Episode 114: From Woven Textiles to Knitting an Heirloom Blanket with Annah O’Leary of Needle & Feather

Hello and welcome to Making Stitches Podcast! This time, my guest is Annah O’Leary, a colourwork knitting designer, from Needle and Feather.

Annah has led a very creative life, studying woven textiles at university, working in poduct design and then teaching, before knitting took over. When Annah first tried knitting, she found it frustrating and just didn’t ‘get it’, however during a period of time when she was suffering from anxiety, she picked it back up again and, very quickly, started designing her own colourwork motifs.

Annah started designing and knitting small squares, purely because they didn’t take long and could be completed in an evening, giving her something achievable and enjoyable to focus her mind. After sharing her designs online, she was encouraged to publish her own patterns.

When Annah decided to leave her job in teaching, designing took over full-time and this year, as well as attending numerous shows and festivals, she has launched an e-learning course on colourwork and has published her first book: Knit an Heirloom Blanket.

I first met Annah at Carry on Crafting in July this year, you can catch our quick chat in Episode 110: Carry on Crafting 2026. Our paths crossed again last month at Yarndale, listen to Episode 113: Yarndale 2026 to hear our chat then. But, in-between, those two events, and in the midst of a house move, Annah very kindly found the time to chat with me for this episode!

Thank you Annah! It was lovely to hear your story!

You can find out all about Annah’s work on her website: https://needleandfeather.com/