The Yarniacs: A Knitting Podcast

I am recovering from a cold both as I write this, and on the day we recorded. Thus, it was a very merry low-key episode for me. I mentioned to Gayle that I felt she had to carry the episode and that I had several long pauses while my brain s-l-o-w-l-y cranked into gear. She thought not at all. So there you have it. :) I do know that we had to pause while recording several times. I had to check on...

Oh, the holidays, they are a-coming! Here in the US, this week is busy. We are getting ready for our Thanksgiving holiday, there are school holidays to work around, and the general business of planning, family, and work. Gayle and I have been busy with all of the above and more. As I write this on Thanksgiving afternoon, Gayle and I have already chatted about how we are grateful and thankful for a...

I woke up this morning feeling fine, but by the time we recorded, I could feel a sore throat coming on. As I write this, I am hoping, hoping, hoping, that it doesn't get any worse and doesn't turn into a full blown cold. Or worse. Keep fingers and toes crossed for me. As we gear up for the coming holiday season we introduce a holiday KAL with a short simple theme. Knit some good. Or crochet some g...

Gayle and I were SO happy to be recording a "regular" episode. We were grinning from ear to ear. It bears repeating that we love knitting, making things, and sharing our yarnie adventures with you! We have received a number of items for review, and unfortunately because of the interviews and our pre-recorded episodes, we've fallen a bit behind. So, we'll share some reviews with you about a couple...

  Photo credit: Knitter's Review In this episode we chat with Clara Parkes, who shares a little bit about the Knitter's Review, her books, and her Great White Bale project. There was a lot of info to fit into our usual time, Clara is an amazing source of wooly information.  I am sure we didn't touch on everything everyone is interested in and some of our discussion may leave you with more question...

We are a few days early with Episode 46. Gayle will be traveling for the next week and a half and the easiest thing to do was record and get the episode out there. Because we had recorded the interview with Deb Robson early, we both felt a need to chat about our current knits before another episode flew by. So we play a bit of the catch-up game, sharing what we have been knitting and stalking, and...

Photo by Kristi Schueler   We hope you will enjoy listening to this chat with Deb Robson as much as we enjoyed recording it. Gayle and I have been doing a lot of research, and we were still nervous to talk to Deb. This woman is a font of information! She has so much specialized knowledge and is so eager to share it and we have so much to learn. :) I've included a couple of links below to specific...

Last episode crows, this episode dolphins. Welcome to Santa Cruz. We recorded this episode at the coast with the sound of the waves in the background. We hope this is as pleasant for you as it was for us. It had been a warm day and sitting at the beach recording was a wonderful way for our day to close. You will hear us sighting some of the following locals. :) Western gull Pacific white-sided dol...

As the end of August draws near, Gayle and I record on one of our typical seasonal foggy afternoons.  The start of the new school year approaches and I have already seen both Halloween and winter decorations for sale in the stores. There is still a month left until the autumnal solstice, giving us a few precious weeks to finish and photograph our KAL entries. The discussion on fall colors and how...

This episode finds us back in our usual recording spot (my dining table) after recording "in the field" for the past two episodes. We are definitely back in our groove, post-analysis paralysis. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing since for both of us, analysis paralysis seems to yield lots of knit hats for charity! In my case, being  trapped in a yarn store  adds to the donation pile as well! Lots...

For some reason this is a particularly low-key episode. It was a hot day while recording, and I had been a bit under the weather health-wise the past week and though there is a lot of knitting, we are both a little low-energy. Technical difficulties? If you have had difficulties reaching a few of the older episodes this week, those should be resolved now. We were booted off of our hosting service...

The original title of this episode was going to be "Road Trip" for reasons which will become apparent once you listen. But even the best of plans have a way of falling apart sometimes, don't they? Thwarted by the heat of the 100 degree day, our plans to record while visiting yarn stores went out the window, and the secondary plan to finish recording once we returned to the bay and its cooling bree...

In Episode 39,  June Gloom hits in a couple of ways. First we have an unusual June rain storm, bringing us more rain than we had in January of this year! Second, with all of the end-of-the-school year activities, birthdays, and events, neither of us have been able to focus on casting on a larger project. We are still knitting, just focusing on hats and shawls. We both are on the verge of some larg...

After a month of special guests, the Yarniacs are flying solo again and catching up on all their finished objects. There is much stalking going on as both Gayle and Sharlene are looking to start new projects. It feels a bit like "school's out for the summer" around here as we discuss shawls, knit summer tops, and cardigan options for our empty needles. What are we wearing? Sev[en] Circle  by Kirst...

This episode, we welcome Karida Collins, owner and dyer/artist of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Karida joins us for our regular segments and more discussion about hand-dyed yarns, how to work with them, and how to manage our own expectations as consumers of hand-dyed yarns. Karida is on the east coast, and we are on the west, so we recorded via Skype. There are a few areas where the audio cuts out a bit...

Today we welcome a special guest to our podcast, Kim Voldseth. Kim, along with Heather Cabanas, together market their yarn as  Western Sky Knits . If you've listened to the podcast since Stitches West 2012, you may remember that is when we first met Kim and Heather and their brightly dyed skeins. We've become fans and hope you will enjoy our chat. What are we stalking? Nested  by AliciaPlum Toujou...

It's been our usual two week break between episodes, but for both of us it has been a long two weeks apparently! We both come to the microphone feeling like a month has gone by. No matter, we jump right in and get to our usual segments this episode. We hope you enjoy! What are we wearing? Coraline by Ysolda Teague Gayle's Coraline Sharlene was representing the Golden State Warriors ! What are we s...

We usually open our episodes talking about what we are wearing. What generally follows, is sharing why we are happy with our projects. This week I talk about a sweater I knit that I just don't wear. I love the yarn and  in my mind  I love the sweater, but for some unknown reason, I don't wear this sweater. If I don't wear it, I need to figure out a way to repurpose the yarn, or find someone who lo...

Coming to you live from spring break, Gayle and Sharlene need to record this episode in the car! There is some ambient noise, other cars driving by and some distant outside noises. It doesn't interfere with hearing what we say, but thought I should let you know what we were up to. :) What are we wearing? Ballet Wrap Cardigan by Katy Ryan Sharlene's Ballet Wrap Cardigan Fuse by Veronik Avery Gayle'...

In addition to our usual segments, we share our impressions of  Botanical Knits  by Alana Dakos. If you haven't checked out these lovely designs, please click on the link above and do so! We also announce the winners of the Self-indulgent KAL. Congrats to our winners and to everyone who made themselves something lovely to start the new year. Wear it with pride! I am still getting over a cold and c...

Happy March everyone! Gayle and I are happily reunited post-STITCHESWest bliss. We have a few stories to tell and some knitting to catch up on. We try to share a few STITCHES anecdotes and purchases along the way, getting a little tongue-tied when we talk about the kindness and friendship of knitters. It was the highlight of the expo for both of us. Links for what we are knitting and wearing can b...

Greetings fellow Yarniacs! This episode Gayle and I welcome a special guest to the podcast. We are thrilled to share a chat with Benjamin Levisay. Benjamin Levisay is the CEO of XRX, Inc., the family-owned business that brings us Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, and the STITCHES Expos. Benjamin shares the humble beginnings of the family yarn shop and his memories of weaving on his dad's looms, to ho...