Episode 62 > Breathe > Crochet Circle Podcast

Episode 62 - Breathe

INTRO

My name is Fay and this is my audio and video podcast for those that love fibre crafts, particularly crochet.  This podcast is sponsored by my online crafting company, Provenance Craft Co. 

Thanks to everyone who tunes into the podcast whether it is through Stitcher, Podbean, Spotify, Amazon, iTunes or the YouTube Channel. Your support and engagement are really appreciated and makes running a podcast very special and worthwhile.   

If you would like to support the podcast, you can do that through Patreon: 

FINAL DESTINATION

I have a couple of crocheted pieces to show you today. 

First up is a big, bright, clashy blanket that I absolutely loved working on.  It is made from West Yorkshire Spinners Re:Treat wool (link) which is a roving yarn from Bluefaced Kerry Hill sheep.  It is 140m/153yds per 100g, so chunky wool.   

The Strata Blanket is launching in issue 132 of Inside Crochet which is available in newsagents from today and is also available online (link). I pulled together a photo tutorial for the fringing too.  Who doesn’t love a crochet/macrame mash-up!

I do plan to sell this as a standalone pattern when I get the rights back for it, but it’s on the list with a few others…

My second FO is a hat that I have created as part of the kick-starter campaign for Moorit Magazine.  It’s a companion design to the Positivity Spiral Cowl.

I used Nene 4ply from RiverKnits which is 100% Bluefaced Leicester (non-superwash) and is grown and spun in the UK.  The colourway is Sommerlicher Nachthimmel (link) and it’s a deep turquoise/teal colour with small variegations down to a mid-teal. 

This wool was a delight to work with.  I have a worked with a lot of RiverKnits yarn as a crocheter and I can tell you that there is a marked difference between the 100% BFL superwash that they used to stock and their new Nene 100% BFL non-superwash wool.  It’s softer, has better drape, actually smells of sheep and as you are working with it, it feels more organic and a lot less formulaic than the old superwash version.

This is another pattern that will be available for general purchase, but only after it has been delivered as part of the rewards for the Moorit Magazine kick-starter campaign (link) - more on that shortly. 

This is another pattern that will be available for general purchase, but only after it has been delivered as part of the rewards for the Moorit Magazine kick-starter campaign (link) - more on that shortly. 

The first people to get it will be the £55+ backers of Moorit Magazine and then after that, it will be on general release through all my usual outlets.

This is another pattern that will be available for general purchase, but only after it has been delivered as part of the rewards for the Moorit Magazine kick-starter campaign (link) - more on that shortly. 

The first people to get it will be the £55+ backers of Moorit Magazine and then after that, it will be on general release through all my usual outlets.

EN ROUTE

For too long, I have had a parcel sat at the side of the sofa from Zoe at The Woolist (link).  Zoe undertook a four year PhD on the 72 British pure breeds of sheep.

Part of her ongoing work is to connect with local farmers, suppliers, producers, makers, designers, crafters and create a knowledge base available on her website.  This means a wealth of information is available at our fingertips.

Zoe often travels to yarn shows and has a stand where she shows off samples of the 72 breeds knitted up.  Me being me, I offered to crochet up the 72 breeds so that she could also have crocheted samples on her stand. 

This was not a wholly selfless act.  There are very few people that have worked with all 72 breeds, and probably far, far fewer that have crocheted with them.  So, being sent a parcel of all 72 British sheep breeds is actually a dream come true. 

I am nearly halfway through and have been diligently taking notes on each breed and photographing them all before and after.  Needless to say, this is a huge piece of work and one that will take me a few more months to pull together.  However, it will all culminate in more resources for those of us that like to crochet with British breed wools.  

INTERVIEW WITH ALYSON CHU

At the end of January, I had a chat with Alyson about Moorit Magazine and the kick-starter campaign that she was about to launch to fund the magazine.

Moorit promises to be a high-end crochet magazine with indie spirit!  As I type this, the campaign has smashed way beyond the £10,600 target and the £12,500 stretched target.  The current amount is £18,750 which allows money to roll over into Issue 2 (yay) and for the more copies of Issue 1 to be printed.

"I knew Moorit was going to resonate with people because the dearth of crochet-centric content is a popular topic of conversation among my crochet friends. 

But I was still completely blown away by the immediate response to the Kickstarter campaign. I’ve been really thankful for and encouraged by the support and by the comments and messages I’ve been receiving. And if I didn’t know it before, I am so confident now that I am on the right track with Moorit."

I encourage you to go and look at the Moorit Magazine website (link), follow it on Instagram (link) and to go to the Kickstarter campaign page and pledge of you can (link).  Even though the funds have been pledged for Issue 1, extra funding gives Alyson the backing of the crochet community and the confidence to plough ahead with ideas for Issue 2. 

I am SO excited that the crochet community has backed Moorit so wholeheartedly. 

Snippets of the interview were used in the podcast and the whole interview can be found on Youtube (link) and Podbean (link).

FEEDING THE HABIT

Only one thing has been purchased this month and that is a house!

No incoming wool.  You know you don’t really need any for a while when your removal team says 

“You have a lot of wool. Did you know you have 13 boxes of it?” 

My response was to laugh and say “they were only the boxes you could see through.  There’s more!”

Also, I was podcasting in a little oasis of calm, surrounded by boxes and stock and yes that is a massive bottle of gin on the kitchen island!

DESIGNS IN PROGRESS

Thank you so much for your responses to me sharing my design process.  It is very clear that this is something that you are interested in whether that is because you are intrigued by the process, or because you want to start designing.

Because the response has been so great, I want to develop it into a proper podcast section and do it justice.  Therefore, I haven’t rushed into pulling something to deliver for this month’s podcast.  Instead, I will pull together a proper plan and launch it in the next podcast. 

What I can say is that I also plan to hold Zoom session every 2-3 months for budding designers.  We can talk through the design topic that has just been covered in that last podcast.  I also hope to invite along some of my design and yarn buddies so that you can gain extra insight from them. 

QUICK NEWS BEATS

Global Hook Up – The February hook ups are scheduled for:

Saturday 20th at 8pm GMT and Sunday 21st at 9am GMT.

There is a caveat though.  Our internet at the new house is shocking and I will only be able to host the session if I can tether my phone to the tablet, or if our fibre has been connected by then. 

The meeting ID number is 475-047-5819 and you will need to join via Zoom which you can do here:  https://www.zoom.us/join  if a password is required, it is WOOL.

If you are joining on your phone or tablet you will likely need to download the software in advance.  If you are joining from a PC or Mac, you can join via the link above.  Everyone needs to use the same ID number to get into the session. 

J'ADORE

I found a new podcast/vlog called Talasbaun on YouTube (link).  It’s a young couple that is living an off-grid life in a forest cabin in Sweden.  It is beautifully shot and gives a real insight into off-grid living, working traditional crafts and small scale farming with nose to tail practices.

I will add a content warning though.  They are farmers and eat their own livestock.  There are scenes of butchery and raw meat, which will not be for everyone.

I’ll be back on the 5th of March! 

Fay x

ABOUT THE PODCAST

My name is Fay and this is my audio and video podcast for those that love fibre crafts, particularly crochet.  It’s a community for people that like to support their fellow humans regardless of race, gender, sexuality, ability, size or age. I hope you feel the welcome embrace and love of the Crochet Clan.  

Come on in and stay awhile.