The Shinybees Knitting and Yarn Podcast

This week it's a chatty catch up for the most part, with some news on renovations/maintenance issues at Casa Shiny. Roofers: know your limits! Enablers' Corner directs you to the sale at Whistlebare Yarns. Get 20% off mohair lovelies over at www.whistlebare.co.uk, hand dyed and produced on the farm. Want to meet this small producer? Check out episode 72. There is also some chat about a visit to the Countess Ablaze studio in Swinton, Manchester. Her hand dyed fabulousness knows no bounds; I'm a fan girl and I am not sorry. Wippin' Piccadilly returns with a brief canter through ongoing knitty projects including Owligan by Kate Davies, Be With You/Voodoo by Boo Knits and some socks that cannot be elaborated upon yet, as they're in yarn from the most recent quarter of The Golden Skein. I wrote for Wovember! If you like wool and you haven't already, go over to www.wovember.com. The Shinybees celebration yarn and podcast swag should be available this week. Get on the mailing list to be the first to hear about it. Show notes are at www.shinybees.com Music is 'I Need A Drink' by Adam and the Walter Boys.

Alice Elsworth, our guest mohair expert, returns to the podcast for an interview to talk about life as a farmer in rural Northumberland in the UK. Alice keeps a herd of mohair goats at Whistlebare Farm and her four young sons keep a flock of Wensleydale sheep! Alice has her yarn spun into a Mohair/Wensleydale blend and hand dyes the yarn herself on the farm, which is sold at various shows and online under the brand Whistlebare Yarns. If you've ever wondered what it's like to live and work on a small farm, this interview is for you. In the news section there is some beadalong chat along with a call for those who fancy knitting some advent Frankensocks. Details are in the Ravelry group. You can find Alice at www.whistlebare.co.uk where there are links to all her social media as well as details of shows and where you can find the farm to visit in person. Show notes are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

This week it's all about lace and felt on the show (still with a smattering of mohair after our focus on the Diamond Fibre of late).  Enablers' Corner welcomes the Felt-Ed Kit Club 2016. Introduce yourself (or your children) to the wonders of wet felting with this monthly club. With 12 projects, it would be a great rainy day project or ideal Christmas gift for kids. It's also an ideal intro to the craft for adults curious about making felt. The monthly kit is accompanies by a worksheet and a video tutorial to accompany the project, created by a trained teacher. You can find out more at www.felt-ed.co.uk. Then we have a review of 'Lace Knits: Magical Methods for Openwork Knitting' by Ann Kingston. For those not familiar, Ann is a Yorkshire-based knitting designer and author, with an armful of books to her name. There is a precis of the patterns as well as my thoughts on the techniques section and the book as an overall offering. Spoiler: I like it. It is available at www.annkingstone.com Show notes are available at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is 'I Need a Drink' by Adam and the Walter Boys.

This week I am delighted to welcome beaded shawl design maven and all round lovely lady Bev, aka Boo Knits to the show. Having long been a fan of Bev's aesthetic, I knitted the Shawl of Awesome for the NMEU UK Podcasters' Awards from one of her patterns, Out Of Darkness.  Boo Knits patterns are the perfect choice for those who want to create a complicated-looking shawl with minimal effort. Simple and easy to follow - even for a beginner - there are a variety of shawls which would make perfect first beaded projects. One of Bev's designs, Be With You, is one of the featured patterns for the #Beadalong, starting on 18th Nov 2015 over on Ravelry. Bev encourages you all to knit only with yarn you truly love. Warning: contains enabling. You can find Boo Knits primarily on Ravelry, where there is a very active and welcoming group to get involved with. Show notes are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need a Drink'.

Male knitter? Want to knit socks for the man in your life? Rachel Coopey joins me this week to discuss the finer points of knitting for men, particularly in the sock department. There's also a Q&A with Alice Elsworth of Whistlebare Yarns in Northumberland, who keeps a flock of her own Angora Goats and produces yarns from their own animals, which she hand dyes on the farm.  The details of the #beadalong are announced. Cast on is 16th November at 8:30pm GMT, live on Periscope (@Shinybees) and the end date is 10th January 2016. Three patterns for knitted beaded shawls have been nominated in the thread in the Ravelry group along with one crocheted section. You can choose any beaded project you like, though, if none of these patterns work for you. Use #beadalong on social media so we can all follow each others' progress. Sign up in the thread on Ravelry. Show notes as always are at www.shinybees.com. Music is provided by Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

Rachel Coopey is our guest of honour in this episode. Rachel is a British knitwear designer and author, with somewhat of a penchant for socks, having written three books on the subject. Also fond of accessories, she has designed for a number of UK and overseas knitting magazines and publications. Her most recent book, Toasty 2, was launched at Yarndale 2015 and is a collection of patterns in Baa Ram Ewe's Titus yarn. You can find Rachel at www.coopknits.co.uk. Show notes are at www.shinybees.com. Music for this episode is by Adam and the Walter Boys and is 'I Need a Drink'.

More mohair is the name of the game this week, where the focus of the episode is on mohair yarns that are available on the UK market mostly (and several are available in the States and elsewhere). In news, we bid a fond farewell to the iMake podcast after 87 episodes. Martine was the person who inspired and enabled me to podcast by taking the time to share her knowledge on the technical aspects. She's also grown to be a dear friend and I wish her the best of luck in her new creative venture. Thank her for me being here using the hashtag #thankyouMartine. In Enablers' Corner, I invite you to check out Little Grey Girl. Run by Gem Dudley, it's a emporium of knitting frippery and project bags to delight those with an eye for grey and also those who want a project bag that shies away from crafty twee and towards classic style. Then it's all about mohair. I round up some choice hand dyed, commercial and from the producer, single farm type yarns for you to try in your adventures with mohair. Show notes are available at www.shinybees.com Music from this episode is by Adam and the Walter Boys and is 'I Need a Drink'.

Today we're celebrating that most maligned of fibres: mohair. It's actually rather good if you give it a chance.  In Enablers' Corner, I bring you As Autumn Falls by Amanda B Collins, a new 4-piece pattern collection that is perfect to get you ready for autumn. In The Sock Surgery, I am talking about mohair, specifically the properties of the fibre and how that makes it a really good choice for socks. You might be surprised at what benefits it can offer in a yarn. If you want a great article about using sock yarn without nylon, check out Pure Wool For Socks by Clare Devine over at Wovember.com. Finally, I describe the latest shipment of The Golden Skein's Power of 3 Club. Go and check out DyeForYarn, Travelknitter and Cedar Hill Yarns. Show notes are on the blog at www.shinybees.com Music is provided courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

National Knitting Week is upon us: what's on your needles? This week's episode has some podcast and knitty news to kick off proceedings, followed by a chat about Yarndale 2015 and a round up of current and finished knitting. In parish notices for the podcast, I will be moving house back to The Money Pit in the very near future. The podcast is planned to remain on schedule throughout this geographical disruption. Also, I have set up a newsletter for the podcast, which you can join at http://eepurl.com/bBMENL and will include all the latest podcast news along with some dogs in comedy knitwear. Also, there's a listener survey for you to take part in. I'd love to hear your opinions, and will be offering a yarny giveaway incentive. Look out for this on the blog and social media for the link. In woolly news, it's Wool Week in the UK between 5-11 Oct, with most of the activity being focused around London (typical!). The UK Hand Knitting Association is promoting the Commit To Knit charity knitting project as part of National Knitting Week. The Knit A Square charity is in dire need of financial donations to support their operations in South Africa.  The Highland Wool and Textile Fair is happening in Inverness on 17th October 2015. Yarndale is reviewed with my top tips being Rachel Coopey, Town End Alpaca and Laura's Loom. Wippin Piccadilly has a finished Owls jumper by Kate Davies and Out Of Darkness shawl by Boo Knits. Ongoing is a Lush by Tin Can Knits. Shownotes for this episode are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is provided via Music Alley courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys, with 'I Need A Drink'

Hello and welcome to the AWARD WINNING Shinybees podcast. That's right, we won 'Most Engaged Audience' at New Media Europe, which means you're officially an award winning audience! This week there's a big thank you, as you'd expect, along with my top three take-aways from the New Media Europe conference. In short: be yourself, community is key and embrace failure. If you aren't failing, you aren't learning. There's some Socktober news for you from the UK Sock Knitters group on Ravelry and BritYarn's GBSocksAwayKAL. I review Blacker Yarns' latest spin, Cornish Tin, a 10th birthday, one-off yarn, developed from ten all-british suppliers and available in one neutral and four dyed shades. Finally there's a sneak peek at what's coming in the next few weeks and months. Show notes as always are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is provided courtesy of Music Alley and is by Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

This week is a pacey canter through the usual format. The show is co-hosted by a barrel of fermenting beer. I'm not even joking. Enablers' Corner returns where I encourage you to check out the map tapestry kits by Hannah Bass (www.hannahbass.com). In news, there are a number of UK yarn shows coming up including Bristol Wool Fair (11-13 Sep), Yarndale (26-27 Sep) and Highland Wool and Textile Fair in Inverness on 17th Oct. The Great London Yarn Crawl was a great show. Check out all the patterns by p-hop to get your knitting fix whilst doing your bit for charity by raising money for Medecins Sans Frontiers. Top 3 favourites from the marketplace for me were: The Wool Kitchen, Travelknitter and Midwinter Yarns. The pattern pick makes a dive-like return this week, with babies in moustaches and shell attire for pet tortoises, all around the theme of Super Mario. Shownotes for this episode are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is provided via Music Alley and is courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

Custom Socks a go-go as we welcome author, technical editor and pattern designer Kate Atherley to the show. If you're interested in learning how to write clear patterns that any knitter can use to recreate your design for themselves, Kate has some great tips and lots of experience to share. Likewise, she provides us with her top sock knitting tips in anticipation of returning to the Sock Surgery to close the interview. In news, the Shawl of Awesome is progressing nicely. Also, Sally Cameron of PinkHairGirl Podcast has released a pattern to help raise funds for the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. The Phoenix Hat pattern is available vis Ravelry and there is a video embedded in the shownotes, where you can hear Sally and her daughter Rachel talk about the project. Shownotes for this episode are available are available at www.shinybees.com Kate Atherley can be found at www.kateatherley.com Music for this episode is as always provided via Music Alley courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need a Drink'.

Hat mania descends upon the podcast this week as I welcome hat architect Woolly Wormhead to the show. Woolly is a knitting designer who is obsessed with all things hat. Author of 8 books dedicated to all things hats, she delights in exploring the extremeties to which you can take the humber hat. Drawing on her background as an engineer and Fine Art student, she focuses on the sculptural aspects of hat design. She's a hat architect and she'd like you to be too. You can find Woolly, her patterns, blog and links to her social media at www.woollywormhead.com This episode is sponsored by Yarn In The City. For more information visit www.yarninthecity.com Shownotes are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is courtesy of Music Alley and is Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need a Drink'.

How do you go from psychoanalysing serial killers to wool shop maven? Leona-Jayne Kelly of Fluph in Dundee joins us this week to answer just that question. It's a little more straightforward than you might think, and of course, it involves knitting. The camapign to win the UK Podcasters' Award continues, so please head over to the shownotes for details. The Shawl of Awesome is ongoing and progressing well. It will be finished in time for the awards! Events: I'll be at Great London Yarn Crawl and Yarndale in September. You can find Leona at Fluph at 164 Blackness Road, Dundee or online at www.fluph.co.uk Shownotes are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is provided via Music Alley courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with 'I Need A Drink'.

Because you know it's all about the stripes, 'bout the stripes... This week I am pleased to welcome Michelle Berry of Berry Colorful Yarnings onto the podcast to talk about all things self-striping. Based in New Mexico in the United States, Michelle is a indie dyer who specialises in wider self striping yarns. Longer colour changes give options for patterns beyond the usual socks (although they do knit into wonderful socks too!) and sets her yarns apart from the majority of self striping yarns on the market. She often themes here colourways around films or books, with the latest collaboration with Lara Smoot - the Potterful Kits - are an homage to a certain boy wizard. She was a featured dyer in the Spring 2015 instalment of The Golden Skein Yarn Club. You can find Michelle at www.berrycolorfulyarnings.com Shownotes for this episode are at www.shinybees.com Music for this episode is provided via Music Alley and is courtesy of Adam and the Walter Boys with "I Need a Drink".