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On today’s episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast I'm at Stitches United in Hartford, CT, talking with Benjamin Levisay, CEO of XRX, Inc., publishers of XRX Books as well as promoters of STITCHES Expos. Benjamin is a second-generation partner in this 31-year-old company originally started by his uncle, Alexis Xenakis, his father, David Xenakis, and their partner Elaine Rowley. Benjamin has been a part of the fiber industry since his family opened a yarn shop in Sioux Falls, SD when he was a small boy, an enterprise that later evolved into XRX. We talk about the closure of Knitters Magazine last and the expansion of the STITCHES shows. Benjamin explains the friction that sometimes arises between STITCHES and local yarn shops and how that might be resolved. We also talk about Benjamin's former podcast, Fiber Hooligans, a new physical product for selling digital books, and more. Learn more about the STITCHES shows on their website. +++++ This episode is sponsored by Sew Surprised. Sew Surprised is a learn-to-sew subscription box that is delivered to your door every month. Each box will contain all the materials needed to make a complete project, along with a link to a video showing you exactly how to complete the project. Sew Surprised is perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to sew, and we have boxes for boys, girls, and adults too! Visit us at Sew Surprised to get started. +++++ Please note that this show used to be called the While She Naps podcast. The name has changed, but the content and host have stayed the same. To get the full show notes for this episode, visit Craft Industry Alliance where you can learn more about becoming a member of our supportive trade association. Strengthen your creative business, stay up to date on industry news, and build connections with forward-thinking craft professionals. Meet with show host, Abby Glassenberg, each month for our Craft Business Roundtable, get access to courses and webinars taught by industry leaders, and much more.
The incredible generosity and talents of Cee Cee & BeLinda Creech are on full display in this episode of The What Now Show. The guys also welcome Benjamin Levisay, CEO – XRX, Inc. (Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, ... online home of Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, and STITCHES Events) to discuss the value of gifts & talents. All of that, another instructive Top Ten list and more.
The incredible generosity and talents of Cee Cee & BeLinda Creech are on full display in this episode of The What Now Show. The guys also welcome Benjamin Levisay, CEO – XRX, Inc. (Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, ... online home of Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, and STITCHES Events) to discuss the value of gifts & talents. All of that, another instructive Top Ten list and more.
Benjamin Levisay, CEO of XRX, Inc., publishers of Knitters Magazine and XRX books, is a second-generation partner in this 29-year-old company originally started by his uncle, Alexis Xenakis, his father, David Xenakis, and their partner Elaine Rowley. promoters of STITCHES Expos, also as as CEO and Director of Marketing & Sales and board member of Halos of Hope. Listen Live for chance to win great prizes! Stay up to date with the Yarn Thing podcast with the App available on iTunes and for Droid.Find our more about Marly at www.MarlyBird.com or follow her on facebook Sponsored by: Knitter's MagazineCraftsyLoLo by Bar-MaidsDecade by Drew EmborskyBijou Basin RanchKnitCrateErin.Lane BagsKristin Omdahl Bamboo So FineBuffalo Wool Co.Green Mountain Spinnery
Today’s episode is sponsored by the New and Improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. New and Improved because we now have our own website. Visit our new home at DizzyBlondeStudios.com If you want to find your raveler number enter the Konami Code on your profile page. If you need help, see this thread. Catching Up: (1:15) Laura had family visiting, Her sister-in-law was visiting. And her brother and his family are doing the amusement park tour of California, including Disneyland (and she will be able to play in the park with them). It's Tony's birthday soon, so that's happy. And she's been doing a lot of dying, especially the custom colors for both of the shops that carry custom colors of Dizzy Blonde Studios yarn. And she's been catching up on Doctor Who. She loved "Blink." (Don't we all?) Jen made strawberry basil lemonade. She has a blog post up with her strawberry basil lemonade recipe. She also saw both The Grand Budapest Hotel and Godzilla and thinks they are both worth seeing. She and Ron are working out some new songs, "Amie" by Pure Prairie League and a mashup of two songs "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men and "Home" by Ed Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. And she's been paying some old video games by Tim Schafer, including Day of the Tentacle. We mention yarn shops Colors and Alamitos Bay Yarn Company, the Cradle Will Rock Shawlette, and Canon Hand Dyes. In the Knitting Bag: (12:44) Laura is on the last color of her Leftie by Martina Behm out of a Miss Babs Yummy kit in slate and reds. She has finally actually started her Down the Garden Path Shawl by Michele DuNaeir in Lambie Toes in Special Hell. And she started her Yggdrasil Afghan by Lisa Jacobs out of reclaimed Berroco Vintage Chunky in Chocolate. Jen is working on her Leah’s Lovely Cardigan from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. She is almost done with the sleeves. She is also working on her second Sunshine Sock by Cookie A in Dream in Color Smooshy in Butterpeeps and her Lauriel Cardigan (by Ysolda Teague from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto for Camp Loopy. She has trouble casting on, as usual. We mention the Citron Grande and Endless Rainbow. Finished Objects: (20:21) Laura finished her Men's Vintage Socks in Dizzy Blonde Studios Lambie Toes in No Touching Guns (grey). She may want to take different pictures than the ones she initially took. She is still deciding on a name, but she probably going to name it for Sectumsempra, a spell that Snape used in Harry Potter. Jen finished her Hitchhiker by Martina Behm out of a Zauberball in the colorway 2079 Durche die Blume (pink and green and white). She only got 40 teeth and she had about 6 inches of yarn left after binding off. Devil's Tower: (23:00) The UFOs are quiet. Frog Pond: (23:10) Laura had some trouble with the Down the Garden Path Shawl. She didn't read the pattern, because she thinks she can read the designer's mind. Jen has frogged her entire Chickadee (which is by Ysolda Teague and she was working it in Quince and Co. Chickadee). It's a top down yoke sweater with stranded colorwork worked flat, and she's not happy with how it looks. So she's going to start over, because she wants to be happy with it. On Deck: (26:11) Laura wants to make a Dreambird by Nadita Swings out of either Dizzy Blonde Sock or Lambie Toes (or maybe both) for a booth sample. She wants to make Knitted Scale Mail Gloves by CraftyMutt, the Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde DK in an undecided color, and the Motoring Madness Mittens by Audrey Nicklin from Lit Knits out of brown alpaca. Jen will be re-starting her Chickadee. She'll be making a Ginny's Cardigan by Mari Chiba from the Unofficial Harry Potter Knits out of Wollmeise Pure in Chim Chim Chimney. And she wants to make Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink) and the Citron Grand out of Desert Vista Dyeworks Voir in Cherry Icee. Knit Culture: (30:28) We play the promo for the Once Upon a Time Podcast. We do the drawing for the May Stashdown Challenge. Congratulations to knitallthestuff! You win a digital copy of Subversive Socks edited by Tabetha Hendrick, courtesy of Cooperative Press. June’s theme will be Matriculation, so post your finished objects in the June thread. July's theme will be music; projects that remind you of your favorite song or musician or album cover or what-have-you. Steve Malcolm of It Takes Balls to Knit has launched an indiegogo campaign. And we interview Benjamin Levisay of XRX Books, the Stitches Shows, and the Fiber Hooligan Podcast. We talk about his background, his podcast (including the origin of its name), his work with Halos of Hope, his new software venture, Hopscotch, and some general geek stuff. Geek Culture: (1:14:23) We talk some more about some upcoming blockbusters including How to Train Your Dragon 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jupiter Ascending, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Expendables 3, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Sex Tape. We mention Interstellar (which is the Matthew Mcconaughey astronaut film that Jen couldn't think of the title of. Events: (1:19:44) Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. We are doing an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day. We are partnering with Colors 91711 (address 248 Harvard Avenue, Claremont CA 91711). On Sunday June 22, we will be at the park across Harvard Ave having a knitting picnic from 11am to 2pm. Bring a chair, some shade, some snacks to share, water, sunscreen, your knitting. Colors opens at 12 noon for your shopping pleasure. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. KnitDizzney will be Sunday, September 7, 2014. Save the date. There will be exclusive colorways and T-shirts for purchase and we will have a meetup at the picnic spiral.
The I Flunked the Written Cowl for the Sunnydale Yarn Club This episode is sponsored by the new and improved Dizzy Blonde Studios. Check out our new website at www.dizzyblondestudios.com Catching Up: (00:55) Laura was at Alamitos Bay Yarn Company for meet and greets for the Los Angeles Yarn Crawl. We mention Trendsetter Yarns, Baah Yarn, and Reywa Fibers. She got to take a day off and go to Disneyland, where she got to meet Thor and see a lot of props from the Marvel Universe movies. She's on Round 3 of her final Nerd Wars tournament for a while. She is still working out some of the bugs for the new Dizzy Blonde Studios website. She will use her Etsy shop for patterns and clearance yarns and one-off skeins. She's also fighting a cold. Jen was at the Craftcation Conference in Ventura. She stayed at a hotel right on the water. She loves Ventura. And she took a cookingclass with Aida Mollenkamp. She learned to make preserved lemons, took a drawing class, took workshops on branding, social media, and blogs, got to listen to Melanie Falick on a panel, did some embroidery classes (and got embroidery kits from Ugly Baby and La Ru (with patterns from Jenny Hart of Sublime Stitching). She's reading Swamplandia!. She's working on a monologue from the play Educating Rita for her acting class. And she's going to write on her blog more. And she released a a pattern! It's currently exclusive for the Sunnydale Yarn Club, but in six months, you can buy it. In the Knitting Bag: (15:53) Laura is working on the left hand version of the Hand to Hold Dishcloth by Rachel van Schie. She has done the right hand square in Berroco Vintage DK in blue. She is also working on a blanket square using the Fruity Oaty Bar Chart by Elizabeth Herac out of Berroco Comfort in a sage green. She is working on her vintage man sock in Lambie Toes in the color No Touching Guns. And she's continuing to work on the Broncos hat for her brother out of Knitpicks Brava in blue, orange, and cream. And she has put a few leaves on her Leftie by Martina Behm, out of a Miss Babs kit in slate and reds. Jen is also working on a Leftie out of Knitpicks Palette in Cream, Rouge, Spearmint, and Aster. She is very happy that she went stashdiving. She is working on a Leah's Lovely Cardigan out of Malabrigo sock in Eggplant. She is working on her Rocky Coast Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Fibre Company Organik in Highlands. She regrets not doing the sleeves before she finished the body, so there is less to flip (something she learned fromThe Knitmore Girls), because the body of this sweater is heavy. We mention Melissa's custom colorway from the Loopy Ewe. Finished Objects: (26:36) Laura finished the right hand Hand to Hold Blanket Square, the Leaf on the Wind "Wash Cloth" by Becca out of Berroco comfort worsted. Jen finished her 2x2 ribbed scarf out of Patons Wool Classic in the colorway Kimono for the charity Interval House. Devil's Tower: (28:45) Laura has been really good about pulling things out of the Devil's Tower. Jen's Rocky Coast Cardigan is hovering around Devil's Tower. And her Watership Down KAL shawl is Devil's Tower because she doesn't have the brain power for it right now. Frog Pond: (30:55) Jen has been lucky, but Laura has not been. Laura frogged her initial Bronco's hat because the pattern with the stripes was looking too feminine. In addition, she put a knot in at the color change and the knot came undone and it unraveled. Plus, she couldn't figure out a way to do the color changes she liked, so she frogged it and started over in a new pattern of her own making. On Deck: (33:20) After Nerd Wars, Laura plans on making an Effortless Cardigan by Hannah Fettig out of Dizzy Blonde Sock in Timey Wimey (TARDIS Blue). She also will be making some more blanket squares for Nerd Wars. Jen kind of wants to re-make her Sweetheart of the Rodeo cardigan, because it's knit at a small gauge in high twist yarn (Wollmeise DK). She may just cut out the colorwork and re-do it as embroidery. Or maybe she will re-make a new one out of fingering weight. She wants to make the Chickadee from Ysolda’s book Little Red in the City in Quince and Company Chickadee in Slate, Egret, Lichen, and Rosa Rugosa. She also wants to make a Lauriel Cardigan (also by Ysolda and from Little Red in the City) out of Wollmeise DK in Pesto.and a pair of Water for the Elephants socks by Rose Hiver in some Knitpicks Stroll in a bare (natural) and Summer Blooms (pink). She also has an idea for some mitts with jacaranda blossoms embroidered on them. We mention Celestarium and Southern Skies by Audrey Nicklin. Knit Culture: (40:06) We answer a question from our Knotty Talk Thread. knitallthestuff asks Here’s one that falls more under “discussion topic” than “request for help/info”. When selecting what patterns to knit/crochet and which ones to do next, how do you juggle all the conflicting desires/intentions: 1. OMG, SHINY! Must. Make. Now. 2. I should do this now, so I can get some use out of it before next year. 3. It would be really nice to have this, but I should wait until X date (see #2). 4. Other deadlines, whether externally- or self-imposed (Christmas, Birthdays, Ravellenics). 5. That skein of ___ is calling to me from my stash. I must use it and love it and call it George. We answer, but we want to know what you think. We come up with the overall answer of "it depends on the mood and the pattern." We both determine that we are more motivated by the pattern than the yarn. Laura has had a great need for deadline work for Nerd Wards and booth samples. Jen takes the cast on time into account. We mention a bunch of patterns, including Yggdrasil and the The Princess Shawl. But we really want to know about your motivations. So let us know in the Ravelry thread for this episode. We also announce prizes for the overall Podcaster Throwdown. PlainJayne12 knit the most hats overall (for Team Sock-a-holic). The most prolific knitter for Team KnottyGirls was Karen E. They both win an "Almost the Works Package" for any Stitches event in 2014 or 2015, donated by XRX Books. Carrie M. of The Yarn Sellar contributed the most hats overall. She got the residents of a correctional facility to knit and donate 99 hats for Team Craftlit. She wins a membership to the second patrol of the Sunnydale Yarn Club donated by Dizzy Color. Robdob contributed the most virtual hats. She raffled off a shawl and donated the proceeds to Team Sock-a-holic. She wins a prize package consisting of a 40th Anniversary Large Eden Drawstring Bag from Della Q, 1 Set each Knitters Pride Dreamz US Size 5 in 24” & 40”, Valley Yarns Pattern Series Snowdrop Baby Blanket, and 10 balls Valley Yarns Longmeadow in Natural, donated by WEBS. Our team MVP is Peggy Baxter (pbaxter), president of ESSS, who was such an enthusiastic supporter. She wins a two-year subscription to Knitter's Magazine, donated by XRX Books. Random Drawings: 4 Mini-skein samplers donated by Skeindalous Yarns 1. Estella A 2. Meshuggeknitter 3. Bluesjules 4. Seajaneknit 5 skeins Blondee Merino/Superfine Alpaca blend donated by Dizzy Blonde Studios 1. Kim Rennick 2. indigodogmt 3. CrispyBacon 4. JudithLee 5. Mary 3 Books donated by Heather Ordover of Craftlit 1. What would Madame Defarge Knit?--Edith 2. What else would Madame Defarge Knit?--Susan from Brea 3. Grounded--Barbula 2 skeins of 100% Yak Yarn donated by Bijou Basin Ranch 1. Dark Blue--Glenda from Fullerton 2. Light Sandy Brown--knitsnhikes 1 4oz./100g. Skein Skeindalous Joi Sport 100% BFL in Candy Floss donated by Skeindalous Yarns--Barbula A copy of History on Two Needles donated by Annie Modesitt--Ruth L A digital pattern collection of Marly Bird's patterns donated by Marly Bird herself--Karen E 3 Needle Cases donated by Knit Totes 1. RKSmom 2. Fred from ESSS 3. afreyedknot 2 50-gram skeins FibraNatura 100% linen donated by Laura 1. Regatta color--Shanda S 2. Purple color--KnittyBarb A Project Back Pack donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast--E Gould 3 Knit stitch marker sets donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast 1. k8erpillar 2. Kay from Ladera Ranch 3. scmusicals 2 Crochet stitch marker sets donated by the KnottyGirls Knitcast 1. ariane 2. Lifewithmonkey Thank you so much to all the prize doners, to everyone who contributed hats (virtual or real) or gave someone yarn to knit hats or contributed in any way. You all did an amazing thing for Halos of Hope. Geek Culture: (1:01:01) We talk about knitting webcomics. We mention Worsted for Wear and Knit Princess. We love both of them. Jen also mentions other webcomics she loves: Questionable Content and xkcd. And we want to know what cool stuff you find on the internet. So we started a thread in our Ravelry group where you can post any cool knitting-related or geek-related things you find on the internet. Share the love. Events: (1:05:29) Signups for Patrol 2 of the Sunnydale Yarn Club will start April 17th and close on May 2nd. There are 32 spots in the club; if more than 32 people sign up, names will be drawn for the spots on May 5th. First installment will go out in June. Pricing, details, and the signup form are at dizzycolor.wordpress.com We are planning an event for World Wide Knit In Public Day. Details to follow, but our event will be either June 21 or June 22. We are both going to the CogKNITive retreat run by Dr. Gemma of the CogKNITive Podcast on July 25. Jen will be at the Retzlaff Winery Fleeces, Food, and Fun event on June 7th. We also mention Pear Pie with Red Wine and Rosemary. Thanks for listening to our 25th episode. Our next milestone prize will be at 1000 members, so join the Ravelry Group. And don't forget to post your finished April projects in the April Thread. You can win yarn!
This week I had the privilege of sitting down with Benjamin Levisay for the podcast (no, I was not driving as I recorded!) Benjamin is CEO of XRX, Inc., the company behind Knitter's magazine, XRX Books and STITCHES Expos. He also hosts his own weekly podcast, Fiber Hooligan, where he interviews the best and brightest in the industry. Today, Benjamin is in the interviewee chair as we chat about STITCHES, Halos of Hope, and the Podcaster Throwdown. Links to check out: Find Benjamin - Twitter (@BenjaminXRX) - Facebook - Ravelry XRX, Inc. Knitter's XRX Books STITCHES Fiber Hooligan - BlogTalk Radio - Ravelry Group - Facebook Group Halos of Hope Drew Emborsky's Chemo Cap Challenge Podcaster Throwdown Don't forget to vote in the thread for Episode 64 for which team gets the official Commuter Knitter podcast endorsement. Voting will stay open for another week or so. As of today, the following teams are participating: KnottyGirls Knitcast, Ravelry Group Knitmore Girls Podcast, Ravelry Group Craftlit, Ravelry Group Read, Set, Knit, WEBs Ravelry Group Yarn on Tap, Ravelry Group Knit Knit Cafe, Ravelry Group Come Find me on the Interwebs Ravelry - ndjen04 Ravelry Group - Commuter Knitter Podcast Twitter - @CommuterKnitter Facebook - Commuter Knitter Email - commuterknitter@yahoo.com Show notes - http://commuterknitter.blogspot.com Google + - Commuter Knitter Podcast Instagram - ndjen04
This week's episode has been sponsored by:Have you tried Tencel? Abstract Fiber has merino/ Tencel blend yarn and fibers. With warm weather coming, Tencel blends are just right. They're cooler than pure wool and have a smooth sleek surface. MightySock makes a great warp yarn for lightweight woven scarves perfect for spring days and cool summer evenings. The drape of Tencel shows lace off beautifully. Check AbstractFiber.com to puchase merino/tencel blends online or for a list of stores near you.Happy May from the Purlescence Purl Girls! Around here we knit sweaters all year round, but we know that some of your knitting habits may change in the warmer months. We're delighted to bring you summery knits, too! Check out Chic Knits' Ribby Shell, ChicKami, & and Nicole patterns, all quick knits just perfect for summer wear. We've got lots of yarns to choose from, too, like Tahki Stacy Charles new Cotton Classic Lite and Cascade Yarns' Ultra Pima. Knit your way to a spectacular summer!Think Outside the SOX , the latest from XRX Books, features over 60 winning designs from the Knitter’s Magazine contest. This ultimate sock book highlights many design processes, innovative constructions and updates on traditional techniques and just plain beautiful socks. Extensive charts and diagrams, illustrated explanations, and detailed photographs all round out this how-to for everything socks. There’s no better time to be a sock knitter! You can find us on the web at http://KnittingUniverse.com/SOX/ or call 800-232-5648.Show notes will be posted by 5/8.