Woolful

Hey there, fiber friends! This week on Making Conversation, I’m bringing you a chat that is full of color, creativity, and coastal charm. I sat down with Vanessa Fleming, the brilliant mind behind ōSHən Knits & Fibres, a one-of-a-kind yarn shop in Astoria, Oregon.Vanessa is a marine biologist-turned-knitwear designer and yarn dyer, and her love for inclusivity, sustainability, and vibrant design shines through in everything she creates. We talk about her journey from knitting at sea (yes, really) to opening a shop that’s become a welcoming hub for all kinds of makers. From her hand-dyed yarns to her size- and shape-inclusive patterns, Vanessa is redefining what it means to build a truly inclusive craft community.✨ In this episode: – A peek into the cozy world of ōSHən Knits & Fibres – Vanessa’s story of blending marine biology with fiber arts – A convo about community, representation, and colorful yarn magic

In this special episode of Making Conversation—originally recorded and posted on our YouTube channel in late 2024—host Jen welcomes two brilliant voices in the fiber arts world: Brit of KnotBadBrit and Bea of WoolDreamers. This episode is all about building inclusive, authentic community within the crafting space, and it’s filled with warmth, wisdom, and a whole lot of yarn love.Brit shares her journey to becoming a crochet designer and the founder of the Makers of Color Collective, and talks about the importance of visibility and representation in the maker world. Bea gives us a beautiful look into WoolDreamers, a Spanish-based wool company committed to sustainable practices, preserving traditional wool production, and supporting local shepherds.Whether you're a knitter, crocheter, spinner, weaver, or just deeply into the fiber life, this conversation will leave you feeling inspired and connected.Listen now—and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube to watch full episodes and join our cozy, creative commu

I jumped in the car and headed to Portland for Sacred Sheep—a vibrant maker festival brought to you by the team at Ritual Dyes! If you love yarn, fiber arts, pottery, handmade jewelry, inspiring classes, and creative community, this festival is for you.In this episode of Making Conversation, I chat with some of the incredible makers who vended and attended Sacred Sheep (learn more here). From indie dyers to fiber artists, ceramicists, and beyond, this event celebrates the heart of the maker community.I feel so lucky to share these stories, and I hope you enjoy getting to know these amazing artists as much as I did! Don't forget to subscribe for more fiber-filled conversations, and if you love what you hear, share this episode with a fellow maker!

In this special episode, I hit the road to Portland, OR, to sit down with Rachel, the creative mind behind Ritual Dyes and founder of Sacred Sheep, a festival dedicated to makers, especially those passionate about the fiber arts. From discovering her love for knitting and hand-dyeing yarn to the creation of a highly curated, community-focused fiber arts festival that celebrates all things making, you'll love getting to know Rachel!Grab your WIP and hit play! Psssst...tickets are still available so I hope to see you there. ;)If you prefer to watch this episode, go here!Music by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@makingco.com.

The world of crafting and making should be a space where everyone feels welcome and empowered. However, there are barriers—both visible and invisible—that can exclude or marginalize makers with disabilities. In this episode I am joined by the super fabulous Beth Gorishek, The Adaptive Knitter & Kira Dulaney of Kirk K Designs and we chat about the ways in which ableism manifests in our community and, more importantly, how we can actively work to dismantle these barriers. If you prefer to watch this chat, pop over to our YouTube channel. xoxoBeth Gorishek + The Adaptive Knitterhttps://www.adaptiveknitter.comhttps://www.instagram.com/adaptiveknitter Kira Dulaney + Kira K Designshttps://kirakdesigns.comhttps://www.instagram.com/kirakdesignsMusic by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@makingco.com.

We're back with some wonderful Fall episodes to celebrate hunkering down with your current favorite WIP and enjoying an episode of the Making Conversation podcast. ;) Just a heads up, this episode is VERY visual. If you prefer to watch, pop over to our YouTube channel. xoxoIn this episode, I am so lucky to chat with Amy Swanson of June Cashmere and learn all about the special goats and farmers they work with to create their beautiful yarn. We then get to learn about knitting a wedding dress with Rachel Carleton! Rachel dives into the process (of sometimes lack there of) of creating her own dress for the special day! Amy Swanson + June  Cashmere https://www.junecashmere.com https://www.instagram.com/junecashmereRachel Carleton + Zee Zee Textileshttps://zeezeetextiles.comhttps://www.instagram.com/zeezeetextilesMusic by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@maki

To know Jess is to love Jess and Jess' love of this special fiber arts community is very evident in everything she does. From in her yarn shop on Bainbridge Island, WA to Flock Fiber Festival, a yarn show in Seattle, WA, celebrating a love of all things wool, the fibers arts community is so very lucky to have these two spaces to come together and celebrate these things that we love and bring us the most joy! Jen hopped on a ferry and headed out to Bainbridge to chat with Jess about La Mercerie and their new space (which... spoiler alert was the home of Churchmouse Yarns for years!) and also how Flock is growing in its second year and the things that she's doing to keep it so very special.So grab your WIP and hit play and we hope to see you at Flock Fiber Festival! Watch this episode.Get your tickets to Flock!Last year's episode w/ JessMusic by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Mak

The universe definitely brought this fabulous human to Making. Ashley chats with our crochet-loving engineer all about her journey in craft, her path to leadership and computer sciences, and how we were so lucky to have Abi join the team. To know Abi is to love Abi! Grab your WIP and hit play. :) Abi's crochet websiteIf you're in Seattle, catch her at these markets: Pride Market at Lifelong Thrift on June 15thCutiefest Pride on June 22Find us on the Making app:Abi @abisantiAshley @ashelyyouslingJen @knitpurlMusic by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@makingco.com.ps- We talk about our values a lot. Just in case you're curious, take a peek.

Award winning embroidery artist, mother, teacher, author, and all around lovely human! If you don't know of Emily Botelho aka Salt Stitches, you're in for a treat! (If you do, you are too!) Emily joins Jen and not only do they chat about her beautiful art, how her favorite places and values come through as inspiration but also her new book which is more than just a pattern book but a guide on how to release self-assigned boundaries of creativity that we can sometimes place upon ourselves. Emily’s website Buy Emily’s book: Abstract EmbroideryPrefer watching to your podcasts? MKNG - Jen + Ashley's consulting advisory biz!Music by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@makingco.com.ps- We talk about our values a lot. Just in case you're curious, take a peek.

Ashley and Jen share some really exciting features that are coming to Making VERY SOON. We kick off a new segment where we will share business and/or makers in our community that help spread our values and Ashley dives into the topic of fear and decision-making. Grab your WIP, your favorite snack, and hit play!If you are a designer, sell finished goods, make supplies for makers to create, or just love being a part of a beautifully diverse community in an app that wants to prove that you can build a business based on the idea of people over profit, join the community: https://themakingapp.comFind us on the Making app:Ashley: @AshleyJen: @KnitPurl  Watch this episode! The sweater Jen is wearing Coloring Book Raglan by Aimee Sher Loop Fiber Studio in Song and DanceThe sweater Jen is working onTumble Tee by Lydia MorrowJunkyarn in Side BoobMKNG - Our consulting advisory biz!Common Threads PressFlock Fiber Festival - Get your tickets for this year! Music by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have

Hello, makers! Super excited to bring you this episode with our pal, Catherine. Just a heads up, there are parts of this episode that are a little more visual as we give a shop tour. Click to watch instead!Brooklyn General Store has been the go-to place for crafty supplies of all kinds for NYC makers since 2002. We sat down with the Queen of Union Street, BGS owner, designer, maker, event planner extraordinaire–Catherine Clark. Get to know her maker journey, the story of how Brooklyn General moved from the waiting room of Catherine’s midwifery office to the current location, how her and Aimée of La Bien Aimée became besties and more! Brooklyn General Storehttps://brooklyngeneral.com128 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11231Brooklyn General Store is tucked away on a sweet block West of the Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill neighborhoods and North of  Red Hook.  This commercial block on Union Street used to be a thriving shopping block for all types of foods and goods.   Brooklyn General’s home within the Old Frank’s Depar

Author Jane Cooper joins us to talk all about her book, The Lost Flock: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman’s Journey to Save Scotland’s Original Sheep. Jane and Jen chat about why the Orkney Boreray sheep are so very special, Jane's maker journey, lambs...lots of lambs, and what it's like writing your first book.About The Lost FlockPurchase PaperbackPurchase AudiobookFrom Viking times to pastoral Highland crofts to odious research experiments, this is the untold, real-life detective story of the remarkable little horned sheep known as the Orkney Boreray and the determined woman who moved to one of Scotland’s wildest islands to save them.About the Sheephttps://orkneyboreray.comhttps://www.instagram.com/orkneyborerayThe sheep who eat seaweedOrkney Science FestivalThe Lost Flock's launch eventYarnhttps://northronaldsayyarn.co.ukhttps://www.blackeryarns.co.ukhttp://www.woolsack.orgMusic by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the

In the final episode of this series, we get to hear from a few more makers that we chatted with during our last visit to NYC! Get to know some very special humans that we invited to join us for our Brooklyn General Store booth Meet and Greets at Vogue Knitting Live and also from our special maker meetup that we hosted with Brooklyn General Store and La Bien Aimée!This episode’s guests:Jennifer WieseWorkroom Social @WorkroomSocial Kassandra Sustaita@Kassandra.SustaitaAmanda Solomon Melanated Boho Bae@MelanatedBohoBaeFeaturing special guest: Aimée Gille of La Bien AiméeLauren IrelandByLaurenIreland.com@LaurenClaireIrelandIf you prefer to watch, check out our YouTube channel. Music by Despatches. If you'd like to give a shout-out, have a question that you'd like us to answer on the podcast, or are interested in sponsoring Making Conversation, email us at hq@makingco.com.ps- We talk about our values a lot. Just in case you're curious, take a peek.

We're continuing our Making Meet and Greets from NYC with crafty friends, old and new!The lovely Catherine of Brooklyn General Store and Aimée of La Bien Aimée asked us to bring a bit of our Meet and Greets to their 2024 Vogue Knitting Live booth and we also co-hosted a maker meet-up at Brooklyn General Store. Lots of great conversation, stories, and even a dance break. We've got it all, folks!  And course, stay tuned for the next few weeks of more awesome NYC-created content to get to know more special people from the maker community. Hope you enjoy it. This episode’s guests: Cris Bertoluci@CrisBertoluci  https://crisbertoluci.com.br Special guest appearance by: Nara Takeda of KnitLeaks@knitleaks https://www.knitleaks.comCris shouts out to Portfiber.Gregory Chrysler@GregoryChryslerStephanie Earp and Naomi Endicott@espacetricot @EspaceTricotPodcast https://www.espacetricot.comKnits from the LYS: https://www.espacetricot.com/us/knits... Images of Ernesto Neto by albert sanchez & tom dubrock via M

In this episode of the podcast, we’re taking it back to New York City! If you’ve been following along for a while you know that we’ve been visiting events around the world, collecting and then sharing important stories. (Mostly fiber arts related but we want to expand that. Hey other maker events, hit us up!) This time we did things a little differently. The lovely Catherine of Brooklyn General Store and Aimée of La Bien Aimée asked us to bring a bit of our Meet and Greets to their 2024 Vogue Knitting Live booth. So we set up shop and gathered some crafty friends, old and new. We laugh. We cry. We get really honest. Stay tuned for the next few weeks of more awesome made-in-NYC content and get to know more special people from the maker community. Enjoy!This episode’s guests: Mariah Stanford@mariahknitsMariah's Making Conversation Episode: https://youtu.be/kJF7rTbCGxQJulie Robinson @JulieAtWorkJulie's Making Conversation Episode: https://making.buzzsprout.com/1875689/10012761Sky@SeamsBySky +Marina@Des

During Vogue Knitting Live 2024, Jen took the stage with big names in the fiber arts and maker industry to talk about how we can adapt to the ever evolving world of craft-what has changed, where the opportunity is, and advice on what to do when things are challenging. Our PanelistsJonna Hietala is the co-founder, creative director and CEO of Laine Publishing and the editor-in-chief of Laine Magazine. Jonna has worked in lifestyle and crafts magazines both in Finland and in Sweden. Before Laine, she also ran her own yarn shop. In 2021, Jonna won the prestigious Taito-Finlandia award for her groundbreaking work on handicrafts and applied arts. Jonna lives in Tampere, Finland with her two children, cats and dogs.  Aimée Gille was born and raised in the United States, in Kansas, and later moved to France, where her passion for knitting was reignited. In Paris, where she now lives with her family, she first opened L’Oisive, thé a wonderful knitting café, and later La Bien Aimée. Established in 2015, La Bien Aimée

Liza Laird is a fiber artist, human mom, dog mom, cancer survivor and author of Yoga of Yarn, a knitter’s guidebook to self discovery. (Don't worry dear maker! The book is for makers of all kinds. We chat about that too!) We journey through Liza's life--deciding to leave the corporate world to pursue her passions, how she approached writing a book (with good tips if you've been thinking about venturing into it!), her journey with cancer, and of course some of the wonderful learnings from her book.Oh, and make sure to grab one of your favorite supplies too. Liza leads us in an exercise and you'll need it. ;)THE AUTHORLiza Laird is a knitter, yogi, mama of a few little humans, and homesteader with alpacas, chickens, and a feisty shiba inu. She is a cofounder of Ragline Knits, through which she teaches knitting and mindfulness classes and hosts retreats online and around the world.She trained as a yoga instructor at YogaWorks, as a yoga therapist at Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, and as a life

"How do I price my makes?" "How do I price my services?" "As a maker that does not sell...how can I help change perceptions so my community can get paid what they're worth?" "How do you price handmade items?"  Let's talk pricing. Out with the gatekeeping. Patterns, services, finished goods, etc. They name names, spill tea, get really real, and share numbers.  Watch this episode: https://youtu.be/pswl2xRPgZ4 Our guests:Quayln Stark - https://linktr.ee/QUOEAs an artist and designer, Quayln’s passion for self-expression and inclusivity shine through each of his creations. From sewing and quilting to knitting and crochet, Quayln pairs traditional fiber arts techniques with imaginative designs, colors, and textures. (You can find his free Crochet Lentil patterns–an adorable amigurumi cat designed for Making in your Studio in the Making app.)Brittany Garber - https://www.knotbadbritt.comBritt does it all and with a TON of passion. Crochet designer and founder of Mak

In this podcast episode, we're heading back to Barcelona Knits in…you guessed it…Barcelona, Spain! Get to know some of the vendors, artists, and vloggers who all share the love of all things fiber art, yarn, knitting, crochet, cross stitch, and more! This is a special group of people, dear makers!  :) https://www.barcelonaknits.comWho you'll meet:Laura Algarrawww.lauraalgarra.comA crochet teacher, designer, and woodworker from Spain who runs her own workshopsand classes and makes wooden crochet and knitting notions and accessories.Paloma Liranzohttps://palomaliranzo.bigcartel.comAn artist and dyer and bag designer who loves animals.Nina of Nina’s Threadshttps://www.etsy.com/shop/NinaHandDyed Nina's Threads is an independent artisan dyeing studio, located in Budapest, Hungary.Paula of the Knitting Pitinglis Podcasthttps://youtube.com/@KnittingPitinglisA knitter living in Ireland that is working to make English patterns more accessible to Spanish knitters.Paula of the Knitting Pitinglis Podcast c