Episode 100 - Fruity Knitting - Celebrating 100 Episodes

Episode 100 – Fruity Knitting – Celebrating 100 Episodes

Episode 100 is all about looking back and enjoying the last four years. During this time our own lives have changed so much and it has been a lot of fun to review the people we’ve met and had on the show as guests and also the places we have seen and filmed for the show. I asked Andrew to go through all the records and give me the numbers of who’s been on the show. Here is what he came up with.

We have done a total of 114 long feature interviews, we have featured 65 Knitters of the World, 32 designers have presented their latest designs in New Releases, we’ve had 13 Shepherdess talk about the yarn they create from their flocks in Meet the Shepherdess and we have had three different guests in our Makers segment. That’s where we do a short feature on an artisan crafts-person that’s not related to knitting. In total we have had over 227 guests on Fruity Knitting. On the technical side, we now have around 14 TB of data stored for the 100 episodes to date.

Interview Retrospective

We now have a great archive of mini documentaries on knitting, spinning and wool. When I was preparing, filming and editing each segment, my aim was to make the material stand up to being watched a few times. To have enough informative content that people would benefit from watching it twice. To celebrate Episode 100, I have put together a compilation of 2-3 minute highlights from different interviews that we have done. When I was doing this, I was really struck by the variety of guests and topics that we’ve had on the show. The highlights in this compilation aren’t necessarily from my favourite interviews but I think they are a really good mix.

Susan B. Anderson and her son Evan talk about launching the Barrett Wool Company together.

Susan Crawford tells the story behind the ‘Prisoner of War’ jumper from her Vintage Shetland Project Book.

Elizabeth Johnston shows us how she spins the finest cobweb weight yarn.

Only 5 hairs width.

Shetland lace knitters, Kathleen Anderson and Anne Eunson.

One of my favourite interviews was with the fabulous Shetland Lace knitters, sisters Kathleen Anderson and Anne Eunson.

Wilma Malcolmson, founder of Shetland Designer, with her granddaughter Terri.

Going down memory lane with Wilma Malcolmson and her granddaughter Terri.

Lynn Zwerling, creator of Knitting Behind Bars.

Our interview with Lynn Zwerling from Knitting behind Bars deeply touched me. Lynne is one of the most impressive people I’ve ever met.

UK designer, Jiménez Joseph – JimiKnits.

Another early interview which I really enjoyed doing was with the designer Jimenez Joseph whose design name is JimiKnits.

Compilation of Highlights from 14 interviews

Patron Discount – JimiKnits

Jiménez has wonderful designs, very stylish and modern. During the compilation, you’ll hear her talk about how she developed her own colour coded system of writing patterns. JimiKnits is offering Fruity Knitting Patrons a off all her self-published patterns. This offer is valid until 24 May, full details here.

Patron DIscount – JimiKnits

Patron Discount – Alasdair Post-Quinn Double Knitting

Last episode we featured the double knitting expert Alasdair Post-Quinn and many of you were completely blown away by his extraordinary designs. Alasdair is also offering Fruity Knitting Patrons a discount off his individual patterns and his books. This offer is valid until 26 May, full details here.

Patron Discount – Alasdair Post-Quinn

Knitters of the World – Florian Streckfuß

A knitted replica of the Fruity Knitting set, created by Florian.

We are also featuring a guest from Berlin in Knitters of the World who has created something very special and touching to celebrate our 100th episode. Florian has knitted us a perfect little replica of our living room which is also the Fruity Knitting Set. We were speechless for quite a while after unpacking the parcel which arrived in the post. It was so much fun to keep looking and discovering new little details that Florian has very thoughtfully included. Not only has he got all the colours right for the main dècor but even the pictures on the wall have the correct colours. There are even tiny knitting needles and over head lights. We were so impressed that we contacted him and persuaded him to come on Knitters of the World to talk about how he created it.

The 1.5 mm DPNs.

There are two projects on the couch. Andrew is knitting a pair of socks and I’m knitting a gorgeous Alice Starmore jumper (below) done on 1.5 mm needles.

The world’s smallest Alice Starmore sweater.

Florian had particular difficulty with the cupboard at the back of the room. Unfortunately for him I kept rearranging the bookshelf and all the crockery.

The Fruity Knitting bookshelf!!

Now with doors.

This was the most touching and thoughtful gift. We love the little hidden details like the garden with roses outside the window and the kitchen with the pineapple through the archway.

Florian knitting in front of the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin.

Finding Florian

Skye by Marie Wallin

The Skye is finished. It was all fairly straight forward but I needed to custom fit the yoke to sit neat and flat around my neck.

Skye by Marie Wallin

Skye – Marie Mallin using the Hampshire 4 ply from the Grey Sheep Company.

Celestial by Martin Storey

Challenged by cables, eyelets and decreases…

Andrew is working through the patterned front piece of his Celestial, by Martin Storey.

Celestial, by Martin Storey.

Bressay – Marie Wallin

Madeleine has moved onto the colorwork in her Bressay project.

Madeleine has been really hanging out to learn the two handed Fair Isle technique and to get going on her Bressay project. She has done chart A and B on the body and now needs to continue on the sleeves before joining it all together and finishing the yoke. It’s been great to have her home for a while. Sadly she is leaving in a few days to go back to Uni.

Bressay, by Marie Wallin.

What were we wearing?

The pack.

Music Credits