EPISODE TWENTY THREE :: Emma Lehan of The Fleece and Wheel - Having and Go + Thoughts on Sourcing Locally

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

In Episode 23 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Emma Lehan of The Fleece and Wheel.Emma is a knitter and spinner based in Queensland. We chat about how Emma’s interest in knitting eventually led her to spinning, and how her thoughtful partner gave her a drop spindle as a christmas present a few years ago, leading her down the path she’s on now. Last year, Emma got involved in an Etsy Local market, which was a huge motivator for her to get her business up and running. We talk about how she’s managed her business and why she’s chosen to source locally. Emma walks me through how she has found her sources of fibre and how she’s developed these relationships over time.

Emma's Handspun Alpaca for the giveaway! 

Emma is generously sponsoring a giveaway of 3 luscious skeins of her handspun alpaca! Here's how to enter: 

1. Follow @thefleeceandwheel on instagram

2. Follow @close_knit on instagram

3. Comment on this blog post with your instagram handle and name

GIVEAWAY CLOSES FRIDAY, 27TH JAN 2017 8am AEST. 

Emma's biggest bit of advice:

"Have a go. Because a lot of people think 'I can't possibly do that'. and that's wrong, of course you can, you just have to try... Just start, and don't get discouraged" 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Tanis Fiber Arts - who Emma blames for turning her into a yarn snob
• Boho chic Fibre Co - handspun and handdyed, and knit designs
• Aurelian townsend  - incredible weaver and spinner
• the unusual pear - where Emma got her first drop spindle!
• pickle and co fibres - the amazing indie dyer who introduced Emma to White Gum Wool 

Find Emma: website | instagram 

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• Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket Casts

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani

EPISODE SEVENTEEN :: Emily Michetti of Your Daily Dose of Fiber - Finding a Love of Alpaca in Peru, Working on Turning a Passion into a Business

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

In Episode 17 of the Close Knit Podcast, I speak to Emily Michetti of Your Daily Dose of Fiber. Emily is an alpaca lover, who discovered spinning at a young age. She's since delved deeper into the field of spinning and is working toward building her dream business creating locally grown and spun yarns. We talk about her trip to Peru as a 9-year-old and how that started her down this path, and how she has grown from there. Emily is passionate about soft and luxurious fibres as she has sensitive skin, and plans to keep her fibre sourcing local and her yarns American made. 

As a 9 year old, her mother took her to Peru on a mission visit. She remembers visiting Puno, a really beautiful part of Peru as well as Lake Titicaca. Looking back on it, she tell of the textiles that she encountered but didn't really take notice of as a child. Instead, she fell in love with the alpacas because she found them really adorable. 

A couple years later, she decided she needed a job and was pretty adiment that it have something to do with alpacas. She set about researching and ended up finding an alpaca farm in Texas to work on, a couple hour's drive from her home. The woman who ran the farm taught her to knit with angora goat yarn and DPNs - this was her first introduction to knitting. 

Later in her youth, she bought a drop spindle on Amazon without really knowing what it was. She rediscovered it a few years later and started teaching herself how to spin via Youtube videos. 

Fast forward to the last couple of years - she moved to oregon to marry her husband, and was having trouble finding a job. She picked her knitting back up and ended up knitting a bunch of scarves and rekindling her love of knitting. Shortly after, she was given her first wheel - it was handmade and very unusual but really beautiful. She got into spinning and eventually  bought a new wheel, giving away first wheel to a little girl she knew who was getting into fibre. 

Emily's biggest bit of advice:

"practice. keep doing it. If you really love it, you'll always keep coming back to it. trying and knit a whole thing, instead of two inches of a thing" 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Amy of Aurelian Spun Woven - spinner, weaver, and she has been super helpful for Emily 
• the stranded sheep
• Good Stitch Fibers ( formerly abbygoodknits)  - spinner and dyer 
• Cavs46 - Lauren  -  spinner, weaver and natural dyer  (that Ani has a huge girl crush on) 

Find Emily: website | instagram | facebook 

Want more? 

• Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket Casts

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani

EPISODE TWELVE :: Nadine Hulme - Adagio Mills : Crowdfunding + Starting from Scratch

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

In Episode Twelve of the Close Knit Podcast, I speak to Nadine Hulme of Adagio Mills. Nadine and her husband Andrew started their alpaca mill after moving to a semi-rural region of New South Wales, bringing alpacas onto their property, and attempting to get their fleece processed (to no avail). Nadine recounts how difficult it was to find someone semi-local to process their fibre, and how that led them to the conclusion that they'd just have to process the fibre themselves - thus Adagio Mills was born. 

We chat about her experience running a kickstarter campaign to fund the scouring facilities for the mill, as well as their experience writing the business plan and seeking funding from more traditional sources. 

 They've had to learn quickly to improve their products, and take on feedback from their early customers. Both Nadine and her husband Andrew have backgrounds as engineers and have found these skills remarkably transferrable. 

Nadine's biggest bit of advice? 

"Believe in the dream, and work out hoe you're gonna get there. Write that business plan... talk to as many people as you can... know what you want to try to achieve...and work out what advice you should listen to" 

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Georgie of Tikki Knits - Australian knitwear designer and rad lady working with aussie fibres, knitting everything from baby cardis to art installations of australian fibres (not mentioned in the podcast but worth checking out- a project she contributed heavily to on climate change "warm" 
• Ambah O'Brien - Aussie knitwear designer who plays with colours and shapes 
• Lucy from Attic 24  - works with Yarndale

Find Nadine: instagram | facebook | website

Want more? 

• Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket Casts

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

EPISODE SEVEN :: Gina Rockenwagner of Poppy and Pima - Serendipitous Job Offers, Knitwear Design and Improvisational Quilting as a Creative Outlet

Gina with the women who work for Poppy and Pima

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

This week's episode has a special gift- a 25% discount to Caitlin Hunter's Pattern Shop - Boyland Knitworks. Caitlin lives on a farmstead in rural Oregon with her husband, 3 little boys and a pile of assorted animals. When she’s not herding animals (or children) she’s designing beautiful knitting patterns and embracing slow fashion through her use of sustainable fibres and naturally dyed wool. Caitlin’s patterns cover everything from simple drapey jumpers to lace worked shawls and lovely fair isle beanies. To get 25% off all of Caitlin’s knitting patterns, check out her ravelry shop and enter CLOSEKNIT at checkout.  A big thank you to Caitlin for offering this special gift to podcast listeners. 

In this episode, I speak to Gina Rockenwagner - owner of Poppy and Pima, knitwear designer, and quilter. Gina chats to me about her experimental approach to quilting, and how she uses quilting as an outlet from designing knitwear to fit a human body. 

one of gina's quilts

Gina clears up my confusion on what "baby alpaca" actually is, as I, embarrassingly, don't actually know what it is! We chat about Gina's entrance into the knitwear design world, and why she thinks of knitting as the original 3d printer.

People/ Things we mentioned in the podcast:

• Anna Maltz - The Sweater Spotter on instragram, author of Penguin Knits 
• Zak Foster - brooklyn based quilter
• Ruby Hoppen - Australian quilter   
• Rebbecca Ringquist - embroidery artist
• Great people who live in Michigan: Meg Navoy - A Wool Story (ep. 6 guest), Marlee Grace - Have Company
• Oxbow Artist Residency in Michigan

Find Gina: website | instagram | facebook 

Want more? 

• Subscribe: Itunes or Pocket Casts

Like what you're hearing? 

Awesome! I'm glad you've found your way to this podcast. Please feel free to subscribe, leave a review on iTunes (this makes all the difference to reaching more people!) and share with your loved ones. Thanks for tuning in.

Until next time! 

xx

Ani 

EPISODE SIX :: Meghan Navoy of A Wool Story - Zero Waste Knitting and Sustainable Fibre Revelations

The Close Knit podcast showcases artists, designers, and makers from all over the world who work with fibre in its many forms. Knitters, spinners, sewers, textile artists - all will be celebrated on the Close Knit podcast.

In Episode 6 of the Close Knit Podcast, Meg schools me on the sustainability of alpaca, we chat about how she got into knitting, her time at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), and how her dad is taking after her in striving for zero waste (well, kind of). Meg and I share a lot of laughs on this episode, over her time on an alpaca farm, among other fun stories she shares. 

People/things we mentioned in this podcast

• Meg blew my mind when she explained to me why alpaca is more sustainable than other fibres, including wool. 
• Instead of going to a music festival, Meg visited an alpaca farm and spent the money she saved on a ticket on alpaca (as one does): Waldron Grove Alpaca Farm
• We chat about Meg's friend who founded this company - Evernu - though we got a little bit of info wrong in the podcast- they don't actually recycle mixed fibres, because it's really really hard.  
• Meg introudces me to a thing called "warp knitting" which she learnt about at FIT - it's mainly used for shows and things of that sort. 
• Things and people Meg finds inspiring and reckons we all should be following? 
  • quince and co, marlee grace over at have company, camellia fiber co, karen templer of Fringe Association, and the ever- present on this podcast :), maryanne moodie