The latest episode of my podcast is now live.

The podcasts will also be available on iTunes, PlayerFM and other podcast catchers within the next 24 hours.

As always, I can be found on Instagram and Ravelry. There is also a Ravelry Group for the Mrs M’s Curiosity Cabinet podcast.

Product and process knitting

Prompted by some online conversations about currently being a single WIP knitter, I mull over whether I am a product or process knitter, what this distinction actually means and how it might fit in with an environmentalist’s approach to making more generally?

When doing so I discuss a couple of recent projects:

• the Skipwith Cardigan by Rachel Atkinson, designed for Daughter of a Shepherd Hebridean Heritage 4-ply but which I knit in Jamieson & Smith’s Jumper weight 2-ply Shetland wool;
• the Woodcut Shawl by Karie Westermann’s, which I knit in single ply Shetland wool spun by Garthenor but dyed by Woollenflower; and
• the Belmont Cardigan by Gudrun Johnston (knit in Kettle Yarn Company’s Northam 4-ply – I forgot to mention that on the podcast).

Appreciating engineering

A recent sewing project saw me making six metres of bias tape to finish a new garment. It was the Stardust Skirt, a new-to-me pattern by Decades of Style. On the one, I made the binding tape for a very practical reason but it was also a sort of double homage.

(After I recorded the podcast I noticed that Decades of Style currently has a coupon code for 20% off its PDF patterns on its website. As I’ve made several patterns from this company multiple times, I’m happy to recommend their patterns so if you want to try one of them, now might be a good time.)

Inspiring gems

My introduction to this episode was quite a serious one, in which I mentioned that we are living in worrying times. I therefore decided to finish by mentioning some inspiring gems that I have been turning to for encouragement, inspiration and a kind of nurturing allyship in these times.

The online journal The Planthunter (@theplanthunter on Instagram) has been like a tonic and on rough days keeps reminding me I’m not alone in my concerns and frustrations. I have particularly enjoyed the following two articles: “From Control to Chaos – A New Ethos of Care” and “On Politics, Love and Climate Change”.

Since recording the podcast, another article has been published, which I think is worth flagging: “Say May Name: on Speaking the Indigenous Names of Plants”. Regardless of where you live, there are some important insights in how we view and name plants and what that says of the relationship we want to cultivate with them.

The other two gems are Gardens, Weeds and Words, a podcast by Andrew O’Brien (@andrewtimothyob) on why we garden and how we experience gardening, and Building Sustainability by Hartwyn Builds, which “explores sustainability in the built environment” through “conversations with designers, builders, makers, dreamers and doers”.

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Music: As I figure by Kevin MacLeod on FreeMusicArchive and licensed under Creative Commons By Attribution 3.0 License.