This last Monday (08/10/2020) my guest was the Oink Pigments team.
This interview lasted about an hour and 25 minutes. Most of our conversation revolved around how they all met and how it evolved into Oink Pigments. This was the very first time I had four people on the air with me. I thought it might be a mess... but it wasn't. What impressed me most is how socially conscious this business is and how much they give/donate even under hard economic times. Please list to this great interview to hear from these amazing folx. About Oink Pigments: Established in 2010, Oink Pigments is a purveyor of small-batch, hand-dyed yarns in Vista, CA and Indianapolis, IN. Our owners (Alexa, Helena, and Julie) are a trio of strong-willed humans who love pigs, puns, and purls. They have over 140 bright and playful colorways, available on over a dozen yarn & fiber bases. Let me introduce you to the team... Alexa Wilson (she/her) learned to knit in 2009, and knew from the moment she picked up the needles that she wanted to build a career in the fiber arts industry. She started dyeing in 2010, and has been in love with adding a bit of color to life ever since. Alexa continues to work hard to grow Oink Pigments, along with the rest of Team Oink, embarking on an incredible adventure through the yarnisphere. You can find her on the couch starting another new project, or buried under doggos, but probably both. Helena Bristow (she/they) has been Vice Pigmentologist at Oink Pigments since its inception in 2010. She learned to crochet at age 4, and taught herself to knit when she started graduate school for the first time. She often jokes that “knitting stuck; grad school did not” -- Helena has now dropped out of two different graduate programs because she would rather be playing with yarn. Helena can usually be found driving all over the country in her yarn van, to fiber festivals and local yarn stores. Julie Gillespie (she/her) keeps things running as Chief Oink Operator and head of Social Media & Marketing. She started knitting in 2007 on a whim and has been collecting different crafty skill sets ever since. Julie first joined Team Oink at Stitches West 2015, and was immediately informed that she was never allowed to leave. She can be found manning the Oink Pigments social media accounts, surrounded by a grumble of pugs. Founder of Sparkle Saturday, she always encourages others to shine bright. Harper Hodes (they/he) has been a member of Team Oink for a few years now, and loves helping customers pair colors. They have been knitting since they were in high school and are strongly involved in advocacy for mental health issues, the LGBTQIA+ community, and disability access. Harper is a process knitter who enjoys color work, but much prefers petting and buying yarn to finishing projects. They can often be found in their wheelchair at the Oink booth reminding people to hydrate. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
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This last Monday (07/27/2020) my guest was Jennifer Wenger-Turchen from Jennifer Knits. Jennifer joined me from her office in Los Angels. Jennifer's pronouns are she and her.
This interview lasted about an hour and twenty minutes. Most of our conversation revolved around business. Jennifer told us her story... how she had been working in an LYS since she was 15. She talked about eventually getting her own shop and figuring out how she wanted her business and her life to work. We talked about the economy, the challenges of COVID-19, and the fear of the uncertainty of how business is going to work in the next year. Jennifer did share with us her Top 10 things she'd advise a small business to do right now. But you'll have to listen to the show to hear them. (smile). Jennifer Wenger-Turchen's Biography: Jennifer has worked in the knitting industry since 1985. This year she is celebrating her 20th anniversary as the owner of Jennifer Knits, a fabulous, one-of-a-kind knit shop located in Brentwood Village, Los Angeles. She is known for her custom patterns—from her imagination, or inspired by your favorite ready-to-wear designer, and tailored to your gauge and measurements. Over the years, she has developed relationships with textile mills in Italy and imports the finest cashmere and merino directly to her shop. In 2005, she authored “Teen Knitting Club”, with Maureen Lasher and Carol Abrams, and embarked on a nationwide book tour, inspiring the creation of more than 500 knitting clubs in colleges and high schools across the country. She also offers a “How to Make a Profit” seminar, teaching women how to run successful small businesses (not just knit shops). Jennifer believes that anyone can have their dreams come true with hard work, integrity, and determination. Jennifer was president of the Brentwood Village Chamber of Commerce for eight years and served four years on the Brentwood Community Council. Her efforts helped bring local businesses together with the West LA VA to raise money for veteran’s housing, services, and job building. Working with government, the local community, and individuals, she was instrumental in helping to pass the HR3484 bill in 2017, helping to house previously homeless veterans on VA property—and made sure they had housewares, linens, and handknit potholders for their new homes. Jennifer was raised in the South Bay and resides there with her husband and their youngest daughter. She is also a favored aunt and knitwear supplier to her two darling nephews. Jennifer Knits sells across the country and beyond, with loyal longtime customers of all ages. With tons of Instagram instructional videos and a website full of beautiful yarns & accessories & kits, Jennifer Knits can be your “local yarn shop” no matter where you live! ------------------------------------------------------------------ Here are the resource links to some of the things we talked about on the show...
This last Monday (06/29/2020) my guest was Karida Collins from Neighborhood Fiber Co. Karida joined me from her studio in Baltimore, MD.
If you’ve been to a #STITCHESWest in the past couple of years, you might have met her and seen her wonderful work first hand. This show lasted just about and hour and twenty minutes. And we talked about a lot of things. Karida told us about going to school and deciding she did NOT want to be a lawyer. She talked about her time in Columbus, OH. She talked about coming back to Baltimore, MD to take care of her grandmother who was dying of cancer. Karida talked about her first TNNA show and the growth of her business--admitting that she made some mistakes early on in her career as an entrepreneur. Karida talked a lot about racism within the fiber arts industry as well as racism in America. We talked about the her activism and the way she's used her voice to talk about these important issues. We talked about her amazing GoFundMe campaign and how quickly it grew. Karida let us know that GoFundMe had made her a 'GoFundMe Hero'. I asked Karida about her outlook on our progress, as a people. She continues to be optimistic... especially about the fiber arts world. As she says... "Knitters get shit done!" Karida is incredibly busy. And she was very generous with her time. She was also wonderful to talk with. I hope you'll listen to the show so you can hear Karida's word yourself. Karida Collins' Biography: Karida learned how to knit immediately after finishing college, and fell in love. Hard. Enamored with knitting, she set out to create her own hand-dyed yarn business in 2006. She taught herself how to dye yarn and thus, Neighborhood Fiber Co. was born. Karida's love of saturated and vibrant colors is what gives her yarn it's signature style. Stirred by her surroundings, Karida set out to provide the world with hand-dyed yarns inspired by and named to reflect the natural beauty and diverse neighborhoods throughout the nation’s capital. Since then, she has added many more colors to reflect a multitude of neighborhoods, both inside and outside of DC. Now based in Baltimore, MD, Neighborhood Fiber Co. continues to offer vibrant, one-of-a-kind colors inspired by urban landscapes. ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
This last Monday (05/25/2020) my guest was Charan Sachar from Creative with Clay. Charan joined me from his home studio in Federal Way, Washington.
If you’ve been to a #STITCHESWest in the past couple of years, you might have met him and seen his wonderful work first hand. This show lasted just about and hour and a half. Charan is true artist when it comes to pottery. But he also knits, spins, weaves, and does hand-dying. He can't keep away from techniques and color. We talked about the influence his mother's dress making and embroider show (in India) had on his work. He admitted that a lot of the motifs and colors continue to influence his work. Charan was a computer engineer. When he came to the United States he continued his education and got a Masters in computer science. Education was always important in his family. Around 2000 he took his first pottery class. It changed him forever. He did Fine Art Shows for 15 years. In his 7th year of doing those shows, he quit his full time job and worked in his studio full time. The reason that I know Charan is that in 2018 he did his first #STITCHESWest. His work, with knit textures as part of his pottery, was received with a lot of enthusiasm almost immediately. We talked about his process and his love for color. We talked about his inspirations. And we talked about his experiences in the fiber arts industry. He was a delight to talk with. I hope you'll listen to the show and check it out for yourself. Charan Sachar's Biography: Charan Sachar (from Creative with Clay) lived in India for a significant part of his life where his mother ran a boutique, designing clothes for brides and bridesmaids. The designs, colors, fabrics and embroidery he came across then have a strong impact on his work now. In 2014, Charan took up knitting as a hobby and very soon the knit patterns started making an appearance into his work. Very soon, he purchased a floor loom and a spinning wheel. Now he obsesses over dyeing fiber and is fascinated about color mixing and different spinning techniques which change the appearance of the final yarn. The transformation of fiber to yarn and yarn to fabric inspires him further regarding the textures and colors in his pottery. He uses a combination of techniques such as wheel throwing, extrusions, slab constructions, and alterations to create his forms. Each piece is then further decorated with textures he creates to give it the feel of embroidered and knitted fabric. These are further enhanced with underglazes, slip, and glazes that he formulates to add beauty and functionality to the pieces. In 2011, Charan quit his full-time job of 12 years as a software engineer to pursue his passion in clay. Pottery has given him the much-needed respite from the monotony of everyday life. His story and work have been featured in the New York Times, HGTV, several knitting magazines such as Vogue, Noro, Tiny Fiber studio. His goal is to continue to work with this medium to create artwork which can be cherished for life. ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
This last Monday (05/5/2020) my guest was Gaye Glasspie (aka GGMadeit or GG). Gaye joined me from her home in Clifton, New Jersey.
This show lasted almost about an hour and 20 minutes. It was a comfortable conversation with someone that I admire. Gaye talked about her personal history and her family. She talked about how she came to knitting during a very hard time in her life which was full of loss. She talked about how she used knitting a form a therapy for her sadness, crying into her knitting. We talked about her thoughts on racism and the call for diversity within the fiber arts community. And she talked about her own experiences, both positive and negative, surrounding the fiber arts industry as well as in the world. We talk about her love of orange, of course. And she told an interesting story about that (please tune in and listen to hear it). She talked about the rise in her social media following... particularly on Instagram. She told us that she is uncomfortable with moniker, 'influencer'. You can hear more about why on the show. And I challenged all of you to send me another word that she can use to describe herself. We talked about STITCHES Events and some of the other shows she's done. We talked about Knit Stars and the fact that she will be among the teachers in that roster. The back and forth in this show was engaging and Gaye's story is compelling. I hope you'll listen to the show and check it out for yourself. Gaye Glasspie's Biography: Gaye Glasspie a.k.a. GGmadeit or GG is a 50-something-year-old who fell in love with knitting late in life—in just the last 9 or 10 years. a.k.a. Gaye is self-taught via YouTube, some wonderfully friendly yarn stores... and she is obsessed with all things orange. Gaye discovered knitting during a very challenging time in her life. She says that knitting is her ride or die, her BFF, and her kind of therapy. Knitting has also become a beautiful bridge into a world of wonderful people and a way to universally connect with others. ------------------------------------------------------------------ During the show we talked about a lot of things. Here are the resource links to some of those things...
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