Episode 4: Knitting It All Together

When you’re standing in a yarn store or fiber festival, staring at a wall of yarn, you’re probably dreaming of the project you’ll use it for or just falling in love with the colors and hand. For knitwear designer Norah Gaughan, yarn is the basic material of her work. Visiting Wing & A Prayer Farm, she fell in love with not only the yarn but also the connection to the animals and farm. In this episode, Norah and other fiber artists share how they choose the yarns they work with, why natural fibers are important to them, and how yarns from the farm connect them with a treasured community. Also in this episode, two farmers talk about how and why they use natural dyes to create irresistible colors in their yarns.

Bonus Downloads:

• Download the Wee Cardi Pattern, which is featured in this episode.
• Enjoy this bonus article about how Rowena Zuercher's family history led her to a farm in Platteville, Colorado, to find Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep (VBS).

Additional Resources for Episode 4:

• Lilly Marsh Studios
• Norah Gaughan
• Foster Sheep Farm
• Tegan Frisino and Comfortcloth Weaving
• In this bonus podcast, Mary Jeanne Packer of Battenkill Fibers shares her expertise on how to choose the right yarn structure for a knitted project, what surprising yarns you might be overlooking, and how to find the most wonderful yarns at a fiber festival.
• Hear Lilly Marsh discuss how she keeps consumers—and shepherds—warm with the cloth she creates in this podcast episode.
• Why try longwool yarns? Read this article about the yarn made from strong, lustrous fibers that inspired Norah Gaughan to design her Wee Cardi pattern.