The Fibre Muse Podcast

Season 2, Episode 5: Tina Tse and Finding Her Voice

Season 2, Episode 4: Knitting as a form of Black Liberation with CheyOnna and The Yarn Mission

Season 2, Episode 3: Inspired by Color with Yoriko Oki

Season 2, Episode 2: Identities and Labels with Kate Sullivan

Season 2, Episode 1: Creating Color with Brooke of Fully Spun

Episode 7: Living a Creative Life Courageously

Episode 6: All about the Upcoming Fibre Muse Quarterly Collection

Today's episode is 100% a stream of consciousness! I share two books that I've read over the past month that's had a significant impact on the way I view my work as a Maori knitwear designer. These texts set the foundation for the direction I'll be taking my work over the next year: transforming myth and legend into knitwear designs to keep the stories of my people alive in a new medium.

In this episode I bring on my first guest of the series, Monica Rodriguez of Knits All Folks. We chat about our experiences of being crafters of color in the US knitting community that is predominately white, and why representation is so important. Monica also shares how she uses crafting to navigate her identity, and how the Seeker Fibre Muse has affected that process. We also give our recommendations for how to beat the Instagram algorithm so you can start following and supporting more crafters and designers of color today. Follow Monica Online At: Website: www.knitsallfolks.com Instagram: knitsallfolks Designers or crafters of color to follow online: Tina.say.knits Tlyarncrafts Absoknittinglutely Brandicheynneharper Jeanettesloan Ggmadeit Loopnthreads Nappyknitter Callmedwj Ucrafter Follow the hashtag: #diversknitty

In this episode, I share my thoughts about Slow Fashion October, specifically the paradox I feel as a knitwear designer. How sustainable is it for a craft, such as knitting, which is inherently slow, to be put under the demands of the fast fashion model? I dive into the context and history that’s possibly brought the fiber industry to this point, then discuss some shifts I’ve taken as a knitwear designer to be more conscious and aware of my contribution to the issue.

In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of a commonly asked question from my community of Fibre Muses: how I work my cultural influences into my designs. I share my sources of inspiration and then the process of translating them into stitch patterns. My hopes for this episode is that by sharing my process, you’ll be inspired and empowered to do the same exploration in your own knitting. Books mentioned in the Episode: Maori Myth and Legend by A.W. Reed Maori Weaving by Erenora Puketapu-Hetet Te Taiao Maori and the Natural World by the Te Ara Team

In this mini episode, I give context as to why I created this podcast: what was holding me back, what served as a catalyst to get me out of my funk and my hopes for the future and impact of the show.

The Fibre Muse Podcast is coming back with a new twist. This time it will just be me as the host, though I will be inviting guests to come onto the show. What will the new Fibre Muse Podcast be about? At Aroha Knits, it is my mission to inspire and empower fibre artists to transform their yarn so they can manifest more joy, healing, connection and creativity into their lives, one stitch at a time. My work as a knitwear designer focuses on exploring the intersection of the four aspects of making: self-care, self-discovery, self-expression and selflessness with my journey of making sense of my multicultural identity. And on this podcast, I’ll be documenting this journey of self-actualization; of manifesting the Fibre Muse in my own making experience, through my own personal stories and round-table discussions with guests who use craft to explore their own identity. So in the pilot episode of the newly revamped Fibre Muse Podcast, I share the true story of why I became a knitwear designer: for connection, healing, joy and creativity through the lens of my cultural heritage. It's a bit funny - over the past two years or so, I've felt like I've drifted away from this simple true calling as I was experimenting and testing things out with my work (I am a creative, after all), and now I cannot ignore this pull from within me to return back to my true calling.

In this mini episode, I give context as to why I created this podcast: what was holding me back, what served as a catalyst to get me out of my funk and my hopes for the future and impact of the show.

Episode 8: A Continuation of Last Week's Discussion