Make Joy Podcast

Hello yarn friends -This next episode of the podcast is an important one I think, because not all projects are linear. Sometimes they’re started, then put down, then picked back up - and this can happen multiple times in the life of a project. As we all know, life happens. So I wanted to know more about what happens when we step away from a project for a while. It felt like the perfect opportunity to chat with Jeanette Sloan and Alyson Chu, the founders of BIPOC in Fiber which first appeared on the fibre scene in 2019 and is now in the midst of a re-launch.Neither Jeanette nor Alyson are strangers to big projects. Jeanette is a knitwear designer who earlier this year saw the publication of her book Beaded Colourwork by Laine Publishing - the culmination of many years developing the technique and incorporating it into her designs.Alyson also knows big projects, as the creator and founder of Moorit, the high-end crochet magazine featuring gorgeous designs, as well as being one of the organisers of The Woolly Good Gathering yarn festival that takes place annually in April in Edinburgh. Sometimes though, the unanticipated happens and everything has to go on pause, and Jeanette and Alyson are no strangers to that either. So we chat about the guilt that comes with that, and the grace that we need to give ourselves, and also what it’s like creating a project so big that its filling a void in our community and our industry.We had a great time chatting - and laughing! - on this episode, so it runs just a little bit longer but I know you’ll agree with me that it’s totally worth it!Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends!HUGE thanks for your patience these last two weeks! I had scheduled a break in episodes for while I was in Canada getting my son moved into university but then last week I had a technological hiccup in the middle of my editing which sadly meant waiting another week to bring you this episode of the podcast.But I promise it’s worth the wait as on this episode I’m chatting with Shelley Brander, the creator of Knit Stars - the online knitting and crochet masterclass series that takes you right inside the studios of some of the biggest names in our community to learn from them directly. (Find Shelley on Instagram, or Substack and give her a follow!)Shelley also used to have a yarn shop for almost 20 years in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before going all in on Knit Stars. So we talk about what it means to pivot to be completely immersed in the thing that brings you the most joy. For Shelley, that’s elevating how knitting and crochet is seen, with great production value and telling the stories of the makers who inspire us.We also talked about navigating the guilt we sometimes have related to our crafting, and how important it is to USE THE GOOD YARN NOW! Case in point, her beautiful Bella Blocking that she’s knitting with some precious Peruvian vicuña yarn (hint: it’s even more posh than qiviut!).It was truly a joy to speak to someone who enjoys sharing the fabulous connections that our craft brings us, and in such a big way! Grab your latest WIP and get ready to tuck in - I really hope you enjoy this episode. Happy listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends -I’m so excited to share this episode of the podcast with you as it’s a bit of a departure from the the yarn shops, super sports fan sweaters and bespoke yarn brands that have been talked about so far.Earlier this year I had the pleasure of speaking with Canadian textile artist Alexandria Masse who is pushing the boundaries of crochet with her enormous projects, from giant insects and wormholes, to love confessions and dim sum - seriously, just check out her portfolio to see her incredible creations.Alexandria has been building and sharing her practice online, which is how I came across her birth control tapestry project, tentatively called Terms and Conditions, wherein she’s crocheting word for word the medical information pamphlet that comes with her birth control. Alexandria spent six months testing and swatching to figure out her approach to the project, exploring quilting and knitting before deciding on crochet and starting the piece in January 2025. Crucially, she only works on it when she has her period, and anticipates a finish date of 2030. Alexandria has even created her own pattern for the alphabet she’s using, which can be downloaded from her website (there’s even a YouTube tutorial!).We had an amazing conversation about the positive message about birth control and women’s choices that Alexandria is spreading through her work, and also about how the project has changed her - particularly when capturing the attention of less open-minded parts of the internet. At the same time, she also knows that dedicating her practice online means that more people will have the opportunity to experience her art than if it were only available to view in a gallery.Alexandria’s work is proudly feminist, exploring and challenging preconceived notions of craft and textiles. She strongly believes that our hobbies and our craft IS art - that just because it may not be on the walls of a gallery doesn’t make it any less valuable. And I know that’s a sentiment that will resonate hugely with fellow makers in the Make Joy audience!If you want to keep up with Alexandria’s progress on her birth control tapestry or any of her other projects, you can give her a follow on Instagram or TikTok.Enjoy the episode! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn lovers -This episode of the podcast is a family affair with Lydia Amartey-Williams of Weku Yarn. It was also supposed to include her sister Hannah, who is the other half of this hand dyed yarn business, but sadly her little man had other ideas that day!I’m sure many makers would agree that there aren’t many projects bigger than starting your own yarn line, but that’s just what Lydia and Hannah have done - creating and introducing a commercial yarn to their hand-dyed business. Bukom DK is delightful complement to their hand-dyed yarns, bringing solid colours to the mix and continuing to reflect their Ghanaian heritage. The yarn has a gorgeous colour palette, and amazing stitch definition for either cables or colourwork, and the bespoke blend of Bluefaced Leicester and Corridale is milled right here in the UK.While Hannah has been dyeing up a storm and determining the colour palette, Lydia has been digging deep, learning about Kente cloth and patterns and designing up a storm of sweaters and projects for the new yarn. And happily knitting samples without the stress of time challenges now that the Game of Wool is behind her!Through this episode we chat about how Weku Yarn got started, and how the idea for adding this commercial yarn to the their mix came about. They’ve got a few yarn shows coming up this autumn (including one where the exhibitors haven’t been announced yet - shhh!) so make sure to give it a good squish in person when you see it - it’s totally worth it!To find out more about Weku Yarn and what shows they’ll be at this autumn, make sure you’re following them on Instagram @wekuyarn where they have all kinds of lovely knitting content.Share in the comments if you’ve made something with Weku Yarn, or the new Bukom DK, and enjoy the episode! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends -I’m super excited to share this second episode of series two of the Make Joy podcast with you, and introduce you to a delightful Canadian in the UK, Karla Courtney. It’s always fun making new knitting friends and Karla mentions meeting “internet friends” a few times on this episode so I hope she doesn’t mind that I definitely consider one after our meet up and chat.You may have seen Karla on Instagram knitting a lobster onesie, or more recently promoting her new book Best Dressed Crab and Friends. But it was her avid support for the Toronto Blue Jays that had me following along and cheering her on as she knit a sweater while the Jays were competing in the 2025 World Series.On the podcast we chatted about baseball and superstitions, as well as other sports-themed projects that Karla has made. I was pretty surprised to learn that Karla doesn’t usually knit garments, or from patterns but I love her enthusiasm and approach to just making what she wants to make in the moment and going for it. And wow - where this sweater has got legs and taken her places I’m not even sure even she expected, like the Canadian Museum of History (where her sweater will be part of the collection), and even meeting Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney!I know I definitely need to hear Karla how that meeting with the PM came about - and how amazing that she got his measurements right! Maybe when I return her Strawberry Crab (shared with me so I could give crab an adventure at Wimbledon), I can get the whole story.It was a fantastic chat, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.Cheers! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn lovers and welcome back to the Make Joy Podcast!I’m so excited to finally get a chance to share with you Series 2 of the podcast. It feels like I’ve been working on it for ages (probably because I have!) but I’ve been thinking about it for even longer and working to bring together an eclectic mix of guests for this series about Big, Bold, and Beautiful Projects.My first guest of the series is my lovely friend Kitey of the Yarn Whisperer, my birthday twin (Leos rule!), a beautiful human, masterful crocheter and knitter, yarn dyer and lover of orange, and now the owner of a tiny, yet perfectly formed yarn and haberdashery shop in the Old Kent Market in Margate.During the pandemic Kitey left a 30 year teaching career to jump with both feet into yarn dyeing and now its all change again as earlier this year he moved to Margate with his partner and has now jumped into having a shop. We talked about risk, what it takes to make those big changes and how sometimes a leap just needs to small enough to take that first step and whether or not that makes it easier.As Kitey says, a lot of people worry about “what if I fail?” to which he responds, “but what if you don’t?”. We also joke about that old Nike tagline, “Just do it.”It was so fun to get back in the groove of the podcast with a guest as forgiving of my rustiness as Kitey, so I hope you’ll enjoy this episode and leave a comment if you do! And if you want to follow Kitey’s adventures in the shop, you can find him on Instagram here @the_yarnwhisperer.Enjoy! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends!It’s been a while! How’s your making?Things here have been busy - school, work, plus getting ready for this year’s Make Joy. But through it all, I’ve also found time to record the next series of the Make Joy Podcast.I’m really proud of what has come together for this series, all around the theme of big, bold, beautiful projects. Each episode challenges the kinds of projects we take on as makers, and what makes a project larger than life.Series 2 starts on Sunday, 9 August - my birthday treat to all of you! Have a little listen to this teaser if you want to know more about what it’s all about. New episodes will debut weekly, with a little break halfway through.More soon, and thanks for listening!Warmly,Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends -It’s Sweater Weather - finally! - and welcome to November. Of course, this is one of the mildest Novembers that I can remember here in the UK so the heavy knits haven’t made it out of the wardrobe yet. I can hardly believe that the podcast started back in August and sunshine and now here I am wrapping up Series 1 under Landon’s grey skies.This is Episode 10 of the podcast, and to wrap things up in a celebratory way, I’m delighted to chat with Susan Cropper, owner of the iconic Loop yarn shop here in London and which this year is celebrating their 20th anniversary.Loop holds a special place in my heart - it was the first yarn shop I knew about in London and even before moving here I looked forward to seeing their unique and hard-to-find yarns that were even difficult to find in Canada. My partner Jordan visited Loop on a work trip to the UK before we moved over and brought back a sweater’s quantity of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Thistle, which I knit into a Central Park Hoodie while I waited in Toronto for mine and Harry’s visa paperwork to process. And when I finally left Canada for our UK adventure it was with a card from my stitchy friends at my LYS directing me to Loop where a gift card was waiting to help me enhance my stash on my arrival in the London.During my time in London, Loop has been a constant part of the UK yarn landscape and woven into my knitting adventures with Yarn in the City, and even becoming one of Susan’s Loopettes for a couple of years. So it was an honour to chat with Susan about the origins of her shop and her design background and how she built her shop from an idea to have a sweet knitting shop with the kinds of yarns she wanted to knit with to the celebration of colour and textiles that it is today.Susan’s love for textiles is obvious - from the way she plays with colour to her discovery of textile artists and how she finds, works with and promotes artists. Her love of discovering talented people is sharing them with her audience is a big part of the shop and what makes it so unique. Loop’s collaborations with makers are delightful - from knitting and crochet designers and their wonderful patterns exclusive to the shop, to unique one of a kind kits like the Bomboloni Babette Blanket or the Loop’s The Original Sweater by Sophie Ochera.When I asked Susan what her strategy for the shop was, she didn’t have one. Or at least, not in a conventional “business-y” way. Rather, her strategy is simple: do what you love, and trust your gut. Plus some pearls of wisdom from her dad to work really hard at what you do, and be good at it. A lovely combination that I think is relevant today and can be applied to everything - not just building and running a yarn shop.I really enjoyed our chat and hope you will too! And of course this is the last episode for a while, but I’m already planning Series 2 for next year. I’ve got a big, juicy theme I’m working on that I can’t wait to share with you. If you’ve got any comments or feedback about the podcast so far, or a suggestion for someone you’d like me to talk to, let me know.Thank you so much for listening, and wishing you all the best for the upcoming festive season. Best,Allison This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn friends -We’re getting close to the end of this first series of the Make Joy podcast and I can hardly believe it. It’s been a wild ride, and a crazy year, and while it hasn’t always gone to plan, I hope you’ve enjoyed listing to the conversations I’ve been able to have with friends and colleagues from the yarn and craft world.This week is a little bit different, as things have been busy behind the scenes getting ready for Make Joy in a few short weeks. You’re coming, right? ;) I was wondering what to do for the podcast this week when it came to me - why not share a little bit about what it’s like to be there? So this week, I hope you’ll enjoy my sharing the recording with you of last year’s Knitters’ Question Time presented by Wild & Wooly x Knit 15.Knitters’ Question Time is always a festival favourite, from when Anna and I first started these at unravel years ago, to last year having to turn people away at the door due to space capacity in the room (don’t worry - the talks at Make Joy this year are in a room with double the capacity!). Anna of course, is the owner of Wild & Woolly and hugely knowledgeable about knitting and has a huge roster of talented folks at her fingertips who she brings together for the expert panel to answer all kinds of questions.On this recording of Knitters’ Question Time the panel is ably moderated by Anna and the experts include:* Jonathan Day* Belen Fernandez* Wendy Peterson* Sylvia Watts-CherryIt was wonderful to listen to the recording and get even more excited for this year’s Make Joy - not just for the talks (sponsored this year by Laine Publishing!) or the exhibitors, but by the laughter and camaraderie that you could hear from the audience in the room. I loved listening to audience members offer their own advice and answers to questions, and the commiseration with others on a variety of topics (turns out swatching isn’t the most popular, who knew?!).There’s only a few short weeks now to Make Joy, which returns to Woolwich Works on Saturday 8 November. Early bird tickets are available now and the price goes up 1 November so make sure you’ve got yours soon! Plus make a plan to take a workshop or join in for the Make Joy After Party with Les Garçons.Enjoy the episode, and I’ll see you at Make Joy in a few short weeks! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com

Hello yarn lovers, and a very Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you all!Tonight I’m feeling very full - both of Sunday Roast and gratitude for this past year! It seems like life is moving at breakneck speed lately, and I’m working so hard to keep up!My next guest on the Make Joy podcast, Martyn, leads an equally busy life, and I’m kind of in awe of everything he manages to accomplish with a day job, knitting on multiple projects, and keeping up with writing his Substack and creating content for his YouTube channel, Knit365 Blog. Plus not to mention visiting a lot of yarn shows - and even teaching at them too!I really love that Martyn refers to himself as an “accidental knitter”, as well as a “knitter who also crochets”. It’s a great story that Martyn tells about how he became a knitter and hope you find it as charming as I did.We also chatted about Martyn’s superfan status with TOFT yarns and becoming a creature himself within Edward’s Menagerie. Making one wonder, if you were going to be recreated in animal amigurumi form, which animal would you be?? Not all of us will get to answer that questions, but Martyn has, and he’s also found a unique way to celebrate the anniversary of his namesake bear with TOFT in raising funds for The Wildwood Trust.Like many IG and internet friends, Martyn and I always seem to know each other from running into each other at various yarn shows, so it was absolutely lovely to have a proper catch up. This is a VERY chatty episode, clocking in around 90 minutes, so settle in with a cuppa and your latest project for some proper yarn-y chat. Apologies for the timer on the player - I’m not sure what happened with the upload of the file but I promise it really isn’t 5 hours long!We talk about community a lot, and how awesome knitters and makers are, plus Martyn also shares his best tips for visiting yarn shows. You know Make Joy is coming up! And Martyn will be there too as one of the panelists on Knitters’ Question Time. Don’t forget, early bird tickets are only available until November 1st.Enjoy the episode, and happy stitching!Allison x This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit champagneqiviut.substack.com