Episode 48 : Yarn, Food Nature & the Universe with Kitey from the Yarn Whisperer

The last couple of years have seen many of us take a step back and reconsider what it is we want to do with our lives. The pandemic gave us a new perspective and forced many of us to change paths. Kitey from the Yarn Whisperer is no different. After a 30 year-long career in teaching in various countries around the world, he found inspiration in a plate of Padron Peppers whilst on holiday in Spain and decided yarn was the way forwards for him.

Kitey’s first attempts at dying his own yarns were inspired by the green peppers and white sangria from his holiday. He now has a thriving online indie yarn dying business and lives a life filled with colour. He says his main inspirations are food (as I’ve already mentioned), nature and the universe – so he’ll never run out of ideas! He’s joined forces with designers and collaborated on a number of projects – his next one being the Dragonfly River make-along with Heather from Keep Calm and Crochet on UK which launches later this month.

A self-professed “stash enabler”, Kitey’s enthusiasm for creativity and ensuring the crafting community is an open and welcoming space for everyone is at the very heart of his work. I hope you enjoy listening to our chat, as much as I enjoyed chatting with Kitey himself.

LISTEN TO KITEY’S EPISODE HERE.

You can find Kitey at the Yarn Whisperer website, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, & YouTube.

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

The music featured in this episode 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.

If you would like to buy a PDF crochet pattern for Sophia the Sunflower, (£5 from the sale of every pattern will be donated to the UNHCR Refugee aid effort supporting Ukrainian refugees) you can find the link here.

Episode 32 : Yarndale 2021 : A festival of yarn, creativity & community

After a hiatus due to the pandemic last year, Yarndale returned to Skipton Auction Mart on 25th & 26th September and I was thrilled to be able to go along! As well as my mask and hand sanitizer I took my microphone and met so many truly lovely people.

Me (on the left) with Yvonne (R) from Bonnie’s Little Crafts in front of the charity shop Yarndale blanket mentioned in this episode.

This episode is my experience of Yarndale 2021, which in a nutshell was wonderful, friendly, colourful and utterly uplifting. In it you will hear from yarn dyers, craftspeople and business owners who were exhibiting their wares along with Matt Farci from Crojo.Life and Alyson Chu from Moorit Magazine as well as friend of Making Stitches, Carole Rennison from Hooked by Design who is also one of the festival’s organisers. I hope you enjoy listening to it as I enjoyed my Yarndale experience – it was a blast!

Carole Rennison from Hooked by Design and one of the Yarndale organisers in her gorgeous granny square cardigan

Here are the people & businesses who feature in this episode – my thanks to everyone who spoke to me.

Yarndale Festival
Juey from Juey Jumbo Craft Tools
Matt Farci from Crojo.Life
Niki from Allium Threads
Sarah Paul from Bigwigs Angora
Kate from Kate’s Kloths
Jenny & Ruth from Ammonite Yarns
Michelle Lewis from Woolly Wumpkins
Alyson Chu from Moorit Magazine
Judith from Buttoned Up
Carole Rennison from Hooked by Design

Looking down towards Yarndale at the Skipton Auction Mart from the Yarn Walk where I recorded at the end of the day

The music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops.

You can support Making Stitches Podcast with running costs through Ko-fi.
Making Stitches Podcast is supported by the Making Stitches Shop.

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

Episode 13 Crochet & Community with Jill from Gumleaf Crochet

When Jill picked up a crochet hook after a period of ill health and a serious injury three years ago, she had no idea where it would lead. Her Gum Leaf Crochet Instagram account now has over 14,000 like-minded people forming part of the Gum Leaf community.

Jill says she has formed deep bonds with some of her fellow online crocheters across the globe as well as in her native Australia. She offers support and encouragement to anyone who wants to get involved, especially those who may have had health problems like she has.

Jill says she’s inspired by the nature which surrounds her on the eastern coast of Australia, and has begun dying yarn using natural dyes & pigments.

You can hear this episode with Jill from Gum Leaf Crochet here. You can also find Making Stitches on podcast apps like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher as well as many others.

This episode was recorded and edited by Lindsay from Postcard from Gibraltar.

Music featured in this episode is Make You Smile by RGMusic from Melody Loops