Episode 32 - With Dianna Walla
Hi Pomcats!
We hope you're gearing up for the festive season and are wrapped up in your cosiest knits! Grab your headphones and settle in for some audio adventures with Sophie and Lydia. This episode we're chatting to knitwear designer Dianna Walla, plus don't miss our giveaway of some very special Green Mountain Spinnery yarn!
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Many thanks to Blacker Yarns for sponsoring this episode. Blacker create beautiful British yarns, and if you haven't checked them out already, what are you waiting for?!
NEWS
In case you hadn't heard, we were at Olso Knitting Festival. We had a great time meeting so many dyers and knitters, plus lots of Pomcats who came to say hello! We also checked out the Folk Museum and enjoyed the novelty of SNOW! Of course, what would a visit to a yarn festival be without a purchase - Lydia picked up some yarn from Nina Petrina which when knitted looks like the Northern Lights (de-light-ful!).
Meanwhile the same weekend in London was Yarnporium! We played host to Stephen West and Justyna Lorkowska at our stall where Stephen signed copies of his new book, WestKnits BestKnits, and Justyna signed copies of Issue 19 (she designed Tallat don't you know, pictured below)!
If you missed out on these Pom Pom events, make sure you come and hang out at the Pom Pom Christmas Party! It's going to be the festive fibre event of the season with a pop up marketplace, tasty food, BYOB, live music, a raffle, door prizes and goodie bags - we can't wait!
We're also celebrating the one year anniversary of our first book as Pom Pom Press, Take Heart! Join in with our new KAL on Ravelry, where there'll be prizes up for grabs! Not only are these patterns the perfect size for gift knitting but you can also enter any Take Heart project that's already been submitted to a KAL.
TELL + TELL
After some gauge issues (we've all been there, right?) Lydia has been making some marvellous mohair cables for her Cesium jumper, knit in Green Mountain Spinnery's Mountain Mohair.
And rather nicely timed for the Take Heart KAL she's finished a Caswell Bay Hat and some mitts too! Stay tuned for pics!
Sophie has been reviewing the back catalogues of the Pom Pom pattern archive and cast on a Wick Lane Shawl by Pom Pom founder and editor Meghan, from Pom Pom Issue One, pictured below.
REVIEW
This episode we're taking a closer look at some Green Mountain Spinnery Moorit Singles. We love the sheepy shade of this rare naturally coloured merino, and you can find out more about the flock via the website Genopalette. If you'd like to try some of these special skeins yourself, make sure you enter our competition to win three skeins! Simply comment below letting us know what your favourite brown thing is before midnight 8th December and we'll pick a winner at random on Friday - good luck!
INTERVIEW
If you've been listening to past podcasts, you'll know that we were set to interview Dianna Walla live at Oslo Knitting Festival - which did happen, though sadly the audio was not up to scratch for our listeners! So we caught up with Dianna via the magic of Skype after the festival for a knitty chat.
WWJD
Our resident craft agony aunt is back to offer her advice! A Pomcat called Heather got in touch about the perfect stretchy cuff for socks - wonder no longer dear knitter at what Juju would do!
Here are links to two of Juju's suggestions - Tilly Buddy's Very Stretchy Cast On and Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods by Leslie Ann Bestor.
If you have a craft conundrum and you are thinking 'What would Juju do?' you can send your queries to podcast[at]pompommag.com
TOP THREE
... Norwegian style! Oslo Knitting Festival Director Katie Zissou, and Dianna Walla give us their top knitty phrases for when travelling to Norway.
x Pom Pom