Fiber Hooligan

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (12/23/13) my very special guest will be my own father, David Xenakis--one of the founders and one the Xs in XRX, Inc. (home of Knitter's Magazine, XRX Books, & STITCHES Expos). David has been 'retired from the industry' for almost 7 years now... but he's been a busy boy! He was one of the original members of the Board of Directors of the Dakota Sky International Piano Festival. After serving for several years as a member of the board of directors of the South Dakota Symphony, he served as Interim Executive Director of that organization from Dec. 2009 to June 2010. He is in his 3rd year as a member of the Husby Performing Arts advisory board of the Washington Pavilion of Sioux Falls. He is the Editor-in-chief of the Washington Pavilion’s magazine Now!Pavilion. He is also a member of the advisory committee for the Dakota Academy of Performing Arts (DAPA).   For those of you who don't know his story prior to his retirement, you have no idea just how cool it (and he) really is. And for those of you who have never heard him speak… all I can say is that if you like my voice, his velvety tones put my voice to shame (I swear that I could sell classes, at STITCHES, of David just reading the phone book). He is truly a renaissance man… classical pianist, composer, mathematician, historian, graphics expert, computer geek, author, master weaver, expert knitter, world traveler, entrepreneur, and a man that fills a room with his poise and presence.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (12/16/13) my guest will be the incredibly talented artist and dyer, Babs Ausherman… otherwise known as Miss Babs. Miss Babs is, of course, the owner of Miss Babs Hand- Dyed Yarns & Fibers in Mountain City, Tennessee. 'Miss Babs' was started by Babs in 2003. In 2005 'Miss Babs' morphed into 'Miss Babs Hand-Dyed Yarns & Fibers' as she developed the business and found that placing color on yarn and fiber had become her core focus. This was also the year that she moved from being a full-time adjunct instructor in marketing at a local university to fiber as a full-time passion and occupation. We're going to talk about her long and varied work experience… as a chef's apprentice, a real estate agent, an insurance agent, an office manager in a mental health facility, director of staff development in a hospital, teaching business courses at a community college, teaching marketing at a university, and finally becoming a dyer of some of the most beautiful yarn and fiber that can be found. We're also going to be talking about her philosophy as a business owner and as an artist. Babs is a fascinating lady. And I hope you'll tune in next Monday for what should be an exceptional show.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (12/09/13) my guest will be the very talented Amy Herzog. Amy is passionate about sweaters people love to wear. She is the author of Knit to Flatter and designs sweaters that flatter the figure and are easy to modify. She is also a knitting expert on American Public Television’s “Knit and Crochet Now”. She teaches classes across the country and on craftsy.com, and her figure-flattering pattern designs have been published in Twist Collective, Knitscene, Interweave Knits, Knitty, and more. After several years of teaching knitting classes, she realized that knitters will skip modification math if they can but would really like to wear sweaters that fit them well. So she created CustomFit, a website that produces custom sweater patterns. It can be found at customfit.makewearlove.com. Amy will be with us to talk about all of that, the Opening Day presentation she's planning for STITCHES South, and much more.  This will be a great show. I hope you'll join us.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (12/02/13) my guest will be my dear friend, Betsy Hershberg. Betsy is an award winning designer, teacher and author of Betsy Beads: Confessions of a Left-brained Knitter, published by XRX Books. After more than 50 years of knitting she is thrilled to have discovered a creative process that allows the left and right sides of her brain to play together nicely. She has yet to encounter a knitting project that cannot be enhanced by the judicious application of beads. She is a staple and a favorite at STITCHES Expos. And her Craftsy.com class Brilliant Knit Beads, has allowed her to share her innovative techniques with thousands of students. Betsy has also recently launched her own e-commerce site, The Studio B Knits Shop, where her original patterns, materials kits, limited edition and the occasional piece of her highly regarded, one-of-a-kind jewelry is available for sale. And since this show is airing on cyber-monday… I encourage all of you folks to save a few of your online dollars. Because I think you might find yourself infected with bead-mania by the time this show is over. Beyond the artistry that Betsy has to share, she has a message of empowerment that you will NOT want to miss. I hope you'll join us for this very special show.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (11/25/13) my guest will be Theresa & Ron Miskin from the Buffalo Wool Co. Ron & Theresa have been playing with bison fiber for almost 10 years now. In addition to their 6 hand-knitting yarns, they have a line of American made ready-to-wear bison products… from socks & gloves, to felt hats and insoles. They work very closely with the American Bison Association as well as ranchers from Kentucky to Nebraska. They are dedicated to promoting and conserving the American Plains Bison and supporting the ranchers that raise them. They are exceptional people… people of the finest character. And I'm eager to interview them so I can share with all of you just how amazing and generous they are.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (11/18/13) my guest will be erudite Heather Ordover. Heather is a writer of stories, teacher of things, knitter of socks, designer, podcaster, spinner, weaver, mother of boys, tutor, and all around interesting person. I've listened to her CraftLit® podcast, read her knitting blog 'Mama O Knits too Much', and read her last book Grounded. She's eloquent and funny. I know you're going to love her. I can't wait to have her on the show so I can share the interview of this very classy lady with all of you.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (11/04/13), my guest will be the very talented Fiona Ellis. Fiona is a British trained knitwear designer & has been designing commercially since graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Knitwear Design from DeMontfort University. Her original designs have been sold to major fashion houses in New York, London, & Paris for mass-market production and have been widely published through premier knitting magazines such as Vogue Knitting International, Interweave Knits, and Knitter’s Magazine, also online at twistcollective.com. You can also find her patterns being carried by many leading yarn companies. She is the author of Inspired Cable Knits & Inspired Fair Isle Knits, both published by Potter Craft. They each contain instructions for 20 all new patterns with the addition of written & visual materials reflecting her design philosophy.  Fiona has an innate creative flair, a keen sense for developing trends & trend prediction, and a unique talent for being able to communicate not only design ideas but also the principles of creativity. She's also just a lot of fun to talk to.   I hope you'll join us next Monday for what should be a wonderful interview with a remarkable lady.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (10/28/13) my guest will be Kelly Wetherbee Lealos, one of the founders and owners of Namaste, Inc. (the folks who make the beautiful Namaste bags). Kelly is a former Occupational Therapist.  She considers herself and all the like-minded fans and Namaste lovers to be "Namasterians"- beings who appreciate the human connection; those who are determined to kindle kindness and practice positivity and gratitude in daily life. Kelly believes that life is too short to sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff. She's a lucky mother of 1 and wife to a talented cameraman and co-founder of Namaste. Kelly is using the #Namasterian pedestal as a way to spread love, goodwill, and good karma in her little corner of the world. Namaste is a family owned and operated "shindig" and all materials are vegan and many materials are recycled. I'm very eager to interview this wonderful lady. I hope you'll join us for this show.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (10/21/13), Benjamin is back and will be interviewing Steve Malcolm, host of the very popular website ItTakesBallsToKnit.com and the brand new online knitting variety show - It Takes Balls To Knit - The Show. What can we tell you about Steve? There is so much to say. He's Canadian. He is a proficient knitter. He is a showman and a wonderful communicator. He has style. He has passion for the fiber arts world. And he is here make a difference. I hope you'll join us for this great show when we'll talk to Steve about his story and his adventure… as one man aspires to knit the world together, one stitch at a time!

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (10/14/13), Ron & Theresa Miskin will be interviewing Drew Emborsky (a.k.a. The Crochet Dude™). Drew has gone from unknown crafter to world-famous lifestyle guru in just a few short years. Fans know him from his many published books on crochet and knit, PBS television show, blog, line of products distributed worldwide, and his hand-dyed yarns. Drew is currently working on increasing distribution of his line of hand-dyed yarns; getting ready for STITCHES East; and taking care of his new puppy Tamaya. He'll be joining us to talk about is work and his 'Man of the Year Chemo Cap Challenge' for Halos of Hope. Drew is alway an exciting guest to have on the show. We hope you'll join us so you can hear from this icon of the fiber arts world.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (10/7/13), Ron & Theresa Miskin will be interviewing Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton. Cornelia is now in the 30th year of her design career. She started in New York where she developed her talent during the early 80’s. There she designed for knitting magazines, specialty shops and a private clientele. The high point of her time in NY was a hand knit collection under her own label that was sold to select boutiques in 20 states from Florida to Alaska. A move over the Atlantic from New York to Sweden 26 years ago gave her the peace and harmony to raise a family and further develop her artistic creativity. The business diversified and she started distributing the artisan yarn collections from Noro, Colinette, Koigu and Malabrigo in Scandinavia. Cornelia has 12 pattern books to her name. The last - Noro: Meet the Man was published by Soho Publishing in the fall of 2009. A new book will be released next month using the Poems Collection from Universal Yarn. For the past two years Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton has been focussing more of her efforts in designing for & promoting her own yarn label - Heaven’s Hand. Please join us for what we know will be a wonderful show.

Next edition of Fiber Hooligan (9/30/13) my guest will be the very talented and very sweet Andi Smith. Originally from Yorkshire, England, she now lives in Ohio with her husband, two sons, dog, two cats and 14 chickens. She thoroughly enjoys exploring the different techniques that knitting, crochet and embroidery present and is always eager to share what she learns with others.  Andi is an amazing designer and prolific knitter. Constant knitting is a family trait which she learned early from her mom and grandma. We're going to be talking about her fiber arts story. We're going to be talking about her first book, Big Foot Knits from Cooperative Press… which gives you all the tools you need to create a custom fitted sock that fits your individual shape and curves. And we're going to be talking about some other great design collections that she's working on. Andi is a delight and I'm looking forward to our conversation. I hope you'll join us for the show.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (9/23/13) my guest will be my friend Johnny Vasquez. Johnny is the lead instructor at the Yarn Craft Academy and co-author of The 30 Day Sweater. As Head Honcho at Yarn Nation he works to provide resources that help grow the fiber arts industry and allow yarn lovers to enjoy their craft more fully.   Johnny will be joining us to tell us about his work and a new project he's starting…  The 30 Day Sweater Challenge… a month knit-a-long where he's going to try to get 5,000 knitters to make a sweater during the month of October.   Johnny is a lot of fun. I hope you'll join us for this show.

On a special Thursday edition of Fiber Hooligan (9/19/13) my guests will be some of the gang from Team STITCHES. I get lots of requests and suggestions about who to have as guests on the show. The one that has been most requested is the team that makes STITCHES Expos happen. People have told me that they want to hear how the shows work and what it takes to make an event like STITCHES happen. So I've decided to have Mavis Smith (our customer service manager and the person who takes care of the teachers), Lisa Mannes (who does a lot of our marketing & PR and who takes all the pictures at the shows), Kristi Miller (a.k.a. Knitters Brat who takes care of all the vendors and sponsors in the Markets) on the show next week for a special (extra) episode on Thursday at 11:00 am (central time).  They are going to be talking about all thing STITCHES and giving highlights to our upcoming show in Hartford, CT in November. With a little luck they won't tell too many stories about me (smile). Oh right… And we're probably going to be giving away a few prizes for our live listeners. These are remarkable women. I hope you'll join us for this show.

On the next edition of Fiber Hooligan (9/16/13) my guest will be Meg Swansen of Schoolhouse Press. Meg was taught to knit by her mother, British-born designer/writer Elizabeth Zimmermann. Meg & her mother began to work together in 1965 & ran their knitting-supply mail order business, Schoolhouse Press, until Elizabeth’s retirement in 1990. Meg was the first to be profiled in Vogue Knitting’s “Master Knitters of the 90’s” series and her designs & articles have appeared in Knitter’s, Vogue Knitting, Threads & Interweave Knits magazines. Elizabeth, Meg & Chris (Meg’s husband) began to produce books & instructional videos in 1981. At present, Schoolhouse Press has published 34 books, & 16 knitting DVDs. Schoolhouse Press supplies handknitters with books, wool, buttons, needles, kits, DVDs & assorted tools. Meg continues to publish books, design for & produce her semi-annual booklet, Wool Gathering, import wool from Iceland, Finland, Canada & the Shetland Islands, produce a free eNewsletter through her website, write articles for Vogue Knitting magazine & run four sessions of summer Knitting Camp. Meg has written 5 knitting books & lives with her cats in an old schoolhouse in central Wisconsin. I have had the great privilege & pleasure of knowing Meg for most of my life. I'm very excited to have her as my guest. You won't want to mis