Episode 82 : Talking Colour, Yarn, Sound & Knitting with Felix Ford from KNITSONIK

Image is a still image taken from one of Felix's KNITSONIK online classes and shows Felix wearing one of her stranded coloour work hats and sitting at a table surrounded by her books and speaking to the camera — Felix Ford from KNITSONIK

It’s so good to be back with you bringing another series of Making Stitches Podcast to your ears!

My guest for this episode is Felicity Ford aka Felix, an artist who works in colour, sound and yarn. I first heard about Felix’s work when a mutual friend contacted me and suggested she might be a good guest for the podcast – she was right!

Image shows a stranded colourwork swatch in the foreground of a photo of a country road — Stranded colourwork inspired by the A road between Reading & Oxford which Felix used to commute along

Before our chat which features in this episode, Felix asked to send me a couple of her books and an invitation to join one of her online courses so I could get a proper feel for her work. I signed up for the ‘Colour at Play’ Course in the hope I would be able to improve my skills at marrying colours together when I design a crochet project. In addition to this, I discovered that Felix had a podcast herself – the KNITSONIK Podcast in which she recorded sounds and wove them together with interviews, chats about her work and her own musical compositions.

Image shows the front cover of the KNITSONIK Stranded Colourwork Sourcebook

I really enjoyed getting to know Felix through her work, and then, towards the end of last year when I recorded the interview for this podcast episode. It was genuinely joyful to hear about Felix’s experiences including learning to colour match oil paint to a basket of eggs, how designing yarny covers for her walking stick diverted conversations with strangers away from her disability to her creativity and how her work with sound, colour and yarn has led her to setting up the KNITSONIK school.

Image shows three stranded colour work swatches alongside the everyday items which inspired them including a vintage book cover, an Edirol digital sound recorder and a small vintage biscuit box — Some of Felix’s stranded colourwork swatches which use everyday items as inspiration including her Edirol digital sound recorder

Image shows image of Felix Ford's head and shoulders, it is taken outdoors with the wind blowing Felix's hair. She is smiling at the camera and wearing spectacles and headphones — Felix on one of her audio adventures

I have to say a huge thank you to Felix for being so generous with her time and for allowing me to use some of her music in the podcast episode. You can find the KNITSONIK podcast here if you would like to hear more of Felix’s audio work. (Can I especially recommend the Shetland Wool Week episode?)

Image shows a collage of four walking sticks all of which have been covered with knitted or felted cosies as part of the Missibility project — Walking stick cosies from Felix’s Missability Project

If you’ve been inspired by what you’ve heard and you’d like to find out more about Felix’s online courses & books, you can find everything on her KNITSONIK website just click here for the link.

Image shows stranded colour work swatch in the foreground of a picture of a wall featuring intricate brickwork — Stranded colour work inspired by brickwork in Reading

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 81 : Making Stitches 2024 Christmas Special

Hello and welcome to the Making Stitches 2024 Christmas Special! As always at this time of year, I’m taking a look back at some of the year’s highlights for Making Stitches.

Included in this year’s extravaganza is Tansy Forster from The Longest Yarn, author and academic Barbara Burman, crochet designer Emma Varnam, Dr Gemma McKenzie from Threads of Protest, Heather Gibbs from Keep Calm And Crochet On, Lisa & Lynda-Rose from The Crochet Sanctuary. Thank you to everyone who has spoken to me for Making Stitches Podcast this year!

I’d also like to thank Jackie, Rachel, Nick, Nickie, Jen, Penny & Steph my fellow Crochet Sanctuary attendees who gave me their 2024 highlights for this episode.

Thank you to you too for listening and following my podcast adventures for the past few years – I’ve loved being able to bring these creative chats to you for you to enjoy!

I hope you have a happy and peaceful Christmas and that 2025 is good to you!

Lindsay x

If you would like to support my fundraising effort for FareShare Greater Manchester, you can buy the FareShare Festive Feast Wreath crochet pattern here.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 80 : Learning lessons from history with Becky Davies-Downes

Image of Becky Davies-Downes sitting on a wooden box and leaning her head on her hands looking directly at the camera. — Becky Davies-Downes

Thank you for joining me for the 80th episode of Making Stitches Podcast! This time I’m sharing a chat I had with Becky Davies-Downes from William and Tilda, who, after almost two decades working in TV & film costume departments, is now sewing beautiful bags and other accessories inspired by 1940s wartime Britain.

William and Tilda Make Do & Mend style floral brooch — William and Tilda Make Do & Mend style Floral Brooch

I first bumped in Becky in September this year, at the Yarndale Festival. There, she spoke to me about how her current venture had come about, as well as a little bit about her previous career. I simply had to have a more in-depth chat with her about all things ‘make do and mend’ as well as her previous life working in TV & film.

William and Tilda 1940s style gas mask bag made out of green tweed — William and Tilda 1940s style Gas Mask Bag

My deepest thanks to Becky for speaking to me, not once, but twice in quick succession for Making Stitches Podcast!

You can find Becky’s website ‘William and Tilda’ here and from there you can find all of Becky’s social media links too.

William and Tilda Vintage Style handmade needle book — William and Tilda Vintage Style Handmade Needle Book

While you’re here, can I just mention my latest crochet pattern – the FareShare Festive Feast Wreath, which I’ve designed to raise much-needed funds for FareShare Greater Manchester?

FareShare Greater Manchester is a charity which diverts thousands of tonnes of surplus food from the food industry each year to hundreds of charities and community groups in Greater Manchester and the surrounding area. It is simply wrong that so much food would otherwise go to waste when so many people are struggling to access healthy and nutritious food.

An image of the FareShare Festive Feast Wreath — FareShare Festive Feast Wreath

The FareShare Festive Feast Wreath is a Christmas crochet pattern for a wreath based on a Christmas dinner – including sprouts and pigs-in-blankets. All the money raise from the sale of the pattern will be going directly to FareShare Greater Manchester.

You can find out more information about FareShare Greater Manchester here.

You can buy the crochet pattern for the FareShare Festive Feast Wreath here.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 79 : A FareShare Festive Feast

This time on Making Stitches, I’m doing something a little bit different. I want to speak to you about food poverty, especially in my home city of Manchester and how I need your help to try to making things a bit easier for those who are finding it tough.

As the weather gets colder and we head towards winter, the terrible decision between heating and eating affects many people. FareShare Greater Manchester is a charity which rescues good-to-eat surplus food from the food industry and redistributes it to charities and community groups across the region.

I started working for FareShare Greater Manchester earlier this year and since then, I’ve been wanting to do something with crochet to help spread the word about what we do and to raise much needed funds to support this organisation.

I have designed a crochet pattern for a Christmas wreath based on a Christmas dinner, complete with sprouts and pigs in blankets. All the profits raised from the sale of the wreath will go to FareShare Greater Manchester.

In this episode, I take you to work with me and introduce you to three of the women I work with, to share what they do to help those in our community who need help.

You can find more information about FareShare Greater Manchester here.

You can buy the crochet pattern for the FareShare Festive Feast Wreath here.

I would like to thank Jane Czaja for her help in tech editing this pattern.

My thanks also go to Ruth Downes, Sally Lamb & Kala Mandviwala for speaking to me for this episode.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 78 : Yarndale 2024

Hello and welcome to the latest episode of Making Stitches – back after a longer than anticipated break!

This time, I’m sharing a bumper episode featuring lots of creative chats with some of the lovely people I met at this year’s Yarndale festival in Skipton two weeks ago.

You will hear from:

Zoe Coates from British Wool
Eleonora from Coastal Crochet
Lindsey from Curate Crochet Box and Lottie & Albert
Cathy from Dear Emma Designs
Amanda from Joe’s Toes
Becky from William & Tilda
Nat from Woven in Kirklees Festival

You can find the websites for all my guests by clicking on the links above, and you can find the website for Yarndale here.

Eleonora giving her talk at Yarndale 2024

Thank you to everyone who took the time to speak to me for this episode – it was such fun to record!

The view to Skipton Auction Mart from the Yarn Walk

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop which offers Making Stitches Podcast merchandise for sale as well as Up the Garden Path crochet patterns created by me & illustrated by Emma Jackson.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 77 : Threads of Protest with Dr Gemma McKenzie

My guest for this episode of Making Stitches Podcast has a background in law and human rights and a passion for crochet too. Dr Gemma McKenzie is a researcher in the Midwifery Department at King’s College London specialising in maternity rights and obstetric abuse. She has decided that in order to raise awareness about her work in the field of maternity rights, she is going use crochet (and knitting) to help her.

Next year, Gemma is holding an exhibition called Threads of Protest in Southport in the North West of England and in central London too, to raise awareness about her work and yarn is at the centre of it. Gemma is collaborating with yarn artists to create works focusing on different aspects of abuse but is also asking for anyone who wants to join her, to send crocheted or knitted squares which will be used as part of a yarn bomb within the exhibition.

Some of the granny squares Gemma has received already

The granny squares can be of any type, any colour, any yarn and use any design as long as they measure approximately 15 x 15 cm or 6 x 6 inches. They can be sent to:

Threads of Protest
PO Box 239
Liverpool
L37 8YU
UK

To find out more about Gemma’s work and the Threads of Protest Exhibition, please check out her website. Gemma can also be found on Instagram.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

My podcast inspired granny squares for Granny Square Day 2024

Episode 76 : Creating a Digital Yarn Community with Jane Abraham from the Cornish Flock

When my guest on today’s episode was about to leave a career in London for a quieter pace of life on the Cornish coast, one of her first concerns was where she would be able to buy yarn from. Fast forward a few years and Jane Abraham not only has her own yarn shop, she hosts creative retreats, has her own You Tube channel and has built an online community for crafters ‘of a certain age’ – the Cornish Flock.

Jane’s ‘Flock’ focuses on knitting, crochet, health and the wellbeing of ‘mature women’. Jane says “Many women of a certain age feel isolated, under valued and overlooked. They believe that their interests and feelings are underestimated and there’s not enough digital content that connects with them and caters for their continued interest in fashion”.

You can find Jane at her website, on Facebook, Instagram & You Tube.

Jane’s YouTube channel; The Cornish Knitter

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 75 : Finishing a Creative Legacy with Jen Simonic from the Loose Ends Project

Masey Kaplan (left) & Jen Simonic (right) from Loose Ends Project (Photo credit: Winky Lewis)

One of the unexpected things many people experience when they lose a loved one and have to sort through their posessions, can be unfinished craft projects. Maybe the person who has died was partway through making a baby blanket for a new family member, a quilt for a forthcoming wedding or simply a pair of socks or jumper for a loved one.

If there’s someone within the family with the skills and ability to finish that project, that’s great, but in many circumstances that’s not the case. That’s where the Loose Ends Project can help.

Two friends, Jen & Masey, decided that there must be people out there who have the skills and time to finish important craft projects which are left unfinished when someone dies or is no longer able to continue with it. They started matching unfinished projects with volunteer finishers, who complete and return the garments, blankets and accessories.

In the space of less than two years, the friends’ idea has mushroomed and they have registered ‘finishers’ in 64 countries around the world. To date, they have paired projects in 12 different countries.

Jen Simonic, one of the founders of the Loose Ends Project, joined me for this episode of Making Stitches to tell me all about this remarkable organisation.

You can find the Loose Ends Project Website here.

All photos featured in these show notes were provided by Loose Ends Project, Credit : Winky Lewis.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 74 : Finding Joy in Making with Emma Varnam

This time on Making Stitches Podcast, I’m thrilled to be sharing a chat I had with knitting & crochet designer, Emma Varnam.

To date, Emma has written 13 books filled with inspiring designs for your home and to gift, from granny square homewares to adorable cuddly toys and crocheted pot plants! Emma is also a regular columnist for Inside Crochet magazine where she shares her passion for crochet and creativity.

It was such a thrill for me to meet Emma and chat about all things crochet – as well the common curse of friends and families of makers who have handmade gifts thrust upon them whether they want them or not!

You can find Emma’s website here, and her Instagram page here.

To join the mailing list for the Making Stitches Newsletter, please click onto this link.

The theme music is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops .

The Making Stitches logo was designed by Neil Warburton at iamunknown.

Making Stitches Podcast is presented, recorded and edited by Lindsay Weston

Episode 73 : Selling Your Makes on Etsy with Claire Reed

For some of us makers, there’s the desire to take our creativity beyond something which is purely a hobby. Whether we opt to teach our craft to others, design patterns or sell finished handmade items at craft fairs or online, there are many ways to potentially make money from making.

In this episode, I looked at Etsy as a platform for selling creative makes with Claire Reed, an Etsy mentor who guides handmade business owners through their Etsy journeys.