Close Knit

In Episode 18 of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Georgie Nicholson of Tikki Knits, a knitwear designer and lover of local Australian wool. Georgie takes me through her journey of sourcing wool, a serendipitous stop at the birthplace of Polworth sheep - Tarndie farm, and what types of fibre she particularly enjoys working with. We discuss her work with SEAM - (Sustainable Environmental Art Movement) on WARM - a large scale collaborative community knitting project making a statement about climate change, and what a unique and interesting challenge it was to create a textile representation of a painted landscape. Georgie and I talk about her transition into knitwear design and how her children influence her design aesthetics. Show notes for this episode are available at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep18

The Close Knit Podcast is taking a short break to catch up on interviews, editing, and build up sponsorship! If you're interested in sponsoring the Close Knit Podcast, get it touch - hello@closeknit.com.au

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. Show notes for this episode are available at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep17

In episode 16 I spoke to Sarah Belcher of Blue Highway Handdyes Sarah lives in Texas, where she creates naturally dyed yarns from locally raised animals. We talk about her journey into dyeing, and how she couldn’t imagine acid dyes in her home around her family so she looked for an alternative and found natural dyes. She then went on to create her own yarn bases for her natural dyes from Texas -raised merino and mohair. I especially loved asking Sarah what her biggest bit of advice is. her answer “comparison is the thief of joy”. I felt like that so accurately sums up this whole journey of running a small business and I think a lot of people can relate to this feeling! Show notes for this episode are at closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep16

In Episode 15, I spoke to Kylie Norton who is an embroidery artist from New Zealand. Kylie makes incredible, intricate large scale embroidery pieces with wool yarns that she cuts up and reravels together to get the colours she wants. many of her pieces take over 4 months to create. She explores intersectional feminism as well as indigenous culture in her work and in particularly interested in the treatment of women surrounding their menstrual cycles. I’ve loved every conversation I’ve had on the close knit podcast, but I have to say that this one felt particularly important, and I appreciated kylie’s willingness to share about her work and how it has been impacted by her upbringing and her academic pursuits. If you know me, you’ll know that I talk a lot about menstruation and I found it so refreshing to speak to Kylie about this topic within the fibre arts. Show notes for this episode are at closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep15

In Episode Fourteen of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Jacinta of Plump and Co. Jacinta is a knitter who developed Plump and Co, a company that sells beautifully giant, felted yarn made in New Zealand. Growing up in New Zealand and studying textiles there, Jacinta became enamored with all of the incredible fibre around her and the community she lived in, so she sought to make a product that really celebrated her community. We talk about her love of all things tactile, how she began her business, and the roller coaster that running your own small business can be. Show notes for this episode are at closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep14

In this Episode of the Close Knit Podcast, I chat to Rhi Owens of The Next Step. Rhi is a versatile crafter who knits, sews, crochets, and more. She's a prolific knitwear designer of clothes for women and children. We talk about Rhi's love of natural fibres and dyes, and how her family lineage of crafters has influence how and why she crafts. As a sewist, Rhi uses the process to create garments that truly fit her, and we discuss how empowering that relationship can be. I cannot recommend Rhi's blog highly enough for resources for sustainable and ethical fibres, as well as some really inspiring blog interviews. For all the show notes on this episode, check out closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep13

In Episode Twelve of the Close Knit Podcast, I chat to Nadine Hulme of Adagio Mills If you follow me on instagram, you might remember my visit to an alpaca farm earlier this year, and that was Nadine and her husband andrew’s business, adagio mills. Nadine tells us about their journey with alpacas- how they got their own as pets, then tried to get their fibre processed locally and all the challenges they faced with that. She shares with us her experience setting up a mill, running a kickstarter to fund the scouring component and some of their plans for the future. I’m a huge fan of local, small production, and it was so thrilling to see it happening here in Australia. Keep an ear out for Adagio as they grow - they’re onto something pretty great, I think. Show notes are available at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep12

In Episode Eleven of the Close Knit Podcast, I speak to Kate Smalley of Tracing Threads. Kate and i are email pen pals turned real life friends. i found Kate through her blog, tracing threads a few years ago when she posted sewing and knitting projects and thoughts on life post-college. I’m so excited to have gotten the chance to chat to Kate in this capacity for the podcast - and fair warning, there’s a fair bit of giggling. Kate tells me about how she got into knitting and more recently spinning, and her frustrated relationship to sewing. She gives some great advice for keeping yourself grounded and motivated when you’re starting out - and shares her blogging journey.

In Episode Ten of the Close Knit Podcast, I spoke to Lizzy Mendinsky of Above the Canopy. Lizzy creates unique and colorful knitted necklaces made from natural fibers that she sources ethically. We chat about the happy accident that was beanie turned knitted necklace which birth Above the Canopy, and how lizzy has gone from juggling full time work and knitting on the side to mostly knitting full time. Lizzy also tells me about her time visiting communities in Peru and learning about their rituals around knitting - it’s so fascinating to learn how knitting and fibre arts are incorporated into different cultures. Show notes for this episode can be found at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode10

In Episode Nine of the Close Knit Podcast, I speak to Sy Carter of Sky Carter Colour. Sky creates intricate woven items made from unexpected materials. She incorporates tons of texture an colour into her pieces to create truuly unique wall hangings. Sky and I chat about how she got her start weaving around 5 years ago, and how she has monetized her craft - going from having a full time day job and doing art on the side to working full time as a fibre artist. We chatted in a communal studio space, so you’ll have to excuse the occasional background noise! The shownotes for this episode can be found at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode9

This week (ep. 8) of the Close Knit Podcast, Ani chats to Catherine Wendland, a knitter based in the Pacific Northwest. Catherine expresses her undying love for wool and the many amazing qualities it possesses, and how incredible the fibre community can be. She also reveals some thoughts on the not-so-nice side of social media and the competition it can spark. Find all the show notes, including links to Catherine’s work and other folks we mentioned in this podcast, at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode8

This week (ep. 7) of the Close Knit Podcast, Ani chats to Gina Rockenwagner - owner of Poppy and Pima, knitwear designer, and quilter. Gina speaks about her experimental approach to quilting, and how she uses quilting as an outlet from designing knitwear to fit a human body.  She also clears up some common misconceptions about what baby alpaca is (and isn’t!). Find all the show notes, including links to Gina’s work and other folks we mentioned in this podcast, at closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode4

In Episode Six of the Close Knit Podcast, Ani chats to Meg Navoy of A Wool Story. Meg is a knitter who brings new life to thrifted jumpers by unravelling them, dyeing them, and knitting them into new, wearable items. Meg schools me on the sustainability of alpaca, and takes me through her sourcing process for A Wool Story. We chat about how her low waste/minimal lifestyle is impacting those around her (eg her dad having a "zero waste ice cream"), and how A Wool Story was born. Show notes for this episode can be found at www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/ep6. You can find Meg on instagram at @awoolstory - thanks for tuning in!

In Episode Five of the Close Knit Podcast, Ani speaks to Lauren Hunter, who is a student of costume making at NIDA (the national institute of dramatic arts). We chat about how and why she got into costume making, her love of medieval footwear, and her interest in fibre in its many forms (think leather work). For all the show notes on this episode, go to www.closeknit.com.au/podcast/episode5 Thanks for tuning in!