanket for friend. Colourful Collaboration Our knit night includes a whole bunch of wonderfully creative and inventive people, and we are thrilled to have been able to get two of them to come talk to us for the podcast! Lola Johnson, otherwise known as Third Vault Yarns, and Kate Bostwick, who designs under the Cowtown Knits label, tell us about their relationship with colour, their sources of inspiration, and their collaboration which has produced two gorgeous kits - Lambton Panes and Chainlink Mitts - with more to come! Wrap up Many thanks for joining us for another episode of the podcast and super huge thanks to Lola and Kate for being with us! You can find it on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and you'll find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise  between 7 and 10pm. Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Rachel is away at the moment so Carmen from A Yarn Story fills in as co-pilot to Allison on this episode.  We realised after we recorded the podcast that we didn't explain very well about being at H+H, the craft trade fair that happened this past March 28-30 in Cologne, Germany. Allison was there on the SweetGeorgia Yarns stand and Carmen was helping out as German translator and answering questions about having the yarns in her shop in the UK. Now that you have that as context, this episode includes chatter about things we saw at the show, along with our usual bits of news and events and what we're working on. News and Events April 23 - Spaces are still available for the upcoming coach trip to Wonderwool from London with the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Click here for more details and to book your space if you'd like to join us. May 6th - Yarn Shop Day is back! This is great opportunity to show your love for your local yarn shop (LYS). It's also the three year anniversary for A Yarn Story and Wild & Woolly! June 10th - Join us at The Village Haberdashery for our World Wide Knit in Public Day event. We'll have more details for you soon! Make Happy - aka What We're Working On Carmen, who regularly wishes she was an octopus so that she could have more things on the needles is working on a second neckerchief to match the one she made for Allison for their matching dresses that they wore on the SweetGeorgia stand in Cologne. She's also been finding her fade this week and working on the hot shawl of the season. Carmen also has a few things needing sleeves before they can be completed. In addition to sewing a matching Moneta dress for Carmen, Allison has finally finished the sooper secret project and talks about the special Lucca lace pi shawl that she knit in honour of a friend's wedding. She also cast on a new project out of SweetGeorgia yarn so that she could knit on the stand at H+H and is knitting the Foolproof cowl out of deliciously yummy Cashluxe Spark. A Yarn Shop Buyer's Road Trip In this segment we get into a bit of a geeky craft business behind the scenes discussion about various ways that shop owners find yarns and other interesting bits for their shops, as well as some of the trends and things that we think are coming down the pipe for the later seasons this year. Wrap Up Many thanks again to Carmen for co-hosting this episode! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

On today’s podcast we’re chatting about two new books that we were asked to review at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. We’ve got a review of Coffee with C.C. (and Dami too!) – more coffee-inspired patterns from C.C. Almon and this time with her daughter Dami as well. And we also take a peek at Knit the Rainbow, a collection of accessories designed for gradient sets by Joy McMillan. Joy of course, is also known as The Knitting Goddess and she really knows colour! News and Events   The Countess Ablaze Dye Studio is now newly reopened in their brand new space in Manchester’s northern quarter. They are now open from Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and wow – the space is amazing! Congrats to the Countess and run, don’t walk to see her new space – and a new yarn too! 23 April - the London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers coach to Wonderwool on Sunday, April 23rd. Tickets are £39 and include round-trip coach and entry to the show. Get your tickets here. Saturday May 6th - Yarn Shop Day Saturday, June 10th - World Wide Knit in Public Day. We’re excited to tell you that we will be co-hosting an event with The Village Haberdashery at their new location in West Hampstead.  Make Happy – aka – What we’re working on (#yitcmakehappy) Rachel is finally past some serious designers block on a new shawl design in Kettle Yarn Co. Beyul DK (in murky chartreuse of course...). She's also made progress on her Kippen Cardigan by Kat Goldin. Allison's Sooper Sekrit Project is SO close to being done! Koolhaas is done, her jacket needs sleeves to be hemmed and buttons sewn on, and she's swatching for Raindrops. She's also totally distracted by yarn in my stash tthat would be PERFECT for Shusui by Susanne Sommer, who we were lucky enough to meet at EYF.  Book Reviews: Coffee and Colour Coffee with C.C. (and Dami too!) - find all the patterns on Ravelry here. You can also find C.C. and Dami on their videocast and blog - Geeky Girls Knit. Knit the Rainbow by Joy McMillan - find all the patterns on Ravelry here, and find Joy's yarns at The Knitting Goddess.      Wrap up Many thanks to C.C. and Joy for providing us with copies of their books to review. We hope you’ll check them out and find as much inspiration as we have. You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City   

If you’ve been under a rock lately or haven’t listened to our latest episodes of the podcast, EYF of course is the Edinburgh Yarn Festival, the 2017 edition of which wrapped up this past Sunday. We were there and back in a whirlwind of 4 days and have so much to tell you about, including an interview that we were lucky to have with Aimée Gille, owner of L’Oisive The and La Bien Aimée in Paris. We’ve also got the wrap up of the Blacker PodKAL, some upcoming events to keep an eye out for, and an update on what we’ve been working on and what’s making us happy.  Blacker PodKAL wrap up It was amazing seeing so many gorgeous handknits in person in the Blacker Yarns Podcast Lounge at EYF. The Blacker stand was pretty spectacular too! We’ve come away with samples of Blacker’s latest yarn Samite that we talked about on the last episode and we’ll be working with that and reporting back on what it’s like to work with. Huge thanks to Sue and Sonja from Blacker for supporting the Podcast Lounge, and for putting up a prize skein of Samite for our winner of Team YITC for the Blacker PodKAL! We’re delighted to announce that HDayananda – Helen – was our winner on Ravelry and that she picked a gorgeous colour of Samite (and an accompanying skein!) to work up into a shawl. We can’t wait to see what you make Helen – maybe at this year’s Yarn Crawl? News and Events Don’t despair if you missed EYF, there’s plenty of woolly things coming up to tempt you… Week of 20 March: Countess Ablaze is re-opening her studio in central Manchester. We’re getting an advance sneak peek and will report back to you with all of the Countess’ colourful news. 8 April: the new Spring into Wool show is happening in Leeds 22 - 23 April: Wonderwool Wales on April 22 and 23. Come join the London Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers who have organised a coach again this year on Sunday, 23 April 2017. Tickets will be £39 for round-trip transport and entry to the show. Tickets can be booked via Paypal, and all are welcome!  9 September: the 5th anniversary of the Great London Yarn Crawl will happen on Saturday, 9th September. Tickets will go on sale on July 1st and as in previous years all monies raised after expenses will be donated to Refuge, a UK charity that supports women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  Make Happy - #yitcmakehappy Allison's Sooper Secret Project is SO close to being done! Her alternate project is the Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood. Rachel started the Because Sock Yarn scarf for Dev’s birthday We’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about the Edinburgh Yarn Festival and the glowing yarn fumes and delirium that we seem to have come away from the weekend with. If social media is any indication, there are a lot of yarn lovers and vendors still on a high from the weekend and slowly coming down to reality this week. Things we loved about EYF: Meeting folks and catching up with everyone (although there are still so many we missed!) The ceilidh YARN! The Blacker Yarns Podcast Lounge (and huge thanks to Louise Scollay for organising it so we could be there) The volunteers and their smiling faces An interview with La Bien Aimée EYF was also a great place to see yarns and chat with vendors that we don’t get to see very often, like Aimée Gille, an American transplant to Paris who has been running Paris’ most popular yarn shop, l’Oisive Thé for the last 9 years. Two years ago Aimée and her business partner Hiroko Payne started dyeing their own line of yarns, called La Bien Aimée, which have exploded in popularity thanks to social media. We had a chance to sit down with Aimée while we were at EYF. Here’s that interview. You can find La Bien Aimée/L'Oisive Thé on their website, on Instagram, on Twitter and on Facebook. Wrap up Many thanks to Aimée for joining us on the podcast and congratulations once again to Jo and Mica on a successful show. ou can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Now that the wool festival calendar has really kicked into high gear, and with Edinburgh Yarn Festival fast approaching, we thought we’d take some time today to talk about Yarn Show Strategy. We’ll also have an update on the #Blackerpodkal, where you can find us in Edinburgh, what’s making us happy at the moment, and more!  What's making us happy: The Blacker Yarns PodKAL continues and we are winding down to the last week!  How’s your project going?  Some instagram highlights from #TeamYITC:  Mariette694 has finished her cape of Tamar and Cornish Tin and it is spectacular!  And then there’s Josh (breiwerken on Instagram) has finished her gorgeous colourwork jumper in Cornish Tin!  A latecomer to the podkal is @yarnesty who has cast on a cabled hat also in Cornish Tin V2.0  #TeamYITC prize: we will post in the Ravelry thead what the prize is and who wins! Winner will be drawn on 6th March, so make sure you get your projects up and tagged with #BlackerPODKAL and #TeamYITC. Allison is working on her #BlackerPODKAL project in St. Kilda lace.  Rachel finished the Christmas sweaters for her kids, but is now working on her #BlackerPODKAL project, the Inglis Mitts by Ysolda Teague in Tamar.  Stash season:  Tips for making sure you don’t get overwhelmed by the wool fumes and end up having to mortgage a kidney to buy yarn.  Make a list  Stick to your list If sticking to your list is going to be tough, set aside a set amount of money that you can splurge with and when it’s gone, it’s gone.  Only take cash and leave the credit cards at home.  More generally – really think about what you’re buying. You don’t have to have a specific project in mind, but think about whether you already have five skeins of blue and purple 4-ply yarn in a box at home?  And we've put together a handy downloadable tip sheet for you too. Wrap up You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!  Music credits (available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

On this episode of the podcast we  chat about what's making us happy at the mo, including an update on our progress with the Blacker PodKAL for the Edinburgh Yarn Festival and the new #yarnlovechallenge on Instagram. We also find out what happens when you love yarn so much that it leads you to making your own. For that conversation we’ll be chatting with our friend Carmen from A Yarn Story in Bath, who’s been working with Sharon from Great British Yarns on a new joint venture, Walcot Yarns. Grab your favourite beverage and your WIP and let's go! What we’re working on (aka Make Happy): The Blacker Yarns PodKAL continues apace! Allison has her SSS well underway, and Rachel is casting on for her Inglis Mitts as we record (better late than never!) The projects shown on Ravelry and Instagram all look amazing and there are some truly speedy knitters out there! We have some special kudos too, for those of you who have come on board #teamYITC: Hdayananda is knitting with a gorgeous green Cornish Tin for her In the Pines Pullover Mariette694 is making a capelet/wrap of her own design in both Tamar and Cornish Tin that is look stunning already And then there’s Josh (breiwerken on Instagram) who is also making his own colourwork design out of Cornish Tin that is nothing short of amazing! If you want to join in with the Blacker PodKAL, it’s not too late! Here are the details: Any design or pattern you want (some great freebies on the Blacker Yarns website) Must be knit with Blacker Yarns to be eligible for prizes and discounts at EYF Can be used in combination with other yarns too Chat thread in Blacker Yarns Ravelry group Tag with#BlackerPodKAL on social media & Ravelry Cast off date is 4th March (just in time for EYF!) If you wear your FO at EYF you can get a discount on more Blacker Yarns! There are multiple teams and you can be on more than one – we hope you’ll tag your projects with #teamyitc so that we can see what you’re working on for the KAL (we’ll have a special #teamYITC prize too!) In other make happy news, Allison has been working on a (gorgeous!) super secret deadline project, and doing lots and lots (and LOTS) of sewing. Rachel has been working on a design for Walcot Yarns, but has managed to finish her Vestvember project (again, better late than never). She's also been doing lots of #spinningSundays. Yarn Love Challenge Okay, the #yarnlovechallenge is something that you’ve probably seen popping up on Instagram in the last couple of day and it’s pretty fun so we wanted to let you know about it. It’s a daily Instagram photo challenge put together by @oharethey and @maryheatherb from Ravelry to celebrate the idea that “Yarn is Love”. We agree! Yarn Love There are fewer things we love more than a new yarn. And we were particularly excited when we found out that our friend Carmen was working on a brand new bespoke yarn – Walcot Yarns. If you haven’t heard us mention Carmen before, she is a North American transplant like us and the owner of A Yarn Story – a specialty yarn boutique in Bath that is stuffed with gorgeous yarns from around the world. Aside from the yarn itself, what got us really excited to chat with Carmen is that she developed this new yarn with in collaboration with Sharon from Great British Yarns – also in Bath. We got Carmen to chat with us and tell us more about Walcot Yarns and what exactly is involved with bringing your own yarn to market. Wrap up You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Music credits (all available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

Welcome back Yarn and Fibre Lovers! We're excited to be back post-holidays, refreshed and recharged and ready for another year of yarn-y shenanigans with you, and along with some changes to the podcast too! A new KAL/CAL to kick things off We're delighted to announce that we will be participating in this year's Podcast Lounge at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival. To get everyone excited about this year's EYF, Blacker Yarns and Louise Scollay of KnitBritish are teaming up to host the #BlackerPodKAL. Lots of other podcasts are participating too and we hope you'll join us for Team Yarn in the City! Here's some more details: Cast on date is Thursday, January 19th Any design or pattern you want (some great freebies on the Blacker Yarns website) Must be knit with Blacker Yarns to be eligible for prizes and discounts at EYF Can be used in combination with other yarns too Chat thread in Blacker Yarns ravelry group Tags with#BlackerPodKAL on social media & Ravelry Cast off date is 4th March (just in time for EYF!) If you wear your FO at EYF you can get a discount on more Blacker Yarns! In addition to being eligible for #BlackerPodKAL prizes we're also going to come up with some exclusive to Team YITC members too. Watch this space! What we've been working on Rachel clearly had delusions of grandeur with her Christmas knitting plans so she's still working through those and gives us and update. It sounds like the beginning of 2017 is also already chock-a-block full of knitting deadlines too! Allison is happy to be finished the Hogwarts scarf and still working away on her toe-up socks, as well as a few other things. #spinningsundays What we've also been working on is getting back to our spinning. We made a pact on New Year's Eve that we were going to try and do some spinning every Sunday this year in the hopes that we'll accomplish a lot more. Care to join us? Tag photos of your spinning on Instagram with #spinningsundays and #YITCspinningsundays so that we can find you! Make Happy After the bonkers year that was 2016 we really want 2017 to focus on the positive so we've come up with a simple theme for this year: Make Happy. We'll be threading this theme through all of our interviews and podcast chatter this year and hope you'll let us know how you find the conversations, as well as join in with your own thoughts, stories and images. Please tag us on social media using #YITCmakehappy. Wrap up You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Music credits (all available on NoiseTrade) Ridiculously Happy (feat. Twilight Meadow) - Owl City

This is our penultimate episode of the year! With only a few weeks to go before Christmas, Rachel has lost her mind with her holiday knitting so we’ve found some gifts for knitters ideas to keep things sane in your own households and you can get back to your own projects instead of stuff for other people! First a word from our sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters.  The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in July, August and September with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  As YITC has international listeners, we currently ship to countries in the EU, Australia and New Zealand.  And they will be adding more countries as they grow. Welcome to The Loveliest Yarn Company! News and Events It's the last few days of Wovember! 3 December – Selvedge Makers’s Fair, St Augustine Church Hall London, 11-5:00. 6 Dec – Make handpainted gift wrap at VV Rouleaux 14 December - Late Night Knitty Lock-in at Wild & Woolly 16 December - Pom Pom Christmas party, 49 Tanner St London SE1 3PL Will feature The Fibre Co., Fig Tree Yarns and John Arbon Textiles, as well as Francesca Hughes, Elisabeth Beverley, Coop Knits, Daughter of a Shepherd, Pink Hazel, La Bien Aimee, Beyond Measure and The Uncommon Thread. Brioche classes for beginners at I Knit London on 3 Dec, 7 January and 21 January ​What we’re working on Allison is on the 13th stripe of 19 in Harrison’s Hogwarts scarf. In addition, she’s working on the Sonder Shawl by Helen Stewart. She’s also been making lists of what needs to happen in the next few weeks –maybe a couple of pairs of slippers, a quilt for her FIL and a throw for her brother. Plus a waistcoat for Jordan for Christmas. Rachel is frantically trying to finish her Vestvember project, Aileen by Laura Aylor, in some lovely alpaca her husband bought her in Peru. Despite all great intentions not to get out of control with Christmas knitting, she is also looking to do two versions of Because Sock Yarn by Kate Atherley and two top down yoked sweaters for her kids for Christmas. Goodbye sleep, hello RSI! Christmas gift ideas Cashmere bundles – Lux Adorna - available at Loop Check your Gauge cloth – Cocoknits - available at A Yarn Story Christmas book bundles from The Loveliest Yarn Co  Jewellery from Tangled Yarn Christmas Tree ornaments from Katrinkle and Yarnistry (also Christmas stitch markers) Gift tags from Beyond Measure Patterns for Ornaments Christmas Eve Bauble Renee Callahan Cheers! Cheryl Niamath Mini Christmas Stocking by Julie Williams Crocheted Christmas Baubles by Carmen Heffernan Minikins – Woolly Wormhead You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at the Goat between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!

In this episode of the podcast, we recap the glorious madness that was Yarnporium, chat with the amazing Tara Swiger, and look ahead to our crafting plans for the holiday season. The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in November and December with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  News and Events: Entire month: WOVEMBER continues! 3 December - Edinburgh Yarn Festival is hosting their Wool Tribe Christmas Party.  16 December - Pom Pom Quarterly Christmas Party! Sponsored by The Fibre Company, Fig Tree Yarns and John Arbon Textiles What we're working on: Rachel has finally cast on her #Vestvember project: Aileen by Laura Aylor, in some lovely natural brown alpaca that her Other Half brought back from Peru long ago. She finished Helen Stewart's gorgeous Sonder Shawl in a mad, political panic-fueled couple of days in front of the TV last week, and has been spinning some Coomassie Blue BFL for a handspun Fauske from the Nordlándda Collection. Allison has been working on the Gryffindor Scarf for Mr. H for Christmas and has also been working on the Sonder Shawl but not as quickly as Rachel. Allison is also longingly hoping to get back to her Creature Comforts Cardi that she started back in the spring but in the meantime applying her new two-at-a-time-toe-up socks skills to a pair of bedsocks out of birthday handspun from Rachel. She also managed to spin cotton in Rachel's spinning class at the retreat and is looking forward to holiday time in Canada. Overwhelmed: We are feeling a bit overwhelmed in this episode. On the one hand, we are overwhelmed by the incredibly wonderful response to The Yarnporium - many, many thanks to our sponsors, vendors, teachers and volunteers, without whom this event would never have happened. We are also looking ahead to feeling overwhelmed by the upcoming holidays, and the desire to Make All The Things for our loved ones. We had the opportunity to speak with the lovely, enthusiastic, and all around wonderful human being, Tara Swiger, of www.taraswiger.com and the Explore Your Enthusiasm podcast at the recent Geeky Puffin Knit Palooza. Tara talked with us about how to deal with overwhelm during this oh-so-fraught time, and how to decide what to focus on to ensure that the holiday season is a happy and healthy one. *** You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon!

Happy Halloween everyone! We've got a bonus podcast episode for your listening pleasure today, and hopefully it will whet your appetites just a bit more for Yarnporium! Sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in October, November and December with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  News and Events:  The are no new events. Just the Yarnporium. Happening November 5th and 6th. November 1st is the last day to get your early bird pricing on advance tickets.  After that you'll have to pay £10 for a day ticket and £15 for a weekend ticket. OK, it's not entirely true that nothing else is going on... 10-13th November: Geeky Puffin Knit Palooza, Farnham - classes, marketplace and a London Yarn Crawl led by Alli! 12th November: Festiwool, North Herts College, Hitchin Entire month: we hope you’ll join along with Felicity Ford of Knitsonik and Louise Scollay of Knit British in the celebration of all things wool that is WOVEMBER. What we’re working on:  Rachel is knitting Green Memories by La Maison Rililie.  Allison is comfort knitting. Destressing with a Hogwarts scarf for Harry and the slowly growing Garter Goodness shawl by Stephen West.  More Yarnporium awesome-ness: There are a few more Yarnporium special events to highlight: Pom Pom Quarterly will be hosting designer signings with Stephen West and Justyna Lorkowska! Justyna there on Saturday from 11am to 1pm and Stephen from 1-3pm. Stephen will also be around on Sunday from noon to 2pm.  A Yarn Story will be bringing in an uber special exclusive: La Bien Aimée hand-dyed yarn from Paris. AYS is bringing a selection of colours on the Merino Singles base. They will also be bringing yarns from Hedgehog Fibres, The Fibre Co., Julie Asselin and SweetGeorgia Yarns.  Inspiration Knits designer Louise Zass-Bangham will be bringing her book Knit Play Colour along with yarns for many of the patterns. She will have a wide selection of yarn from the Countess Ablaze (who NEVER does yarn shows but sells online only or out of her Manchester studio) and also a wide variety from Eden Cottage Yarns. It's a lovely way for both of these yarn companies to be at the Yarnporium when they couldn't otherwise!  Midwinter Yarns have a new Aran weight yarn in 6 natural shades called Suomivilla that they are bringing to the Yarnporium. They also have official Baa-ble Hat kits that include the original pattern by Donna Smith, or people may be interested in getting the yarn to make Donna's new hat and cowl pattern!  Kettle Yarn Co. are debuting their brand new Baskerville DARK yarn which contains more Gotland than the original for added depth and halo to Linda's already gorgeous colours. She's offering 10% off purchases of Baskerville DARK skeins to the first 10 customers who use the codeword "GOTLANDFOREVER".   We're also delighted that designer Karie Westermann is joining us all the way from Glasgow. Karie doesn't get down south too often to teach so we feel it's a real coup to have her! Even better, Karie has designed a brand new workshop that is being taught for the first time at the Yarnporium: Knitting the Landscape. In this workshop Karie will help knitters explore how to express their memories and thoughts of a specific place through their knitting using texture, stitch patterns and colour.  While we're crazy for all the yarn fumes that will be at the Yarnporium, it's also a perfect weekend to start Christmas gift shopping and many of our vendors will have non-yarny items for all the BKFFs out there include Wendy Fowler's gorgeous yarn bowls, glass stitch markers brought in by C.C. Almon of JavaPurl Designs, and wonderful project bags by The Little Grey Girl. Joe's Toes and The Knitting Shed also have fantastic kits if you'd like to make something for little people on your list.   We're also excited to welcome new vendors Mahliqa (knitted jewellery kits), Chunky Row and Once Upon a Time Skeins as well as local to London yarn dyers Travelknitter, Whimzy, The Wool Kitchen and Easyknits and local fibre dyer Porpoise Fur!  Finally, Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch will be taking over our Instagram feed on the Saturday of the show - be sure to say hi! Woolly Wovember:  WOVEMBER is an amazing grass-roots movement to recognise and celebrate wool in all it's forms. Read their open letter to the Campaign for Wool and see how to get involved. We're also going to take part in Vestvember - come join in! *** You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon! Music (all available on NoiseTrade): Michigan Left - Arkells Hey Doreen - Lucius

Hello! In this episode, we have previews of some of the special goodies that vendors are bringing to the Yarnporium in a few weeks, and Rachel gets a wee bit worked up about a very recent design controversy (feel free to fast forward that part). Many thanks to Julie of Knitted Bliss for sharing some of her thoughts with us on the subject of modifications/mashups/originality. Grab your coffee and let's go! Shout outs, news and events: Winner of Mad Colour from Episode 46: Congratulations to Wei-Lin for being picked by Random.org to win the Mad Colour eBook from Tin Can Knits! And thanks to Alexa and Emily for provide the contest prize. 22nd-23rd October: Bakewell Wool Gathering 29th-30th October: Kendal Wool Gathering  1st November: Last day for advanced tickets to Yarnporium! 5-6th November: Yarnporium extravaganza! King's College London on the Strand, WC2R 2LS. Show will be open from 10am-5:30pm Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. 10-13th November: Geeky Puffin Knit Palooza, Farnham - classes, marketplace and a London Yarn Crawl led by Alli! 12th November: Festiwool, North Herts College, Hitchin What we're working on: Allison is working on not much because she's been sick as a dog for much of the last week. But she did whip up a Zigging Hat out of the luscious Rosy Green Wool Big Merino Hug.  Rachel finished the Zigging Cowl to go with Allison's Zigging Hat. Both of these will be paired with the Yarnporium pattern, the Zigging Mittens by Renee Callahan! She's also been working on her Kippen Cardigan by Kat Goldin in secret under her desk during a work week that involved a lot of listening to audio. Then we get to the controversy that very recently blew up on social media/Ravelry: The I'll Pack A Cowl for Rhinebeck vs. Baa-ble Hat debacle brings up issues that are near and dear to our hearts here at Yarn in the City: community, respect for people's work, and fair and living wages for designers and other wool industry members. We talk with Julie from Knitted Bliss about her Modification Mondays, what actually constitutes an original design, and there are a few mentions of the dreaded "C" word (that would be copyright...). If you get tired of hearing Rachel carry on, feel free to jump ahead. Yarnporium Specials: The Yarnporium is only a few weeks away, but our vendors have some fantastic special goodies they're bring with them for the show! Blacker Yarns are bringing a selection of the delicious Rosy Green Wool Big Merino Hug that we've used to rework the Zigging Hat and Cowl by Renée Callahan from the London Craft Guide. Renée has designed a pair of mittens to complete the set and the pattern will be in the Programme Guide for the Yarnporium! Midwinter Yarns will have their wonderful, sheepy, lanolin-y Ullcentrum 3-ply, as well as a new Finnish Aran wool in six natural colours. Inspiration Knits will have her book and patterns, and spectacular yarns from Eden Cottage Yarns and Countess Ablaze!!! As well as another special surprise to be revealed later... A Yarn Story will be bringing her vast inventory of Hedgehog Fibres loveliness, as well as a very special Parisian visitor for the weekend: the yarns of La Bien Aimee. Finally, Frankie will be flying the flag for John Arbon and is bringing a specially curated selection of their best products, including the Knit by Numbers 4-ply! *** You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon! Music (all available on NoiseTrade): Michigan Left - Arkells Hey Doreen - Lucius

We're back from Yarndale with lots of colourful news to share, including interviews with Alexa from Tin Can Knits (and a giveaway of their new book!) and Joy from The Knitting Goddess! Sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in October with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  Shout outs, news and events: 3rd-9th October: Spinzilla 5-9th October: Knitting & Stitching Show, Ally Pally - If you're going, please say hello to our awesome sponsor Michelle from The Loveliest Yarn Company who will be on stand C28 with her beautiful yarns! 8th October: Little Grey Girl birthday party, Countess Ablaze Studio in Manchester 9th October: YARN the movie, various locations - we'll be at Hackney Picturehouse in London 10th-16th October: UK Wool Week 15th October: Stitch Solihull stitch up 22nd-23rd October: Bakewell Wool Gathering 29th-30th October: Kendal Wool Gathering  But of course our big and exciting news is that advance tickets and workshop registration for Yarnporium the 5th and 6th of November are now available!  We're thrilled with the stellar line-up of tutors and classes that we've arranged for the Yarnporium. Classes run 3 hours each and are on both Saturday and Sunday with offerings from Julia Billings, Renée Callahan, Kat Goldin, Joanne Scrace, Juju Vail and Karie Westermann. Click here to see the list of all workshops or click here to register or buy your tickets! What we're working on: Allison is working on the sleeves of her Porpoise Fur handspun sweater (see? they're hidden in the photo above!) as well as getting ready for Spinzilla this week. What to spin? What to spin? Rachel was too busy getting ready for Yarndale (and recovering from Yarndale) to get much knitting done but did manage to finish her sweater design in The Fibre Co.'s new Arranmore yarn which will be an exclusive pattern for A Yarn Story.  Mad About Colour Our theme for this episode is a colourful one thanks to the release of Tin Can Knits latest book Mad Colour and a new collaboration between The Knitting Goddess and Blacker Yarns for Blacker's St. Kilda limited edition lace weight. We interview both Alexa from Tin Can Knits and Joy from The Knitting Goddess with lots of chatter about colour and why we love it. Mad Colour Giveaway! Tin Can Knits have kindly given as a copy of the Mad Colour e-book to give away to a lucky listener! If you'd like to enter for a chance to win, leave a comment on these show notes by Thursday, 13th October. Tell us which pattern you'd knit first, your favourite colour, and your Ravelry name so that we can notify you if you're the winner. We'll announce the winner on the next episode of the podcast. Good luck! You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon! Music (all available on NoiseTrade): Michigan Left - Arkells Hey Doreen - Lucius

(with apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) In this episode we recap the upcoming chock-full month of October, our recent FOs and the glorious (and wet!) fourth annual Great London Yarn Crawl, as well as having a bit of an inpromptu chat with Linda Lencovic from Kettle Yarn Co. about her new collection for her amazing Baskerville yarn, Dusk to Dawn. Shout outs, news and events: 24th September-2nd October: Shetland Wool Week  1st October: Cheshire Fibre Festival 2nd October: Perth Festival of Yarn 5-9th October: Knitting & Stitching Show, Ally Pally 8th October: Little Grey Girl birthday party, Countess Ablaze Studio 9th October: YARN the movie, various locations - we'll be at Hackney Picturehouse. 10th-16th October: UK Wool Week 15th October: Stitch Solihull stitch up 22nd-23rd October: Bakewell Wool Gathering 29th-30th October: Kendal Wool Gathering  What we're working on: Rachel has finished, at long last, her Dark and Stormy by Thea Colman in SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted in Wasabi - woot! She is also finishing a pair of Espresso Macchiatto socks from Coffee with C.C., and is trying to figure out what project she's going to take to Yarndale for working on at the Porpoise Fur booth. Allison finished the shawl part of Because Sock Yarn and has started the Lambton Panes Shawl from Cowtown Knits. Yarn Crawlers of the Baskervilles: 2016 GLYC Statistics: 100 yarn crawlers 15 volunteers 13 shops 20 sponsors 112 knits collected for Knit for Peace And £1185 raised for our charity, Refuge. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! That's almost £3,800 to date! Many thanks too to Kettle Yarn Co. who generously let us grill her at the GLYC after party on tape and in front of the assembled Yarn Crawlers about her new(ish) yarn, Baskerville, and the just launched collection of patterns in her collection, Dusk to Dawn.

There's starting to be a crispness to the air which means that knitting season is here! We're a little giddy over this small fact and are ready to cast on ALL. THE. THINGS. Sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in September with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  News and Events: Only a handful of tickets are left for this year's GLYC. Get your tickets here for this weekend! September 5th - Knitflix, part of the Peckham and Nunhead Free Film Festival. More details posted in our Ravelry group here. September 16-18 – Kirstie Allsop presents The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace September 24-25 – Masham Sheep Fair, Masham  September 24-25 – Yarndale, Skipton Auction Mart (where you can get your Porpoise Fur and YITC fix) September 25th - London Wool Fair & Sheep Drive - happening around Monument and London Bridge and featuring 40 craft and fashion accessories market stalls, 12 street food stalls and 4 fashion pods with displays and a display showing the story of wool. The event will also feature the Band of the Irish Guard and their Irish wolfhound mascot. September 29-October 2 – Loch Ness Knit Fest in Inverness, Scotland September 30-October 2 – Made on Holiday Yarn in the Country retreat in Devon. We're excited to have been invited by Made on Holiday to teach at their retreat and are looking forward to a fantastic weekend playing with colour. There's 10% off registration for YITC listeners - just use code GLYC2016 when making your booking. What we're working on: Rachel has cast on for the Espresso Macchiato socks in her excitement with the start of knitting season. Her latest huge shawl is almost done but finishing was thwarted by missing yarn. Allison has FINALLY finished the never-ending Toddler Hoodie (which had almost never ending ends to weave in thanks to the stripes). She's also finished crocheting an Easy Ripple baby blanket (minus the border) and has moved back to finishing her Because Sock Yarn shawl. Knitting Season: Both of us are making plenty of plans of what to knit next now that the weather is starting to turn! We chat about our goals, all the things we want to cast on and how we get ourselves organised for the best knitting season of the year. Apparently there's a whole back-to-school philosophy that we agree on and a heavy amount of pre-processing is involved. We also decide that Kate Bostwick's upcoming Lambton Panes KAL should be the "unofficial KAL" leading up to November's Yarnporium. Join us? Wrap up: We hope you’ll make a plan to join us on Saturday, September 10th for the Great London Yarn Crawl. Tickets are selling quickly so get yours soon!  You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon! Music (all available on NoiseTrade): I want you to want me - Letters to Cleo Pass it on - Candythief

We are reunited once again on the same side of the pond, and we are ogling the goodies that have been coming in for this year’s Great London Yarn Crawl! They’re too fabulous not to share so this episode will be lots of love and shoutouts for our amazing sponsors. So go hide your credit cards, grab your coffee and your knitting, and kick back with us! Sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online yarn shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories.  Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place.  They have knit, washed and worn everything so people know it’s all been tried and tested by knitters. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, some great stalwarts of the yarn world from West Yorkshire Spinners, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more.  All from theloveliestyarncompany.co.uk. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in July, August and September with the code YITCEnabled2016.  If you aren’t shopping for yarn at the moment, sign up for their newsletter on the site.  News and Events: There are less than 40 tickets left for this year’s Great London Yarn Crawl as of recording day! Make sure you’re keeping an eye on our Ravelry board and our blog for details about the day as well as logistics and our sponsors. Now until 4th September – the Missoni Art Colour exhibition is on at the Fashion & Textile Museum in London. September 4th – Horsley Wool Fair and Artists' Open Studio, Horsley NE15 0NT September 16-18 – Kirstie Allsop presents The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace September 24-25 – Masham Sheep Fair, Masham HG4 4DZ September 24-25 – Yarndale, Skipton Auction Mart (where you can get your Porpoise Fur and YITC fix) Septembe 29-October 2 – Loch Ness Knit Fest in Inverness, Scotland September 30-October 2 – Made on Holiday Yarn in the Country retreat in Devon with us Knitting for Fort McMurray - Podcast listener Ramona has been organising a knitting drive in Toronto to benefit those affected by the devastating fire in Fort McMurray, Alberta earlier this spring (the whole city had to be evacuated!). Winters in Fort McMurrary are incredibly cold and woolies would be very welcome. Check out Ramona's blog to learn more about how you can help. Knits are being collected until the end of September. What we’re working on Rachel is knitting a big ass shawl - Lothian by Justyna Lorkowska. She's finised her Lambton Panes by Cowtown Knits, and made a bit of progress over her holiday on her Knightsbridge Shawl by Anniken Allis for the #LCGcraftalong, but is sadly probably not going to finish in time... Allison is crocheting. And finished the toddler hoodie. Except for weaving in the ends and sewing it up, so it actually doesn't really count. She also regrets ever saying that she missed Rachel. ;-) She's almost done with the second mitt for Because Sock Yarn, also for the #LCGcraftalong, and may finish the shawl in time - woot! Goodies (aka sponsor love) Awesome, amazing sponsors for this year's GLYC, and we share some good details! Title sponsor: Erika Knight Goodie Bags: Cowtown Knits East London Knits Inspiration Knits Owl About Yarn Soak Third Vault Yarns Yarnistry   Door prizes: Anna Maltz Cocoknits Daughter of a Shepherd Inspiration Knits Kettle Yarn Co. The Little Grey Girl Loop Wild & Woolly Pom Pom Quarterly SweetGeorgia Yarns Tin Can Knits   Wrap up We hope you’ll make a plan to join us on Saturday, September 10th for the Great London Yarn Crawl. Tickets are selling quickly so get yours soon!  You can find the podcast on iTunes and Stitcher Radio and us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, in our Yarn in the City group on Ravelry, or in person on Wednesday nights at our knit night at The Goat on the Rise between 7 and 10pm. Everyone’s really friendly and we hope to see you there! Have a great couple of weeks and we’ll chat with you soon! Music (all available on NoiseTrade): I want you to want me - Letters to Cleo Pass it on - Candythief

Apologies in advance for any sound issues in this episode of the podcast - we're on either side of the pond at the moment, and do not have access to the best recording setup while that is the case. In this episode we chat about taking our yarn on the road - Allison to Scotland and Rachel to the United States - and we've got some great shops to tell you about, along with our tips on what makes the perfect road trip project. Sponsor: The Loveliest Yarn Company is a new online shop bringing you the loveliest yarn and knitting accessories. Buying yarn online can be a bit fraught so they have gathered the best into one place. The Loveliest Yarn Company stock artisan hand dyed yarn from Life in the Long Grass, organic merino from Rosy Green Wool, irresistible accessories from Merchant and Mills and lots more. Podcast listeners can get 10% off in July, August and September by using the code YITCEnabled2016. If you aren't shopping for yarn at the moment, be sure to sign up for their newsletter on the site. News and Events: GLYC 2016 tickets are on sale! The event is now over 50% sold, with five routes sold out, out so don’t wait too long to get your tickets! We've also started posting our sponsors for GLYC2016, including title sponsor Erika Knight! Other sponsors include Cocoknits, Daughter of a Shepherrd, The Little Grey Girl, Owl About Yarn, Pom Pom Quarterly, SweetGeorgia Yarns, Third Vault Yarns and Tin Can Knits, Now until 4th September – the Missoni Art Colour exhibition is on at the Fashion & Textile Museum in London. 30-31st July - Fibre-East, Ampthill, Bedfordshire. 5-6th August - the British Wool Show, York Auction Mart, Murton, York. 12-19th August - Knitting & Crochet in the Faroe Islands with Carol Meldrum 12-18th August - Hiking and Knitting between Fire and Ice, with Helene Magnusson, Iceland. 20-28th August - Yarn Along the Rockies, Colorado Front Range What we're working on: Allison is obsessed with her Wavedeck Shawl by Kate Atherley, and will be done shortly. She's also started the Garter Goodness Shawl by Stephen West. Rachel is working on Lambton Panes from Cowtown Knits, and her Kippen Cardigan by Kat Goldin from the Crochet Project, as well as a men's sweater design for A Yarn Story in the luscious Arranmore from The Fibre Company. The Tour de Fleece is now done - you can see photos of her spinning (and the rest of Team Porpoise Fur) on her Ravelry board. Summer Road Trip: Allison hit five shops in three days in Scotland, and she tells us all about her visits, including a trip to the New Lanark Mill. Rachel has grand plans for Fiber Space in Alexandria, VA; Looped Yarn Works in Dupont Circle, DC, and WEBS in Northampton, MA in the immediate future. She might also hit Dyakcraft,Golding Fiber Tools and Spunky Eclectic! Thanks so much for listening! Please leave us a comment or send us an email at hello@yarninthecity.com with your thoughts, or let us know what you think via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find us oniTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.  Or come join our Ravelry group to keep up to date on all the latest news, and join in the London Craft Guide craft-along! On Wednesday nights you can find us at knit night at The Goat on the Rise pub on Battersea Rise, close to Clapham Junction station in SW London. We meet from 7pm to around 10pm. The food is great and the knitters are friendly. Join us!  Music (all available on NoiseTrade): No Matter Where We Go - Whitney Airport Bar - Martin Courtney