Hi Friends, I'm Irina, a passionate knitter and a host of Fiberchats. Fiberchats on RU-vid is a welcoming space for all fiber enthusiasts, where you can watch informal interviews with fiber artists from different parts of the world or learn some knitting tips and tricks. There are different playlists on my channel to help you navigate it. Take a look around and discover some new to you fiber artists.
I love to watch you all even if I am not joining the WKAL this year. I keep my knitting time for my new grandson. He seems to grow faster than I can knit !!!
I have memories of my grandmother knitting as I was a child. She did both, knitting and crochet. I mostly remember all the things that she crocheted and gave away as gifts to the family. To this day I have a red poncho that she made for me and I’m saving it to someday see my granddaughters wearing it. She made everything with so much love! I truly cherish those beautiful memories! ❤❤❤
Loved seeing Melanie share her story and talking about her book. I remember Melanie from high school. Melanie was always creating her outfits by adding fabrics in interesting ways as accessories.
My great aunt taught me to crochet a chain when I was a child. She was my hero at that time. She was so young on the inside, traveling to exotic (to me) locations in Africa, Europe, Asia & South America, & riding our bicycles together.
I’m joining the MKAL this year for the first time. It will be my first Westknit as well, although I have had plans for several shawls. I found you accidentally when searching RU-vid for MKAL related stuff, and would love to join your party on Thursday. Knitting with like minded friends is the best! I’m based in Sheffield, UK.
I’m joining the MKAL this year for the first time. It will be my first Westknit as well, although I have had plans for several shawls. I found you accidentally when searching RU-vid for MKAL related stuff, and would love to join your party on Thursday. Knitting with like minded friends is the best! I’m based in Sheffield, UK.
Hi! I am trying to learn this style of knitting and purling because it will be faster and minimize my hand motions(and it looks easier once you learn how to do it). The pattern I am using calls for knit 2, purl 2, for 2 rows and then purl 2 knit 2, for 2 rows. The first row I can continental knit the regular way and the purl the stitches with the downward stitches (like you did,correct?). I am confused about how I do the next rows? Do I knit through the back loop and purl through the front like you did here(because the 1st 2 rows are like doing ribbing)? In the third row I am knitting the purl stitches and purling the knit stitches. So would I repeat the first row method? Then for the 4th row ,knit in the back loop and purl downward again? Thank you so much for your help! Sincerely, Tamara
You always knit and purl through the leg of the stitch that’s closest to your right hand needle, so if the stitch is mounted western style, then you knit though the front and if it’s mounted eastern style, then through the back.
When I was a child my mother used to sew clothes for me by hand. When I was about 5 years old she sewed me a doll, and made a matching outfit for both me and the doll!
As I grew up, I have very fond memories of my grandmother crocheting, her hands always moving, creating hats and scarves for loved ones . The highest compliment she paid to anyone she knew was the gift of a hat and scarf, to keep them warm during our nasty winters. Blankets were another favourite of hers to create, at lightening speed , flying off her hook. Slippers as well were always gifted. I cherish the last remaining blanket and slippers that grew in her hands . They are love.
This was such a beautiful interview with Claudia. It brought back so many memories and emotions of time with family, especially my mother and father. My sisters and I were taught to crochet, embroidery and cooking together. My mother continued to crochet until the end. I was so fortunate to have her live with me and we crocheted every night before bed. She made hats for everyone in our family and I made blankets for the babies. Thank you both for sharing this wonderful gift with us. If I don’t win a copy of her book I will purchase one myself. Olivia 🦋
My first fiber memory is a pink mohair sweater my mother had knitted for me. The first time I had it on my father came home, picked me up and got mohair all over his wool uniform! I don’t think I wore it after that-and I loved it.
I am team frantically spinning. 😂 I made half of the yarn too thin, so I am thinking of holding it double with something else. Does 60% alpaca content count for mohair?
Fun to watch and see everyone’s color choices even though I am not participating this year. The thing I miss most about participating in the MKAL is being part of the humans of west knits community you built
My memory is of my mother she was not a knitter but she crocheted and her and i made her a yarn box from a quaker oats box with a hole cut in the top for the yarn to unfurl as she crocheted, I wrapped the box with rows of baby blue yarn glued down with elmers glue, later as a teen she taught me how to crochet but I did not realize my love for crochet and yarn until I was in my 40's and Mom was gone. She would be proud of me today!
I love getting nosy with all the colours and fibres people are using. I was most shocked with Martin's pink and green color combo, as I am knitting with those exact colours as I'm watching this video.
11:32 I love this piece of information! This will be my first time doing a mystery knit along and I had told myself I can always frog it ... I'm so glad that this was mentioned. Also the fact that you don't have to keep up with the trailblazers and you can take your time 😊
Hi Irina & Martyn!! So excited to participate in the MKAL again. I’m Team Stash this year, have a few options but haven’t settled or caked anything up yet. I’m cutting it close, eek!! Loved everyone’s colors!
My childhood memory is learning to knit at age 10 at our local playground. Our playground was like a club with an adult moderator. Miss Joyce decided to teach us knitting and little did I know it would be a lifetime of enjoyment.
Sorry I missed you guys today! I'm still recovering from heart surgery earlier this month, and I didn't sleep well last night, so I ended up staying in bed late today. I'm delighted that you are doing this again this year. Looking forward to Thursday!
Beautiful conversation. Congratulations. I remembered my father, when he taught me to draw. It isn't exactly a knitting memory, but I have two skeins that I didn't know what to do with them. The way that Claudia express her memories throw the knitting, gave me one idea. I'm going to knitt a sweater to remember my father and my chilhood city.
What a beautiful podcast. It reminded me of my paternal grandmother teaching me to do cross stitch on a fabric where the design was printed. We were at the beach in the Outer Banks of NC and a hurricane was coming. So we spent a lot of wonderful time inside that vacation.
My memory of my English Nanna being so patient and encouraging with teaching me to knit. Me being left handed and she right handed . I would knit several Rows - full of mistakes. She would graciously correct - and compliment me on how well I was progressing. I have since learnt continental Knitting from a Latven neighbour. However as an adult who has faced being left handed in all facets of life. I now knit English style right handed . Understanding it all visually. What a messed up brain I have with my knitting . But somehow it works and I love my time with my needles.🧚♀️
This was a very emotional interview. I am so moved by how Claudia infuses her designs with treasured memories of her family and it adds so much richness to her patterns. My mother and her sister, my aunt, taught me and my cousin to knit one day when we were 9. I remember that I chose a coral colored ball of yarn and I used red plastic straight needles. I don’t remember what I actually made, but I fell in love with knitting and it came naturally to me. The next summer when I was 10 my mom taught me to embroider. I’m forever grateful to her for teaching me when I was so young and the two of us enjoyed making things together until she passed away at the age of 91! A lifetime of joy and shared creativity. I will be attending Claudia’s Knitting Retreat (along with Fruity Knitting) in Costa Rica this February and will receive a book there, so please don’t enter me in the drawing. For her class, we will be making the Monarca sweater. Now that I understand the inspiration of the butterfly, I’m even more excited to make it. Thank you for this beautiful conversation with Claudia.
@@Fiberchats If/When you get around to making them, please share. Those golden butterflies are so delicate. We’ll be learning to make them at her retreat.
I was born into an international and an interfaith family. My late father was a Syrian Muslim and my mother is German, nominally a Christian. My parents met in a train to Paris and after my father completed his Phd in Europe they moved with me (born in Paris) and with my brother (born in Berlin) back to Damascus. Our Syrian family rejected us - a childhood memory that impacted all of us. Although my father owned a beautiful and spacious house in which all of us could have lived, he had to work two jobs as a teacher and instructor to buy a suite for his family.
I'm new to knitting and was doing this intuitively warring doing it worng😅 If I have pattern with lace or complicated instructions does it affect in any way?
What a faaaabulous interview! Thank you, ladies! I need this book…that’s a for sure! My childhood memories are of my grandmother knitting slippers for everyone around her, plus she was always embroidering tea towels and also crocheting amazing doilies . Also, my mom was an amazing seamstress…not as a profession, but as a passion. This interview brought up many memories for me so thank you so much for this🤍
My mother taught me to knit at the age of 8 as she did all of my sisters. She was so patient with me. She gave me a large ball of green yarn to practice with however it turned out I was allergic to the wool dye. My eyes puffed up like huge eggs. There weren't many fibre choices in those days. She made me lovely angora hats and mittens.
Such a captivating and poignant, to me, interview.Thankyou Irina and Claudia for taking the time to share.I love when you said, Claudia "by making I become myself".I feel that too, now in my early 60's...and it reminds me of an interview from Jackie Rose and her Mum recently..her mother is finding she is being flooded with more vivid memories in her later years when creating., as do I ..especially of my maternal European grandmother who practically raised me and taught me so many crafts/skills. It is an honour and delight now to make mindfully, to take the time for gratitude and passing on .Go well in your days, Ladies.🙏🌏🐨❤xx
I just got to the end of the interview...now🤭..one vivid memory is my Oma taking me to a small country yarn shop miles from our town,,it was filled to the brim with walls of hanks, home spun and Lopi..I was always fascinated with the Lopi whilst she always came away with fingering weight yarn and crochet cottons...It was like an Alladins Cave run by a older family with a disabled daughter whol also took delight in making ,sharing and being hospitable to each customer as they came. I still havent knitted with Lopi but will❤xx
What a fun interview! I remember an amazing long skirt that my mom knitted for me. My other memory is crocheting a white collar for my school uniform. Every weekend I had to take it off, wash it and sew it back om.
This was a phenomenal interview..in fact, I went back and listened to it again. When Claudia was talking, I thought about my grandmother who hooked some amazing rugs. She hooked a rug for my parents when they were married and I have that rug framed on my wall. Claudia is an amazing woman and those sweaters are just gorgeous!
What a lovely lady. Thank you. I come from a family of artists. Most of my other family members are painters and photographers. My mother was a sewer, but from the other side of my family. I'm the only knitter. I started learning embroidery at age 14 when I was stuck at home during an illness. I started learning to knit at age 26. At age 65 1/2, I'm still learning.
