Podcasts about battersea rise

Welcome to church online, we're so glad you could join us today. Today we're celebrating St. Mark's 150th birthday! Senior Pastor, Martyn Layzell, will be helping us to be look back at all that God has done in the life of St. Mark's.New to church? - https://smbr.church/welcomeTry Alpha - https://smbr.church/alphaGive - https://smbr.church/give

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 17/02/2013

Dan Burrows from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 13/10/2013

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 19/05/2013

Nick Stott from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 18/11/2012

Guest Speaker from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 27/05/2007

Charlie Thomson from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 27/04/2014

Quin Delport from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 24/03/2013

Quin Delport from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 27/10/2013

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 20/01/2013

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 17/06/2007

Guest Speaker from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 11/05/2014

Mark Thomas from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 04/05/2014

Guest Speaker from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 29/07/2012

Christine Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 10/04/2011

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 19/08/2007

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 27/07/2014

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 14/09/2014

Carl Knightly from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 07/04/2013

Christine Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 20/07/2014

Nick Stott from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 05/06/2011

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 21/08/2011

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 05/01/2014

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 28/04/2013

Charlie Thomson from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 09/02/2014

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 06/10/2013

Guest Speaker from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 10/06/2007

Charlie Thomson from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 21/12/2014

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 16/11/2014

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 27/01/2013

Paul Perkin from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 24/06/2007

Dave Larlee from St Marks Church, Battersea Rise on 02/09/2007

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 

Anna Jordan meets Nicola Horlick, an investment fund manager and founder of business P2P lending firm, Money&Co. She talks about the slowing economy and why you should never go into the restaurant business.    Be sure to visit SmallBusiness.co.uk for more articles about peer to peer lending.   Remember to like us on Facebook @SmallBusinessExperts and follow us on Twitter @smallbusinessuk, all lower case. Want to read the interview instead? Hello and welcome to Small Business Snippets, the podcast from SmallBusiness.co.uk. I’m your host, Anna Jordan. Today we have Nicola Horlick, an entrepreneur and investment manager with other thirty years of experience. She’s the CEO of P2P investment firm, Money&Co, and as such, we’ll be talking about business finance. Anna: Hello, Nicola. Nicola: Hi. Anna: How are you doing? Nicola: Very well, thanks. First, I’d like to ask you about moving from finance. How is it becoming an entrepreneur for the first time having worked in that industry for quite a while? Nicola: Yeah, well originally, I worked for big banks and I was very lucky. I started at a big bank that was going very strongly and after that I was sent to another bank which had a very major problem with one of its businesses and I had to turn it around. And then I went to the French bank, SocGen (Société Générale) and they asked me to set up a fund management business for them literally from scratch, so it was just me, a Frenchman and a secretary on day one. That naturally took me to the point of saying “I really need to do something on my own now.” I’d sort of done everything within the banking environment and having literally set up a business from scratch it then gave me the bug, so to speak. The next step after that was to set up a fund management business with no big bank – just me – and getting some backers. I set it up in 2004 and it was approved in 2005 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) that was Bramdean Asset Management. I’ve set up numerous different businesses since then, mostly around finance. In 2011, I set up a private equity business called Rockpool with two guys who are both ex-3i (an international investor group). I then also set up some film finance businesses and I got involved in the music industry and I listed a vehicle on the London Stock Exchange to invest in alternative investments. And then I’ve done less successful things like setting up a restaurant which was a very, very bad idea. I’m still trying to extricate myself from that now. But you know, it’s led me to a different world, really. And then ultimately I set up Money&Co in 2013 and Money&Co is a peer to peer lending platform. So, it’s individuals who want a better rate on their cash lending to businesses to help them grow. Our bad debt experience to date has only been 0.04pc per annum. We’ve actually only had one bad debt in five years. And so with this, it’s not that we’re unique – there are others, Funding Circle is massive – that lend to small businesses. We take a more considered approach. It’s mainly because I’m a fund manager and I’ve been an investor for so long. Whereas a lot of the people running these businesses might come from different backgrounds – they might come from tech or marketing backgrounds rather than money management backgrounds. What criteria do you look for in the businesses you want to invest in? Nicola: So, we have some very basic requirements, like you must have three years of filed accounts; the company must have been profitable in the last year of operation; and it needs to demonstrate to us that it’s affordable for them to borrow so we’ll never ever lend to a start-up, for example. I’d like to talk a bit about the peer to peer lending market. On the retail side, the FCA are introducing tighter rules for retail investors after the collapse of Lendy. How is that going to affect the business investment side and the industry as a whole? Nicola: Well as far as I’m concerned, it’s a very good thing. Because when it started it was what was known as ‘light touch regulation’. So there weren’t many rules and it did concern me that there were people running these services who often didn’t have a financial services background and I’m not sure that’s the right thing for the lenders. A lot of them are older as well and are looking for income and it’s important to protect them as much as you can. So I actually welcome the new regime which is going to come on 9th December by the FCA which is going to tighten up on all of this stuff because it’s hopefully going to mean that the right people are lending and that the people doing the lending on their behalf are better qualified to do that and that their money is better protected. So, Money&Co, as far as you can see, will always exist as a P2P lender? Will you ever introduce other products? Nicola: I mean we could, but that might confuse people. I think we should focus on that because there are huge opportunities in lending. My own background is very much an equity background, so I’m relatively new. I’ve only being doing lending for five years out of 36 years of being in financial services., so I’m a relative novice. There are huge areas of lending that you can bring into the P2P arena. So for example, leasing is an absolutely vast industry. There’s £100bn a year of leasing contracts in this country, 25 of which is business critical leasing. So that’s the printing press for the printing company or the trucks for the trucking company or the dental suite for the dentist: things that those businesses can absolutely not do without. There is absolutely no reason you can’t put those in a P2P environment, those types of loans. And housebuilding is a very good example of where banks are reluctant to lend – there’s a shortage of housing in this country. There’s no reason why we can’t devise a product and in fact we are in the middle of doing just that, for that industry to build more houses. And that’s taken us to the point of thinking that prefab has never properly taken off in this country. It’s much more of a thing in countries like Germany and Austria, but that’s a way of building them much faster and in a much more eco-friendly way, because you can insulate them in the factory and you can put the houses up in a couple of weeks. You can fast-track the build so that instead of having men standing out in the rain putting one brick on top of another, which is crazy in this day and age, you can assemble them really fast and you can make much more interesting developments architecturally. It’s a bit like LEGO; you can have all different shapes and you can make it more interesting. So, we’re looking at ways of raising money from institutions to actually fund housebuilders. Now these would still in effect be P2P loans but from an institution lending to a housebuilder rather than an individual lending to a housebuilder. Coming back to you as an entrepreneur, I understand that Money&Co has suffered a significant financial loss [£1.4m going into March 2018]. You have said there’ll be a substantial profit going into March 2020. What are your recovery plans and how will you go about setting them? Nicola: Ugh, this is such a typical Daily Mail story. If you actually look at how much money we’ve lost in the last five years and compare that to Funding Circle, it’s a fraction of the amount. Funding Circle in 2018 lost £50m in one year. Money&Co has made very small losses relative to Funding Circle. My aim is to make the business profitable as soon as possible because I don’t really believe in building businesses that make losses and losses and losses. And we could’ve lent an awful lot more money if we’d burned more money, but that’s not our approach. Our approach is to build it in a very steady way and I do expect to make a profit… well, certainly break even in the year to 2020. In fact, we may not because it depends how much we spend on marketing. And you know, if we really want to accelerate the growth of the business, we may decide we want to spend more on marketing. If we spent less, we could make a profit; if we spent more, we’re going to end up with a bigger business the year after. It’s a fine line. How do you make that decision of whether the marketing is worth it? Nicola: Well, just before I spoke to you, we were having a meeting about that and just going through our marketing strategy and trying to decide how much we should spend. It’s quite formulaic, really. We sort of know. Of course, we’ve got this problem – not really a problem – but the fact we’ve got the FCA which is tightening up all the rules which makes direct consumer marketing a little bit more complex than it was previously. But it’s a bit binary, you know – if you spend this amount of money on Google in its various forms, you’re likely to get a certain number of clients. So it’s really a matter of how much we want to put into the hopper and how much we’re going to get out at the other end. And also, how many loans we’ve got that we think need to be funded? But assuming we are able to get the institutional money that we need to get to help us fund housebuilders, we’ll certainly be at break-even and probably make profit by the year to March 2020. But I don’t make any apology – it’s a start-up fintech business. That’s what fintech businesses do, make losses. You started up in 2013, correct? Nicola: So the company was formed in 2013 and then we launched the business in 2014, April, the site went live. And we completed the first loan in July 2014.  Right, OK. Normally with a start-up company, it’s usually the first year or so that’s a bit crackly but then it starts to even out after that. Nicola: What, in terms of profitability? Anna: Yeah. Nicola: Yeah, well not in fintech. If you look at all the people with fintech businesses who have been running them over the last few years, you’ll see that they’ve all made big losses. It’s sort of accepted that when it’s a new industry, you’ve got to establish the industry and you’ve got to throw money at it in order to create it. It’s not like setting up shops – well actually, shops are a pretty bad example because they’re not very easy to do these days – but there are more traditional businesses where somebody might have been working for an engineering company and then sets up on their own. Usually the rule is that companies move into profit in year three, in its third full year of operation, that’s what I’d normally expect. But you know, with this, there’s a discretionary element to it which is the marketing spend. We could just run a business that is profitable and keep it small, or we could decide to make it to make it a lot bigger and in order to do that we need to spend a lot of money on marketing. What do you think about the state of business in the UK, especially in the light of Brexit? Nicola: Nobody seems to have noticed that the economy has slowed down very significantly. And we do see it – though a lot of our loans are property-backed loans, we do have some engineering businesses, for example, that we’ve lent to, that are beginning to see a slowdown. And that is Brexit-related in that uncertainty means that people don’t make decisions. So, businesses have not been investing because they don’t know what’s going to happen and there is evidence that car manufacturing companies, for example, are beginning to move things out of the UK. And the number of cars being manufactured in the UK is down 20pc so far this year on the same time last year. These things are beginning to impact on the economy, and they’ll have knock-on effects on all of the businesses we lend to, which is one of the reasons for being very cautious and one of the reasons why I have been so cautious about growing our book. But yeah, I have found generally, during my investing life, that I make a lot more money in bad times than in good. Because in good times any fool can make money, because everything is going up. In bad times, your skill comes into play. It sounds counter-intuitive, but I’m likely to be lending a lot more money in a recession than when things are booming because I will be taking on less risky loans. It’s just that lenders tend to withdraw; they react to recessionary conditions. The banks react during recessions. So, during a recession, there are more opportunities for people who have money to lend. I expect there to be a recession and I expect to build the loan book faster, rather strangely, than I was when things were going really well. When things were going really well, you had Funding Circle throwing money at these borrowers, you had banks, you had international banks, you had vast amounts of money sloshing around. We had quantitative easing – a lot of money being printed. If it’s being printed you’ve got to do something with it. All of that will come to an end and it’ll be much harder for borrowers to find lenders and that provides us with the opportunity and means we’re more likely to find better-quality borrowers during that period of time. And one last thing I’d like to talk about. So the restaurant, Georgina’s, that you used to run, went bust. What are the toughest lessons you learned as an entrepreneur? Nicola: Well, it’s not quite true to say that it went bust. What we did was we closed it down and we moved to a different location. Although it wasn’t called Georgina’s – we called it The Walrus Room – and it was in Battersea Rise. It’s more a bar with food rather than a restaurant. And we’ve just got a new manager to come and manage it. I’m still involved in it, but it’s a nightmare industry and I absolutely recommend that nobody should go into restaurants. I think it only works if you’re a really talented chef and it’s your restaurant. Or if you’re Pizza Express. Anything in-between doesn’t work, so just a vanity thing where you open a restaurant because you like the idea of owning a restaurant, that’s a very, very bad idea. What are the toughest parts of running [a restaurant]? Nicola: Well, the costs are just ridiculous. The rents on the high street are still ridiculously high. A unit on Georgina’s – the original unit – the annual rent was £65,000 a year. The Council Tax was £28,000 a year, I mean it’s outrageous: £28,000 a year?! Then one-sixth of your turnover goes to the VAT man, plus we had 14 employees because it was a full-service restaurant. So, we had to pay 13.8pc of the wage bill in national insurance. You’re basically in business to pay tax and rent – that’s it. And the idea that you’re going to make a profit, unless you’ve got some really big-name chef behind it, is pretty much impossible, in my view. And finally, coming slightly back to my first question, what tips do you have for entrepreneurs – or want to be entrepreneurs – starting their own business for the first time? Nicola: You need to make sure you’ve got some proper funding. A lot of people end up funding their business through credit card debt or getting loans from loan sharks, I mean that’s just absolutely not the way to do it. The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is a very, very good thing because it allows you to raise £150,000 and the people who invest can get 50pc back as long as they’re UK taxpayers. And so I think people need to put in the work at the beginning to make sure they’re raising the money before they’ve actually started the business and they shouldn’t be putting their life savings at risk and they shouldn’t be putting their money on credit cards or going to loan sharks. It’s really important to make sure that the business is financed properly from day one.  Anna: Great. Thanks ever so much for coming on the show, Nicola. Nicola: Not at all. Anna: You can find out more about Money&Co at moneyandco.com. You can also visit smallbusiness.co.uk for more on alternative investments. Remember to like us on Facebook @SmallBusinessExperts and follow us on Twitter @smallbusinessuk, all lower case. Until next time, thank you for listening.      

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 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

The mix of Alfonso Califano’s over-the-top enthusiasm and his inherent Italian hospitality is drawing them south of the river, before you can even say Alice in Wonderland. With his partner-in-cocktails, Simone de Luca, Bombay Sapphire World’s Most Imaginative Bartender UK semi-finalist, The Walrus Room, the Lewis Carroll inspired spot on Battersea Rise, is quickly becoming a player in London bar scene.   Alfonso grew up in tiny Pagani, Italy where community is everything, today he reveals how he made a city as big as London feel as small as his hometown. In the six months that he has been at The Walrus Room, the bar has gone from success to success. Of course, he loves when he pulls in the punters from trendier parts of town, but he is just as thrilled when the residents of Clapham keep coming back.   Where you can hear me drinking next: Next week, May brings us whiskey month starting with the Kentucky Derby and all her Bourbon Mint Juleps, all the way to World Whiskey Day on May 20.  We bring you Chris Hoban, the Brand Ambassador for R&B Distillery, one of the youngest in Scotland, but already making a mark. Are you a regular listener of the Best Sips Worldwide podcast? You can get this and all future audio files automatically downloaded to your mobile device easy. If you're on iOS, you can listen with iTunes. Android users can get it on Google Play. Or click the player or link below to listen to just this episode. (But trust me, you'll want to subscribe!)     Download the audio

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  

In which we pause for a moment, take stock of the year so far and admit how completely behind the eight ball we are. 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 already one-third sold out so don’t wait too long to get your tickets! 7-31st July – Stitch by Stitch, an exhibition of handmade textiles from India and Nepal, is happening at the One Two Five Gallery in Bath. 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. What we’re working on: Rachel is working on Lambton Panes by Cowtown Knits to the exclusion of all the other four bazillion things she's cast on recently. She's also been spinning up a storm for the Tour de Fleece and checking out everyone else's awesome spinning on the Team Porpoise Fur thread. Allison is working on Wavedeck by Kate Atherley in SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted in Riptide. And is almost done with the Toddler Hoodie. Halfway: As it's July, we thought it would be worthwhile to take a step back and look at how the year has gone so far - the successful and not-so-successful undertakings that we've been up to. We talk about some revised goals, emerging trends in our own crafting lives and #3thingsforyarnlove. *** 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 on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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

Shout outs, news and events: A huge shout out to Kathy from Handcrafted Holidays who we met up with in London ahead of her meeting a group of knitters and stitchers for a two week jaunt around the UK. 1st July - tickets for GLYC 2016 go on sale!!! Since recording the podcast some routes are already sold out so get your make sure to get your tickets soon! 2 July - Tour de Fleece starts! If you need some spinning company, come join Team Porpoise Fur on Ravelry. 16-17th July - Yarningham, a new show in Birmingham 16-17th July - Jyväskylä Summer Knit Festival, Jyväskylä, Finland 19th July - Make at the Movies charity film event at Odeon Cinema on Foregate Street in Worcester, to raise money for Target Ovarian Cancer and Mind. Show is at 10:45am and cost is £4. More details on their Facebook page. 30-31st July - Fibre East, Ampthill, Bedfordshire  What we’re working on Rachel's startitis continues as she's cast on the Superbulky Grandpa Cardigan by Joji Locatelli. She's still working on the test knit for Kettle Yarn Co., and the Talisman Shawl from Helen Stewart's The Shawl Society. The Kippen Cardigan is in time out until she gets on the plane later this month.  Allison is still working on the Toddler Hoodie, and Because Sock Yarn by Kate Atherley for the London Craft Guide Craft-a-long. Retreat! We talk to C. C. and Dami from the Geeky Girls Knit videocast, and Sam from KnitRunDig about their upcoming retreat, The Geeky Puffin Knit Palooza, happening in Farnham, UK from 10 - 13th November 2016. Details on how to register for the retreat and all the amazing classes and vendors are on their website. The Layer it On KAL is in full swing on their Ravelry board. 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 on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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

So....it's been a while since we've gabbed at you, hasn't it? Our apologies for the delay in getting this episode out; Allison was away at TNNA and our kids are in the final push for the end of the year, so it’s been a bit manic. So for this episode we thought it might be best to have a catch up. Shout outs, news and events: 1) HUGE shout out to everyone who joined us for our first ever WWKIPDay event. It was great to see so many new faces and we hope to see a lot of you back at knit night. Sorry we forgot to take pictures! Ack! 2) Shout out too to Karie Westermann, who has funded her Kickstarter for her book, This Thing of Paper. Karie has more than doubled her fundraising goal and we couldn’t be more pleased for her. Kudos Karie! 3) Another shout out to our friend Carmen from A Yarn Story in Bath. This week in the UK people are voting on whether or not the UK should stay in the EU. Carmen wrote a blog post about how a Brexit could potentially affect her business. Take a look. 4) Our awesome podcasting pal Jo Milmine of the Shinybees podcast won this year's Best UK Podcast award. We're well chuffed for her. Congrats Jo! 25-26 June - Woolfest, Cumbria 1st July - tickets for GLYC 2016 go on sale!!! 16-17th July - Yarningham, a new show in Birmingham 16-17th July - Jyväskylä Summer Knit Festival, Jyväskylä, Finland 30-31st July - Fibre East, Ampthill, Bedfordshire  GLYC 2016 update: Less than two weeks to go before tickets are on sale! We’re still looking for volunteers to help make this event great so if you think you might be able to help us out, please get in touch! Tickets will be £18 and you can get them directly through our website at yarninthecity.com. All net proceeds from the event will again be donated to Refuge, and we will also be collecting knitted items for Knit for Peace. Every knitted item gets you an entry into the raffle for a huge basket of goodies! London Craft Guide update: The London Craft Guide is now available in France! The book is still in English though… You can now find it at Boutique Le Comptoir and l’Oisive Thé et Tricot and La Bien Aimée in Paris. Our London Craft Guide CAL (Craft-along) is in full swing! Be sure to tag your social media shares with #LCGCraftalong on Instagram and Twitter, or LCGCraftalong on Ravelry.   What we’re working on Rachel has had a bout of startitis. She's still working on a test knit for Kettle Yarn Co., but has also cast on for the Kippen Cardigan by Kat Goldin, a Neat Ripple baby blanket from Lucy at Attic24, and the Talisman Shawl from Helen Stewart's The Shawl Society. Allison is still working on the Toddler Hoodie, and is recovering from TNNA. Oh the yarn fumes! Catching up: Boy is there catching up! TNNA, new jobs, summer plans, and more.   *** 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 on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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): Come to Light - Arkells Bittersweet Summer - Stephan Lucka

On this special episode of the podcast we’ve got an interview with designer Karie Westermann and her new project, This Thing of Paper, which launched this past week on Kickstarter. Also on the podcast we’ve got an update on what we’re working on, our upcoming craft-a-long and more details about our get together for WWKIPDay. Shout outs, news and events Shout out to our lovely knit night who just keep going even when we’re not there. Shout out too to MJ who was thinning out her craft resources and gave us a great crochet stitch bible after hearing us chat about our newfound love for crochet. 1 June – routes announced for this year’s GLYC - woot!!!! 1 June – join us for the London Craft Guide KAL! Knit or sew whatever project you’d like from the London Craft Guide. Or can be more than one project!  4 June - Leeds Wool Festival 7 June - Allison will be doing a London Craft Guide trunk show at The Purple Purl in Toronto on her way to TNNA! 18 June - WWKIP Day! We also hope you’ll join us at the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park from 1:30-4:30pm. Please give us a shout and let us know if you're going to be joining us on the day so we can keep an eye out for you! 25-26 June - Woolfest, Cumbria What we’re working on Rachel is binding off her Coffee Date with Mark Ruffalo Shawl and contemplating what she'll do for the LCG CAL. Allison has sleeves to go on her twist pullover. Will she make it in time for TNNA?  This Thing of Paper Karie Westermann was in the London area last weekend teaching in Hackney and Kent. We caught up with her before she caught her bus back to Glasgow to chat with her about her book project This Thing of Paper which was launched earlier this week on Kickstarter. *** 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 on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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): Charmer - Aimee Mann Come to Light - Arkells

This episode is a little later than usual as we wanted to bring you a report from Allison’s roadtrip into Devon to visit the John Arbon Textiles Mill as part of their Open Weekend. We’ve also got some other exciting roadtrip news to share with you too! Shout outs, News and Events A HUGE shout out to Rachel G. and Lucy O. who invited Allison to tag along with them to the John Arbon Open Weekend. Also to @anelalei in Hawaii, who Tweeted at us about enjoying the podcast - we're glad to hear it! Congratulations to I Knit London who celebrated their 10th anniversary this past weekend! 1 June – join us for the London Craft Guide KAL! Knit or sew whatever project you’d like from the London Craft Guide. Or can be more than one project!  4 June - Leeds Wool Festival 4-5th June: Wool Fair, Ickworth 7 June - Allison will be hanging out at knit night at The Purple Purl in Toronto on her way to TNNA! 18 June - WWKIP Day! We also hope you’ll join us at the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park from 1:30-4:30pm. Please give us a shout and let us know if you're going to be joining us on the day so we can keep an eye out for you! 25-26 June - Woolfest, Cumbria, GLYC 2016 update Route info will be published on June 1st and tickets will go on sale on July 1st. We’re adding a few new shops this year, including Stag & Bow, the iconic Liberty and Ray Stitch. Stay tuned for the routes for more details! What we’re working on Rachel has been dyeing. A lot. And slowly working on the Incredible Hullk shawl from Episode 35 which is ginormous and...hulk-like. Instead of a knitting FO, this episode Allison has a sewing FO - woot! It's gorgeous, and matches her Lush cardigan perfectly. She's also working on the Twist Pullover by Cecily Glowik MacDonald from knit.wear Spring 2012, in SweetGeorgia Tough Love Sock in Cherry. Hoping to finish for TNNA... Roadtrip! In which Allison takes a drive down to Devon, gets audio of Frankie and John, and ends up with a Mill Membership and some yarny presents. We also announce our upcoming autumn retreat, also in Devon! In collaboration with Made on Holiday, we are hosting Knitting in the Country with Yarn in the City, a weekend-long event on 30 September - 2 October. The venue is fabulous (really!) and we will be teaching some dyeing classes and colourwork classes and how to fix your mistakes classes. Check out the website for more details and we hope you can join us in October! *** 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 viaTwitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can also find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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): You're My Friend - Midnight Pilot Charmer - Aimee Mann

In this episode of the podcast, we review Tracey Todhunter’s new book, Women’s Weekly Guide to Crochet, which is inspiring us to pick up our hooks. Along with the usual - shout-outs, chat about what we’ve been working on, upcoming events and a very special announcement! Shout outs, news, events:  Shout to all the regulars and new faces at our knit night who took over three tables in the pub this week, and thanks for everyone’s yarn show tips! Thanks to everyone who commented on the last episode of the podcast, and congratulations to our giveaway winner of CC Almon’s book Coffee With CC – Clare!  News and events: 18-24 April: Makers for Fashion Revolution photo challenge hosted by Karie Westermann, aka Kariebookish, on Instagram. The idea behind the challenge is to get conversation happening within the making community about where our clothes come from.  21 April: A Yarn Story is bringing their Shibui Mix Party to Omnibus, in Clapham. This one-off special event will give you a chance to learn more about the Shibui Mix Concept and try out their various yarns to create your own personalized textures for your knits. Space is limited but tickets are still available for £15, a portion of which will be credited to any yarn purchases made on the evening.  23-24 April: Wonderwool Wales in Builth Wells.  30 April- 1 May: The annual Knitter’s Folic in Toronto!  30 April: Wooltastic Mini Pop-Up Wool Show, Walton Village Hall, Cumbria. 30 April: Yarn Shop Day - show your love for your local Yarn Shop by popping in to see what they have. In Manchester, Brit Yarn will be having a special pop-up at the Countess Ablaze studio. In Bath, A Yarn Story will have a yarn tasting of all their Fibre Co. yarns and will have a world-exclusive of The Fibre Co.’s newest yarn, Arranmore!  7 May: Wharfe Wool Fair, Ilkley 21 May: Highland Wool and Textile Fair, Dingwall Mart 21-22 May: Baa Baa Bazaar at the Shepley Spring Festival, Shepley. UK Fibre and Yarn Events group on Ravelry. What we’re working on: Rachel is working on the Crocheted Starburst Baby Blanket by Sara Rivka, and the Coffee Date shawl by C. C. Almon. In finished objects, she's blocked the world's largest shawl (Freshwater Shawl from the last podcast), and finished her latest shawl design.  Allison finished Your Mileage May Vary by Joanne Scrace and finished spinning her Porpoise Fur fibre club from January resulting in 138 yards of worsted weight yarn. She’s now back to working her way through her WIPs and on a couple of baby and toddler sweaters.  Book review: Women’s Weekly Guide to Crochet by Tracey Todhunter  Tracy Todhunter, a long time crochet designer and teacher, has a new book out that is perfect for those, like us, who are not the most accomplished crocheters. Great photos, tutorials and tips for all! You can find it on Amazon UK and in your local yarn store. It's also available in the US, as Crochet: Learn It. Love It. Wonderful Wonderwool (and other Yarn Show) Tips  At our most recent Knit Night, we asked for tips from our compatriots on how they get ready for wool shows, and we share their thoughts with you. And speaking of yarn shows…  We have a big announcement: the Yarnporium is coming!!!! All the details that are currently available are here, and stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks. If you are interested in vending at the Yarnporium, more information is here, and if you'd like to volunteer, there's information here. *** Please let us know what you think through comments on the show notes, send us an email at hello@yarninthecity.com or via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   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):Sunstroke - WylderOffer Up My Love - Midnight PilotThe Good Life - Midnight Pilot

With the Easter holidays and our kids still off school we've got another international Skype session of the podcast for Episode 34. We hope you'll bear with and that the sound isn't quite up to our usual standard. News, Events & Shout Outs 16th April - Our next book event for the London Craft Guide is being hosted by Knit With Attitude! Join us from 2-4 at the shop for some light snacks and a chat about our journey from the Great London Yarn Crawl to the London Craft Guide! Maya and her team are also generously offering 10% off in the shop and they've paired up the projects from the book with yarns from their shop - check out their blog post to see them all! Please RSVP to Knit With Attitude just so they have a sense of numbers - this is a FREE event! 21st April - Carmen from A Yarn Story is bringing her Shibui Knits Mix Party to London! The event is being held in Clapham and gets underway at 6:30pm. Find all the details and book your ticket on the AYS website. 23-24 April - Wonderwool Wales gets underway for it's 11th year at Builth Wells in Wales. We'll be popping in for a whirlwind visit on the Sunday on a coach visit with our guild from London and are already starting to make our lists of what we'd like to see! 30th April - The third annual Yarn Shop Day is coming up soon! Check out their website to find a participating shop near you and show your love for the awesome yarn shops we have across the UK. Big shout out to our US iTunes review from bjoy -thank you so much! Another shout out to Wild Thistle Farm in Pattston, ME, who accosted Rachel on the train from Boston to Brunswick to ask her (knitting with commercial yarn) if she was a spinner. They have Shetlands people - off you go!We also have a winner of the copy of Wool Tribe generously provided by Edinburgh Yarn Festival in Episode 33 - Rachelke! Please get in touch with us and let us know how to get that to you, and congratulations! What We're Working On: Allison is going great guns on her baby sweater, and has finished the sleeves. She's also been cranking out a new crocheted shawl from Joanne Scrace's new book The Shawl Project Book 1. Rachel has finished her Freshwater Shawl by Andrea Mowbry and Annie Rowden, in fantastic Triskelion Yarns Elen, and is spinning up some of her March Lab Goddess Fibre Club Wensleydale. She's also just discovered that her recent Yarn Chicken winning streak will come to a stunning halt if she continues with her current shawl design project, so there's some frogging in her immediate future. Book Review: Coffee with C. C. In this episode we review C. C. Almon's new book, Coffee with C. C.: A 7 pattern caffeine inspired knitting collection. Disclaimer: Rachel was the tech editor for this project, so take her comments with however many grains of salt you need. The collection includes six sock patterns, ranging from plain vanilla (French Vanilla Cappuccino socks) to more elaborate (I Love You More Than Pumpkin Spice socks), and also includes a shawl pattern. The patterns include lots of textured stitches and interest, but straightforward constructions so they are perfect for new or less experienced sock knitters looking to expand their skills! The hard copy of the book can be purchased from the JavaPurl Designs website for $18 plus shipping, and the eBook is available through Ravelry for $16 plus shipping. *** As always, please let us know what you think through comments on the show notes, send us an email at hello@yarninthecity.com or via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   And 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):1000 Ships - Rachel PlattenIt's Not - Aimee Mann

Shout outs: iTunes reviewers and some lovely Ravelry messages about the podcast and the book - thank you! Also huge shout out to podcast interviewee Clara Parkes, whose new book Knitlandia landed on the New York Times bestseller list! And we have a winner for the skein of Tamar Lustre blend from Blacker Yarns! News and Events:  16th April - A Yarn in the City talk and book signing at Knit With Attitude in London. We'll be talking about how we got started with the Great London Yarn Crawl and how the rest of our events, and now our book! grew from there. 23 - 24th April – Wonderwool Wales, Builth Wells Fairgrounds. We're going for the day with the London Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, and the coach is now full! What we're working on: Rachel has finished her Honey cowl and that's all. Allison finished her Heggelia mitts and has started a sweater for a new baby and is faffing about trying to find something else in SweetGeorgia Yarns to knit. Free Your Skeins! We have a lovely chat with Jo Milmine of the award-winning Shinybees podcast and the Golden Skein yarn club, about how she started her podcast, building community, bringing people together and why you should use your precious, special skeins. New Giveaway - Wool Tribe! We have a cheeky last-minute giveaway as well - a copy of the hotly sought after Wool Tribe, the official program to Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016. To enter, leave a comment on these show notes by end of day Easter Monday (March 28th, 2016) and tell us your favourite memory of EYF either this year or last year, or one that you say while watching the festival from afar on social media. We'll announce the winner on episode 34 of the podcast. *** As always, please let us know what you think through comments on the show notes, send us an email at hello@yarninthecity.com or via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio(and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   And 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):Find My Way - Brooke Annibale1000 Ships - Rachel Platten

On today’s podcast we’re chatting about some new goodies that have crossed our desks at Yarn in the City HQ and they’re two of our favourites: yarn and books! We’re reviewing another awesome new yarn from Blacker Yarns and we’ve also got chat about two new books, including one for our crochet followers.  Shout outs:  Shout outs to Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch, Louise at Inspiration Knits, LCG contributor Catherine Hopkins and Julie from Knitted Bliss who have all written reviews of the London Craft Guide on their blogs. Thank you!   Shout out as well to Lyndsey at Countess Ablaze who’s amazing studio in Manchester is well, amazing. And a hello to all the knitters from the Joeli’s Kitchen Retreat in Manchester last weekend.  Book news:  All orders and pre-orders up to the end of February have now been sent out. If you pre-ordered a copy and you haven’t received a postage invoice from us, please check your email for a notice from Paypal, and email us at hello@yarninthecity.com if you haven't received on and let us know.  News and Events:  March 18-19 – Edinburgh Yarn Festival 2016 – marketplace, classes, general awesomeness. – Rachel will have copies of the London Craft Guide on her Porpoise Fur stand so you can pop by and take a look for that!  March 18-20 –  H+H trade show, the largest stitching-related trade show in Europe, is taking place in Cologne, Germany. 23 - 24th April – Wonderwool Wales, Builth Wells Fairgrounds. We're going for the day with the London Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers. Spaces are filling up quickly so check on our Ravelry board for all the details.  Note from us: we realized after recording this episode of the podcast that we teased you unnecessarily by hinting at news to this year's Great London Yarn Crawl and we're sorry we forgot to mention it! This year's GLYC will take place on Saturday, 10th September and we're once again looking for volunteer yarn guides. If you'd like to help out, please email us at hello@yarninthecity.com with "I'd like to volunteer for this year's GLYC" in the subject line. Thanks! What we’re working on:  Rachel is almost done with her Honey Cowl in handspun and is dyeing like crazy for EYF. Allison finished the Tulip Cardigan she had picked up again in the last episode, and is so close to being done with her Heggelia mitts! And is anxiously planning what new thing she’ll cast on next.  Two of our favourite things: yarn and books  Yarn Review: the new Tamar Lustre Blend by Blacker Yarns. Book reviews: Crochet Yeah! By Joanne Scrace and Kat Goldin of The Crochet Project, and Penguin by Anna Maltz. Correction: we mistakenly mentioned Navia as the yarns used in Penguin. Yarn support was actually provided by The Island Wool Company. We apologise for the error! And a giveaway! Leave a comment below telling us what you'd make with a single skein of the new Tamar in fingering weight. Name the pattern and leave your Ravelry name and we'll keep the contest open until end of day on Monday, March 14th. The winner will receive this gorgeous skein of Tamar and we'll gift you the pattern you selected on Ravelry if you don't already have it! As always, please let us know what you think through comments on the show notes, send us an email at hello@yarninthecity.com or via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. You can find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website.   And 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):After the Fight - Jars of ClayDaisy Child - Brave BabyFind My Way - Brooke Annibale

Happy New Year, and welcome to 2016! News and Events: 9th January - We'll be renewing our memberships of The London Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers at their January meeting. This is great organisation and with excellent content and speakers at their monthly meetings. Membership is only £25 for the year. 10th January – Joanne Scrace (notsogranny) is teaching her Crochet Shawls class at Knit With Attitude.  13th January (mistakenly listed as the 10th of February in the podcast) – It’s the first Late Night Knitty Lock-in of 2016 over at Wild & Woolly. Check out the details on their website. 17th January – the Waltham Abbey Wool Show, at the Waltham Abbey Marriott, Old Shire Lane, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 3LS (Update: Porpoise Fur will be at WAWS, so come say hello if you're at the show!). 30th January – Woolly Wormhead, hat designer extraordinaire, is teaching two classes at Knit With Attitude. In the morning she's teaching a Knitting in the Round Masterclass that will include all sorts of tips and tricks, and in the afternoon it’s all about Turning Sideways. 6th-7th February - Rachel is teaching two classes at A Yarn Story: Learn to Spin: Drop Spindle on Saturday afternoon, and a two part workshop on How to Knit a Sexy Sweater on Sunday; the morning session will cover swatching, and the afternoon is all about pattern modifications. 13th-14th February – Cécile Balladino is teaching her Eclectic Gipsyland crochet at Loop. These same class is offered on both Saturday and Sunday. This is not a beginner’s crochet class so you will be expected to already know how to crochet. 19th-21st February – Unravel is happening at Farnham Maltings. We will be there with two stands – one for Porpoise Fur and also a Yarn in the City stand where we will be debuting the London Craft Guide!  26th-28th February – Joeli’s Kitchen Retreat in Manchester. Featuring classes (some spaces still available for classes with Kate Atherley!) and a mini marketplace on the Sunday that will include Countess Ablaze. What we’re working on: Rachel's last FO of 2015 was a lace shawl design that's been submitted to Knittyspin (so there aren't any pictures of it to show). She's also been working on her Dark & Stormy cardigan by Thea Colman, and is on Sleeve #2. She has also picked up her long-standing bead and colourwork project, the Marie Curie Mittens by Emily Bujold, and did a few more rows on the #14 Bus. As you do... Spinning-wise she's been working on some colourful mini-skeins for a design project that will debut at Unravel, and on her Dark Lady BFL from the December instalment of the Porpoise Fur Lab Goddess Fibre Club. Allison finished the Basic Rib Socks for her Dad while in Miami. She's now working on the Gradient Pullover by Amy Miller in handspun merino/silk, and is hooking up a sample for Unravel of the Candy Bag by Cécile Balladino, one the projects upcoming from the London Craft Guide. Book News and a Giveaway: The London Craft Guide is coming! After much more back and forth on the design and layout than we ever would have imagined, we are now in the final stretch for the book to be sent to the printer’s by the end of the month. We will be officially launching at Unravel, but those of you who preordered the book will have your copies sent out as soon as we have them in hand. Thank you so much for your patience! Keep watching our blog and Instagram feeds as we start to show off some of the amazing projects and shops from the book over the coming weeks leading up to Unravel. Speaking of which: anyone making plans to go to Unravel at Farnham Maltings? Thanks to the lovely organisers of this fantastic local festival we have a pair of day tickets to giveaway. To enter, leave a comment in the show notes and let us know what you’re looking forward to seeing at the show. Entries will be open until February 1st, and we'll announce the winner on the following podcast. (Contest note: this pair of tickets is for a single day’s entry to the show and does not include any travel to Farnham.) Good luck! Start as you mean to go on: The idea for the theme of this podcast came to us after seeing the usual New Year’s resolutions, year-end wrap ups and general commentary on social media in the last week or so. We’ve been struck by the emerging themes, and by the prevalence of all of us to try and shape the direction of our creative endeavours and activities. We’ve seen a few different things that look like fun, or inspired us and we wanted to share them with you:    Instagram #2015bestnine for @allidecks, @yarninthecity and @porpoisefur 1. #2015bestnine – what were your most liked Instagram photos? 2. Finding your word for the year – Karie Westermann had a lovely blog post about this and Allison talked about finding your word in relation to some work she's done with Tara Swiger's Lift Off workshop. We've also found this great Find Your Word resource. 3. The Maker’s Year – A Playful Day 4. The year of #yarnstashlove – Louise Zass-Bangham/Inspiration Knits (and #fibrestashlove, which we are shamelessly stealing from Louise for our own devices) We’re interested to know what plans you’re making for yourselves this year – or if you are? Are you one of those planners or not at all? Send us a note or let us know in the comments on the show notes. A small bit of housekeeping: in an effort to be more predictable for you all, we’re going to try out a more formal podcasting schedule this year. We've decided that it will be easier if the podcast episodes go live on a specific day, so you know when they'll be posted. So, apart from this episode (which is obviously not going up on the right day), we will launch an episode of the podcast on the first and third Sundays of the month.  As always, please let us know what you think by tweeting, liking, or loving our posts when you see them go up on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – or even better, leave a comment in the shownotes or send us an email at hello AT yarninthecity DOT com. You can also find us on iTunes or Stitcher Radio (and please consider leaving a review for us!), or download us directly from the Yarn in the City website. Knit night is back for 2016, with a later end time too! You can find us on Wednesday nights upstairs at The Goat on the Rise pub on Battersea Rise, a stone’s throw from 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 credits (all available on NoiseTrade) Howlin' At Nothing (Live in Denver), S. O. B. - Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night SweatsBright Lights and Amplifiers - American OperaFlee - Paper Airplanes